A Guide to Every Angel from Neon Genesis Evangelion

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Anime expert Grant Cunningham explains who the Angels are + their abilities
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Angels are the monstrous beings that attack Tokyo-3 and fight against the mecha Evangelions in Neon Genesis Evangelion. Each Angel has a unique appearance, abilities, and name, and we’re here to break down every Angel that shows up in the anime! In this article, we partnered with an anime expert to go over the Angels from the original series and the Rebuild series, explain what the Angels are (and what they want), their abilities, where they come from, and how they got their name.

The Angels from Evangelion

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An image showing all of the Angels from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Anime expert Grant Cunningham says the Angels are entities that provide the main conflict for most of NGE. They originate from the first Angel, Adam, and there are 17 Angels total. They come in a wide variety of forms and have unique abilities, though most can generate defensive shields and shoot energy beams.

Section 1 of 6:

What are the Angels in Neon Genesis Evangelion?

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  1. Angels are otherworldly beings that serve as the antagonists in the anime.
    The Angels are technically aliens, as their creator comes from somewhere else in the cosmos. They’re all wildly different in terms of physical appearance, with some looking humanoid (or completely human), some looking like monsters, and some looking like geometric shapes, explains Cunningham.[1] They’re all attempting to enter the Terminal Dogma in NERV’s headquarters in Tokyo-3. NERV, the organization devoted to combating the Angels, wants to stop the Angels from doing this (which is why they created the mecha-like Evangelions), so the Angels are considered the antagonists in the series.[2]
    • What are the Angels trying to do? The Angels’ motivations aren’t totally clear, as they don’t really communicate, but it’s possible that they’re trying to save their creator, Adam, or subdue Lilith, who they see as a threat to their existence. (We’ll explain who Adam and Lilith are in the section below!)
    • Why does NERV want to stop the Angels? If the angels get into contact with Adam (or Lilith), that would trigger the extinction of humanity. Plus, NERV (and the other mysterious organization, SEELE) have their own plans for Adam, Lilith, and humanity's future.
    • Are the angels good or bad? The Angels are the antagonists of the series, but they’re not necessarily evil or good. They’re intelligent beings who just want to survive and have their own goals, which happen to oppose the goals of the protagonists (and put their existence at risk!).

    Meet the wikiHow Expert

    Grant Cunningham is an anime expert based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Also known as @essgeecie online, he’s built an audience of over 270K followers across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.

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Section 2 of 6:

