Lilith/Rei

Lilith appears to be a vaguely-formed roughly Evangelion-sized humanoid upper torso with blubbery white flesh, of non-distinct gender. Lilith has no legs or hips when it is seen in the year 2015, its torso terminating in blobby masses with dozens of humanoid-sized pairs of legs growing out of them. Lilith is kept restrained in Terminal Dogma, crucified onto a giant red cross: large nails are driven through its palms into the cross from which it hangs. Lilith has five fingers on each hand (just like a human). Lilith remains totally immobile and nonreactive, simply hanging limp on the cross it's nailed to and unresponsive to events around it. Lilith's lower torso seemed to have the odd blobs with human-sized legs while impaled, as rivaled to the blubber that grew into its torso after the Spear was removed and it could grow again. The Spear of Longinus was impaled through Lilith's chest while it was restrained on the cross in Terminal Dogma, but after Eva Unit-00 removed the Lance in Episode 22, Lilith's lower-legs grew back (though its new legs still had dozens of pairs of humanoid legs growing out of them, from the region of its thighs). LCL is actually Lilith's blood, a steady stream of it pouring down the cross, and it is the true source of the LCL used in Evangelion Entry Plugs. Indeed, the "LCL Production Plant" is really just a large artificial lake of LCL formed by it pooling on the level beneath Lilith's red cross. The LCL apparently flows out of the exit wound formed by the Spear of Longinus in Lilith's back (as there is no LCL flowing out of the front of its torso) though NERV has been collecting LCL from Lilith since long before the Spear was recovered in 2015 (in Episode 12). Several production sketches reveal that there are actually tubes coming out of the back of Lilith's head, labeled "LCL tube A" etc., which may be another means of extracting it.

Perhaps Lilith's most distinctive feature is the purple mask which covers its face. Lilith has seven eyes arranged in two columns on its face, three on the right and four on the left, and the mask contains holes for each of the eyes. It is unknown if the eyes behind the mask are Lilith's actual eyes or rather a part of the mask. The eyes likely disappeared when Lilith began to transform into Rei. Etched onto the mask is a pointed-downwards triangle which intersects all of the eyes (except for the lowest eye on the left). It is not entirely clear if the mask is a natural part of Lilith (some form of bone-plate), or if it is another artificial restraint placed onto it. The symbol of the mysterious SEELE organization is the face of Lilith. Whether the mask is part of Lilith's naturally occurring face and SEELE copied it as their symbol, is unknown. The purple mask is roughly oval shaped, and is somewhat dinged and dented.

Lilith's marshmallow-like, white flesh forms several blubbery folds around its head (leading to the appearance of almost having two double chins). Lilith also has two ill-defined lumpy and uneven blobs on the sides of its head which are apparently its ears. Lilith's back, visible only when it descends from its cross moments before it physically begins to manifest as Rei (which it had merged with), appears to be very bumpy where vertebrae form large blubbery lumps in a line running down its back. Surprisingly, no LCL is flowing from an exit wound on Lilith's back. Also oddly, Lilith's palms float off the nails like putty.

Billions of years ago, Lilith's "Black Moon" transport vessel collided violently with Earth, purely by accident, in the event known as "First Impact", creating Earth's Moon. Lilith's own Spear of Longinus is presumed to be destroyed in the crash. Earth already had a Seed of Life present on it, Adam, but two Seeds are not meant to land on the same planet. However, because Lilith's Spear of Longinus was destroyed, the only remaining Spear on the planet - Adam's - activated to try to fix the situation, and reduced Adam to a state of dormancy. Lilith then spread the primordial ooze from which "normal" terrestrial life on Earth evolved over the course of billions of years (bacteria, fishes, insects, etc.), which culminated in the human race. Thus Lilith's progeny, humanity, usurped the place of Adam's progeny, the Angels, as the dominant race on Earth. For countless ages, the Black Moon containing Lilith was embedded deep within the Earth, and due to shifting tectonic plates, the subterranean Black Moon eventually moved to a position underneath what would become known as Hakone, Japan, forming the massive, underground cavern that would be termed the "GeoFront".

