http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lt/eva.jpg
[[caption-width:220:Raise your hand if you are mentally sound... Anyone?]]

->''Attempting to harness the engine of our own destruction...only humans are so foolish.''\\
-- Misato Katsuragi

->''This is a giant robot saga the same way ''TwinPeaks'' was a cop show.''\\
-- Comic Buyer's Guide

->''One of the complaints most frequently made about [my work] can be summed up as follows: "After all, these people are so spineless, how are you going to make heroes out of them?" This objection almost makes me laugh, for it assumes that people are born heroes. That's what people really want to think. If you're born cowardly, you may set your mind perfectly at rest; there's nothing you can do about it; you'll be cowardly all your life, whatever you may do. If you're born a hero, you may set your mind just as much at rest; you'll be a hero all your life; you'll drink like a hero and eat like a hero. What the existentialist says is that the coward makes himself cowardly, that the hero makes himself heroic. There's always a possibility for the coward not to be cowardly any more and for the hero to stop being heroic.''\\
-- Jean-Paul Sartre, ''Existentialism''

In one sentence: ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' is a dramatic character study that uses psychological references and themes in order to convey and analyze, through character development and psychoanalysis, the various mental illnesses and emotional problems of the principal cast, all of which is set against the backdrop of a {{deconstruction}} of the HumongousMecha genre, and which also uses Christian and Kabbalistic symbolism to apply subtext to the show's various themes and plot points.

Was that a bit much to take in one sitting? Don't worry, so is the show.

''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (in Japanese, "Shin Seiki Evangelion", which translates as "New Century Evangelion") is an extremely popular, controversial, and critically acclaimed 26-episode science fiction / action / drama anime series from StudioGainax, which aired on Japanese television in 1995-96. It was written by Hideaki Anno, already famous for ''{{Gunbuster}}'', and character design was done by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, who authors and illustrates the ongoing ''Evangelion'' manga. There were also two movies made at the end, ''Evangelion: Death and Rebirth'' and ''End of Evangelion''.

''Evangelion'' tells a dark and apocalyptic story:

In the year 2000, Earth was devastated by the destruction of Antarctica during the "Second Impact", a disaster most believe was a meteor strike. Half of humanity died in the Impact and its aftermath, ocean levels rose, and global warming became a fact of life. Fifteen years later, Earth faces a series of attacks by bizarre, gigantic alien creatures called "Angels." The only effective defense against the Angels is the secret agency NERV and its Evangelions: armored biomechanical giants designed to defend from Angel attack. The only persons who can pilot the Evangelions are [[Characters/NeonGenesisEvangelion a small group of dysfunctional 14-year-olds]].

A common thread running through the personalities of these teenagers, and in varying degrees to the adults they work and live with, is that they feel a great need for love and acceptance, without which they feel incomplete. Some are desperately, hopelessly in love with people they can never have, with whom there can be no hope of consummation. Others are attracted to people they're afraid to approach, because they're paralyzed by shyness, self-doubt, and fear of being hurt. Most have lost their parents. And so on. This seems to be part of the philosophical statement Hideaki Anno wanted to make -- that people need one another yet fear being hurt, and therefore put up psychological barriers that cause them even more pain as often as not.

Prophecy intertwines with conspiracy as shadowy players on all sides manipulate events and individuals to change the ultimate secret outcome of the Angels' siege.

Although it superficially resembles a [[HumongousMecha classic "giant robots" anime series]], ''Evangelion'' is in fact a study of individual alienation, betrayal, [[ThirtyXanatosPileup wheels-within-wheels conspiracies]], obsession and apocalyptic fervor. In some scenes it resembles a [[TheUnwantedHarem harem anime]], insofar as the main protagonist is constantly surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful women and teenage girls (and his friends frequently [[LampshadeHanging comment on this]]), but whatever feelings these people have are confused and badly expressed. In many episodes, particularly early in the series, there are instances of rather broad physical comedy that make it look like a teen coming-of-age SitCom (particularly the infamous [[PeekABoo toothpick holder scene]]), complete with [[TheSweatDrop giant sweat drops]] and characters {{Face Fault}}ing, but these moments only provide contrast for the terror and hopelessness to come. By the end of the series, [[CerebusSyndrome no one is laughing]].

Its final episodes are among the most controversial television ever broadcast in Japan, if only for an utter incomprehensibility that ranks up there with the ending of ''ThePrisoner''. Fan outcry and dissatisfaction resulted in the production of two "concluding" movies: ''Evangelion: Death and Rebirth'', a film consisting of little more than two episodes end to end, ''Death'' being a clip show [[AdaptationDecay retelling]] of the series, and ''Rebirth'' being the first twenty minutes of the concluding film, ''End of Evangelion'', which simply pushed the horror and despair of the setting to new heights. Despite [[WordOfGod repeated statements to the contrary]], these films are believed by some to be [[WriterOnBoard petty revenge on the part of series creator Anno]], who some claim reportedly felt so offended by the viewers' complaints that there was no satisfactory "happy ending" to the show that he deliberately turned it into a WallBanger in which the entire human race [[DroppedABridgeOnHim is killed off in the most mean-spirited manner imaginable (they got better...sort of)]]. Others point to evidence (particularly in the episode preview of episode 25) that this was going to be the ending from day one, but that budget deficits prevented it from being made during the show's TV run.

Despite the dark and gruesome ending (freeze-frame play during ''End of Evangelion'' can reveal a major character's body being visibly blown to pieces, for example), ''Evangelion'' is beautifully crafted, with exquisite attention to art, music and characterization; outstanding voice acting (critics differ sharply on whether the English dub is as good, with passionate proponents both for and against it); and some of the most technically impressive animation ever done. Strong themes of [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Kabbalistic mysticism and occult Christian eschatology]] adds an intriguing and different flavor as well.

Amazingly enough, it's rumored that ''NGE'' was intended as nothing more but a real-life SpringtimeForHitler work; there wasn't a lot of hope for it, so it was planned to write off the losses in taxation.

In addition to the anime, there are a number of other ''Evangelion'' works, including:
* The manga version, written and drawn by character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, which tells the same story as the anime but with a number of changes. It started before the anime, but is still unfinished due to an '''extremely''' [[ScheduleSlip erratic production schedule]], and is something of a LoveItOrHateIt work.
* A live-action adaptation is currently stuck in DevelopmentHell.
* ''{{Film/Rebuild of Evangelion}}'', a retelling consisting of four new animated movies which is currently in production. The first was released in Japanese cinemas [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=9464 in September 2007]]. As of the second film, they have become a full-blown AlternateContinuity. Though starting out as melancholic as the rest of the franchise was, it shares as much in common with its source material as chalk does with cheese; for although it is by no means LighterAndSofter, the characters are ''far'' more positive and emotionally stable, and (shock horror) all arrows point to an ending of hope and positivity in this sub-universe rather than the cynical nihilism of the original.
* ''NeonGenesisEvangelionAngelicDays'', a HighSchoolAU which is built off [[spoiler:the "alternate universe" sequence at the end of the anime]] but goes on to retell the original story but with much less {{wangst}}.
* ''NeonGenesisEvangelionGakuenDatenroku'', another HighSchoolAU manga which involves weapons which act like the Evas instead of the actual mechas and aspects of Norse mythology.
* ''[[http://www.evangelion.co.jp/petit_eva/ Petit Eva: Evangelion@School]]'', a SuperDeformed comedic {{parody}} which has most of the principal cast (including Unit 01 and [[spoiler:all three Reis at once]]) in silly hijinks around the high school.

Compare ''{{Bokurano}}'' and ''RahXephon''. Contrast ''GaoGaiGar'', ''GGundam'' and ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' (each pretty much the polar opposite of ''Evangelion''). For similar anime in general, compare ''RevolutionaryGirlUtena'', ''BoogiepopPhantom'', ''ParanoiaAgent'', and ''SerialExperimentsLain''.

