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The following is a timeline for the events in the Japanese animation series Neon Genesis Evangelion and the related movies Revival of Evangelion. All information given is entirely fictional and only serves a purpose for the show itself.

First Impact[]

While no specific dates are known, these are the events which take place before the beginning of human and angel life. Most of the information provided here isn't discussed during Neon Genesis Evangelion, instead it is shown in the Classified Information files from the Neon Genesis Evangelion II video game. For details on the cannonicity, see that page.

Year Unknown[]

  • Fearing extinction, the First Ancestral Race send the seven Seeds of Life, each including a Spear of Longinus, across the galaxy to spread and preserve their existence. The purpose of the spears were to act as control mechanisms to ensure if two moons were to land on the same planet only one would create life.
  • The white moon containing Adam and a Spear of Longinus lands in the Antarctic region of Earth and begins to spread angel life.
  • Very soon after, the black moon containing Lilith lands on Earth creating the crater which would eventually house the GeoFront causing the First Impact. During this landing, the Spear of Longinus contained within was destroyed.
  • Unable to stop the spread of life, the black moon begins to spread life. Suspended by its own spear, the white moon would stop spreading life. As a result of this impact, humans, born from Lilith, would be come to inhabit the planet instead of life born from Adam.

Pre-Second Impact[]

Second impact

Second Impact

Mainly consisting of information shown in Episode:21 and adult character birthdays, the events in this section mainly serve the purpose of exploring how the Second Impact came to be.

1956[]

1967[]

1977[]

1985[]

1986[]

1991[]

1999[]

  • Gendo Rokubungi and Kozo Fuyutsuki first meet.
  • Gendo Rokubungi marries Yui Ikari and takes her last name.

2000[]

  • September 10 - The Katsuragi Expedition arrives in Antarctica to investigate "Adam."
  • September 12 - Gendo Ikari returns to Japan from Antarctica, taking the research data with him. He knows in advance what the results of the next day's "Contact Experiment" with Adam will be. Gendo and Yui conceive Shinji. Second Impact is only hours away.
  • September 13 - Second Impact occurs due to the "Contact Experiment resulting in the death of Dr. Katsuragi dies among many others and the birth of Kaworu Nagisa born (according to in-show reference).
  • September 15 - A refugee incident leads to war between India and Pakistan.
  • September 20 - Tokyo-1 is destroyed by a nuclear bomb (as opposed to a N² mine)

Post Second Impact[]

First propotype eva (ep 21)

First Evangelion Prototype

After the events of the Second Impact, the events in this section show the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic event while also setting up for the start of the series.

2001[]

2002[]

  • During the official investigation of the Second Impact with Gendo, Fuyutsuki finds Misato Katsuragi in confinement and suffering from aphasia.
  • February 18 - Hikari Horaki born.

2003[]

2004[]

  • Yui Ikari disappears during contact experiments with Unit-01 in Hakone 2nd Underground Laboratory. Gendo initiates NERV's involvement in the "Instrumentality Project" and the "Adam Project", and places Shinji in the care of a relative or acquaintance.
  • The first Rei Ayanami is created during this period but there is some debate as to the precise date and year (between 2004 and 2006).

2005[]

  • Asuka is selected to be the Second Child. Asuka's mother, Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu (who had gone insane shortly before), commits suicide.
  • Asuka's father remarries.
  • Misato Katsuragi befriends Ritsuko Akagi; she also meets and begins living with Ryoji Kaji.
  • The Japanese Diet approves the building of a new capital in Fuji-Hakone.
  • Construction of Tokyo-3 begins.

2007[]

  • Misato and Kaji break up.

2008[]

  • Planning and design for the MAGI Super Computer System is completed.
  • Construction of the MAGI supercomputer begins.
  • Ritsuko Akagi graduates from Tokyo-2 University and joins her mother in the research arm of Gehirn, where she learns of Naoko's affair with Gendo.

2009[]

  • Ryoji Kaji joins Gehirn.
  • Misato Katsuragi joins Gehirn's 3rd Branch in Hamburg, Germany.

2010[]

MAGI0

Completed MAGI supercomputer

  • Rei Ayanami (I) first publicly encountered.
  • Construction of the MAGI Super Computer System is completed. That night, Rei Ayanami (I) is strangled by Naoko Akagi for telling Naoko that Gendo did not love her and was using her as a tool. Naoko Akagi commits suicide by jumping onto the MAGI.
  • SEELE disbands Gehirn and moves all assets and personnel to the newly formed NERV in reaction to the death of Dr. Akagi.

