Fanfic / Going Another Way

Shinji: You know, Rei, if this goes wrong we won't have any time to regret it.

Rei: Why do you think like this? Remember, I will protect you.

Shinji: Aren't you scared to die?

Rei: I'm replaceable, so it doesn't mean anything to me.

Shinji: Don't say something like that! You are not replaceable. Even if they clone you, it wouldn't really be you. Everything in there, (Shinji points to her head) everything that makes you who you are, would be lost forever. So don't think you have so little worth... Your life is precious.

Going Another Way is a Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfic written by Tribun. It can be found at Fanfiction.net here and at AO3 here.

This story is an Alternate Universe Fic retelling of Evangelion, starting with one major difference: what if Shinji was sent to live with and be raised by his uncle instead of his teacher? The end result is a more confident Shinji who doesn't take crap from anyone so easily. Things change very radically as time goes on, sort of in a reverse Butterfly of Doom. However, this change did not come out of nowhere, as there is someone who caused this change for the better.

Warning: This fic assumes you have finished watching all 26 episodes of the original series as well as End of Evangelion, along with referencing things/characters/events from supplementary materials (such as Mana Kirishima from the Girlfriend of Steel story). So if you don't want to be spoiled, watch them all before proceeding to this fic.

This is now a Completed Fic. Was completely revamped in 2017 in the REVIVAL-Edition. This version differs in quite a few aspects from the original, so reading it can still bring a new experience.

There also is a small story called Impact Day (also on AO3 here), which does related how the Ranma crew experienced the Second Impact hand how it changed their world.

The author has also written The Chosen Six and No Chance for Fate.

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This fanfic has the following tropes:

