[Thread revival at [url]http://forum.evageeks.org/post/760337/#760337[/url] - Monk]
I've been lurking for a long time, and this would be my first topic.
Before I start, I'd like to clarify that I am not linking NGE to NTE. I'd like to, but I personally believe that it's unlikely they link together. I'd also like to say that though I'd prefer support and develop this theory, criticise any of this if you disagree; all we want to find in the end is answers (no matter how impossible they are to obtain), right?
From the start, a friend and I had this idea based on the concept of Evangelion looping; that Kaworu, at his death, becomes an additional Adam for the next loop of Evangelion, and the new Kaworu for that loop would awaken from the next coffin on the moon (shown in the spoiler). This worked because there were 4 coffins already opened, 1 for each Adam. It seemed like a stretch, but I couldn't find anything that totally just killed this theory, providing this whole loop thing was true.
9 coffins (or more) are on the moon, Kaworu comes out of the fifth because he must serve his purpose in this repeat. Four more are left unopened for the following loops, and the previous coffins were Kaworus from old Evangelion loops that turn into Adams for the next loops.
This would suggest that NTE is set in the fourth loop.
To begin what I found to support this (found by both of us, and some people here), Unit-13 awakens and exceeds its 'pseudo-evolved' state. It holds the two spears of longinus that were found in Lilith's dead corpse. Still holding the spears, it starts rising fast, through the already elevated Terminal Dogma, NERV HQ, remains of second impact, and finally the reverse pyramid:
So the rings for Fourth Impact start to form, everything starts rising toward the center, including the reverse pyramid which appears to stay stationary. Dogma breaks through the ground and looks like a huge screw.
Why does the reverse pyramid appear to be stationary? If you look at the top of it as it rises, you notice lots of little tall pyramids on the top. These connect to the metal chassis that surrounds the white eclipse-looking circle (which you could guess is the Doors of Guf). So it looks like whatever the circle is, is pulling everything into it:
We would see what happens next, but Kaworu stops Fourth Impact by stabbing Unit-13 with the spears. Here's the thing. Mari says "The Doors of Guf still haven't closed!". Then we see Kaworu drifting briefly through what appears to be a white tunnel, and then the Doors of Guf are shown to close. The white tunnel could show that the white circle is actually a tunnel, to where though?
This is what I think completely convinced me; I'd never seen this link being made. Look carefully at this image of Second Impact during 2.0. If you look closely at the center of it, you can make out what appears to be the chassis surrounding the Doors of Guf from 3.0 sticking out, suggesting that Guf leads to where it all began (Second Impact):
During Second impact, 4 Adams appeared, along with more spears:
What this all suggests to me, is that Kaworu is awakened every loop from a coffin by Seele, and is then told about the prophecy (Dead Sea Scrolls), which describe what he has to fulfill. Kaworu later then passes through the Doors of Guf on his own accord in order to 'save' Shinji (probably). Passing through the Doors of Guf leads him into the Second Impact of the next loop or a 'different universe' that branches off Second Impact, at the bottom of the earth (Antarctica) to accompany previous Adams that have stockpiled there over the creation of new universes (loops). So Kaworu in 3.0 would be travelling to the 5th loop, to become the 5th Adam.
The Beginning and the End are one and the same, eh?
In chronological order this time, here's the pictures:
Why would this be saving Shinji? One possibility could be that Kaworu goes into the Doors of Guf to cause Second Impact in a different loop/universe, awakening the Angels to start attacking in there. So each time would be an attempt to delay the destruction of the human race, adding another Adam into Second Impact. Through changing the past, an alternate universe, or 'loop', branches off Second Impact because there is now an extra Adam. Then the wave of Angels come till is happens all again, in a never ending cycle until mankind are simply dead (I presume). It saves Shinji because if Kaworu didn't pass through the Doors of Guf then Third Impact would progress into an End of Evangelion scenario with Human Instrumentality, fulfilling Seele's wish, relieving them of their original sin in the next evolutionary stage ('original sin' being the fact that in First Impact, Lilith's egg hit Earth and wiped out Adam based life (Angels) who were already meant to be living there, and were replaced with humans).
^ That's all very speculative; it's just a suggestion.
There's also a lot that is still left unexplained, like what the Eva's significance in all this is, why the whole of Terminal Dogma is being taken in to Guf, etc. etc.