Angels (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

In the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, Angels are the beings which attack Tokyo-3 over the course of the story. They take no common form (ranging from enormous monsters to an octahedron to a young boy), and seem to have no common point of origin; very little about their nature is explained over the course of the series. Their AT field pattern is "blue".

The Japanese word used to refer to the Angels is shito (使徒), which literally means "messenger" or "apostle", whilst the usual Japanese word for "angel" is tenshi (天使). The translation to "angel" was specified by Gainax. Nonetheless, it should be noted that the English angel is derived from the Greek for "messenger" (angelos), from which also comes the word "evangelion".

The Angels are all named after certain angels in Judeo-Christian lore.

Most of this list is universally accepted, but there is a lack of consensus on some elements. Some reverse the first two angels while some start the list with a 0th Angel or otherwise disagree with this list. Particularly controversial is the designation of mankind as the "18th Angel" (as mentioned by Misato in The End of Evangelion); nevertheless, it is included for the sake of completion.

Adam

The first Angel is Adam, said to have the appearance of a giant being made from light. The act of containing Adam turns him into an embryonic form and causes the Second Impact, in turn killing half of humanity and significantly altering the global environment. Later, Ryouji Kaji delivers the embryonic Adam, encased in bakelite, to NERV Commander Gendo Ikari, who implants it into his right hand. File:Adam.jpg

Lilith

The second Angel is Lilith. Lilith is the mother of mankind (referred to as the "Lilim" by Kaworu/Tabris). She is secured to a giant cross in Terminal Dogma by nails and by the Lance of Longinus. Kaji and Misato mistake this figure for Adam, only to have Kaworu reveal her true identity in episode 24. Rei and her clones are possibly made from the same matter as Lilith. Unit 01 is also said to have been born from Lilith instead of Adam (as with the other Eva units); this explains the high regard held for EVA-01 by Gendou Ikari and NERV. The LCL fluid used to oxygenate pilots while inside their entry plugs is actually Lilith's blood, which flows from an unregenerable wound. Her face is concealed by an enormous mask depicting the seven eyes of God. The mask's design also serves as the logo of SEELE.

(Note: A translation error in the North American release of The End of Evangelion occurs with a statement by Misato in which she mentions Adam as being born from Lilith implying that she, not Adam, is the first Angel. What she is meant to say is that mankind was born from Lilith in the same way the Angels were born from Adam. Official sources classify Lilith as the second Angel identified by NERV.) File:Lilith.jpg

Sachiel

Sachiel is the third Angel and the first Angel to attack Tokyo-3. It is heavily damaged by the "berserk" EVA-01 but self-destructs in a final attempt to kill its assailant. Sachiel is equipped with a powerful long-range energy blast, and was successful in penetrating the Geofront using this attack. It is also equipped with two energy-nails protruding through each of its hands which have a medium to short range and can be turned on and off at will. It is named after the angel of water.

Despite being a relatively weak Angel, Sachiel is arguably one of the most popular among fans. Its bird-like face (or mask) is frequently used as a symbol in Evangelion-related imagery, and has even been placed on t-shirts. At one time, Sachiel had a (now defunct) Internet fanlisting. In addition, Sachiel was one of the Angels (along with Lilith, Zeruel, and Tabris) to be depicted as a female in a series of tenth-anniversary action figures created by Gainax.

File:Eva079.jpg EVA-01 vs. Sachiel

Shamshel

Shamshel is the fourth Angel and the second Angel to attack Tokyo-3. It remains horizontal during flight and during combat it raises itself upright by 90 degrees while the "head" remains perpendicular to the body. It possesses a pair of energy whips which are able to easily slice through objects, but can also act as tentacles and grab objects. Shamshel is defeated by a fatal wound to its core inflicted by Shinji using EVA-01's progressive knife. During the battle, EVA-01's umbilical cable is severed by Shamshel's energy whip, and Shinji defeats the Angel with only seconds of active time to spare. Shinji also allows his classmates Touji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida refuge inside the entry plug during the fight after discovering the two near the scene of the Eva's struggle. The minimal damage to Shamshel allows NERV to obtain a complete Angel specimen, although no report is submitted or published. Shamshel is named after the angel whom, according to the Kabbalah, God ordered to guard the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled. In addition, some fans of the show argue that this Angel's shape and design are phallic in origin, although Shamshel is said to be female.

