Neon Genesis Evangelion analysis chapter 14: Ayanami Rei, Unit – 00 Part 1
Construction of Unit – 00
Evangelion Unit – 00 refers to the prototype and is the model that took the longest time to complete its construction. Yet it is also the model that is the most unstable and has gone berserk second-most times after Unit – 01. However, if Unit – 01 went berserk to protect its pilot Shinji, Unit – 00 going berserk has served only to hurt its pilot Rei and the people around it.
Since the act of going berserk is in the purview of the soul the resides inside the core of each Eva, it would be the intent of this soul to hurt those around it when it goes berserk. Therefore, let us focus on the question of the identity of the soul inside of Unit – 00.
Firstly, I would like to address one of the more prevalent views regarding the soul in Unit – 00 that is the argument that it does not have one. Such argument is supported using the text presented in the game Shin Eva 2 that says, ‘Creation of Core suitable for Rei was not simple as she did not have a mother’. Yet what this sentence tells us is the (of course very) important fact that Rei does not have a mother but does not stand as a piece of evidence on the absence of a soul in Unit – 00’s core.
The fact that Evas have a soul is the most fundamental understanding required from its viewers and this fact is recited often enough, most importantly through Ritsuko and Rei. The reason for this has been covered several times in the previous chapters thus I shall not go into it here. I will make my case clear here that I believe that Unit – 00 has a soul and I present my evidence to prove it in this chapter.
The first scene of importance to us is the sequence of it going berserk in episode 5
Operator: Unit – 00 is out of control!
Gendou: Cease the experiment, shut it down
Operator: Unit – 00 has switched to its secondary battery
Operator: 35seconds to its complete shutdown!
Ritsuko: It’s dangerous, please stand back!
Misato: So what was the cause of the accident that day?
Ritsuko: We don’t know yet, but its believed to be psychological instability from the pilot
Misato: Rei becoming psychologically unstable?
Ritsuko: Yes, I find it hard to believe coming from her
Misato: Just what could have happened to her?
Ritsuko: I’m not sure, perhaps….
Ritsuko: No… that’s not possible
There are two important parts in this sequence is. First is the accuracy of which Unit – 00 can locate Gendou’s location among the amount of distress we see it to be in, and Ritsuko saying, ‘No… that’s not possible’ in her conversation with Misato.
Let’s look at the first part. As we have already covered, the action of Evangelion during its berserk state is the act of the soul in the core. It is definite that Rei had no negative feelings towards Gendou at this point, and Gendou’s ‘scalding’ sacrifice has made her fall in love with him. Yet it is also true that Unit – 00 was definitely targeting Gendou. Gendou, when this was happening, seemed as though he has expected it (Except for the fact that he was startled from the wall denting in) and keeps Unit – 00 perfectly in his sight.
Therefore, we can make a statement here that the soul inside of Unit – 00 truly despise Gendou, Gendou is aware of this fact, and he knows that this person’s soul is inside of Unit – 00. In this case, there are two possible candidates for the identity of the soul in question. First is Ritsuko’s mother, Akagi Naoko. Second is the soul of the First Rei.
If the identity id Naoko, she does have a legitimate reason to want to kill Gendou since she dies shortly after knowing of the terrible things, he has said about her behind her back. If it was the soul of the first Rei, she might have hated Gendou for sealing her inside of Unit – 00. But we do not have enough evidence yet to weight between the two hypotheses. So let us move onto the second part of the sequence.
Ritsuko, when she is looking back at the failed experiment, seems to have thought of something when she says “No… that’s not possible”. The way she says it suggests that she does not have a definitive idea but a theory of what happened. In this case, we can suspect both possibilities of the soul but let’s also consider that it was Misato’s question of “Just what could have happened to her(Rei)?” that triggered this realization.
If the identity of the soul was Naoko, Ritsuko would have had to go through the mental gymnastics of “Rei was psychologically unstable? What could she have seen in there? My mom who killed herself five years ago?”. Rather, my argument is that Ritsuko who knows the secret of the dummy system and of Rei would more likely agree with the First Rei’s soul hypothesis.
My next evidence is the following seen in the latter half of episode 14 when Shinji is riding Unit – 00 for ‘pilot interchangeability testing’. For this sequence, Rei did not have any problem when she was in Unit – 01 (This whole test likely being to test Rei’s brain system, as the dummy system, is compatible with Unit – 01), we see the problem when Shinji is on Unit – 00. In the synchronization phase, step A10: neural link application (When the soul in the core begins communication with the pilot), a myriad of images are forced into Shinji’s mind.
Ritsuko: Shinji, how does Unit – 00’s entry plug feel?
Shinji: It feels a bit weird
Shinji: Something is… it’s forcing itself into my mind
Shinji: Ayanami… Ayanami Rei? Ayanami Rei’s feelings? Wait, no, this isn’t Ayanami
At first, we are shown Ayanami Rei that Shinji is familiar with, and the scenes we have seen in the previous episodes. Shinji too believes this to be Rei and begins thinking about her. But we quickly find irregularities in the images (Shinji is struck of a headache at this point likely due to the invasiveness of the images coming into his head) and at this point, we see a surreal image of Rei.
