'''As a Fridge subpage, all spoilers are unmarked [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff as per policy.]] Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
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FridgeLogic in ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion''.

!!Fridge Brilliance
* While some absolutely hated the movie in general, others suddenly '''loved''' ''2.0'' once the finale of the movie began since it tied back to the subtitle (''You Can (Not) Advance''): even if you make these characters happier and better-adjusted...even if you make Shinji braver...even if you try to do everything "right"...[[YouCantFightFate in the end, everything and everyone is still doomed. In fact, make Shinji and Rei happy together, and the world seemingly ends ''faster''. The only thing that prevented the end of the world was Kaworu somehow knowing ''exactly'' when to show up to prevent Unit 01 from going full Third Impact.]]
** This realization only makes Kaworu's lines during the ending hit harder than ever, and make you wonder... "I'll make sure to make you happy THIS time, Shinji."
** The same can be said of the Japanese subtitles to the first two movies: the first one (Beginning) is just a (Lighter but not softer) retelling of the first part of the series. And then there is the second one, Breaking, where everything goes OffTheRails.
** Arguably also Asuka's injuries sustained during Unit-03's destruction by Unit-01. Along with the eyepatch, close examination of her body in the recovery room reveals that they mirror the ones she sustained in ''End of Evangelion''.
** Only seen in the trailer for ''3.0'' so far, but: Kaworu & EVA-Mark.06 descending into Terminal Dogma is done in an identical fashion to Kaworu & EVA-02 descending into Terminal Dogma in that original TV series. Subtle, but clever when you finally notice it.
** The international titles of the films have the word "not" in brackets. This is because at the beginnings of the films, Shinji is in the state the title describes without the word "not." By the ends of the films, he reaches the state described by the title with the word "not"; i.e. At the beginning of 1.11 Shinji thinks to himself, "You Are Alone"; at the end of 1.11, "You Are [Not] Alone"; at the beginning of 2.22 Shinji thinks to the angels, "You Can Advance"; at the end of 2.22, "You Can [Not] Advance." At the beginning of 3.33 Shinji thinks to himself, "You Can Redo"; at the end of 3.33, "You Can [Not] Redo."
*** Additionally Shinji's thought pattern in the beginning of the movies relate to his resolve in the original series. But Anno has reformatted his outlook, and so Shinji is in the process of doing the same. Shinji is [[{{Reconstruction}} rebuilding]] his thought process by adding just one word that wasn't there before.
** You just keep saying "End of the World" like it's a ''[[ValuesDissonance bad]]'' [[ValuesDissonance thing]]...
** This one works for the original series as well, but think about this: when Shinji sees (and then falls on) Rei while she's naked, she isn't phased at all. But then, in 2.0, you see that ''Gendo'' talks with her while she's in the LCL tube, naked. Presumably she's been doing this since she was young, so she grew up without a sense of shame.
** If you look closely, you can actually see a quite big hole in EVA-01's chest armor, but it's not because pieces have broken off. So apparently SEELE ''expected'' EVA-01 to eat an Angel and adopt it's S2 Engine. Also doubles as FridgeHorror.
** One interesting thing about the finale of 2.0 is that it draws a clear parallel between Shinji and his dad. Gendo's only goal in life is to reunite with Yui, the only love in his life, and he will destroy the whole world to accomplish it. Shinji may have not be aware that he was dooming the human race with his attempt to save Rei, but he outright says that he doesn't care about anything in the world, only to get Rei back.
* Dr.Ritsuko asking Katsuragi to help pass new security cards to Shinji and Rei, saying that she forgot. Considering whose words this is coming from and mentioning of Gendo's plan earlier, it just flat-out implies that this cannot be a coincidence.
* Kaji's [[HoYay mock love confession on Shinji]] is done for [[RuleOfFunny laughs]]. But said 'love' can also be taken as [[AllLovingHero love for]] [[GoodSamaritan all humanity]]. Gender ''really'' has nothing to do with it!
* In 2.0, Shinji [[UnstoppableRage stomps repeatedly on the NERV Pyramid after the Eva Unit 03 incident]]. In ''End of Evangelion'', he does the same thing...in his mind or something as a child ([[MindScrew don't ask]]). After he, in EOE destroys his sand pyramid, he begins rebuilding it...I see what you did there Anno.