• Abusive Parents: While subtle hints of this are already implied in canon (namely in Gendo's various personality problems and the choice to take his wife's last name from Rokubungi to Ikari), it's made pretty explicit. Gendo's parents didn't approve of his life choices, going so far as to sabotage his efforts to become a scientist instead of a salaryman. They didn't approve of Yui either, so much so that they didn't attend her and Gendo's wedding and cut all contact with their son.
• Abusive Precursors: Lilith. She, along with Adam, birthed the other Angels and banished them all to an alternate dimension after they proved loyal to Adam, who she, in turn, used the Lance of Longinus on, which was originally a weapon meant for him to use against her. She also periodically sent asteroids to Earth when the lifeforms she created didn't suit her desires when it could be easily corrected with her powers. Upon the creation of the Lilim (a.k.a. humanity), she thought she got what she wanted (a species that would worship her), but over the centuries they proved to be too independent and free-willed, and so she poisoned their seed. And when humans discovered Adam, she retaliated mercilessly, causing Second Impact, destroying him but also weakening her in the process... and releasing the other Angels from their dimensional prison.
• Adaptational Upbringing Change: Shinji is sent to live with his uncle as opposed to an uncaring teacher.
• Armies Are Evil: The soldiers who caught Kaji when he was young stealing from one of their warehouses. After threatening him with death to reveal his hideout, they then killed Kaji's fellow children (and brother) before his eyes.
  • Averted later during the battle of Tokyo-3. Unlike in canon, here the army actually helps to defend NERV.
• Ax-Crazy: Arael. Good God, Arael. She went nuts from looking into the minds of humans for many centuries, as even an Angel can't carry that burden, and the other Angels were highly uncomfortable around her, since she used to be The Empath among them.
• Beta Couple: Aside from Kaji and Misato, there is Toji and Hikari, and later Kensuke and Mayumi, as well as Ritsuko and Maya. Kaworu and Asuka join the fun at the end, though it doesn't last... until he's brought Back from the Dead.
• Big Bad: SEELE, of course. Especially Keel and his Evangelion, Black Ace. In fact, he's even responsible for Yui's disappearance and Gendo's initial Face–Heel Turn.
• Big Damn Heroes: Gendo Ikari, yes the Bastard King himself, saves the Pilots from SEELE's gunmen when they invade the Geofront.
• Big Damn Kiss: Rei to Shinji.
  • Hikari to Toji sometime after Arael's defeat, which also qualifies as a "Shut Up" Kiss.
• Big Eater: Leliel.
• Bilingual Bonus: Sometimes, Asuka's German is not translated with subtitles. Those that can understand the language (or use a translator) have an advantage.
• Boom, Headshot!: What Kaji delivers to a SEELE guard strangling Misato to death while they were rescuing Ritsuko and Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki after they got kidnapped. The mess actually is sickening.
• Both Sides Have a Point: Shinji points out to Ritsuko, in their first doctor's meeting, that chain-smoking is very bad for your health. Given that he had, the previous night, managed to kickstart Misato's attempts to get her alcoholism under control, he thus far has a pretty good track record of influencing actions, and he is correct that smoking kills. On the other hand, Ritsuko points out that if the Angels kill them all, that will also kill them, so she'll wait until after the Angel War is over before thinking hard about it, and enjoy nicotine in the meantime.
• Break the Haughty: Happens to Asuka of course. Though in this case, instead of retreating into herself and wallowing in self-pity, she undergoes character development.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Armisael was seriously channeling Shikamaru Nara in his appearance.
• But Now I Must Go: Adam eventually has to return to the Ancient Ones to report to them on what happened on Earth.
• Butterfly of Doom: Inverted. Only two changes were done to the timeline - Shinji being sent to live with his uncle instead of an uncaring teacher and Rei not being burdened with a part of Lilith's soul. The butterfly takes care of all other changes, but in this case, it's a changed for the better.
• The Cameo: Ranma Saotome, Akane Tendo, Konatsu, Ukyo Kuonji, and Mousse show up in the story.
  • In the aftermath of Arael's Mind Rape, Shinji and his friends take Toji and Hikari to a Shinto temple, which is run by a head priest named Hino, who has a granddaughter named Rei. Said granddaughter later appears in Ryoji and Misato's wedding.
  • Another Side, Another Story: In the tie-in fanfic, Impact Day, we see the Nerima Wrecking Crew during Second Impact.
• Cat Fight: At school between Asuka and Rei of all people. Reason for the fight is, that Rei makes it clear to Asuka that her advances made Shinji uncomfortable, resulting in Asuka slapping her. That shatters Rei's self-restraint and a more primitive part of her brain takes over. We don't see the fight itself, only the end result.