[[Characters/NeonGenesisEvangelion This series has a character sheet.]]
----
!!This franchise provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents - Let's see, first we have Gendo, who's a JerkAss ManipulativeBastard of a father to [[TheHero Shinji]] and a creepy quasi-[[ParentalIncest incestuous]] parent to [[{{Kuudere}} Rei]], who's really [[spoiler:a clone of his wife]]. And then we have [[HotScientist Ritsuko]]'s mother Naoko who [[ParentalAbandonment cold-heartedly ignores her daughter]], mirroring [[{{Tsundere}} Asuka's]] own mother while also being something of a {{Yandere}}.
** Interestingly, [[ColonelBadass Misato]] might appear to be a case at first, but she's not. The death of her father left her traumatized to be sure and she seems to resent him, but it's implied he never really did anything to earn that resentment, contrary to most of the other parents on the show.
* AccidentalPervert - Shinji's first actual conversation with Rei starts with this. Notable for being one of the most squicktastic examples of the trope.
* ActionMom - Yui Ikari...sort of. Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu...[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome for about]] [[DiabolusExMachina five minutes.]]
** ...sort of.
* AdaptationDistillation - The manga to a degree, and ''Rebuild of Evangelion''...possibly.
** So far, it's also hard to tell whether it's LighterAndSofter or DarkerAndEdgier. The first ''Rebuild'' movie does seem even more violent (both physically and psychologically) than the original, but Misato seems more overtly nice to Shinji and we don't know yet how far the school antics and {{Tsundere}} slapstick will go.
** It definitely is easier to understand, so long as you've seen the original series first. Whether this is good or bad is a question for the sages.
** While YourMileageMayVary, many fans consider some changes in the manga adaptation an improvement upon the original anime. More attention is devoted to character relationships, several filler plots (including some of the less consequential Angels) are cut altogether, and a very controversial scene [[spoiler:[[ADateWithRosiePalms you know the one]]]] is changed to be more acceptable and arguably more appropriate.
* AdaptationExpansion - The manga details more of the odd relationship between Shinji and Rei, as well as giving Kaji a tragic backstory and making Kaworu much more prominent. Asuka's screentime, however, suffers a bit of a cutdown, although her introduction establishes her as more of a BadAss: [[spoiler:she takes out Gaghiel by herself, and later [[IKnowFungFu KO's a group of thugs in an arcade singlehandedly]]]].
* AGodAmI - Gendou's goal; he even monologues about it in the manga.
* AIIsACrapshoot - Mostly averted; the MAGI computers never turn evil, but [[spoiler: the most human of them betrays Ritsuko at the worst possible moment]]. Subverted with [[ShadowArchetype the Evas]] [[spoiler: when you find out they aren't actually robots.]]
** [[spoiler:Totally averted]] with the robot Jet Alone. It was remote-controlled [[spoiler:and was sabotaged to walk towards the city and almost melt down]].
* TheAlcoholic - Misato
* AlienGeometries - Leliel. The ''Rebuild'' version of Ramiel also pulls out some crazy impossible geometry while transforming.
* AllJustADream - One interpretation of the original ending is that [[spoiler: the whole thing was just an elaborate fantasy world that Shinji created for himself because he couldn't deal with the real world. The final episodes depict the point when he finally realizes that his "real" life wasn't so bad, at which point he abandons the fantasy and rejoined reality -- the world he finds himself in the end where he has a normal life.]]) This would of course have the hilarious effect of making the ''Angelic Days'' manga ''[[OrWasItADream a subversion]]'' of the trope as Shinji would awake from his fantasy only to find out that Evangelions and Angels are very real and he does in fact have to pilot a giant robot to save the world.
** Another possible interpretation is that [[spoiler: it all happened in Shinji's mind, who was schizophrenic all along, and the ending shows the inside of his mind to make a point that he's now too far gone to have any form of contact with the real world. "Mustn't run away", indeed.]]
* AlasPoorVillain - [[spoiler: Gendou]] in ''TheEnd'' might fit, depending on your interpretation of the character.
** As might [[spoiler:Ritsuko]], who is less villainous than [[spoiler:Gendou]], but whose death is also more a heart-rending -- and more heart-splattering.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation - [[WordOfGod Intentional on the creator's part]], but especially noteworthy in some cases: is Gendou a manipulative monster, a misunderstood genius, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold a loving but misguided father who wants to make his son strong]], the show's biggest {{Woobie}}, or a mix of the four? Is Yui a soft and idealized mother / Virgin Mary figure (close to being the series' CanonSue), the actual manipulative monster who's responsible for messing up Shinji, Gendou and the fate of the world, or just off her rocker? Is Shinji a [[TheScrappy neurotic, obnoxious "wimp"]], a normal person dealing with impossibly overwhelming odds, or actually a courageous young hero? Is he "pure" or a pervert with {{Yandere}} tendencies? Since we're at it, is Shinji similar to Gendou, his polar opposite, or a complex mix of the two?
** The ''SuperRobotWars'' games also dabble in this (as they usually do with the series) giving Shinji a backbone and changing story details. For example [[spoiler:Touji does not suffer the fate that he does in the TV series and can occasionally join the team as a playable character. Likewise Asuka, in her famous scene from the movie, does not die when she is attacked by the group of Angels but can actually wipe them out instead]].
* AlternateContinuity - Especially noticeable in the video games and mangas ''Girlfriend of Steel 2'' and ''Ikari Shinji Raising Project'' as well as in the new manga ''Neon Genesis Evangelion Gakuen Datenroku'' (''Evangelion Academy'') and the Hobby Japan-exclusive "sequel" ''Evangelion ANIMA''.
* AlternateUniverse - In the {{omake}} at the end of ''End of Evangelion'', and during the Third Impact sequence in episode 26; the latter has of late become an official {{Elseworld}} with its own manga.
* AllThereInTheManual - There are a few guidebooks that attempt to elucidate the series. Given that it's intentionally left up to the reader, they are less than helpful.
* AncientConspiracy - SEELE
* AnimeAnatomy - Played straight, averted, and [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel subverted]], depending on which part or version of the story you're talking about.
* AnimeFirst - Subverted. The manga ran for almost a year before the series begun, but it was made specifically for promoting the anime.
* {{Anvilicious}} - Do you know that people are full of ugly fears and impulses? Also, do you know that modern technologies are a mixed blessing?
* AnyoneCanDie
* ApocalypseOfTheWeek
* AppliedPhlebotinum - ...where do we ''start!?''
* AscendedExtra - Mana, from the ''Girlfriend of Steel'' spinoff. She's one of the very few non-canon characters to reappear in another spin-off (''Ikari Shinji Instrumentality Project''), and has a prominent, if B-tier, role in the FanFic ''ShinjiAndWarhammer40K''.
* AuthorAppeal - You might notice that in most anime directed by Anno, people are in love / go out / have sex with someone either ''much younger'' or ''much older'' than them. The Misato/Kaji relationship -- only a year apart -- is almost an anomaly here. Misato's relationship as Shinji's boss and "guardian" has [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean lots of subtext]], and Kaji gets sexually harassed by Asuka. You have to wonder...
** Not only that, but Gendou had relationships both with Ritsuko Akagi and, earlier, with her mother, Dr. Naoko Akagi. Gendou is eighteen years older than Ritsuko. Although Gendou evidently referred to Naoko as "that old hag," there's not much to tell us how much older than he she was, if indeed she was older.
** The Judaeo-Christian overtones, giant Adams, etc. probably also count as AuthorAppeal, when you compare ''Eva'' to ''NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'' and other Gainax/Khara series. So do the angsty characters, ethical debates about biotechnologies, gratuitous DNA imagery, etc.
** Not to mention all the hands. They're pretty much Eva's signature style.
** And the stylized psychedelic eyes.
* AwesomeButImpractical - Applies to pretty much every bit of technology NERV owns. In universe: the Jet Alone. Powered by a nuclear reactor, but without the Eva's [[BeehiveBarrier AT field]].
* BadassBeard - Gendou
* BadassDecay - Arguably Gendou in the manga, as he's much more emo and pathetic compared to his anime version but also much more cynical, cruel and insane. The same charge has been laid over his [[spoiler: confession that he's a pile of self-hate with a social phobia]] in ''The End''. Might also count as VillainDecay. Some view Asuka's [[spoiler: descent into madness]] as BadassDecay too, as she was established as an incredibly assertive and combative character but is (also) [[spoiler: one of the show's biggest {{Woobie}}s]].
* {{Baka}} - Part of Asuka's catchphrase. According to her, Shinji, Kensuke and Touji are also the "stupid trio."
* BandageBabe - Rei, to an outrageous degree. Also happens to Misato and Asuka, who [[spoiler: suffers from similar wounds as Rei's in ''The End'']].
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished - Borderline aversion with Misato. She has serious scars, but considering their [[FetishFuel placement on her chest]], most of the characters never get to see them, and the audience doesn't see them much either.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo - According to the Dead Sea Scrolls. There is, however, an interesting interplay between destiny and [[ThirtyXanatosPileup human will]].
* BeginnersLuck - Shinji, subverted in several ways.
* BestBeerEver - Misato
* BerserkButton - Shinji's button is pressed in ''Rebuild 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance'' when [[spoiler:Rei is ''devoured'' by Zeruel, and Shinji decides to take a page from Kamina and ''rips the angel to pieces'' with glowing eyes of rage to save her.]] A Crowning Moment of Awesome ensues but is Subverted in that it's still a desperate, universally suicidal action akin to ''End of Evangelion''. [[spoiler:After "killing" Asuka, Shinji had already fallen into a state of apathy where he said he longer cared about anyone else until watching what he had left, Rei be eaten in front of him. Pushes him into a state of desperation similar to ''EOE'' where he doesn’t care about dying or destroying the world if he's going to be alone.]]
** Not to mention that as an ultimate act of irony, he is actually playing right into Gendou's hands.
** In the TV series in Episode 03 and 24. Then, in ''End of Evangelion''.
* BewareTheNiceOnes - When Shinji is [[BreakTheCutie driven over the edge]], horror ensues for Angels, Asuka, and possibly for Gendou.
* BeYourself - Played in a straight but horrifyingly cynical way.
* BigDamnHeroes - Shinji in episode 19 when [[spoiler: the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Angel Of The Week]] is trashing Central Dogma and suddenly Unit One crashes through the wall and Shinji kicks arse! Whatever else he does in the series, just this once he gets to be the hero.]]
* BilingualBonus - Many. For example, the last episode is titled "The Beast That Shouted "I" at the Centre of the World." The fact that "I" is pronounced the same way as "ai," the Japanese word for "love," triggers a second meaning. "The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" is a classic science fiction story (and also the title of an anthology) by Harlan Ellison.
* {{Bishonen}} - Multiple, most notably Kaworu. Shinji's level of bishie-ness (or non-bishie-ness) is very polarizing in the fandom, although [[http://www.evamonkey.com/writings_sadamoto01.php Sadamoto wrote that he designed Shinji to be a delicate/vulnerable-looking bishonen]].
* BittersweetEnding - Episode 24. The Angels are gone and mankind is safe...[[spoiler: but Tokyo-3 has been ruined, Kaji is dead; Touji is a cripple; Kensuke, Hikari, and their families have moved away, taking Pen-Pen with them; Asuka is catatonic; Ritsuko is in prison; Misato is a nervous wreck; Rei is no longer the person everyone knew; and Shinji is utterly psychologically broken after having to kill the only person who has offered him unconditional love in the whole series.]]
** Don't worry! ItGetsWorse!
* BlackBox - The Angels are described this way by the scientists "not in the know"; they also complain about how dangerous using the S2 organ is, since they know nothing about it.
* BloodKnight - Mari in ''Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0''. By God, Mari.
* BlueWithShock - Several instances.
* BookEnds - The bookend Reis, one in the first episode and the other in the movie.
* BodyHorror - Arguably evoked by [[spoiler: Bardiel and Armisael's infectious attacks, and by Gendou having the embryonic Adam grafted to his hand]]. Also, arguably the situation for [[spoiler: the human souls attached to the Evas]]. This might even qualify as AndIMustScream.
* BottleFairy - Misato
* BraggingThemeTune - Played straight, despite the lyrics being about [[YouSuck Shinji]]
* BrandX - See ShoutOut below.