At some undetermined point in the recent past (possibly even before Second Impact) the Black Moon and Lilith were discovered by SEELE. Gehirn (later, NERV) headquarters and Tokyo-3 were built around its position. Lilith was kept crucified to a giant cross in the deepest and most secret level of NERV HQ, Terminal Dogma, and used as a renewable source of LCL for the Evangelion Units (LCL in fact being Lilith's blood). SEELE and NERV used Lilith for various experiments, then intentionally let Lilith grow to a point just before it could be used to initiate Instrumentality (for the sake of convenience), but then halted its growth by impaling it on the recovered Spear of Longinus which had been paired with Adam. Thus, Lilith would be ready to use in initiating Third Impact as soon as the other components needed for the process were in place. The Evangelion Units were created by making clones of Adam, with the sole exception of Evangelion Unit-01. Unit-01 is the only clone of Lilith (hence, it is the "Test-Type"). Still images in Episode 23 suggest that instead of merely taking genetic samples from Lilith, Evangelion Unit-01 was created by physically tearing away from the lower half of Lilith, forming itself from the body mass of Lilith's legs (explaining its legs' conspicuous absence) and tearing away from Lilith trailing tattered ropes of flesh, in a mockery of the natural birthing process.

Rei Ayanami (綾波 レイあやなみ れい/アヤナミ レイ), Ayanami Rei?) is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. She is the First Child (referred as the First Children in the Japanese version), the pilot of Evangelion Unit-00 and one of the central characters.

At the beginning of the series, little is known about Rei, and her stoic personality puzzles her peers. As the series progresses, her personality evolves, and she becomes more involved with the people around her, particularly her classmate and fellow Eva pilot Shinji Ikari. In the concluding events of the storyline, the audience learns that Rei's mysterious origins tie into the story's resolution where its revealed that she is a clone of Shinji's mother Yui Ikari. Her role in this conclusion is not made clear in the TV series, but is one of the principal plot points of The End of Evangelion. Rei is a teenage girl with a slender build and pale skin. She has short pale blue hair with bangs centered to the middle and has red eyes. At the beginning of the series, she would wear bandages such as her arm and her eye one. She wears the same school uniform but wears white loafers instead, and black ankle socks. No specific information is given about Rei's origin or heritage. Ritsuko Akagi states that Rei was born in a certain room deep in the lower levels of NERV headquarters, but this is all that is explicitly revealed in the series about her creation.[1] The Red Cross Book stated that Rei was created from the "salvaged remains" of Yui Ikari after Yui's absorption into Unit-01 in 2004. The connection between Rei and Yui is implied a few times during the series. Gendo introduces Rei to the NERV staff in 2010 as an "acquaintance's child" whom he is temporarily taking care of. In episode 21, Naoko Akagi says that Rei physically resembles Yui. The character model used in the 2010 scenes is based on development materials in which her age is only 4. Kaworu Nagisa cryptically mentions in their only conversation that she is "the same" as him.[2] This statement was expanded in the director's cut of the episode, in which Kaworu goes on to say that he and Rei are human vessels for the souls of Adam and Lilith, respectively. Later in the episode, she generates an external A.T. Field which is as strong as Kaworu's. In a pseudo-hallucinatory scene in episode 25, Gendo tells Rei that the day of Third Impact is the day for which she was created. In The End of Evangelion, she plays an important role in the Third Impact, although not in the fashion that was intended by Gendo.

Rei is shown spending unknown lengths of time in an LCL-filled tube underneath a structure resembling a giant brain in the Dummy System room, the reasons for which are not revealed. The circular wall of this room is originally depicted as being covered with DNA sequences, but near the end of the series, it is revealed to be an LCL-filled tank in which dozens of soulless clones of Rei are held. The clones are said by Ritsuko to be the cores of the dummy plugs; she also refers to them as "spare parts" and later as "vessels" for Rei. The movie pamphlet and volume 11 of the manga state that she can be replaced entirely, with her soul being transferred to a new clone body every time she dies, although her memory becomes muddled with each transfer. Other supporting evidence in the anime includes her earlier line that "if I die, I can be replaced." While they are the same character, these different incarnations are commonly referred to as "Rei I," "Rei II," and "Rei III," after episodes and musical pieces with the same names, and are denoted as such in the storyboards and script as well.[3] In episode 23, the controller that Ritsuko uses to destroy the clones lists numbered clones from "Rei 004" and upwards. Rei I was the very first incarnation and was murdered by Naoko Akagi in 2010 (as shown in Episode 21). Rei II is introduced in the first episode and appears in the most episodes of the incarnations. She dies when she sacrifices herself and Unit-00 to destroy Armisael in episode 23. Rei III is seen from the second half of episode 23 through to The End of Evangelion.