• Character Development: Everyone goes through this in varying degrees.
  • Rei learns to enjoy life, express herself more and becomes more assertive. When she does see glimpses of her canon self, she's disturbed at how much of a doormat she'd been.
  • Asuka learns to deflate her ego a bit, opens up more to people, and overall she becomes far more considerate of other people's feelings.
  • Gendo himself undergoes this after being chewed out by Yui for everything he's done.
• Chekhov's Boomerang: Jet Alone makes a return appearance under Iruel's control.
• Closet Key: Maya to Ritsuko.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: The pilots do get even with Misato for keeping quiet about the nude test by having a wonderful afternoon - all paid by Misato, who grieves for her poor bank account.
• Cosmic Retcon: As it turns out, this Alternate Universe came about because the Rei III of the original anime series pulled one of these to avert the Third Impact.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Kaji was orphaned alongside his brother after the Second Impact, and had to steal with other children to survive the chaos. One day, he was caught by soldiers while raiding one of their warehouses, and they threatened to kill him if he didn't reveal his hideout to them. He relented, and the soldiers killed his friends and brother in front of him while they called him a traitor. To prevent such a tragedy from happening again, Kaji decided to work for the government.
• Decontamination Chamber: Unlike in canon, where it was only glossed over in seconds by showing an indicator, it's here shown in all its details. While it doesn't hurt, it certainly is quite unpleasant for the pilots, who are downright happy once the ordeal is over, though of course still horribly embarrassed by their continued nudity.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Rei, thanks to Shinji.
• Drives Like Crazy: Misato, naturally. Her driving even made the stoic Rei sick. Only the threat of Rei losing her lunch inside of Misato's car makes Misato slow down.
• Dual Boss: Leliel.
• Dye Hard: Ritsuko In-Universe. But after Maya confesses her feelings for her, she eventually ditches the bleaching and returns her hair to its natural color.
• Dysfunction Junction: Although to a far lesser extent than in the original series. This is Evangelion after all.
• Enraged by Idiocy/Precision F-Strike: By Shinji, of all people. And it's directed at Asuka following their first battle against Israfel:
  Shinji: You... You damn IDIOT! You always run around with the great Asuka this, the great Asuka that, while in reality you are a total rookie! You ignored orders to satisfy your ego and your battle record is more important to you, than saving mankind! You make me sick!
  Asuka: Who do you think-
  Shinji: Oh no. Just shut the fuck up! Shut - the - fuck - up! I have enough of this!
• Everybody Lives: With the Third Impact prevented (just as Original!Rei had sought), this is the result.
• Evil Gloating: Keel mocks Gendo for trying to lure him into doing this while distracting him.
• Extreme Doormat: The previous timeline's Rei explicitly sought to avert this regarding Shinji when she changed his living situation. Rei herself also started as one, until she grows out of it with Shinji's help.
• Eye Scream: Adam impales Lilith's bottom eye with the flagpole from the Moon landing.
• Fanboy: Kensuke was one, and expressed envy for his friends becoming pilots. However, after the Bardiel incident, he was finally scared out of witnessing any more EVA battles, and hearing of Shinji being absorbed into Unit-01 after his battle with Zeruel shattered whatever delusions that remained of him being an EVA pilot.
• Female Monster Surprise: While we should know by now that Shinji and Asuka's mothers' souls are inside the EVA Units-01 and 02, we then discover that the soul of Naoko Akagi, Ritsuko's mother is in Unit-00 (Rei's EVA).
• Fifth Ranger: Or rather, Fifth Child. Hikari joins the team as this, in addition to Toji being the Fourth Child as per canon. The author's reasons for this are 1) He didn't want an OC, 2) he couldn't imagine Kensuke being an EVA pilot, and 3) he didn't want to bring Kaworu into the story too early.
• Fix Fic: The author himself states that he wrote this story because he really hated how the series ended in canon (both original show and End of Evangelion).
• Forced to Watch: Lilith invokes this on Adam by stabbing him with the Lance of Longinus, and on the other Angels after sealing them away in another dimension.
• Gentle Giant: Shinji's uncle, Kaldor Ikari.
• Ghost in the Machine: Yui Ikari, after Shinji helps her to get more control. Her spirit is now able to communicate without trouble.
• A God Am I: Aside from SEELE's goals via Instrumentality, Lilith wanted to create life that would come to worship her until the end of eternity. But she was impatient, and periodically smashed asteroids into Earth when it could've easily been corrected.
