Kaworu Nagisa
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
from the Neon Genesis Evangelion
franchise. He is the Fifth Child and the seventeenth Angel, Tabris. He is sent to Nerv by Seele as a replacement pilot for Unit 02 after Asuka Langley Soryu
's synchronization ratio falls below usability. He later breaks into Terminal Dogma to return to Adam, but after he discovers the being there is actually Lilith, he permits Shinji Ikari
to destroy him. He appears in The End of Evangelion
during Third Impact, communicating with Shinji in regard to the choice of whether to accept or reject Instrumentality.
Kaworu was named by screenplay writer Akio Satsukawa. Kaworu's surname "Nagisa" comes from the Japanese word , meaning "waterside" or "shore," concerned with sea. It also comes from Japanese movie director Nagisa Oshima
. Adding to these, the character "", when divided, can be read . The title of episode 24 is . "" includes two Japanese words read as "shisha" (the character "" only represents the sound "shi"). The first is , while the other is .
Gainax renders his name in Romaji as "Kaworu," not "Kaoru" as would be given by most romanization schemes. The reasons for the difference in the naming have not been explicitly detailed by the series' creators; one theory is that the name is based on the original kana
of the name Kaoru Genji
, from The Tale of Genji
.
appears to not remember recent events. Kaworu abruptly tells Shinji music is beautiful after he stops humming, and begins conversing with him in a kind manner. Following their initial meeting, Kaworu and Shinji begin to strike up a friendship, enjoying each other's company.
After the Nerv staff become suspicious of Kaworu's high synchronisation 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 fight Shinji in Unit-01 after Shinji unsuccessfully tries to stab Kaworu with the progressive knife and is blocked by Kaworu's AT Field. 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 not in fact Adam, but rather Lilith, and after Shinji defeats Unit-02, allows Shinji to grasp him in Unit-01's hand. Following a period of silence, Shinji kills Kaworu by crushing him to death in Unit-01's hand.
, the Mass Production Evas' 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 makes his first appearance in the film during the initiation of the Human Instrumentality Project. Later, Kaworu, along with Rei, appears in Shinji's mind and argues with Shinji in regards to the case of humanity and in favor of individualism and free choice.
showed prominent images of Kaworu in his plugsuit with the other Children. In the first film, he briefly appears at the ending, in which he has a mysterious conversation with SEELE on the surface of the Moon. In the second film, Gendo and Fuyutsuki travel to the Moon to observe the construction of the Mark.06; much to Fuyutsuki's surprise, they see Kaworu sitting shirtless on top of the Eva in hard vacuum. He turns towards them and calls someone a father. At the end of the film Kaworu comes down from the Moon with the Mark.06 and impales Unit 01, aborting Third Impact. Afterwards he says that the promised time has come and that this time he will bring Shinji happiness. The preview of the third film shows Kaworu confronting the other pilots in an unknown location.
, including various audio dramas and music CD's and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
's adaptation of the anime
. Here, Kaworu is portrayed as being ignorant of human emotions and taboos regarding social interaction and personal space, creating some comic relief. His role is very similar to his anime counterpart's although some details have been altered, such as his friendship with Shinji not being immediate. Aside from Sadamoto's manga, Kaworu also appears as a supporting character in other titles, such as The Shinji Ikari Raising Project and Campus Apocalypse. In these manga appearances, Kaworu is typically portrayed in a lighter tone than in the series, with focus placed on his relationship with Shinji.
