At the end of 2.22, Shinji rejected reality so he could "get Rei back", so it stands to follow that, upon being drawn out of Eva-01, he would continue to reject any reality that did not involve Rei being "saved" (which he's certain he accomplished). Wille could have been the nicest people in the world and it wouldn't have mattered at all, so long as they presented a reality about Rei that didn't match what Shinji wanted. Shinji wanted to believe the thing that clearly wasn't Eva-00 was in fact Eva-00, and that the voice coming out of it belonged to his Rei. And he continues to believe this, against all evidence to the contrary, until Fuyutsuki finally shows him all those decapitated heads (a useful prop Wille didn't have access to) and Shinji can no longer run away from the truth.

Denial is a hell of a drug.

^ Well he received conflicting information for the short time he was with em, he's told 14 years have passed then Asuka shows up looking the same. He's told Rei is gone but then is given his SDAT that Rei had in her possession. When the mark-9 shows up looking like unit-00 and hearing Reis' voice telling him to come with, he's either gonna trust them or himself and what he sees.


As for OP, that's a very interesting theory that sheds new light on some of the aspects of rebuild. Although it may be my memory failing me but i thought the 4 spears from 2nd impact were of the longinus type, so where does cassius fit in?

EDIT: Sachi you're right, I stand corrected, after some googling you can only see 2 longinus clearly while only the shafts of the other 2 are seen. Weird how i remembered seeing all 4 of em being the same.

Settie wrote:As for OP, that's a very interesting theory that sheds new light on some of the aspects of rebuild. Although it may be my memory failing me but i thought the 4 spears from 2nd impact were of the longinus type, so where does cassius fit in?

It's obscured, but one of the four spears shown in 2nd Impact clearly has a smooth handle, unlike the rest. This one was likely Cassius.