Asuka Langley Soryu VS Anemone (Neon Genesis Evangelion VS Eureka Seven)

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“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.”

-Sylvia Plath

Asuka Langley Soryu, the blazing Second Child of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Anemone, the cold-hearted corallian clone of Eureka Seven.

Though young and often hot-headed, these two tsundere pilots command fearsome machines capable of devastating power. Provoking either would be a grave mistake, but when they are set against one another, the question remains: will we witness the END of the Evangelion Unit or the Nirvash type? Find out in another DEATHBATTLE!

Before We Start…

Originally, this blog was intended to be a full on composite of both characters, as both Neon Genesis Evangelion and Eureka Seven have their fame for their numerous alternate sequels and spin-offs, being the most famous for each the Rebuild series and Hi-Evolution, but clearly not restricted to those two. That being said, during the research of this extensive material, we changed our minds on their usage and ultimately scrapped them down for this blog in particular. The big reason for this is, quite frankly, that the blog is meant to be about Asuka Langley Soryu and Anemone deep dive first, and a deep dive into Evangelion and Eureka Seven second. Relying too heavily on material from alternate universes, films, or light novels, even when these works are connected via some means, would inevitably push the discussion toward awkward scaling chains that would feel more like outliers than accurate representations of either character in their original series, which runs counter to the very purpose of the blog. It risks flattening both Asuka and Anemone’s identities, turning the analysis into an exercise in cherry-picking extremes, such as this bizarre giant Asuka who’s among the strangest concepts in Evangelion, that can be argued to outright reach dimensional tiering for its AP and/or hax range, being matched against a version of Anemone who’s not only very different from the original but caps at universal levels at best and does not scale in durability. You see, realistically, this is not a discussion most readers are interested in having for Asuka and Anemone.

This concern is especially important given that this blog is one of the first more extensive, research-driven discussions on Evangelion and Eureka Seven in years. By focusing instead on their most widely known and accepted portrayals, our goal is to keep the analysis approachable, grounded and, most importantly, fun to engage with. In case you really want to know about this crazier side, we do have a blog previously announced who will cover all of it (well, for the Evangelion side of things), as it will feature a character that has way more justification for said usage.

So… what does this mean for material? Simple! For Eureka Seven we’re focusing on the original anime, its two canonical prequel video-games, as well as its direct sequel series, Eureka Seven AO. We also took a look at the Eureka Seven manga mainly for support, even if it had some serious deviations. For Evangelion, we are covering the original series and End of Evangelion, while using the manga as supporting material given it is a somewhat faithful reinterpretation of the anime with a consistent characterization for Asuka. You should also expect a heavy dosage of guidebook diving. A full guide of what was used will be listed at the end of the blog.

Why This Matchup?

Evangelion is a massive series, with a large variety of content necessary to research it accurately. It is also one with an important reputation for many people, not just in this blog but around the world that has been largely neglected in the VS sphere. As such, it was important to us to pick a matchup that allowed us to delve into the series, while giving us an opening to go even deeper in a future blog. As Asuka is an important and iconic character across the entire franchise, while NOT scaling to the depths of the cosmology (which we’ll go into later), she was a no-brainer to be our first Evangelion representative.

But I bet you’re wondering now, why pick Anemone as her opponent? Aren’t there more popular picks? There are a few crucial advantages that we believe that Anemone has comparatively to all of her mainstream opponents. As you’ll see when we delve into their stories, Anemone matches Asuka in a lot of important thematic ways, especially when focusing on her inferiority complex, her status in relationship to the protagonists, and her growth throughout the story into someone more actualized and open to her emotions. Along with that, Eureka Seven is a niche series with very little existing research, and the research that does exist is very out of date, and does not hold up to the standards we hold our research to in the big 2026. We wanted to give the series the representation it deserved in the modern day, in hopes of motivating our readers to learn more about it and the genre these two characters belong to as a whole.

Let’s not delay this any longer, now let’s commence our blog for Asuka from Evangelion vs Anemone from Eureka Seven!

Background

Asuka Langley Soryu

Asuka Langley Soryu was raised to be special, to be better than any other girl. After failing to have a child with her ex-husband, her mother, Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, engineered her existence through a sperm bank, selecting what she believed were the best possible genes for a child meant to fulfill such a role. That same brilliance would later be undone by the Eva contact experiment, which left Kyoko mentally shattered. Afterward, she no longer recognized Asuka as her daughter, to a point where she not only physically abused the child but replaced her with a doll instead. When Kyoko later took her own life, little Asuka decided to shield herself from any human connection, as love and dependence were a weakness that would only lead to abandonment. Determined never to be replaceable again, she anchored her entire value and self-worth to the one role that could not be easily taken from her: being the pilot of the Evangelion Unit-02. Being the best Evangelion pilot.

But being the best pilot would become a problem the moment the Third Child, Shinji Ikari, entered her life as a rival. Shinji didn’t assert himself, didn’t try to stand out, and had little competitive spirit at first, and yet he was able to pilot Eva Unit-01 in several ways that outshined Asuka. She had built her entire sense of worth around superiority, and Shinji threatened all of it by simply existing. She lashed out at him, mocked his hesitation and treated everything as a competition. But it wasn’t just arrogance, she needed Shinji’s attention, his recognition, his affection, even if she would never admit it. Asuka wanted to be better than him, but she also resented how easily he received praise and care (well, from others that weren't his father) without having to fight for it, and that tension sat at the center of their relationship. As long as she could outperform him as a pilot, she could hold herself together. When her synchronization rates began to fall and Shinji overtook her, her mental state went with it. If that wasn’t enough, the Angel Arael invaded her mind directly, dragging her buried trauma and left her comatose due to mental shock.

Asuka’s recovery did not come gently, as she awakened from her coma inside Eva Unit-02, all during SEELE’s assault on NERV meant to wipe her and everyone out. After finally having the first fully high-synchronizing with her Eva, she finally understood what had been taken from her all along: her mother had never abandoned her entirely, as Kyoko’s soul had been inside Unit-02 since the contact experiment, protecting her from within. The woman who clung to a doll was not her real mother, but what remained after her mind left her body. With that realization, Asuka became mentally strong and confident again for the first time since childhood. But said joy was cut short, given almost immediately afterwards the Mass Production Evangelions overwhelmed her in battle and started brutalizing her until Unit-02 was torn apart, and Asuka was killed. But this wasn't really the end for her, as Asuka had one more final chance. Shinji had rejected Instrumentality and chose to end the Third Impact, and with it Asuka returned as well, emerging on the shore beside him. What destiny lies ahead of Asuka? What choices will she make? Whether this was an ending for Asuka or just another turn of the cycle, is left unanswered.

Anemone

10,000 years into the future, the Earth has been abandoned. The Scub Coral, a sentient alien life form, has overrun the planet down to its roots and pushed humanity out. Humankind settled on a planet known as the Land of Kanan, but it wouldn’t be long for the Scub Coral to reach it too. Unbeknownst to the general population, the Scub Coral was not a malicious entity, but rather one that desired coexistence with humanity, and to do so, it created beings known as the Coralians, functional humans that could communicate and form sincere connections to humanity. But the cynical UF Military force saw the great power these Coralians held and, unlike Eureka who was born from the Scub Coral to understand humanity, decided to use their biotechnology to create a human weapon of their own: Anemone.

Their goal was to prove that humanity could replicate and surpass the Coralians. So her body was altered, her nervous system pushed beyond safe limits, and her compatibility with her LFO was forced through constant chemical treatment. Because of all of this, Anemone was a neurotic and deeply insecure child, devoted to proving herself the very best pilot. Just wishing didn’t avoid her being constantly foiled by Eureka, a true Coralian, and her Nirvash TypeZERO. Terrified of being discarded by her higher ups as they continued to experiment on other children to recreate the Coralians’ might, Anemone was constantly drugged and working to strengthen herself and her robot further, alienating herself from her co-workers. After all, combat was the only place she felt that she had any value. The only person she truly developed a connection to was Dominic, her supervisor who, despite his cold exterior, was deeply in love with her. At first, he encouraged her to become as powerful as possible to defeat the Gekkostate rebels. But as he saw her body and mind fall apart under the pressure of defeat, the hallucinations, the self-destructive outbursts, and the way each battle left her more dependent on the drugs meant to keep her functional, he realized he could no longer abide her treatment, and switched sides under the hope of making her see the light.

After a long fought battle against Eureka and her partner, Renton, Anemone finally faced someone who was not trying to control or replace her, and realized the true power of love. Reunited with Dominic as her LFO destroyed itself to protect them from the blast, Anemone was left alive without the machine that had defined her worth.

She may have struggled along the way, but make no mistake. If you find yourself in Anemone’s crosshairs, you’re sure to meet your END.

