Recaps

After the others left Shinji’s hospital room, Zero collapsed from the pain of his injuries and dreamed of seeing his mother. The Mother of Ultra ordered him to return to the Land of Light for treatment, but he bargained to stay on Earth temporarily, and Shinji woke up asking what was really wrong with him.

• Zero sent Asuka, Rei Ayanami, and Kaworu Nagisa away, and Asuka returned to kiss Shinji’s forehead.
• Zero collapsed as his injuries overwhelmed him, then dreamed of his father holding him and saw his mother’s face clearly for the first time.
• The Mother of Ultra appeared and warned Zero that his body was close to collapse and that he had to return to the Land of Light for treatment.
• Zero refused to leave Earth while it remained in danger, and the Mother of Ultra agreed to send medical supplies and energy on the condition that he return afterward.
• Shinji woke up and confronted Zero about what was really wrong with him.

Shinji confronted Zero about his worsening condition, and Zero admitted that his injuries meant he had to return to the Land of Light for treatment. They promised to face danger together and reunite after Zero recovered, before Zero fell into a glass of water.

• Shinji noticed Zero's weakening responses and asked him to tell the truth about his condition.
• Zero admitted that his battles had badly injured him, that the Mother of Ultra had ordered him to return to the Land of Light, and that Shinji could no longer transform safely.
• Shinji insisted that he would not let Zero fight alone, and Zero praised how much Shinji had changed.
• Shinji told Zero to return for treatment without worrying about him, and Zero promised to come back as soon as he healed.
• Zero lost his balance, fell into a glass of water, and sank while Shinji tried to pull him out.

After the Yapool incident, NERV faced public criticism while Shinji’s classmates discussed the Ultramen and Zero’s companions visited him in the hospital. Guren’s angry outburst helped Zero overcome his fear of losing control again, and Zero then yielded Shinji’s body back to him.

• NERV revealed Alien Yapool to the public and promoted Pedanium Unit-03’s victories to answer criticism over the disappearances and its failure to respond.
• Kensuke told Toji, Asuka, Kaworu Nagisa, and Rei Ayanami about director Hideaki An*’s theories on the Ultramen, including Leo’s connection to Zero and Jack’s strength.
• Kaworu Nagisa brought lunch to Rei Ayanami, while Asuka grumbled that Shinji might be getting a brother-in-law.
• Mirror Knight and Guren visited Shinji, and Zero told them he feared Belial might possess him again and make him hurt his friends.
• Guren stopped his flaming punch just before Shinji’s face and reminded Zero that his companions trusted him; Zero regained his resolve and handed control back to Shinji.

Limings completed his first field mission with Mebius, then briefed the Ultra Brothers on Zero’s worsening injuries and the dangers of his continuing battles. The meeting ended with Zero ordered to return for treatment once the Jean Brothers replenished his energy, while the Land of Light’s leaders remained unable to identify Hayato Noda.

• Limings and Mebius defeated Devil Splinter-driven Kelbim, Dorako, and Bemstar, protected the planet’s inhabitants, and brought the splinters back for destruction.
• Mebius and Limings stopped for curry at the human cafeteria, but an urgent summons called them to Space Garrison headquarters.
• Limings briefed Father of Ultra, Mother of Ultra, and the Ultra Brothers on Zero’s accumulated injuries, including worsening wounds from Galactron MK2 and his recent battles.
• Ultraseven offered to relieve Zero, but Father of Ultra refused because Ultraseven’s Andromeda Nebula mission was unfinished; Mother of Ultra said Zero had been ordered to return for treatment once the Jean Brothers brought him energy.
• Father of Ultra and Zoffy learned that the Intelligence Bureau still had no reliable information about Hayato Noda, and Limings silently hoped Zero would survive until he could return.

After Yui Ikari’s rescue, Rei Ayanami learned from Gendo Ikari that she was free from his orders and began questioning her identity and the meaning of bonds. She chose to live as an independent person, and the chapter ended with her forming new relationships, including developing feelings for Kaworu Nagisa.

• Gendo Ikari told Rei Ayanami she was no longer a tool or vessel and did not have to obey his orders.
• On the train home, Rei Ayanami reflected on her freedom and on Zero and Shinji’s advice to seek true bonds.
• Rei Ayanami cleaned her apartment, reconsidered her attachment to Gendo Ikari’s damaged glasses, and recognized the care she received from Zero and Shinji.
• Rei Ayanami concluded that bonds were ties she could form for herself and that finding them was part of discovering her own existence.
• Rei Ayanami threw away Gendo Ikari’s glasses and chose to live as an independent person who would build her own relationships.
• Rei Ayanami grew closer to her family and Asuka, and began developing different feelings for Kaworu Nagisa after he rescued her from Unit-00.