2012[]

  • Shinji sees his father for the first time in 8 years at that anniversary of Yui's death; he flees Gendo and the grave.

2014[]

  • Rei Ayanami (II) transfers into the New Tokyo-3 1st Municipal Junior High School.
  • Construction of entry plugs finishes.

Present Events[]

Eva01launch

Evangelion Unit-01s first sortie

The timeline of events heavily overlapping with the main story shown in Neon Genesis Evangelion and The End of Evangelion See it for a more unified overview. Dates are rarely mentioned in the anime, and often there are multiple possibilities. Events are given in order, with possible dates listed if known.

2015[]

  • Rei Ayanami (II) begins attempting to synchronize with Eva Unit-00, which she will only succeed in doing 7 months later.
  • Rei Ayanami (II) injured during a test of Unit-00.
  • Episode:01 - The third Angel, Sachiel, attacks Tokyo-3, first beginning the pattern of constant Angel attacks which will last up to the seventeenth Angel. Gendo Ikari orders Shinji Ikari to Tokyo-3, where he joins NERV. After Unit-01 goes berserk and defeats Sachiel, Shinji moves into Misato Katsuragi's apartment.
  • Episode:03 - Three weeks after Sachiel's attack the 4th Angel Shamshel attacks and is defeated by Unit-01; Kensuke and Toji are aboard, and this shared experience marks the true beginning of their friendship with Shinji.
  • Core of Shamshel retrieved in good condition.
  • Episode:06 - 5th Angel Ramiel attacks and is defeated.
  • Episode:07 - Jet Alone is hacked by NERV to prevent competition from lowering their funding
  • Episode:08 - 6th Angel Gaghiel attacks and is defeated. Asuka Langley Sohryu joins NERV and Ryoji Kaji delivers Adam, in an embryonic state, to Commander Gendo Ikari, and is attached to NERV headquarters.
  • September 11[2] - The 7th Angel, Israfel attacks and is destroyed.
  • Gendo Ikari has Adam grafted onto the palm of his right hand.
  • Episode:10 - Asuka defeats the 8th Angel, Sandalphon, in a volcano.
  • Episode:11 - 9th Angel Matarael attacks and is defeated.
  • Episode:12 - The Lance of Longinus retrieved from Antarctica by Gendo and Fuyutsuki where it had previously been used in the White Moon against Adam.
  • Episode:12 - 10th Angel Sahaquiel attacks and is defeated.
  • Episode:13 - 11th Angel, Ireul, penetrates a "protein wall" defense in NERV and begins to crack the MAGI system. Iruel is not defeated, instead being put into a state of submission.
  • Episode:14 - Unit-00 tasked with using Lance of Longinus for an unknown task; possibly arresting development of Lilith in Terminal Dogma.
  • Episode:16 - 12th Angel, Leliel, attacks and is defeated.
  • Episode:17 - Unit-04 is lost after a problem during a test of its S² Engine destroys it and the entire 2nd US NERV installation surrounding it.
  • Episode:18 - Unit-03 is transported to Japan from the 1st US NERV branch for activation test with Toji Suzuhara designated as its pilot. The test is a failure as the unit becomes possessed by the thirteenth Angel, Bardiel. After being reclassified as an angel, it is ultimately destroyed by Unit-01 under the control of the Dummy Plug system. Toji loses his leg as a result of this battle and Shinji choses to leave NERV. (Alternative date: January 2016)[3])
    • In the manga, Toji dies during this battle.
  • Episode:19 - The 14th Angel, Zeruel, attacks causing Shinji to return to NERV. Zeruel is eaten by a berserk Unit-01 and its S² Engine is absorbed into the unit giving it unlimited power reserves. As a result of the high synchronization rate, Shinji is dissolved into the Eva.(alternative date : January 2016[3])
  • Episode:20 - 30 days later - NERV recover Shinji and his body from within the Entry Plug.
  • Episode:21 - Ryoji Kaji is shot to death by an unknown person.
  • Episode:22 - Lance of Longinus lost killing the 15th Angel (Arael) rendering it inaccessible for SEELE's purposes.
  • Episode:23 - Rei Ayanami (II) self-destructs her Eva, killing herself and the 16th Angel (Armisael), and Tokyo-3. (Alternative date: March 2016[3])
  • Episode:23 - To strike at Gendo, Ritsuko Akagi destroys the Dummy Plug System and all Rei clones except for the recently activated Rei III.
  • Episode:24 - Asuka Soryu breaks down and is no longer capable of piloting an Evangelion. SEELE sends Kaworu Nagisa as a replacement.
  • Episode:24 - Shinji Ikari kills the seventeenth Angel, Tabris, in the form of a human boy named Kaworu Nagisa. (Alternative date: March 2016[3])
  • Episode:25' - With the last Angel except for the humans, Adam, and Lilith dead, SEELE and NERV turn on each other as SEELE attempts to put into operation its Human Instrumentality Plan.