Kaworu also appears in video games based on the Evangelion franchise, including the popular cross-over franchise Super Robot Wars
. In the game's adaption of The End of Evangelion, Kaworu's spirit returns to take control of Unit-00 and aid Shinji in battle and help rescue Rei from inside Lilith. He also visits Nekki Basara and voices his approval of his music. He makes his final appearance during the final battle with Kaiser Ephes where he encourages the Eva pilots not give up. It is hinted in both the anime, movies, and the games that he is the exact same Kaworu every time, and remembers events from all timelines he has experienced. The chronological progression of Kaworu's experince seems to be, Evangelion, SRW Final, The End of Evangelion, SRW Alpha, SRW MX, SRW Alpha 3, SRW L and then to Rebuild of Evangelion. This has become a major source of speculation for fans that he is some sort of time lord.
which reads . Mania Entertainment's Chris Beveridge described Kaworu's death in the anime as an "extremely powerful moment" due to the fact that after a minute without dialogue, his head's shadow appears touching the water.
Kaworu Nagisa was the second most popular male character in the 1997 Animage
poll; 1998 ranked him the 6th best male character of the year. In a Newtype
poll from March 2010, Kaworu was voted as the second most popular male anime character from the 1990s, after Shinji Ikari.
The bonus materials in volume nine of the English adaptation of the manga contain an article written by the editor Carl Gustav Horn which compares Kaworu to the character Satan in Mark Twain
's novella, The Mysterious Stranger
.
The possibly homosexual undertones of Kaworu's interactions with Shinji has been a persistent topic of debate among fans of Evangelion since the series' first run as discussed in the Patrick Drazen's book Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! Of Japanese Animation
. Patrick Drazen's self-admittedly minority view is that Kaworu's offer of love for Shinji is a tactic that Kaworu as the last Angel used to disarm Shinji. Gainax is clearly aware that the audience associates Kaworu with bishōnen
tropes, and have produced artworks such as splash pages for their website in reference to Kaworu's ambiguity and the audience's reaction to the character. However, whether Kaworu, an Angel, actually has any concept of sexuality as he is presented in the series is unclear. Mike Crandol regards Kaworu as being "representative of blind, total and unconditional love and acceptance, but like those things Kaoru turns out to not be real at all". The 1998 reviewer Kenneth Lee criticizes the character of Kaworu: "...the element of homosexuality is perhaps the most disturbing, gratuitous, and unnecessary aspect that presents itself in episode 24...Ultimately, the homosexuality issue seems nothing more than cheap shock value tactics to stun generation X" and considers the entire Shinji-Kaworu relationship "ludicrous and pathetically humorous"
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion
, commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful Japanese anime series that began airing in October 1995. The series was highly influential, and launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It garnered several major animation awards...
franchise. He is the Fifth Child and the seventeenth Angel, Tabris. He is sent to Nerv by Seele as a replacement pilot for Unit 02 after Asuka Langley Soryu
Asuka Langley Soryu
is a 14-year old fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. Within the series, she is designated as the Second Child and the pilot of the Evangelion Unit 02...
's synchronization ratio falls below usability. He later breaks into Terminal Dogma to return to Adam, but after he discovers the being there is actually Lilith, he permits Shinji Ikari
Shinji Ikari
is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Hideaki Anno. The protagonist of the series , he is the Third Child and pilots the Evangelion Unit 01...
to destroy him. He appears in The End of Evangelion
The End of Evangelion
is a 1997 Japanese animated science fiction film written and directed by Hideaki Anno along with Kazuya Tsurumaki; it ended the anime releases in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise until the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy remakes were announced in 2006....
during Third Impact, communicating with Shinji in regard to the choice of whether to accept or reject Instrumentality.
Conception
In early designs, Kaworu was depicted as a school boy with a pet cat who could switch to an "Angel form". In vol. 9 of the manga, one of Sadamoto's artworks is a portrayal of Kaworu dressed in black and holding a black cat.Kaworu was named by screenplay writer Akio Satsukawa. Kaworu's surname "Nagisa" comes from the Japanese word , meaning "waterside" or "shore," concerned with sea. It also comes from Japanese movie director Nagisa Oshima
Nagisa Oshima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
. Adding to these, the character "", when divided, can be read . The title of episode 24 is . "" includes two Japanese words read as "shisha" (the character "" only represents the sound "shi"). The first is , while the other is .
