Post by cyberleader2000 on May 6, 2009 15:17:12 GMT -5
Evangelions
Although they appear to be giant humanoid robots, the Evas are actually cyborgs, integrating a mostly biological being with a substantial mechanical infrastructure and flexible polymer sheathing and armor plating. But like the Angels, their real defense is the Absolute Terror Field or AT Field for short. AT Fields are almost invulnerable to conventional weaponry, but can be neutralized by deploying an opposing AT Field, allowing the Evas to fight the Angels with greater effectiveness than the conventional army. Near the end of the series, it is revealed that all the Evas but one are actually derived from the first Angel, Adam (in the Book of Genesis, Eve is created from one of Adam's ribs). Unit 01 is unique in having been born from the second Angel, Lilith. With these revelations, the true purpose of their armor is also revealed - it is actually to constrain and control their movements.
The height of the Evas is never officially established, but they are clearly several stories in height, and can be inferred to be about 40 meters tall from several clues: size of hands compared to people, footprint size of Sachiel, relative sizes for entry plugs, and comparisons to buildings, weapons, and vehicles, including destroyers and helicopters. Their monstrous appearance is no accident:
"There's a monster in Japan called the Oni; it has two horns sticking out of its head and the overall image of the Eva is based on that. I also wanted to give the impression that beneath this 'robot monster' image is not so much a robot, but a giant human."[1]
Despite their enormous size, they are capable of superhuman movement, able to easily leap their own height and jump hundreds of meters from one spot to another. To power their massive frames through these actions, they use internal batteries, an umbilical cable, or (later in the series) an S² engine (for Unit 01 and the Mass Production units). Officially, their internal batteries' charge varies: one minute of power at full output, five minutes at minimum operational capability, and sixteen hours if only used to maintain life support in the entry plug. However, there seems to be no discernible difference between "full use" mode and "minimal operation" mode: during Asuka's first fight with Gaghiel, Unit 02 displays only one minute of power, but during the battle against the mass-produced Evas in The End of Evangelion — arguably a more difficult battle — Unit 02 displays five minutes of power. Auxiliary batteries can be attached to extend an Eva's unplugged endurance.
The Evas are controlled by a combination of hand controls in the entry plug (mainly for firing weapons) and direct nerve impulses from the pilot through the plug suit and A10 nerve clips. The pilots also receive feedback through this connection, even experiencing the pain of damage inflicted on the Evangelion. This pain is correlated with their "synchronization" ratio in the Evangelion. Despite the usual fine control provided by direct nerve impulses, there are also many instances in the series of Evas going "berserk" - Unit 01 in particular. In this state, the Eva moves on its own, ignoring power requirements and with capabilities surpassing those of the pilot; its behavior becomes more feral and savage as well. The pilots are shown undergoing multiple synchronization tests, which are implied to be part of their work routine. As the series progresses, it is revealed that the pilots are synchronizing with human souls bonded within the Evas during "contact experiments" conducted by Nerv and its predecessor, Gehirn, though only the souls within Units 01 and 02 are explicitly identified. These souls are needed to bridge the gap between the pilots and the Evas. The Evas can also be controlled by an autopilot system, the Dummy Plugs, which are based on the thought patterns of either Rei Ayanami or Kaworu Nagisa. It is implied that the dummy plugs also contain clones of their bodies, but this is not confirmed in the series.
Although they appear to be giant humanoid robots, the Evas are actually cyborgs, integrating a mostly biological being with a substantial mechanical infrastructure and flexible polymer sheathing and armor plating. But like the Angels, their real defense is the Absolute Terror Field or AT Field for short. AT Fields are almost invulnerable to conventional weaponry, but can be neutralized by deploying an opposing AT Field, allowing the Evas to fight the Angels with greater effectiveness than the conventional army. Near the end of the series, it is revealed that all the Evas but one are actually derived from the first Angel, Adam (in the Book of Genesis, Eve is created from one of Adam's ribs). Unit 01 is unique in having been born from the second Angel, Lilith. With these revelations, the true purpose of their armor is also revealed - it is actually to constrain and control their movements.
The height of the Evas is never officially established, but they are clearly several stories in height, and can be inferred to be about 40 meters tall from several clues: size of hands compared to people, footprint size of Sachiel, relative sizes for entry plugs, and comparisons to buildings, weapons, and vehicles, including destroyers and helicopters. Their monstrous appearance is no accident:
"There's a monster in Japan called the Oni; it has two horns sticking out of its head and the overall image of the Eva is based on that. I also wanted to give the impression that beneath this 'robot monster' image is not so much a robot, but a giant human."[1]
Despite their enormous size, they are capable of superhuman movement, able to easily leap their own height and jump hundreds of meters from one spot to another. To power their massive frames through these actions, they use internal batteries, an umbilical cable, or (later in the series) an S² engine (for Unit 01 and the Mass Production units). Officially, their internal batteries' charge varies: one minute of power at full output, five minutes at minimum operational capability, and sixteen hours if only used to maintain life support in the entry plug. However, there seems to be no discernible difference between "full use" mode and "minimal operation" mode: during Asuka's first fight with Gaghiel, Unit 02 displays only one minute of power, but during the battle against the mass-produced Evas in The End of Evangelion — arguably a more difficult battle — Unit 02 displays five minutes of power. Auxiliary batteries can be attached to extend an Eva's unplugged endurance.
The Evas are controlled by a combination of hand controls in the entry plug (mainly for firing weapons) and direct nerve impulses from the pilot through the plug suit and A10 nerve clips. The pilots also receive feedback through this connection, even experiencing the pain of damage inflicted on the Evangelion. This pain is correlated with their "synchronization" ratio in the Evangelion. Despite the usual fine control provided by direct nerve impulses, there are also many instances in the series of Evas going "berserk" - Unit 01 in particular. In this state, the Eva moves on its own, ignoring power requirements and with capabilities surpassing those of the pilot; its behavior becomes more feral and savage as well. The pilots are shown undergoing multiple synchronization tests, which are implied to be part of their work routine. As the series progresses, it is revealed that the pilots are synchronizing with human souls bonded within the Evas during "contact experiments" conducted by Nerv and its predecessor, Gehirn, though only the souls within Units 01 and 02 are explicitly identified. These souls are needed to bridge the gap between the pilots and the Evas. The Evas can also be controlled by an autopilot system, the Dummy Plugs, which are based on the thought patterns of either Rei Ayanami or Kaworu Nagisa. It is implied that the dummy plugs also contain clones of their bodies, but this is not confirmed in the series.
