So my understanding is that (assuming that humanity reached its peak evolutionary potential)
Antarctica 2nd impact (2000): SEELE withdraws Lance of Longinus from Adam and awakens its soul, then salvages its soul to Kaworu and sends him temporarily to the moon. SEELE puts the soul-less body of Adam into cryosleep (cased in Bakelite; its growth is slowed but not stopped) and retrieves the lance.
Adam’s soul which is no longer disinhibited by the lance starts attracting angels. Kaworu is in the moon so the angels start searching him there. Kaworu contains Adam’s soul but cannot trigger 3rd impact because he is ‘incomplete’ without its body
Gehirn is founded soon after 2nd impact.
EVA-00 (Adam-based; probably soulless – it is painted blue like a cold machine) and EVA-01 (Lilith-based; containing Yui Ikari’s soul) created
Lilith is awakened from sleep so it would grow to almost full maturation then crucified in a cross with the lance of longinus retrieved from Adam to draw out its ‘blood’ which is LCL. This LCL is used in evangelion entry plugs.
Lilith’s soul is salvaged to Rei (born 2004) with the help of the lance.
Gehirn renamed to NERV (2010) after the completion of Nerv HQ over the terminal dogma (Geofront – site of the Black moon) and Dr. Ritsuko committing suicide after the completion of the MAGI computers.
Kaworu is sent to Earth when he turns 15 (2015) but is well hidden from public. 3rd angel appears on earth (first appearance of ‘angels’) to try and find him there.
The unscathed body (with intact S2 engine) of the 4th Angel is retrieved and analysed. SEELE develops Mass produced EVAs with S2 engines at some point using this technology.
EVA-01 (Lilith’s body and heart, Yui’s Soul) devours Zeruel’s S2 engine (Adam’s soulless heart; the ‘red core’). Now EVA-01 can serve as a carrier of Adam’s soul.
Owen Rivera
15th Angel Arael attacks Asuka psychologically, ‘reading’ her mind and passing the essence of human thought (and, also importantly, emotions which govern this thought process) to the next angel before it dies.
EVA-00 ‘decrucifies’ Lilith by taking the Lance of Longinus from the terminal dogma. Now Lilith is disinhibited and the lance is lodged to the moon so that it is irretrievable by human forces (some kind of supernatural force – i.e. science of the ‘first generation’ encrypted in EVA and the Lance – must come into effect).
16th Angel Armisael attempts to fuse with EVA-00 and access Rei’s ‘mind’. This action is facilitated by the information on ‘human thought and emotions’ provided by Arael. Armisael reads Rei’s mind and fills ‘out the blanks’ with data received from Arael. SEELE knew that Rei will be implanted with motherly emotions (+instinct), so they ordered EVA-01 to be sealed. They orchestrated events that would lead to Rei being attacked by Armisael first.
Understanding human thought and emotion is what lets Armisael to break the ‘wall’ (i.e. the natural barrier that exists between angels and humans; AT field) and ‘penetrate’ EVA-00 (controlled by Rei II who has a human body). Armisael represents the ‘human emotions (mind and body)’ in an angelic form.
(In the process of eroding Unit-00, a heteromorphous object grows out of the unit's back. It enlarges and expands into a form that is a confused combination of the Angels that have previously appeared, from the Third Angel to the Fifteenth Angel. It can be deduced that the genetic information of all the Angels from the Third onwards is included in either this Angel or Unit-00, and that this object was reconstructed and deployed based on that material.)
Blake Powell
EVA-00 carrying Rei II (Yui’s body, Lilith’s Soul) ‘self-destructs’ and Rei III is born anew. This is what is widely believed by most people. However, what really happened is that although EVA-00 was completely annihilated, Armisael successfully merged with Rei II (as evidenced by ‘Rei III’ crying tears and breaking Gendo’s glasses when Gendo did not come to see her. This scene shows that she carries ‘human emotions’ and now has a ‘heart’ (S2 engine).