Skill & Experience

Asuka Langley Soryu

Asuka stands out as an extraordinary prodigy whose intellect and battlefield instincts are equally exceptional. She cleared university at freaking 13 years old, which is before most kids even hit puberty, and routinely applies advanced scientific reasoning under extreme pressure. For example, when facing Sandalphon, she managed to identify and exploit thermal expansion as a counter to the Angel’s adaptive biology. Despite having problems with reading Kanji, she’s able to think seamlessly across German and Japanese, which is even more impressive when we see her do this even while piloting Unit-02 in life-or-death scenarios. She also shows a lot of quick tactical thinking, like how she rapidly devised in seconds a plan against the angel Matarael, coordinating Rei and Shinji to follow her lead while they were unable to have Misato’s assistance.

Of course, smarts aren’t everything. Asuka underwent rigorous pilot training from childhood, shaping her into a highly adaptable and technically skilled EVA operator. She can pretty much wield any weapons you can think of: knives, polearms, axes, automatic firearms, precision rifles, and heavy explosive launchers. She’s so gifted with weapons that she was able to use the Mass Produced Evangelions’s spears for the first time and completely dominate them in battle in a 1v9 uphill battle, with all of them having a dummy system modeled after the Fifth Child and seventeenth Angel, Kaworu Nagisa, who was not only considered more gifted than her in combat, as it’s expanded in the manga, but considered to have the strongest AT FIeld between all Angels, making this feat even more impressive than it already looks.

Anemone

Anemone was abducted as a 7 year old orphan by the United Federation to be used as an experiment. She was the only subject to survive the first round of testing to become an artificial coralian, and ever since then, she had only known LFO combat her whole life. Injected with a drug designed to enhance her performance, she’s a menace on the skies, able to dispatch hundreds of Coralians with ease and even giving Eureka trouble in the battlefield with her TheEND.

Despite this, Anemone’s training in the past is hardly elaborated on, and in combat, she often falls back on the same strategies regardless of her opponents: rushing down her enemies and using her area of effect attacks to take as many of them out as possible. This tactic works well when she’s fighting groups of enemies smaller and weaker than her, like enemy LFOs and coralians. However, in one-on-one encounters she’s often outflanked by her opponents’ greater skill, and her strategies tend to backfire due to her overreliance on her own strength.

Mechs

Asuka Langley Soryu

Evangelion Unit-02

Evangelion Unit-02 - Neon Genesis Evangelion Wiki

One of the Evangelion Units, constructed over 14 years at an astronomical cost using the peak of human technology to combat the mysterious invader beings known as Angels in what is known as Project E. The EVA Unit-02 was the first unit developed with combat and mass production in mind, as indicated by its model designation "EVA-02 PRODUCTION MODEL." Its design and component manufacturing were conducted in Japan, while assembly and activation testing took place at NERV's Third Branch in Germany.

It is a biological creature cloned from Adam’s genetic material collected after the Second Impact from 14 years prior, possessing organs and blood just like a human would. It is piloted through a cockpit inserted through its spine, where the pilot synchronizes their neurological signals with the Eva’s to control its movementsand said synchronization is enhanced by bonds of love. It is capable of generating an A.T. Field for defensive and offensive purposes, on top of eroding enemy fields too. It can wild many types of melee weapons and firearms, and possesses high mobility capabilities despite the enormous size.

EVAs are not mere shells, however. Each Evangelion Unit is imbued with a human will, soul and mind, and are directly in communion with the pilot during synchronization. Eva Unit-02 possesses the soul of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, Asuka's mother, who has directly communicated and interacted with her in moments of high synchronization levels.

Anemone

Nirvash Type TheEND

The Nirvash Type TheEND is an LFO (Light Finding Operation) very similar to the Nirvash, the main robot of Eureka Seven and the first humanoid Archetype to be found and subsequently modified into a pilotable mecha by humanity. It is the culmination of LFO technology created by the Tower State Federal Army, and the most powerful Kraft Light Fighter (KLF). Make no mistake, while they look like robots made of metal, LFOs actually have biological components such as flesh, blood and even sensory organs such as eyes.

Like other LFOs, it is powered by Transparence Light Particles (Trapars, for short). Trapars are a form of energy in Eureka Seven emitted by the Scub Coral in the form of invisible (but sometimes not) particles that can be used to power machinery or glide through the air on specifically made boards.  Anemone pilots the Nirvash TypeEND through a biological connection of her limbs in the cockpit, which allows her to control it via voice and consciousness. Inside it, Anemone accesses the robot’s weaponry and ability to use the Trapars to glide in the air like a surfer on the ocean. Her connection to the robot runs far deeper than most LFOs and their pilots, and as such she’s much more proficient in aerial combat, much like her rival Eureka.

Much like her rival’s robot, the TypeZERO, The TypeEND possesses a will and consciousness of its own (sound familiar?) which it uses to sacrifice itself to save Anemone before the final battle, allowing her to live the normal life that was stripped away from her so long ago. Nirvash's soul allows for Anemone to sense its feelings at any given moment, much like Eureka, which makes her even more dangerous on the battlefield.

  • Armor: TheEND is covered in black metal armor that’s tougher than any other LFO’s except Nirvash. It can clash with Type ZERO’s strength and even withstand the energy of a concentrated Seven Swell for a few seconds. 

  • Archetype: The “skeleton” that all LFOs have. It possesses neurological transmission systems across its body, concentrated in the back. A large hollow structure is in the top center that can accommodate a human cockpit. TheEND’s archetype is believed to be identical to the Nirvash’s, which is also implied to be the source of their life.

Equipment

Asuka Langley Soryu

Plugsuit

A combat suit worn by pilots during EVA operations. Its form-fitting design allows it to contract to match the wearer's physique when the Suit Fit Switch on the left arm is activated, making it look almost like body paint. It possesses diverse functions including life support systems and provides support for neural connections. However, neural connection with an EVA is possible without wearing the suit. A heat resistant variation is available, with a rather odd inflation feature that came from a controversial episode.

A10 Nerve Clips

An interface worn on the pilot's head for neural connection with the EVA. It is considered a crucial device for picking up the pilot's neural pulses during synchronization with the EVA. While the basic design resembles a headband, only Asuka’s unit is hairpin-shaped and she frequently wears it even outside of EVA piloting. Makes for a cute accessory.

Entry Plug and Cockpit

A long thin tube shaped device inserted through the Evangelion’s medulla oblongata that then sits inside the chest cavity. It contains the cockpit and is filled with L.C.L., a breathable liquid that facilitates neural synchronization of the pilot with the Evangelion and serves to absorb the shocks from combat. The interior of the entry plug has multiple screens, allowing the pilot to see what the Eva would be seeing through them, as they’re connected to their optical sensors. The entry plug is fitted with a control device that controls the EVA. The basic piloting method is via neural connection between the control lever and the pilot's A-nerve, through a phenomenon called synchronization. This device, called the interior, doubles as the pilot's cockpit, and the pilot operates the unit while seated in this area. Two control levers are provided in the interior that make the EVA Unit move, and allow for precision firing when handling firearms with help from an automatic targeting system. The entry plug has multiple escape hatches and an emergency escape mechanism that ejects it with a rocket. From the cockpit, the pilot is not only able to communicate with the NERV bridge and receive instructions from Misato, but also communicate with other EVA pilots.

Umbilical Cable

A giant cable connected to a socket on the Evangelion’s back. It supplies the EVA with power from Tokyo-3’s power grid, since the internal power source from the core only allows operation for 5 minutes. There are multiple buildings in Tokyo-3 with spare Umbilical Cable outlets whose position the EVA pilots have memorized, and the cables can be removed at the pilot’s discretion if they ever reach their end or make mobility harder, so the EVA can quickly reposition itself to a more convenient power sourceThe Tokyo-3 power grid grants a massive gain in energy, allowing the EVA to operate for basically unlimited time. It can be forcefully removed through a command from the NERV bridge as well.

Cloak

A giant cloth used to conceal and protect Eva Unit-02 during transportation between Germany and Japan. Used by Asuka for aura farming purposes.

PK-02 Progressive Knife

An upgraded version of Eva Unit-01’s progressive knife. It is a relatively short blade stored on Eva's left shoulder. If the segment at the tip is damaged, it can be ejected and replaced by pushing up a switch in the back of the handle. Like the original progressive knife, the blade’s edge is composed of particles which compress and start vibrating at high speeds. The vibrational energy generated by these particles is directly transferred to the target, cutting apart their intermolecular bonds. Part of the energy generated by the vibration also converts into thermal energy, which heats the blade and melts the target, further increasing the destructive power. It works even on the Angels, whose bodies are made of Particle-Wave Matter, an esoteric form of solid matter that exhibits characteristics akin to elementary quantum particles like light.

