"New Unit 02"

[SEELE-01]

Ikuto Yamashita is probably having the time of his life with these new Eva designs...

How much of the Original Eva 02 is there anymore?

[Heaven Piercing Man]

...a shoulder and half a head?

[Caroline L.S.]

Funny thing. Is unit 2 just jet alone now? No core, no entry plug, no pilot? Maybe piloted on remote? This might be why it dives so carelessly to the mess and why we dont see unit 8. There might be dual entry system for unit 8 now that Asuka probably can't pilot unit 2 anymore.

[Reichu]

I dunno how much of the exterior design is a useful indication as to what parts are "real". Though on that note, there's already some weird discrepancies.

SPOILER: Show

So we have: complete jaws, partial braincase, complete neck, partial thorax, upper spinal column, entry system (no sign of core; either destroyed or they didn't want to risk leaving it on the deck), and what might be some assorted right arm muscles.

New Eva-02, by external appearances alone, has a COMPLETE right arm, a complete head except for the one missing eye, a bit of right chest/shoulder, and... that's it. Anybody notice any problems here?

With regard to the piloting situation, I noticed a pattern that might be suggesting something...

SPOILER: Show

(Perfectly logical reason for Mark.6 being there is talked about here.)

[Sgt. Griff]

I guess if 08's Exosuit arms weren't goofy enough we now have this.

While I can totally understand the decision to Frankenstein Unit 02, as some way to show the audience just how dire Wille's situation is, connect it visually to Asuka (and also merch$$$), I wish they'd executed it better. As it stands it looks waaaay overdesigned and is (at least to my frail eyes) super visually confusing. Judging by my little knowledge of the process of translating concept art to the screen it's probably the case that it looked really good as a 2d still.

Am I willing and ready to overlook this in the face of 3.0+1.0? Hell yes. Do I wish they'd return to the EOE design? Hell yes also.

Am I just getting on a soapbox online and totally get that people might dig this design? Yes again.

[Reichu]

Following upon on those "over-the-top" predictions that absolutely nobody read!



Eva-02 has curvy yellow eye accents now.

YES, Asuka, YES!! YOUR DESTINY BECKONS! GO!!! KICK THOSE DISGUSTING MEN OUT OF YOUR BEAUTIFUL BODY!!!

[Giji Shinka]

Eva-02 has curvy yellow eye accents now.

A bit off-topic, but is Eva-02 Anno's favorite unit? The unit has had 3 different redesigns in the Rebuild series along with 2 different beast transformations, while Unit-01 had one minor redesign, one new awakening mode (Eva-13 and it's pseudo-evolution form are basically new versions of Unit-01)
Unit-00 and 03 only had minor tweaks too.

[Joseki]

Nigoki is back in business

Post updated with a higher definition image.


It looks like Unit-02 is wearing a JA armor, not that it has been repaired using (only) JA parts.

[Reichu]

More specifically: it looks like the main JA2 chassis had its original mechanics removed (except for the left arm, of course), and it's actually wrapping around that new set of torso restraints from Paris. You can see down into the brown chassis at a couple of points in the preview, and it also kind of looks like the lower torso plates are peeking through the gaps in the white striped part. The hips and legs would be completely JA2, though. It also looks like there's a reactor of some sort (??) on the back, with all of the rods coming out of it. It's not INCREDIBLY obvious to me how the pilot is supposed to get in and out, but maybe there's something like looks like hatch access on the top of the reactor thing? Unclear...

Both the launcher backpack and the crazy gun thing were visible in Avant1 in the last couple of shots, if you were looking very carefully.

[Giji Shinka]

The new Eva-02 and new unit-08 "hands" really well sell the idea that Wille doesn't have much resources nor do they care or have time/skilled personnel to make certain new body parts fit with the original Eva unit style.

NERV on the other hand can just create these new Eva units that look incredibly nice and have consistent designs.

[Kendrix]

^This.

WILLE is basically having to squeeze all the juice out of those old EVAs since they can't exactly get new ones

But I also like the idea of EVA 02 having a "grizzles veteran" look to match its pilot. But though it's heavily patched together, it's still technically the same one that Asuka started with and has a certain bond to.

[Gendo'sPapa]

No mention of the Unit 08+02 that was the centerpiece of the original 2012 teaser has been made since.
In fact if the new teaser is showing material from the third act it’s likely Asuka in Unit 02 and Mari in Unit 08 head into the final battle separately.
If the Unit 08+02 idea hasn’t been completely scrapped - which is a very real possibility like poor lost but never forgotten Donkey-kun in which case Unit 08+02 joins the long list of reasons why I think the episode teasers at the end of the Rebuilds is the only major mistake they made in the production of these films - you know what this means?

Unit 02 & Unit 08 go into battle separately, fight to their fullest and when all seems hopeless .....

...GATTAI!

[Reichu]

No mention of the Unit 08+02 that was the centerpiece of the original 2012 teaser has been made since.

Not QUITE true.

MARI:
Now we have the parts to make Eva-02 like new,
and we can modify Eva-08 to make it Overlap-compatible.

[Gendo'sPapa]

Ooooh!
GATTAI (essentially) CONFIRMED!

[Melkor]

Maybe they'll end up doing both ideas, having Unit-02 be separate, but still having Unit-08 be some kind of fusion. At the end of the preview, Mari said something about doing some kind of "overlapping" with Unit-08. This could mean installing a double entry system onto Unit-02. If they're going up against Unit-13, might as well fight fire with fire. I can't see anyone other than Asuka piloting Unit-02, so who would Mari pilot Unit-08 together with if it does get converted into a double entry system? Rei? Based on the trailer it looks like she might end up going back to Nerv at some point. Shinji maybe? It would fit with the pattern of how in each new movie Shinji meets a new Eva pilot and learns to work with them. In 1.0 he met Rei and became close with her, in 2.0 he met Asuka and became close(ish) with her, in 3.0 he met Kaworu and became close with him. Continuing the pattern, Mari is the only Eva pilot left out of the pilot group that Shinji has yet to properly meet and form a bond/partnership with.

[SEELE-01]

Mari is the only Eva pilot left out of the group that Shinji has yet to properly meet and form a bond/partnership with.

Don't we all?

[Rei IV]

Unit-02 has been through quite a lot. I wonder what will its beast mode be like in this movie. We got some quasi-lizard in 2.0 and a cat/sabertooth in 3.0 so I wonder what will come next? Something that flies or insect-like?

[Reichu]

We got some quasi-lizard in 2.0 and a cat/sabertooth in 3.0 so I wonder what will come next? Something that flies or insect-like?

Here I suggest that the Beast Mode choices might be using Zyuuranger logic. So the logical next step, given 02's now more massive horns, is an Evaceratops.

[Blockio]

Late to the party, but I honestly dig the new 02. I have a thing for mechs in heavy armor, and I especially have a thing for asymmetrical, rugged looking mechs. This is right up my alley.

[bladerj]

Nigoki is back in business

ehh.... i'm not buying that figure.....