Rei also realises (through Armisael’s help of ‘emotions’) that a real loving person would come and see her when she is hurt. She now understands that Gendo is just using her as a means to achieving his selfish goal. Gendo is unaware that Rei is no longer a ‘dummy’ because she now has emotions (Gendo was never loved nor loved anyone so he doesn’t understand emotions). This is why Rei says that she is ‘not his doll’ (this is actually a line from Asuka; angels read Asuka’s mind and transferred it to Rei) anymore and ‘betrays’ him to merge with Lilith in the central dogma and grant Shinji’s wish (End of Evangelion). Why would she be attached to Shinji emotionally? This is because she realised that Shinji was who really cared for her emotionally when she was just a ‘pet dummy’. Now she understands how he felt all along through the help of Armisael (the provider/teacher of feelings).
Now Rei contains Yui Ikari/human body, Lilith’s soul and Adam’s soulless heart – S2 engine of Armisael. She closely resembles the first ancestral race (both tree of life and knowledge, containing Adam’s body/soul and Lilith’s body/soul).
Blake Clark
Kaworu appears as the 17th angel (Shito – messenger of ‘god’, the first ancestral race; souls from the next dimension). Shinji is unaware that he is an angel and treats him emotionally as a human equivalent. This is very confusing to Kaworu because he has never been ‘loved’ (unconditionally, with feelings). He realises when he reaches the terminal dogma that what resides there is not Adam but Lilith, and that humans are not off-springs of Adam. He also realises his own identity; that he is neither fully human nor fully angel. Now he understands why Shinji behaved so emotionally (which is very unnatural for him) and that he must die and his soul released into human hands (SEELE) to trigger 3rd impact through Lilith. He also instinctively understands that EVA-01 is made of Lilith, not Adam.
Kaworu surrenders himself and dies to EVA-01, and his soul is released and resides in the S2 engine of EVA-01. EVA-01 now has a human (offspring of Lilith) soul, Lilith’s body and Adam’s heart and soul. Now it can also function without the pilot (who completes the ‘core’ of the EVA; but since Adam’s soul and S2 engine are inside Eva-01, they have fused to complete the ‘red core’ and is ready to be crucified through it).
Adam’s body is fused to Gendo’s hand which Rei takes before fusing with Lilith. At this point she is nearly completely ‘god-like’ because she now has Adam’s body with Adam’s heart (S2 Engine), Lilith’s body with Lilith’s heart and soul.
Nolan Thomas
Ritsuko is shot dead by Gendo. She sees the apparition of Rei before her death. This scene confirms her homosexuality and that she secretly loved Rei. This is because Rei I psychologically traumatised her mother to a point where she committed suicide. Ritsuko was not very fond of her mother – she was ‘electric’ and was actually more of a rival than a daughter to Akagi. Ritsuko attempted the self-destruction of NERV-HQ through the hacking of the MAGI system, but Akagi as a woman (Casper) betrayed her because Akagi was in love with (i.e. emotionally attached to; in a SUBMISSIVE relationship) Gendo at the time of construction of the MAGI system. Ritsuko then realised that Akagi remained a woman (before a mother) until the end, and that Rei (or Yui) was the true manifestation of maternal love. Something that Ritsuko wished for all the while.
Gendo knew that Yui would be absorbed by the EVA-01’s core during the contact experiment. He also knew that Akagi was secretly attached to him. With Yui gone, Akagi could successfully win over the heart of Gendo (or so it seems). However, this was all planned out – By winning over the (submissive) love of Akagi, the MAGI system would be designed with Gendo as its MUSE. The thought patterns and the decisions of the MAGI (which closely resembles that of Akagi), will centre on what Gendo wishes (or derives pleasure from). It will be programmed to strictly obey Gendo’s commands. This way, Gendo has almost absolute authority over NERV, because MAGI control NERV, and MAGI ‘loves’ Gendo.
Eli Thompson
Gendo implanted Rei I to kill off Akagi once the MAGI computers were completed. One cannot be sure that Akagi will always love Gendo (we are humans so we can automatically ‘reprogram’ our brains once love goes cold). The MAGI should remain faithful to Gendo for the Instrumentality project to work. If Akagi is left to live, there is a probability that she will find another lover and this will lead to her reprogramming the MAGI to obey the commands of her new lover instead of Gendo. This is why Akagi was killed. This way no one can reprogram the MAGI because its creator is dead, and the MAGI forever ‘loves’ or ‘obeys’ or ‘remain submissive to’ Gendo’s orders.
