When the Second Impact almost destroyed the Earth in Neon Genesis Evangelion, what was left of humanity turned to the eponymous Evangelion Units as their last line of defense against the extraterrestrial Angels. Similar to the alien Angels that used technology beyond society’s comprehension, the EVA Units were eventually revealed to be using a similar power source to that of their sworn enemies.
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However, with the many EVA Units featured in Neon Genesis Evangelion, some stand out as superior to their brethren. While the mecha all serve as Earth’s last defense against the Angel threat, certain Evangelion Units have a more powerful arsenal and toolkit than viewers expect.
10 Evangelion Unit 00
Prototype Unit Durable Enough To Outlast Its Own Self-Destruct To Destroy An Angel
|
Pilot |
Rei Ayanami |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
Prototype EVA; Upgraded to fit combat conditions; Incompatible with standard equipment |
|
Status |
Destroyed; Self-destructed to destroy 16th Angel Armisael |
Designated as a Prototype Unit, the Evangelion Unit 00 is the first fully functional Evangelion. Derived from First Angel Adam, Unit-00 initially boasts no special features until it is upgraded with better armor. Piloted by Rei Ayanami, Unit-00 is most notable for wielding the Enchanted Shield of Virtue against the Sixth Angel, capable of withstanding the Angel’s targeted laser blasts while Unit-01 sniped and destroyed its core.
Despite being a Prototype Unit, Unit-00 is extremely durable. Not only did it go berserk during its first activation, but Unit-00 experienced significant damage against the Eighth Angel. Moreover, Rei initiated Unit-00’s self-destruct sequence against the Tenth Angel, which it survived while sustaining heavy damage.
9 Evangelion Unit 08
Custom Type That Can Use Assorted Weaponry, Can Provide Sniper Support
|
Pilot |
Mari Makinami Illustrious |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
Custom Type EVA; Standard Anti-Angel combat abilities |
|
Status |
Presumed Destroyed during Additional Impact |
Unlike other Evangelions in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, the Evangelion Unit 08 is designated as a Custom Unit. In turn, Unit-08 has quite an unconventional appearance compared to its other Evangelion unit counterparts.
However, while it’s an exclusive in the Rebuild of Evangelion films, not much is known about its full capabilities. In the films, Unit-08 was deemed capable enough to aid the Tesseract-captured Unit-01. However, even when Unit-08’s Mari recommends Unit-02’s Asuka to lead the op, Unit-08 is seen as capable of providing excellent sniper support.
8 Evangelion Unit 03
Angel-Infected Version Is Only Destroyed By A Berserking EVA
|
Pilot |
Toji Suzuhara |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
Standard Anti-Angel combat abilities; Angel-infected mutations such as arm extensions, infectious ooze |
|
Status |
Destroyed by berserking Unit-01 |
Being a Production Unit in the series, Evangelion Unit 03 bears a striking resemblance to its sibling Unit-02 save for the black color scheme. On top of Asuka piloting the unit once, not much is known about its full capabilities. However, what made Unit-03 dangerous throughout the events of the Evangelion series is ironically not due to its own abilities, but rather the fact that it housed the Ninth Angel, a being it’s built to destroy.
Upon full infection, the Angel-controlled Unit-03 is seen easily destroying the Matsuhiro Test Facility. Its Angel influence also quickly manifested all over Unit-03, showcasing a blue ooze that prevented its entry plug from being removed, the capability of growing extra limbs for various purposes, and movement patterns normally not done by Evangelion units.
7 Evangelion Unit 02
Combat Unit With A Special Beast Mode Perfect For Aggression
|
Pilot |
Asuka Langley Sohryu; Kaworu Nagisa |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
Special Beast Mode; Advanced Anti-Angel combat abilities |
|
Status |
Presumed Destroyed during Third Impact |
Officially designated as a Production Model, the Evangelion Unit 02 in the Rebuild films was created specifically to handle high-intensity combat. Compared to Unit 01 and Unit 00, Unit-02 piloted by Asuka is customizable to accommodate different combat equipment. In turn, the Unit-02 has two Progressive Knives instead of the usual one as well as the ability to use high-powered weaponry.
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What makes Unit-02 stand out among the rest of its counterparts is its special Beast Mode. Built into the unit as a special command, Beast Mode heavily alters the physical state of Unit-02 to accommodate extreme combat situations. Such is the strength of Beast Mode Unit-02 that it’s able to penetrate several layers of the Tenth Angel’s nigh-impervious AT-Fields.
6 Mass Production Evangelion
Designed To Help Start Third Impact, Can Use Longinus Spear Replicas
|
Pilot |
Kaworu-type Dummy System |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
S2 Engines; Standard Anti-Angel combat abilities; Flight; Spear of Longinus Replicas |
|
Status |
Helped start Third Impact; Presumed Destroyed during Third Impact |
Launched during the Third Impact, the Mass Production Evangelions are autonomous EVA units designed to contain the power of Lilith (this time, Unit-01) for control over instrumentality. In the plot, this process easily backfires as the Mass Production Evangelions are easily subdued by the empowered Unit-01.
However, at base, the Mass Production Evangelions remain some of the fiercest threats the ordinary units faced in the series. Similar to Angels, these units are powered by nigh-limitless energy from S2 Engines. Not only that, each of them is capable of flight and wields replicas of the Spear of Longinus capable of disabling both Evangelion and Angel alike.
