Return to Third Impact – An Impact Perspective on Setting and Characterization in Neon Genesis Evangelion

A series of vignettes taking place during the Third Impact.

On the catwalk before the humanoid weapons platform Evangelion Unit 01, Shinji Ikari stared up at Gendo Ikari, his estranged father who has called him to the thriving fortress city of Tokyo III. The letter was a mess of redactions with the word "come" scribbled over the top. The son dutifully trekked to the city in search of answers. The scene melts away until Shinji and his father are alone, standing in the nothingness of human instrumentality. The nature of the soul is for those at the center of the world to discover between shouts of "self."

"Why did you send for me?"

"You know why I sent for you?"

"Because mother died?"

"…"

"Because neither Akagi was of use to you any longer?"

"…"

"Because Rei was limited in her design?"

"…"

"The Second Child could never be my equal with Evangelion?"

"…"

"The Old Men needed a catalyst?"

"…"

"Your Operations Director needed a reason to remain loyal?"

"…"

"Because you made an unbreakable covenant with mother and god and were forced to see it though?"

"Correct."

"How could you do this!? All of this! Nerv, Seele, Evangelion! All this death, and for what?"

"This death is only the beginning of humanity's rebirth."

"That's hardly an answer."

"But it is the simple truth."

"But why. What could have possessed you to manage all of this."

"It was the plan passed to me by your mother."

"But it failed."

"No."

"But the production Evangelions caught me."

"Yes."

"Took Unit One into the sky and used it to start Impact."

"Which you control."

"What?"

"Yui taught me several irreplaceable things, Shinji. One of them was how to show courage in the face of Armageddon. I have never forgotten those facts."

"By throwing Children on the firing line and sitting above it all, praying that none of us just give up; let the Angel in to find their goal was nothing more than Her decaying body."

"Angelic Complementation was a subterfuge the Angels seemed to believe that gave us time to act on our real plans."

"The Angels were smart enough to be tricked?"

"The only one to have broken in realized on sight that She was not He. It was a matter, at that point, of finishing off the last of His Angels and starting in on Hers."

"Humans."

"Of course."

"What of those who cannot stand the tempest of souls?"

"That is up to you, Shinji."

"You called me by my name."

"You and I, humanity itself, are now one being. You know the truth. Act on it."