List of Angels from Neon Genesis Evangelion

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  1. Step 1 Adam
    Adam is the First Angel, according to Cunningham.[3] Adam is also the progenitor of Angels 3-17 (Sachiel to Tabris). It’s a Seed of Life, an extraterrestrial entity sent by its creators, the First Ancestral Race (FAR), to spread life on planets across the Universe (as the FAR were in the process of being wiped out). Adam gets sent to Earth, but it turns out that Lilith, another Seed of Life, landed on Earth. So, Adam went into “hibernation.” The Angel is (much) later found by the Katsuragi Expedition Team, who wake up Adam, which causes the Second Impact. Adam is only briefly seen as a being of light covered in ice, and later, in an embryonic state.[4]
    • All of the Evangelions, except Unit-01, are derived from Adam, too.
    • Number: First Angel
    • Abilities: Creating life
    • Appears in: Several episodes, very briefly (first in Episode 8); Adam plays a large part at the end of the anime
    • Name meaning: Based on Adam, the first man God created according to Judaism and Christianity
  2. Step 2 Lilith
    Lilith is the Second Angel, notes Cunningham.[5] Lilith is another Seed of Life sent by the First Ancestral Race (FAR). It accidentally crash-lands on Earth (which is known as the First Impact) and is the one who spreads life on the planet. So, Lilith is the progenitor of humans. Lilith is kept restrained underneath NERV’s headquarters in the Terminal Dogma, where it appears like a giant, white humanoid figure (though it’s missing a lower body).[6]
    • Eva Unit-01 is also derived from Lilith. Rei also contains part of Lilith’s soul.
    • Number: Second Angel
    • Abilities: Creating life
    • Appears in: Several episodes (first in Episode 15); Lilith plays a large part at the end of the anime
    • Name meaning: Based on Lilith, Adam’s first wife in Judaism
    • Note: The next fifteen Angels, from Sachiel to Tabris, originate directly from Adam, says Cunningham.[7]
  3. Step 3 Sachiel
    Sachiel is the first Angel to attack Tokyo-3 in the anime. It’s a giant blue humanoid Angel that has a bony, bird-like head and other bony appendages. It can swim, as it has gills on its legs, and travel on land. Shinji defeats it while piloting Eva Unit-01, though Sachiel technically self-destructs.[8]
    • Number: Third Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, regeneration, arm spears, energy blasts
    • Appears in: Episodes 1 and 2
    • Name meaning: Based on Sachiel, the angel of water
  4. Step 4 Shamshel
    Shamshel arrives in Tokyo-3 only 3 weeks after Sachiel’s defeat. It’s a purple squid-like being that has 2 main tentacles that it wields like whips. The Angel can fly, which it usually does horizontally, but it also stands up vertically. Unit-01, piloted by Shinji, defeats it by stabbing its core.[9]
    • Number: Fourth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, energy tentacles
    • Appears in: Episode 3
    • Name meaning: Based on Shamshel, the angel of the day
  5. Step 5 Ramiel
    Ramiel is a huge blue floating octahedron resembling two pyramids stacked on top of each other—it doesn’t look like anything living at all. It emits powerful energy beams and possesses a drill, which it uses to infiltrate NERV. Unit-00 and Unit-01, piloted by Rei and Shinji, manage to defeat it by blasting it with an electrical weapon, called a positron cannon.[10]
    • Number: Fifth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, energy beams, drill
    • Appears in: Episodes 5 and 6
    • Name meaning: Based on Ramiel, the angel of thunder
  6. Step 6 Gaghiel
    Gaghiel is a giant aquatic Angel that resembles a sea monster, with a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. It’s the fourth one to attack, though it strikes while the characters are out at sea. Gaghiel mainly attacks by physical force, using its jaws and teeth as weapons. Asuka and Shinji defeat it while co-piloting Unit-02: they hold open its jaws while the naval fleet fires into its mouth.[11]
    • Number: Sixth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, strong jaws
    • Appears in: Episode 8
    • Name meaning: Based on Gaghiel, the angel of fish
  7. Step 7 Israfel
    Israfel is a purple humanoid Angel who looks similar to Sachiel. However, it has two cores and a unique ability to split itself into an identical copy that can fight independently. So, it’s essentially two Angels in one. Unit-01 (Shinji) and Unit-02 (Asuka) defeat Israfel by synchronizing their attacks and destroying both Angels’ cores at the same time.[12]
    • Number: Seventh Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, energy beams, ability to duplicate itself
    • Appears in: Episode 9
    • Name meaning: Based on Israfel, the angel of music
  8. Step 8 Sandalphon
    Sandalphon is the first Angel that NERV discovers while it’s in its embryonic state (a cocoon-like form before it transforms into a giant Angel). It’s inside a volcano, and NERV attempts to capture it before it hatches. However, when Unit-02 (Asuka) goes to retrieve it, it emerges and transforms into a flat, fish-like Angel. Unit-02 manages to stab and kill it while inside the volcano.[13]
    • Number: Eighth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection
    • Appears in: Episode 10
    • Name meaning: Based on Sandalphon, the angel of embryos
  9. Step 9 Matarael
    Matarael is a spider-like Angel with 4 giant legs and a small, central body that’s covered in eyes (however, they’re not functional and just the pattern of its body). It secretes an orange acid from its central bottom eye (which is real) that dissolves everything in its path. Matarael attempts to break into NERV HQ, but is defeated in a coordinated attack by Unit-00 (Rei), Unit-01 (Shinji), and Unit-02 (Asuka).[14]