Sonic Glaive

A naginata-style polearm with a blade that operates on the same principle as the Progressive Knife, generating high vibration particles and cutting at the molecular level as well.

Smash Hawk

A battleaxe and a Getter Robo reference. Similar to the progressive knife, it uses high vibration particles on its edge to cut the target at the molecular level across a wider blade and with more mass for higher damage.

Large Scale Shredding Weapon Dual-Saw

A large double-headed chainsaw designed to counter Angels’ regeneration. Multiple high frequency blades spin at high speeds to shred the target beyond repair. Since it uses high frequency blades, it should share the property of cutting the target at a molecular level like the other Evangelion melee weapons. While Asuka never used this weapon herself and it was originally designed for the Neon Genesis Evangelion game, it does appear in the manga and is wielded by Unit-02 (piloted by Kaworu). It was of course also sent by Misato from NERV’s headquarters so it should be accessible equipment to Asuka, and nothing that Asuka shouldn't be able to dominate given her fast learning.

Pallet Rifle

An giant-sized fully automatic assault rifle with a bullpup design (magazine placed before the grip) that fires uranium depleted rounds accelerated through an electromagnetic rail system, basically acting like a portable railgun for the Eva units. It is based on the Steyr ACR assault rifle. Unit-02 is seen dual wielding it in the fight against Zeruel. After the magazine is emptied, it is usually discarded completely by the Evas as they just grab another from a nearby building.

Handgun

While Eva Unit-02 is not seen wielding one in the anime, it is given a handgun in supplementary Evangelion material such as official postersfigures and the Super Robot Wars games. In this illustration by Hiroyuki Imaishi, the gun is shaped like a Luger P08. The Eva handguns operate on a similar electromagnetic rail mechanism to the Pallet Rifle and fire uranium depleted rounds.

EVA-specific Positron Rifle (Special Circular Prototype Type 20)

A weapon engineered by NERV for Evangelion Units. The rifle operates like a particle accelerator, accelerating positrons (positively charged antimatter particles) and launching them at speeds near light. The trajectory of the projectiles can be affected by contact with electromagnetic fields. Since positrons are antimatter particles and the rifle is stated to cause annihilation, contact with the target should be able to annihilate mass and convert it into energy in the form of photons.

Positron 20X Rifle

A modified version of the standard Eva Positron Rifle with an extended barrel, a bigger magazine and a telescope for long range firing. It can reach targets well above the atmosphere, and is slightly stronger than the normal Positron Rifle.

Bazooka

A giant rocket launcher that fires rocket propelled projectiles. The magazine indicates it can fire multiple projectiles before reloading is necessary. Its overall length is roughly the same as an EVA's body, suggesting it was intended for long range interception operations.

Hand Bazooka

Smaller version of the bazooka that allows continuous firing with only one hand. Can be dual wielded.

Spike Launcher

A special projectile that fires needle-shaped bullets. It has seven launch ports, allowing for at least two shots in a row. It is mounted in the weapon rack on the right shoulder pylon and used in combat against the Mass-Produced Eva units. It is a hidden weapon designed for close-combat use.

D-Type Equipment [Heat and Pressure-Resistant Armor]

External armor similar to a diving suit that protects the Eva from heat, pressure and radiation. It can withstand the heat and pressure of a volcano from upwards 1800 meters under the surface and is refrigerated by coolant fluid.

F-Type Equipment [Aerial Transport]

A large stealth bomber shaped aircraft that transports Evas across large distances to drop them in combat.

Anemone

Rider Suit

A tight fitting piloting suit with special limbs to make biological connections to the cockpit easier.

Drugs

A solution injected into Anemone to stop her extremely painful headaches and enhance her combat abilities.

Cockpit

A peculiar upside down dome-shaped hollow structure located on TheEND’s back, where Anemone connects her limbs to a cocoon shaped device to pilot the robot directly. The screens in the cockpit provide a widescreen view of the battlefield and communication screens that allow her to talk to other LFO pilots, and the eyes above Anemone can express TheEND’s emotions and talk to her.

Liftboard

A board that TheEND uses to “surf” on Trapar waves through the air. Since Trapar particles behave like wind currents or water waves, people are able to surf on them with specific made boards such as this one. It can split in two to be used like skis instead, for added mobility.

Claws

Sharp retractable claws that can tear apart metal and flesh like Wolverine. In addition to serving as a melee weapon, they are connected to extendable cables that can be fired like grappling hooks to restrain enemies or pull them apart.

Dual Swords

Retractable long blades that can be used to engage in close range combat. Presumably made of the same material as the LFO’s claws.

Homing Lasers

Fired from the shoulders and the hip, 18 beams are released and home into the target. They bend and curve in order to chase the enemy and circle them from every angle, and explode on contact.

Laser Beams

In the manga, the Bascude Crisis is replaced by a volley of generic laser blasts that can be rapidly fired.

Drill Missile

A large projectile that serves to set up a beacon for the Oratorio No. 8 orbital satellite laser.

Abilities

Asuka Langley Soryu

Evangelion Physiology

Evangelion Units are biomechanical, which means they have both biological and mechanical components. Each EVA is a creature of flesh and blood, with internal organs and bones similar to those of a human, but their spines seem to be mechanical and attached to the system that allows insertion of an Entry Plug. Despite being cloned from Adam, they are considered synthetic humans, made in man’s own image. Much like Angels, thanks to being cloned from Adam, Evangelions should be composed of a different type of matter than humans, exhibiting properties of both waves and particles (like light), yet retaining a 99.89% match with the human genome. Evangelion Unit-02, different from the previous models, has 4 eyes, gray skin and purple blood.

As previously stated, each Unit has a will, mind and soul of its own salvaged from a human. This soul allows for projection of an A.T. Field, and synchronization with the pilot. Synchronizing with the pilot enables them to control the Evangelion’s movements, but it also makes the pilot feel everything that the EVA feels, leading to a psychological effect where they feel the pain of injuries’ equivalent to that of their respective Unit, which can lead to a death from shock. The higher the Synchronization rate, the more the power of the Evangelion increases, but it also leads to the damage transferral achieving a new level, with the pilot suffering the same level of damage as their EVA.

Unlike Angels, Evangelions don’t have infinite natural operational time, as their batteries only last up to 5 minutes without a connection to an umbilical cable, and will power down and stop moving after that. If connected to a sufficiently powerful energy source such as the New Tokyo-3 electricity power grid, EVAs can operate for a practically unlimited time.

Absolute Terror Field

Also known as A.T Field, it is an invisible light barrier between the mind/soul and the physical body in Evangelion that also serves as the Ego Boundary of all living things, maintaining their solid state and defining their shape. All sentient beings possess one, but only Angels and Evangelions can manifest them physically in combat through the warping of a phase space. They are largely impenetrable to conventional weaponry, but can be broken through by significantly stronger weapons or physical impacts, or counteracted by other A.T. Fields of equal or superior strength.

Martial Arts

Asuka is trained in martial arts, displaying moves likely derived from kung-fu, karate and taekwon-do to casually beat up groups of adult men without breaking a sweat. She also uses martial arts in CQC while piloting the EVA, a Iori Yagami axe kick being one of her signature moves. She also knows the basics of grappling, given she was able to put a Mass Produced Evangelion in a chokehold and break its neck.

Superhuman Agility / Acrobatics

Asuka displays incredible agility when piloting Unit-02, being able to perform fast backflips while dodging beamsdodging missiles while spinning in mid-airprecision leaps between ships and even jumping hundreds of meters into the air.

Weapon Mastery

Asuka has displayed great skill in the wielding of melee weapons such as knives and spears, and was presumably trained in them given her martial arts background. When fighting the Mass Produced Evangelions, she was able to pick up one of their greatswords and use it against them, killing two MPEs with their own weapons. Like Shinji, she received firearms training and is able to wield weapons such as rifles and rocket launchers with ease.

Rider Kick!

A longstanding Gainax tradition, especially when considering that this anime was made by Hideaki Anno. Unit 02 can release a powerful dropkick from the sky after jumping hundreds of meters into the air and turning multiple times. While this attack was performed with EVA Unit-01 in the original series, nothing suggests Asuka can’t do it by herself, as suggested by the Rebuild series.

Toon Force

Asuka is somehow able to hit Shinji’s head… as a hologram. This is never explained.

Superhuman Pain Tolerance and Willpower

Since they are spiritually and neurologically connected via synchronization, Eva pilots often feel the same pain their Unit goes through. Asuka has been able to endure being impaled through the torso and having her body be doused in acid that can corrode metal for several seconds. Asuka has demonstrated to have comparable pain tolerance to Shinji, who can keep fighting despite having the sensation of having his arm blown off and being impaled through the torso.

