{"id":3129,"date":"2021-03-29T22:00:51","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/?p=3129"},"modified":"2021-03-29T22:24:57","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T13:24:57","slug":"the-ending-of-evangelion-3-01-0-thrice-upon-a-time-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/29\/the-ending-of-evangelion-3-01-0-thrice-upon-a-time-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ending of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time<\/i> Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

With its stream of consciousness storytelling, musings on the nature of interpersonal relationships, and a healthy helping of giant robots punching each other in the face, it\u2019s understandable to be a bit confused by the ending of the final Rebuild of Evangelion<\/em> film, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time<\/em>\u2014especially after your first watch. So let\u2019s break down not only what happened but also what it means on both a storytelling and thematic level.<\/p>\n

Note: This article contains major spoilers for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

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At the climax of the film, Shinji once again gets back into the cockpit of Evangelion Unit 01 to face his father within the \u201cAnti-Universe\u201d\u2014a place where thought becomes reality. As they fight, they jump from location to location. Their surroundings, be they Tokyo-3 or Misato\u2019s dining room, are recreations drawn subconsciously from their memories. However, without a conscious focus on building their reality, these locations are only \u201creal\u201d on a surface level\u2014hence the live-action film set aesthetic whenever they push things too far. It is a way to visualize Shinji and Gendo\u2019 powers of creation within the Anti-Universe. After all, what is the film-making process if not the creation of a new reality?<\/p>\n

Of course, in such a place where thoughts become reality, combat ability doesn\u2019t matter. Only mental strength does. Neither Gendo nor Shinji can be defeated until the other gives up. Realizing this, Shinji takes Kensuke\u2019s advice from earlier in the film and decides to finally, after all this time, talk it out with his father.<\/p>\n

Back in the normal universe, Misato, Ritsuko, and the crew of the Wunder start preparing to use the spine of the flying ship to form a new spear. While the Spear of Longinus represents despair and resets humanity to try again and the Spear of Cassius represents hope and elevates humanity to a new plane of existence, the new spear that Misato and crew plan to make will reject both\u2014granting humanity the ability to continue on as is.<\/p>\n

Inside the Anti-Universe, Gendo seeks to use the Spear of Longinus and the Spear of Cassius together with the Black Lilith, \u201cEvangelion Imaginary,\u201d to meld the world of thought inside the Anti-Universe with the real world outside in the normal universe. In this way, he will cause an \u201cAdditional Impact\u201d and rewrite the world to make his wish come true: to be with his wife, Yui, once more.<\/p>\n

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As the end of the world begins on the outside, with the giant Lillith appearing to absorb the souls of those still living, Shinji approaches Gendo within the Anti-Universe. This causes AT fields to appear around Gendo but instead of fighting, Shinji returns the SDAT tape player to Gendo\u2014the only gift he ever got from his father. This kindness easily penetrates the AT fields. Gendo reveals his past and motivations to Shinji\u2014explaining how he suffered like Shinji when it came to forging relationships, believing that it was better to be alone.<\/p>\n

Then he met Yui and she changed his entire world\u2014showing his previous beliefs to be nothing more than lies he told himself to make life bearable. Everything was perfect as long as he had her. But with her death, his world fell apart.<\/p>\n

Driven to get her back, he tried to resurrect her in the form of Rei but Rei never had Yui\u2019s soul. Faced with that failure, he decided to go all out and co-opt Seele\u2019s plans for The Human Instrumentality Project. And now, having done that, he plans to use the Additional Impact to make a world free of strife, filled with nothing but purified souls. It is here his soul will be with Yui\u2019s once more.<\/p>\n

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Gendo\u2019s musings are interrupted as Misato, back in the normal universe, sacrifices herself and the Wunder to get the newly created Spear of Gaius to Shinji. In her last moments, she stares at the picture of her two \u201csons,\u201d the one she birthed, Ryoji, and the one she raised, Shinji\u2014knowing that they now will have a chance to live on.<\/p>\n

Back inside on the all-too-literal train of thought, Gendo reflects on his relationship with his own son. He believed Shinji\u2019s life would be better without him in it. But now, in the face of the unwavering love of a mother for her children, Gendo realizes that he was wrong. And in the process, he understands that Yui\u2019s soul was inside Shinji all along. To get the human connection he was longing for, all he needed to do was not abandon his son. Shaken profoundly, Gendo gets off the train, fully relinquishing control of the Additional Impact to Shinji.<\/p>\n

It is then that Shinji is joined by the soul of Kaoru who asks Shinji for his wish.<\/p>\n

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When this moment happened back in the End of Evangelion<\/em>, Shinji\u2019s wish was to be alone so that no one could ever hurt him again. However, after that came to pass, he reflected on all he had experienced in the TV series and decided human connection was worth the emotional pain it would cause\u2014leaving him and a disgusted Asuka on the beach in the film\u2019s final scene.<\/p>\n