    • Number: Ninth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, corrosive acid
    • Appears in: Episode 11
    • Name meaning: Based on Matarael, the angel of rain
  10. Step 10 Sahaquiel
    Sahaquiel is the eighth Angel to attack, and has one of the more unique designs. It has a flat, orange shape with an eye in the center and 2 hand-like appendages on either side. Sahaquiel appears floating in orbit above Earth and drops pieces of itself to the ground, which act like bombs. It eventually lands on Earth, where Unit-02 (Asuka) stabs it in the eye, with help from Unit-00 (Rei) and Unit-01 (Shinji).[15]
    • Number: Tenth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, scrambling satellite communication, bomb-like appendages
    • Appears in: Episode 12
    • Name meaning: Based on Sahaquiel, the angel of the sky
  11. Step 11 Ireul
    Ireul is a unique Angel that behaves like a computer virus, adapting and evolving to ensure its survival. It’s actually a colony of tiny Angels that infects NERV’s supercomputers and attempts to hack and destroy them. Dr. Ritsuko devises a plan to defeat Ireul by forcing it to evolve, and creates a computer program that shuts Ireul down by forcing it to coexist with NERV’s supercomputers.[16]
    • Number: Eleventh Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, hacking abilities
    • Appears in: Episode 13
    • Name meaning: Based on Ireul, the angel of fear
  12. Step 12 Leliel
    Leliel is a truly abstract Angel that appears as a floating sphere with a chaotic, geometric black and white design. However, its real body is its shadow, which it uses to absorb matter. While piloting Unit-01, Shinji gets sucked into Leliel and is mentally interrogated by the Angel. Just as his life support is going to run down, his Eva goes into berserk mode and tears itself out of Leliel’s body, killing it in the process.[17]
    • Number: Twelfth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, absorption into a pocket-dimension
    • Appears in: Episode 16
    • Name meaning: Based on Leliel, the angel of night
  13. Step 13 Bardiel
    Bardiel’s true form is unknown, as it’s another infection-like Angel that quickly takes over the body of Eva Unit-03 while it's being piloted by Toji. It also has the ability to mutate itself and attempts to take over Unit-00 (Rei) and Unit-02 (Asuka) when it’s confronted. However, Unit-01, which Shinji is no longer in control of, tears Bardiel apart and defeats it.[18]
    • Number: Thirteenth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, infection, mutation
    • Appears in: Episode 18
    • Name meaning: Based on Bardiel, the angel of hail and lightning (haze)
  14. Step 14 Zeruel
    Zeruel is another giant, humanoid Angel with a black, white, and orange body. Its stubby-looking arms actually extend into long, flexible blades, and it's capable of firing powerful energy beams. It manages to infiltrate NERV’s headquarters, where it quickly incapacitates Unit-00 (Rei) and Unit-02 (Asuka). Unit-01 (Shinji) is able to defeat it after entering its berserk mode, where it actually devours Zeruel’s body and absorbs its powerful core.[19]
    • Number: Fourteenth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, energy beams, blade-like arms
    • Appears in: Episode 19
    • Name meaning: Based on Zeruel, the angel of strength
  15. Step 15 Arael
    Arael appears as a white being of light with jagged wings, and maintains orbit above Earth. Its main weapon is its ability to enter a human’s mind, which it does by striking them with a beam of light. Arael incapacitates Asuka this way while she’s piloting Unit-02, probing her mind to understand her, which causes her to suffer a mental breakdown as she relives her trauma. However, Unit-00, piloted by Rei, manages to defeat Arael by striking it with the Spear of Longinus.[20]
    • Number: Fifteenth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, mind probe
    • Appears in: Episode 22
    • Name meaning: Based on Arael, the angel of birds
  16. Step 16 Armisael
    Armisael first appears as a ring of white light that’s made from helix shapes, though it eventually transforms into a continuous whip-like line. It uses itself as a weapon, but can also infect, communicate with, and fuse with other life forms. Armisael begins to fuse with Rei in Unit-00, but she’s able to defeat it by activating the Unit’s self-destruct feature.[21]
    • Number: Sixteenth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, whip-like form, fusion
    • Appears in: Episode 23
    • Name meaning: Based on Armisael, the angel of the womb
  17. Step 17 Tabris
    Tabris, who more commonly goes by the name Kaworu Nagisa, is a unique Angel, as he’s technically a human vessel for the soul of Adam. He’s just introduced as a normal human in the anime, though, who’s sent by the mysterious organization SEELE to pilot Unit-02. Kaworu befriends Shinji and shows interest in humanity, though his true purpose is to break into Terminal Dogma to retrieve Adam. However, when he finds Lilith there instead, he asks Shinji to kill him (who’s piloting Unit-01), noting that he wants to die by his own will.[22]
    • Number: Seventeenth Angel
    • Abilities: A.T. Field projection, controlling Evas
    • Appears in: Episode 24
    • Name meaning: Based on Tabris, the angel of free will
  18. Step 18 Lilin
    Lilin, also known as the entirety of humankind, is a direct descendant of Lilith, notes Cunningham.[23] Kaworu refers to humans as “lilin,” and in The End of Evangelion, Misato refers to Lilin as the eighteenth Angel.
    • Number: Eighteenth Angel (technically)
    • Abilities: Thought and reason
    • Appears in: Every episode
    • Name meaning: Based on Lilim/Lilin, the children of Adam and Lilith in Judaism
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Section 3 of 6:

