How well do you know remember the popular and controversial 90s animated series, "Evangelion?"

By: Olivia Cantor
Estimated Completion Time
6 min
How well do you know remember the popular and controversial 90s animated series, "Evangelion?"
Image: tmdb

About This Quiz

When it comes to animé, Evangelion is one of those that scores high in popularity and controversy. And now, with the series supposedly coming near to its finale, expectations are high that it will make people's heads spin with wonder and what-the-heck thoughts all over again. Take the eclectic Evangelion quiz to find out more about this landmark animé franchise!
We know that "Evangelion" is full of symbols, so let's start with the most obvious: What does the term Evangelion mean?
messengers
avenging angels
good news
If you think that Evangelion sounds close to evangelists, then you're right. The root term for Evangelion roughly translates to "Good News." Of course, that's not exactly what happens…
divine beings
What was going on with Hideaki Anno when he made "Evangelion?"
he had no life
he was depressed
While making Evangelion, Hideaki Anno was going through a deep depression. Some people say that if you study the story closely, you could figure out what was going on in Anno's life.
he wanted to troll anime fans
he was too happy
What are the Angels?
mutated people
religious spirits
members of an ancient race
The enemy monsters, which are called Angels, are aliens who seem to be attracted to something that NERV and Seele are keeping in their facilities.
ancient earth creatures

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Talk about the march of time! What sort of portable music player was Shinji using to listen to music in the original animation?
a DAT player
Shinji uses an SDAT player, a form of Digital Audio Tape (DAT) player. DAT players never really saw a lot of use. It's easy to mistake a DAT player for a Walkman, another type of portable cassette player. These days, Shinji would probably be using an iPhone.
a Walkman
an iPod
an MP3 player
What is the Third Impact of which everyone is so afraid?
another meteor will strike the earth
the end of humanity as we know it
The Third Impact has many meanings throughout the show, but everyone seems to agree that it will be the death of organic life, with human souls being dispersed through some kind of thick organic soup. It's an extreme, somewhat physical version, of being one with all things.
a new war will happen over the Evangelion units
the moon will crash into the Earth
What is the aggressive Asuka's terrible weakness?
she has mother issues
Asuka's mother went insane in the past, and refused to see her as her daughter, preferring a doll instead. This made Asuka very aggressive and closed-off from others. It's a weakness that bites back badly later on.
she is actually not that skilled
she actually likes Shinji
she has trouble controlling her Evangelion unit

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Why was Shinji going to Tokyo-3, even if it meant going there alone?
he was taking a vacation
he wanted to sign up for the military
his dad was calling for him
Gendo Ikari, Shinji's dad, invited him to come to Tokyo-3. Of course, there were hidden reasons for this, not just because he wanted his son near him.
he was going to visit his mother's grave
Why did the makers of "Evangelion" produce the "Rebuild" series of movies?
they wanted to make a proper re-telling of the story
The creators of "Evangelion" figured that the original TV series had issues behind the scenes that affected the quality and direction of the animated series. The "Rebuild" movies are supposedly the new, official storyline.
they didn’t end it with the original TV series
they are an alternate reality
they are a cash grab for the anniversary
How did one the original voice actor in the TV animé version of Evangelion attempt to realistically portray the character.
one strangled another
The voice actors for Shinji and Asuka may have taken things a bit too far when the voice actor for Shinji actually strangled Asuka's voice actor. This happened while recording a scene where Shinji was imagining strangling Asuka.
they had to take long vacations
they ended up hating each other
they are all actually related

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We all know her as the poster girl for the "Evangelion" series, but who is Rei Ayanami?
an android
a clone
Rei Ayanami is a pale, unemotional Evangelion pilot who fascinates Shinji. That's to be expected, since she is essentially a clone of her mother, combined with some genetic material from Lilith, one of the primary aliens or angels.
Gendo's daughter
an amnesiac girl
What is Shinji's chosen musical instrument?
guitar
piano
cello
Shinji is a skilled musician who plays the cello. It's from the same string family as the violin, but it is much larger, giving it a low, somewhat serious sound. Some say it is a reflection of Shinji's sad, serious personality.
clarinet
At first, the gigantic Evangelion units are seen as advanced robots. What are they, really?
big humans
angels
gigantic cyborgs
The Evangelion units are half-mechanical, but the basic bodies are grown from captive super-beings called Angels. It's body horror, on a skyscraper scale.
demons

