Evangelion 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time
Evangelion 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time Plot
A team from the Wille organization in Paris, directed by Maya Ibuki, is working on a method to return the city to its former status. They are guarded by the Wunder fleet and Mari Illustrious Makinami in Unit-08 when they are assaulted by Nerv forces. Mari defeats the assailants, and the Wille team returns Paris to its former glory.
Asuka Shikinami Langley, Rei Ayanami, and Shinji Ikari are walking around the outskirts of Tokyo-3, remaining depressed. They arrive at a survivors’ colony and run into Toji Suzuhara, Hikari Horaki, and Kensuke Aida, who are now adults. Toji is a doctor who is married to Hikari and has a child with her, and Kensuke is a technician. They are all amicable to Shinji. Asuka is irritated with Shinji and forces him to eat. Rei explores the hamlet and settles down to work as a farmer while Shinji heals. Shinji meets Misato Katsuragi’s son, Ryoji Kaji, who died averting Third Impact. Rei is unable to maintain herself without regular exposure to LCL, and she decomposes in Shinji’s presence.
Despite the crew’s protests, Wunder arrives to pick up Asuka, and Shinji decides to accompany her. Shinji has been placed in seclusion. Meanwhile, Kozo Fuyutsuki, upset by Gendo Ikari’s treatment of Shinji by causing him to suffer the same loss as him, assists Gendo in restarting Unit-13. Wunder responds by traveling to Antarctica. Before the assignment, Asuka admits to having feelings for Shinji, but claims that she “grew up before him,” alluding to their real ages of 28 and 14 owing to the Curse of Eva, as well as Shinji’s suspended animation between 2.0 and 3.0. Shinji apologizes to Asuka for being undecided about whether to save or kill her 14 years ago while she was under the power of the Ninth Angel in Unit-03. Asuka accepts the apologies and acknowledges that he is maturing.
Three Nerv ships and a swarm of EVA units attack Wunder. Asuka and Mari launch an attack on Unit-13 before it reactivates. Unit-02, on the other hand, refuses to fight Unit-13, forcing Asuka to remove her eyepatch, revealing the Ninth Angel within and transforming Unit-02 into a “Pseudo-Evolved EVA”-Angel hybrid, similar to Shinji’s Unit-01 14 years previously. According to Gendo’s plan, Unit-13 defeats and absorbs Unit-02. Asuka is approached by her “original” moments before being absorbed, revealing she is a Shikinami clone. Meanwhile, a new EVA, Unit-09A, attacks the Wunder.
Misato and Ritsuko Akagi confront Gendo in the Nerv vessel that is detaining the Wunder. Gendo has utilized the Key of Nebuchadnezzar to transcend mankind, therefore Ritsuko’s shot has no impact. Gendo enters Unit-13 and discloses that the Shikinami and Ayanami clones’ goal is to carry out the Human Instrumentality Project. Shinji begs Misato to allow him to pilot Unit-01. Sakura and Midori Kitakami try to stop Shinji, but Misato defends him and gets shot. Misato apologizes to Shinji, apologizing for blaming him and promising to accept responsibility for his acts because she is still his legal guardian. Unit-08 is combined with Units 09A through 12 by Mari. The original Ayanami clone appears before Shinji inside Unit-01, apologizing for not being able to prevent him from having to perform an EVA, but Shinji insists it’s fine.
In a strange “Anti Universe,” Gendo and Shinji fight, and Gendo shows Shinji a “imaginary Evangelion,” a “Black Lilith.” Shinji runs into Gendo and has a vision of his past life, particularly how Yui’s death traumatized him. As a result, Gendo wanted to start a “Additional Impact” so that he could see Yui again. Meanwhile, Misato evacuates the Wunder’s crew and sacrifices herself and the ship in order to produce the “Lance of Gaius,” which grants Shinji the ability to change the universe. Shinji speaks with Gendo and gives him closure; he also speaks with Asuka and returns her feelings; and he speaks with Kaworu Nagisa and reveals the existence of a cycle in which the cast is imprisoned. Kaworu also consults with the elder Kaji, who teaches him that his happiness is unrelated to Shinji’s.
Shinji bids Rei farewell before deciding on a complete world reset, a “Neon Genesis” devoid of Evangelions. Gendo and Yui sacrifice themselves to prevent Shinji from doing it himself, repairing the planet and bringing back all humans who were turned in the Near Third Impact. Shinji waits on a beach as reality resets until Mari returns to save him, her “Final Evangelion” the last to go. Shinji and Mari exit to a shot of the real world, where the Children are all present as adults at a railway station.