In the final episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the audience is introduced to a pseudo-hallucinatory alternate reality. Here Rei's personality is completely different, and her behavior is more "normal" (for example, she shows embarrassment and anger when she thinks Shinji looked up her skirt, in stark contrast to her emotionless reaction to the incident with Shinji in Episode 05). The Evangelion spin-off manga Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days is set in this alternate universe, and its version of Rei is a central character.

In The End of Evangelion, a shining figure of Rei is shown for a few frames looking down at Misato and Ritsuko moments before they die. These spectral images also appear over the corpses of the slain NERV personnel. During Third Impact, multiple Reis appear in the NERV control room, seemingly apparitions created by Lilith. She also briefly watches over Shinji and Asuka in the final scene of the movie.[4] "Whatever else, she needs to be painted in as a bitterly unhappy young girl with little sense of presence." Hideaki Anno, to Yoshiyuki Sadamoto on Rei's character design[5]

At the start of the series, Rei is socially withdrawn, seemingly emotionless, and rarely interacts with anyone, except for Gendo, to whom she initially displays loyalty but with whom she has a generally distant relationship. She lives by herself in a dull sparsely-furnished apartment in Tokyo-3. Toward the end of the series, Shinji comments that her apartment is very similar to the place where Ritsuko says Rei was born.[6] Rei is also shown to have an interest in psychology and genetics, including reading a book in German on the latter subject in Episode 09.[7]

"An emotional change causes certain muscles in the face to tense, producing an "expression". Rei is expressionless but is it that she doesn't feel emotion, or that she is merely unable to express it?" Yoshiyuki Sadamoto on Rei [emphasis in original].[8] As the series progresses, she begins to develop relationships with others and to show moments of genuine emotion,[9] to even become sad and cry.[10] Her English voice actor, Amanda Winn-Lee describes her saying, '"Rei is not totally devoid of personality, otherwise she would not be interesting." There is a small spark of humanity, but it is "clouded by this huge sense of negative self-worth and the realization that she is expendable." The joy of playing Rei is exploring that small spark.'[11] And also said: "I got into a weird mode - I can't describe it. It's a good thing I'm in a little padded room when I'm doing it because that's where she belongs. She knows she's expendable, but the thing is, she's still human so you can't do her totally catatonic."[12]

Adam (アダム, Adamu?) (Hebrew: בראשית ,אדם i:xxvi) is the designation of the 1st Angel, the first of Earth's two Seeds of Life and the progenitor of the Third Impact indirectly through the actions of the Seventeenth Angel, but directly through the actions of a member of the Eighteenth Angel (a Lilin, specifically, Shinji Ikari). Adam is also the genetic basis of the Evangelions, although this is not the case for Unit-01, as it was built from Lilith. It is succeeded by Lilith. Adam's distinct physical features are never clearly shown, since, in the available glimpses of Adam's adult form, it is either partially covered by ice or in the form of a glowing silhouette, the "Giant of Light". However, it is visibly a giant humanoid with a morphology strikingly similar to that of an Evangelion, which is appropriate considering the genetic relationship between Adam and the Evas.

The Giant of Light is observed with shoulder pylons, although a still-shot of the Katsuragi Expedition excavating Adam[1] confirms that the pylons were not initially present, implying that—similarly to what would be done with the Evas later—they were added as restraint mechanisms by the research team.

Adam possesses the ability to manifest translucent "wings" ("Wings of Light"), which it begins to spread before reaching the surface of the research base. These greatly enlarge and split into four upon Adam's explosion.

