Explaining Unit-01's awakening in Eva 2.0

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Jornophelanthas
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[SPOILERS] Explaining Unit-01's awakening in Eva 2.0

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Postby Jornophelanthas » Wed May 01, 2013 9:03 am

In the climax of Rebuild 2.0, Unit-01 battles the 10th Angel ("Zeruel") until it runs out of power. However, Shinji's eyes suddenly start glowing red as he shouts: "GIVE BACK Ayanami!" And Unit-01 reactivates with seemingly limitless power, regrows its severed arm out of light, sprouts a halo and goes to town on the Angel. In fact, the Chamber of Guf (black circle in the sky) opens while the 10th Angel is still alive.

I have a rather simple theory about why this happens at exactly that time. I believe the key is Shinji's command of "GIVE BACK Ayanami!" It is directed at the Angel (which had recently devoured Unit-00 and Rei along with it), but Rebuild 3.0 has now revealed to us that Ayanami is also Yui's name. Without knowing it, Shinji called out to his mother to come back to him, and she heeded his call by gaining full consciousness.
Therefore, it is not so much Shinji fueling Unit-01 with sheer willpower, but rather Yui taking control of the Evangelion herself.

Remember that we do not see Shinji in his plugsuit after that; he has become a white entity that has now become completely unaware of the Evangelion's physical surroundings. All he can see is the Angel's AT Field and Rei somewhere beyond. That is because Yui is now piloting the Evangelion consciously, and Shinji has been sucked into the core, being relegated to a part of Unit-01's subconscious.
I could go even further and say that the Near-Third Impact that starts afterwards is consciously initiated by Yui, and probably exactly what Gendo was hoping/expecting she would do. In fact, it can be surmised that Gendo recruited Shinji as a pilot for the singular purpose of awakening Yui, just like in the NGE series.

One last little clue that may support this theory is the picture seen of Yui entering Unit-01's core in her direct entry rig. She is seen wearing a suit that looks very much like mechanical white feathered angel wings, but she is also sprouting a halo that is not clearly mechanical, or even attached to the rest of the rig. Although halos are also seen elsewhere (typically over Angels), Unit-01 sprouting a halo before it devoured the 10th Angel, could be a visual clue linking it with the image of Yui's direct core entry.

ASIDE:
It would also highly suggest that Ayanami Yui herself is an Angel, specifically either the 2nd or 11th one (as all others have already been identified). This has the added benefit of explaining why Unit-01 appears to already possess god-like powers before it consumes the 10th Angel's core.
- Why could Yui be the 2nd Angel?
Because she was around since before the Third Angel ("Tunniel") was captured and imprisoned in NERV Bethany Base, but apparently after the first Angel (Kaworu) became a part of SEELE's conspiracy.
- Why could Yui be the 11th Angel?
Because Unit-01 was speared after the 10th Angel was destroyed by Unit-01, but before the 12th Angel was devoured by Unit-13 (in Rebuild 3.0).

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Postby Dima » Wed May 01, 2013 10:29 am

I always believed that everytime EVA-1 was going berserk it was actually Yui taking control so you are probably right.
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Postby Jornophelanthas » Wed May 01, 2013 10:57 am

View Original PostDima wrote:I always believed that everytime EVA-1 was going berserk it was actually Yui taking control so you are probably right.


Note that I am taking this argument further.

Normal berserk:
Unit-01 is still limited by its internal power supply, and the actions it takes are very much in line with primal instincts (bestial rage, kill or be killed, protect the young, kill for food). It killed the Fourth Angel ("Sachiel") by using natural weapons only. It slouches in a beast-like pose.

10th Angel awakening
Unit-01 is no longer limited by its internal power supply (in fact, it had already run out), and the actions it takes appear to be very conscious and rational. It regenerates its arm when it notices it is missing and lashes out with its AT Field (not its fists and teeth). It kills the Angel not by tearing it apart, but by calmly and decidedly restraining it, and then piercing and dissolving its core using AT Fields only. And finally, it stands upright like a human person.

In a normal berserk, Yui is not fully conscious, but in animalistic survival mode with little self-awareness and without processing what exactly is going on around her. During the last battle, she knew exactly who she was and what she was doing.

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Postby alexsan1991x » Wed May 01, 2013 11:02 am

An interesting theory, actually.
I like it.

However, considering Ritsuko's explanation I'd like to stand by the theory that Yui is ascending to God-Hood to grant Shinji's wish.

"Give Ayanami... BACK TO ME!"

"What happens to me doesn't matter. What happens to the world doesn't matter. But Ayanami...
At least Ayanami... I'll deffinitely save her!"

At this point, Shinji doesn't give two shits about anyone but Rei.
Rei: I'm not your puppet.

