Fight Scenes from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Okay, continuing from last time, today it's some fight scenes from my favorite Japanese anime series.


In this fight scene from episodes 1 and 2, the boy Shinji Ikari has never even seen a giant robot before, much less piloted one. But he's their last hope— the only person available who's capable of "synchronizing" with an Eva— so they just shove him in the entry plug of Eva Unit 01, and send him out, with no practice or experience, to fight Sachiel, the Third Angel.


From episode 18. Commander Ikari: "Reclassify Evangelion Unit 03 as the Thirteenth Angel! All units, the target must be destroyed!" —Shinji Ikari, piloting Eva Unit 01: "But father, there's a pilot in that Eva, a kid just like myself!" Shinji refuses to fight, so Commander Ikari seizes remote control of Unit 01 and makes it destroy Unit 03, as Shinji cries, "No, father! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!"

Only afterwards does Shinji learn that the pilot of Unit 03 was his friend Touji.


From episode 19. Asuka in Unit 02 and Rei in Unit 00 fail to stop the Fourteenth Angel, which is advancing on headquarters. Shinji had vowed never to pilot again, but he has a change of heart and returns in Unit 01 just in the nick of time. But then, in mid-fight, the power reserves in Unit 01 run out...

Like I say, NGE is not exactly Yogi Bear or Bugs Bunny, and it's not likely to turn up on network TV here in the US any time soon. Eh, slightly violent?! Though this is the kind of cartoon I would've just loved, back when I was a kid— say, circa 1968?