Resistances

Anemone

Bahaluc Swell

By combining the power of the Bascude Crisis and the Ageha Squad’s 6 KLFs, Anemone can channel their power into her and activate the Bahaluc Swell, a large Trapar Wave based anti-Corallian energy field that disintegrates all Corallians caught in its range.

Bascude Crisis

A large Trapar wave beam fired from TheEND’s chest, capable of devastation on a wide radius. If it comes into contact with an enemy mecha, it will go through to attack the pilot’s mind. It is both physical and mental, as prolonged contact can cause brains to “melt away”.

Resistances

(source)

Forms

Asuka Langley Soryu

Peak Synchronization

A state in which Asuka fully opened her heart to the Evangelion after realizing its connection to her mother, and was capable of unlocking its full potential in combat. In this state, the power of the Eva dramatically increases (as higher Synchronization rates make Evas more powerful). Asuka is also able to weaponize her A.T. Field after, in the form of cross shaped explosions from eye beams or just using it as a long ranged attack.  The drawback is that Asuka suffers the same damage her Eva does, which comes with their bodies and souls being perfectly synchronized.

Berserk

A state in which the Evangelion goes wild and starts to act on its own, not needing an external power source anymore. Despite having its skull piercedbattery run out and guts spilled, Unit-02 was still able to move and try to fightindicating signs of going berserk according to the Evangelion Chronicle guidebook. In this same state, Unit-01 is capable of regenerating broken bones and gets a great boost in stats. While of course, the circumstances in which Unit-02 went berserk didn’t allow it to act much given the absurd damage it suffered, it is a state that it can hypothetically achieve in a standard scenario, given it happens when Eva's soul awakens to protect the pilot.

Anemone

White TheEND

A form unlocked by TheEND after Anemone confessed her true feelings for Dominic and saw him in danger, changing the black paint to white and the red eye color to green. Outside of looking pretty and hinting at a vague power increase, this form has no combat feats to speak of and is destroyed a few minutes later by sacrificing itself and shielding Anemone and Dominic from an orbital beam.

Support

Asuka Langley Soryu

NERV and Tokyo-3

Despite looking like a normal city, Tokyo-3 can more accurately be described as an armed fortress concealed in broad daylight. Located in Hakone, the city was built as a line of defense against the Angels, and as such is armed with several hidden weapons. These weapons include several rocket launchers built on hills, buildings and being carried by UN Military vehicles. The city also has buildings that retract underground for safety in case of Angel attacks. These same buildings can be used as launch ports for the Evas, and also weapon caches that deliver equipment for the Evangelions in battle. Other buildings have energy stations in them, with Umbilical Cables that connect to the Evas and supply them with energy from the city’s power grid. The position of ammo supply and energy stations is strategic and has been memorized by the Eva pilots.

Underneath the city lies the Geofront, the center of command of NERV.

Misato Katsuragi

Modeled after Usagi Tsukino, Fujiko Mine and Aya Sugimoto, Misato is a 29 year old woman who serves as NERV’s Operations Director and, by the end of the series, holds a Major command position, earning respect within the organization for her sharp tactical judgment. Her role places her at the center of combat operations: she functions as the EVA pilots’ field commander, not only issuing real-time orders, but also managing weapons deployment, power supply logistics, launch and recovery procedures, as well as coordinating battle strategies that are often effective, reducing the pilots’ strain (even though gifted pilots like Asuka are capable of improvising when communication is lost). Misato also acts as an intermediary between the pilots and the technical staff, integrating analysis from Ritsuko and the EVA monitoring teams. Ritsuko in particular acts as the primary human interpreter and operator of the MAGI supercomputer system, which processes vast amounts of data to support decision-making, so they can understand Angel behavior, predict weaknesses and manage risks tied to the EVAs’ unstable nature.

Outside of combat, her relationship with Asuka is… complicated. Although Misato becomes her guardian in Tokyo-3 and had some degree of responsibility over her earlier in Germany, tension arises particularly when Misato resumes her relationship with Ryoji Kaji, whom Asuka is romantically fixated on (thankfully, a one-sided crush). Despite Asuka’s immaturity and abrasive behavior, Misato consistently attempts to treat her with patience and a maternal sense of care. However, Misato ultimately fails to adequately support Asuka as her mental health deteriorates, in part because Misato herself is deeply unstable. Even so, Asuka generally follows Misato’s commands during combat, maintaining professional discipline despite their strained personal dynamic.

Anemone

Ageha Squad

The group of children chosen by Dewey for his plan to destroy the Scub Coral and aid Anemone in battle, in what is known as the Ageha Project. They are cold and calculating, and presumably trained in military combat given they can effortlessly land handgun shots. In the field, they aid Anemone by piloting special white LFOs.

The specially equipped KLF deployed to the Ageha Squad and the latest model in the Monsuno series. The mech is white in color, and is armed with 18 missile pods (just like the original), nine on each side, which can be stored in the back unit. The elbows of both arms can be deployed forward to be used as railguns. The chest has two Trappar Wave emitting ports that expand the range of the Bahaluc Swell. In addition, by deploying the side panels at the bottom of both legs, the surface expands like a snowshoe, allowing it to fly without a liftboard. 6 are present for the activation of the Bahaluc Swell.

Oratorio No. 8 (Debatable)

A giant laser satellite built on Earth’s stratosphere that was created to destroy the Scub Coral’s Command Center. After activation, multiple beams of solar energy converge on a final satellite and are fired down into the Earth, melting everything in its path. At ultimate output, the beam caused the satellite to self-destruct. The Satellite requires a beacon placed by TheEND for the coordinates to be sent and approved by Dewey. After the beacon is placed, 8 minutes of preparation are required to activate the beam.

Feats

Asuka Langley Soryu

Overall

  • Graduated university at 13 years old

  • Defeated Sandalphon and Gaghiel

  • Participated in the defeat of Israfel, Matarael and Sahaquiel 

  • Defeated all the 9 Mass Production Evangelions by herself before they regenerated

  • Unlocked the full potential of her EVA through sheer skill and love

  • Pretty good at dancing

  • Undisputed postergirl for the Tsundere archetype since 1995

  • Feliz Jueves

Power

Speed

Durability

Anemone

Overall

  • Served as the primary military enforcer of the Federation

  • Slaughtered hundreds of antibody Corallians

  • Pilots the most powerful KLF 

  • Achieved emotional autonomy and a personal happy ending with Dominic

  • Beat Holland in combat

Power


Speed

Durability

Scaling

Asuka Langley Soryu

Evangelion Units

Evangelion Unit-02 is a clone of Adam just like the rest of the EVA series (except Unit-01, which is cloned from Lilith, another member of the same species) and should have comparable stats thanks to them being made of the same material and having the same armor plating, in addition to Eva-00 being stated to have inferior performance than the others. Outside of that, Unit-02 is also generally shown as comparable to the other EVAs in combat, with the exception of Peak Synchronization Unit-01. Of course, Unit-02 also tore through the Mass Production Evangelion series by herself, who are also made of the same materials as the other EVAs.

Angels

EVA 02 was able to kill Israfel and match Sahaquiel’s A.T. Field (and kill him too), and as such should scale to them. Despite not fighting Sachiel, and Shamshel, it is comparable to EVA Unit-01, who could match their strength and kill them (stomp in Sachiel’s case). Although EVA Unit-02 was quickly dispatched by Bardiel and Zeruel, that can be chalked up to a surprise attack and Asuka’s own then debuffed synchronization. Unit-01 was able to defeat Bardiel without synchronizing with Shinji by using a Dummy Plug with Rei’s data, and its core could tank a light beam from Zeruel directly in base as well, alongside Unit-00 being able to break through his A.T. Field, making Asuka scaling to them at her peak reasonable.

The Spear of Longinus

EVA Unit-02 was able to block a replica of the Spear of Longinus thrown by a Mass Production EVA, which was self propelled and stated to be comparable to the original. If you play the scene frame by frame, you can also notice the EVA reacts to block after the spear pierce the A.T. Field as well. Despite that, the Spear DID pierce through her A.T. Field and cleanly went through Unit-02’s head, and as such she should not scale to it in power, only in speed.

Anemone

Nirvash Type ZERO

TheEND is able to to keep pace and physically match both Nirvash Type ZERO Spec 1 and Spec 2. Although it is important to note that TheEND never causes any significant damage to it with its physical attacks in the anime, where all of the relevant feats are from, they should have at least comparable durability and speed. TheEND, of course, has no scaling chain to Nirvash Type ZERO Spec 3, and no narrative reason to be comparable to it, as it is a vast power boost from the Spec 2 that Anemone matched.