Second Impact reduced Adam's body into an embryonic state resembling a tetrapod embryo (complete with four defined limbs) in early development.

Adam was created by the First Ancestral Race billions of years ago and sent to Earth within the "White Moon" to fill the Earth with its progeny, the Angels. However, before Adam could accomplish its mission, the "Black Moon" transport containing a second Seed of Life, Lilith, accidentally crash-landed onto Earth. Two Seeds are not meant to exist on the same planet, and in the event that this accidentally occurs, a Spear of Longinus, which all Seeds are accompanied by, should render one Seed inactive. However, the Spear accompanying Lilith was destroyed in the crash, leaving Adam's Spear as the only functional one on Earth. Thus, Adam was placed into suspended animation by its own Spear of Longinus, and the progeny of Lilith populated the planet instead of Angels.[2] The inert Adam, and the Spear that impaled it, were later discovered by the Katsuragi Expedition Team. Adam, and its S² Engine capable of creating limitless energy, became the subject of intense scientific inquiry. This culminated in the Contact Experiment, of which little is known beyond the involvement of a human "donor", DNA "diving" into Adam and "physically fusing", and Second Impact being ushered in as a result. It is heavily implied that the experiment produced the being that became known as Kaworu Nagisa. In the Contact Experiment's aftermath, Adam manifested an Anti A.T. Field which destroyed all surrounding life, altered the local atmospheric elements, and opened its Doors of Guf — all actions implying the reawakened Adam was attempting to reclaim the Earth.[3] The Katsuragi Team's attempt to subdue Adam with the Spear of Longinus ultimately failed or was only partially successful. Adam killed the research team before it lost control of its S² Engine transforming it into the "Giant of Light" and ultimately triggering its own self-destruction. As Adam exploded, four massive wings (likened to those of a "devil", "akuma", in the script) manifested and extended as high as the stratosphere. This loss of control was possibly due to the Katsuragi Team's use of the Spear. The worldwide annihilation of Lilith-based life was averted, but not without cost: a global calamity known as Second Impact.

The actual effect brought on by the earlier utilization of the Spear caused Adam's reversion into an embryonic or egg state, rather than being destroyed completely.[4] Adam's soul was separated from its body, presumably when its core was destroyed in the explosion.[5] SEELE retrieved both Adam's soul and what remained of its body from the "Dead Sea" that has once been Antartica. While the former was salvaged into Tabris, the embryo became the subject of the Adam Project and the basis for the "Adam Revival Project", better known as Project E, which aimed to create Adam copies, or Evangelions.

In 2015, the embryonic Adam is clandestinely obtained by Ryoji Kaji, smuggled into Japan via the United Nations Pacific Fleet, and delivered to Gendo Ikari[6] at NERV Headquarters. He notes:

"It's already restored itself this far. It's frozen inside dura-bakelite, but it's still alive. Without a doubt, this is the keystone of the Human Instrumentality Project, isn't it?"[7] Exactly what Kaji means by "keystone" is ambiguous.

Adam is a crucial element in Gendo's own scenario for Third Impact, wherein he intends to use the "forbidden fusion of Adam and Lilith" as a means to achieve reunion with Yui. At an undisclosed point, Gendo has Adam fused into his right palm, and, in the moments before Third Impact, he inserts his hand into Rei. However, rather than carry out his wishes, Rei severs and absorbs Gendo's arm — fusing with Adam, but rejecting Gendo. The "forbidden fusion" is complete when Rei returns to Lilith.

The resultant "Gestalt entity" is Lilith-dominant, only momentarily splitting into "Adam" and "Lilith" parts shortly before Unit-01 transforms into the Tree of Life. Adam manifests in the form of a giant, ghostly white Kaworu Nagisa, which, together with subsequent appearances of the Kaworu avatar, implies that Gendo had salvaged Adam's soul back into its body shortly after Kaworu's death.