** On this topic, in the anime, Shinji ''threatens'' to destroy NERV Headquarters. In the manga, he tries to, but is stopped at the docking bay. In ''Rebuild'', we cut to ''Shinji [[{{PrecisionFStrike}} FUCKING]] Ikari'' having wrecked and leveled a good part of headquarters, pointing out that he has enough time to destroy half of it... ''if he wants''. [[{{UnstoppableRage}} After an exchange, he proceeds to stomp the shit out of the pyramid]]. That is, until Gendo stops him by ordering that LCL compression be raised to maximum and causing him to pass out.
*** Also, in this version Gendo doesn't demand the LCL pressure to be raised until Shinji tells him that [[DramaticIrony he should be forced to lose someone important to him too so he can understand his pain.]]
*** No, the irony is even worse, seeing as Shinji loses Kaworu (presumably) forever...dammit.
*** Kaworu actually says they'll meet again before he dies.
*** The DramaticIrony gets even heavier once you realise that Shinji's seemingly-unfortunate comment was right. Until that point, Shinji had lost his mother and his father—in spite of the latter being alive—and thought that he lost Asuka too. Meanwhile Gendo had not truly lost his wife because he had plans, plans he thought were guaranteed to work, to reunite with her, and had not lost his son either because discarding does not mean losing. ''So Shinji's comment, in spite of how seemingly missed it was, was actually right because at that point Gendo was incapable of understanding Shinji's pain of truly losing someone''. The whole thing was Shinji's call to his father to try and reach out to him and instead of trying Gendo dismisses it by ordering to raise the LCL pressure. That serves to highlight how messed up their relationship as father and son is.
* If you listen closely to Give Me Wings, the song that plays at the end of 2.0 as Shinji starts to initiate Third Impact, you'll notice that it has shades of Canon in D Major...just like Komm, Susser Tod, which played over Third Impact in End of Evangelion. Symbolic or no, it's a hell of a callback on the part of Shiro Sagisu.
* For fans following the "Rebuild is a StealthSequel" theory, Asuka's line in Episode 25 from [=NGE=] ("This is the end. One of many possible endings.") becomes this.
* It may seem (and is) horribly depressing that Shinji didn't save Rei. You must remember, though, that she and Unit-01/Shinji sort of melded at the end of 2.0...though, this causes one to wonder as to what the hell happened to her.
** She is now literally inside Shinji's heart?
** While it seems outlandish and crack at first, but a probable possibility is that Rei's original soul is inside Shinji's SDAT player.
** One thing to consider is that Yui is also contained whithin the 01 unit. Perhas Yui took Rei to some remote and unreachable metaphysical place in order to have a VERY long talk.
* Why do Angels dissolve into blood-red liquid when they are killed? The answer to that may lie in ''The End of Evangelion'': in that movie, it is revealed that humans possess AT Fields, the same as Angels. What's more, AT Fields are what allow humans to maintain a physical form: without them, they would dissolve into LCL. When the [=EVAs=] destroy an Angel's core in ''Rebuild'', they are also likely destroying the Angel's AT Field, without which it cannot maintain its physical form: hence, its body dissolves.
* Mari Illustrious Makinami is named after the HMS ''Illustrious''. ''Illustrious'' was also known as 'Lusty'. Now, who is MsFanservice here?
* Evangelion Unit 03 possessed by an Angel and going berserk, putting up a fight against Shinji in Unit 01 without stopping ''and'' without the power cable in the back... [[PlotDevice Remember that it is a prototype designed for longer operational time]].
* At first, the derail of the plot in 3.0 seems like an AssPull, but there's foreshadowing to the fact that we're not gonna follow the plot beat for beat with certain scenes happening ''way'' before they happen in the show (the elevator scene is a good example)
** Seele-01 alludes to this at the end of 1.0, saying, "The apocrypha of the Dead Sea Scrolls has been passed into the Book of Law." Cut to a shot of Evangelion Mark.06 under construction. Gendo does this again in Q, saying the time has come to amend the Dead Sea Scrolls.