* BreakTheCutie - Every last character you found the faintest bit sympathetic, in ''End of Evangelion'', and several other instances that begin much earlier. Shinji and Asuka (''especially'' Shinji) embody this trope.
* BreakingTheFourthWall - Both the original ending and ''Evangelion: Death'' include visual references to a theatre stage. ''The End of Evangelion'' has a live-action sequence, which includes live-action equivalents of several of the characters. The latter is even described as being a "dream" and "not Shinji's reality," hence the postmodern overtones of the movie.
** Before the live-action sequence, a young Shinji is shown building a sand castle of the [=GeoFront=]...and then the camera backs up and shows that he's under stage lighting.
* BridgeBunnies - Averted; two of them are male.
* BrokenBase - One of the few irrefutable statements that can be made about Evangelion is that it is, without question, the most divisive anime in history. Virtually EVERYTHING about this series has been, is, and will be the topic of heated debate. Is [insert character here] a sympathetic character? Do the religious symbols really mean anything? Did the series change over its run, or was it all planned out from the beginning? Which ending is better? Are they the same, or do they conflict? Is the English dub as good as, better than, or vastly inferior to the Japanese? Is the series itself one of the greatest in the history of anime - or even cinema - or merely one of the most overrated? Can the live-action movies be done right? Which girl would you bang? If you wonder it for even a second, there is absolutely no question that it has been the subject of fierce debate inside or outside the fandom. The fact that, one way or the other, people generally tend to form VERY strong opinions about this series helps cement it firmly within this trope.
* ButNotTooForeign - Asuka is part-Japanese, part-German and part-American.
* ButtMonkey - Shinji, until he is put on the TraumaCongaLine.
* CannotSpitItOut - A central theme of the series is that characters cannot admit their deeper feelings for one another, and / or cannot find the find the right way to comfort those they care about. So many examples, it's almost easier to list the aversions, and even the aversions tend to have a tragic cast to them.
** While Asuka has no problem letting everyone, including Kaji, know the "depths" of her feelings for Kaji, she often does this precisely as a way of deflecting attention from her developing feelings for Shinji. Simultantously an aversion and an example.
** Another exception: [[spoiler: Kaworu, the final angel]], is the only character in the whole series (and possibly the only person in-universe since the death of Yui) who expresses love to Shinji in so many words.
*** Which, of course, is made clear to be extremely significant.
** Misato finally comes to terms with just how deeply she cares for Kaji... [[spoiler: after he's dead]].
** Even [[spoiler: Gendo]] admits to his [[spoiler: love for his son]] once [[spoiler: his vague apocalyptic plan has failed and he realizes he's going to be killed]].
* CaptainErsatz - ''Evangelion'' 's characters have been used as the basis for '''many''' animes' casts:
** '''Rei''': Kirika from ''{{Noir}}'', Koizumi in ''IketeruFutari'', Ryomou Shimei from ''IkkiTousen'', Yuki Nagato (whose first name even puns on the meaning of Rei's) in ''SuzumiyaHaruhiNoYuutsu'', Sasshi's sister in ''AbenobashiMahouShoutengai'', D in ''ParallelTroubleAdventureDual'', possibly Nia from ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', Nemu Kurotsuchi from ''Bleach''...
*** Similarly, Yui (and her haircut!): Azusa Fuyutsuki(!) in ''GreatTeacherOnizuka'' to (possibly) Trisha and Gracia in ''FullMetalAlchemist'' to [[WholesomeCrossdresser Kamatari]] in ''RurouniKenshin'', I kid you not.)
*** And Meg and Jo from ''BurstAngel'' look almost like Asuka and Rei.
** '''Shinji''': A bullied male student in ''GreatTeacherOnizuka'' (the manga that loves its ''Eva'' expies and [[GenreSavvy genre savviness]]), Ganta in ''DeadmanWonderland'', and Hanataro from ''{{Bleach}}'' (the English dub casting picked up on this, and hired SpikeSpencer).
** '''Gendou''': Yuuichi Kirisaki from ''{{YakitateJapan}}'', who somehow looks even more like a psychopathic sex offender on the loose. In the anime, he even has the same voice actor. [[FullMetalAlchemist Hohenheim]] makes for a debatable (or subverted, due to major differences in personality) comparison to Gendou as worthy "ParentalAbandonment-cum-[[OedipusComplex father complex]] generator with ScaryShinyGlasses" with a tendency to tower over his small, overexcitable teenager. In turn, Gendou himself is quite similar to Urabe in OsamuTezuka's ''OdeToKirihito'', down to the ScaryShinyGlasses, looks, conflicted and corrupt personality, and [[spoiler: psychotic self-hate and obsession with rape]] contrasting with his scientific genius. AstroBoy's "father" Dr. Tenma and his dysfunctional relationship with his children was also a probable influence -- and the version of Tenma in ''{{Pluto}}'' is influenced by Gendou in turn. He has also taken some lessons from [[StarWars Darth Vader]], [[ShadowArchetype apparently]].)
* CaramelldansenVid
* {{Casanova}} / HandsomeLech / LeisureSuitLarry - Kaji, depending on how you interpret his behavior around the ladies.
* CashCowFranchise - God in Heaven, help us.
* CatchPhrase - In the anime, Shinji is constantly saying "I mustn't run away!"; also Asuka's repeated refrain of "What are you, ''[[{{Baka}} stupid?]]''" Let's also not forget all the times when Gendou tells Fuyutsuki to "handle the rest of this" and variants of "So," "Yes," and "I understand."
* CerebusSyndrome - As the series progresses to its final episodes, all attempts at making jokes are dropped.
* TheChessmaster - Gendo.
* ChildSoldiers - The pilots, who are even ''called'' [[GratuitousEnglish "Children" both individually and collectively]].
* ChristmasCake - Misato and Ritsuko. They aren't happy about this.
* ClingyJealousGirl - Asuka in the presence of Kaji, and also towards Shinji for that matter, especially in AlternateContinuity works. Also, Misato gets quite jealous whenever Kaji runs off to flirt with another woman.
* CloudCuckoolander - New girl Mari Illustrious Makinami from the new ''Rebuild'' film series retains her cheerful, aloof outlook on life even in the face of gruesome pain and impending apocalypse.
* ConspicuousCG - ''Rebuild of Evangelion''
* ContemplateOurNavels
* CooldownHug - Shinji broke down and started crying in the movie only because Asuka caressed his face.
** Actually the whole "strangle to caress" is lifted from the Lawrence Fishburne movie of "Othello", Shinji just stops.
* CosmicHorror - Strongly evoked by the Angels and even more by [[spoiler: Adam and Lilith]].
* CosmopolitanCouncil - The members of SEELE.
* CreatorBreakdown - So much of it, it actually originated from CreatorBreakdown. Some parts of the manga suggest Sadamoto isn't too happy or wholesome either.
* CreepyCoolCrosses - The Angels' energy blasts, and [[spoiler: the shot of Misato's pendant near the very end of ''End of Evangelion'']].
* CrossDressingVoices - Shinji is voiced by MegumiOgata, and Pen-Pen by MegumiHayashibara.
* CrossPoppingVeins - Asuka, continuously; also Misato, whenever she finds Kaji flirting with and/or groping another woman.
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome - Several; see [[CrowningMoment/MechaAnime here]] for the list.
* CrowningMomentOfFunny - Quite a few of them, mostly early in the series.
** In episode 5, Pen-Pen hesitantly samples Misato's atrocious cooking and promptly faints.
** In episode 17, Kaji inexplicably flirts with Shinji.
---> '''Kaji:''' How about it? Wanna go out for tea?\\
'''Shinji:''' You know, I'm a boy.
*** And in ''Rebuild 2.0'', Kaji pretends to [[spoiler: try to kiss him]] and Shinji lets out an almighty squeal. "Love isn't concerned with gender!"
** Toothpicks. 'nuff said.
*** In fact, any slapstick scene that somehow involves Misato and beer.
** Asuka's violent squibble with Touji over underwear.
** Every time Shinji's "feminine" characteristics are lampshaded, such as when Kensuke and Touji start making fun of him while he's wearing one of Asuka's plug suits in episode 8.
** Units 01 and 02 faceplanting in the "dance episode," and Fuyutsuki's embarrassed reactions.
** The wacky alternate universe sequence in episode [[spoiler: 26]]. Schoolkid antics, [[spoiler: morning stiffies]], Misato the [[spoiler: wacky schoolteacher]], and Gendou [[spoiler: getting scolded for being lazy]].
** Gendou and Fuyutsuki beating the heat in episode 11.
---> '''Fuyutsuki''': It's lukewarm.\\
'''Gendou''': Yes.
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome - Among others is "[[SoundtrackDissonance Komm Susser Tod]]" scene in ''End'', and "The Beast II".
* CurbStompBattle - Happens every time the Evas go berserk or the Dummy Plug is activated.
* CuteShotaroBoy - Child Shinji. Actually, teen Shinji, in some interpretations.
* CyberCyclops - Unit 00
* {{Cyberpunk}} - ''Evangelion'' has quite a few cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk traits.
* {{Deconstruction}} - Many of the tropes mentioned on this page aren't played straight but deconstructed. The show is so postmodern the leaders of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superflat superflat]] movement claim it as one of its precursors. Now that's some homage...
* DeadpanSnarker - Ritsuko; manga Shinji.
* DefrostingIceQueen - Arguably both Rei and Asuka, depending on how the trope is interpreted.
* DescriptionCut and IronicEchoCut - Episode 11 sets up long chains of these. After all, the whole point of the episode is how the characters isolated by a power cut still manage to think the same.
* DespairEventHorizon - Shinji crosses this line for sure, but where exactly it happens is arguable.
* DeusAngstMachina
* DisneyDeath - [[spoiler:Rei. Except she actually did die...but she's a clone]].
* DissonantSerenity - Kaworu is a perfect example of this. Not only does he smile a lot despite the fact that he is introduced at a moment in which events have taken a turn for the tragic, he even manages to smile as [[spoiler: he asks Shinji to kill him]].
* DoYouWantToCopulate - Rei has no reaction whatsoever to [[spoiler:Shinji seeing her naked, then falling on her and accidentally groping her, other than to ask him to let her up]]. In the manga, she actually looks surprised but doesn't say anything.
* DoctorJekyllAndMisterJackDaniels - Misato. When she's sober, she's a force to be reckoned with. Drunk...not so much.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything - The less said about the points related to FreudWasRight, the better.
* DoubleAgent - Kaji, although it's never really certain who he's really working for.
* DontLookAtTheCamera
* DontYouDarePityMe - Asuka
* DownerEnding - Played straight or subverted by Episode 26, depending on interpretation. Played ''very'' straight by ''End''.
** An even darker ending was in planning for ''End'' at some point. It starts with [[spoiler:Shinji lying on the beach while holding hands with someone. He notices that he will probably never see his friends again, but that he also will keep on living anyways. He then squeezes the hand he is holding and sees a short flash of Rei. It is then revealed that nobody is lying next to him, and the hand he is holding belongs to that arm Rei lost earlier in the film]].
* DracoInLeatherPants - Gendou has a disturbing amount of female followers in FanFic; Kaworu is a more debatable example -- at least the "Draco" part.
* DrivenToSuicide - Asuka's mom Kyouko. [[spoiler: Naoko, ambiguous in the anime but very definite in the manga.]] Shinji gets ''very'' close. [[spoiler: Gendou's death]] in ''End'' can also be viewed as a symbolic suicide.
* DrivingQuestion - Many, but possibly the biggest one is the nature of the Evas, which is also the closest one to getting a straight answer.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim - [[spoiler:Just about everybody]] in ''End of Evangelion''. [[spoiler: Asuka]] deserves a special mention, though. Oh, the ''pain''.
* DudeShesLikeInAComa - First subverted when Shinji tries to kiss her. Then, in ''End of Evangelion,'' Shinji [[spoiler:''wanks'' over a comatose Asuka]].
** The manga's reworking of the latter scene is equally disturbing and tragic, but [[spoiler:turns it into a KissOfLife of sorts: at first, Shinji is at Asuka's bedside, exhorting her to get up. He ''may'' try to do something more, wank or no, but then Asuka finally sits up and turns her head to him slightly, her first conscious action in weeks... and then she leaps out of bed and attempts to strangle him to death in the exact same manner her mother did to her a decade prior]].
*** [[spoiler:What triggers her off into a rage is Shinji saying that she is "just a doll" while comatose and that he wants her back...something that after her mother's treatment of her is not the right words to use. Of course Shinji does not mean it in that way and he has no clue why she snaps, which makes the scene all the more tragic.]]
* DumbStruck - Both played straight and inverted by Misato. She was so traumatized by Second Impact that she didn't speak for several years, then turned into a major chatterbox when she got into college.
* DynamicCharacter - Most of the characters are dynamic and rounded.
* DysfunctionJunction - ...where do we '''START!?'''
* EarlyBirdCameo - Kaworu and [[spoiler: Lilith]] already appear at the end of ''Rebuild 1.0''. Also, in the manga, he first appeared in the last pages of volume 7.