The conglomerate being of which Adam became part dies when Shinji rejects Instrumentality. In spite of this, Lilith seems to continue existing in some form afterwards. Adam's own fate, however, is unknown. Neon Genesis Evangelion manga In Sadamoto's manga, Gendo devours the Adam embryo whole, and later sprouts an eye on his palm and develops the ability to deploy a defensive A.T. Field. But once he attempts to fuse Adam with Rei, she severs Adam from his hand and merges with Lilith, completing the forbidden union between the two Seeds, but leaving Gendo behind. Once Third Impact is stopped and Instrumentality is rejected, Lilith disappears, leaving Adam's fate unknown.

Angelic Days Adam appears in the second volume of the manga and reappears again during the Angels' attack in Tokyo-03. He then tricks Shinji into a dream world but Shinji breaks free after Kaworu sacrifices himself, seemingly destroying both in the process. Due to their absence, this version of Adam seems to take aspects of Lilith, Armisael, Leliel, and Arael.

Kaworu Nagisa (渚 カヲル, Nagisa Kaworu?), also known as the Angel Tabris (タブリス, Taburisu?), is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. He is the Fifth Child and the seventeenth Angel. He is preceded by Armisael.

Sent to NERV by SEELE as a replacement pilot for Unit-02 after Asuka's synchronisation ratio falls below usability, he breaks into Terminal Dogma in order to return to Adam, but after he discovers the being there is actually Lilith, he allows Shinji to destroy him.

He and Rei appear in The End of Evangelion during the Third Impact, communicating with Shinji in regard to the future of humanity and the choice of whether to accept or reject Instrumentality.

Kaworu[2] (渚カヲル) is both the 17th Angel and the Fifth Child. Although classified as an Angel, Kaworu is similar to Rei Ayanami in being a Seed of Life that inhabits a human body. Despite his human form, Kaworu does not seem to consider himself to be human, referring to humans as "the Lilin" in differentiation from himself.

Kaworu appears humming the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the same music that plays during his descent into Terminal Dogma, and so serves as a leitmotif for his character. The Ninth Symphony itself incorporates an adaptation Friedrich Schiller's Ode to Joy (Ode an die Freude), a poem dedicated to the unity of all men under God. The moment Kaworu opens the doors to Terminal Dogma is in synch with the line "Und der Cherub steht vor Gott"- "And the Cherub (Angel) stands before God".

Kaworu appears comfortable in his identity (far more than Rei), and also warmer and more emotionally open. However, he does show a detachment from human protocols and shares Rei's tendency to speak in universal rather than personal terms. As the vessel for Adam's soul, Kaworu's designation is "Tabris" (Arabic: تبريس). As revealed in Newtype publications such as ADAM and used by Keel Lorenz in the Manga. Tabris (タブリス), the 17th and final Angel. He is considered the Angel of free will, which is considered a gift of God; Although Kaworu was sent by SEELE for a specific purpose, he also has his own agenda.

Unlike the Angels who came before him, but like Rei, Kaworu has a Lilin body, with no visible physical difference from a regular human except for very pale skin, light grey hair and red irises. Also unlike the other Angels, Kaworu wears human clothes. He wears a white shirt and high waisted trousers, like Shinji. He also wears white high top sneakers. Although his body is presumably composed of the same "particle-wave matter" as Rei and the Angels, it is impossible to say if he possesses a core and S² Engine. Tabris is the only Angel to infiltrate Terminal Dogma.

Kaworu's human body is a vessel for the salvaged soul of Adam itself, and wields all of the power that comes with it. He is in effect Adam reborn as a human. His A.T. Field is described by the Magi as the strongest yet encountered (until it is surpassed by Rei's). Kaworu is observed using it for levitation, to control Unit-02, as a massive barrier that prevents the Command Center from receiving wave transmissions, and, (evidently) to bypass the LCL Plant's locking mechanism.

By being both the First Angel (Adam, whose body and soul were separated in Second Impact) and the Seventeenth and final Angel, he is in effect both the first and the last of his kind. Kaworu is "born from Adam", and describes Adam as being the "Mother of us all". As Kaworu is the vessel for Adam's soul, that paradoxically makes him his own mother as well as of all Angels. Kaworu's body appears to have been created as a result of the Contact Experiment with Adam, wherein DNA from an unknown human donor dove into and fused with Adam's flesh,[3] explaining Hyuga's discovery that Kaworu was "born" on the day of Second Impact.[4] SEELE salvaged Adam's disembodied soul into Kaworu,[5][6] whom they may have recovered in embryonic form in Antarctica.[7]

Kaworu's origin from Adam, only intimated in the anime, is flatly stated in Sadamoto's manga.[8] Since Kaworu was delivered to NERV by SEELE, it is believed that Kaworu has been living under SEELE's surveillance prior to his appearance in the series.