At this point, the TV series begins focusing on the Instrumentality of Shinji, while The End of Evangelion records the war between SEELE and NERV, and 3rd Impact.

  • The other MAGI branches attempt to crack the Tokyo-3 MAGI, and fail.
  • The JSSDF invades NERV headquarters, but fails to prevent Asuka and Shinji from launching with their respective Evangelions. Asuka is eventually defeated by the Mass Production Evangelion units after Unit-02's power runs out. Shinji and Unit-01 initiate 3rd Impact.

2016[]

  • 1 January[4]
    • Rei Ayanami (III) reunites with Lilith's body and merges with Adam, whom she absorbed along with Gendo Ikari's right hand.
    • Third Impact occurs.
    • Shinji Ikari rejects Human Instrumentality.

Notes[]

The definitive draft for Episode:04 included in Evangelion Original features this calendar, placing Episode:04 in July 15th, 2015. Its canonicity is uncertain, however:

“Day b. - Thursday, 7-13-2015 (4th angel attacks)
Day b+1 - Friday, 7-14-2015- Episode 3 end
Day b+2 - Saturday, 7-15-2015
Day b+3 - Sunday, 7-16-2015
Day b+4 - Monday, 7-17-2015
Night in the movie theater. Day b+5 - Tuesday, 7-18-2015
Night in Kensuke’s camp. Episode 4 ends.”

References[]

  1. ↑ The exact year of his birth is disputed as various sources have conflicting information. While 1956 is the generally agreed upon year by the community, sources also list 1955 and 1957 as possible years for his birth.
  2. ↑ According to the calendar in Episode 09 with the 11th falling on a Friday. Shinji later spends 30 days absorbed inside of Eva Unit-01 in episode 20. If was in December, it would be 2016, but the computers indicate 2015. Thus, Israfel's destruction can be firmly dated as September 11th, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 According to the "Ayanami Raising Project" video game.
  4. ↑ In The End of Evangelion, during the battle between Asuka and the Mass Production Evangelions, Maya Ibuki's laptop lists the date as being 2015; but episode 26 of the TV series explicitly states in the intro that the Complementation of Shinji, which entails the Third Impact which itself takes place within a day of Asuka's battle, is in 2016 ("The year is 2016 A.D. / The thing that people had lost / In other words, the instrumentality of souls was still ongoing / However, there is far too little time left to make mention of it all / Therefore, now, we will take the boy named Shinji Ikari / and tell the story of the instrumentality of his soul.") Hence, if the original ending and End of Evangelion are assumed to take place in the same universe, the only pair of feasible dates is December 29th for the death of Kaoru, December 31st for Asuka's battle, and January 1 for the Third Impact. However, this ties into the larger debate of how to reconcile the TV series ending with End of Evangelion.


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This article contains content from the EvaGeeks.org Wiki article Neon Genesis Evangelion Timeline. Please view that page's revision history for the list of authors.
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The events from the Evangelion New Theatrical Edition movies mostly have dates omitted from them, like Second Impact. However, the December 2006 issue of NewType Magazine has producer Toshimichi Otsuki mentioning "the new story takes place in the same period as the 1995 TV series", which implies that the major events from the new movies occur relatively close to the time they occur in the TV Series. Of some of the details when a date is shown, we see that they're relatively close.

Distant Past[]

Longinus

Four of five spears of Longinus

Year Unknown[]

  • Beings who were not of this world (referred to as gods) cast seeds of life upon Earth.[1]
  • The white and black moons crashed into Earth landing in Antarctica and Japan respectively.
  • The white moon contained five Adams[2] and five Spears of Longinus, the Black moon contained Lilith along with a Spear of Cassius for a total of 6 spears.[3]

Pre-Rebuild of Evangelion[]

Events taking place or likely taking place before the start of Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone

Year 11805[]

  • June 21 - Construction of the Guardian of the Guf class ships begins[4]

2004[]

Yui's absorbed into Unit-01 (Rebuild)

Yui Ikari being absorbed into the core of Evangelion Unit-01

  • Yui Ikari dies during an experiment involving Evangelion Unit-01. Unbeknownst to those working on the experiment, she intentionally sacrificed herself to place her soul into the unit[5].