Other LFOs/Pilots

TheEND is directly stated to be the strongest military LFO in the Tower State arsenal and as such it should greatly upscale feats performed by other LFOs, given standard military models are usually vastly inferior to both TheEND, and the Type ZERO, its equal.

Weaknesses

Asuka Langley Soryu

Asuka’s temperament is volatile, and given her mental state is tied to her sync levels with the 02, the results could be catastrophic. Not only that, the fact her physical state is tightly bound to her Evangelion’s condition, especially when in high-sync, means any catastrophic harm to an Eva can induce fatal shock in the pilot even if the Entry Plug itself remains intact. There’s also drawbacks from the usage from the Umbilical Cord, as it limits her range while connected, and when operating independently its short internal power supply can only power the EVA for roughly five minutes (with the exception of the Berserk state).

Anemone

Despite being an extremely competent pilot, Anemone is prone to losing her cool during fights, repeatedly getting caught off guard when her opponents are more capable than she thought and entering a state of blind rage where she constantly makes rookie mistakes and leaves herself open to easy attacks. Because of this, she has never actually won a fight against Eureka, constantly having to retreat because of her anger. The Bascude Crisis has a charging up time that can be easily interrupted, and is noticeable when it starts. Notably, it took over 20 seconds of concentrated charging to perform its greatest feat. Outside of the necessity to have 6 other LFOs with her to perform the Bahaluc Swell, it also leaves her vulnerable to attacks during the time it takes for the attack to charge, which is about over 10 whole seconds.

Before the Verdict

TheEND of Lasergelion?

Both franchises covered on this blog have multiple sources of light speed scaling of debatable validity. In this section we’ll cover every base we can for both and see which feats are valid and which are not.

Evangelion


With that in mind, Rei while piloting EVA 00 is able to block this beam after it’s fired. One could initially infer the feat is “aim dodging”, or even try to discard the feat given no in-tandem movement is shown onscreen. However, the Evangelion Chronicle guidebook explicitly confirms the beam was blocked after it was fired, or “just before” it hit Unit-01. In the context of a near-lightspeed projectile, “just before” could be interpreted as a measurement of time, not distance, so you can calculate it by saying Rei started moving to Unit-01’s position right before the beam was fired, landing her in the sub-relativistic to low relativistic range by using the positions we are given by the guidebook as reference for distance and movement.


For a high end, it’s possible to assume “just before it hit” as Rei starting to move half of even a quarter of the distance between Ramiel and Unit-01, significantly buffing the speed of the feat, although we won't dwell much on this as it does not meaningfully change the results of this blog.



While force is depicted in the scene, it is possible to chalk it up to an effect of the A.T. Field, which can project force without mass because it is spiritual energy in nature (and has been used to weaponize light before) and as such there would be no reason for the beams’ speed to be decreased at all (think of it like our friends at the G1 blog talked about the Cero from Bleach, for example). And let’s be real, in a setting where particle beams are described as having speed rivaling light, it is very hard to justify the notion that they don’t think beams of light or lasers that display optical diffraction should be lightspeed. Taking that into account, the feat gets from Relativistic up to the low FTL ranges, and is reasonably usable when considering tandem movement with relativistic projectiles is not inconsistent in the series. While the high end is debatable, the low end is pretty blatant.


Eureka Seven


Regardless, there are feats of movement in tandem with the blue beams. Tallho is able to see one such laser coming from a distance and react in time to steer the Gekko away from it. While not necessarily that impressive of a feat thanks to the sheer gap between the initial distance between the Gekko and the laser and the small distance Tallho would have to move to steer the ship, it serves as support for the next feat. The Nirvash is able to dodge a laser beam from the Gekko after it was fired, landing in the low relativistic ranges if the beam is accepted as lightspeed.


Conclusion

There are multiple avenues to get the original Evangelion series into the relativistic speed range, and they’re all relatively (ha!) consistent and reasonable. FTL is a high end that you can push against, but has enough support to work given descriptions from the Evangelion Chronicle guidebooks. Eureka Seven has a much more difficult time reaching that speed category and is FAR less consistent with tandem feats, but even with the lenience required to get it to that level, as you’ll see soon, it doesn’t affect the fight that much.

TheEND of Continent Level Eureka Seven?

(& other problematic calculations)

Eureka Seven is not exactly a mainstream series in versus, but it has had its fair share of fan calculations from debating forums. The most notable one would be a calculation that puts the final Bascude Crisis that TheEND fires in the multi-continental ranges. While we mean absolutely no disrespect to the original user that calculated the feat and got these results, we consider them inaccurate and this section will explain why.

To start off, let’s explain what even happens in this feat. In episode 48 of the original Eureka Seven anime, TheEND and Nirvash are under the Scub Coral, a giant structure that covers the entire planet. The space between the planet’s real surface and the Scub Coral’s surface is supposed to be rather big. During the fight, Dominc (Anemone’s love interest) falls from the ceiling of this structure. In an accident, TheEND fires the Bascude Crisis, hitting the ocean and kicking up a large column of water that grows enough to reach Dominic while falling.

First problem: size. In the original calculation, the distance between the surface of the Earth and the ceiling of the Scub Coral was calculated at 162.9441 kmPixel scaling for reference. Notably, the height of the Coral isn’t exactly consistent throughout the planet, so we decided to use a smaller one to be conservative given it is also supposed to be lower than the Karman Line in the image. In our own calc, the distance was 123.29 kmPixel scaling for reference. The original calc also ignores the time in which Dominic was in free fall from the ceiling, which was 23 seconds. Using a free fall calculator, the distance that he would have crossed in that timeframe is approximately 2.59386 km. Subtracting that from the ceiling height for our column gets 120.69614 km, notably over 42 km smaller than in the original.

Second problem: method. The original calculation notably uses the obtained height as the radius for a hemisphere, and then the density of liquid or mist water to get the mass. Then, the kinetic energy is obtained from the height being crossed in 3.6 seconds. Sounds simple enough, right? What could possibly be wrong with it? Well, for one, we do have a frame of reference for how this type of explosion behaves in real life. Exactly, we’re talking about The Explosion From SpongeBob™.

In 1946, the United States Military conducted a nuclear test in Bikini Atoll, called Operation Crossroads. In it two nuclear bombs were detonated, but we’re focusing on the second one, or Test Baker, which was detonated 27 meters underwater. As you might have noticed, the explosion caused by the detonation is noticeably similar to the explosion that the Bascude Crisis caused, namely because of the condensation cloud with the same color and density. In the explosion of the bomb (worth 23 kilotons of TNT), 2 million tons of mass were ejected into the air at speeds of 760 m/s in a huge hollow column of water spray and seabed debris.

Notably, inputting these same values on a kinetic energy calculator nets you 138 kilotons of TNT6 times greater than the actual yield of the bomb, meaning KE is not exactly an accurate method of determining yield of sea detonations. That is due to the fact that:

  1. Not all of the water moves uniformly in a single direction, meaning using a single speed for the entire mass is inaccurate.

  2. The cloud mist that appears is due to condensation of water vapor in the air thanks to the heat generated by explosions, which is not related to kinetic energy whatsoever.

  3. The explosion creates a vacuum in the water (that’s what happens when you break the sound barrier, and why the column is hollow), which propagates the mass further and is not related to the yield of the explosion whatsoever.

Speaking of, the calculation makes a very wrong assumption about the explosion’s shape. Notably, that it’s shaped like a hemisphere, when in reality only the (significantly less dense) condensation cloud is. The actual shape of the mass ejected from the explosion resembled a cylinder, which was also mostly hollow. Using the ratio of the measurements of the original explosion (1800 m height, 600 m diameter, 90 m wall thickness), we can gather that the diameter of the bottom of the explosion would be only 40.2320467 km. Using the generous assumption that the bottom represents the diameter of the blast, using a ground blast formula would land the yield at 654 megatons of TNT, while using the entire height of the column as the maximum highball nets the feat 17.663 gigatons, both significantly below the petatons range.

Third problem: consistency. Nirvash Type TheEND appears in Eureka Seven AO. It is instantly vaporized by a weapon called the Canon. The Canon’s other best feat was… destroying most of the Eurasian Landmass, a feat worth 479 teratons of TNT, not only inferior to the original calculation, but also superior to the figures Anemone would scale to in the original series.

Bonus: Kute Class Corallian CollapsesOriginal calculations for these feats imply the kinetic energy of the compression of the structures is being applied to the characters inside them for some reason, which makes no sense as they’re mostly hollow and leagues of times bigger than the LFOs inside them even after compressing given their original double digit kilometer sizes. One could infer the dispersion of clouds from their explosion, but not only do we not see that, it is also contradict by visuals of the second explosion, that show the clouds merely being vaporized.

