NERV Staffs

Gendo Ikari is the commander of NERV. He is responsible for the research done on the Evas, Rei Ayanami, and the Human Instrumentality Project. He is the father of the Third Children, Shinji Ikari, and the guardian of Rei. His original surname was Rokubungi, but he changed it to Ikari following his marriage to Yui. At the start of the series, he is the only person having an effective connection to Rei. As the series progresses, his unscrupulous past is revealed, as is the intensity with which he loved Yui. He also bears a resemblance to director Hideaki Anno

Age
48

Sex
Male

Blood Type
A

Birthday
April 29, 1967

Relations
Son: Shinji Ikari
Wife: Yui Ikari
Guardian of: Rei Ayanami

Japanese seiyuu
Fumihiko Tachiki

English voice actor
Tristan MacAvery (series and movies)
John Swasey (”Director’s Cut” episodes)

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Once a professor of meta-biology at Kyoto University, Kouzou Fuyutsuki is now Deputy Commander of NERV under Gendo. But he is not a military man, despite his professional bearing and seeming ease of command. In the director’s cut, it is revealed that he has had some sort of training as a physician though he has either lost or never acquired a license to practice medicine. There is no indication given during the series of any romantic relationships or of any dependents. In the episode The Birth of NERV, in several flashbacks, a few of his students and the superior professor at his institute (who first suggests that he take on the young and brilliant Yui Ikari as a research assistant) suggest that he be more sociable; this hints at Fuyutsuki being a classically withdrawn academic, and possibly a life-long bachelor. Shortly after beginning his academic (and platonically affectionate and supportive) association with Yui Ikari, he was directed by his institution’s superiors to initiate a similar arrangement with the then Gendo Rokoboungi.

Given later revelations about apparent decades-long behind-the-scenes machinations of SEELE into all aspects of the sciences directly and indirectly involved in the subject of Instrumentality (the Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered in 1947, so presumably the world-wide conspiracy behind SEELE’s operations had been in existence for only slightly less time) it is safe to say that Professor Fuyutsuki had been monitored by and targeted for recruitment by SEELE early in his career. If speculations regarding Yui actually having been a junior member of SEELE through her father’s influence are correct, then Fuyutsuki’s association with Gendo Rokoboungi/Ikari was equally planned well in advance. His earlier introduction to Rokoboungi/Ikari by taking him on as a research assistant, bailing him out of jail, and later meeting him again after Second Impact during a research expedition to the area formerly occupied by Antarctica may be seen as steps in a testing procedure to determine his reliability, discretion and intelligence at being able to surmise SEELE’s goals…and whether he would actually be amenable to that recruitment.

Fuyutsuki’s earlier assessment of Gendo Ikari’s personality (in the Director’s Cut, the subtitle during Fuyutsuki’s recall of the initial meeting at the police station refers to Rokoboungi/Ikari as ‘real bastard’) was reinforced by the Antarctic mission, during which Fuyutsuki began to suspect that the now Gendo Ikari’s associates in SEELE may be more powerful and dangerous than he originally realized. The seed of doubt planted during that voyage led to the discovery of the true nature of the events leading up to Second Impact and SEELE’s involvement in initiating that catastrophe.

After Fuyutsuki threatened to expose Gendo to the public, regarding the massive deception concerning Second Impact, in 2003 (through his own research), Gendo Ikari led him into the GeoFront and Central Dogma and revealed to him an incomplete prototype Eva. At that point, Ikari asked Fuyutsuki to join him and “create a new future for humankind, together with me.” Fuyutsuki accepted this, and started to help Gendo. Whether this agreement was entirely out of idealism or more from self-preservation is not made clear. In the movie The End of Evangelion it is mentioned that SEELE had threatened Fuyutsuki with being ‘disappeared’; the implication is that this recruitment may have been a Hobson’s Choice.

Despite Fuyutsuki’s initial dislike of Gendo, it is clearly evident that he becomes the closest thing that Gendo has to a confidant in the series. In many episodes, Fuyutsuki may be seen as a sort of external conscience for Gendo Ikari; despite his somewhat gruff nature, Fuyutsuki is genuinely concerned for those under his commend, but having the added knowledge of SEELE’s true goals for Instrumentality, must balance his compassion with Ikari’s ruthlessness in pursuing both SEELE’s agenda and Ikari’s own hidden one of re-uniting with his discarnate Yui. Ikari’s dependence upon Fuyutsuki as both confidant and his chief lieutenant is shown by the many times that Fuyutski takes the initiative for action without waiting for direction from Ikari.

As had been mentioned and implied in the series, while obviously kindly disposed towards Yui, at all times Fuyutsuki maintained a professional demeanor towards her. It is not intimated how the Destrudo experiment that ‘killed’ her and ensconced her soul into EVA Unit 01 affected him. The depth of his feelings for her, however, is revealed when immediately prior to dematerializing into LCL during Instrumentality, Fuyutsuki witnesses an image of Lilith-as-Yui which appears to float down to embrace him, comforting him in his transition to a non-corporeal state.