Unspecified Year[]

Present Events[]

Events taking place during Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone and Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

2017[]

14 Year Time-Skip[]

Most of the important questions regarding the timeline of the Rebuild movies is the gap between Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance and Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo as while it's explicitly stated 14 years have passed between near third impact and Shinji awakening on the AAA Wunder, where specific events are placed during this stretch of time is unclear.

Pre-Civil War[]

During a stage greeting, Hideaki Anno provided some information about some of the events occurring during the 14 year gap.[6]

Immediately following the events of Evangelion 2.0, third impact (later known as near-third impact) is stopped when Evangelion Mark.06 throws the Spear of Cassius through Evangelion Unit-01. After the destruction of Tokyo-3 and the massive number of deaths which occurred, Gendo and Fuyutsuki are ousted from their position of commander and deputy commander replaced by Kaworu and Kaji[7]. While Kaworu and Kaji worked to preserve NERV and its staff, they were ultimately supposed to be working for SEELE to fulfill their goals.

Due to his position of power, it is likely Kaji discovered the true nature of SEELE and their goals which acted as the catalyst for the formation of WILLE. It is unclear how long WILLE was working in the shadows before the civil war took place, however considering their extensive plan and large crew it is reasonable to assume

During this time Kaji and Misato would also begin to redevelop their previous relationship and eventually conceive a child[8].

Gendo somehow reassumes command at NERV

Gendo uses SEELE, another battle occurs ( probably with the 11th or 12th angel )

Third impact occurs

Kaji dies to stop Third Impact

Between 2017 and 2035[]

  • Four Guardian of the Guf Class Battleships are completed and are each outfitted with one of the five Adams.<ref>The specifics around this are greatly contested since very little information is given in regards to the specific number of Adams
  • WILLE is founded in secret by members of NERV in order to stop NERV. The exact reason for their creation is not revealed.
  • Evangelion Unit-01 is launched into space


Post Time-Skip[]

Events taking place during Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo and Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time


Speculation[]

What Year did the First Two Movies Take Place in?[]

The first question raised is what year the original films take place in, with the two realistic options being 2007 and 2018. There are two scenes which contribute evidence to determine which of these years is accurate.

First, in one of the classroom scenes early in Evangelion 1.0, shortly after Shinji becomes the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01, there's a notice pinned up on the classroom's bulletin board which has the date 11/13 and in parentheses it says "Monday". The years 2006, 2017, and 2023 all have November 13th occur on a Monday, however, since Shinji is in middle school, it can't be 2023 because Yui's been gone since 2004 which would make Shinji much older, likewise, it can't be 2006 because at the grave site, Gendo says "The last time we came here was three years ago", which would make it at least 2007 (although it's possible that by this time in the movie, it's 2007). The beginning of the school year probably occurred in the year 2017. The same notice is also on the bulletin board throughout 2.0.

Second, during one of the scenes in Misato's apartment in Evangelion 2.0, shortly after Asuka moves in, there's a calendar visible that says "February" (28 days) with the first of the month occurring on a Thursday. The years 2007, 2018, and 2024 all have February first falling on a Thursday. 2007 would have the same logistical issues with when Shinji becomes the pilot for Evangelion Unit-01 and 2024 is a leap year so the number of days won't fit in the calendar. This leaves 2018 as the best fitting year for Asuka's arrival.

Assuming the events of Evangelion 2.0 happened in 2018, this means the events of Evangelion 3.0 occur in 2032, due to the 14 year timeskip.

How Long was the Gap Between Near third and Third Impact?[]

One big question is how long was the gap between near third impact and third impact. While this question can't be answered, there are a few points to consider. First, the son of Misato and Kaji is stated to be the same age as Shinji was which would make him 14 when he meets Shinji during Thrice upon a time. It's also known he was born no more than 9 months after the civil war took place since Misato was pregnant when the war took place. With this in mind, it would be convienent to say there was at most one year between his birth and his meeting with Shinji, however an unknown amount of time also passed during Evangelion 3.0 during Shinji's stay at NERV and in Thrice upon a time during Shinji's self exile at the ruins which complicates things.

It's possible that the timeline that the first two movies cover are either from 2006-2007 or 2017-2018. If we are to assume the validity of Otsuki's statement, 2017-2018 makes more sense. If Second Impact occurred at relatively the same time as the TV series (2000-ish), then it would mean the children were born before Second Impact, but the conversation between Shinji and Kaji during the field trip in Evangelion 2.0 seem to imply that Shinji is completely unfamiliar with what life was like prior to Second Impact, making it unlikely that he was born before.