* Here's one that comes from the movies' entire premise; "What if Anno made the series in his new, happier state?" Simple. It becomes even worse for the characters. Depression, cynicism and pessimistic philosophy can serve as defence mechanisms, these slowly break your will, yes, but also allow you to predict the future and prepare for the worst, therefore keeping you from feeling the full impact. [[WideEyedIdealist Optimists]], on the other hand, are much more unprepared and thus corruptible by the harsh realities, randomness and surprises of life, once [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished they learn the hard way]] that [[CrapsackWorld life isn't fair]], [[DeConstruction everything comes tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down....]] [[SubvertedTrope And if they keep that optimism]], generally are the first people to [[KnightInSourArmor start figuring out a plan to work around that unfairness]], as opposed to [[SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers depression just eating itself in the same manner, over and over again]]. Thus, depression may allow you to ''survive'', but it isn't exactly ''living''.\\
In the Rebuild movies, Shinji wasn't a pessimist. He was actually on the rise; never well adjusted, perhaps, but rational, and slowly becoming happy. When the realities of the NGE series hit him, they hit Rebuild!Shinji a hundred-fold harder than NGE!Shinji. As a result, he was plunged far deeper into emotional pain. Think of it like having farther to fall, or that while NGE!Shinji was always low in emotional happiness and sanity, his depression kept him braced from falling much further. Rebuild!Shinji was climbing up... And so when [[DespairEventHorizon the end of 2.0 and all of 3.0 hit,]] he fell. All the way to the bottom. '''That''' is how you BreakTheCutie and invoke a HeroicBlueScreenOfDeath. The moment he gets a reprieve, however, his sanity [[HesBack promptly reforms]], and even what would have sent him over just hardens his HeroicResolve until he ends up beating Gendo in the most total way possible - complete rejection of his philosophy, [[AllLovingHero even the idea he's an irredeemable monster]] after seeing his past.
* Some people would wonder why Kaworu took so long to realize that the two spears keeping Lilith sealed were both Longinus types and failed to properly warn Shinji. You have to remember that Kaworu is still an Angel, and therefore never ate the Fruit of Knowledge. He lacks the critical thinking and problem solving abilities humans take for granted, and cannot deal with unexpected situations easily.
** [[https://www.reddit.com/r/evangelion/comments/54xji4/the_idea_of_divinity_in_rei_and_kaworu/ This short Reddit thread]] helps illustrate the point: the angels never question the world around them, unlike humans, as evidenced by each of the Angels that was 'built' with very specific behavior and not much else.
* If you are from the belief that Rebuild is a StealthSequel, the deviation of ''2.22'' and ''3.33'' from the original plot makes sense since, in true Evangelion fashion, it leads to a Deconstruction of the whole ResetButton premise.
** Not everything is returned to it's original form (The moon and the sea)
** The ResetButton left lingers of it's tools (The apparently marks of the MP Evas in ''1.11'')
** It's the antagonist who are apparently aware of the ResetButton and actively work to make sure their plans succeed (Gendo's manipulations that lead to the awakening of Eva-01, the overthrowme of SEELE, and an unknown amounts of Rei clones to prevent any wildcard.)
** The angels return as well, but this time, they adapt to become more efficient. (Ramiel's adaptation in ''1.11'', Sahaquiel, Bardiel and Zeruel's increase of power in ''2.22''.)
** Even the doll that Asuka talks to in ''2.22'' would count, given that by EOE she managed to resolve her problems with her mother, and therefore, she no longer has that mental scar.
* [[Tropers/{{notahandle}} I]] just saw the musical motif in the whole series. 1.11= 1/9, 2.22=1/6, 3.33=1/3, :||=Repeat.
* As an extension of above, the new name for Final, 3.0 + 1.0, is indeed an end and repeat of Shinji's original mental state, although in different circunstances: "You Can (Not) Redo, but You Are (Not) Alone".
* Remember the themathic of TheFourLoves of Shinji in the original series? well, in the Rebuild movies it's used again in the form of the {{Deuteragonist}} role, which is aided by the fact that some of the [[UnresolvedSexualTension UST]] of the original series has been left aside.
** Misato ([[ParentalSubstitute Sto]][[CoolBigSis rge]]) and Kaworu ([[LoveMartyr Aga]][[UndyingLoyalty pe]]). What Rei and Asuka are is yet unknown, FINAL will determine their placements, provided that Asuka does indeed take the role of {{Deuteragonist}}.