Age
58

Sex
Male

Blood Type
AB

Birthday
April 9, 1957

Relations
Unknown

Japanese seiyuu
Motomu Kiyokawa

English voice actor
Guil Lunde (series)
Michael Ross (movies)

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Misato Katsuragi is the head operations officer at NERV, initially holding the rank of Captain (with a later promotion to Major). In several instances during the series, most notably in the battle with the Angel Ramiel, she displays a quick tactical wit combined with an unorthodox approach to problem solving to provide equally out-of-the-box solutions. This is in combination with a degree of boldness and self-assuredness in her professional life which paradoxically is not mirrored in her personal one. In the personal sphere she appears lonely, and despite her obvious vivaciousness, until the arrival of Shinji, lives alone as a matter of choice.

It is later revealed that there has only been one man in her entire life that she has had any degree of real intimacy with, that being Rhyoji Kaji, and that is only admitted after after a deliberate attempt to override her own reluctance in addressing the matter by, in her words, ‘getting the courage up to get falling down drunk’ to be able to admit this to Kaji. Her taking Shinji under her wing was to fulfill several purposes, only one of which was to see to Shinji’s care, but this quickly developed into a much more familial form of relationship as Misato began to understand how tortuous Shinji’s coping mechanisms in dealing with daily life closely approximated some of her own. This semi-familial relationship later included Asuka, though not without some friction, thanks to Asuka’s outwardly abrasive personality and continual berating of Shinji.

Misato was with her father, leader of the Katsuragi expedition to Antarctica, during the Second Impact. Before her father’s death, he placed 14-year-old Misato in a protective capsule (reminiscent of an Entry Plug which must have contained its own A-T Field, which would explain her surviving a blast that destroyed an entire continent and sent a tidal wave scores of meters high surging northward to devastate every coastline on every remaining continent). Prior to her escape she was badly injured; she has a deep white scar running from her sternum and angling rightwards under her right breast across her abdomen. She never mentions how it happened, and never supplies any details. Following the catastrophe, after rescue, she became mute and withdrew from social interaction for two years. The mute, near-fetally withdrawn young woman with haunted looking eyes is seen by Professor Fuyutsuki onboard the research vessel in the waters of the now obliterated Antarctic, where it is commented that ’she had seen Hell, first hand’. It is not explained what caused her to return to normal consciousness and resume social interaction. While grateful to her father for saving her life, she also admits to hating him, as he devoted his life to his work and neglected her and her mother. She always wears a cross pendant which her father put around her neck before sealing the protective capsule.

After her period of mute catatonia, her personality changed when she began to attend college, where she became more social and talkative (Ritsuko, whom she met in college, commented that she talked so much as if she was attempting to “make up for lost time”). At the time of the series, she is very extroverted (and some would say alcoholic). This is mainly as a result of her being always a bridesmaid and never a bride, which worsened when Kaji dies, the only man she had ever loved. She exhibits great concern for the Eva pilots under her command; indeed, she is something of a surrogate mother to Shinji. The End of Evangelion, however, adds another layer to the relationship between Misato and Shinji. In one scene of The End of Evangelion, Misato kisses Shinji and tells him that when he comes back, “they’ll do the rest.” By shocking him out of his depressed and suicidal frame of mind and using his disorientation to push him into the elevator leading to the EVA launch facility, Misato saves Shinji’s life and causes the Human Instrumentality Project to advance. Misato dies just after she sends Shinji away, but is seen in episodes 25 and 26 of the series as something of a mentor to the Instrumentalitied Shinji, causing speculation as to whether the process of Instrumentality affected all souls, both those carnate at the time of their conversion and those already dead.

Age
29

Sex
Female

Blood Type
A

Birthday
December 8, 1986

Relations
Father: Dr. Katsuragi
Guardian of: Shinji Ikari,
Asuka Langley Soryu, Pen Pen

Japanese seiyuu
Kotono Mitsuishi

English voice actor
Allison Keith

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Ritsuko Akagi is NERV’s head scientist. The daughter of Naoko Akagi, the developer of the MAGI supercomputers, she is a lonely, cool and intelligent woman who has great affinity for cats and is completely devoted to her work. In flashbacks, it is revealed that she was one of Misato’s first friends following the Second Impact. Ritsuko was also friendly with Kaji, and jokingly flirted with him, which is often misinterpreted by fans as evidence of a past romance. Additionally, she is a natural brunette who bleaches her hair. Along with Gendo and Fuyutsuki, she’s the only person at NERV fully aware of the Evas’ true nature and the purpose of the Instrumentality Project. Similarly to Gendo and unlike Misato, Ritsuko is willing to sacrifice the Eva pilots if the situation appears to warrant it. It is revealed in the later episodes that Ritsuko was romantically involved with Gendo Ikari. She feels betrayed by Gendo when she realizes that he was using her, mirroring her own mother’s tragic fate. As revenge, she destroyed the Rei Dummy Plug system. She was shot dead at the end of The End of Evangelion, when she tried to launch the self-destruct to stop Gendo from initiating the Third Impact. She failed when Casper, the third MAGI computer which contained Naoko Akagi’s personality as a woman, overrode the command. She was then shot and killed by Gendo.