Mass produced EVAs devour EVA-02, the sight of which makes Shinji scream in despair and make EVA-01 release its ‘red core’ (S2 engine).
EVA-01 is crucified through its naked core, releasing Adam’s soul into Giant Rei. This now becomes ‘god’ (Adam’s body, heart and soul + Lilith’s body, heart and soul) that grants Shinji’s (EVA-01 pilot) wish.
Mass produced EVAs devoured EVA-02 which carries Asuka’s mother’s soul who committed suicide. This essence is transferred to mass produced EVAs that crucify themselves.
3rd impact is initiated. EVA-01 appears in front of Gendo and we see a dialogue between Yui and Gendo. EVA-01 devours Gendo; this way we can say that Gendo’s dream of reunifying with Yui was fulfilled. His soul and Yui’s soul now reside in EVA-01.
(Why did SEELE not just fuse Adam and Lilith in the first instance? Because that way they would have no control over the ‘wish’. They orchestrated events that will lead to Kaworu and Rei ‘falling in love’ with Shinji so that his wish will be granted. Shinji represents the combined voices of humanity so his wish is what the majority of people also wish for. So we can say that SEELE has achieved its goal of human instrumentality – all praise the Lord in unison.
Ryan Jackson
>Kaworu went to the moon Please don't mix Rebuild with the Original Anime canon.
Dylan Myers
These are not "theories", these are dumb fanwanks. Fuck off to evageeks. TL;DR.
Rei (Yui’s body, ‘fake’ Yui’s heart, Lilith’s soul) -> Armisael Rei (Yui’s body, ‘fake’ Yui’s heart, Lilith’s soul, Adam’s soulless heart) -> Gendo, Terminal Dogma Rei (Lilith’s body and Soul, Adam’s body and soulless heart – CARRIER OF LILITH’S SOUL)
Crucifixion by the spear
EVA-01 becomes ‘god’ through giant Rei – together they complete the puzzle (Lilith’s body, heart where Yui’s soul resides with Lilith’s soul + Adam’s body, heart where Shinji’s soul resides with Adam’s soul)
Ethan Reed
Angels are called ‘shito’ for a reason. They are like ‘stepping stones’ or a ‘ladder’ to enlightenment. Their nature also governed/foresaw how the 3rd impact (human instrumentality) will take place – or rather, SEELE taught us to follow the teachings of angels who they understood was sent from God. So we can say that someone from the 4th dimension oversaw everything (looks into the future or ‘creates things’ at its own will; God) sent angels to guide 3rd impact. Think of it like this. We are from the 3rd dimension, and we intrinsically understand that our dimension has supreme command over, say, the 2nd dimension. We can draw things on a piece of paper and carry out its narrative as we go, and our thoughts become its heart and flesh. The producers of animations do just that. What they think, they make into ‘reality’ (like making a pen bleed) of our lesser dimension.
Adam taught us how to control force with the use of EVAs,
Lilith is the mother of all humans and the reason for human emotions
Sachiel taught us of maternal instinct (EVA-01 going berserk) and that it is sometimes hard to predict its outcome. It foresaw that this ‘maternal instinct’ (mother protecting child) is what will drive instrumentality.
Shamshel gave us the S2 engine to inspect and install later, and that it is crucial to tame this for salvaging souls.
Ramiel taught us the nature of A.T. fields and how humans can overcome great strengths by combined forces (i.e. as demonstrated by the positron rifle). That 3rd impact is no one-man business and it will happen in Tokyo.
Gaghiel (although not explicitly) showed that EVA/Angel matters should be dealt with on first priority (that it overrides even the UN’s chain of command) and this established a new hierarchy.
Israfel taught us of balance, coordination and cooperation. It also foresaw that the 3rd impact (human instrumentality) will be established by two separate entities that become a perfect one.
