Why is Unit 01 the only EVA that can go berserk?

[fdjw88]

I have watched all of the original episodes and all the movies, and I don't understand why Unit 01 was the only unit that could go berserk. In movie 2.0 we saw Unit 02 going to beast mode, but still that was different from going berserk. not to mention Unit 01 went berserk in the first episode! and Unit 02 could not go berserk even when Asuka was teared apart by the mass produced Eva unit near the end of "The End of Evangelion". Unit 00 is even worse, neither beast mode nor berserk. does this have anything to do with Shingjin's mom being completed adsorb by Unit 1? was unit 01 made with different materials from Unit 00 and 02? or Unit 00 and 02 were defected?

[Derantor]

There is a difference between the movies and the series, so you can not use one to support the other when trying to figure stuff out. So, Berserk in one means something different in the other (not sure if it even exists in the movies) and "Beast Mode" has no equivalent in the series.

Berserk in NGE (the series) means that the resident soul takes over and the unit moves when it shouldn't: without external power source or batteries, or when not yet activated or manned by a pilot. Yui is the soul inside Unit 01, Kyoko, Asuka's mom, is the soul inside Unit 02, and it is speculated that part of Rei's soul is inside Unit 00. All of them go Berserk: Unit 00 first before the series starts, that's how Rei got injured. It happens again in the series as well, when it punches the glass. Unit 01 first shows signs of Berserk when it protects Shinji from the falling debris in episode one: It moves without a pilot and without being started. Unit 02 does it shortly before Asuka's death: The battery power is gone, Unit 02 is already more or less torn apart, but Hyuga mentiones that it goes Berserk. It then moves one final time (Asuka reaching out for the MP-Evas and chanting "I'll kill you), before finally being killed for good.

As for why it happens so frequently with Unit 01 and not the others, you got it basically right. Yui was completely (and willingly, which might be important) absorbed in her contact experiment, while Kyoko was only partially absorbed (might have had her soul rejoined later) and Unit 00 seems to be the same way, with only a partial soul inside it. Unit 01 is a clone of Lilith, one of the Seeds, while all the other units are clones of Adam (just like the angels are descendants of Adam), so it is indeed of different construction. That doesn't seem to play a role for their capabilities though, as far as I can tell.

As for the Rebuilds, I've got no clue.

[Reichu]

Another possible consideration is that Eva-01 is the wife and co-conspirator of Nerv HQ's commander. It would be pretty in character for Gendo to have ensured that Eva-01 is restrained enough to keep Seele quiet, but lightly enough restrained to make it easy for Yui to act as required.

[fdjw88]

There is a difference between the movies and the series, so you can not use one to support the other when trying to figure stuff out. So, Berserk in one means something different in the other (not sure if it even exists in the movies) and "Beast Mode" has no equivalent in the series.

Berserk in NGE (the series) means that the resident soul takes over and the unit moves when it shouldn't: without external power source or batteries, or when not yet activated or manned by a pilot. Yui is the soul inside Unit 01, Kyoko, Asuka's mom, is the soul inside Unit 02, and it is speculated that part of Rei's soul is inside Unit 00. All of them go Berserk: Unit 00 first before the series starts, that's how Rei got injured. It happens again in the series as well, when it punches the glass. Unit 01 first shows signs of Berserk when it protects Shinji from the falling debris in episode one: It moves without a pilot and without being started. Unit 02 does it shortly before Asuka's death: The battery power is gone, Unit 02 is already more or less torn apart, but Hyuga mentiones that it goes Berserk. It then moves one final time (Asuka reaching out for the MP-Evas and chanting "I'll kill you), before finally being killed for good.

As for why it happens so frequently with Unit 01 and not the others, you got it basically right. Yui was completely (and willingly, which might be important) absorbed in her contact experiment, while Kyoko was only partially absorbed (might have had her soul rejoined later) and Unit 00 seems to be the same way, with only a partial soul inside it. Unit 01 is a clone of Lilith, one of the Seeds, while all the other units are clones of Adam (just like the angels are descendants of Adam), so it is indeed of different construction. That doesn't seem to play a role for their capabilities though, as far as I can tell.

As for the Rebuilds, I've got no clue.

thank you for the explain. also, unit 01 is the only Eva that has regeneration property, which was showed cased in episode 1. when the angel broker unit 01's arm, and the arm self regenerate when the unit was going berserk. i am wondering if that has anything to do with the fact that unit 01 was a copy of Lilith, and Lilith has regeneration ability. if that's the case, why weren't all Eva constructed as a copy of Lilith? wouldn't that give all the Eva better combat ability?

also if all the other Eva were constructed as copies of Adam, why can't they regenerate themselves like the Angels? aren't angels basically copies of Adam?

[Derantor]

I don't think that there is a difference in capability between Adam and Lilith, or their offspring, whether they are angels or Evas. As you pointed out, the angels can regenerate. The difference seems to be Yui's level of control over Unit 01 (wether there is even a distinction anymore is questionable - Yui IS Unit 01, in a sense). Also keep in mind that the Evas are artifically limited in their capabilites: Their armor is in reality a system of restraints, so that they do not awaken their full potential. With Yui best able to circumvent those limitation, it seems natural that only her Eva can regenerate.

The Mass Production Evangelions of End of Evangelion seem to be able to regenerate as well - but as far as I understand it, that's a production oversight. They are not supposed to, they just reactivate without healing any damage.

[fdjw88]

I don't think that there is a difference in capability between Adam and Lilith, or their offspring, whether they are angels or Evas. As you pointed out, the angels can regenerate. The difference seems to be Yui's level of control over Unit 01 (wether there is even a distinction anymore is questionable - Yui IS Unit 01, in a sense). Also keep in mind that the Evas are artifically limited in their capabilites: Their armor is in reality a system of restraints, so that they do not awaken their full potential. With Yui best able to circumvent those limitation, it seems natural that only her Eva can regenerate.

The Mass Production Evangelions of End of Evangelion seem to be able to regenerate as well - but as far as I understand it, that's a production oversight. They are not supposed to, they just reactivate without healing any damage.

from my understand the mass produced EVA can regenerate was because they were injected with artificial SR2 engine, which the angels possess, this item basically allows angels to live anywhere and live forever. that's why Adam is provides the seed of live.

but you made a very good point, i also heard that the armors of Evas are actually not protection systems, but limitation systems. we can see that in the TV series when Unit 01 was fighting the 10th angel, after it ate that angel and fully awakens, its armor could no longer restrain the Eva, and thus they broke apart. such scenario was presented once again, in Eva movie 2.0 when Unit 02 activated beast mode, we see that all its armor fell off, and all those pillars rose up from the back of the unit, indicating something has been released.

[Derantor]

from my understand the mass produced EVA can regenerate was because they were injected with artificial SR2 engine

Yes, and that seems to be a common misconception as well. Eva-01 regenerates without an S2 Engine, twice (once in Episode 1, then again when she takes Zeruel's "arm" and uses it to build her own again). All an S2 Engine seems to do is offer unlimited power - unlimited in the sense that it never runs out, not that it is infinitely strong. Think of a strong battery that never runs out, but it only can give off a certain amount of power at any one moment, if that makes sense.

At the same time, the S2 Engine = Fruit of Life theory seems to be right, so I do not know why Eva 01 can do everything without an S2 engine as well.

[ChaddyManPrime]

Because Lilith doesn't give a fuck about herself and Kyoko doesn't recognize Asuka as something she needs to protect until she has regressed and by then is far too late.