List of Angels from Rebuild of Evangelion

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  1. Rebuild only has 13 Angels, which include old and new Angels. Between 2007 and 2021, Hideaki Anno, the director of the original anime, released Rebuild of Evangelion, a series of 4 movies that tell the story in a new way.[24] The movies introduce some new Angels as well as Angels that appeared in the original anime. Unlike the anime, though, none of the Angels are named. Plus, they follow a different introduction order. Here are the Angels that appear in Rebuild:
    • First Angel: Also known as Kaworu Nagisa
    • Second Angel: Also known as Lilith
    • Third Angel: Exclusive to Rebuild. It’s a skeletal dragon-like Angel.[25]
    • Fourth Angel: Similar in appearance to Sachiel
    • Fifth Angel: Similar in appearance to Shamshel
    • Sixth Angel: Similar in appearance to Ramiel
    • Seventh Angel: Exclusive to Rebuild. It’s a giant bipedal being that’s connected by a center “body” with a pendulum that swings down from it.
    • Eighth Angel: Similar in appearance to Sahaquiel
    • Ninth Angel: Similar in appearance to Bardiel
    • Tenth Angel: Similar in appearance to Zeruel
    • Eleventh Angel: Not specified
    • Twelfth Angel: Exclusive to Rebuild. It appears as a black sphere.
    • Thirteenth Angel: Kaworu Nagisa, again
Section 4 of 6:

The Angels’ Characteristics & Abilities

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  1. All Angels have a powerful core and the ability to create defensive barriers. Angels are strong, durable, and (mostly) giant, making them very formidable antagonists. All Angels have a red, sphere-like core that’s the source of their energy (called an S2 engine) and the vessel for their souls—this is why destroying an Angel’s core is key to defeating it. Each Angel has unique abilities, but all the Angels have the ability to generate A.T. (Absolute Terror) Fields, which are almost impenetrable force fields that can only be pierced by other A.T. fields or special weapons, explains Cunningham.[26] Additional abilities include:
    • Energy projection: Several angels can shoot energy blasts and beams
    • Regeneration: Most Angels can regenerate tissues and limbs (as long as their core is intact)
    • Intelligence: While the Angels don’t directly speak or communicate with humans, they are clearly intelligent beings and adapt and learn from their predecessors
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Section 5 of 6:

Where do the Angels come from?