Ramiel

The fifth Angel, Ramiel, is octahedron-shaped. It attempts to drill through the armour surrounding the Geofront and is the first Angel to make a credible attempt to reach Terminal Dogma. Ramiel is a formidable Angel capable of defending itself with an energy beam which automatically targets any object within a certain radius; it also bears an AT Field so powerful that it visibly warps light passing through the area around it. For the above reasons, most fans consider Ramiel to be one of the strongest Angels to attack Tokyo-3 and the Geofront. Eventually, it is defeated by Shinji in EVA-01 using a positron cannon borrowed from the JSSDF that is charged with the electricity from Japan's entire national power grid. Rei is responsible for protecting Shinji and EVA-01 using a special shield constructed from the underbody of a Space Shuttle - its Thermal Protection System. After Shinji is forced to fire the cannon through EVA-00's torso to hit Ramiel while Rei is defending him, heavy repairs are made to EVA-00 and its armor color is changed to blue from its original orange. Shoulder "blades" are also added to the Unit's armor; though similar in appearance to the ones on Units 01 and 02, they are used to hold retro-rockets, as seen later in the fight with Matarael.

Gaghiel

The sixth Angel, Gaghiel, is the only Angel to be fought at sea. After damaging or destroying almost one-third of the UN combined fleet, it is killed by EVA-02 (piloted by both Asuka and Shinji), which pries open Gaghiel's mouth and allows a pair of evacuated battleships to fire their remotely operated cannons into its maw, causing the Angel to explode. Gaghiel itself has the appearance of a prehistoric fishlike creature, and does not possess any armament other than a set of razor-sharp teeth.

Israfel

The seventh Angel is Israfel. This Angel has the ability to split into two twins, each with its own core, that use synchronized attacks to overwhelm an opponent. When first attacked by Shinji and Asuka in Units 01 and 02, respectively, Asuka hastily cleaves Israfel through the center, prompting the Angel to split and quickly defeat the surprised pilots. Eventually, it is killed through a coordinated attack by Shinji and Asuka, concerted via a musical score and the memorization of numerous dance moves.

Sandalphon

The eighth Angel, Sandalphon, is found as in an embryonic state deep inside a volcano. Asuka is sent to capture it with a special Electromagnetically generated cage. For this mission, EVA-02 is specially equipped with the D-Type (High temperature and pressure resistant) Equipment. Unfortunately, the Angel awakens and rapidly develops into a mature form. It features no special attack powers, much like the sixth Angel, but is able to open its mouth under extreme heat and pressure. It is defeated by Asuka using coolant (inspired by an earlier conversation with Shinji regarding thermal expansion) and EVA-01's progressive knife (which Shinji hurls to Asuka after she accidentally drops her own knife).

Matarael

The ninth Angel, Matarael, is a massive spider-like Angel with multiple "eyes" that attempts to burn a tunnel directly into the Geofront with an acidic secretion. It appears during a near-total power failure in Tokyo-3 caused by an unnamed individual or party. It is defeated by the combined efforts of EVA-00, EVA-01, and EVA-02, all of which are running on battery power. This is the first combat operation involving all three Units simultaneously.

Sahaqiel

The tenth Angel, Sahaqiel, makes its appearance in low-earth orbit. It drops pieces of itself down to earth, continuously refining its aim, and finally attempts a kamikaze run utilizing its entire mass as a massive falling bomb on Tokyo-3. The blast would be so powerful that it would completely destroy NERV HQ and turn Tokyo-3 into an extension of the Pacific Ocean. However, it is intercepted and destroyed by all three Evas.

Iruel

The eleventh Angel, Iruel, is a nano-scale entity. It initially appears in the Pribnow Box deep in the Geofront and later spreads to where the pilots are taking part in tests on incomplete Eva models. It demonstrates an ability to rapidly adapt to new conditions. Before long, it evolves into a figure resembling electronic circuitry and uses its newfound knowledge to penetrate the MAGI's defense systems. It reads many critical files and initiates a self-destruct sequence before being slowed down long enough to allow the computer technicians (including Ritsuko and Maya) to engineer a successful self-destruction of the Angel.

Leliel

The twelfth Angel, Leliel, manifests itself as a floating black-and-white striped sphere (Leliel's shadow) and a thin black circle on the ground (Leliel's body). It moves its body underneath EVA-01 after Shinji tries to attack its shadow, causing EVA-01 to sink into Leliel. Leliel's body is speculated to be a Dirac sea and also linked to another universe. NERV scientists postulate that there is no possibility of escape for EVA-01 and Shinji. It is decided that the only valid strategy for defeating Leliel is to drop all 992 N² weapons currently in existence on it -- a plan which NERV believes would destroy the Angel along with EVA-01 and Shinji. Fortunately, before Shinji's oxygen ran out, EVA-01 goes berserk and violently bursts from inside Leliel's shadow, killing the Angel.