5 Evangelion Mark 09
Being Its Own Core Makes It As Durable As An Angel
|
Pilot |
Rei Ayanami (Tentative Name) |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
Mark Unit; Advanced Anti-Angel combat abilities; Flight |
|
Status |
Damaged by a self-destructing Unit-02y; Destroyed by Additional Impact |
Considered a successor of Unit-00 in terms of design, the Evangelion Mark 09 easily dominates most existing EVA units in the Rebuild of Evangelion series. Its original mission was to secure Shinji from WILLE, an organization developed to stop NERV and destroy the Evangelions – a mission it succeeds flawlessly.
On top of possessing traditional EVA functionalities, the lack of plugs implies that Mark 09 is powered by an S2 Engine. It’s also capable of self-propelled flight and combat function even after decapitation. Moreover, the Mark 09 is capable of using its AT-Field to attack offensively such as explosions, similar to Angels. It took Asuka realizing Mark 09 itself is its own core and having to self-destruct Unit-02 as the only way to stop it.
4 Evangelion Mark 06
Powerful Enough To Stop Third Impact, Contains An Angel
|
Pilot |
Kaworu Nagisa; Autonomous |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
Mark Unit; Advanced Anti-Angel combat abilities; Spear of Cassius |
|
Status |
Stopped Third Impact; Presumed Destroyed during Additional Impact |
The Moon-based Evangelion Mark 06 is a Rebuild of Evangelion exclusive, initially piloted by Kaworu Nagisa with the intent of uniting with Second Angel Lilith as “the true Evangelion.” Implied to be powered by an S2 Engine, Mark 06 is seen capable of traveling Earth’s orbit.
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What makes Mark 06 interesting is how it’s used to seal the mysterious Twelfth Angel. While not given actual physical form in the series, it’s hinted that the Twelfth Angel’s destruction could cause some form of catastrophe. It’s unknown whether this sealing is the source of the Mark 06’s abilities. During the death of Mark 06 and the Twelfth Angel’s premature appearance, Evangelion 13’s consumption of the being initiated the Fourth Impact.
3 Evangelion Unit 13
Started The Fourth Impact
|
Pilot |
Shinji Ikari; Kaworu Nagisa; Gendo Ikari |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
Pseudo-Evolution; Advanced Anti-Angel combat abilities |
|
Status |
Unknown; Started the Fourth Impact; Presumed Destroyed during Additional Impact |
The mysterious Evangelion Unit 13 makes its debut in the third Rebuild film, appearing first as a similarly-colored Unit-01 of a larger scale. Capable of wielding two Spears, Unit-13’s immense power capacity necessitates two entry plugs. Not only that, its lack of an AT-Field is compensated by man-made RS Hoppers that can also be used in a variety of means. The implication that Unit-13 needs an S2 Engine means it may have been derived from First Angel Adam’s body.
Initially piloted by Kaworu Nagisa and Shinji Ikari in their attempt to cause the Fourth Impact, Unit-13 is eventually piloted by Gendo Ikari to go to the Minus Space and reunite with Yui. Such was the power of Unit-13 that it was able to penetrate a completely incomprehensible version of reality, as well as facilitate the means of recreating the world in its pilot’s image.
2 Evangelion Unit 01
Only Lilith-Based EVA, Needed To Start Third Impact
|
Pilot |
Shinji Ikari |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
Lilith-based Unit; Pseudo-Evolution; Berserk Mode; Advanced Anti-Angel combat abilities |
|
Status |
Unknown; Started the Third Impact; Presumed Destroyed during Additional Impact |
On top of being the most iconic Evangelion unit in the series, Evangelion Unit 01 piloted by Shinji Ikari is perhaps the most powerful EVA in any of its iterations. Formally designated as a Test Type, Unit-01 has the same physical makeup as an Adam-based EVA but is in fact an experimental unit created from Lilith’s body. On top of Yui Ikari’s soul merging with the unit during a Contact Experiment, Unit-01 is the closest the series has to a Lilith substitute.
This reality was also immediately recognized in the plot when Unit-01 was designated the best means of achieving the Human Instrumentality Project. Such is the raw power of Unit-01 that Yui’s soul overtaking the unit has saved Shinji Ikari multiple times in combat. Moreover, Unit-01 eventually devouring an S2 Engine united its Lilith body with Adam’s genetic makeup, creating a “forbidden” god-like unity that facilitated the Third Impact and put the fate of the world in Shinji’s hands.
1 Evangelion Imaginary
Started The Additional Impact, Can Rewrite Reality
|
Pilot |
N/A |
|---|---|
|
Skillset |
Exists in the Minus Space, between fiction and reality |
|
Status |
Unknown, Started the Additional Impact |
When Shinji and Gendo Ikari’s conflict in the Rebuild films brings them to the incomprehensible Minus Space, the latter shows the former his plans of executing his version of the Human Instrumentality Project through the Evangelion Imaginary. This “theoretical” Evangelion unit is perceivable only to humans, the only beings capable of experiencing both reality and fiction.
According to Gendo, the Spears of Longinus and Cassius are meant to “fuse” and pierce Imaginary, forcing reality and imagination to blend together into “homogenized” information via the Additional Impact. Theoretically, this should let Gendo rewrite reality and be reunited with his wife and Shinji’s mother, Yui Ikari. However, Imaginary is sucked back into Minus Space when Shinji uses it and the fused Spear to destroy the Evangelion universe.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Release Date
- October 4, 1995
- Genres
- Sci-Fi, Mecha, Drama
- Studio
- Gainax, Tatsunoko Production
- Directors
- Hideaki Anno
- Number of Episodes
- 26
- Streaming Service
- Netflix
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