In conclusion, feats from the original Eureka Seven series that apply to Anemone are nowhere near the petaton, let alone the teraton range, and scaling her to these levels is arguably a narrative outlier.

Verdict

Stats

Starting with everyone’s favorite: power. These are big mean enemy-busting machines and before anything we need to find out how hard they can hit. Unfortunately for the pink haired pilot of TheEND, she’s off to a bad start.

Starting with Anemone, TheEND can easily be scaled to the durability of the Nirvash, who can tank explosions equivalent to over 85 tons of TNT. Not only that, it can withstand Nirvash Spec 2’s own condensed Seven Swell, comparable to a feat worth 369 gigatons of TNT. Bear in mind Anemone downscales this feat, as it still beat TheEND and broke through its armor. Using direct feats, the Bascude Crisis, the strongest weapon at Anemone’s disposal, has a feat that gets up to 17 gigatons of TNT. It’s important to note, as you have seen in the scaling section, that TheEND should not scale in AP to the Nirvash’s durability or energy attacks, as it is never capable of significantly damaging it in the series with its physical attacks (only in the manga, a continuity without the significant AP feats mentioned here).

Moving to Asuka, the comparison becomes incredibly lopsided. Casual feats by Unit-02 and its fellow Evas blow lower ends for Eureka Seven out of the water. Unit-02 has been able to tank a missile impact worth over 200 tons of TNT without as much of a scratch, and Unit-01 withstood an explosion worth 3.8 kilotons to 6.1 megatons of TNT. Other direct showings from Unit-02 include tanking Angel detonations such as those from Sahaquiel and Israfel, worth 54 and 87 megatons of TNT respectively. Speaking of these angels specifically, they are a good segway to our next feats. Sachiel and Israfel have both been able to withstand N² mine detonations directly on screen, providing us with feats worth over 4.9 and 121 gigatons of TNT respectively. That is of course, small potatoes compared to Unit-02’s full potential. It, alongside the two other Evas, were capable of halting and pushing back Sahaquiel’s fall with their A.T. Fields. The impact of which would fuse the 5 Fuji Lakes with the pacific ocean, and needed an evacuation radius of 50 kilometers. This, divided by three due to the participation of three Evangelions, gets lower ends ranging from 1.2 to 3.2 teratons of TNT. At a maximum highball, you can push this feat into up to 147.5 teratons of TNT using a meteor impact calculator. While they used help from their A.T. Fields in this feat, it’s notable that the impact initially pushed Unit-01 down on the ground and was putting a significant strain on Shinji’s body, indicating a degree of raw physical scaling for the Evas. Furthermore, it should scale to their A.T. Fields which can also be used offensively.

As a very generous highball that we are not committed to pushing 100%, and are just covering for completion’s sake: you could possibly downscale the Evas’ AP from the yield of the Positron Rifle, thanks to Israfel being able to tank shots from the Portable version. If you use the Rifle’s stated projectile speed to measure the speed at which it’s able to part clouds over Tokyo-3 you could get AP numbers ranging from 20 teratons to 5 petatons of TNT. It is important to note that depending on your standards that can be considered an abuse of tandem movement or pure VS brainrot, so we won’t hinge on it.

When the cards are on the table, the comparison seems pretty open and shut. Anemone’s durability caps at 369 gigatons while her power output with a single attack at a highball is 17 gigatons, and her other physical attacks have no scaling of note beyond destroying fodder. Meanwhile, Asuka is scaling in power and durability to at least 1.2 and at most 147.5 teratons, which are 3.2x to 399x superior to Anemone’s durability, and casually 71x to 8,676x superior to her best attack that takes several seconds to charge to its maximum level. Taking the Positron Rifle highballs into account, we’re looking at a potentially 294,117x and 13,550x gap in power and durability respectively. It’s important to take into account that Unit-02 vastly upscales these numbers in Peak Sync and Berserk mode, as they amp the Eva’s strength tremendously and let them brutalize opponents that are comparable in base, as evident by Unit-01’s fights with Sachiel and Zeruel, meaning Unit-02 at its best would shatter TheEND into a million pieces with a single slap.

This is of course, not mentioning lifting strength. TheEND has no notable lifting strength feats or scaling besides being able to stand on the ground with its weight of over 60 tons. Meanwhile Unit-02 can ragdoll other Evas weighing over 700 tons and lift boats ranging from 8900 to 13000 tons. Meaning that TheEND has zero methods of escaping Unit-02’s grasp if it wanted to grab it and crush it like a soda can.

Asuka takes power in spades.

Moving to speed, the discussion becomes more complex. We’ll be breaking it down in two categories: reactions and movement.

When looking at reactions, there are a few interesting feats to cover, but the comparison will always favor Asuka. Starting with smaller feats, Unit-02 is able to outspeed and punch a missile at over Mach 7. More impressively, she’s able to block the Spear of Longinus Replica from a MPE, which can reasonably scale to speed feats from the real one, clocking at Mach 4727 and 0.128c to 0.183c. As previously discussed, those Spears are comparable to the real deal, and as such should scale in speed to its self-propelled feats. Factoring scaling, Asuka’s EVA is clearly comparable, if not superior, to Unit-00, which can move in tandem to block a particle beam, hitting speeds of 0.03 to 0.1c.

As you can tell, feats in the relativistic range are somewhat consistent, which brings us to the big one: Israfel’s beams of light. Quite directly, EVA Unit-02 is able to dodge and move in tandem with Israfel’s light attacks, which, as previously discussed, are blatantly stated to be light beams, compared to lasers and described to be able to cause light refraction optical phenomena. If that’s not enough for you (given that they do display force) the series does have other lasers it can be compared to, namely the Gamma Ray Laser Cannon, which reaches speeds of one third of the speed of light. From there we have two options: If you think the explanations in the BTV are enough to justify the beams moving at the speed of light, you can use the high end assumption that the beam moves at 1c. If you don’t buy that, it’s still possible to compare the beam to the Gamma Ray Laser Cannon, given it is compared to a laser. Accepting that, the beam should have lower end speeds of around 0.333…c. Taking that into account the low and high ends of the feat should get 0.42c and 1.257c respectively.

Anemone on the other hand doesn’t quite have many direct reaction feats of note. Despite that, she should obviously have faster reactions than a normal human such as Tallho, who was able to steer the Gekko out of the way of a laser. Speaking of lasers, TheEND is able to consistently react to and fight the Nirvash Type ZERO, which has a far more impressive feat of dodging an incoming laser, which could potentially reach speeds of 0.123c. As previously mentioned in the BTV about Eureka Seven lasers, these beams showcase a few contradictions that are hard to ignore, namely force. Despite that, you can still point to arguments to support them being lightspeed. Unfortunately for Anemone, you will have to accept the higher ends for Asuka if you consider her lasers usable at all, meaning she will always have the upper hand. Both of their laser arguments have showings of force, but only Asuka’s come from a setting with accurate description of relativistic speeds for particle accelerators and light refraction, and of course a direct relativistic statement for a laser. When it comes down to it, the Angel light beams are at least about as solid as Eureka Seven lasers, if not way more, and get higher numbers.

No matter how you slice it, Asuka clearly takes this category. Her best scalable feat ranges from 0.42c to 1.257c, while Anemone peaks at 0.123c with leewayThis makes Asuka at least 3.41x and at most 10.21x faster in reactions. If you ignore problematic lasers for both, it becomes even more clear cut for Asuka. She has actually blocked relativistic projectiles, and scales to Rei who could move in tandem with particle beams with direct lightspeed statements. Compared to that, Anemone can only scale to the Mach ranges without laser leniency, making her vastly slower.

Asuka handily takes reaction speeds.

When we analyze movement speeds, the figures change, and the comparison is pretty open-and-shut. Let’s start with Asuka. Unit-02 is remarkably mobile for its size and weight, being able to perform great feats of agility like doing backflips and somersaults. In terms of stats, it should be able to run as fast as Unit-01, who can create mach cones (which obviously reach Mach 1). Its jumping ability is also impressive, as it can perform a jump of 558 meters in 0.32 seconds, reaching Mach 5 speeds.

TheEND, however, is a much more mobile mecha, just look at it go! It should be able to reach similar flying speeds as the Nirvash Type ZERO, who can create mach cones by flying (again surpassing Mach 1) Not only that, it performs a direct feat that reaches over Mach 13 by flying from behind a giant Kute class Corallian. For a bit of a high end, you can probably scale the original Nirvash’s speed to Truth, who it could keep up with in combat. With this in mind, Nirvash’s movement could be comparable to flying to space at over Mach 148.

With this in mind, it’s pretty clear Anemone has faster movement speeds, with the gap ranging from 2.6x to a whopping 29.6x.