* EasterEgg - Spike Spencer (Shinji's English dubber)'s famous comment about the original ending from Shinji's POV, which includes gems such as "W-what's an Eva? Is that sort of a Freudian thing, or...um...am I real?" and "I mustn't run away, I mustn't run -- okay, I got that, good, okay, now if I ''were'' to run away, let's analyze that, where the ''fuck'' would I go!?"
* TheEeyore - Shinji
* EpiphanicPrison - ''End of Evangelion'' thrust Shinji into one. His solution? ''Destroy the world.''
* EmpathicWeapon - Deconstructed; Shinji's empathy with his Eva is psychologically dysfunctional. For example, Shinji describes [[spoiler: Unit 01's destruction of the possessed Unit 03]] along the lines of "Father used my own hands to hurt [[spoiler: Touji]]," despite the fact that (a) it was the Eva's hands, not his own hands, and (b) he was not in control of the Eva at the time; the dummy plug was. Apparently, piloting a [[EmpathicWeapon mentally-controlled]] HumongousMecha messes with your mind real good.
** When Shinji fights Unit 02 under the control of Kaworu, he says an apology to Asuka. In this case Shinji can't see Eva 02 as just a machine; he sees it as an extension of Asuka, so that attacking Eva 02 is at some level equivalent to attacking Asuka.
* EmotionlessGirl - Subverted by Rei; although she comes across as this for much of the series, she is simply so disconnected from meaningful human contact that she has no real idea of ''how'' to emote, until she meets Shinji.
* EnforcedMethodActing - Megumi Ogata was told by Anno to ''literally'' strangle Miyamura Yuko in the recording room when Shinji dreamed about strangling Asuka in ''End of Evangelion.''
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt - What apparently happens if an Angel ever reaches Lilith. [[spoiler:It happens anyway, but through other means.]]
* EndOfTheWorldSpecial - [[spoiler:''End of Evangelion'']]
* EpilepticTrees - If you thought that ''the show'' was disturbing and insane, you clearly haven't read the FanWank...
* EroticDream
* EvaFins - the Trope Namer, as all of the Evangelion units aside from the first form of unit 00 [[spoiler:and the mass-produced units of End of Evangelion]] have the signature twin shoulder fins.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim - Ultimately subverted by Shinji. For all his low self confidence and psychological issues, both the anime and the manga give him lots of ShipTease moments with Misato, Asuka, and Rei, all of whom have genuine affection for Shinji...unfortunately, because of their own psychological issues, none of these develop in healthy ways. He also seems to attract [[HoYay quite a bit of attention]] from Kaworu Nagisa, ''especially'' in the manga, although given what Kaworu is, none of it can be literally interpreted, and it ''really'' turns out badly for Shinji.
** On the other hand, [[spoiler: Ryoji Kaji]] jokingly(?) flirts with him in ''Rebuild 2.0'' -- and, in "Shinji Ikari Complementarity Project," Shinji gets unwanted attention from both Kaworu and ''Gendou''.
* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory - Works ''particularly'' well. Shinji as a pathetic messiah/Jesus figure; Yui as [[spoiler: Rei Ayanami's]] "virgin mother"; Gendou as Judas or Satan, or alternately as the tyrannical God of the Ancient Testament; angels/apostles; crosses... It's hard to tell whether the ''Eva'' verse is meant as a kind of Hell or as a purgatory, though...
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins - Pen-Pen, whose purpose is [[ComicRelief purely to lighten the mood]].
* EvilAlbino - Kaworu, although he's more morally ambiguous than truly evil, especially in the manga.
* ExplodingCalendar - The episode 9 montage.
* {{Expy}} - Ritsuko, Asuka, and Kensuke are similar to Electra, Grandis, and Jean from ''NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'', respectively. Shinji ''is'' Nadia [[http://www.evacommentary.org/images_misc/sadamoto_nadia-shinji.jpg with a haircut and much lighter skin]]. Also, Asuka may be viewed as a partial expy of Jung Freud of [[strike:Bustgunner]] ''{{Gunbuster}}'' fame.
** Additionally, the later Gainax productions ''{{FLCL}}'' and ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' seem to exist to represent how Shinji would have turned out if he was raised more successfully. Gainax staff have said that while creating the male protagonists for their recent major productions they asked themselves how Shinji would have turned out if he had been brought up in different circumstances.
** The Evas themselves are loosely based on the God Warriors, giant radioactive cyborgs from HayaoMiyazaki's ''NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'', which Anno worked on during his brief stint as an animator for StudioGhibli.
*** It's interesting to note that Anno had even planned to do a side story focusing on Princess Kushana, but was refused permission by Miyazaki, who disagreed with the level of violence and militarism in Anno's vision. Elements of Kushana's character informed the creation of Asuka, however, and the infamous "doll scene" is taken almost verbatim from a similar incident that occurred earlier in the manga version of Nausicaa.
* EyepatchOfPower - This "upgrade" happens to [[spoiler: Asuka]] after the events of Rebuild 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance. God save us from the [[spoiler:tsundere]] that is to be unleashed.
* EyeScream - A few times. Sachiel pierces Unit 01's right eye ''all the way to the other side of the skull''. The ''EndOfEvangelion'' scene where [[spoiler: Unit 01 bursts through Lilith/Rei's eye]] has come to symbolize for many how much of a MindScrew ''End'' is. Also from ''End'': [[spoiler:the scene where the MP Eva's Lance of Longinus hits Unit 02 in the face, and the resultant injury to Asuka.]]
* FaceFault
* FamilyUnfriendlyViolence - So much, it is rumoured the series generated a reinforcement of censorship laws in Japan.
* FanDumb - ''Dear God'', '''THE''' FanDumb!
* FanDisservice - ''Many'' instances...
** Shinji [[spoiler:masturbating over a comatose Asuka]] is basically the epitome of this.
** Also, pretty much every revelation about Gendou's sexuality will have you reach for the BrainBleach.
** The [[spoiler: "naked Yui tempting Shinji" sequence in the manga]] is a particularly horrifying example.
* FanHaters
* FanMyopia - Very prevalent on this very wiki.
* FanService -[[strike: Misato, Asuka, Rei]] ''every character'' below the age of 31.
** The show lampshaded this in each of the "next episode" previews, as Misato always promised "more fanservice!".
** Shinji semi-lampshades one instance in the manga after coming home from school and finding Misato in the shower...with the apartment door unlocked.
---> '''Shinji (thinking to himself):''' "That's not safe! ''Anyone'' could walk in!"
* FanNickname:
** "Tang" for LCL.
** MindRape (The [[TropeNamers trope namer]]).
** GNR, or Giant Naked Rei, for the skyscraper-sized [[spoiler: glowing white naked Rei that Lilith transforms into]]
*** Also Mini Giant Naked Rei, Giant Giant Naked Rei, Regular Naked Rei, and Giant Naked Kaworu, all of which are unique and distinct entities. [[spoiler: MGNR is what Unit 00 transforms into before blowing up in the Director's Cut of Episode 23. GGNR is the planetary-sized GNR that pops straight out of the Earth, grows wings of light, and collects all of humanity's souls. RNR is just Rei without clothing, like in episode 5. GNK is the large white Kaworu that sprouts out of GNR.]]
** "[[TheWoobie Puppy-kun]]" for Shinji, at least for Eva fans who like him.
** EMK, or Evil Manga Kaworu, for the Kaworu who [[spoiler: kills a kitten]] in the manga -- hence the meme "every time you masturbate, Kaworu [[spoiler: kills a kitten]]."
** "Stay-Puft Marshmallow Woman" for Lilith
** "Yui-sama" for [[spoiler: Unit 01]].
** "Uberpimp" for Gendou. [[spoiler: Super Gendou, Super Adam Gendou]] and others for [[spoiler: his insane AT-Field generating incarnation]] in the manga.
** "Harpies" for Evangelion units 05-13 because they look like grotesque cyber-vultures.
** "Induction" for [[spoiler: the 'Tangification process']] in ''The End'', after a term from quantum mechanics.
* {{Fanon}} - No, Gendou and Kouzou never actually have a drinking party in the series. And no, Shinji isn't some kind of sex master, thank you very much. Also, [[YaoiFangirl for heaven's sake]], Shinji and Kaworu never really get into a relationship in {{Canon}}. This also extends to Touji's sisters' name; Misato's father's name; Hikari's sisters' personalities; Shinji's wardrobe; and many other things.
* FanWank - Horrifying amounts of it.
* FatalFlaw - Most of the characters have at least one.
* FearfulSymmetry - The angel Israfel, in the episode "Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!"
* FearLeadsToAnger - Multiple characters
* FeedMe
* FemmeFatale - Misato, Rei, Asuka
* FirstChurchOfMecha - Evas were made as a substitute for God, apparently.
* FirstKiss - Subverted; Shinji and Asuka kiss, but it's painfully unromantic, it doesn't lead anywhere, and she never does stop bullying him.
* FiveRoundsRapid - Conventional military efforts tend to do precisely jack against the Angels.
* FlashBack - Epecially in Episode 21.
* {{Flanderization}} - All the characters get this treatment in the FanFic community; some are more baseless than others.
* FoeYay - Shinji and Kaworu
** Except that they were friends for at least a day, and foes for about 3 minutes. Definitely more HoYay than FoeYay.
* FourIsDeath - Eva Unit 04 explodes on its activation test. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Given that it's Evangelion we're talking about...]]
** [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic How many ''Rebuild'' movies are there supposed to be again?]]
* FoxyGrandma - Naoko Akagi, possibly.
* FreudianExcuse - Oh boy, where to begin?
** Shinji, who as a three year old [[spoiler: witnessed his mother's apparent death in an experiment with Unit 01, was subsequently abandoned by his father, and seems to have been given little to no affection by his tutor(s).]]
** Rei, who [[spoiler: grew up in a dark, dingy, creepy basement in NERV headquarters, isolated from most human contact, which carries over to her teenage life. Also, her relationship with Gendou is ''loaded'' with incestuous subtext, and she seems to be at least somewhat aware that she is a clone, especially after the battle with Armisael. "I can be replaced", indeed]].
** Misato who [[spoiler: hates her father who never was there for his family because of his work, but can't help but admire him at the same time because he used the last minutes of his life to save hers]]. This also factors into why she broke up with Kaji; [[spoiler: he reminded her too much of her father]].
** And then there is Asuka, whose [[spoiler: mother went insane after an experiment with Unit 02, started to talk to a doll like it was Asuka, at some point asked Asuka to die together with her, and in the end committed suicide together with the doll, leaving Asuka to find her]]. Oh yeah, and[[spoiler: her father had an affair with her mother's doctor, to the point where they even had sex in the hospital within earshot of Asuka. And just to top it all off, he ended up marrying the doctor shortly after his wife's suicide]]. [[ItGetsWorse It's even worse in the manga.]]
** Contrary to what some writers might lead a reader to believe, the other characters don't go insane until well into adulthood, ruling out Freudian excuse. It's still suggested that Ritsuko may have suffered as a child from her mother's emotional distance and perhaps from not having a father (he's never even mentioned).
** Non-canon but noteworthy: in the AlternateContinuity ''Girlfriend of Steel II'' / ''Angelic Days'', a whole volume is devoted to [[{{Narm}} teen Gendo's wish to beat up, yell at, or annoy every single person on the earth]] after [[spoiler: his parents get a divorce and his mom abandons him]]. At least before he meets [[spoiler: Yui and Kaworu]]. All the more pathetic since he's basically what would happen if you merged Shinji and Touji, an angry emo teen who's a social problem. Canon implies very vaguely that he had mommy issues and that he didn't feel loved by his parents.
** Kaji and Vice-commander Fuyutsuki are the closest ''Evangelion'' comes to normal. Kaji is a triple (quadruple? quintuple?) agent living an extremely dangerous double life and gives the impression that his skirt-chasing caddish lifestyle is part of his cover. Also, it's revealed in [[AllThereInTheManual an artbook]] that he's a self-hating mess. Fuyutsuki's whole character revolves around him just being a man who knew too much and was sucked into something much bigger than he ever intended to be in. These are the best-adjusted people. Touji deals with his depression and anxiety over his ill sister by becoming a bully. Kensuke is a military otaku who lives in a whole other plane of reality. Every single child in Shinji's school has lost one or both parents (usually the mother), with varied results. Ritsuko has ''huge'' mommy issues (hooking up with the same man that used and disposed of her mother, and getting used by him in the same fashion). Lorentz Kiel is hell-bent on destroying humanity for its own good.
* [[strike: FreudWasRight]] [[FreudWasRight Freud Co-directed The Series]] - Arguably the crux of the plot.
* FuroScene - Numerous instances, but most memorably Asuka's in episode 22 - which, typically for the series, is not as titillating as it sounds and is in fact extremely disturbing, [[spoiler:what with serving as one of the first signposts to Asuka's impending mental breakdown and all.]]