Rei Ayanami adjusted to her new home and shared a ride to school with Misato, Shinji, Asuka, and Zero, where Jean-nine surprised them by singing. At lunch, Rei enjoyed Shinji’s cooking and resolved to learn to cook, while Hayato prepared to see how the White Mechanical Dragon would respond to this universe’s humans.

• Rei Ayanami greeted neighbors in her new residential district and rode to school in Misato’s self-driving car, Jean-nine.
• Jean-nine sang for the passengers, impressing Misato, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei, while Zero talked about music-loving species across the universe.
• Rei greeted classmates and listened in class as Zero entertained Shinji and Asuka with stories, pausing when the teacher covered important material.
• Shinji gave Rei a meat-free lunch and miso soup, and Rei decided she would learn how to cook.
• Hayato examined capsules depicting a White Mechanical Dragon at SEELE’s underground base and anticipated seeing what it would make of the humans in this universe.

SEELE tested the D4 Warhead, a weapon powered by other dimension energy, despite concerns that humanity could not control it. The test tore a vast area into an other-dimensional rift, and Hayato Noda watched as everything there vanished.

• Scientists aboard a warship discussed D4’s destructive potential and questioned why humanity needed a weapon based on other dimension energy.
• An officer defended the test, arguing that humanity could not rely on the Ultramen and needed greater power of its own.
• The fleet began the first D4 Warhead test, and six energy pylons fired into the weapon.
• The D4 blast cracked the sky, creating a widening rift that engulfed nearby islands, ships, people, and seawater.
• Hayato Noda revealed himself as the black mist and watched the rift disappear after swallowing everything in the area.

Bemstar attacked and consumed Satellite One and the International Space Station, then broke through the UN Army's defenses and headed for Japan. NERV learned it was vulnerable to an Energy Blast Missile, but Shinji and Zero were too injured to fight.

• Bemstar absorbed the satellite's laser and swallowed Satellite One, while the UN Army's command room lost contact with it.
• Bemstar attacked the International Space Station, and its distress call ended in screams and explosions.
• Gendo Ikari and NERV reviewed Bemstar's records and learned that the monster sought nitrogen, hydrogen, and helium and had once been defeated with an Energy Blast Missile.
• Gendo ordered the Science Division to try reproducing the missile while Misato reported that Shinji and Zero could not fight.
• Fuyutsuki learned that Bemstar had broken through the UN Army's defensive line and was flying toward Japan.

Bemstar destroyed UN Army fighters and attacked a chemical plant in Tokyo-3, where it swallowed hydrogen tanks and survived an explosion. As it turned on the Self-Defense Forces, Unit-00 and Unit-02 arrived to confront it.

• Bemstar destroyed the International Space Station, and UN Army fighters failed to damage it as it shot down several aircraft.
• Bemstar flew to a chemical plant in Tokyo-3 and swallowed several hydrogen tanks while workers and nearby residents evacuated.
• The Self-Defense Forces attacked Bemstar by igniting the hydrogen tanks, but the explosion left it unharmed.
• Bemstar advanced on the ground troops and fired Light Bullets at them.
• Unit-00 and Unit-02 landed between Bemstar and the Self-Defense Forces.

Unit-00 and Unit-02 fought Bemstar with newly built lances while Pedanium Unit-03 was diverted to respond to a new monster in Old Tokyo City. Glenfire went to intercept Birdon, leaving the EVAs to continue battling Bemstar.

• Unit-00 and Unit-02 fired missiles at Bemstar, but it absorbed them through the mouth on its belly.
• Rei Ayanami and Asuka used newly built Spark Lances to wound Bemstar and knock it to the ground.
• Kaworu Nagisa learned that Birdon had appeared in Old Tokyo City and began redirecting Pedanium Unit-03.
• Glenfire told Kaworu Nagisa to continue supporting the EVAs and flew toward Old Tokyo City to confront Birdon.
• Mirror Knight remained on standby in Tokyo-3 while Japan faced the space monsters' attacks.

Unit-00 and Unit-02 struggled against Bemstar, whose aerial attacks and digestive cavity badly damaged Unit-02 before Rei helped Asuka escape. As Kaworu approached the battlefield in Pedanium Unit-03, alarms announced that two more enormous life-forms had breached Japan’s atmosphere.