* Why does the Curse of Eva stunt a pilot's growth? In the original series, and possibly in Rebuild too (it appears to still hold for Eva-01 at least), the majority of Evas are controlled through the synchronization between mother (resident soul/control system) and child (pilot). Assuming this concept still exists in some capacity in Rebuild, the influence of the mothers' souls may be preventing the children from growing up, in an attempt to preserve their bond.
* While the lack of communication is seen as something that could had been avoided, and as such, most of the plot of ''3.33'', it is actually a realistic result for the crew of Wille to act as such: living in a perpetual battlefield is something that takes its toll on everyone, there's no room for personal growth or second thoughts; regardless of the amount of true guilt Shinji, who had an unwitting hand on Third Impact, would have, such a thing would mean nothing to the people who had to deal with the broken world that was left behind.
* Why is the trailer for 3.33 playing the song "Quatre Mains"? Simple: in French, it means four hands, as in the one for Evangelion-13 unit.
* The (album) name of the song that plays during EVA-01's rampage in 2.22 ("Sin From Genesis") is actually a meaningful title rather than something simply named appropriately. It is meaningful because it's not EVA's AT-field wielded through the pilot but rather the pilot's AT-field wielded through the EVA unit. So what fuelled EVA-01's AT-field that was powerful enough to overpower that angel, what powered all the cross-shaped explosions and eye beams and stuff that no EVA unit was capable of before, was Shinji's Fruit of Knowledge/Wisdom. Shinji's "sin from genesis".
* 3.0 feels empty, both in-universe and as a movie. The scenes are minimalistic. Fights are few and far between, and dialogs between characters are noticeably reduced. Keep in mind that one of the central theme of [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion original NGE]] is human communication/interaction and ''lack'' thereof.
* The new film is reportedly going to be called "Shin Evangelion" (or Evangelion 1.0 + 3.0.) One translation of the Japanese word shin is "new." One word that's synonymous with new is "neon." In other words, we have a Neon Evangelion! Anno's a genius!
* Mari is generally thought of as being the most well-adjusted of ''Rebuild'''s Evangelion pilots. She certainly isn't ''sane'' -- she's far too [[DissonantSerenity cheerful]] and [[BloodKnight enthusiastic]] about this whole "fighting monsters at the end of the world" thing for that -- but she doesn't suffer from crippling self-loathing or existential angst like the other pilots, and is generally able to take whatever weirdness Angels, [=EVAs=], and Impacts have to throw at her in stride. ''3.0+1.0'' reveals that Mari is ''much'' older than the other EVA pilots, having attended college with Yui and Gendo. Therefore, if nothing else, Mari has had a lot longer to work through her various hangups than the other pilots have. In addition, the fact that she had already been a pilot for over a decade before the start of ''Rebuild'' means she's had plenty of opportunities to experience weird shit associated with the Human Instrumentality Project, and there's probably very little that surprises her at this point. This also ties into how, in ''3.0'', Mari is much less bothered than Asuka about how the Curse of EVA has stunted her aging, since she's been living with that condition for nearly thirty years.
* Asuka's reason for living outside the Village in ''3.0+1.0'' is just her excuse to not deal with anything other than piloting EVA, which she thinks its the only source of her self-worth. Contrast Rei-Q who mingles with the locals just fine despite being purpose-made and practically shackled to pilot EVA in greater degree than Asuka.
* There are some fans who speculate that Mari is a stand-in for Moyoco Anno, Hideaki Anno's wife who helped pull him through his depression that has been recurring since the last leg of original ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''[='s=] production. If we are supposed to take this information at face value, Shinji getting on with Mari in the very ending could be a metaphor of choosing to believe that there ''can'' be good things waiting in the future, however unexpected that may be, rather than constantly hurting oneself with the memories of painful past.
* Even as the franchise draws to a close, Hideaki Anno and Utada Hikaru still leaves one final sucker punch to the audience: the recurring ending theme ''Beautiful World'' isn't about Shinji. It's about Gendo.
* Asuka's appearance in the beach scene in ''3.0+1.0'' with her ripped plugsuit isn't just for fanservice, rather it's to show that she's grown up into a young woman and that the plugsuit no longer fits her.