Furthermore, it’s important to consider something beyond just speed numbers: quality. Despite being incredibly agile, Unit-02 is still basically stuck to the ground. It cannot fly, only jump good. Meanwhile, TheEND can functionally fly by surfing Trapar Waves, meaning not only can it cover horizontal distances easier (it doesn’t need to move its legs for that), but it can also freely adjust its altitude, giving it an extra axis of movement that Unit-02 can’t access easily.

In general, Anemone takes the movement category.

Does it mean the debate is over? Clearly not, we need to take a look at what they can do with…

Arsenal and Abilities

Let’s start comparing arsenals. This category should be relatively straightforward. Unit-02 possesses a much wider and more useful assortment of weapons than TheEND. We can break the comparison in two parts: short range and long range.

Let’s start with Anemone. In short range: her options are pretty standard. The dual blades from TheEND’s arms offer some extended melee range, and the claws can rip through metal from weaker LFOs. They can also extend and grab enemies with cables, restricting their movements. This is all cool, but when you put these weapons to Asuka’s it becomes a pretty lopsided comparison.

Asuka has access to the progressive knife, which not only can vibrate to cut matter at the molecular level, it can also heat it to cause further damage. Outside of the knife, Asuka also has the Smash Hawk and the Sonic Glaive, both of which use the same technology with the bonus of having a much larger range, which, when added to the EVA’s long wingspan, can easily reach distances of over almost 40 and 70 meters respectively. Thanks to TheEND’s smaller size, and Unit-02’s far larger frame and faster reaction and combat speeds, it is much easier for Asuka to land critical damage with melee weapons compared to Anemone. Not only are Unit-02’s reactions too fast for TheEND to leave melee range at all, but it also enables Asuka to potentially one-shot with intermolecular cutting that the Black Nirvash doesn’t resist, with weapons that can easily bisect or otherwise hit the cockpit from their sheer sizes. Compared to this, Anemone has standard metal blades and claws with short range, and cables that can easily be cut (like Nirvash did once), ripped or straight up used against TheEND by pulling it closer or slamming it around like a toy thanks to Unit-02’s far superior strength.

With this in mind, it is pretty easy to see how Asuka has superior short range weapons.

When examining long range combat, Asuka still has the advantage. But we should start with Anemone again. TheEND has 18 built in homing lasers with a pretty decent range. The Bascude Crisis is a large beam with an enormous AOE and range of over a hundred kilometers, and can inflict heavy psychic damage on contact. When you count support, her sizable arsenal becomes even better. With 6 Monsunos, the Ageha Squad has access to 108 missile pods and 12 railguns. Thanks to them, the Bahaluc Swell can also be formed, which gives Anemone a decent AOE option. Speed wise, rockets and railguns shouldn't leave the low Mach ranges. TheEND’s homing lasers are capable of keeping up with Nirvash’s movement speed, and as such should get about Mach 13 to 148. The Monsunos themselves aren’t much to write about stat wise, being at best comparable in reaction and movement speed to TheEND, but scaling to no notable AP feat in the series.

That’s pretty impressive, but let’s move on to Asuka. Unit-02 has access to the Pallet Rifles and Handguns, which can be replenished from nearby ammo buildings and dual wielded, firing high speed uranium coated ammo. She also has access to bazookas of the long and short variety, which fire large explosive ammo, and can be dual wielded. This is all, of course, child’s play compared to her most powerful guns: the Positron Rifles. The Positron Rifles are exactly what it says on the tin: they fire Positrons, the antimatter version of electrons, after being accelerated to near-light speeds. On contact, they cause atomic annihilation, or the conversion of matter into pure energy. While the standard version has no ranged showings besides a few hundred meters, the 20X Positron Rifle can reach and identify targets in low orbit. Each Rifle has a magazine capacity of about 8 rounds, and Asuka has access to two versions that can be delivered through the Tokyo-3 armament buildings. Factoring support, Tokyo-3 should have missile launchers on standby to assist with suppression fire, and there are quite a lot of them that can be launched in very quick succession. Speed wise, Asuka’s bullets and rockets should not exceed low Mach ranges, but the Positron rifles have a minimum speed of 0.33c and a maximum of 0.99c.

Comparing the two, it seems even at first, but Asuka comes on top. All of their standard armaments (bullets and rockets) are pretty much useless, and you can count Anemone’s homing lasers too. The Monsunos cannot do a single scratch on Unit-02 thanks to its overwhelming durability, and their Bahaluc Swell has a charging time that leaves them vulnerable to Asuka’s attacks, any of which will instantly obliterate them even more easily considering her vast combat speed advantage. The single useful attack that Anemone would be able to unleash would be the Bascude Crisis, which has a charge time that can be interrupted as it has been before, and can be deflected or simply blocked by Unit-02’s A.T. Field (more on this later) thanks to its reactions being faster than the beam’s speed. Meanwhile, Anemone has no resistance to or defense against the subatomic destruction that the Positron Rifles cause, and her own reactions are slower than their firing speed’s low and high ends. The Bascude Crisis can’t really be spammed, nor does Anemone ever do it in combat. Meanwhile Asuka can unload 8 relativistic speed projectiles that will one shot TheEND in extremely quick semi-automatic succession, and then grab another Rifle for 8 more.

As you might have noticed, the Oratorio No. 8 was not mentioned here, and for good reason. Not only was it exclusively created with the objective of destroying the Scub Coral Control Center, it was also destroyed instantly after its single use (which also killed TheEND). Its use also requires Anemone to sortie with the Drill Missile specifically, something she can’t just grab in the middle of the fight, and land it somewhere to serve as a beacon for the satellite. The activation of said satellite also takes several minutes. Furthermore, the Oratorio No. 8 can easily be destroyed by NERV bombarding it with N² Mines from their own satellites like they did to Sahaquiel, or having Asuka snipe it from the surface with the Positron Rifle 20X. On top of all of that, it’s extremely out of character for Anemone to even call for it, as she always wants the credit and glory for herself, and has no reason to make this extremely contextual weapon her opening in a normal fight. Due to these reasons, we will not be considering its use viable. Sorry to golden tree this one.

Considering all of this, it’s fair to say Asuka has superior long range weapons, due to the sheer power, speed and utility of the Positron Rifles. And thus, with both superior short and long range, Asuka handily takes the arsenal category overall.

The abilities discussion makes things a little more interesting, as it basically becomes a comparison of defense and offense. Anemone’s most notable ability, the Bascude Crisis, is a large beam with high destructive power and the ability to directly attack the opponent’s brain. This is arguably Anemone’s most dangerous tool in this matchup, as Asuka has been vulnerable to mental attacks before. Should be a slam dunk for Anemone, right? Well, not exactly.

Evangelion’s A.T. Field is a much better tool than anything Anemone has at her disposal. With it, Asuka has an invisible barrier that can not only protect her from attacks but also reflect them back (based on their other showings against beams in the series). In addition, it can also serve as an offensive tool, allowing Asuka to project it to crush enemies in extended melee range, make energy pillars or project large shockwaves. The way it works, the A.T. Field can only be broken through by another A.T. Field of equal strength, or an exceptionally powerful source of energy. Considering Anemone’s AP disadvantage, it is quite literally impossible for her to penetrate the A.T. Field, meaning Unit-02 can just indefinitely stonewall TheEND given the Bascude Crisis is a physical energy beam.

The Bascude Crisis’ psychic properties sound good on paper, but they’re basically useless against Asuka. It’s important to note that Arael’s psychic attack was an application of his A.T. Field, which bypassed Asuka’s protection. The Bascude Crisis has no properties similar to A.T. Fields or showings of bypassing mental barriers, and as such has no reason to go through Asuka’s 2 layers of mental protection with the A.T. Field and the mind barrier in the LCL.

This brings us to AOE. Potentially, with the most generous interpretation possible, Anemone’s Bascude Crisis can create explosions covering tens of kilometers. Potentially, this should be enough to wipe Tokyo-3 off the map alongside the Geofront, leaving Asuka with no means to charge her Evangelion and therefore making Anemone win if she just plays keep away with her superior mobility as Unit-02 will just power down and stop moving after 5 minutes. This has glaring issues. Not only does the Bascude Crisis not showcase this level of AOE often (this hinges on a single showing), it also takes several seconds to charge to maximum effect, and can be easily interrupted. It has also never been shown to be able to charge while TheEND is moving in the series, and any impact can knock Anemone out of its charging. Asuka can also potentially just block it, as previously mentioned, since A.T. Fields deflect energy beams in the series and don’t let them explode. As a final nail in the coffin for Anemone, Unit-02 can potentially just go berserk, extending its operational time to an indefinite amount to protect Asuka. As Anemone is incapable of harming her at all and stalling away from a fight for 5 minutes (longer than any of her 1v1 fights in the anime) is completely out of character, Unit-02 still has means to stay in the fight and land one killshot against TheEND even if you consider the extremely unlikely possibility of Tokyo-3 being destroyed during the fight.

