The Evangelion EVA-01 is a study in what happens when you make someone who doesn’t want to fight get in the mech.
You know what they say: the family whose souls get put into a mech together doesn’t become a wreck together. At least that’s what the leaders of NERV must have thought when they decided that young pilot Shinji Ikari would be paired with a mech that housed his mother’s soul. And you know what, it worked out pretty well (aside from all the psychological trauma).
Evangelion Unit 01 – Design And Capabilities
The Evangelion Unit 01, or EVA as it’s sometimes called, is best recognized by its distinctive chest plate. As opposed to the V-shaped plate on other Evangelion units, the EVA 01’s torso armor resembles pectoral muscles. And its helmet evokes the horns and frills of an ancient ceratopsian dinosaur.
For armament it carries a variety of weapons. Most typically it was seen wielding a Pallet Gun, a giant automatic rifle tthat uses electromagnetic-wave pulse action to rapidly fire depleted-uranium ammunition. It also carried, on occasion, a Positron Sniper Rifle, or could requisition an EVA sized Gatling Gun.
The Evangelion 01 also carried a variety of melee weaponry as well. Its primary armament was the Progressive Knife, a vibro knife stred within the left shoulder pylon of the Evangelion’s armor. This was, as often as not, the primary means by which the EVA-01 was able to harm or mortally wound the angels it fought.
But the Evangelion’s real power came from its ability to act independently of its pilot. The EV-01 in particular was capable of acting without a pilot or apparent pwer source. Indeed, it could enter into a Berserk Mode that increased its physical capabilities, giving it the ability to take on foes that conventional weaponry couldn’t harm.
In one notable incident, Evangelion Unit 01devoured another Angel, gaining even more proportionate strength and combat abilities. But given that Shinji’s mother’s soul was at the heart of the Evangelion 01, it’s probably owing to that special connection that a Berserk Evangelion never caused humaity irreparable harm.
A History Of Angels
As with the other Evangelion units, EVA 01 is a clone of an Angel, a being known as a Seed of Life, created billions of years ago by the First Ancestral Race. In this case, it was the 2nd Angel, Lilith, that provided the template for Evangelion Unit 01. Lilith also provided LCL, the liquid medium through which pilot and EVA are connected.
The LCL is actually blood collected from a wound in Lilith – where Lilith was pinned by the alien weapon known as the Spear of Longinius. NERV (and really the shadowy organization known as SEELE) harvested the resources of the Angel to its own end. Eventually both Lilith, its predecessor Adam, and Shinji Ikari are all swept up in a battle for humanity’s fate.
At its heart, Instrumentality. Instrumentality was a state in which all souls would flow together as a cohesive whole. No one person would exist singularly, instead, through Instrumentality, all the flaws in any living being would be complemented by the strengths in others.
This transcendant state of existence was initially intended for only the council members of SEELE, placing the souls within the body of a godlike being. However, what actually happened was that Shinji’s father used the organization and also the powers of the Angels to try to rejoin his dead wife, whose soul was in EVA 01.
Ultimately, Shinji rejected his father (and Instrumentality) deciding that life was worth living – and that he truly did have others to help him live and overcome loneliness, depression, and trauma. Because even a giant robot with your mom’s soul can’t cure depression. But it can help you find help.
Now, get back in the mech!
Don’t Miss:
Read more at this site