• Gratuitous German: Averted. Since the author is German himself, Asuka's German is flawless.
• Grew a Spine: Thanks to being brought up in a much more loving and supportive environment here, Shinji is much less prone to letting others walk all over him. However, he can still be hit hard by the Heroic BSoD.
  • Rei as well. Over the course of the story, she becomes much more assertive and less of a "doll".
• Grew Beyond Their Programming: Lilith, thanks to a flaw in her matrix. A second guardian, Adam, was sent by the Ancient Ones to stop her, but Lilith was able to seduce him with an offer to rule together.
  • Rei, in a way. Though as, Fuyutsuki muses, since Rei essentially still is a human being, this was bound to happen.
• Groin Attack: During the final battle, Shinji kicks one of the MP-EVAS in this fashion. Surprisingly, it works.
• Happily Adopted: Months after the defeat of Lilith and SEELE, Kaldor adopts Kaworu and Mayumi. Having cut ties with her family in Germany, Asuka herself now lives with Misato.
• Heel–Face Turn: Gendo, after getting called out by his wife, getting alcohol poisoning, and a lot of self-reflection. Of course, given what he did, he has a long way to go to make up for his actions, especially to Rei, his brother-in-law Kaldor, and his own son Shinji.
• Heroic BSoD: Turns out Shinji wasn't as stable as was first assumed, as his repressed memories were forcibly resurfaced after Gendo activated the Dummy Plug system to force him to destroy Trident when it was possessed by Bardiel, with no regard for the fact that it would kill Mana. It took bringing in his uncle Kaldor to snap him out of his funk, as everybody else, even Rei, had failed, and were feeling the effects of his self-blame.
  • Mana also suffers this once the final battle has been concluded, having had to kill (SEELE) soldiers in order to protect NERV. Thankfully, come the epilogue, she got better.
• Hidden Depths: Despite never dancing before, Toji doesn't make any missteps while dancing with Hikari, much to her surprise. His sports practice has given him good foot coordination.
• Hulk Speak: Gaghaiel.
• Humongous Mecha: The EVAs, of course, but Black Ace is easily twice their size, and doesn't require synchronization like other EVAs, allowing Keel to operate it like a conventional robot.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: After Yui rips him a new one, Gendo hits the bottle. He winds up in the hospital for alcohol poisoning.
  • Misato often wishes she could get one, but since she no longer can drink alcohol, that's no longer possible.
• Innocent Fanservice Girl: Rei does that twice.
  • The first time is the well-known scene in her old apartment, though Shinji this time does not fumble around.
  • The second time is during the Israfel-training when Rei opens the bathroom door, only to find Shinji on the other side, this time both of them naked. Thanks to Character Development, Rei this time understands the implications and blushes heavily.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • The Angels still arrive in exactly the same order. However, the Angels themselves have changed.
  • Despite everything, the pilots still have to go through the more embarrassing tests - though it's no longer made fun of.
  • Rei still dies following the battle against Armisael, but instead of blowing herself and Unit 00 up in a suicide attack, she dies in Shinji's arms. She gets better.
• It Can Think: NERV and SEELE are surprised when Iruel proved more than just dumb brutes. Though in SEELE's case it's an act, as they've known all along. Keel accuses Tabris/Kaworu for not telling them the other Angels held no desire to communicate. Tabris replies that like every being, his siblings can change their minds.
• Know When to Fold Them: Unlike in canon, Iruel isn't destroyed by Ritsuko's self-destruct program; upon calculating her (the Angel) chances and realizing she'd get destroyed, she immediately bails, allowing her to return in the next chapter possessing Jet Alone.
• Latex Space Suit: As always, the plugsuits are this. However, this time the characters do notice. Shinji is embarrassed at first, Toji is not too happy either and Hikari even forces alterations to make it less revealing. It's telling that even Yui - years earlier - felt horribly exposed.
• Mama Bear: Yui Ikari and Kyoko Sohryu.
  • For Yui, she overrides the Dummy Plug and melts its core down into slag, thus keeping Unit 01 from killing Mana inside her cockpit after trashing the Bardiel-possessed Trident.
  • For Kyoko, she delivers the killing blow to Keel, delivering a Pre-Mortem One-Liner in German to boot.
    • Earlier than that, she awakens Unit-02 while Asuka was stuck in the Dirac Sea to escape Leilel.
• The Mole: Mayumi, who was blackmailed by SEELE (not that she knew them by name) to spy on the EVA pilots and had a prototype S2 organ implanted in her body which she keeps in check with shots provided by them. Once she was no longer needed, SEELE somehow accelerated the organ's growth, but Rei's quick thinking mainly because she also has an S2 organ herself was able to save her life. However, due to her status as SEELE's mole, she has to be regarded as dead to the outside world, which Kensuke saw coming. Once SEELE is about to attack, Mayumi joins in the evac with Kensuke and Pen-Pen.