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We know Misato Katsuragi as the beer-loving soldier girl and protector of the team, but what makes her want to kill all the Angels?
she has an artificial hand because of an Angel
she nearly died because Angels landed on earth
her father died saving her
Katsuragi's dad may have been like Gendo in a cold and distant way, but after the First Impact explosion, he saved Misato by putting her in an escape pod. Now, she just wants to kill all the Angels.
she has Angel blood in her
How do the child pilots control the Evangelion units?
they have neural implants in them
they have advanced telepathic units
they have "mother souls" in them
The Evangelion units achieve control links with their child pilots because they have the children's mother's spirits in them. This also explains why, in the case of Shinji, the EVA-01 unit is so protective of him.
they absorb the pilots into their flesh
In modern, popular animé, which animé has something like Evangelion units in them?
Ghost in the Shell
Attack on Titan
"Attack on Titan" is an animé that features people who can turn into gigantic versions of themselves, with their original bodies near the base of their necks. In Evangelion units, the pilot's cockpit cylinders are located near the base of the neck. Hey, good ideas are good ideas.
Naruto
Bleach

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There's symbolism everywhere. What is that tree-like illustration in Gendo Ikari's office called?
the Yggdrasil
the Sephirot
The patterns in Gendo's office floor and ceiling are known as the Sephirot, an illustration that shows mystical and spiritual relationships in Jewish beliefs. It also talks about how the Divine Plan happens in reality.
the Burning Bush
the Joshua Tree
What is the main reason why Gendo has his own operations going on inside Seele?
he wants to take over Seele
he wants to reunite with his wife
Gendo Ikari has always had a crazy game plan to be reunited with his wife, no matter what the cost. Since he knows what the Angels, Adam, and Lilith can do, he is manipulating events so he can resurrect his wife.
he wants to destroy Seele
he wants to destroy the Angels
We keep on seeing and hearing the Seele Council, but who -- or what -- are they?
fallen angels
aliens
global conspiracy
The Seele Council -- or court, depending on the translation -- is a powerful global group that supposedly has been influencing human destiny since at least after WWII. This started when they acquired the Dead Sea Scrolls.
artificial beings

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What is Ritsuko Akagi's big secret, aside from knowing all about NERV, the Evangelion units, and the Second and Third Impact details?
she dated Ryoji
she had a crush on Katsuragi
she had an affair with Gendo
Aside from being the head scientist and technical specialist for NERV, Ritsuko Akagi was also Gendo's lover for a time. However, she realized along the way that Gendo was just manipulating her.
she had a thing for Asuka
Who are the Magi of NERV?
three child prodigies
three special scientists
three supercomputers
The Magi are three supercomputers named Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar. However, their programming is based on the aspects of one of the creators: mother, woman, and scientists. They help run the NERV facilities and Evangelion units.
three field agents
The debate about whether or not Kaworu is gay may be irrelevant. Why is that?
Kaworu is an angel
Kaworu looks like a male version of Rei, also pale and somewhat aloof. He's actually a clone or reincarnation of Adam, the first "angel" or alien, in human form.
Kaworu is has no social education
Kaworu is actually a girl
Kaworu is a biological neutral

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What is the NERV organization's role in the world?
it is a global domination group
it is a research group for anything to do with angels
it is a UN group for fighting angels
NERV is an organization that specializes in fighting angel aliens. It was formed after the Second Impact event, though it is somewhat weird that angels more likely attack them, rather than the other way around.
it is an anti-alien group
We keep on hearing about another organization, Gehirn, when the older characters are speaking. What was Gehirn?
a rogue Seele group
a military group
a research group
NERV's first version
Gehirn, or "brain" in German, is what NERV was built on. Some sources point to the death of one scientist as the trigger for the shift from Gehirn to NERV.
What was the Second Impact event all about?
an angel visited earth
a meteor struck the earth
an experiment on an angel failed
NERV, for some reason, had Adam, the first angel, in a base in Antarctica. An experiment failed, and the angel alien released an energy field that melted the ice and killed almost every living thing around it. This led to global changes.
a nuclear bomb exploded