* Wille seemingly just being there to antagonize Shinji may seem like they're flat characters until you remember how Evangelion works and figure out that they're meant to represent how Shinji has a [[TheScrappy hatedom]].
* In ''3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time'', during the long awaited scene of Gendo and Shinji having a sit down talk together, it plays an orchestrated version of the song played when Asuka was [[MindRape psychically violated]] in the original. Because it takes place in a [[MindProbe mind space]] between the two, they're effectively doing a more benevolent version of the same thing: sifting through his mind to get at the root of the problem and facing it head on.
* Hideaki Anno [[WordOfGod himself]] describes Mari as someone whose existence marks a "break" in a conventional ''Evangelion'' story. This is shown in more ways than one. While this initially manifests in her more upbeat and less neurotic personality, which makes her come off feeling somewhat ''off'' compared to the rest of the cast, by ''3.0+1.0'', this extends to how she stands out as recognizable even in Gendo's sketchy flashback sequences during Instrumentality, to say nothing of how she's old enough to have known him and Yui in college. Altogether, her very presence, on top of her actions, prove crucial in Shinji breaking the cycle and finally moving on.
* Misato using the Wunder to create a new Spear for Shinji to use takes on even more significance. Though granted, Mari and her Eva play a major role in crafting it, the bulk of its completion, and the proverbial thrust, are done with "legacy" equipment such as the ship's conventional engines, meaning technology that ''isn't'' reliant on Angels or knowledge of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Which not only drives home how the Spear is wholly created by humans, but also how mankind is more than capable of moving forward without Evangelions.
* Something that was realized, having seen 3.0+1.0 and seeing the confusion over if the musical notation in the title is : || meaning ending, or :|| meaning repeat.....it's actually both. It represents both the :|| showing that the cycle of Evangelion could repeat, over and over again, as it has before (and the proof that the Rebuild series was a sequel series was true), as well as || for ending in that this cycle, Shinji had the will to change, to learn, to talk, and to end things, letting the characters finally grow up and evolve out of their patterns.
* The reason why Gendo is able to effortlessly throw Shinji around like a ragdoll during their fight? At this point, Gendo has ascended to godhood and has an Evangelion designed to counter Shinji's. The scene itself completely deconstructs ViolenceReallyIsTheAnswer, with Gendo pointing that violence and fear won't solve the issue. It's only when Shinji is forced to stop fighting and try to understand Gendo that he's able to successfully put an end to the Fourth Impact and create a world without Evangelions.
** Additionally, their [[MirrorMatch moves are similar enough]] that Shinji can't make any progress during the fight due to their similarities. It's very possible that Gendo orchestrated Rei's growing feelings for Shinji so he'd be forced to understand how he felt when he lost Yui. Much like Gendo, Shinji goes to extreme lengths in order to be with the person they loved but whereas Gendo is unable to move on, Shinji accepts his loss and appreciates the time he spent with Rei.
* Though it seems completely out of left field that Shinji would end up with Mari, it actually works out. The first thing she says to Shinji is that she likes how he smells, a very forward hint of her attraction to him. Her being against him in 3.0 is only due to it being her job to stop Fourth Impact. In the final film, she has a pet name for him, goes out of her way to protect him and she's the last person he meets before the ending.
** Though Rei is good to Shinji and is affectionate toward him, this is mixed in with her being created from his mother's DNA and her lack of autonomy. Due to the implications, the healthiest relationship with Rei would either be platonic or LikeBrotherAndSister, avoiding the psuedo-incestious implications entirely.
** In Asuka's case, her blunt and abrasive demeanour makes her attraction obtuse to spot at ''best'', and her willingness to assault Shinji puts a damper on any healthy relationship between the two. If anything, Asuka and Shinji would be either VitriolicBestBuds, Shinji's sparring partner or a training coach to help him get stronger.
** Kaworu, though wanting to make Shinji happy, does so at the cost of his own happiness. Though it's admirable that he's willing to help Shinji through his problems and even teach him how to play a piano, his self-sacrificing nature and his Shinji-centric matyrdom would make any relationship beyond the platonic self-destructive in the long run.
* In ''3.0 + 1.0'', Shinji having a flashback to Kaworu's death and throwing up whenever he sees Asuka's DSS choker is a brilliant depiction of what a "trigger" is actually supposed to be.