• Mugging the Monster: While Misato and Kaji manage to give the SEELE goons the slip, they (the goons) charge into one of the dressing rooms, which is occupied by Mousse. Curb-Stomp Battle ensues.
• Mythology Gag: Several.
  • Mari is mentioned to exist in the story's universe, but locked up in an insane asylum in the US, since linking up with an EVA caused her unstable personality to go completely insane.
  • You know the wings in the opening that never really appeared in the show? Here, EVA Unit-01 gets them during the final showdown with Black Ace.
  • The transparent plugsuit from Rebuild makes an appearance, again worn by Asuka. Only this time Asuka makes it clear what she thinks of it and refuses the test outright.
• Naked People Are Funny: It does depend on the situation, though it mostly is averted.
  • Shinji meeting a naked Rei in her apartment now is more played for Shinji feeling compassion for Rei that she doesn't know what's wrong about it. Also, seeing her full frontal does help Shinji to think of her as a girl, in that he can't deny she's attractive.
  • Asuka running out of the bathroom after freaking out over Pen-Pen is perhaps the closest to funny, though Asuka certainly doesn't think so and Shinji is left to take care of "things" after another girl gave him a full frontal.
  • When Shinji and Rei encounter each other naked in the bathroom, there's a little humor, but it's mostly done for character development and both of them getting a bit closer over it.
  • The whole nude test is certainly not played for laughs. It's made abundantly clear how embarrassing and humiliating this is for the pilots and everyone is respectful enough to not make any jokes.
• Near-Death Experience: While being strangled by a SEELE guard, Misato gets one of these and is visited by her dead father in Limbo, where they come to terms with each other's and their own issues.
• Official Couple: Shinji and Rei.
• Original Character: Shinji's uncle Kaldor Ikari.
• Other Me Annoys Me: While under attack by Arimsael, Shinji and Rei get glimpses of what 'they' have done in the canon timeline, and they're in disbelief at Rei's lack of will and Shinji's spinelessness.
• Patchwork Fic: The story mostly is based on the original series and End of Evangelion. However, it also draws from the first two Rebuild movies, the manga and the games. Interestingly enough, this fusion of sources actually works as well.
• Pet the Dog: Gendo decides to foot the bill for Kaji and Misato's wedding.
• Phlebotinum Killed the Dinosaurs: In the process of making the perfect lifeform that would worship her, Lilith sent asteroids to Earth, which inevitably did this.
• The Power of Love: This, amplified by Shinji and Rei's EVAs, is what brings forth Arimsael's downfall. Well, weaken him greatly enough for him to separate from the EVAs for Asuka, Toki, and Hikari (previously barred by his AT Field enhanced by the EVAs he was linked to) to charge in and stab him with their Prog knives. Upon nearing self-destruction, Toji then rolls up the Angel into a ball and chucks it sky high, and then Mana in her Trident delivers the final blow.
• Precursors: The Angels (Adam and Lilith specifically) were created by a race known as the Ancient Ones. Adam and Lilith themselves are this for humanity (with the latter being the abusive kind).
• Rouge Angles of Satin: English is not the author's first language, and it shows on more than one occasion. Though with the REVIVAL edition, most of that is improved.
• Running Gag: After Arimsael's defeat, Shinji lampshades that every time an angel is defeated, at least one pilot ends up in the NERV hospital.
• Satan: He shows up to give Asuka a little lecture while she's stuck in the Dirac Sea.
• Scare 'Em Straight: In chapter 3, Shinji tells Misato the story of his friend's father, whose drinking habits rivaled hers... and he's dead, and Shinji described his hospitalization and body condition in enough gruesome detail that Misato threw up for the rest of the night. That horrifying image forced her to swear off of alcohol, not even being able to open a can without thinking of that image. After that, she switches to coffee, which still is healthier. Ritsuko on the other hand is not as easily swayed by Shinji from her smoking habit, saying she'll consider quitting once the Angels are defeated. In her eyes, if the Angels kill them all, then it won't matter, so until they're defeated she's hanging on to one of the things that helps calm her down.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Lilith.
• Sealed Good in a Can: Adam.
• Set Right What Once Went Wrong: What the previous timeline's Rei III aims to do. After causing the Third Impact and being utterly horrified by the results, she set out to make things right by going back in time and tweak a few things around, namely give Shinji a better childhood and lessen Lilith's influence over the alternate Rei.