Kaworu is brought to NERV as the Fifth Child to replace Asuka,[9] who is no longer able to pilot Unit-02. He is only able to pilot Unit-02 whilst its soul is in hiding. In his first test, Kaworu immediately achieves impressive synchronization results. It later emerges that Kaworu is able to achieve whatever level of synchronization he chooses with Unit-02. Though he seems to have been sent to destroy it, Kaworu shows a marked interest in human culture, as well as human issues of pain and loneliness. Kaworu is first seen in episode 24, sitting on a stone amongst wreckage due to the previous battle with Armisael, the Sixteenth Angel. When Shinji first sees him sitting on top of an angel statue (a visual theme that binds together appearances of Kaworu[10]), Kaworu was humming part of the composer Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the fourth and final movement "Presto - Allegro assai", more popularly called the "Ode to Joy" after the poem by Friedrich Schiller, from which it is adapted. He then says that he considers singing to be the finest achievement of the Lilin (human) civilization.

Kaworu abruptly tells Shinji that music is beautiful after he stops humming, and begins conversing with him in a kind manner, referring to him as "Mr. Ikari". After Shinji asks him how he knows who he is, Kaworu tells Shinji he is "rather ignorant of (his) own position".[11]. Confused and frustrated about what to do since all of his friends have evacuated the city, Asuka is mentally distressed and in a ward, and Rei appears to not remember recent events, Shinji begins seeking friendship from Kaworu.

Following their initial meeting, Kaworu accompanies Shinji to a NERV bathing room. While sitting together in the bath, the boys display a degree of comfort around one another. At one point, Kaworu places his hand on Shinji's, who allows Kaworu's hand to linger on his own, Kaworu then proclaims he likes Shinji. At the end of the bathhouse scene, Shinji tells Kaworu that he needs to go to bed, to which Kaworu is confused and asks if they will go together, to which Shinji is quick to decline, though he does spend the night at Kaworu's apartment, sleeping on the floor beside Kaworu's bed, afraid of going to his own home and facing Misato, and with Asuka having disappeared.[12] Shinji feels comfortable talking about his past to Kaworu, who then asks him if Shinji dislikes other people. Shinji explains that he doesn’t care, but that he does hate his father. He internally reflects on why he shared this with Kaworu.

After the NERV staff become suspicious of Kaworu's high synchronization rates with Unit-02, and Misato and Hyuga learn that he can set his synch rate to anything he wants, an alert is issued that Unit-02 has activated without a pilot inside, and someone is descending towards Terminal Dogma; it is Kaworu, who is identified as the 17th and final Angel. Shinji is placed into Unit-01 and pursues Kaworu, who manipulates Unit-02 to slow down Shinji in Unit-01. Shinji apologizes to Asuka as he is fighting her by proxy. Kaworu proceeds to Terminal Dogma, and after activating the door to open and entering, appears to reach an understanding that the giant crucified there is in fact not Adam, but rather Lilith. After Shinji defeats Unit-02, Kaworu allows Shinji to grasp him in Unit-01's hand. Shinji is hurt that Kaworu betrayed him just like (his) father did[13] and lied to him about his identity after befriending him, but is still resistant to killing him. However, Kaworu tells Shinji that his life is complete and had more meaning after meeting him, and requests to be killed, claiming that to choose how one dies is the only true freedom. Following an extended period of silence, Shinji grants his request.

The End of Evangelion In The End of Evangelion, the Mass Production Evangelion's Dummy Plugs are prominently marked "KAWORU", suggesting that SEELE was in possession of clones of Kaworu just as NERV was in possession of clones of Rei for the Dummy Plug system for the original Evas.

