This is mankind’s fate. The thread of human hope is spun with the flax of sorrow.
All S1
S1 E15Unfinished Business
Adam, that from which we came. Must one who was born from Adam return to Adam, even though it would destroy man? But wait… This isn’t… Lilith?! I see! I understand now! The Lilim, Lilith!
[Unit 01 grabs Kaworu]
I thank you, Shinji. I wanted you to take Unit 2 from me. Otherwise, with her, I might have survived much longer.
Kaworu, but why?
It is my destiny to live forever, though my survival will bring final destruction to the human race. However, it is possible for me to be killed, and whether I live or die makes no great difference. In truth, death may be the only absolute freedom there is.
What are you.. Kaworu, I don't understand what you are talking about, Kaworu..
This is my wish: please, destroy me. Otherwise, you will be destroyed. Only one life-form can be chosen to evade the destruction and seize the future! And you are not the existence which should die. You need the future; it is what you live for! Thank you Shinji, my life was meaningful because of you.
Kaworu said he loved me. I’ve never heard such kindness before. He was like me. And he was like Ayanami. I liked him, too. Kaworu should have survived. He was much better than I am. Kaworu should have survived, not me! He deserved to live.
No. The one who deserves to survive is the one who has the will to make it happen. He wished for death. He ignored his will to survive and chose to die for a false hope. Your survival is not a mistake, Shinji.
Misato, how can you be so cruel?
If you take that into consideration, then perhaps this world isn't that bad.
Still, the reality itself might not be bad, but I could still hate myself.
HHyuga
But it's your mind which takes reality and separates it into what's bad and hateful.
AAoba
It's only the mind which separates reality from truth.
MMaya
Any new position from which you view your reality will change your perception of its nature. It's all literally a matter of perspective.
KKaji
There are as many truths as there are people.
But there is only one truth that is your truth. That's the one that's formed by whatever point of view that you chose to view it from. It's a revised perception that protects you.
TToji
That's true. And one can have a perspective that's far too small.
HHikari
However, a person can only see things from the perspective that they chose to see them from.
One must learn to judge things via the perceived truths that one receives from others.
For example, sunny days make you feel good.
Rainy days make you feel gloomy.
If you are told this is so, then that is what you believe is so.
But you can have fun on a rainy day as well!
FFuyutsuki
Your truth can be changed simply by the way you accept it. That's how fragile the truth for a human is.
KKaji
A person's truth is so simple, that most ignore it to concentrate on what they think are deeper truths.
You, for example, are simply unused to what it is to be liked by others.
You've never learned how to deal with fearing what others feel about you and so you avoid it.
But, don't the others hate me?
What are you, stupid? Haven't you realized it's all in your imagination, you megadork!
But, I hate myself.
One who truly hates himself cannot love, he cannot place his trust in another.
I'm a coward. I'm cowardly, sneaky and weak.
No, only if you think you are, but if you know yourself, you can take care of yourself.
[introspectively] I hate myself. But, maybe, maybe I could love myself. Maybe, my life can have a greater value. That's right! I am no more or less than myself. I am me! I want to be myself! I want to continue existing in this world! My life is worth living here!
[Shinji's room cracks open and he finds himself on a small blue globe with the cast of the series]
EEveryone
[applauding] Congratulations!
Thank you all!
[last line of the series]
[after masturbating over Asuka's comatose body] I'm so fucked up.
The fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth.
Shinji, listen to me. From now on you’re on your own. You’ll have to make your own decisions; no one can do it for you.
I... I can’t. I’m no good. I can’t pilot Eva if all I do is hurt and kill people. I thought I had no choice but to pilot Eva, but I was just lying to myself. I’m not worthy of piloting an Eva because I don’t understand anything! I’m incapable of doing anything good for anybody else. I did something terrible to Asuka. I killed Kaworu. I’m a horrible person. I'm dishonest and a coward. All I ever do is hurt other people, so I’d rather do nothing at all!
I’m not going to feel sorry for you. If you don’t like feeling pain, then you can just sit here and let them kill you!
[Shinji begins to cry]
Crying isn’t going to solve anything, either! [pauses] You hate yourself, don’t you? That’s why you hurt others. Deep down you know that you suffer more when you cause someone else pain, than if you just let yourself get hurt. But, Shinji, that was your decision, so that makes it a valid choice. That was what you wanted, so that makes it worthwhile. Stop lying to yourself, and realize that you do have options. Then accept the choices you’ve made.
But you're not me. You don’t know what I have to go through. You don’t understand!
So fucking what if I’m not you?! That doesn’t mean its okay for you to give up! If you do, I’ll never forgive you as long as I live. God knows I’m not perfect either. I’ve made tons of stupid mistakes and later I regretted them. And I’ve done it over and over again, thousands of times. A cycle of hollow joy and vicious self-hatred. But even so, every time I learned something about myself. Please, Shinji. You’ve got to pilot Eva and settle this once and for all. For your own sake. Find out why you came here. Why you exist at all. Answer your own questions. And when you’ve found your answers, come back to me. I’ll be waiting for you. Promise me.
Yes.
See you soon.
