Neon Genesis Evangelion

Shinji Ikari is summoned to Tokyo-3 by his estranged father, Gendo, who heads the organization NERV. He is requested to pilot Evangelion Unit-01, the only available weapon, to defend the city from an Angel attack.

Shinji awakens in the hospital with no memory of the previous night's battle against an Angel. After being rejected by his father, Shinji is taken in by Misato and begins living with her. That night, the memories of the battle return to him.

Shinji Ikari begins attending a new school in Tokyo-3 and finds himself overwhelmed by the attention that comes with being an Evangelion pilot. Touji Suzuhara, whose sister was injured during one of Shinji's battles with an Angel, holds a grudge against him. A new Angel launches an attack, compelling Shinji to pilot EVA-01 once again.

Misato confronts Shinji for disobeying orders during a recent Angel attack, causing him to run away in emotional turmoil. After wandering Tokyo-3 for several days, Shinji faces the decision of whether to continue serving as an EVA pilot or to leave his life in the city behind.

Shinji tries to understand Rei Ayanami, the enigmatic pilot of the recently repaired EVA-00, but struggles due to her emotional detachment and the secrecy surrounding her background and personal life. At the same time, a powerful Angel, appearing as the colossal monolith Ramiel, initiates an attack on Tokyo-3.

After a near-fatal confrontation with Angel Ramiel, Shinji and the NERV team launch a long-range assault using a high-powered positronic rifle, fueled by Japan's entire electrical grid, as EVA-00 and EVA-01 take aim at the Angel advancing toward NERV headquarters.

Ritsuko explains the origins of Second Impact and NERV's mission to Shinji. Misato and Ritsuko observe a demonstration of Jet Alone, a rival military robot, which malfunctions and becomes unstable. Shinji uses EVA Unit 01 to rescue Misato and help her input the shutdown code before the robot triggers a nuclear meltdown.

Misato brings Shinji, Touji, and Kensuke aboard a large UN naval convoy tasked with transporting Evangelion Unit-02 and its pilot, Asuka Langley Souryuu, to Japan. Ryouji Kaji, Misato's former boyfriend, is also on board, resulting in tense interactions and emotional reunions. During the journey, the fleet is attacked by a massive aquatic Angel, forcing the group into an emergency situation.

Asuka joins Shinji's class and starts living with him and Misato while adapting to life in Japan. When a new Angel capable of splitting into two identical forms attacks, it overpowers EVA-01 and EVA-02, resulting in a significant setback for NERV. During the Angel's regeneration phase after an N² Mine strike, Asuka and Shinji must coordinate their movements in battle to stand a chance of defeating it.

The EVA pilots are disappointed when they learn they must remain in Tokyo-3 for an emergency training exercise instead of attending their class trip to Okinawa. A new Angel is discovered in a cocoon-like state deep inside Mount Asama's volcanic magma.

A citywide power outage in Tokyo-3 halts operations just as an Angel emerges, forcing personnel to manually activate the EVAs to defend against the threat.

Misato is promoted to the rank of Major, but the celebration is short-lived as a massive Angel suddenly appears in Earth's orbit. With Gendo and Fuyutsuki unavailable, Misato and the three pilots must take immediate action to confront the Angel before it impacts Tokyo-3.

During a routine evaluation, the EVA pilots encounter an unexpected threat when a new, technology-like Angel breaches NERV headquarters. The Angel's presence activates the facility's self-destruct sequence, compelling Dr. Ritsuko Akagi to work urgently to avert disaster and neutralize the intruder.

The episode opens with a retrospective presentation to the Human Instrumentality Committee, which summarizes the attacks of all previous Angels. It then transitions to Rei contemplating her identity through a poetic monologue, followed by a test designed to measure the compatibility between her and Shinji's Evangelions.

On what seems to be a routine day, several key figures at NERV partake in personal activities that hint at deeper narrative developments. Misato and Ritsuko attend a wedding, while Shinji and Gendo visit the grave of Yui Ikari. Meanwhile, Asuka goes on a date. These seemingly ordinary events quietly foreshadow important story developments.

Shinji surpasses Asuka in a synchronization test, which frustrates her. Shortly afterward, the EVAs react to a mysterious apparition, and EVA-01 is drawn into an enigmatic black mass emerging from beneath it. As efforts are made to recover the trapped unit, Shinji begins a journey through his own subconscious.

A NERV facility in Nevada is destroyed in a major incident, prompting headquarters to plan the deployment of a new Evangelion unit in Japan. Meanwhile, Shinji is unaware that he has been chosen as the Fourth Child to pilot it.

Evangelion Unit-03, shipped from the United States, undergoes an activation test, but the experiment takes a dangerous turn when it is discovered to be infected by the Thirteenth Angel. NERV dispatches other EVA units to engage the Angel-infused weapon, despite the risk it poses to the pilot inside.

After Touji suffers a near-fatal injury caused by Shinji's EVA, Shinji becomes overwhelmed with guilt and decides to quit piloting and leave Tokyo-3. However, just as he is about to depart, a powerful new Angel launches a massive attack on the city. Confronted by the sudden crisis, Shinji is forced to reconsider his decision.

During a battle against Zeruel, Shinji achieves an unprecedented 400% synchronization ratio with EVA-01, triggering a transformation that elevates the unit into a godlike entity, which then merges with him. Attempts by Ritsuko and others to extract Shinji from inside the EVA are unsuccessful.

Kouzou Fuyutsuki is arrested by Seele, who are deeply worried about the consequences of the last Angel battle. During his interrogation, his involvement in the establishment of Nerv is revealed through a series of flashbacks, along with important details about the backgrounds of several main characters. At the same time, Ryouji Kaji starts a personal investigation to uncover the truth behind the Angel incidents and Nerv's activities.

Asuka's synch rate continues to decline after her defeat at the hands of the Fourteenth Angel, Zeruel, and her conflicts with Rei, Shinji, Misato, and Ryouji grow more intense. Her emotional instability reaches a critical point when she faces the Fifteenth Angel, Arael, an encounter that compels her to confront traumatic memories from her past.

Asuka experiences severe emotional distress after being psychologically attacked by Arael and is unable to pilot her EVA when the Angel Armisael attacks. The Angel begins merging with EVA-00 and threatens to do the same to EVA-01, prompting Rei to attempt a self-sacrificing act to protect Shinji, though she later appears to have survived.

Shinji, avoiding a confrontation with Misato and Rei, flees once again and encounters Kaworu Nagisa, the new pilot of EVA-02. Kaworu's warm and approachable demeanor provides Shinji with emotional support, although questions emerge about his unusually high synchronization ability.

The episode depicts the development of Instrumentality, a process that merges all souls into one unified entity, using sparse action and dialogue-driven scenes. A significant portion of the episode is set in darkness, featuring white text and an omniscient voice that questions the characters' viewpoints.

The episode continues the Instrumentality storyline, focusing on Shinji as he begins to understand the power of individuals to influence their reality. He also starts to grasp the idea that personal identity is shaped through relationships with others.