Age
30

Sex
Female

Blood Type
B

Birthday
November 21, 1985

Relations
Mother: Dr. Naoko Akagi

Japanese seiyuu
Yuriko Yamaguchi

English voice actor
Sue Ulu

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Kaji, while only being a special inspector, secretly works for SEELE investigating NERV’s true intentions. He is always called by his last name, Kaji. During college, he had a serious relationship with Misato, but after having long broken up, they see each other again on the UN fleet ferrying Unit 02 and its pilot, Asuka Langley Soryu, to Japan. After he returns to NERV headquarters, Kaji and Misato rekindle their romance following a period of teasing and insults, when Misato confesses that she broke up with him because she realized that Kaji reminded her of her father. He is eventually shot by an unnamed assailant, described as “a third party working either for SEELE or for NERV’s Intelligence Division” in the episode Film-book. In the manga, it is Commander Ikari who personally kills Kaji.

Age
31

Sex
Male

Blood Type
A

Birthday
June 17, 1984

Relations
Unknown

Japanese seiyuu
K?ichi Yamadera

English voice actor
Aaron Krohn

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Makoto Hyuga is First Lieutenant at NERV and a computer technician. He is something of a nerd, reading manga while on his break time, but is a hard worker, nonetheless. He also appears to harbor a deep crush for Misato, as Lilith approaches him during his implementation in the form of Misato.



Age
Unspecified (about 24)

Sex
Male

Blood Type
B

Birthday
February 13

Relations
Unknown

Japanese seiyuu
Hiro Yuuki

English voice actor
Matt Greenfield (series)
Keith Burgess (movies)

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Maya Ibuki is a First Lieutenant at NERV and a computer technician who works primarily with Ritsuko Akagi. Her main role during the fights with the Angels is to constantly monitor the Eva pilots’ synchronization ratios and send various emergency commands to the Evangelions as ordered by Misato or Gendo. Her implementation scene during the The End of Evangelion movie has been read by many fans as a revelation that she is secretly in love with Ritsuko. When Maya’s Instrumentality occurs, Lilith (in the form of Ritsuko) types “I need you” into Maya’s laptop and embraces her. Maya’s reversion to LCL comes after an ecstatic gasp of “Senpai!” However, this scene is the only one that alludes to her possible feelings towards Ritsuko, and its intention is not clear. In spite of her profession, Maya despises violence of any sort, and is frequently shown becoming nauseous and averting her eyes during battles with the Angels. Notably, in The End of Evangelion, Maya is the only NERV officer who is shown refusing to fight back against the JSSDF invaders.

She rejects the gun Shigeru hands her to defend herself saying “I can’t shoot this thing”, not because she is unskilled, but because she has never shot it at a human being. Throughout much of the second half of End of Evangelion Maya is seen with her face buried in a pink pillow under her desk.

She is sometimes described as representing the audience’s views throughout the series, as she shows revulsion when it would be most likely for the viewer to do the same, and delight in other, more light-hearted scenes.

Age
24

Sex
Female

Blood Type
A

Birthday
July 11, 1991

Relations
Unknown

Japanese seiyuu
Miki Nagasawa

English voice actor
Kendra Benham (series)
Amy Seeley (movies)
Monica Rial (”Director’s Cut” episodes)

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Shigeru Aoba is First Lieutenant at NERV and a computer technician. At times a stereotypical metalhead, he is a nihilist and plays guitar (he can also sometimes be seen strumming an air guitar). In his implementation sequence, Lilith forces her way through his AT Field by bombarding him with a wall of Reis in which he screams in fear. She supposedly takes this tactic with his implementation because there is no one he loves or trusts enough to let his guard down, suggesting a possible layer of solitude and bitterness behind his cynical persona. Again, his character is not explored in depth within the series.

Age
Unspecified (about 24)

Sex
Male

Blood Type
A

Birthday
May 5

Relations
Unknown

Japanese seiyuu
Takehito Koyasu

English voice actor
Jason C. Lee (series and movies)
Vic Mignogna (”Director’s Cut” episodes)

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Credits: List of characters in Neon Genesis Evangelion

Webmaster’s note: The information here is a mix of different definitions from wikipedia editors.