• Bemstar knocked Unit-02 down, dragged Unit-00 through buildings, and evaded Rei Ayanami's Laser Beam.
• Bemstar trapped Unit-02's right arm in its abdomen and began corroding it while Asuka struggled to break free.
• Zero took control of Shinji's body, advised Rei Ayanami to attack Bemstar from behind, and Rei blasted Bemstar's claw and back with a Laser Beam and missiles.
• Unit-02 escaped Bemstar's grip, and Asuka thanked Rei Ayanami for helping her.
• Kaworu Nagisa approached the battlefield in Pedanium Unit-03 as alarms reported that two enormous unidentified life-forms had entered Japan's atmosphere.

Two new space monsters arrived over Tokyo, and the UN Army used newly adapted anti-monster weapons to break apart their fiery shells. The revealed monsters were Space Battle Beast-Super C.O.V. and Strange Beast Gan-Q, leaving NERV and the defenders facing an even more dangerous fight.

• Misato learned that two more space monsters were approaching, while Shinji and Mirror Knight worried about the battles already underway and Zero's inability to transform.
• The UN Army's military satellites bombarded the fireballs with N2 Bombs, but the monsters survived and one absorbed several bombs with a purple beam.
• Fuyutsuki told Shinji that fighters equipped with weapons adapted from his universe's technology had launched to intercept the monsters.
• Dragon Country fighters fired Mars 133 and other lasers, breaking open the two fireballs.
• The monsters revealed themselves as Space Battle Beast-Super C.O.V. and Strange Beast Gan-Q.

Zero devised a plan to divide the forces against the four monsters while he and Shinji remained unable to transform. Shinji used Ultra Psychokinesis to redirect Super C.O.V. toward the coast, and Pedanium Unit-03 flew in to intercept it.

• Zero identified the newcomers as Super C.O.V. and Gan-Q, and recognized that the monsters had likely been sent by the Root Core Destruction Body.
• Mirror Knight left to support Unit-02 and Unit-00 against Bemstar and Gan-Q while Gendo Ikari assigned Kaworu Nagisa and the fighters to intercept Super C.O.V. and Birdon.
• Kaworu Nagisa launched Pedanium Unit-03 toward Tokyo-3 as the fighters split into groups and attacked Super C.O.V. and Birdon.
• Shinji and Zero used Ultra Psychokinesis to slow Super C.O.V. and alter its falling course while the fighters struck it with Mars 133 lasers.
• The lasers sent Super C.O.V. toward the coast, and Pedanium Unit-03 raced in to intercept it.

Kaworu Nagisa piloted Pedanium Unit-03 in a fierce fight against Super C.O.V. and destroyed it with a point-blank Pedanium Particle Beam, but the battle was not over.

• Super C.O.V. crashed into the coast of Tokyo-3, and Kaworu Nagisa attacked it with Pedanium Unit-03.
• Kaworu Nagisa fought Super C.O.V. with Unit-03’s axe and transforming drill arm, then hurled it to the ground.
• Pedanium Unit-03 and the supporting fighters bombarded Super C.O.V., but the monster survived and fired a barrage of yellow fireballs.
• Kaworu Nagisa trapped Super C.O.V. by pressing Unit-03’s massive gun against the crystal on its head and fired a point-blank Pedanium Particle Beam.
• Super C.O.V. exploded, and Pedanium Unit-03 flashed a V sign as Zero cheered, though the battle was not over.

Kaworu Nagisa was stranded when the Pedanium Unit-03 ran out of fuel and power, leaving Rei Ayanami, Asuka, and their allies to fight Bemstar and Gan-Q. Mirror Knight arrived just in time to save the fallen EVAs and joined the battle, while Unit-00 and Unit-02 resumed their attack on Bemstar.

• Kaworu Nagisa ran out of fuel and battery power in the Pedanium Unit-03 and put his faith in Rei Ayanami and the others.
• Gan-Q landed on the Tokyo-3 battlefield, and Asuka fired Unit-02's Spacium Cannon at him despite Zero's warning.
• Bemstar absorbed the Specium Ray and Gan-Q redirected it at Unit-00 and Unit-02, knocking both EVAs down.
• Bemstar and Gan-Q attacked the fallen EVAs, but Mirror Knight appeared and blocked their shots with a reflective barrier.
• Mirror Knight introduced himself, returned the spears to Unit-00 and Unit-02, and agreed to fight Gan-Q while they faced Bemstar.
• Unit-00 and Unit-02 attacked Bemstar as Mirror Knight struck Gan-Q with a Mirror Flying Kick.

