Line #2 Analysis/RahXephon


1	![=RahXephon=]'s Characters and their Similarities to Evangelion's Characters
2	As mentioned in the main page’s Expy entry, many of the characters in ''[=RahXephon=]'' are similar to the characters in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. What follows is an elaboration of those similarities. Beware of unmarked spoilers for both series'.
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4	* Ayato=Shinji: The protagonist. A teenage male OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent that [[FallingIntoTheCockpit falls into the cockpit]] of a giant mecha he knows nothing about and is expected to pilot it to help a special organization defeat an otherworldly threat. He is being guided and protected by the living soul inside the mecha, with said soul having some kind of personal connection to him. He goes though angst caused by identity issues as well as issues with his parental figure. [[note]]Like Shinji, one of Ayato's parents is completely missing from his life while the remaining parent neglects him.[[/note]] At one point he refuses to pilot the robot but later acquiesces when he realizes that people need him. He also rejects a theoretically ideal but illusionary world in favor of returning to reality, even though he'll face painful things there; and eventually achieves some measure of godhood through the mecha with the fate of the world resting in his hands. He also has something of a harem going on, with several of the female characters expressing romantic interest in him.
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6	* Haruka=Misato: An older woman and competent military official with some ManChild mannerisms. Acts as something of a guardian to the young protagonist and is one of his love interests (in this case, the main one). Had a failed relationship with one of the other male characters in her past, complete with said character attempting to hook up with her again at one point. Halfway through the series she conducts her own investigation to uncover the secrets surrounding her organization, aided by the Kaji analogue. Dies in the climax with her death being connected to the protagonist in some way but remains a strong influence till the very end. [[note]]Misato is fatally shot protecting Shinji but her influence lives on in the cross-shaped pendant she gives to him. Haruka is accidentally blown up by [=RahXephon=]!Ayato when she tries to reach out to him, but her spirit lives on and reunites with him in the dream world right before the tuning.[[/note]]
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8	* Quan=Rei: The MysteriousWaif with oddly colored hair that says cryptic things that only make sense later on. At one point the Misato character looks into her mysterious past and finds out that she's not a normal person. Ends up being integral to the EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt scenario at the climax, which involves her transforming into a giant, naked, glowing, winged version of herself and becoming something of a SpiritAdvisor to the protagonist. Is one of the protagonist's love interests but is later revealed to also have a maternal connection to him. Also has a special relationship with the bespectacled lead scientist. Finally, she is featured in a scene that involves dozens of copies of her floating around and laughing.
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10	* Megumi=Asuka: The {{Tsundere}} character. As one of the protagonist's love interests she has lots of BelligerentSexualTension with him as well as a few instances of HeIsNotMyBoyfriend (complete with LuminescentBlush). Unlike Asuka though, she's one of the BridgeBunnies instead of a pilot.
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12	* Sayoko=Ritsuko: The scientist that has unrequited feelings for her male superior. These feelings gradually drive her insane and she turns against him, ultimately resulting in her death.
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14	* Elvy=Asuka/Misato: Embodies the HardDrinkingPartyGirl aspect of Misato (complete with Misato's cross-shaped pendant) and the HotBlooded AcePilot aspect of Asuka (right down to receiving a giant mecha of her own later in the series).
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16	* Futagami=Kaji: An easy going guy hanging around the special organization that turns out to be more than what he appears (Kaji being a NERV employee that’s actually a double agent for the Japanese government vs. Futagami being a reporter that’s actually an undercover high ranking military official). Has a few heart-to-heart chats with the protagonist and leaks important information about the organization to the Misato analogue. [[note]]In a reversal of Kaji's fate, Futagami's story ends with him shooting someone off screen instead of getting shot off screen.[[/note]]
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18	* Kunugi=Gendo: The dour commander of the special organization whose motivation stems from the death of a loved one (whose grave he annually visits). He visually resembles Gendo without the shades and facial hair.
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20	* Buchi the cat=Pen-Pen: The TeamPet of the protagonists, who is cared for by the female military official.
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22	* Itsuki=Gendo: The bespectacled lead scientist that has a special relationship with the MysteriousWaif. A relationship that turns out to be very.....complicated. The scientist working under him has feelings for him, but his heart belongs to someone else- someone he lost a long time ago. Speaks cryptically about what’s happening in the plot from time to time.
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24	* Watari=Fuyutsuki/Gendo: The older, more personable sub commander that's frequently seen at the side of the main commander. Is later revealed to be the protagonist's father and wears some kind of eye accessory.
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26	* Maya=Yui/Gendo: The protagonist's mother-figure and the parent he has personal issues with, stemming from ParentalNeglect. Despite this, it’s later revealed that she genuinely cares about him and has been laying the groundwork for him to fulfill his role in determining the fate of the world.
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28	* Bähbem=Keel: An amoral old man that plays the role of the OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness. Heads the AncientConspiracy backing the special organization fighting the otherworldly threat for an ulterior purpose (Bähbem wants to witness the end result of the [=RahXephon=] system he created while Keel wants to enact the Human Instrumentality Project). Is typically seen speaking to others in a private dark room and uses unnatural methods to keep himself alive beyond his years in order to see his plans through to the end (Keel through becoming a [[RoboticReveal cyborg]] and Bähbem through [[GrandTheftMe body snatching]]). [[MinorMajorCharacter Doesn't get a whole lot of screen time, but is nonetheless an important character]] as he is behind most of the events that drive the plot.