* TheGadfly - Asuka, a rather {{jerkass}} example.
* GainaxEnding - [[strike:One of]] '''The''' defining example
* {{Gainaxing}} - Especially Misato.
** Mari carries on the tradition in ''Rebuild 2.0'', complete with a blatant MaleGaze shot during the final battle.
* GenderFlip - Several fans have theorized that the three leads are examples; noting [[http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y176/may_chan/TG%20Images/Evangelion/Evangelion_TG_Would_be_Better.jpg how few would speak ill of]] a [[TheWoobie sad little]] {{Moe}} Shinji, HotBlooded JerkAss Asuka, and TheStoic Rei were they the opposite genders. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9ZOf-3q2x4 This Video]] shows a nice example of that idea. )
* GeniusDitz - A possible interpretation for Misato.
* GiantEyeOfDoom - Shinji comes face to face with his Eva, in episode 2. Here's looking at you, kid.
* GirlishPigtails - Asuka, Hikari
* TheGlomp - Fascinating Asuka-on-Kaji assaults.
* GonnaFlyNowMontage - Shinji and Asuka training for the second battle with the Seventh Angel.
* GoodMorningCrono - Spoofed in the final episode, when Shinji is shown what his life ''could have'' been like -- a cliche shounen series.
* GoryDiscretionShot - [[spoiler: All that is shown of Kaworu's death in the anime is the silhouette of his head falling into the LCL lake. The manga represents his death as Shinji strangling him in a field similar to where they first met.]]
* GovernmentConspiracy - The coverup regarding Second Impact
* GraspTheSun - Asuka plays this straight in the ''End of Evangelion''. ''Painfully'' straight.
* GratuitousForeignLanguage - "Back storoke entory!" "Yoo ah nambah wan!" "Bohdahline cleah!" "Obah za rainbow!"
** GratuitousGerman - Plausible when you think of how many NERV branches there are scattered throughout the world.
*** ''Gehirn'' - brain
*** ''Nerv'' - nerve
*** ''Seele'' - soul
* HalfHumanHybrid
* HermeticMagic
* HeroicBSOD - Shinji and Asuka, towards the end of the series, are the king and queen of this trope, though it's debatable who's the king and who's the queen.
* HeroicSacrifice - Multiple, and subverted in some cases.
* HesBack - Played straight with Shinji; subverted with Asuka, who comes out of her coma, but [[spoiler: simply dies fighting 5 minutes later.]]
** Asuka does this yet again in the third ''Rebuild'' movie.
* HiddenEyes - Shinji and Asuka on various occasions; Shinji's uncle, aunt, and bullies in the manga. Yui does this a few times, too.
* HighPressureBlood - Holy mother of God, the Angels bleed rivers. In the first episode alone, Unit 01 sprays for a good five seconds from both sides of a head wound. Apparently Evangelions have a very high blood pressure. It gets even worse in the new movie, where Ramiel, the octahedral, laser-firing, and now shape-shifting Angel, takes a shot fired from Unit 01 through what appears to be thin air, ''screams like hell'', and sprays enough blood out to cover a two-story building and paint a countryside a nice shade of red. And that's just getting ''started''.
** Justified, perhaps, when you consider how much blood there is in something taller than office buildings and what's needed to move it around. And when you consider how much pressure is required to pump blood all the way up to the heads of those things...
** And the amount/pressure of blood in [[spoiler: Giant Giant Naked Rei]] is enough to put a big red stripe ''on the moon''.
* HintDropping - Asuka does this towards Shinji a couple of times. Shinji remains completely oblivious to this, which fuels much of Asuka's anger towards him.
* HitMeDammit - Touji tells Shinji to hit him back as a "macho" way of apologizing. The manga adaptation subverts the trope, with Shinji deciding it'd be more interesting to have Touji owe him one instead. In ''Rebuild'', he actually hits Touji right away.
* HiveMind - {{Instrumentality}}
* HotBlooded - Asuka; Misato is a milder case.
* HotScientist - Debatable: Ritsuko, Yui, Maya, Naoko.
* HoYay - Shinji and Kaworu. It's not a stretch at all to think Gainax deliberately played on [and cashed in on!] the fujoshi fantasm.
** Pretty much confirmed by some of the official artwork available through Gainax's Eva merchandise site.
** In ''Rebuild 1.0'', [[TheStinger Kaworu awakens on the moon]] to promptly say "I'm looking forward to knowing you, Shinji Ikari." As [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] with many lulz by the fansubbing group, the Japanese word used can mean "to know [[IfyouKnowWhatIMean in the biblical sense]]."
***...and right after that he says he's gonna [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean make Shinji "happy" this time]]...oh, lordy.
** Some will also say the relationship between Gendou and Kouzou is loaded with subtext/vibes. [[FanDisservice Amusing]] as the idea may be, it's not canon, though you can really imagine what you want with Eva...
* HumongousMecha - The Evas, Jet Alone
** [[spoiler:If you can call a loosely restrained eldritch abomination with a steering wheel glued on a mecha.]]
* TheIdiotFromOsaka - Touji
* IJustWantToBeSpecial - Kensuke
* ImmuneToBullets
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice - [[spoiler: {{Spam Attack}}ed to {{Gorn}} levels with Asuka's death in ''End of Evangelion'']].
** [[spoiler: Not to mention the final scene of Rebuild 2.0., done on Unit 01 by Kaworu.]])
* IncestIsRelative - Shinji's attraction to Rei, and vice versa. They can even date or ''marry'' in some of the wacky schoolday video games and the mangas based on them.
** Though the "incest" part is as much ''YourMileageMayVary'' as everything on this show.
* {{Instrumentality}} - The TropeNamer
* InstantExpert - ''Triply'' subverted in the first two episodes; at first, everyone's really excited because it looks like Shinji just might save the day, despite having absolutely no experience piloting the Eva unit. Then he trips, gets beaten up rather brutally by the Angel, and the next thing we see is him waking up in a hospital bed. BUT, it turns out that he really did turn around and beat the Angel...but this turns out to be due less to Shinji's own abilities and more to [[spoiler: the fact that the Eva units are actually alive and intelligent. It's Unit 01 doing the fighting, not Shinji.]]
** Another wrinkle to the number of subversions is that at least some of the characters were really expecting it to go exactly like that. Ritsuko's comment of, "He just has to sit in the seat. We don't expect any more of him than that." is just downright ''heartless'' in retrospect.
* InternetBackdraft - ''Evangelion'' generates so much heated debate that some forums forbade launching threads about it.
* ItGotWorse - Boy howdy, does it ''ever''.
* ItHasBeenAnHonor - Makoto Hyuuga to Misato
* ItWasHisSled - Pretty much everything in the last few episodes and the movie. [[WallBanger Some tropers even forget to spoiler tag it]].
* JerkAss - Asuka, though she sometimes combines it with JerkassFacade; Gendou; Touji at first.
* JigsawPuzzlePlot - The reason the earlier episodes are easier to follow.
* KarmicDeath - [[spoiler: Gendou Ikari]], if any, did deserve a good metaphorical smacking from the cosmos and his death (provided that [[spoiler:it isn't just a remorse-fueled hallucination, or what happened to him actually counts as dying]]) drips of poetic justice.
* KavorkaMan - Gendou, hence the ''[=ReDeath=]'' meme "IT'S GENDOU!". Shinji has quite the kavorka too, as he is fourteen, lacks self-confidence and social skills to a spectacular extent, isn't particularly handsome and still has a pretty huge UnwantedHarem. Let's see: Asuka, Misato, Rei, Mana in ''Evangelion: Second Impression," possibly Kaworu. And then he'll complain that nobody loves him...
* KidHero - [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]].
* KilledOffForReal - [[spoiler: Kaji; Rei I and II; Naoko; possibly Misato and Ritsuko]].
** Also, [[spoiler:Touji]] in the manga.
* KillEmAll - [[spoiler:The movie looks like it, though it depends on your interpretation whether what happened to them actually counts as death.]]
* KotonoMitsuishi - Misato
* {{Kuudere}} - Rei; Ritsuko in ''Ikari Shinji Raising Project'', though she already has a few traits in the main series.
* KudzuPlot - Invoked by, and at the same time resulting in the MindScrew.
* LastStand
* LatexSpaceSuit - The plugsuits for both sexes have a button that once pressed automatically makes the suit shrink to conform to the pilot's body.
* LesYay - Maya seems to have a crush on Ritsuko. Also played with with Asuka and Rei in official art, even though they're ''far'' from being on friendly terms in the series.
* LethalChef - Misato even manages to mess up ''instant noodles''.
* TheLibby - Asuka is basically this without the minions or blond hair, and with the bitchiness cranked UpToEleven.
* LimitedAnimation - There are an awful lot of still images used, many scenes show the characters from a great distance, and the same StockFootage is reused several times. On the other hand, if the creators were trying to save money for where it would matter most, it worked; there are several scenes that are gorgeously animated and absolutely stunning.
* LivingShadow - Leliel, the 12th Angel.
* LockedInARoom - Kaji and Misato in an elevator during the attack by the Ninth Angel. Asuka and Shinji's training to fight the Seventh Angel is a variant; they're not actually locked in a room, but they do have to spend almost every waking moment together.
* LoserGuy - Shinji
* LotusEaterMachine - At some level, the Evas. Some of the Angel's attacks (notably Leliel's, Arael's, and Armisael's) and Instrumentality are this.
* LoveDodecahedron - Played for angst rather than laughs.
* LoveItOrHateIt - There's probably some HypeBacklash in play for the latter.
* LoveMakesYouEvil - ...and that man's said evil makes the whole world suffer.
* LyricalDissonance - "Komm Susser ''motherfucking'' Todd" in ''End of Evangelion''.
* MagicalComputer - Appropriately, the MAGI.
* MagicFromTechnology
* MamaBear - All the Evas, but particularly [[spoiler: Unit 01 to Shinji]].
* TheManBehindTheMan
* ManipulativeBastard - Gendou
* MarshmallowHell - Misato accidentally does this to Shinji when they, along with Asuka, Touji, Kensuke, and Kaji, are stuck in a too-small elevator.
* MaskPower - Gendou and his little round eyeglasses.
* TheMasochismTango - Shinji and Asuka's "relationship."
* MayDecemberRomance - At the very least, toyed with.
* MeaningfulName - Quite a few:
** "Shinji" ironically evokes the words for "truth" or "to believe" and can also mean "divine child." Shinji's name is even punned on in ''Rebuild 1.0''; Misato exhorts Gendou to "believe in his own son", invoking of course the word shinji.
** "Rei" can mean, among other things, "zero," "ghost" and "cold."
** "Yui" puns on [[spoiler: Rei, of course]] and, by WordOfGod, on the word "yui" meaning "the only one."
** "Gendou" is "limit" or "boundary."
** "Ikari" uses the character for "anchor" (part of the nautical theme), but with a different character would be "wrath" or "anger."
** "Nagisa" contains the characters for "[[spoiler: messenger]]" and, with different kanji, can mean "shore."
** The Japanese word given to the Angels, "shito," actually means "apostle" or "messenger" (which is the meaning of the original Greek word that became "angel" in English). It also sounds very close to the Japanese word for "person" or "human being," "hito", hinting at one of the deep secrets of the series.
** The Angels' appearances and attacks are based on their names: for example, Sandalphon, the angel of embryos, starts off as an embryo in a volcano; Arael is the angel of birds; Israfel, who's beaten with music, is the angel of music; [[spoiler: Kaworu aka Tabris]] is the angel of free will.
** "Evangelion" comes from "eüangélion", the Anglicanized version of the Greek word meaning "gospel" or "good news", which has led the series' title to sometimes be interpreted as "New Century Gospel" or "New Beginning Gospel".
** "Seele" is German for "soul".
* MediumBlending - The live action scenes in ''The End of Evangelion''.
* {{Meganekko}} - Ritsuko and Mari from [[RebuildofEvangelion Rebuild 2.0]].
* MegumiHayashibara - Rei, Yui ''and'' Pen-Pen; she also performs Mana Kirishima in the ''Evangelion'' videogame ''Girlfriend of Steel''. In a rare case, she ''doesn't'' perform the opening theme in the credits, although she does sing a couple versions of the closing song. There do exist at least two versions of the opening theme sung by her -- one of them in character as Rei! -- but neither were actually broadcast.
* MemeticMutation - Everyone gets hugged and turns into Tang; Kaworu [[spoiler: kills kittens]]; Robo-Shinji; Shinji sucks; who killed [[spoiler: Ryouji Kaji]]; [[spoiler: Kaworu]] died for your sins; take Adam into your heart; [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9ZOf-3q2x4 Neon Gender Evangelion]] and other [[GenderBender gender swap]] {{FanVid}}eos; "GENDOWNED" became both famous and copied to death after its 'debut' in AMV Hell 2; the spoof video ''Evangelion: [=ReDeath=]'' gave us the incredibly popular [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RsepQh342g&feature=related "It's Gendou!"]] line. Then there's the unholy union of ''Evangelion'' and well-known memes from other fandoms, such as the Evangelion {{Caramelldansen vid}}eos, photoshopping [[TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina's]] shades on Shinji and [[DeathNote the "Just as planned"]] [[http://www.furuanimepanikku.com/2008/01/05/ikari-gendou-runs-for-president-in-the-us-2008-elections/ Gendou demotivator]]. Also, "[anime X] + the Evangelion opening, lulz" [[http://bluemist.animeblogger.net/archives/animeme-evangelion-op/ is already an old meme]].