Gainax renders his name in Romaji as "Kaworu," not "Kaoru" as would be given by most romanization schemes. The reasons for the difference in the naming have not been explicitly detailed by the series' creators; one theory is that the name is based on the original kana
Kana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
of the name Kaoru Genji
Kaoru Genji
Kaoru Genji is a fictional character in The Tale of Genji . He is the son of Hikaru Genji's wife, "Third Princess" , and Genji's nephew Kashiwagi. Genji is aware of the affair by his wife and nephew Kashiwagi...
, from The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji
is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, around the peak of the Heian period. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first psychological novel or the first novel still to be...
.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Kaworu first appears in the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, in episode 24. He is shown sitting on a stone amongst wreckage due to the previous battle with Armisael, the Sixteenth Angel. Shinji is present, 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 ReiRei Ayanami
is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, a Japanese anime from Gainax. She is the First Child and pilot of the Evangelion Unit 00....
appears to not remember recent events. Kaworu abruptly tells Shinji music is beautiful after he stops humming, and begins conversing with him in a kind manner. Following their initial meeting, Kaworu and Shinji begin to strike up a friendship, enjoying each other's company.
After the Nerv staff become suspicious of Kaworu's high synchronisation 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 fight Shinji in Unit-01 after Shinji unsuccessfully tries to stab Kaworu with the progressive knife and is blocked by Kaworu's AT Field. 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 not in fact Adam, but rather Lilith, and after Shinji defeats Unit-02, allows Shinji to grasp him in Unit-01's hand. Following a period of silence, Shinji kills Kaworu by crushing him to death in Unit-01's hand.
The End of Evangelion
In The End of EvangelionThe End of Evangelion
is a 1997 Japanese animated science fiction film written and directed by Hideaki Anno along with Kazuya Tsurumaki; it ended the anime releases in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise until the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy remakes were announced in 2006....
, the Mass Production Evas' 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 makes his first appearance in the film during the initiation of the Human Instrumentality Project. Later, Kaworu, along with Rei, appears in Shinji's mind and argues with Shinji in regards to the case of humanity and in favor of individualism and free choice.
Rebuild of Evangelion
Promotional materials for Rebuild of EvangelionRebuild of Evangelion
Rebuild of Evangelion, known in Japan as , is a Japanese animated film series and a remake of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series. It is being produced by Studio Khara and KlockWorx in partnership with Gainax...
showed prominent images of Kaworu in his plugsuit with the other Children. In the first film, he briefly appears at the ending, in which he has a mysterious conversation with SEELE on the surface of the Moon. In the second film, Gendo and Fuyutsuki travel to the Moon to observe the construction of the Mark.06; much to Fuyutsuki's surprise, they see Kaworu sitting shirtless on top of the Eva in hard vacuum. He turns towards them and calls someone a father. At the end of the film Kaworu comes down from the Moon with the Mark.06 and impales Unit 01, aborting Third Impact. Afterwards he says that the promised time has come and that this time he will bring Shinji happiness. The preview of the third film shows Kaworu confronting the other pilots in an unknown location.
In other media
Kaworu makes appearances in various other media spin-offs of Neon Genesis EvangelionNeon Genesis Evangelion
, commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful Japanese anime series that began airing in October 1995. The series was highly influential, and launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It garnered several major animation awards...
, including various audio dramas and music CD's and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
is a Japanese character designer, manga artist, and one of the founding members of the Gainax anime studio. Before the studio was founded under the official name , he served as animator on the second animated project, the Daicon IV opening animation...
's adaptation of the anime
Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)
is a long-running manga series by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and published by Kadokawa Shoten. It began in the February issue of Shōnen Ace in December 1994. It consists of 13 volumes, each composed of several "stages" or chapters...