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30	* Asahina & Mamoru=Hikari & Toji: Two of the protagonist's school friends. Like Hikari and Toji, they are love interests to each other.
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33	** Asahina=Kaworu: Is revealed to be one of the enemy but keeps this information from the protagonist (though Ayato already knew this by the time she found out herself). Spends a lot of alone time with the protagonist late in the series, during which she gets close to him and ends up expressing love for him. Is tragically killed by the protagonist’s own hands, an action that scars him deeply. [[note]]Her death also contains elements of Shinji’s battle with the infected Eva Unit 03 as Ayato didn’t know he was killing Asahina as he was fighting the Dolum she was forcibly synched with; much like how Shinji didn’t know it was Toji inside Unit 03 at the time Unit 01 decimated it.[[/note]]
34	** Mamoru=Kaworu: Is also revealed to be one of the enemy and keeps this information from the protagonist. Eventually reveals his true nature to the protagonist and provides some plot exposition in the process, during which the protagonist expresses disbelief and hurt that he was being deceived the whole time by someone he thought was a friend. He is also killed by the protagonist in the end. [[note]] Like Asahina, Mamoru’s battles with Ayato also contain elements of Toji as he is a (former) friend batting the protagonist is his own personal giant mecha and is brutally defeated.[[/note]]
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36	* The [=RahXephon=]=Evangelion Unit 01: The main giant mecha featured in the series. It contains a living soul that guides and protects its pilot and has some kind of personal connection to the pilot. [[note]]Unit 01 contains the soul of Shinji's mother while the [=RahXephon's=] soul takes the form of the person Ayato desires most (his old high school girlfriend).[[/note]] It eventually obtains godlike power and becomes integral to TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt scenario at the climax (during which it manifests wings of light). Will [[CurbStompBattle curb stomp]] its opponents whenever its power is unleashed.
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38	* The Mu and their Dolems=The Angels: The enemies of humanity and the primary threat fought throughout the series. The protagonist joins a special organization formed to combat them and fights them with his giant mecha. The war against them coincides with the ultimate goal of the OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness, resulting in TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Different types are fought in a MonsterOfTheWeek format, becoming more powerful as the series goes on. Many of the Mu Dolems are counterparts to The Angels in some way:
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40	** Algeretto=Sachiel: The first enemy seen in the series. Is introduced entering the city of Tokyo and battling the opposing military forces.
41	** Grave=Gaghiel: An aquatic based enemy that launches an attack in the middle of the ocean. Grave's design and color scheme are reminiscent of Gaghiel as well.
42	** Ritardando=Leliel: Utilizes a shadow-like substance to sink its target into a void.
43	** Forzando=Matarael/Sahaquiel: An enormous enemy that has long thin legs but is actually stationed high in the sky. It utilizes a liquid substance as a weapon as well as projectiles of some kind launched from itself.
44	** Sforzando=Sandalphon: Starts out as a small and inanimate organism but grows quickly after its birth/activation. [[note]]Sforzando also contains elements of Bardiel as it traps one of the characters within itself, with the protagonist refusing to destroy it with the person still inside.[[/note]]
45	** Vivace=Leliel/Armisael: Traps the protagonist and his mecha in a surreal dream world within itself, causing both to vanish from reality. It also penetrates the mecha and infects the pilot, entering the pilot's mind.
46	** Falsetto=Shamshel/Sahaquiel: A vaguely phallic-looking enemy that attacks by launching a piece of itself as a projectile.
47	** Alternate=Israfel: Twin enemies that attack as a pair.
48	** Vibrato=Bardiel: An enemy that forcibly attaches itself to one of the protagonist’s friends in some way, with the protagonist maiming/killing said friend in the process of defeating it.
49	** Arpreggio=Arael: A winged enemy that remains high in the sky out of attack range and attempts to make contact with one of the characters. Has to be destroyed with a powerful projectile weapon.
50	** Obligato=Zeruel: An enemy that utilizes its sharp, extendable appendages as stabbing/cutting weapons. Obligato's color scheme vaguely resembles Zeruel's as well.
51	** Largo=Ramiel: A enormous enemy that resembles a geometric shape and is armed with a powerful beam weapon.[[note]]Its defeat contains elements of Armisael as well since it required a self-destruction sacrifice from one of the characters.[[/note]]
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53	* The Vermillions=The Mass Production Evangelions: Mass produced mecha units commissioned by the AncientConspiracy that show up late in the story. [[note]]The MP Evas become integral to the plot while the Vermillions do not.[[/note]] Conceptually they are similar to the Evangelions in general as they are living man-made Dolems encased in exo-suits similar to how the Evas are living man-made clones of the Angels Adam and Lilith encased in exo-suits.
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55	* TERRA=NERV: The special organization created to fight the otherworldly threat that the protagonist joins.
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57	* The Bähbem Foundation=SEELE: The AncientConspiracy headed by the OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness that has a hand in much of the series’ backstory and drives much of the plot. They act as the benefactors of the special organization fighting the otherworldly threat and have an ulterior motive for doing so.

Context Analysis / RahXephon