** And of course, the memes with hundreds of variations that never gets old: "WTF happens in episodes 25-26!?" and "''The End of Evangelion'' will mess with your head!"
* MessianicArchetype - Shinji even has [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory a few "temptation scenes"]] involving [[spoiler: the choice of rejecting the world completely and being Tanged forever]] or, in the manga, [[spoiler: of going ballistic on humanity with his Luciferian dad]]. Granted, he's a darkly ironic and/or pathetic kind of messiah.
* {{MIB}}
* MildlyMilitary - NERV.
* MillionToOneChance - Ritsuko likes to predict that there's a 0.[long string of zeroes]1% chance of Misato's plan succeeding, with lower probabilities as the series progress.
** And by the same time subverted since [[spoiler: the chances were actually 100% each time, as the happenings ride on a pretty accurate prophecy-based schedule]].
* MindRape - Arael to Asuka; became the TropeNamer.
* MindScrew - '''''And how!''''' It practically ''defines'' the Mindscrew "genre" for anime and manga and it's difficult to avoid mentioning it while talking about Mindscrew animes.
* MisaimedFandom - ...though what ''part'' of the fandom is misaimed is up for [[{{Flamewar}} tremendous debate]].
* MisaimedMarketing - Gainax makes George Lucas look like a marketing prude. Care to buy a Rei hentai statue, a "petit Eva" videogame or a Lilith-shaped plate with a Longinus spear-shaped fork? Or maybe a Nerv necktie and a Kaworu cushion?
* MissionControl - Straight down to spewing technobabble purely for the sake of the viewer.
* MixAndMatch - HumongousMecha + dark psychological drama.
* {{Moe}} - Quite a bit of what modern moe fetishists chase after was inspired by Rei. Also, Shinji can be quite Moe depending on your interpretation.
* TheMomo - Pen-Pen. No relation.
* MonsterOfTheWeek - The Angels, though they don't appear in every episode.
* MoodWhiplash
* MoralEventHorizon - The entirety of Gendou and SEELE's schemes arguably crosses the MEH, but Gendou undoubtedly crosses it in episode 18. In ''End'', Shinji himself feels that he has crossed the MEH after [[spoiler:what he does to Asuka]].
* MoreThanMindControl - Manga Gendou [[spoiler: uses Shinji's insecurities and loneliness to try to convince him he's every bit as evil, desperate and vengeful as he is]].
* MostCommonSuperpower
* MultinationalTeam - Sort of.
* MurdererPOV - [[spoiler: Kaji's death.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone - [[TwoWords "I'm scum."]]
* MythArc - The Angel war, NERV, the Evas, and the tangled web of secrets surrounding all three.
* {{Narm}} - Surprisingly little, but the fact that [[spoiler: being reduced to LCL is accompanied by an audible "pop"]] is hilarious.
** A few events involving [[spoiler: Evil Manga Kaworu]], particularly the ludicrous [[spoiler: hyperventilation scene]]. The fact that he [[spoiler: fights Armisael in Eva-02, saying "Sorry, but the Scrolls say you die first!"]] is either saddening or hilarious.
** Most of Gendou's antics when he [[spoiler: saves Shinji, or rather retrieves Unit 01's pilot,]] in the manga. [[http://www.onemanga.com/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion/78/03/ Particularly hilarious]]: the fact that he [[spoiler: has an AT-Field]] and [[spoiler: looks like some kind of alien-worshiping guru]]], on top of being [[spoiler: a raving madman]]. The implication that [[spoiler: he wants Yui to be his mom]] is mind-bogglingly laughable too. If (according to some) EMK marked the manga's [[JumpingTheShark shark-jumping]], this will probably be remembered as the time Sadamoto stopped trying.
*** To some, it's so absurd that it's reached levels of [[SoBadItsGood downright EPICNESS]] for Gendou!
** Some {{Fan Video}}s have the effect of making several dramatic scenes hilarious, though. For example, the French parody group Gotohwan made [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ltn3OvVBvc this reinterpretation of the first episode]] (in French) poking fun at [[{{Macekre}} godawful French dubs]]. Shinji's unemphatic "Daddy, daddy, I'm sad and if you don't stop I'm going to cry." and eventual bawling nearly ruined that very scene in ''Rebuild'' for [[{{Cassy}} this troper]].
* NightmareFuel / HighOctaneNightmareFuel - [[NightmareFuel/NeonGenesisEvangelion Pick]] your [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel/NeonGenesisEvangelion poison]]. There's the bit where we learn rather vividly that [[spoiler: the Evas are alive]], there's Asuka's MindRape, there's TheReveal of Rei's secret and her TransformationTrauma, and there's pretty much everything in ''End of Evangelion''. Possibly also the original ending.
** Kaworu's rather brutal death scene which ends with [[spoiler: his decapitated head falling into a body of water]], the DVD [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vPtAxmMWiU menu]], [[http://www.evacommentary.org/episode-25/25_C136_col-disc.jpg this image]] of Rei, and [[http://www.evacommentary.org/episode-14/14_C062B_anim.gif this one too]]. As well as the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Evangelion_red_cross_book1.jpg red cross book]].
*** Pfft, that's nothing. Nothing. [[http://www.windsong.demon.co.uk/nge/m26_C461_gnr,graves.jpg This doesn't look like one of her better days]].
** Yes, this show has its own NF '''and''' HONF pages. [[{{Understatement}} Yes, it deserves them.]]
* NoFourthWall - Apparently, Instrumentality destroyed the Fourth Wall. In episode 25, text on the screen narrates that "the return to nothigness" has begun, only for Gendo to appear on screen and "correct" this statement.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown - The instances of Unit 01 going berserk, and the activation of the Dummy Plug. Honorable mention however, is the end of Episode 19, where we bear witness to one so horribly vicious that it is perfectly balanced between NightmareFuel and a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
* NonIndicativeFirstEpisode - Anno reportedly complained about the first episode being "a failure" and out of tune with the rest. It was supposed to create an atmosphere of total despair.
* NoPeriodsPeriod - Painfully averted with Asuka in both the anime and the manga. Rei, on the other hand, is implied not to menstruate.
** ''Evangelion'', the anime that {{Lampshade}}s its painful periods and menstrual symbols.
* NoYay - [[SarcasmMode Almost any pairing that involves Gendou, Rei, or Shinji]]. It somehow gets worse in ''Shinji Ikari Raising Project''.
* NuclearWeaponsTaboo - Assuming that N2 mines are non-nuclear; see WordOfDante.
* OedipusComplex - [[YourMileageMayVary Shinji / Gendou]]
* OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness - SEELE is almost a caricature.
* OmniscientMoralityLicense - ''TheEndOfEvangelion'' suggests that [[spoiler: Yui Ikari]] has this; of course, [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation also depends on where you rate the character on the 'innocent vs. manipulative' scale]]. Shinji's other two {{Spirit Advisor}}s, [[spoiler: Rei Ayanami and Kaworu Nagisa]], may have this too. In the original ending, [[spoiler: Gendou Ikari]] may have this at a more metaphorical level, seeing as he [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory obviously represents God and more generally, the father archetype]].
* OnlySixFaces - So much that almost all the young characters have the same face shape and Maya looks like Shinji. In one commentary track, Tiffany Grant (English-language voice actress for Asuka) managed to confuse Misato with Shinji. And Misato was naked at the time.
* OnlyYouCanRepopulateMyRace - If [[spoiler: Shinji and Asuka]] don't learn to at least ''like'' each other '''quick smart''', humanity is ''doomed.''
** [[spoiler: If no one else comes back, humanity's doomed anyway since two people can't feasibly repopulate a world by themselves.]]
*** [[spoiler: In a work heavily based on biblical imagery, they probably CAN. Doesn't change that every other human can come back, and we've already had a flash of Rei first-episode style.]]
* OracularUrchin - Borderline; Rei clearly knows more than she lets on, though she only rarely speaks.
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent - Shinji, at the beginning. On the other hand, his family past is such that he could never have had an ordinary life to begin with, which Kaji makes amply clear in the manga.
* {{Otaku}} - Shinji's friend Kensuke, who is a military otaku.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent - And how! Ironically, these are a lot closer to the actual, very trippy angel descriptions in TheBible, such as "beryl-coloured wheel within a wheel, each rim covered with eyes" and the like.
* OutOfClothesExperience - Especially Shinji and Rei, but it happens once or twice to Asuka too. And to manga Yui. Also, to [[spoiler: humankind]] in ''TheEnd''.
* PantyShot - Played straight in episode 8: Asuka + sun dress + breeze = "viewing fee". Implied in the AlternateUniverse sequence in episode 26, when Rei thinks Shinji looked up her skirt. Played semi-straight twice in the manga, first when Touji tries to teach Shinji how to turn cleaning the stairs into a peeping opportunity and gets caught by Hikari, and then when Shinji, Touji, and Kensuke first meet Asuka in the arcade.
** Well, actually kind of [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]. [[SexyDiscretionShot The audience never actually sees anything]].
* ParentalAbandonment - ''Evangelion'' deals with its consequences.
* PeekaBoo - The toothpick holder scene.
* PermaStubble - Kaji.
* {{Pettanko}} - Asuka in most of the original artworks by Sadamoto and in much of the manga. In episodes 9 and 10 of the anime, by contrast, she displays the MostCommonSuperPower. Her chest seems to grow and shrink on demand... It's the same in adaptations such as ''Shinji Ikari Raising Project'', in which the resident Pettanko is actually ''Rei''. Maya is also like that in some versions.
* PillarOfLight - Lots of 'em, and cross-shaped, at that.
* PoirotSpeak - Asuka in the Mexican dub.
* PossessionImpliesMastery - Significantly averted: Unit 01 keeps going out of control and doing things that Ritsuko and her staff can hardly believe. This is presumably because [[spoiler: NERV didn't so much "invent" the Evas as copy them from the Angels that they possess]].
* PosthumousCharacter - [[spoiler: Naoko for sure; Kyouko and Yui...kind of]].
* {{Precursors}} left Adam and Lilith on Earth, according to [[AllThereInTheManual one video game that pretty much just exists to deliver supplemental material]].
* ProductPlacement - Asuka plays a Sega Saturn in episode 22. ''Evangelion: 1.0'' contains a shot of a can of UCC coffee. Also, Yebisu/Yebichu beer. The manga has UCC Coffee and Coca-Cola vending machines, and also an iPod in recent chapters.
* RageAgainstTheHeavens - ...and the heavens rage back apparently.
* RagingStiffie - Shinji in the AlternateUniverse.
* RaisedByWolves - Rei...who was actually raised by Gendou, which is almost the same thing. It's likely he was himself raised by angry bears.
* ReadingsAreOffTheScale
* RedemptionEqualsDeath - Subverted in gruesome ways.
* RedOniBlueOni - Asuka and Rei, who've taken up where Kei and Yuri left off and ran with it. 3-4 paired figure sets a year for more than a decade. Also notice that their hair and eye colors are inverted -- Rei's red eyes and blue hair vs. Asuka's blue eyes and red hair. It even carries over to their Evas once Asuka is introduced.)
* ReplacementGoldfish - One interpretation of Rei.
* TheReveal - Quite a few later on, but like everything at that point in the show, the MindScrew might be a tad distracting.
* RidingIntoTheSunset - Occurs in a very odd and somewhat disturbing fashion in ''[=EoE=]'' as [[spoiler: after Instrumentality is overturned, Unit 01, fossilized and still carrying Yui's soul, flies into space accompanied by the Lance of Longinus, beginning its "eternal reminder" journey]].
* RoomFullOfCrazy - Post-its all over the guts of the Magi; quantum physics graffiti in the room where Rei was born; random religious symbols and artifacts strewn about the place; graphs from a particle accelerator...heck, we're talking about a whole ''building'' full of crazy here.
* RunningTheAsylum - ''Shinji Ikari Raising Project'' is quite obviously done by an AscendedFanboy, is entirely powered by MythologyGag and {{Fanservice}} and is incredibly {{Doujinshi}}-esque. The same could be said about the ''Angelic Days'' manga. Not that we complain, [[CashCowFranchise it's Eva characters so we'll buy it]].
* ScarsAreForever - Misato has a huge scar on her chest from injuries suffered during Second Impact. Gendou's hands are covered with burn scars from when he forced open Rei's entry plug after Unit 00's activation test went awry. His scars are much worse in the manga, too.
* ScaryShinyGlasses - Lots of them.
* ScienceFictionVersusFantasy - At the very least [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness very soft science fiction]]. Of course, those robots are revealed to be [[spoiler: biological. CLONED FROM ANGELS! Who are aliens. Aliens with weaponized pseudo-Chrisitian Kabbalah and existentialism-based force fields. And with human-like DNA but a different wavelength color(!?). All predicted by the Dead Sea Scrolls.]] The bodies of [[DoingInTheWizard wizards]] and [[DoingInTheScientist scientists]] alike are strewn across the field.
* SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack - Shinji will wear his school uniform even when he goes out at night to wander the streets of Tokyo-3. Rei is also an example.
* TheScrappy - Shinji has a huge Hatedom; Asuka is a very polarizing character too, to say the least -- actually close to an EthnicScrappy. Gendou and Keel also have a pretty fervent hatedom. Gendou ranked 50% most hated anime character in a few polls.
* SceneryPorn - Especially notable whenever Shinji runs away. Also, the ''Rebuild'' movies, in their entirety.
* SempaiKohai - Ritsuko and Maya; surprisingly absent from Shinji's school, where all pupils seem to be the same age and in the same grade. The latter point is a deliberate subversion, as [[spoiler: all of the students in Shinji's class are potential Eva pilots]].
* SexyDiscretionShot - At one point, Misato and Kaji are in bed together, nude. The "camera" turns away, and stays focused, unmoving, on a nearby table while you hear the two of them going at it.
* ShadowArchetype - A good example is Gendou-Shinji: Gendou gives a pretty good idea of an embittered, corrupt and still antisocial adult Shinji. The Evangelions are also pretty good shadows for [[spoiler: the pilots' mothers]] and possibly the pilots themselves. The Angels may also represent [[spoiler: humankind's basest instincts]].
* ShadowMen - SEELE, big time
* {{Shapeshifter}} - Several Angels
* ShipTease - Shinji/Rei. Shinji/Misato. Shinji/Asuka. Shinji/Kaworu. Kaji/Asuka. Kaji/Misato. Kaji/Ritsuko. Gendou/Ritsuko. Maya/Ritsuko. Touji/Hikari. Plenty of others.
** Gendou/Yui is pretty much the only canon couple of the show. Even the relationships between Asuka's parents and Misato's parents went to hell.
* {{Shotacon}} - Misato towards Shinji, possibly.
* ShoutOut - Misato's "Yebisu" beer is actually labeled with a parody of the real label which references the manga ''OruchubanEbichu'', of which both Anno and ''seiyuu'' Kotono Mitsuishi were fans. Anno later developed it into an anime at Mitsuishi's recommendation.
** Later when ''Rebuild of Evangelion'', uh, [[ProductPlacement actually uses Yebisu]].
** By WordOfGod, Rei's first name alludes to a ''SailorMoon'' character.
** The Human Instrumentality Project was named after Cordwainer Smith's Instrumentality of Mankind, though they are not otherwise related.
** In turn, the Hedgehog's Dilemma is an allusion to Schoppenhauer. It's also been theorized among fans that the original ending alludes to and borrows from some of the existentialists, such as Sartre and Kierkegaard.
** The title of the last episode, "The Beast That Shouted "I" at the Centre of the World," is a clear reference to HarlanEllison's classic short story (and the anthology named for it) [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_that_Shouted_Love_at_the_Heart_of_the_World_(short_story) "The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World"]], especially given the "i"-"''ai''" ("love" in Japanese) pun.
** Touji and Kensuke are allusions to characters from Ryu Murakami's ''Ai to Gensou no Fascism'' ("The Fascism of Love and Fantasy"), from which Anno borrowed much of the psychological material.
** The original ending is rumored to be a ShoutOut to ''SpaceRunawayIdeon''.
** Keel Lorenz is an allusion to the ethologist Konrad Lorenz. He was originally named Konrad, too.
** Interestingly, this series is the one most referenced by later Gainax works, and possibly anime in general. Yes, even ''GurrenLagann''.
*** ''GurrenLagann'' can be looked at as a TakeThat at this show overall.
** The manga seems to have shoutouts to ''StarWars'', of all things. For example, on a NERV writeup of Touji, [[http://www.onemanga.com/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion/34/36/ there's a documentation of his Midichlorian count.]] In a recent chapter, [[spoiler: Gendou also pulls a Darth Vader on Shinji]], which is [[EpilepticTrees reminiscent]] of the fact [[spoiler: he loses a hand in ''The End'']].
** And of course, the SEELE monoliths allude to ''2001: A Space Odyssey''.
** One of the SceneryPorn shots when Shinji first runs away alludes to a small sanctuary in ''MyNeighborTotoro''.
* ShrinkingViolet - Shinji. Rei combines this with EmotionlessGirl.
* ShrugOfGod - After fans were upset with the ambiguity of the series, HideakiAnno basically declared that it was up to viewers to determine their own meaning and reprimanded them for expecting all the answers on a silver platter.
* TheSiege - Subverted
* SinisterGeometry - Ramiel. In ''Rebuild'': Oooh, shiny!
* SlapOnTheWristNuke - N2 Mines. Although they are devastatingly effective against unshielded targets ([[spoiler:the Geofront in ''End'']]), their effectiveness against the Angels ranges from significant ([[spoiler: Israfel takes six days to recover from one]]) to minimal ([[spoiler: Sachiel is damaged but heals ''very'' quickly]]) to useless ([[spoiler: Sahaquiel and Zeruel are completely unfazed]]).
* SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes - Shinji is a textbook Type I ("anti-hero as loser") with hints of Type IV ("What the hell, anti-hero?") as the plot advances. Most of the main characters share some of the Type I characteristics. Ritsuko is closer to a Type III (super-cynical / GoodIsNotNice) or Type IV depending on how likeable you find her. Gendou is closer to a Type V (villainous asshole) with hints of Type I and Type III.
** While not as villainous as Gendou or the guys from SEELE, Ritsuko has more than her fair share of Type V. She just hides it better...most of the time.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism - Far on the cynical side, though arguably not as it has often been represented. ''Evangelion'' characters do long for love and harmony...they're just existentially ''completely'' out of their reach, especially since all the characters are struggling with crippling mental illnesses and PTSD. Oh, feel the tragedy.
* SmokingHotSex - In episode 20, Misato says she only smokes after ""things like this".
* {{Soaperizing}} - ...to the point where the last 2 episodes abandon the rest of the plot.
* TheSoCalledCoward - Subverted; Shinji saves the day again and again, but never does get any respect.
* SoundtrackDissonance - [[spoiler:ASUKA IS VIOLENTLY DISMEMBERED/ASUKA IS VIOLENTLY MIND RAPED/EVERYONE IS TURNED INTO TANG/KAWORU IS CRUSHED AND DECAPITATED]] [[MemeticMutation WHILE I PLAY UNFITTING MUSIC]])
* SpellMyNameWithAnS - Aside from the usual romanization problems...even Japanese given names are rendered in katakana; materials for ''Rebuild'' use the obsolete character ''we'' to spell ''Evangelion''.
** And seen on this very page -- canonically, his name is '''Keel''' Lorenz.
* [[SpiderTank Spider Mech]] - [[spoiler:the new Eva-05 from ''Rebuild'']].
* SpikeSpencer - The anime that either made or ruined his career, depending on how you look at it.
* SpiritAdvisor - [[spoiler: Yui Ikari]] to Shinji and Gendou -- and also to Fuyutsuki in the videogame ''Evangelion: Another Cases''; in ''TheEndOfEvangelion'', [[spoiler: the three Reis and Kaworu]] become this. This raises questions about OmniscientMoralityLicense, though, as they all do some pretty questionable stuff.
* SpringtimeForHitler - Rumor has it that after ''Nadia'' turned out to be something of a financial dissapointment, Gainax's executives planned to deliberately produce an even bigger flop to take advantage of a loophole in Japanese tax law. They thus put Anno, known to be mentally unstable, at the helm and allowed him and the rest of the creative team to throw in whatever insanity they could come up with. Needless to say the plan backfired spectacularly and several of the studio bigwigs served prison sentences for tax evasion.
* {{Squick}} - ''End of Evangelion'' pegs the Squickometer multiple times; heck, even Shinji has been touched (ahem) by the disease. There's also pretty much everything Gendou does, especially in ''TheEndOfEvangelion''. The ''whole'' Shinji-Rei relationship is also some subtext for you. Finally (?), the manga goes ''extremely'' far in making all the FreudWasRight explicit when Shinji, trapped in the Eva, is "tempted" by a seductive apparition of [[spoiler: naked Yui, or rather Unit 01's Angelic side in her guise]]. Even for ''{{Evangelion}}'', that scene was seriously disturbing.
** The manga's storyline, in the published tankobons, has only just reached the JSSDF's invasion of NERV, so the Gendou/Rei/Ritsuko sequence hasn't been depicted yet. Given that Gendou [[spoiler: ''swallows'' Adam]] in the manga, and what he does to Rei in ''End'' to try to trigger Third Impact, if that sequence actually happens, the resulting subtext and possible variations leapfrog Squick and go straight into a HighOctaneNightmareFuel / MoralEventHorizon margarita.
* StepfordSmiler - Lots. Misato, Kaji, and Asuka, to name a few.
* StockFootage - Note how much time the characters spend on elevators and escalators in most episodes; also, Eva launch sequences. The end of the [[spoiler: Unit 01 vs. Kaworu]] scene was also the longest still shot in anime history back then and might still be (but the end of the "Ode to Joy" sounded ''good''!). Let's also not forget the original episodes 25 and 26, which consist almost entirely of reused footage, as the studio had run out of budget by that point.
** The same clip of Shinji eating breakfast is reused several times, as is a clip of Misato drinking beer.
** And one scene of a forest being destroyed was actually recycled from [[NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater Nadia]].
* TheStoic - Gendou and Kouzou; Rei; arguably, Ritsuko.
* StrangeGirl - Rei
* SummonBiggerFish - The Evas turn out to be this.
* SuperRobotWars - Has appeared in ''F, FF, [[SuperRobotWarsAlpha Alpha]], Alpha 3'' and ''MX''.
* SuperlativeDubbing - At least according to some fans (one of the most visible being [[AnimeNewsNetwork ANN's]] Theron Martin), though some others disagree in varying degrees of extremity.
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish - The people in charge of bringing over Unit 03 from America speak perfect English, and are accompanied by subtitles in Japanese. English being the IACO's required language for flight operations, it isn't surprising that an aircrew would speak it well.
** What's also to say the plane's pilots weren't American themselves.
* TakeOffEveryZig - ...but with mecha instead of fighters.
* [[spoiler: TakesOneToKillOne - The Evas are basically the only weapons humanity has which can go toe to toe with the Angels themselves partially because they are ''derived'' from Angels.]]
* TearJerker - Don't even bother putting down the tissues.
* TechnicolorEyes - Both Rei and Kaworu have red eyes, while Shinji's eyes are blue in the anime and Yui's are light green in the manga, both very unusual colors for Japanese characters.
* TechnoBabble - ''Reams'' of it.
** "Pattern Sepia!" You've got to hand it to an organization that comes up with a code phrase for "The pilot's self-destructive impulses are taking on independent physical form."
* TenMinuteRetirement - Shinji keeps doing this: when he runs away in episode 04, when he leaves Nerv after the Unit 03 debacle, when he breaks down in the movie...
* ThemeMusicPowerUp - Whenever "The Beast II" plays, something's going to die.
* ThemeNaming - The characters' last names are those of Japanese ships that were sunk during World War II. Also, Hikari and her two sisters Kodama and Nozomi are named after Shinkansen lines.
** There is one exception to this: Maya Ibuki's surname-sake would have lead the Imperial Japanese Navy's "next generation" cruiser class, but the keel was never laid and the class was cancelled. The HIJMS ''Maya'', however, keeps the theme intact, having been sunk at Leyte Gulf.
** Even more blatant in ''Rebuild'': First we have Rei Aya'''nami'''. Then we have Asuka, whose full name has been changed to Asuka Langley Shiki'''nami'''. And we have the new female Eva pilot, Mari Illustrious Maki'''nami'''. (For the record, "nami" means "wave". Whether this has any significance is not yet known.)
*** ''Shikinami'' is "Following Wave", the title of 2.0 is "You can (not) Advance". I'd say, yeah.
**** ''Ayanami'', ''Shikinami'', and ''Makinami'' are all Ayanami-class warships. ''Langley'' and ''Illustrious'' are also ships; ''Langley'' was the first US aircraft carrier, while ''Illustrious'' could refer to one of several British ships, including a battlecruiser and a carrier.
* ThereAreNoTherapists - The world would fare better with them.
** [[YourMilageMayVary Somewhat]] [[JustifiedTrope justified]]. It's implied that the pilots are specifically picked out ''because'' of how fucked up their lives are.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks - ''Rebuild'' 2.0 alters quite a few things about Asuka's character, starting with changing her surname from Soryu to Shikinami. Reaction from the fans of the original series have been generally negative so far.
** A lot of the changes in the manga have gotten this reaction.
* ThirtyXanatosPileUp - As the series goes on, it becomes increasingly difficult to know who knows what, who has what interests, and who's leading the game. [[ItGotWorse It gets worse]] in ''The End Of Evangelion''.
* [[ThroughHisStomach Through Her Stomach]] - In ''Rebuild 2.0'' Shinji offering Rei some food is the catalyst for her opening up emotionally.