• Shameful Strip: Two of them.
  • This is very much how the pilots feel about the whole thing with the test they have to do naked, feeling horribly humiliated by the whole thing and reading all the stuff they have to go through to get cleaned first. To cap it off, Misato knew but kept quiet so they couldn't bail. In a case of karma, they do get their revenge on her in an unusual way.
  • Ritsuko is questioned by SEELE while she's naked, as in canon. Difference is, they'd kidnapped her straight out of the bathtub, so she already was naked. Not a single bit less humiliating for Ritsuko, however.
• Shout-Out:
  • In chapter 10, according to Word of God, the movie Shinji and Rei watched was Star Wars.
  • Iruel's mannerisms and look are heavily based on SHODAN.
  • Major Hanson is based off of Hanson from Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. He even has the Gratan.
• Stations of the Canon: Played with extensively. The Angels are on a set schedule and big events happen one way or another. However, it's often the how and the details of these events that change a lot. However, just as many canon events from the normal lives of the characters don't happen or do in a very different context.
• Surprise Incest: Averted. Shinji and Rei did get a scare, before it's revealed that the percentage of Yui's DNA in Rei is low enough that the trope doesn't come into play.
• Talking the Monster to Death: Well, more like Talking The EVA To Calm Down, which is what Ritsuko does to Eva Unit-00 after having an S2 organ (taken from Mayumi and Rei's previous body) implanted into it. It works (though it sort of helps that her mother's soul is in it).
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: After having spent much of the story fighting the Angels, NERV and the UN's alliance with Adam is this against Lilith's and SEELE's plans for Third Impact.
• Took A Levelin Kindness: After her experience in the Dirac Sea, Asuka has taken this, although she does also have a case of Reformed, but Rejected in regards to her classmates, while the other pilots eventually warm up to her.
  • Ritsuko as well, though it's gradual. She does become noticably kinder over the course of the story.
• Translation Convention: Played straight in that all Japanese is translated. Also, when Misato speaks with the Admiral, it's explicitly in English, and the children can't follow (as they are still in middle school).
  • The big exception is German. As the author is German, the language is not translated out-of universe at all. That means Asuka speaks lots of authentic German. Thankfully, the story does include "subtitles", meaning the reader still knows what she's saying.
  • Later in one scene, a Russian also only speaks in his native language with subtitles.
• Unwitting Pawn: Lilith sent a call to the Angels that their father was imprisoned by the humans, explaining their attacks. Thing is, their actions were unknowingly attempts to free Lilith.
  • Kaworu was also manipulated by SEELE into inhabiting a human body. He thought their plans would never succeed, but Humanity Is Infectious.
• What If?: Due to the previous timeline's Rei meddling, Gendo sends Shinji to live with Yui's brother, where he grows up in a far more supportive and caring environment that makes him a lot less of an Extreme Doormat. Other changes in the timeline include:
  • Shinji shows concern for Rei right way instead of staying at a distance, which arouses Rei's curiosity.
  • Due to Shinji managing to get Misato to stop drinking, Misato, in turn, becomes noticeably sharper and more secure in her emotions, with no more alcohol clouding her judgement.
  • Given their falling out following their first battle against Israfel, Rei takes Asuka's place as Shinji's partner. It furthers their relationship instead of Asuka getting disgusted as per canon.
  • Instead of being pumped with coolant, Sandalphon is dunked into the lake with EVA Unit-02, where the sudden pressure difference causes him balloon him up to explode after being stabbed, and by extension Shinji doesn't have to descend into the lava to save Asuka, which would've in turn bruised her ego.
  • During the fight against Leilel, Asuka, rather than Shinji, is sucked into the Dirac Sea, where she is given the Christmas Carol treatment from The Devil, which leads to her becoming a better person.
  • Bardiel possesses Trident, rather than Toji's Unit-03.
    • And unlike with Toji... see Mama Bear above.
  • Instead of Asuka being on the receiving end of Arael's Mind Rape, Toji and Hikari are the unlucky victims. And unlike Canon!Asuka, the two get better (and closer than before).
  • Armisael is destroyed by the Pilots and Mana without Rei having to destroy Unit-00, herself, and most of Tokyo-3 with her.
  • Because Shinji already has Rei, Kaworu approaches Asuka (who is moping since nearly everybody else in her life is either paired with someone, or have no problems with love) instead of him. And because of the changes in NERV's commanders, without Asuka in a Heroic BSoD, SEELE cannot send him there as a substitute EVA pilot.