Kaworu first appears in The End of Evangelion as the Human Instrumentality Project is being initiated. At first, when the giant Lilith/Rei appears to Shinji, he is terrified by it. It then transforms into Kaworu, which calms Shinji down. Rei then turns back to her original self as Yui tells him that she represents his hopes and dreams. As Shinji is asked what he wishes for, he has visions of woman's breasts being clutched, and then initially enters Instrumentality. Kaworu reappears when Gendo is confronted by Yui while Instrumentality takes place, accusing Gendo of running away from the world before getting hurt, before Gendo is killed by an apparition of Unit-01.

Later, Kaworu and Rei appear to Shinji and ask him about the future of humanity and if he wants he wants to accept Instrumentality or not. Shinji, however, says that this is merely a pretense and that he wishes to return to reality, because at least there he will know his feelings are real. Relationship with Shinji Though fans have speculated on the exact nature of Shinji's relationship with Kaworu, it is clear that Kaworu represents a sort of idealized figure to Shinji,[14][15] as he appears out of seemingly nowhere when Shinji is completely desperate for any sort of connection with anyone, as all of his friends are either dead, unreachable or alienated from him. Kaworu had premeditated encountering Shinji in the lake.[16][17][18] He immediately shows great interest in Shinji, making him initially uncomfortable.[19] However, Kaworu telling him he liked him surprised Shinji as he is afraid of talking to Asuka, Misato or Rei, as Shinji has internalized his belief that nobody cared about him thanks to his own partly self-imposed isolation - afterwards, feeling that Kaworu has simply used him further reinforces this, as he thinks everyone is lying to him, because Shinji is unwilling to recognize the ambiguity and insecurity in other people, and the risk and uncertainty involved in reaching out to them himself, something Kaworu temporarily allowed him to ignore. Kaworu uses the ambiguous "suki" form which includes intimacy or friendship or anything more and can simply mean "like" or "fond of", and that he is deserving of "koui" (好意), which means simply "good will" or "favor", not "koi", "love".[20] When he mentions this to Misato later, Shinji also used the ambiguous "suki" form. This line has necessary ambiguity in order to represent Kaworu's own lack of understanding regarding levels of intimacy and societal norms, part of what shocks Shinji and allows Kaworu to bypass his barriers of self-defense, as he isn't even aware those exist, as he himself has none. When Shinji is fighting Kaworu, he states Kaworu has betrayed him, just like his father did, indicating he might have been seeking a similar form of support from him, reinforcing his role as an idealization.[15][13][21][22] This metaphorical meaning of his presence is emphasized further with the reappearance of Kaworu in End of Evangelion, when Shinji is traumatized by experiencing Misato's death and seeing Asuka's dead Eva, Shinji becomes desperate, but Kaworu reveals himself to be part of Lilith to stop Shinji from going into a frenzy and allow Third Impact to begin, although Shinji only enters Instrumentality after Lilith reverts to Rei's form and melts by seeing a woman's breasts, when Yui asks him what he wishes for. Irregardless, Kaworu forms a strong connection with Shinji. His absence from Instrumentality and even the Congratulations scene when even characters like Aoba are present bring into question how much Kaworu affected him besides Shinji's own desperation. Shinji, in fact, seeking unconditional affection from everybody, unwilling to return their own needs, is a fact that has hindered Shinji's happiness throughout most of the series, and Kaworu, being a somewhat non-human character without his own emotional needs (whereas Rei had slowly developed those) is the only one that does that. Moreover, the way Kaworu treats Shinji as a sort of avatar for humanity also brings into question if his affection is directed towards humanity as a whole.[23][24][25][26] Official supllemental material also notes this angle, explaining that Kaworu evolved from his early role on Evangelion Proposal as an Angel disguised as cat possessing a human boy, as ultimately "This act of having his life ended by his friend Shinji was symbolic of Kaworu's desire for humanity to choose the path of life".[27][28][29]