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To take down one invading angel, they executed "Operation Yashima." What was the plan?
hand-to-hand combat
delivering an explosive attack
up-close gunshot
death by super rifle
"Operation Yashima" involves using a very big rifle to pierce an angel's protective force field. In this case, the power required the rifle to be drawn from the entire electrical grid.
In one episode of the TV series, why did Shinji and Asuka need to learn how to dance in perfect timing with each other?
they had to bond as friends
they flunked their team training
they had a twin enemy
One angel enemy had the ability to split into two bodies, and they both had to be destroyed at the same time. Because of this, Shinji and Asuka had to learn how to fight in tandem by dancing and moving in time to a musical piece.
they were being punished
Why was Kaworu so attracted to Shinji?
Kaworu had secret powers
someone was paying attention to him
Although some believe that Shinji was gay, the more prevalent idea is that the attraction was the result of Kaworu's need for attention. It may actually have been very platonic, since Shinji isn’t big on physical contact.
Kaworu is good looking, if creepy
Shinji was probably gay

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Why was Ritsuko Akagi's mom, Naoko, important to NERV?
she created the Evangelion units
she killed Shinji's mom
she created the Magi supercomputers from her own mind
Naoko Akagi used her personality and thinking processes to create the three supercomputers at the heart of NERV operations. It's been hinted that similar systems are in place for the government and other large organizations as well, but it's not known if these are based on other people, or they are copies of Naoko's system.
she designed weapons against angels
What is the liquid LCL in the Evangelion cockpits?
it's a special breathing chemical
it's blood from an angel
The LCL liquid has been said to smell like blood, and in fact, it is. It's the blood of Lilith, the second angel. Given how the Evangelion units are made, LCL is absolutely necessary for them to connect with the Evangelion control systems.
it's a special telepathic liquid
it's a cooling liquid
Even if the Evangelion units don’t really qualify as super robots, which classic animé robot turns out to be a large influence on Evangelion's idea and design?
Gundam
Giant Robo
Mazinger Z
Sources credit Mazinger Z with being an influence on Evangelion, particularly since the Mazinger Z robot is, according to the story, the God or the Devil, depending on how its pilot uses it. Not a surprise, another influence s Devilman, a superhero who gains the powers of a demon.
Macross Valkyrie

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The Evangelion units seem to wear armor pieces that look like a mix of medieval armor plating and corsets. Why are these armor sets so important?
they keep the Evangelion cool
they keep all the cyborg parts in place
they keep the Evangelion under control
Evangelion units have been shown to have some sort of monster brain in them if the pilots lose control. The armor pieces help keep the units under the control of both the pilots and the NERV command center. In the new movies, they've shown what happens when they let a unit go berserk. Think of it as the biggest, scariest dog you'll ever see.
they keep the Evangelion in the right shape
Although it's known that Lilith is an angel, what makes it different from Adam?
Lilith is the "maker" of all life on Earth
Lilith is assumed to be from the same race as Adam. But as the animated episodes, movies, and manga comic books have explained, Lilith's ship probably crashed into Earth in the prehistoric past, and this event displaced Adam's angel life forms as the dominant ones on Earth.
Lilith is a girl
Lilith is working with Seele
Lilith is evil
Those who are at the NERV's higher levels talk about a place called Terminal Dogma. What is it?
the place where the Magi supercomputers are stored
the secret maintenance areas for Evangelion units
the lowest level of NERV HQ
Terminal Dogma is the lowest level of the NERV base, and it is where Lilith is kept captive. It's also the LCL storage area, since Lilith's blood is the LCL liquid.
the United Nations office for NERV

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Angels have a force field known as the A.T. fields. What do those letters mean?
Absolute Terror
Absolute Terror fields are generated by souls of human beings. It's just that with angels and the souls in Evangelion units, they are so powerful that they become protective force fields. A.T. Fields supposedly help living beings keep their individuality; it keeps them from the terror of losing themselves.
All Telekinetic
Anti Trespassing
Avoidance Technology
What is Seele's Human Instrumentality Project all about?
human technology will be removed
human individuality will be erased
The Human Instrumentality Project is a fancy name for an event that will turn all of humanity into one big organism, where individual human minds will merge into a hive mind. Seele members seem to think of this as the next step in human evolution.
human life will be destroyed
humans will become angels
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