** And in the original series, Hikari does this to Touji.
* ThrowTheDogABone - Shinji's only moments of 'happiness' are so far and few they deserve their own drinking game. Let's see: when Gendou or Misato actually praise him overtly (drink the whole bottle!); when Rei reacts somewhat warmly to his presence; when he can hang around with Touji and Kensuke; [[FreudWasRight when he thinks he's fusing with his mom]]; when Kaworu stands close to him looking handsome and saying ambiguous things. That's all. [[YankTheDogsChain Every form of comfort has gotten out of his reach]] by the time ''The End of Evangelion'' happens. But congratulations, Shinji and [[spoiler: all the children of the world]]!
* ToiletHumor - In the first ''Petit EVA'' short, Unit 01 trades lunches with Shinji...but its lunch is nothing but batteries. Unit 01 expects Shinji to eat, so he does. The last scene shows Shinji coming out of a bathroom stall with a pained expression on his face.
* TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse - Why are the Angels attacking Tokyo-3? Turns out that the "Black Moon" from which all life on Earth emerged just happens to be right underneath Japan, and their ultimate goal is to get in there and reunite with Adam. Subverted [[spoiler: when Adam wasn't there originally and they were completely heading the wrong direction.]]
** And then played straight after episode 8 [[spoiler: when Gendou has Adam brought there.]]
* TooCoolToLive - in a series populated by Wangsting screw-ups, [[spoiler: Kaji]] was simply too charismatic and entertaining to stay alive.
* TookALevelInBadass - Subverted in that ''everyone'' was waiting for Shinji to do this. [[spoiler: There are at least two instances in which [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome he goes completely, homicidally, and brutally ballistic toward his enemies, which at one point included his father along with the rest of NERV and Tokyo-3.]] [[WallBanger And after all of that, he's still quite "wimpy."]]]] This is arguably the most realistic thing about the show.
* TragicHero - The highly flawed and admirable Shinji oscillates back and forth during the series between terrified near-catatonia and insane superhuman courage, though by the end he's clearly heading for a nervous breakdown, and completely snaps in ''End of Evangelion''.
* TransformationTrauma - Especially in ''End of Evangelion'' where [[spoiler: Rei merges with Lilith and embryonic Adam and becomes a giant...something... And the infamous "Everyone hugs and turns into Tang" sequence.]]
** On the other hand, the trauma is noticeably absent in the case of [[spoiler: Gendou merging his hand with Adam]]. Heck, he's so stone-faced about it that in the manga, he even [[spoiler: ''eats Adam'']] in a very insane and {{Squick}}-inducing scene.
* TraumaCongaLine - ''End of Evangelion''.
* {{Trickster}}s - The Evangelions, Rei, [[spoiler: Lilith]] and the Angels (with special mentions to [[spoiler: Kaworu]] in all versions, Adam, Iruel and ''Rebuild'' Ramiel) are noteworthy examples. Yui (especially as a [[spoiler: SpiritAdvisor]]) is a more debatable case, and let's say Gendou is very mysterious and manipulative.
* TroubledFetalPosition - Shinji does this a lot in ''TheEndOfEvangelion''. Asuka, too, both during and after her MindRape.
* TrueArtIsAngsty - Oh, so angsty...
* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible - "[[MemeticMutation Soooo, what is an Eva? Is it a Freudian thing?]]". ''NGE'' is probably best summarized by the TrueArt page.
* {{Tsundere}} - Asuka is a glorious Type A; Misato has a few tsundere characteristics too. Some fans view manga Shinji as a tsundere character, mainly in his sarcastic treatment of [[spoiler: Asuka and Kaworu]]. In ''Ikari Shinji Instrumentality Project'', Yui is a Type B with [[DomesticAbuse violent approaches]] and HilarityEnsues, whereas Rei tends to be a Type B who gives the cold shoulder to Shinji whenever she can't deal with her feelings towards him.
** More generally, the Hedgehog's Dilemma could be nicknamed "the Universal Tsundere Theory": "''everyone'' is a tsundere for ''everyone''." Emotional ambivalence and various love-hate relationships ''are'' one of the main themes, after all.
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture
* TwoTeacherSchool
* {{Tykebomb}} - Rei and Asuka
* UglyGuyHotWife - Possibly Gendou-Yui.
* UncannyValley - Rei was aimed to be in this by the creator. Apparently, [[MisaimedFandom he missed]].
** Still, ''Rebuild of Evangelion'' managed to have Rei be further in the UncannyValley. The ominous BGM that always plays in her presence (at least in the beginning), added to his hallucinations implying her and probably aggravated by EVA-induced MindScrew made it quite clear in this troper's mind that Shinji definitely senses something ''very'' unsettling in her.
** This is definitely confirmed in ''Rebuild of Evangelion'' 2.0: Ha (kanji for "wave", incidentally also read as "nami" as in ... Ayanami, Shikinami and Makinami) where the three aforementioned characters who could be regarded as "moe" get moments or musics that definitely raise several levels and flavors of Squick in this troper's heart. [[spoiler: Asuka being crushed by Unit 01 in the Unit 03 hijack accident, then featured with an eyepatch in the preview; Rei LITERALLY eaten by Zeruel, then saved by Shinji, and "reformed" using Zeruel's remains, though this nearly triggers the Third Impact; Mari going totally batshit insane while STILL in control at Zeruel, and RIPPING through Zeruel's AT Field with EVA-02's teeth!]] It feels like a big TakeThat from Hideaki Anno about fans thinking his characters are moe.
* TheUnfunny - Gendou and Fuyutsuki, with the exception of one scene in episode 11; some of the bumbling, useless UN officers.
* UnluckyEveryDude - Shinji.
* TheUnreveal - So many examples, but a very noteworthy [and memetic] one is [[spoiler: who killed Ryouji Kaji]].
* UnstoppableRage (Note to alien monsters who may be reading this: Do ''not'' make [[spoiler:Yui-sama]] take control of Unit 01, because [[spoiler:she]] '''will''' kick your ass.
** Also, [[BewareTheNiceOnes don't drive Shinji over the edge]].
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight - Rei
* UnwantedHarem - Shinji is [[KavorkaMan quite pimpin']], for a skinny teen with a crippling social phobia.
* TheUrkel - Kensuke
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans - SEELE's ultimate plot
* {{Vibroweapon}} - The Progressive Knives
* ViewerGenderConfusion - Occasionally happens when Maya is mistaken for Shinji and the other way around. Happens a ''lot'' in the AlternateContinuity ''Gakuen Datenroku'' ("Records of Heaven's Descent"), where Shinji is at his most androgynous and ''really'' looks like Maya and where it's sometimes necessary to have a close look to realize that the cute short-haired girl is actually him. This troper suspects the gender confusion has happened with Kaworu, too.
* WarpedAesop
* TheWarRoom - Central Dogma's command center, with MissionControl, natch.
* TheWatson - Sometimes Maya, sometimes Misato, sometimes Shinji. Actually, so few characters know what's ''really'' going on that they ALL have their Watson moments...
* WaterIsAir - LCL. Breathable? That's certainly possible. No sound distortion? [[JustifiedTrope There could be a reason]]. But the fact that it even lets tears fall freely to someone's lap? Essentially, when inconvenient, it's not there.
* WeaponOfMassDestruction
* WeHaveReserves - [[spoiler: [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel The Reiquarium]]]]. Also, [[spoiler: all of Shinji's classmates are potential Eva pilots.]]
* WeirdnessMagnet - Primarily Shinji, as the plot mainly revolves around the {{Mindscrew}} that happens to him (and let's face it, how often do ''you'' accidentally fall on a naked blue-haired [[spoiler: clone of your dead mother]]?); Misato, due to her wacky angel-beating schemes and [[HilarityEnsues zany alcohol problem]] ; Gendou has psychosis-induced plot-distorting abilities and lacks a sense of ridicule, especially in the manga and (on 'shrooms!) in ''Shinji Ikari Instrumentality Project''; the rest of the cast, to various degrees.
* WellDoneSonGuy - Shinji is a textbook case. Asuka is arguably a closet "well done cutie girl."
* WhamEpisode - Episodes 18 to 24. It's hard to say which individual episodes count though...
* WhatAnIdiot
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotDidactic - The director actually researched some academic psychology, and when a man climbing out of a depression reads a psychology textbook you know he's paying attention. Consequently, its usage is fairly accurate in the show, although it suffers from AllPsychologyIsFreudian.
** For example, one of the episodes, "Oral Stage," is named after one of Freud's psychosexual development phases. Many of the music titles derive from mainstream psychology, e.g. "Borderline Case," "Separation Anxiety," "Mother Is the First Other," "A Fragile Ego Border."
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic - While a lot of the symbolism is intentional, a lot of the religious symbols were thrown in for the hell of it. WordOfGod says most of them were put in to add mystery and an exotic feel -- the relevant quote can be found on the JesusTaboo page.
* WhatMeasureIsANonbadass - The trope could easily be called The Shinji.
* WhatMeasureIsANonhuman - Shinji angsts about this after the double whammy of [[spoiler: learning Rei's secret and being ordered to terminate Kaworu.]] There's also the little thing about [[spoiler: the Angels' nature]].
* WhenSheSmiles - Rei
* [[WhiteHairedPrettyBoy Gray Haired Pretty Boy]] - Kaworu
* WithFriendsLikeThese - Despite being friends since college, Ritsuko keeps Misato in the dark about all of NERV's most important secrets until near the end of the series. She also gets into frequent (and sometimes physically violent) arguments with Misato about how to handle situations which could endanger the pilots, and takes cruel potshots at Misato after things really blow up between her, Shinji, and Asuka.
** Ritsuko takes cruel potshots at Misato throughout the series. Misato usually either ignores her or is oblivious. On occasion, her jibes [[{{Shotacon}} turn]] [[HotForTeacher out]] [[MayDecemberRomance to]] [[CakeEater be]] [[HotForStudent true]].
* TheWoobie - '''Everyone'''...except SEELE.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds - Gendou, arguably. Shinji also fits this trope in ''The End''.
** Gendou's case is canon in the manga. It's safe to assume his daddy didn't love him -- and neither [[spoiler: does God]].
* WordOfGod - Anno has issued a few surprising or controversial statements about ''Evangelion'', for example his quip that it [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory shouldn't]] [[WildMassGuessing be]] [[EpilepticTrees analysed]] because it was just "a scream" on his part.
* TheWorfEffect - Asuka's performance against the Angels gets steadily worse as the series progresses.
* WorldHalfEmpty - ...and, of course, [[ItGetsWorse it's filled to the brim with Tang]].
* WrapItUp
* WriterOnBoard - ''End of Evangelion''
* XanatosGambit
* YamatoNadeshiko - Hikari is more of a "Yamato Nadeshiko in training."
** YourMilageMayVary. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Just as plausibly]] (at least in the anime), she's a Type-A (i.e.cranky) {{Tsundere}}. How often is she actually nice to anyone other than Asuka?
** Subverted with [[spoiler: Yui, whom Shinji remembered as this (especially in the manga) but who was actually the architect of Project E (and is implied to wear the pants in her marriage, or at the very least be the source of stability in Gendou's life). She somehow becomes quite a bit of a powerless YamatoNadeshiko in some [[{{AlternateContinuity}} alternate continuities]] such as ''Girlfriend of Steel 2'' / ''Angelic Days'' -- but she's a powerful, fearsome {{Tsundere}} wife in ''Ikari Shinji Instrumentality Project'', believe it or not, while Gendou exists pretty much to do all the petty paperwork so that she can concentrate on the real work.)]]
* {{Yandere}} - Asuka over Kaji; both Naoko and Ritsuko over Gendou; and later on, Shinji over Asuka to a disturbing degree (and the feeling is quite mutual). [[spoiler: Kyouko and Yui-sama]] are a bit on the Yangire side, too.
* YankTheDogsChain - Shinji, over and over and over...
* {{Yaoi Fangirl}}s - See HoYay
* YouBlockhead - Shinji is a universal target of this.
* YouFailBiologyForever - Arguably, a fairly mild form of it; it ''is'' SF biology, after all. Though it might be argued it's meant as ''meta''biology and actual science has very little to do with the show.
* YouFailPhysicsForever - That's not what a Dirac sea is...at all. The show also fails quantum physics forever by throwing it around as a metaphor combined with RuleOfCool.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair - Rei with blue hair, Misato with purple hair, Kaji with greenish hair, Kaworu with gray hair (very unusual for a teenage boy).
* YouShouldKnowThisAlready - If you've been around TVTropes a lot you should know how [[color:orange:Tang]] relates to this series...
* YouSuck - Shinji gets this treatment a few times. It's been theorized that Shinji, and even the whole show, were meant as {{Take That}}s against otakus.
* YourMileageMayVary - Ooooh boy...where do we begin...
** How about ''End of Evangelion'' which has probably one of the biggest variations in mileage ever. Some see it [[spoiler: as a KillEmAll DownerEnding, while some others consider this a BittersweetEnding where EverybodyLives. No one would doubt with how much it screws with one's mind]].
*** [[spoiler: Not to mention all the controversy over]] [[spoiler: [[{{Woolseyism}} what Asuka]]]] [[spoiler:[[{{Macekred}} really meant]]]] [[spoiler: in her last line. It doesn't help that [[WordOfGod Anno's been rather shifty over what it means himself]].]]
----
<<|NoteworthyAnime|>>[[anime]]
<<|TropeOverdosed|>>