The Complete Neon Genesis Evangelion Timeline, Explained

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This mecha anime remains incredibly popular, and its complex story is a big reason why. It helped launch a trend of thought-provoking anime in the 90s, using symbolism and building a rich, often mysterious world. The story’s timeline is also surprisingly detailed, with events happening even before the anime begins.

The story of Neon Genesis Evangelion is famous for its different “Impact” events, but important things happened before those too. A lot of the story actually takes place right before the Third Impact, and many details are never shown in the anime itself. Because of this, viewers who only watch the anime won’t get the complete picture, particularly with how the ending was presented.

First Impact Takes Place Long Before the Start of Evangelion

First Impact is an early event in the story of Evangelion, but it isn’t directly shown or explained in the anime series. Details about this event are found in other sources and may surprise viewers familiar only with the anime. It all started with an ancient race who created both humans and the Angels. They sent out ‘Seeds of Life’ to Earth, which resulted in the creation of the black and white moons. One seed contained Adam, and the other contained Lilith. Lilith’s arrival on Earth was First Impact, and her presence ultimately led to humanity becoming the dominant species on the planet, rather than the offspring of Adam, the Angels.

After that initial event, human history continued as usual, though people had no idea where they really came from or the threat posed by Adam and the Angels. The consequences of what happened wouldn’t surface for thousands of years, and humanity enjoyed a period of peace until around the year 2000. The major adult characters in Evangelion were born between the 1950s and 1970s, but even those births and the surrounding events were mostly unremarkable. During this time, Lilith was secretly kept contained deep underground, hidden from the world. The eventual discovery of another being like her would set the stage for the next big turning point in the story.

The Discovery of Adam Triggered Evangelion’s Second Impact

In the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, an event called Second Impact happened on September 13, 2000, even before the series officially began. It started with an expedition led by Dr. Katsuragi, Misato Katsuragi’s father, who attempted a “Contact Experiment” on a creature called Adam. The goal was to combine Adam’s DNA with human DNA after discovering it in Antarctica. Dr. Katsuragi was joined by his daughter, as well as Yui and Gendo Ikari, Shinji Ikari’s parents. This expedition was financed by SEELE, a secretive organization with a long history of manipulating world governments – much like the Illuminati.

The expedition’s efforts to study and control Adam ended in catastrophe. Adam responded to their experiments by unleashing Second Impact, a massive explosion caused by his powerful AT Field. This event killed everyone present except Misato, who managed to escape. It also devastated Antarctica and the entire world, melting the polar ice caps, shifting the Earth’s axis, and triggering natural disasters that resulted in billions of deaths.

The planet was already suffering from environmental devastation when war broke out between the nations least impacted by the crisis. India and Pakistan started a nuclear war, and by the time a global peace agreement was reached, half of the world’s population had perished, leading to widespread shortages of food and essential resources.

The world experienced dramatic environmental changes due to Second Impact, most notably in Japan, which became permanently stuck in summer. The United Nations, secretly controlled by the organization SEELE, gained immense power in the aftermath. SEELE deliberately triggered Second Impact to revert Adam to a simpler, controllable form, aligning with predictions found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The organization Gehirn, created by SEELE, claimed to be working to prevent a catastrophic event called the Third Impact. However, SEELE’s true goal was to cause this event, believing it would force humanity to evolve into a single, unified consciousness – a process known as Human Instrumentality. This evolution depended on defeating the Angels. If the Angels succeeded in merging with Adam or Lilith, they would wipe out humanity before this evolution could occur. To pursue this plan, Gehirn transformed into the secretive NERV organization. This leads us to the story of…

The Events of Evangelion Lead to the Third Impact

In the world of Evangelion, 2001 was a pivotal year, marked by the birth of key characters and a worldwide peace agreement – an event that hinted at future changes. Two years later, the Evangelion units – massive robots designed to fight a looming threat called the Angels – were built. The first iteration of Rei Ayanami was created in 2004, and she became the first pilot chosen to operate the EVAs. Asuka Langley-Soryu was selected as the second pilot the following year. This period was also filled with personal tragedies, including Shinji’s mother, Yui, vanishing, Asuka’s mother taking her own life before her father remarried, and the breakup of Misato Kusanagi and Ryoji Kaji’s relationship.

The story of Evangelion really kicks off in 2015 when the Angel Sachiel attacks the newly rebuilt city of Tokyo-3. Shinji is drawn into the organization NERV and, despite his reluctance, begins piloting the Evangelion Unit-01. He then battles a series of Angels, often with the help of Rei and his competitive rival, Asuka. This leads to the arrival of Kaworu Nagisa, who is revealed to be the 17th Angel, Tabris.

