Full spoilers follow for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is finally available outside Japan (thanks Amazon Prime!) to finish the Rebuild of Evangelion story that started all the way back in 2007. But much as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was the culmination of The Skywalker Saga, this movie is more than just the final chapter in the Rebuild tetralogy, but the conclusion of Neon Genesis Evangelion as we know it.
Hideaki Anno’s work is usually filled with symbolism and layer upon layer of story, and Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time may be his most dense movie yet. So you’d be forgiven for reaching the end of this journey only to still feel confused as to what the hell just happened. With reveal on top of reveal and an ending that completely rewrites the franchise, some viewers may be left scratching their heads. So let’s dig into the ending of this saga and what it means for Evangelion as a whole. (And be sure to also read our review of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time from the film’s Japan release last spring.)
Evangelion Timeline: Is It a Time Loop?
From the moment the Rebuild of Evangelion movies started being released, fans have noted references to the original series, as if that story had already happened by the time the Rebuild movies began. Though the Rebuild movies started as a retelling of the show, in the story there are signs left around the globe of previous catastrophes in the series (like a bloodstain on the moon that looks like the one caused by Rei/Lilith in End of Evangelion). Then there’s Kaworu, Shinji’s never-to-be boyfriend and also an Angel turned into a human. Though Kaworu was always a bit of an enigmatic character, the Rebuild series doubles down on this by having him constantly refer to having met Shinji in the past several times, saying he never changes, or claiming that “this time” things will be different.
Back when the Evangelion movies were announced, Hideaki Anno shared a statement comparing the story of Eva to a story that repeats itself, and Thrice Upon a Time confirms that he meant that literally.
In what is essentially a new retelling and a commentary on End of Evangelion, Shinji (voiced by Megumi Ogata in the Japanese version and Spike Spencer in the English) once again activates the end of times, and has to make a choice about the fate of mankind (think Mass Effect 3, but it actually pays off). Rather than dooming the entire planet to die so he cannot be hurt anymore, Shinji decides to help out his friends. This leads to a sort of reversal of the last two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, this time with Shinji being the one giving his friends a therapy session to give them closure.
Hideaki Anno [has compared] the story of Eva to a story that repeats itself, and Thrice Upon a Time confirms that he meant that literally.
When Kaworu shows up to say goodbye to Shinji, we flash-back to when he first appeared on the surface of the moon in Evangelion 1.0, and he explains that the line of coffins on the moon indeed contained different Kaworus, and his existence is tied to a cycle that repeats over and over for all eternity. Kaworu flies down to Earth, tries to make Shinji happy, is forced to reveal himself as an angel, and gets killed by Shinji. But this time Shinji doesn’t need help. He’s finally grown up and taken responsibility for his actions, allowing Karowu to realize that he can stop neglecting his own happiness in favor of Shinji’s and focus on his own wellbeing.
How Does Shinji Stop the Additional Impact?
Unlike End of Evangelion, where Shinji was a pretty inactive character until the very end, Thrice Upon a Time makes Shinji an active participant in the climax of the story and the final fight. After spending some time in a village full of survivors from the previous Impact events, and learning from grown-up versions of his former classmates (including a very much alive Toji) about letting go of the past and focusing on rebuilding for the future, Shinji stops beating himself up over the events of the previous movies and stands up to the reason for his insecurities: his father.
And so Shinji gets in the robot one last time to face Gendo Ikari, who had disposed of his humanity in order to transcend. Shinji and Gendo fight across an “Anti-Universe,” recreating scenes from the movies and original show, but now the animation feels different. A much-maligned shot from the trailer showing two Evas fighting on the streets of Tokyo-3 very clearly becomes an homage to the tokusatsu movies and TV shows that have long influenced Anno, with Tokyo-3 quickly turning into a miniature set that Shinji destroys. Inside this Anti-Universe, Gendo reveals he wants to use the Spear of Longinus together with the Spear of Cassius and “Evangelion Imaginary,” or Black Lilith, in order to meld the world of imagination inside the Anti-Universe with the real world to rewrite reality.