* What's with the weird numbering of ''3.0 + 1.0''? Because [[EarnYourHappyEnding it ends well]], something that [[ShockingMoments seemingly violates the core theme of Eva]], so it's not really part of the sequels anymore - it's broken the numbering system, too.

!!Fridge Horror
* Asuka playing with the doll in 2.0. If you've seen the original series, you'll appreciate why this is so messed up.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOeDkHiy-DE&feature=related Hal..~le....~lu...~jah]].
* Kaji's joke-flirting with Shinji. Admittedly hilarious the first time you see it, but halfway towards the fridge is when you realize Kaji came on to a 14-year-old boy! Even as a joke, very DudeNotFunny. And any judge would be inclined to agree.
* Some further thought on the 2.0 ending: while a fairly badass moment for Shinji, [[SaveTheGirlScrewTheWorld he's willing to initiate Third Impact to save the girl he (arguably) loves]]. Here's where the horror comes in: what exactly is [[LoveMakesYouEvil Gendo's]] overall goal again?
** Gendo can be considered the TranquilFury equivalent of Shinji.
** And of course, their loved one is genetically speaking ''the same person''.
** Well, if it's anything like the original continuities (which, with 2 movies left...) it will involve Rei and Adam in some way initiating Instrumentality. So, really, Kaworu's BigDamnHero moment furthers Gendo's plan (probably).
** Gendo says flat-out in Rebuild that he's trying to PROTECT the world (this time, at least). Who knows what his plans are, other than that getting [[{{Squick}} Rei and Shinji together]] is part of it? Note, PART of it. Not the END of it.
* The Oceans aren't just red, they're filled with Angel Blood. Cool, Ok, we can gather this from context. But it's not just one part of the ocean. It's the ENTIRE BODY OF WATER. The Whole Thing. Just what exactly were the first three angels to cause the need for water purification for the entire Planet? Assuming this ISN'T just a second time around....
** While some of the inland lakes, rivers and streams are presumably full of Angel blood after the series starts, the Oceans could be experiencing an enormous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_tide Red Tide]] of some sort caused by the dramatic increase in Global temperature and the lack of oceanic currents resulting from the melting of the Antarctic ice cap. I had assumed that was what the red ocean was supposed to mean and why the purification plant was for.
* Wondering why Unit 01 crushed Unit 03's entry plug in its mouth instead of its fist this time? Wondering how Asuka is in good enough shape to continue as a pilot in part 3 even after being inside the plug as it was crushed whereas Toji was crippled for life (and even ''died'' in the manga)? Try this little experiment- take a pencil or some other long, thing object and squeeze it in your fist. Note which parts are under pressure. Now, pulling your lips back as far as you can, insert the pencil in your mouth sideways until its past your incisors and bite down on it. Again, note which parts are under pressure. By crushing the entry plug in its jaws rather than its fist, Unit 01 ''avoided'' seriously crushing the middle part where Asuka was sitting, resulting in her injuries being comparatively minor compared to Toji's. Far more shocking, but far ''less'' brutal!
* If Evageeks can be trusted, Kaworu's line at [[TheStinger the end]] of Rebuild 2.0 is ''actually'': "This time, [[ExactWords only you]] will find happiness". You, [[HoYay of course]], referring to Shinji...fans, [[NightmareFuel begin screaming]].
* Part of the reason why Shinji invoked Instrumentality in the original show was because he ''thinks'' everyone secretly resents or hates him, given his self-doubt and lack of self-esteem. With 3.0 showing that this idea has become reality, it's a guarantee that ''everyone'''s going to be fucked if Shinji gets into the same position he had in [=EoE=]. Might also serve as a NiceJobBreakingItHero towards WILLE.
* In the original series, Ritsuko destroyed all of the Rei clones as part of her mental breakdown, which meant Gendo was forced to depend only on Rei III; in 3.0 it's stated that there were multiple clones of Rei over the 14 years of TimeSkip. this means as well that Gendo doesn't have to depend on Rei Q to start Instrumentality.
* The extent of Gendo's manipulation as of 3.0 can count as this.