Mirror Knight fought Gan-Q and let himself be absorbed so he could break the space inside its body. He escaped by destroying Gan-Q’s eye and finished the monster with his newly developed Mirror Inferno.

• Mirror Knight battered Gan-Q with kicks and Mirror Daggers, then attacked with Slicer V, but Gan-Q absorbed the Light Blades with its eye.
• Asuka held Bemstar back with Unit-02 while Unit-00 blasted it with missiles, but Gan-Q absorbed Mirror Knight into its body.
• Inside Gan-Q, Mirror Knight resisted its mental attack, used a mirror decoy to evade its Light Bullets, and destroyed the eyes attacking him.
• Mirror Knight expanded Mirror Barrier to find the weak point in Gan-Q’s inner space, then escaped by firing Silver Cross through its eye.
• Mirror Knight struck Gan-Q’s ruptured eye with Mirror Inferno, shattering and killing the monster.

Unit-00 and Unit-02 struggled to defeat Bemstar as their power ran low, until Dragon Country supplied an Energy Concentration Bomb that destroyed his absorption organ. They finished Bemstar with Specium Rays just as Mirror Knight defeated Gan-Q, ending the battle over Tokyo-3.

• Unit-02 and Unit-00 broke Bemstar’s horn and claws, but their power was running low and his abdominal absorption organ remained intact.
• Misato prepared to withdraw the EVAs, but Dragon Country’s NERV branch requested permission to launch an Energy Concentration Bomb designed to destroy Bemstar’s absorption organ.
• Gendo Ikari approved the launch, and Asuka and Rei maneuvered Bemstar into the missile’s path and forced him to absorb it.
• The bomb exploded inside Bemstar, mangling his abdomen and destroying his ability to absorb attacks.
• Unit-00 and Unit-02 fired Specium Rays at the wounded Bemstar and destroyed him as their power ran out.
• Mirror Knight defeated Gan-Q at the same moment, marking the end of the battle over Tokyo-3.

Guren fought Birdon in the ruins of Old Tokyo City, but Birdon poisoned his leg with its venomous beak. With help from the fighter squadron, Guren escaped and destroyed Birdon with his Flame Rush.

• Guren endured Birdon's flames and counterattacked, but Birdon's fire resistance limited the damage.
• Birdon pierced Guren's leg with its beak and injected venom, leaving him in pain and unable to fight effectively.
• Zero told Misato to have the fighters target Birdon's poison glands, and Guren held Birdon's head up for their attack.
• A fighter ruptured one of Birdon's poison glands, allowing Guren to break free.
• Guren unleashed Flame Rush and detonated the flames in his body, destroying Birdon.

After the battle, Zero and Shinji rested while Yui Ikari told Zero that NERV suspected Hayato Noda was an alien with ties to SEELE. Zero wondered whether the latest attack had another purpose, leaving the enemy’s plans unresolved.

• Zero returned control of the body to Shinji, then shrank into a tiny phantom as Shinji collapsed from exhaustion.
• Guren blamed Zero for holding back, but Misato and Mirror Knight calmed the argument and urged Shinji to rest.
• Yui Ikari took Shinji to bed, where Zero told her that someone was testing his combat abilities and might have helped Alien Yapool create the Other Dimension Killer.
• Yui Ikari revealed that Kaji had found a scientist named Shinya Kaburagi at the institute where Tyrant appeared, and NERV suspected he was Hayato Noda and that the institute was connected to SEELE.
• Yui Ikari said the plan was to move against SEELE after the Sixteenth Angel was dealt with, while Zero noted that the latest attack might not have been intended to collect combat data.

Hayato Noda unveiled SEELE’s completed Darklops Mecha Zero, a weapon built to defeat Zero and the other Giants of Light. He revealed that Zero could no longer transform and planned to use the Sixteenth Angel to begin the final stage of his scheme against him.

• Hayato showed SEELE the Darklops Mecha Zero and said its foundation came from the original Darklops Zero, enhanced with the D4 Ray, modifications, and Zero’s data.
• Hayato claimed the machine could defeat Zero, the Ultra Brothers, and even Adam and Lilith.
• SEELE confronted Hayato about Kaworu Nagisa betraying their plans, but Hayato dismissed Kaworu as a minor problem.
• Hayato told SEELE he had confirmed that Zero could no longer transform after he failed to appear during a major battle.
• Hayato revealed that he would use the Sixteenth Angel to begin the final stage of his plan and take away Zero’s ability to fight back.