When did Operation US Take Place?[]

While there is no exact answer to this question, there are two peices of evidence which act as red herrings to suggest it occoured imidately before Shinji's reawakening; Asuka's plugsuit being the same as what she wore during the operation despite her having an undamaged one and the suggestion of needing Evangelion Unit-01 to power the AAA Wunders flight, a feat which is accomplished almost imediately after Shinji awakens. The implication of these two incidents along with showing the recovery of Shinji and his awakening back to back imply it all happened relatively quickly however this can't be the case for several reasons. First, both Evangelion Unit-02 and 08 have been entirely refitted in entirely different armor, second, despite Asuka not having a new plugsuit, Mari does and third Unit-01 was installed into the Wunder between the operation and the Wunders first flight, processes which takes at least some time.

In Evangelion 3.0 (-120 min.), the lead up to Operation US is shown explaining why Asuka wears her original damaged plugsuit. She choses to wear it for sentimental reasons as she is going to see Shinji, a reason which can be applied to her visit to Shinji once after he awakens too. As for Unit-01 being needed for flight, it is likely preparations to integrate the unit into the Wunder began in pararell to the recovery of Shinji and that the preparition for flight took around the same amount of time as his recovery.

Because of the ambiguity sorrounding the operation, it is completly impossible to accurately place it onto a timeline. With WILLE running the operation, it at a minimum took place after the civil war. It's possible this one of WILLE's first operations, it also could have been their most recent. Looking at Neon Genesis Evangelion, it took NERV one month to salvage Shinji after a similar incident occoured. While technology advanced greatly in the rebuild series, there are enough similarities between the two situations to say it's possible it took a month.

Beyond these considerations, there is no other evidence to suggest the operations placement on the timeskip timeline. In short it's possible the operation took place anytime between the civil war and about a month before Shinji reawakened.

How Much Time Passed During Evangelion 3.0 and Thrice Upon a Time?[]

There are three major passages of time in these two movies; Shinji's stay at NERV Headquarters, Shinji's self exile at the ruins and Shinji's time at Village-3.

First, after Shinji returns to NERV, some amount of time passes between his arrival and departure as evidence by a montage and the extensive repairs done to the AAA Wunder as well as the rest of WILLEs fleet.



References[]

  1. ↑ In Thrice Upon A Time, Gendo Ikari specifically states "Beings who were not human left behind in this place six spears, the Adams and the world of gods." in reference to the Minus space." This statement along with other statements made by Gendo about killing the gods are clear confirmation that extraterrestrial beings exist, although details or specifics beyond this aren't provided
  2. ↑ The true number of Adams is debated as in Evangelion 2.0, only four Adams are actually seen. Despite what was shown in 2.0, all evidence provided in Thrice Upon A Time points to there being five as one Adam is located in Evangelion 13 for certain with one presumably being placed into either each of Mark.09-12, each of the Guardian of the Guf class battleships or most likely some mix of both (that being an entirely separate debate). Regardless, since there are five spears of longinus and five vesicles for the Adams to inhabit, it is only reasonable to conclude that there were in fact five Adams, not four.
  3. ↑ Gendo states that there were six spears in total. Knowing one spear of Cassius exists and 2 spears of Longinus exist, as well as that there is one Lilith and five Adams, it is reasonable to assume each Adam came with a spear of Longinus and Lilith came with a spear of Cassius.
  4. ↑ While no information is given regarding the construction timeline for the ships, a plaque can be seen withing the AAA Wunder stating that the hull was laid June 12, 11805. While the year doesn't make sense using the Gregorian calendar, it could be explained using the Holocene calendar which adds 10 000 years to the equivalent Gregorian year. One common criticism of this is the idea that the ships couldn't have started construction until after the Adams were awoken during second impact, however the dead sea scrolls which the Adams and served as the guide for SEELE and eventually NERVs plans and were around far longer than the second impact so it's not unreasonable to assume the construction began before second impact. This also supports the theory that SEELE are not human or at least at some point rejected their humanity as they would have needed to have been around to order the construction in the first place.
  5. ↑ Near the beginning of Evangelion 2.0, when Gendo and Shinji are visiting Yui's grave, we see that the grave stone is marked "2004", indicating that her "death" was in 2004 which is the same as in the TV Series.
  6. ↑ [1]
  7. ↑ The comments from Anno imply the scenes shown of Kaworu and Kaji in Thrice upon a time were flashbacks and did actually occur
  8. ↑ During the flashback to third impact in Thrice upon a time, Misato shows no visible signs of being pregnant. First time mothers generally start showing signs of pregnancy after around 3 or 4 months of pregnancy which means from conception to third impact no more than 4 months could have passed.


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