** First, the mere existence of WILLE, given the TimeSkip of 14 years and the implied continuous fighting, one would wonder why didn't he finished them off, the answer? to ensure Shinji's isolation and eventual breaking. Since WILLE is shown to be formed of ex-members of NERV and after [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt certain events]] the majority of them only shows hostility towards him, which in turn means that the only people who were close enough to him no longer are and that they're unwlling to tell him anything of what happened or even care for him.
** Second, the relationship between Shinji and Rei; Gendo pushed them to get closer from the shadows through the first two movies, as a result at the end of 2.0, Shinji's attempts to save her due to this also brought the awakening of Eva-01 and Third Impact as a side effect, which was exactly what Gendo had planed. By 3.0 it's shown that it wiped out a great amount of people and completely destroyed the biosphere and has earned Shinji, as stated above, the hatred of his past partners and friends, the eventual rescue of Rei Q exploits his previous and current relationships and the lack of information to Nerv's benefit. Afterwards, the GutPunch is delivered by [[BeleagueredAssistant Fuyutsuki]], the Rei he knew is dead or trapped in Eva-01, and the Rei that he interacted with is only one of many clones of her effectively destroying most of Shinji's remaining sanity and any attempt of him to get close to her.
** Third and finally, the eventual friendship of Shinji and Kaworu, given his true desire to help Shinji and humanity as a whole, he reveals the truth of what happened 14 years ago, which also is the reason of WILLE hate of Shinji, and, as the revelations almost crush Shinji, he becomes his LivingEmotionalCrutch and sets off with him to pilot Eva-13 and save the world, however, when they arrive at Central Dogma, Kaworu realizes too late that they were set up to begin the Fourth Impact and, thanks to Shinji's desperation and Asuka's lack of will to talk, they fell into Nerv's trap. It gets worse as Kaworu is forced to act as the final angel and becomes the trigger of Fourth Impact; to prevent it, he makes a HeroicSacrifice that takes any remain of Shinji's sanity and allows Eva-13's awakening.
** Still here? the only WildCard that remain are Asuka and Rei-Q, and as the end of 3.0 hints (Shipping aside), it will be Shinji's eventual relationship with either of the two in 4.0 which will determinate the fate of the world.
* Asuka's relationship with Shinji after the TimeSkip: if her actions indicate anything it's that she doesn't outright hate him, but the years of fighting and living in a wasteland had made her unable not to hurt him. This means also that their relationship is just as bad if not worst than near the end of the original series.
* The Curse of Eva. It never gets explained what it causes, but the possibilities aren't pretty.
** It simply halts the growth of those that suffer from it. In this case, Asuka, Shinji and Mari will be the doomed to always be a teenager, and will never mature physically and, in part, mentally.
** It makes the body reflect the mental age of the one who suffers from it, the implications behind this is that neither Asuka or Mari have truly matured in the 14 years of TimeSkip.
* From those not familiar with Evangelion series as a whole, Shinji befriending Kaworu in 3.0 who is heavily hinted from the start that he's not 'normal' can feel a bit out of place. (For example, magically fixing cassette player or doing nothing but play piano) But at this point Shinji not longer cares about ''anyone'', be it himself, his former friends, NERV or his dad.
* Now that both of his parents have pulled a HeroicSacrifice, Ryoji is now an orphan.
* When you take the ending of Thrice Upon a Time into account, Gendo's ultimate goal boils down to an elaborate suicide where he can finally be with Yui in death. With Shinji's help, he succeeds and before that, Gendo has no problems with taking most of the world's population with him.
* The [[NotAllowedToGrowUp "Curse of Eva"]] has several different symbolic meanings:
** How trauma can stunt social and emotional development, especially during childhood or adolescence. Everything about piloting an Eva is traumatic, affecting the pilot mentally ''and'' physically, and Shinji and Asuka were not particularly stable individuals to begin with. This is most emphasized in 3.0+1.0 when Shinji is still 14 when all his friends have become functional adults and some even have kids. Then, at the end, Shinji has finally moved on, and he and the other pilots become adults.
** A meta-commentary on Anno himself creating a landmark anime franchise, but feeling shackled to it and the impact it had on his own mental well-being, then finally coming to terms with it and moving on.
** A less flattering meta-commentary on the segments of the fandom being unable or unwilling to move on after the conclusion of the series.
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