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Postby Tian » Wed May 01, 2013 11:39 am

I've been rewatching the movies as of late so here's my take.

I agree with the idea that "awakening" is Yui reasserting her will and attaining godhood somehow. Third Impact was initiated in 2.22 without any of the prerequisites from EoE - no S2 engine devoured, no shenanigans with Adam or Lilith yet, etc. So apparently an Eva's will is enough to open the Doors of Guf.

The dialogue suggests that it is in fact Rei who was meant bait Shinji into awakening Unit 01. Fuyutsuki comments that Shinji and Rei were enough to trigger the event during this scene. In 3.33 he says Rei's soul is in Eva-01 and that was part of Gendo's plan.

So I'd go so far as to say Gendo sent Rei out there specifically to get eaten by the 10th Angel, making Shinji mad/desperate enough to trigger Unit 01. It seems like the pilot's mind influences the desire of the Eva, in the same way the pilot and Eva have to sync up in order to operate (only taken to an extreme).

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Postby Shinoyami65 » Wed May 01, 2013 12:38 pm

View Original PostTian wrote:I've been rewatching the movies as of late so here's my take.

I agree with the idea that "awakening" is Yui reasserting her will and attaining godhood somehow. Third Impact was initiated in 2.22 without any of the prerequisites from EoE - no S2 engine devoured, no shenanigans with Adam or Lilith yet, etc.


Actually, Eva-01 appears to absorb Eva-00's core from Zeruel, and possibly takes the Fruit of Life (S2 Engine) into herself as well. Plus, Rei has Lilith's soul.

As for Yui taking control, that is very likely considering the arguments put forward. In EoE Yui eventually seizes godhood through Third Impact; possibly she was trying to do the same here.
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Postby Psychodrake » Wed May 01, 2013 12:49 pm

Don't forget that Rei is a fragment of Yui's soul, so taking Rei into herself may have "Completed" Yui's soul somewhat.

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Postby Shinoyami65 » Wed May 01, 2013 1:08 pm

View Original PostPsychodrake wrote:Don't forget that Rei is a fragment of Yui's soul, so taking Rei into herself may have "Completed" Yui's soul somewhat.


It's never said that Rei is a fragment of Yui's soul. She is a physical clone of Yui, but it is made clear throughout NGE and NME that Yui's whole soul is in Eva-01 and she prefers to stay firmly where she is. Possibly you confused Eva-02 with Eva-01? (Eva-02 contains the fragmented pieces of the soul of Asuka's mother in NGE).

In EoE we are explicitly told that Rei's soul belongs to Lilith, and in 3.0 it is heavily implied Rei's soul still belongs to Lilith:

SPOILER: Show
Image Due to the fact that Lilith's severed head has turned into a giant Rei head a la End of Evangelion
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Postby Tian » Wed May 01, 2013 1:18 pm

View Original PostShinoyami65 wrote:Actually, Eva-01 appears to absorb Eva-00's core from Zeruel, and possibly takes the Fruit of Life (S2 Engine) into herself as well. Plus, Rei has Lilith's soul.


The sequence goes: awakening -> Eva-01 curbstomps Zeruel -> Doors of Guf open (unless that's not what the swirling vortex actually is) -> Eva-01 and the Angel both levitate toward it -> Eva-01 recovers Eva-00's core, Shinji pulls Rei out of... wherever she was.

So I think you're right in that Eva-01 may have obtained the S2 engine here and possibly Lilith's soul, but the Third Impact apparently kicks off just before any of that happens.

Afterward we see Eva-01 becoming the energy being, spreading the wings, and in that shot it has two cores.

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Postby Shinoyami65 » Wed May 01, 2013 1:39 pm

View Original PostTian wrote:The sequence goes: awakening -> Eva-01 curbstomps Zeruel -> Doors of Guf open (unless that's not what the swirling vortex actually is) -> Eva-01 and the Angel both levitate toward it -> Eva-01 recovers Eva-00's core, Shinji pulls Rei out of... wherever she was.

So I think you're right in that Eva-01 may have obtained the S2 engine here and possibly Lilith's soul, but the Third Impact apparently kicks off just before any of that happens.

Afterward we see Eva-01 becoming the energy being, spreading the wings, and in that shot it has two cores.


Hmm, true. The vortex is the Door of Guf and it does open before Eva-01 gets anything Impact-related. No real explanation for that, other than Shinji's raw will and Yui's actions in the beserk state.
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Postby K40s » Wed May 01, 2013 2:18 pm

The Door of Guf vortex opens the moment Eva-01 enters in contact with the Angel's core (SUBMIT TO THE POWER OF THE PALMS!!) it seemed to me that at that point both cores get connected and start to fuse as seen with the tunnel that forms through the Angels's core between Eva-01's and Eva-00's cores, what we see next is just the physical completion of the fusion.


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