Ultraseven worried as Zero’s life signs weakened, while Shinji struggled to recover in the EVA universe. The Sixteenth Angel appeared in Tokyo-3, and the EVAs were sent to confront it as it remained motionless.

• Ultraseven told Menos that Zero’s weakening life signs had left him worried, and Menos urged him to trust Zero’s ability to survive danger.
• Shinji woke feeling worse, learned from Zero that Asuka and the others had returned, and got up despite Zero’s warnings when the base alarm sounded.
• The command room detected an Angel and identified the strange, motionless ring in Tokyo-3 as the Sixteenth Angel, the Womb Angel.
• Guren remained unable to transform because of his injured leg, while Mirror Knight stayed behind with Pedanium Unit-03 to observe the Angel.
• Asuka, Rei Ayanami, and Kaworu Nagisa faced the Angel with the three EVAs, and Mirror Knight promised to shield them if it used mental attacks.

The Sixteenth Angel attacked the city center and proved to be an invasive type, infecting Unit-00 and then Pedanium Unit-03. With both Evangelions trapped and Shinji unable to fight, Mirror prepared to intervene.

• Shinji failed to lift a glass with Psychokinesis without suffering a severe headache, so Zero kept him from deploying in Unit-01.
• The Sixteenth Angel transformed and charged Pedanium Unit-03, but Rei Ayanami knocked it aside with Unit-00's Ultra Lance.
• The Angel wrapped around the lance, breached Unit-00's AT Field, and began merging with Rei and the Evangelion.
• Kaworu Nagisa tried to pull the Angel off Unit-00, but its tendrils invaded Pedanium Unit-03 through damaged joints.
• Mirror asked Ritsuko to turn the screen toward him and began using Mirror Spark.

As the Sixteenth Angel consumed Unit-00 and Rei Ayanami, Rei confronted the Angel within an LCL sea and rejected its attempt to make them one. She affirmed her identity and her bonds with humanity and the Giants of Light, leaving the Sixteenth Angel sneering at her answer.

• Kaworu Nagisa and Pedanium Unit-03 tried to pull the Sixteenth Angel away from Unit-00, but it continued consuming the Eva and Rei Ayanami.
• Rei Ayanami lost consciousness and encountered another version of herself in an orange LCL sea, which asked to become one with her.
• The other Rei revealed its hatred of the Giants of Light, accusing them of favoring humanity despite the Angels’ power and history.
• Rei defended the Giants of Light, saying they fought to protect life out of affection and a sense of justice.
• Rei declared herself an independent person with bonds of her own and resolved to answer the light like her brother.
• The Sixteenth Angel sneered at Rei’s answer.

Mirror Knight joined the battle to rescue Rei Ayanami from the Sixteenth Angel and coordinated an attack with Asuka and Kaworu Nagisa. A powerful purple beam interrupted their assault, and the descending figure left Zero and Shinji stunned.

• The Sixteenth Angel corrupted Rei Ayanami's appearance and held Unit-00 while civilians fled the battlefield.
• Mirror Knight arrived, but he could not teleport into Unit-00's Entry Plug, so he attacked the Angel with an Energy Sword.
• The Angel used the spear to knock aside Mirror Knight's attack, and a mass of flesh emerged from Unit-00, taking on traits of the Angels from the Third to the Fifteenth.
• Mirror Knight placed mirrors before Asuka and Kaworu Nagisa, redirecting their laser fire and his Mirror Eye Beam toward the Sixteenth Angel.
• A purple laser struck the ground and blasted the fighters back, as a figure resembling Zero descended and stunned Zero and Shinji.

Hayato Noda arrived in Dark Lops EVA and overwhelmed the defenders, while Shinji and Zero chose to transform and confront him. Dark Lops EVA destroyed Unit-02 and Mirror Knight and severed the Pedanium Unit-03, leaving the battle’s survivors in grave danger.

• Dark Lops EVA appeared, and Zero recognized the immense threat as Hayato Noda’s creation.
• Shinji insisted on fighting despite the danger to his body, and he transformed with the Zero Glasses after Mother of Ultra tried to stop him.
• Dark Lops EVA destroyed Unit-02 and crushed Asuka’s cockpit.
• Dark Lops EVA pierced Mirror Knight’s head with a Spinning Flash, and Mirror Knight’s crystal went dark after warning the others.
• Dark Lops EVA cut off the Pedanium Unit-03’s arms and severed it at the waist, knocking Kaworu unconscious.