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  1. The Angels come from Adam and spawn from a cocoon-like egg. Adam is the progenitor of all of the Angels (except Lilin, which comes from Lilith). The Angels form inside of “eggs,” starting as embryos (as seen with Sandalphon and Adam’s own embryonic state) and eventually hatching and transforming into their unique shape. However, it’s not specifically stated how and when Adam created all of the Angel eggs, and how they became spread across the world.
    • In this Reddit post by u/Privvet, commenters speculate that the Angel eggs were released during the Second Impact, which is when Adam was found and “awakened.” It’s possible that the eggs dispersed during the explosion, which is why the Angels seem to be spread all over (including orbiting around Earth and inside a volcano).
    • It’s also possible that Adam scattered the Angel eggs when it first came to Earth billions of years ago. They may have stayed dormant because Adam was put into a sort of hibernation due to Lilith coming to Earth, too.
Section 6 of 6:

Why are they called Angels?

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  1. The Angels are inspired by angels in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Angels are referred to as shito in the original Japanese anime, which means “apostle,” but this was changed to “angel” in the English version. Both “apostle” and “angel” come from Greek words that mean “messenger,” so the Angels can be seen as some sort of messenger between their creator and the world/humans, just as biblical angels are messengers between God and humans.[27]
    • Additionally, in the original anime series, all of the angels are named after angels mentioned in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
    • It’s also possible that the designs for the Angels are inspired by religion, as in some religious texts, angels are described as terrifying, incomprehensible beings (like in Ezekiel 10 from the Bible)​​. However, Anno has directly said that he was inspired by the kaiju in films like Gamera.
    • However, the Angels are not biblical angels sent by God. While the anime includes a lot of religious imagery, multiple creatives who’ve worked on the show have said that it’s mostly an artistic choice with no true meaning. Christianity and Judaism are uncommon in Japan, so they chose to use religious names and symbols to give the anime a cool and mysterious vibe.[28]
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References

  1. ↑ Grant Cunningham. Anime Expert. Expert Interview
  2. ↑ https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Angels_(Evangelion)
  3. ↑ Grant Cunningham. Anime Expert. Expert Interview
  4. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Adam
  5. ↑ Grant Cunningham. Anime Expert. Expert Interview
  6. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Lilith
  7. ↑ Grant Cunningham. Anime Expert. Expert Interview
  8. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Sachiel
  9. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Shamshel
  1. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Ramiel
  2. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Gaghiel
  3. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Israfel
  4. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Sandalphon
  5. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Matarael
  6. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Sahaquiel
  7. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Ireul
  8. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Leliel
  9. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Bardiel
  10. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Zeruel
  11. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Arael
  12. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Armisael
  13. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Kaworu_Nagisa
  14. ↑ Grant Cunningham. Anime Expert. Expert Interview
  15. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Rebuild_of_Evangelion
  16. ↑ https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Third_Angel
  17. ↑ Grant Cunningham. Anime Expert. Expert Interview
  18. ↑ https://youtu.be/vvRbztI87Eo?si=coLQyLIjavy9CQ7l&t=55
  19. ↑ https://online.ucpress.edu/jrpc/article/doi/10.1525/jrpc.2025.2874560/217340/Canon-and-Apocrypha-in-Neon-Genesis-Evangelion

About This Article

Grant Cunningham
Co-authored by:
Grant Cunningham
Anime Expert
This article was co-authored by Grant Cunningham and by wikiHow staff writer, Devin McSween. Grant Cunningham is a gamer and content creator based in Greensboro, North Carolina. With a lifelong passion for video games and anime, Grant has been creating content around gaming & esports, anime & cosplay, and commentary & entertainment since 2020. Known as @essgeecie (SGC) online, Grant has an audience of over 270k followers across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. He has had the opportunity to work with various video game companies and attend gaming summits as a content creator, and has partnered with brands like Bandsintown, Blizzard Entertainment, and Warner Bros Games. This article has been viewed 2,206 times.
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