. Here, Kaworu is portrayed as being ignorant of human emotions and taboos regarding social interaction and personal space, creating some comic relief. His role is very similar to his anime counterpart's although some details have been altered, such as his friendship with Shinji not being immediate. Aside from Sadamoto's manga, Kaworu also appears as a supporting character in other titles, such as The Shinji Ikari Raising Project and Campus Apocalypse. In these manga appearances, Kaworu is typically portrayed in a lighter tone than in the series, with focus placed on his relationship with Shinji.
Kaworu also appears in video games based on the Evangelion franchise, including the popular cross-over franchise Super Robot Wars
Super Robot Wars
is a series of tactical role-playing video games produced by Banpresto, which is now a Japanese division of Namco Bandai. The main feature of the franchise is having a story that crosses over several popular mecha anime, manga and video games, allowing characters and mecha from different titles to...
. In the game's adaption of The End of Evangelion, Kaworu's spirit returns to take control of Unit-00 and aid Shinji in battle and help rescue Rei from inside Lilith. He also visits Nekki Basara and voices his approval of his music. He makes his final appearance during the final battle with Kaiser Ephes where he encourages the Eva pilots not give up. It is hinted in both the anime, movies, and the games that he is the exact same Kaworu every time, and remembers events from all timelines he has experienced. The chronological progression of Kaworu's experince seems to be, Evangelion, SRW Final, The End of Evangelion, SRW Alpha, SRW MX, SRW Alpha 3, SRW L and then to Rebuild of Evangelion. This has become a major source of speculation for fans that he is some sort of time lord.
Reception
As a promotion for its 10th Anniversary Special Edition of Evangelion, ADV Films published a humorous bumper stickerBumper sticker
A bumper sticker is an adhesive label or sticker with a message, intended to be attached to the bumper of an automobile and to be read by the occupants of other vehicles - although they are often stuck onto other objects...
which reads . Mania Entertainment's Chris Beveridge described Kaworu's death in the anime as an "extremely powerful moment" due to the fact that after a minute without dialogue, his head's shadow appears touching the water.
Kaworu Nagisa was the second most popular male character in the 1997 Animage
Animage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was serialized in Animage from 1982 through 1994...
poll; 1998 ranked him the 6th best male character of the year. In a Newtype
Newtype (magazine)
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
poll from March 2010, Kaworu was voted as the second most popular male anime character from the 1990s, after Shinji Ikari.
The bonus materials in volume nine of the English adaptation of the manga contain an article written by the editor Carl Gustav Horn which compares Kaworu to the character Satan in Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's novella, The Mysterious Stranger
The Mysterious Stranger
The Mysterious Stranger is the final novel attempted by the American author Mark Twain. It was worked on periodically from roughly 1890 up until 1910...
.
The possibly homosexual undertones of Kaworu's interactions with Shinji has been a persistent topic of debate among fans of Evangelion since the series' first run as discussed in the Patrick Drazen's book Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! Of Japanese Animation
Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! Of Japanese Animation
Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! Of Japanese Animation is a book of essays about anime written by Patrick Drazen. It was published on January 1, 2002 by Stone Bridge Press...
. Patrick Drazen's self-admittedly minority view is that Kaworu's offer of love for Shinji is a tactic that Kaworu as the last Angel used to disarm Shinji. Gainax is clearly aware that the audience associates Kaworu with bishōnen
Bishonen
is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...
tropes, and have produced artworks such as splash pages for their website in reference to Kaworu's ambiguity and the audience's reaction to the character. However, whether Kaworu, an Angel, actually has any concept of sexuality as he is presented in the series is unclear. Mike Crandol regards Kaworu as being "representative of blind, total and unconditional love and acceptance, but like those things Kaoru turns out to not be real at all". The 1998 reviewer Kenneth Lee criticizes the character of Kaworu: "...the element of homosexuality is perhaps the most disturbing, gratuitous, and unnecessary aspect that presents itself in episode 24...Ultimately, the homosexuality issue seems nothing more than cheap shock value tactics to stun generation X" and considers the entire Shinji-Kaworu relationship "ludicrous and pathetically humorous"