Tokyo-3 comes to a standstill when sabotage knocks out all power, and the personnel must scramble to launch the Evas manually when an Angel appears in the middle of the blackout.

The episode was rated 7.82 from 323 votes.

Shinji Ikari is summoned to Tokyo-3 by his estranged father Gendo, commander of the special agency Nerv, to defend the city from a giant Angel by piloting the only weapon capable of battling the monster: Evangelion Unit-01.

The episode was rated 7.76 from 543 votes.

Eva-00 is finally repaired, and Shinji tries to get to know its enigmatic pilot, Rei Ayanami, better. However, he is confounded because she is extremely insular, has no friends at all, and the entire record of her past has been erased. In the midst of this, a very powerful Angel, the floating monolith Ramiel, attacks Tokyo-3.

The episode was rated 7.76 from 381 votes.

Ritsuko briefs Shinji on the real nature of Second Impact, the Angels, and the Evangelions' mission to defeat them. Misato and Ritsuko attend the public demonstration of a new Angel-fighting robot, Jet Alone, built by a rival defense contractor to Nerv. However, the nuclear-powered robot quickly runs out of control, and Shinji must use Eva Unit 01 to load Misato onto Jet Alone so she can she can enter in its automatic shutdown code, before it melts down in a nuclear explosion.

The episode was rated 7.76 from 349 votes.

The Eva pilots are disappointed to find out that they are not allowed to go on their class trip to Okinawa, because they have to stay at Tokyo-3 to stay on-call in case of an Angel attack. Meanwhile, a new Angel is discovered in a chrysalis-like developmental stage deep within the magma of the volcano Mount Asama. Nerv seizes the opportunity to capture a live Angel for research; it is decided to send Eva-02 into the magma while wearing a super-cooled diving suit along with capture equipment. However, the Angel quickly matures and breaks containment, and Asuka is forced to battle it deep within the magma of the volcano.

The episode was rated 7.72 from 318 votes.

A Nerv branch in Nevada is obliterated in a catastrophic accident, and Nerv headquarters prepares to station a new Evangelion in Japan. The Fourth Children (Child) is selected, unbeknownst to Shinji.

The episode was rated 7.51 from 307 votes.

Misato is upset with Shinji for ignoring her orders in the last Angel battle, and he is so overcome by the stress of being an Eva pilot that he runs away. After wandering around Tokyo-3 for several days, Shinji is faced with the choice of quitting or staying in his new home.

The episode was rated 7.45 from 392 votes.

This episode is in two parts: The first part being a clip show presented to the Human Instrumentality Committee of Seele, reviewing the attacks of all Angels up to this point. The second part includes a poem in which Rei contemplates her own existence, and a cross-compatibility test between Rei's and Shinji's Evas.

The episode was rated 7.34 from 308 votes.

Instrumentality continues. The focus is primarily on Shinji now, as he learns to accept the individual’s ability to shape their world, and how the self cannot exist without others to define it.

The episode was rated 7.31 from 296 votes.

Instrumentality has begun, and now its inner process, the joining of all souls into one, will be depicted. The episode is primarily driven by dialogue, the background usually complete darkness. White text often appears on a black screen, an omniscient voice questioning the characters.

The episode was rated 7.17 from 275 votes.