Sensing that violence will not lead anywhere, Shinji stops and decides to finally talk things out with his father. At this point, Gendo subconsciously activates his AT field, realizing he is afraid of Shinji despite having tossed aside his humanity. We finally get a look inside anime’s worst dad, as Gendo reveals his past and how similar he is to his son. We see a young Gendo (looking just like young Shinji) who explains how he also had difficulties forming relationships, and his fear of rejection turned him to reject the outside world and retreat to books and his Walkman — just as Shinji always did throughout all versions of Evangelion.
This all changed when Gendo met Yui, who helped him open up to the world. When she died, everything fell apart, driving Gendo to madness, making him obsessed with resurrecting her and shunning Shinji because Gendo thought it was a necessary sacrifice and punishment for his sins. This is the reason Gendo wants to achieve Human Instrumentality, to strip away individuality so he can be together with his wife without having to deal with other people, as they’d all be a single pool of orange tang. In the end, Gendo realizes that the thing he’s spent years looking for, Yui, was inside Shinji all along. If only he hadn’t abandoned his kid. Realizing his mistake, Gendo finally apologizes and steps off a metaphorical train, leaving full control of the Additional Impact and the fate of the world in Shinji’s hands.
So Was Asuka a Clone the Entire Time?
It is at this time that Kaworu once again appears and asks Shinji what he wishes. But this is a different Shinji than we’ve ever seen, as many of the characters point out that he’s truly grown. Shinji recognizes that love shouldn’t be given with an expectation of getting something in return, so he decides to help his friends out, starting with Asuka.
Just like with Gendo and Kaworu, we get flashbacks to Asuka, who reveals herself to be one in a long line of clones — hence her different name compared to her TV counterpart. Out of all the clones, this Asuka was the one to stand out, but she still lacked the love she desperately wanted, the love she saw regular kids get from their parents. This is why she always showed off her skills and tried so hard to be the best pilot, because she knew as a clone she could always get replaced and needed the recognition to justify her existence. This is likely also why she felt such disdain for Rai, as she probably saw her as a weaker clone who had already been replaced.
Asuka and Shinji confess that they liked each other as kids, and they say goodbye, letting each other go and finally getting closure before Shinji saves Asuka from the Anti-Universe and sends her to the real world.
What Does the Title Neon Genesis Evangelion Actually Mean?
Finally, it is time to say goodbye to the original Rei that died back in Evangelion 2.0 (the new Rei clone actually had a brief moment of happiness as she found a new home in a village from earlier in the film). Shinji then decides to reset reality and create an entire new world, one free of Evas. He knows there will still be suffering and pain, but as he saw in the village, there will be joy, life, and love too. Just like the new Rei clone had the chance of a regular life free of the pain of being an Eva pilot, the old Rei should get that chance too.
As the title card for every episode of the TV show is projected onto the wall behind them, Shinji tells Rei that he will create a “Neon Genesis,” a world without Evangelions. Then Rei and Shinji walk out of the real set where Hideaki Anno shot parts of the movie using motion-capture and virtual cameras, leaving the world of Evangelion behind and fulfilling the promise given by the TV show 25 years ago.
Finally, the story is over, and Shinji is allowed to live a normal, happy life free of Evas in the world he created.
Back at the beach from End of Evangelion, Shinji and the world around him start literally breaking down, first into key animation, then layouts, and finally just a storyboard. Except before the world dissolves into nothingness, in comes Mari, a character that has perplexed audiences since her introduction in You Can (Not) Advance, to bring color back into the world and join Shinji in his new world.
The film ends on Ube Train Station, as Rei, Asuka and Kaworu await for a train, acting like regular people. On the other side of the tracks is an adult Shinji, who leaves the station with Mari, as the animation slowly transitions into a live-action drone shot of Hideaki Anno’s actual hometown. Finally, the story is over, and Shinji is allowed to live a normal, happy life free of Evas in the world he created.
This is far from the Shinji that forced Asuka to be his companion at the apocalyptic beach of End of Evangelion after murdering the entire planet, or the Shinji that was barely starting to embrace life and tell himself that it was okay for him to be here. This is a version of Shinji that goes to hell and back, and actually grows up and matures enough to be able to create his own happiness. Though it started out as a remake, the Rebuild of Evangelion movies ended up as the purest form of the Evangelion story Anno set out to make, a story where, as he himself explained, “the main character witnesses many horrors with his own eyes, but still tries to stand up again.”
What did you think of the conclusion of the Evangelion saga? Let’s discuss in the comments!