Bardiel

The thirteenth Angel, Bardiel, infects EVA-03 as it passes through a cloud formation during its flight from the United States to Japan. This infection first manifests itself during the initial activation test at Matsushiro Secondary Test Facility and the Angel soon seizes control of EVA-03, prompting NERV to designate EVA-03 itself as an Angel. Misato is injured when EVA-03 becomes berserk and escapes from the facility. Ejection of the entry plug is also impossible due to a weblike growth upon the Unit's back. During its rampage, EVA-03 disables EVA-02 and severely damages EVA-00 after unsuccessfully trying to infect it. Shinji, piloting EVA-01, is reluctant to destroy it himself because it contains a human pilot, even though he is unaware of the pilot's identity. Frustrated by Shinji's hesitation and more concerned with the destruction of the Angel and the progression of his scenario than the pilot's life, Gendou Ikari orders the activation of EVA-01's Dummy Plug system, which not only destroys the Angel but also nearly kills the pilot of EVA-03 by crushing his entry plug (in the anime the pilot loses his legs, but in the manga he actually dies). Upon learning that the pilot of EVA-03 was his best friend, Touji Suzuhara, Shinji promptly resigns from NERV for the second time.

Zeruel

The fourteenth Angel, Zeruel, is one of the Angels best suited for combat. It causes considerable damage to Eva Units 00 and 02 in very little time. It appears as a floating creature, as large as the Evas but lacking humanoid limbs. It uses a very powerful beam attack and folding foil-like "arms" as extendable cutting weapons. This Angel penetrates NERV headquarters after defeating EVA-00 and EVA-02 and almost completely destroys the command center. It is stopped by a berserk EVA-01, which then consumes the Angel's S² (Super-Solenoid) engine, giving the Unit an independent power source.

Arael

The fifteenth Angel, Arael, attacks from outer space and outside the range of conventional military weapons. It bears a glowing white form and appears to have wings that are very large compared to the body. It attacks Asuka's mind with a beam of light before she is able to shoot it down. During this time, Asuka experiences a nightmare centered around the death of her mother as well as Asuka's conceited and antisocial façade. This throws Asuka into such mental distress that EVA-02 simply ceases to function. Rei then removes the Lance of Longinus from Lilith's chest inside Terminal Dogma and, after returning to the surface, hurls it at Arael. The Lance does indeed destroy the Angel but also escapes Earth's orbit and becomes stuck in the surface of the moon, where it remains until the events of The End of Evangelion. Note: the "director's cut" version of episode 22, which features Arael, includes several new animation sequences, such as additional scenes in Asuka's nightmare and a shot in which the pole section of the Lance unravels into a spiral-like shape before piercing the Angel.

Armisael

The sixteenth Angel, Armisael, initially appears as a glowing floating torus. It reveals a double-helix structure before combat, but then returns to a single glowing thread and splits apart to form a snake-like line. It has no visible external features but appears to look at EVA-01 with the tail end when it is deployed. When the Angel attempts to physically merge with EVA-00, the pilot, Rei, is similiarly affected as she is synchronized with the Eva. The Angel also appears to telepathically communicate with Rei. Rei self-destructs her Eva to prevent the Angel from merging with EVA-01. Note: the "director's cut" version of episode 23, which features Armisael, includes several new animation sequences, such as EVA-00 shifting into a giant nude Rei just before exploding.

Tabris

Tabris, the seventeenth Angel, takes the form of a 15-year-old boy named Kaworu Nagisa. He is said to have been born from Adam himself, and is sent by SEELE directly under the pretense of a replacement pilot for EVA-02 after Asuka's synch ratio drops beneath functional levels. He has the unique ability to set his synch ratio at any level he wishes, as long as his soul is more dominant than the Eva's. He also has the ability to levitate and use telekinesis. He activates EVA-02 externally and without a power source and takes it with him as a guardian when he infiltrates Terminal Dogma in an attempt to reach Adam. However, upon discovering that Lilith, not Adam, is located there, he asks Shinji (in EVA-01) to destroy him. After a long hesitation, Shinji reluctantly agrees and crushes Kaworu.

Lilim (Mankind)

Mankind is referred to as Lilim by Kaworu -- i.e. they are beings born from Lilith rather than Adam. Since the Angels are humans who rejected the human form, or in other words are alternate incarnations of humanity, humankind can be considered the eighteenth Angel. This may conflict with the theory that the Angels were those that ate from the Tree of Life (thus their impressive physical abilities, such as rapid regeneration and incredible fortitude) while the original human(s) ate from the Tree of Knowledge (thus their technological superiority). In the End of Evangelion, Misato mentions that the other Angels were merely other directions that human life may have taken, and that humanity is the 18th Angel. It is uncertain whether she actually believed this statement or was merely commenting on the destructive nature of Angels and humans.