When Shinji loses someone he was close to, he experiences a mental breakdown, similar to what Asuka went through, which temporarily led to her being replaced. From this point on, the story of Evangelion takes a different direction. The final episodes focus on Shinji’s emotional response to both what’s happening now and his entire life, ultimately leading him to accept himself. The anime concludes with his friends and other characters offering him their support and congratulations.

Third Impact Was Shown in The End of Evangelion

The End of Evangelion is considered the definitive ending to the Evangelion story. It was created, in part, as a response to the incomplete and confusing nature of the original series. While the final episodes took a strange turn, this was largely due to limited funding, which prevented a large-scale battle with the Evangelion units as many fans anticipated. To create a smoother flow, the beginning of this concluding film was actually included in the earlier recap movie, .

Now that the Angels are defeated, NERV and SEELE begin fighting each other. SEELE is determined to initiate Human Instrumentality, even if it means forcing the process. Their original plan, which relied on the Spear of Longinus, failed, so they now intend to use Evangelion Unit-01 – the only Unit created from Lilith – to trigger the event. However, Gendo opposes them, as he has his own plan for using Unit-01 to achieve instrumentality and be reunited with his deceased wife.

SEELE attacks NERV, killing many personnel to gain control of Evangelion Unit-01 and eliminate the pilots. Asuka, having recovered from her injuries, manages to pilot Unit-02 and fight back against the Japanese military. However, she is quickly killed by the newly deployed Mass-Production Evangelion units, and Misato dies protecting Shinji. Shinji’s intense emotions within Unit-01 cause the mecha to develop wings of light, but also unexpectedly reactivate the Spear of Longinus, initiating the Human Instrumentality Project.

Gendo tries to enact his plan by merging Rei with Adam, but when that fails, Rei is absorbed into Lilith, transforming into a massive, glowing white entity. This entity then appears before a deeply troubled Shinji, initially as Rei and then taking the form of Kaworu. Shinji’s own self-doubt leads him to believe that humanity would be better off extinguished, which initiates the catastrophic Third Impact.

The Fallout of Third Impact Is Somewhat Unknown

When Shinji momentarily rejects humanity, a powerful energy field forms, turning everyone into a liquid state as a cataclysmic event called Third Impact unfolds. All human souls merge into a single entity within the Black Moon, creating a connection Shinji never thought possible. However, he realizes this isn’t the way humanity should be, and despite the pain it might cause, he chooses to break away from this unified consciousness and remain an individual. This act causes the powerful energy field to disappear, and the being known as Rei/Lilith begins to fade away.

After being merged into one being, individual souls return to Earth. Shinji and Asuka reappear as physical beings in a desolate landscape covered in LCL, the liquid essential to the process. The ending of The End of Evangelion is open to interpretation, particularly regarding Shinji, Asuka, and the future of humanity. They seem to be the only survivors, leaving the fate of everyone else uncertain. Before fading away, Rei suggests that others who resisted the merging process could also regain their bodies, but it’s unclear how many actually did.

Honestly, one of the things that really gets me about the series is how little we actually know about what happened globally. We see Shinji’s location, which looks shockingly like Antarctica after the Second Impact – not at all like a destroyed Tokyo-3 should! And since Japan is pretty much the only place we do see, figuring out the rest of the world is pure guesswork. Given how widespread the Anti AT-Field was, it’s safe to assume the rest of the planet suffered something way bigger than what we see locally. It’s a perfect example of how the show loves to be mysterious and let your imagination run wild!

Considering the religious imagery throughout the series, it’s possible that Shinji and Asuka represent a modern take on Adam and Eve. This could explain Asuka’s reaction of disgust when she sees Shinji. The awkwardness and budding sexuality seen in The End of Evangelion – and hinted at throughout the anime – would fit this idea. Shinji’s constant insecurities and clumsy interactions with Asuka, Rei, and Misato would then be the culmination of this destined pairing.

This scene marks the end of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion storyline, though many details were likely missed on first viewing. While the series has branched into alternate timelines since then, the core story continues to puzzle fans. Despite its complexity, the anime remains a landmark achievement, influencing countless other works with similarly intricate, religiously inspired mythologies. It’s a truly influential mecha series, and its impact on the industry is undeniable – a foundational work like its iconic opening theme, “Cruel Angel’s Thesis.”

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2025-11-03 07:45