This, paired with the fact that Shinji had killed what he saw as a human being and someone he cared about, was part of what drove him into his state of absolute despair in Episode 25, in which he declared that he felt unworthy even of the piloting which had consumed his identity, thinking that if all he did was hurt and kill others, it was better to do nothing. By that, though, he may have condemned Asuka, who was fighting against the Mass Production Evangelions, to death. Had this not been the case, it is very possible he and Asuka could have defeated the Evas and stopped Third Impact altogether, a fact that greatly benefits SEELE. Shinji depositing all of his hopes for self-worth onto Kaworu, and having that fail him, also reinforces Shinji's notions that if he can't rely unconditionally on people and never risk rejection then he is not actually loved by anyone at all and everyone should just die, part of what motivates him to start Third Impact. In End of Evangelion, Shinji desperately seeks this same sort of unconditional affection from Asuka, and is still certain that he is unloved and unworthy, as he demonstrates he has, in fact, returned to his own childish beliefs about himself, even after the way Kaworu (whom he does not even mention) treated him, and other characters respond to him that he is, in fact, liked and treated nicely by them, but Shinji refuses to believe it. In contrast to Kaworu, when Shinji, in a similar state of desperation, asks for Asuka's own unconditional affection, Asuka refuses as she does not want to be an emotional crutch and an escape for him, and demands he gives himself to her as well, but Shinji is unwilling to give back any affection himself. Asuka says he doesn't really like anyone, as he doesn't even love himself. When Kaworu and Rei as Adam and Lilith state they collectively represent the hope for understanding and love, Shinji replies it is just a pretense, but if he returns to the real world, at least there he will know his feelings are real.[19]

Relationship with SEELE Kaworu was sent to NERV by SEELE in order to advance their goal of Instrumentality through a Third Impact that would occur under their direction. Before his final battle, Kaworu is seen talking with a phantasm of SEELE that apparently only he can see and it can be assumed that he has been in previous communication with SEELE (for example being briefed on his mission to enter NERV as a pilot). The conversation indicates that they have (falsely) told them that they favor the "true successor" Angels over their own kind.[30]

It is uncertain what exactly SEELE had in mind for Kaworu. Did they plan for him to attack Terminal Dogma, or was that his own plan? We do know that once the attack commenced they wanted Unit-01 to defeat him,[31] and presumably, him being killed by Shinji was a necessary part of their plan, allowing them to start their own version of Third Impact. It also begs into question if they needed Kaworu to contact Shinji, and while this seemed to have been his own initiative, they did benefit from Shinji's state of mind afterwards, as Kaworu proceeds to go after Adam even after meeting Shinji and getting to know him, and even uses Unit 02 in order to delay him. In fact, Kaworu only changes his mind when he realizes it is in fact Lilith in Terminal Dogma, as by that point he is unable to start any sort of Third Impact regardless.

Similarly, Kaworu's subsequent actions also greatly help SEELE: had Shinji not been in a state of mind that made him refuse to pilot for most of End of Evangelion, it is very possible he and Asuka could have defeated the MP Evas and stopped Third Impact altogether. He is also responsible for stopping Shinji from going into a frenzy after seeing Asuka's dead Eva, which allows Third Impact to begin, as the Seele councilmen start chanting ritualistically.

In The End of Evangelion, Gendo forces his hand into Rei III, merging the Adam embryo in his right hand with her in an attempt to control Lilith and reunite with Yui. However, Rei rejects Gendo and with Adam's body and soul within her, she proceeds to merge with Lilith's body in Terminal Dogma. The blobs of humanoid legs are sucked in and disappear when Rei enters Lilith's body. The gestalt Rei/Adam/Lilith being then initiates Third Impact and Instrumentality. However, Shinji Ikari ultimately chooses to reject instrumentality, and Unit-01 bursts from the being's eye and breaks the Spear of Longinus in two. The Rei/Adam/Lilith being then falls to Earth in pieces, presumably dead.

While there is no official name for this being, it is commonly referred to in the fan community as "Giant Naked Rei" or GNR. However, it's also common to consider this being primarily Lilith. Since Rei was essentially Lilith itself, and Adam (as Kaworu) only appears briefly, it seems that Lilith has primary control over the being.

Adam may have had primary control over the Kaworu body, and perhaps Adam was using Shinji as a weapon to reinstate his reign over Earth, however this had not gone to Adam's plan after Shinji learned the loneliness of Instrumentality and brought everybody back, Adam too died with Rei and Lilith.