However, the Shinji of Thrice Upon a Time<\/em> has learned a far different lesson thanks to his time in Village-3 earlier in the film. You shouldn\u2019t give love expecting love in return. You should give love selflessly because you care about those around you and want them to obtain happiness. Thus, Shinji\u2019s wish in Thrice Upon a Time<\/em> isn\u2019t for himself, but for those he cares about\u2014starting with Asuka.<\/p>\n

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Within Unit 13, Asuka\u2019s soul dreams about her past where it is revealed that, like Rei, she is a clone and is but one of many. But out of all the other Asukas she was the one to stand out\u2014to become the final remaining Asuka. However, even then she couldn\u2019t get the love and recognition she wanted\u2014the love she saw from families all around her. However, in this dream she finds herself comforted by Kensuke, the man who sees her only as \u201cAsuka,\u201d the woman he loves, and nothing more.<\/p>\n

Asuka awakens beside Shinji on the beach from The End of Evangelion<\/em>. In that film Shinji brings Asuka back to life for his own personal gain\u2014i.e., gives her life for the sole reason that he doesn\u2019t want to be lonely. However, the Thrice Upon a Time<\/em>, Shinji only wants to tell her his feelings before he lets her go to claim the happiness that awaits her. He thanks her for liking him back when they were kids and admits he liked her too before recombining her body and soul inside Unit 13\u2019s entry plug and ejecting her out of the Impact so she can be with the person she actually loves: Kensuke.<\/p>\n

Then comes Kaoru\u2019s turn. In the midst of the Additional Impact with the Spear of Gaius in hand, Shinji can see that the story of Evangelion<\/em> has happened again and again in various ways. Kaoru, on the other hand, has actually experienced all of these timelines. His existence has been to live these events over and over for all eternity. And while Kaoru has claimed it is his wish to make Shinji happy, what he really longs for is to be happy himself. So Shinji places Kaoru within a timeline where he, Kaji, and Misato can retire in peace.<\/p>\n

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Lastly, it is Rei\u2019s turn. In her arms, she holds a doll with the name of Toji\u2019s daughter, \u201cTsubame,\u201d written on it. Shinji takes this as a sign and decides to create an entirely new world for her: a world without Evangelions where Rei can learn the pleasure of a normal life like her counterpart \u201cRei 06\u201d did at the start of the film. He ushers her through the gate into this world as it\u2019s being created, telling her that he\u2019ll catch up with her as soon as Mari arrives\u2014as he had promised to wait for her.<\/p>\n

However, Shinji soon realizes that to create this new world, he must first eliminate Evangelions from the equation, impaling both the Evangelion and himself with the new spear. This in turn means he will not be alive to enter this new world himself but it is a sacrifice he is willing to make for humanity.<\/p>\n

However, as he tries to impale himself, the spirit of his mother stops him and ejects him from Unit 01. With her in Unit 01 and Unit in Eva 13, they make the sacrifice for him, ensuring that their child will be able to find happiness in the world he has created.<\/p>\n

With this done, the Additional Impact starts to end and the creation of Shiji\u2019s new world begins. As the souls of all those who have died are reformed into the people to populate the new world, Shinji sits alone on the beach from The End of Evangelion<\/em>\u2014though now with a bright sky and beautiful clear water.<\/p>\n

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The animation degrades, first losing color and then becoming nothing more than keyframes as the new world is completed and the imaginary one disappears. But moments before it does, Mari arrives in her Evangelion\u2014which has survived for so long because it is not one Eva but many in a single body. She leaves it as it disappears and moves to join Shinji on the beach\u2014to be his companion in the new world.<\/p>\n

This is in direct contrast to The End of Evangelion<\/em> where Shinji forced Asuka to be his companion\u2014literally making this the reason for her existence (regardless of whether she loved him or not). In Thrice Upon a Time<\/em>, Mari has chosen to accompany Shinji of her own free will.<\/p>\n

Now to be clear, Mari doesn\u2019t really know<\/em> Shinji. They aren\u2019t friends. In fact, this is the fourth time they\u2019ve ever met. However, his selflessness for those he cares about has shown her what kind of man he has grown up to be. And that is someone she wants to be with (not necessarily romantically) in this new world.<\/p>\n

And so the pair appear in the new world. Shinji, the boy who has been 14-years old since we first met him in 1995, has finally grown into a man. He sits in a train station. On the opposing platform, he sees this world\u2019s versions of Rei, Asuka, and Kaoru. Behind him is Mari. Covering his eyes, she repeats what she said to him earlier in the film\u2014showing that she, like himself, still remembers the world they came from. Filled with happiness, the two of them run smiling into the new world they created, the \u201cNeon Genesis without Evangelions.\u201d<\/p>\n