Right after this, we see Unit – 00 going berserk for the second time in the series.
Misato: What’s happening?
Maya: Pilot’s mind is being corrupted! Losing control of Unit – 00
Ritsuko: Unit – 00 is denying Shinji?
The way Unit – 00 went berserk was different compared to the first.
Unit – 00 did not aim for Gendou but aimed for Rei. Not only that, as though this was not enough, but it also begins to harm itself by repeatedly bashing its head against the wall.
What we need to take away from this sequence lies with Rei’s reaction to this Unlike Gendou who flinched, Rei stood still all the while being threatened by unit – 00. It is almost as if she is saying “Kill me if you want to”. We should also observe Ritsuko’s reaction to this being “unit – 00 absolutely tried to kill me[Ritsuko].”
Let us shine the spotlight on Unit – 00 going berserk. Through this sequence, we can add Rei and itself to the ‘unit – 00’s hate list’. Both of the hypothetical identities of the soul, however, can explain this sequence. Since Naoko has killed the first Rei and swiftly killed herself, it is highly likely that she would try to kill Rei again and try to destroy unit – 00 that is her current body. On the contrary, if the identity of the soul were the first Rei, she would definitely feel dissonance at the being that looked just like she did and harmed herself out of the feeling of being trapped in the Eva.
If so, how can we explain our Rei’s reaction or the lack thereof? It can be overlooked as we are made to think of this lack of emotion as Rei’s character identity, it goes against the other character identity we are made known of her, namely that unlike herself, she did not follow the orders given to her by Misato to run away from the attack. I believe this to have come from the mutual bond she shares with the unit – 00 and (coming from the seven months she spent trying to synchronize with) understand and emphasize this action.
This response from Rei is more explainable in the case where the soul is that of the first Rei rather then if the soul is Naoko’s. In the first case, Rei would be able to understand the action of Unit – 00 more compared to the case if the identity was that of Naoko who Rei has a reason to be afraid of and hate for she has been the victim of her assault.
Ritsuko’s reaction to this is also interesting. She believes that Unit – 00 has aimed to kill her. If we flip the table and see from Ritsuko’s point of view for why she may think such a way, is that she is feeling guilty of something she did to the soul in Unit – 00. And as the lead scientist who was also in charge of preparing the core for Touji and Unit – 03, Ritsuko definitely knows the identity of the soul in unit – 00.
If the soul is Naoko, What Ritsuko would be feeling guilty about is her having a relationship with Gendou who Naoko loved and was betrayed by.
If the soul is the First Rei, the guilt would come from the hatred she thinks the first Rei would have to her. The daughter of the woman that killed her, and the (likely) person that trapped the soul in Unit – 00.
Suspect number 1: Akagi Naoko
If it looks as though I am pulling towards the idea of the soul being that of the First Rei, you would be right. But more then that, I am in complete disagreement with the often debated idea that Naoko’s soul is Unit – 00.
This theory of Naoko’s soul being in Unit – 00 comes from Kitamura Masahiro’s “Complete Evangelion explained” that I have mentioned in chapter 12. Rather, he presents this theory less as a theory but as though it is canon. Gives no evidence, mentions this, and builds other arguments on top of this false canon. From here on, I will give pieces of evidence to refute his claims.
The most important thing to consider is that there is absolutely no reason for Gendou to put Naoko’s soul into Unit – 00. Rather I stand that it does complete disservice if the soul was that of Naoko. Barring what she has done to Rei, and that Rei and Unit – 00 were paired from the earlier days of planning, it would be insensible to put Naoko’s soul in the unit that Rei will come to pilot.
Further, if we were to follow the Mother-child logic of soul – pilot, the pilot of the unit – 00 souls be Ritsuko, not Rei. When we see Gendou flinching in the fist berserk sequence, it shows that Unit – 00 going berserk was not expected to happen. Yet if it were Naoko’s soul inside, the Unit – 00 going berserk should have been something that was expected for Gendou, thus he would not have had the need to flinch, or not be where he was when it happened.
Therefore, I state my case that the argument of Unit – 00 containing Naoko’s soul as something that ignores the logical flow of the setting and comes from the desire of turning Evangelion into Misery porn and make the characters suffer more than necessary. Therefore, I argue that ideas that stem from such mentality should never be given any weight in the debate of anything.
Suspect number 2: The first Rei?
Yet if you ask if my answer to the identity of the soul being that of the first Rei, I will be reluctant to say yes. What I have pointed out so far is that there is a great deal of contradiction to the idea of the soul being Akagi Naoko.
The reluctance to say yes comes from the elephant in the room for the first Rei’s soul hypothesis, this being that since both the first and the second Rei contains Lilith’s soul. Thus, in this case, we come to a state that there are two souls of Lilith in co-existence, separate from each other physically.
Let us take a break here. In the following chapter, let’s discuss a little more about the hints that exist regarding Unit – 00’s core and attempt to conclude this discussion of the identity.
TBC Ayanami Rei, Unit – 00 Part 2
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