  • Instead of dying by Unit-01's hands, Kaworu dies by Lilith taking his powers, and he passes away in a hospital bed after explaining the Angels' history as well as SEELE's plans to instigate the Third Impact.
  • Gendo Ikari takes Misato's place in saving the Pilots from SEELE's gunmen.
  • After Canon!Rei warns Rei of how Third Impact will occur, Rei destroys one of the MP-EVAS, bringing that scheme to a halt.
• Weddings in Japan: Actually averted. After some discussion, Misato and Kaji decide on a traditional Shinto wedding (though slightly modified). The actual ceremony then is described in surprising detail.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Yui rips Gendo a new one after she is semi-freed from Unit 01. Shigeru Aoba put it best:
  Shigeru: After all we know, we just witnessed the Commander having some serious marital troubles.
  • After the whole Bardiel incident, while inside the elevator with Gendo, before leaving, Rei slaps him hard.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: After the destruction of Tokyo-3 as a result of the final battle against SEELE, everybody has been relocated to a newly constructed neighborhood in Tokyo-2, because the government still wanted to keep an eye on everyone who was on NERV, including families of the potential EVA pilots.
  • The Ikaris - Gendo is under probation by Yui, but he's clearly on the path to redemption. Yui became a teacher in math and physics, much to Shinji's embarrassment. Gendo is lucky to have a (very boring) government job instead of serving life in prison. Rei now lives with the Ikaris. Kaldor has adopted Mayumi and Kaworu, as neither had any relatives left (on Earth in Kaworu's case; Adam has returned to report to the Ancient Ones), and is dating Naoko Akagi of all people.
  • The EVA Pilots - With no Angels looming over their heads, the pilots can now live normal lives.
  • The Kajis - Ryoji and Misato become Asuka's guardian; after she disowned her father, there was no reason for her to return to Germany. Misato is now four months pregnant. As expecting parents, and to prevent more orphans from being made, they are banned from field work and are given desk jobs.
  • Kaworu - A side effect of being revived by Adam is that he's lost so much of his knowledge he has to go to school again. Not that that's an issue for Asuka.
  • Fuyutsuki - He finally gets to enjoy retirement.
  • Ritsuko - She's now living together with Maya, and everybody knows their relationship by now. Both are now university teachers. Ritsuko's mother wasn't thrilled, but stays out of it.
  • Shigeru - He's opened a music store.
  • Makoto - He's found work as a system administrator.
  • Kensuke - After getting rid of his hobby for military stuff, he's taken a liking to the electric guitar.
  • The EVAs - Only the helmet of Unit-01 remains, set up as a memorial of the Angel war. All names of the heroes were made a secret to avoid the stress of fame.
  • Hikari - She's the class representative in their new school, though her increased burden is lightened by a more competent teacher and lack of her duties as an EVA pilot. She gets pestered by her sisters about her boyfriend.
  • Toji - No longer an EVA pilot, Toji's father is grilling him on his grades, his sister keeps teasing him about his girlfriend, and he's struggling in school in general.
  • Mana - After undergoing extensive professional therapy to help deal with the fact that she had murdered people during the fight against SEELE, she's mostly back to normal. No longer on permanent call, she can take time to relax and enjoy life.
  • Mayumi - Aside from getting adopted by Kaldor, thanks to her friends, she's no longer a wallflower and has grown up a bit. A few boys even asked her out, but she turned them down as she was already seeing Kensuke.
• World-Healing Wave: After defeating Lilith and seeing that NERV successfully averted the Third Impact, Adam uses his abilities to fix Lilith's destruction, including correcting the Earth's axis, freeing Yui and Naoko out of the Evangelions, and physically healing some characters (getting rid of the scar Misato got on Second Impact, fixing Ritsuko's lungs, and making Rei and Kaworu into full humans). He can't heal natural weaknesses, though (such as visual impairments).
• The World Is Not Ready: Right after freeing Yui and Naoko, Adam goes on to collect all of the EVAs' organic matter, leaving their armor/restraining bolts behind, commenting them as very crude replications of the Ancient Ones' technology.
• Yet Another Christmas Carol: A variation (that actually has nothing to do with Christmas) is delivered by the Devil to Asuka while she was stuck in the Dirac Sea, not out of any sense of goodness, but to mock the soon-to-die with what redemption they could've done by showing it to them too late. Fortunately for Asuka, Unit-02 had other plans.

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