In Q, Fuyutsuki let's Shinji know that Gendo is willing to go all lengths to make sure his plan comes to fruition, even at the expense of his own life(his soul). He talks as though this hasn't happened yet, but this conversation was before the activation of Eva Unit 13 and all the events that followed that(4I, GUFO, SEELE dying, and Gendo's short ending convo with Fuyu). I personally think there was ample opportunity for Gendo to already have sacrificed his soul - though, just because something might be there, doesn't mean there is.

Gendo already seems strange enough throughout the film. The only way I see him expressing humanity(defined as having humanly characteristics) is his longing for Yui(still prior to Eva 13's activation). He doesn't care much for Shinji and talking with a giant severed head(or even being in the vicinity of such a thing without flinching) is abnormal.

There's no significant evidence for either position but does anyone think Gendo may already be dead?

I always thought of the possibility of Gendo's death at Shinji's hands but that's wishful thinking.

But this dude will always have a trick under the sleeve.

Probably he'll show up in the last movie but not in the last scene. But he might have died for "muh Yui". Or might not...

Considering Guf is the birthplace of souls in Hebrew tradition (IIRC), it's very well possible that Gendo may be dead for all intents and purposes after he enters it (3.33 seems to imply he might be inside Guf now with Fuyutsuki), as far as his physical body no longer existing in this world. That scene with the two of them in a blacked-out Wunder-style bridge could be depicting their souls inside Guf. But before that, he was very much alive IMO. A bit more detached than normal, but he has had 14 years to further harden his heart.

Regardless of whether the dude is a hollow body at this point, I still think he's going to show up in the next movie. His character may be dead, but his character is not actually dead, if you know what I mean. The foundations of Gendo are still there, as witnessed in his last conversation with Fuyu, where Gendo is seen doing what he does best - scheming.

But scheming isn't the most defining trait of someone's humanity. Granted, people developed the ability to plan ahead for a reason, but it's still not as human as, say, being concerned for someone, or for one's own well-being. I still feel Gendo will continue to "live" into the next movie, but I'm not sure if he's actually "alive."

Iron you make an important point, even though Gendo might not actually be in Guf. The Doors of Guf were opened, and that has an explicit(from NGE though) connection to souls. Who knows if he even threw his soul up there? Or even if his soul was 13, since we still can't determine where the 2nd half of that activation came from?

He could have died and is now a cyborg like Keel. All Darth Maul like.

I think Fuyutsuki is just speaking metaphorically when he said Gendo sacrificed his own soul as a way to underline the extreme lengths to which Gendo is willing to go in pursuit of his higher goal. Fuyutsuki doesn't approve of many of Gendo's choices (especially his handling of Shinji), but he's too much of a doormat to take a solid stand against him. Their enterprise hasn't been very kind to either of them.

Gendo died when Yui disappeared.

BlueBasilisk wrote:I think Fuyutsuki is just speaking metaphorically when he said Gendo sacrificed his own soul as a way to underline the extreme lengths to which Gendo is willing to go in pursuit of his higher goal. Fuyutsuki doesn't approve of many of Gendo's choices (especially his handling of Shinji), but he's too much of a doormat to take a solid stand against him. Their enterprise hasn't been very kind to either of them.

This.

Gendo "sacrifices his soul" figuratively, not literally, by subordinating pretty much everything -- including his own son, if not himself as well -- to the pursuit of his (fairly monstrous) agenda.

I personally don't think it's metaphorical at all. I think Gendo is/was(?) actually willing to lose his soul. Considering his lack of humanity in Q and his weird visor setup, I don't think it's far off. Lorenz lost his soul in EoE(when he's tanged, you can see it rise out of his body) and Gendo's wearing his glasses. Fuyu could have just as easily said "Gendo is sacrificing everything to get what he wants" and got his point across but he clearly mentions Gendo's soul(in both Eng and Jap).

Gendo has made a deal with the devil. Now he owns the devil's soul.

Seeing him wearing something akin to Keel's visor made me suspect something odd was going on (and I still do) but not at the extent of that he maybe had already lost his soul: Gendo would do anything as long as he can achieve his plans after all. There's a scene in 1.0 if I recall correctly where he talks to Fuyutsuki and they mention Shinji could even be brainwashed... that gave me the chills.
I never thought about it, and it'd be interesting, though it's true that maybe we are looking too much into it. Ahhh, the wait for Final...

Power Guido wrote:I always thought of the possibility of Gendo's death at Shinji's hands but that's wishful thinking.

Am I the only one who has thought about Oedipus complex while reading this?

The visor is a good visual metaphor for how cold and hard he's become. When he wore his glasses, you could still see his eyes and the emotion behind them sometimes. You can't ever see his eyes through the visor, reflecting the stone cold implacable man he's hardened into.

It would be pretty interesting if he had become a cyborg or at least cybernetically enchanced like Keel and Emperor Neo, though.