[Misato kisses Shinji]
That was a grown-up kiss. We'll do the rest when you get back. [shoves Shinji into an elevator and collapses in a pool of blood] If I'd known it'd end like this... I would have... changed the carpet like Asuka suggested...Right, Pen Pen?... Kaji, my love... I did do the right thing... didn't I?
[Asuka's Eva is sitting in wait at the bottom of the lake. Asuka is still near-catatonic from her experiences in "Don't be."]
[repeatedly] I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die... [Asuka's mantra becomes louder until she finally screams it over an image of her rotting corpse]
I've been waiting for you. I'm sorry, but when I installed the firewall, I changed the MAGI's programming without telling you. A loving daughter's final request; mother, let's end it together. [presses a button, expecting an explosion.] It's not working?! Why?! CASPER betrayed me?! Mother, how could you chose your lover over me?!
Ritsuko Akagi, the truth is... [his answer is muted]
Liar.
[Gendo shoots her]
Nobody understands me.
You never understood anything.
I thought this was supposed to be a world without pain, and without uncertainty.
That's because you thought that everyone else felt the same as you do.
You betrayed me! You betrayed my feelings!
You misunderstood from the very beginning. You just believed what you wanted to believe.
Nobody wants me, so they can all just die.
Then what is your hand for?
Nobody cares whether or not I exist. Nothing ever changes, so they can all just die.
Then tell me, what is your heart for?
It would be better if I never existed. I should just die, too.
Then why are you here?
[Flashback image of Shinji as a child, abandoned and crying]
I-is it okay for me to be here?
[White text on black: "Silence". Shinji screams]
I've waited so long for this moment to arrive. I will finally be with you again, Yui. When Shinji is near me, all I ever do is cause him pain. I thought it was better when I did nothing at all.
YYui
Were you afraid of Shinji?
I didn't believe that anyone could love me. I never deserved to be loved.
So, you were running away. And you rejected the others around you, so there was no chance that you would ever be hurt.
YYui
And you were terrified by the invisible bonds that people form.
You were afraid and so you closed off your heart.
[Gendo is being held by Eva Unit-1]
And so, this is my retribution. Forgive me, Shinji.
[Unit-1 bites Gendo in half]
[Shinji is inside of Lilith and is experiencing a mental journey]
VVoices
Don’t call me anymore. I hate you. God, you’re persistent. I wouldn’t be caught dead with you. You’re bothering me. There’s no way we can start over again, you jerk! Goodbye. I wish you’d think. Are you being serious? I have no interest in getting back together with you. Look at you. Let’s just be friends. This all was just a cheap thing. Do I even know you? You’re getting me nervous. Why don’t you do the world a favor and just die? Who the hell are you? I don’t love you that way. Who the hell are you? I couldn’t care less whether you lived or died. I don’t want you in my life. None of your business. To be honest, you get on my nerves. I don’t need you anymore. Stop following me around! I can’t do this anymore. Don’t get me wrong. Why won’t you take “no” for an answer? Who would want to go out with you? You’re bothering me. Let’s break up! Go away. Please stop. I don’t need you. Are you still here? I never did. I can’t stand the sight of you. Why won’t you leave? Let’s just be friends. I thought I asked you to leave. You don’t own me. Get out. Grow up, would you?! I don’t want you around anymore, you wimp!
If it’s too painful, you can always make it stop.
If you don’t like it, you can just run away.
VVoice
Do you want to be at ease? Do you want to feel peace of mind? Do you want to become one with me? To have our bodies and souls join as one?
I’d rather die than do it with you!
Hey.
What is it?
What are dreams?
Dreams?
Yes, dreams.
[A shot of people in a movie theatre. After a few seconds, a white text, reading "Does it feel good?", appears. Afterwards, a shot of the three voice actresses for Rei, Asuka, and Misato (from left to right, respectively: Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, and Kotono Mitsuishi) is shown]
I don't understand. I don't understand what reality is.
You can't bridge the gap between your own truth and the reality of others.
I don't know where to find happiness.
So you only find happiness in your dreams.
Then... this is not reality? This world where no one exists?
No. It is only a dream.
Then I don't exist here either.
This convenient fabrication is your attempt to change reality.
Is that wrong?
You were using fantasy to escape reality.
Why can't I dream that I'm alone?
That is not a dream. That is a substitute for reality.
[Another shot of the theatre. A few seconds later, the scene dissolves into a shot of the same theatre, now empty]
So where is my dream?
It is a continuation of reality.
But where is my reality?
It is at the end of your dream.
Anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live. After all, you are alive, so you will always have the chance to be happy. As long as the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth exist, everything will be all right.
KFKouzou Fuyutsuki
When Man created Evangelion, were we trying to create a clone of God?
Of course. Humans can only exist on this Earth. But the Evangelion will be able to exist forever, along with the human soul that dwells within it. When the Earth, the Moon and the Sun are all gone, EVA will exist, so long as one person remains. It'll be lonely, but as long as one person still lives...
KFKouzou Fuyutsuki
...it will be eternal proof that Mankind ever existed.
Goodbye, Mother...
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Neon Genesis Evangelion pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.