The Bahaluc Swell is similarly ineffective. Not only is it dependent on 6 other LFOs that Asuka can destroy with the flick of her finger, but it also is not strong enough to bypass the A.T. Field. In addition to that, it leaves Anemone wide open for 10 seconds, enough time for Asuka to hit her with any of her many one-shot options such as the Positron Rifles, slapping Anemone with the A.T. Field or just making a cross explosion.

In this comparison of attack and defense, Asuka easily comes out on top, as Anemone has no means to go through the impenetrable defense of the A.T Field. Asuka has the better abilities.

Admittedly, things are looking a bit dire for the corallian clone, but we're not calling it over until we cover…

Tertiary Factors

Experience is an interesting but simple category. Anemone starts the series at 17 years old, having been trained in LFO combat for most of her life. We know and are shown that she’s a skilled pilot who can fight military targets and aliens. Her onscreen combat feats consist of basically fighting fodder and the Nirvash, which she has never beaten, 3 times.

Asuka has also been trained since she was a child, but we also know her actual combat experience starts when she turns 14. She fights several angels with very varied powersets and other Evas, but often loses in the later half of the series due to her increasingly bad mental condition. She has fought grounded enemy angels, aerial military vehicles, other Evas and even fought underwater.

Despite having more combat time and being older, Anemone’s relevant experience is fairly limited when it comes to dealing with opponents of comparable strength. Asuka, meanwhile, is 3 years younger and hasn’t seen as much training as Anemone. Despite that, she has dealt with enemies that put up a comparatively harder fight much more often, and been able to win fights against them when she’s outnumbered.

Given quality and quantity cancel out here, we’re giving this category to both. Experience is a tie.

Arriving at the very end, we have to talk about skill. This should not just be a generic measurement of their fighting prowess, but cut into the very heart and soul of their quality as pilots and efficiency in combat. Surprisingly, it ends up as a somewhat clear-cut victory for the fiery redhead pilot of Unit-02.

Anemone is undoubtedly very well-trained and displays incredible piloting in her KLF, being able to casually outmaneuver and destroy enemy LFOs and Antibody Corallians. However, despite the fact that in a vacuum this is a big deal, there’s a catch to it. In most of her combat experiences, she doesn’t actually rely on strategy or combat skill for that much. Instead, TheEND is easily able to tear enemies apart due to its sheer greater power. This doesn’t pan out well when it actually has to pick on someone its own size. In its 3 fights with the Nirvash Type ZERO, TheEND has never been able to land a decisive victory over Eureka and Thurston. In their first encounter, Anemone rushed in and was able to restrain Nirvash and temporarily pin it down with the Bascude Crisis before they got both dragged inside the Corallian. In their second bout, Anemone opened with a Bascude Crisis and moved to her Homing Laser, both of which were dodged. When Nirvash started charging its Seven Swell, Anemone rushed straight into it for an attempt at melee, which backfired and cost her this victory again. Finally, in their third and final fight, she attempted to open with a Bascude Crisis again, but was easily interrupted and resorted to melee and chasing Nirvash around. Noticing a pattern here? Anemone instantly resorts to rushing at the target if her attempt at a ranged opening doesn’t work, if not just opens with engaging in melee first. Her instability is also a problem, given how prone to becoming more aggressive and reckless she is after things don’t go her way.  

Asuka, comparatively, is a much more skilled pilot. She went through similar training since she was a child, but actually reflects it much better through her fighting style. Not only does she showcase actual combat skill outside of her Eva, but inside too, via her visual usage of martial arts along with her showings of utilising melee and ranged weapons effectively against enemy combatants. Asuka actually devises strategies to beat her opponents, and generally has a much, much better track record against opponents on her own level of power with her 1v9 fight with the Mass Produced Evangelions with Kaworu’s data. Despite her lack of composure (to put it lightly) during that fight, she actually managed to keep her fighting flow optimized, with no excessive poor maneuvers or mistakes caused by loss of control, always going for the most efficient move possible.

On top of that, Asuka is also being aided by Misato, a NERV official with a lot of experience in dealing with a vast array of enemies much more powerful, varied and deadly than anything Anemone can bring to the table. With access to NERV computers and the MAGI, Misato could easily suggest the perfect plan to deal with TheEND with the vast array of resources they have available.

Also, let’s be real, Asuka is far superior in raw intelligence. She might be 14, but she’s also a super genius that completed college as a pre-adolescent. She figures stuff out about enemies on the fly and has actual intelligence statements and feats. Anemone, comparatively, has nothing in this department.

When you put all the cards on the table it’s easy to see why Asuka would be vastly superior in this category. Anemone’s usual strategy puts her at particular risk in this battle as it makes her prone to rushing to close range, in which Asuka has several ways to end the fight instantly and a large tactical advantage. Asuka takes skill.

And with that, the debate is closed.

Summary

Asuka

Advantages: 

  • Much stronger no matter what ends you use for both

  • Faster in reaction speeds

  • Superior arsenal in both short and long ranges, with weapons fast enough to outspeed Anemone’s movement speed

  • The A.T Field and everything that comes with it is unlike anything Anemone has faced off against

  • Much more experienced fighting a wide variety of enemies

  • A much better track record in battles in her series overall and a greatly superior strategist in combat

  • Has the goat Tetsuya Tsurugi from Great Mazinger as her main character inspiration


Equal:

  • Similar relevant experience

  • Bascud Crisis and the Positron Rifle 20X should have similar ranges


Disadvantages: 

  • Much larger and grounded, and as such a much easier target

  • Does not have an easy time landing a hit on Anemone at first due to her greater mobility

Anemone

Advantages: 

  • Much more mobile due to Trapar Waves, flight enables her to avoid a lot of Asuka’s attacks

  • Faster in movement speed

  • Smaller target, making her hard to hit, and she has an easier time landing hits on Asuka with her variety of equipment

  • Numbers, if given the ally LFOs she needs to activate the Bahaluc Swell

  • Has the goat Asuka from Evangelion as her main character insp- hey, wait a minute


Disadvantages: 

  • Much weaker and slower in reactions

  • No way around the A.T. Field, and her lack of prior knowledge about it would make it impossible for her to come up with a way to deal with it

  • Inferior arsenal

  • Vulnerable to getting one-shot by a lot of weapons Asuka has in short and long range

  • Her superior mobility will not matter for long because she has no weapons that can harm Unit-02

  • Her strategy to rush down all of her enemies will wind her up in close range to Asuka, making her even more vulnerable to Asuka’s deadly arsenal and superior stats

  • Generally much worse in direct combat overall, when faced against an opponent on her level of power, which Asuka is greatly above

Conclusion

As can be seen here, Asuka takes or matches almost every single important advantage, of which the only category she clearly loses is movement, one in which she can more than easily close the gap through her greater skill and long range arsenal. Not to mention, Anemone having no real way around the A.T. Field ensures she’ll be on the backfoot throughout the entire fight.

The long and short of it is that Asuka’s advantages greatly outweigh Anemone’s, and her skill and arsenal are more than enough to close the gap in Anemone’s single significant one, giving her vastly more and much easier options to end the fight. She’s stronger, faster up close, a better pilot and has the better guns.

In TheEND, it doesn’t even matter was Asuka who showed Anemone what Absolute Terror truly was. The winners are Asuka Langley Soryu and the Evangelion Unit-02.

Final Tally

Asuka Langley Soryu (9) - Kaiser, Strunton, Flip, Tony, Serge, L.A.D., The Cardinal King, Cyber, Bang

Anemone (0) - What a NirWash

Allenby Beardsley (2) - Strunton, Flip (real)

Next Time



Sources

Asuka

  • Neon Genesis Evangelion (Anime)

  • The End of Evangelion 

  • Neon Genesis Evangelion (Manga)

  • Evangelion Chronicle Issues 1-50 (fucking 50 guidebooks)

  • Groundwork of Evangelion Vol. 1-3

  • Groundwork of Evangelion The Movie 1-2

  • Neon Genesis Evangelion: Anima

  • VS Battles Wiki Evangelion Profiles and calculations


Anemone

  • Eureka Seven (Anime)

  • Eureka Seven (Manga)

  • Eureka Seven Vol. 1: The New Wave

  • Eureka Seven Vol. 2: The New Vision

  • Eureka Seven AO

  • Eureka Seven AO The Flowers of Jungfrau

  • Eureka Seven AO Lord Don't Slow Me Down

  • Eureka Seven Walker Mook

  • Eureka Seven Archives

  • Eureka Seven AO - First Edition

  • Eureka Seven AO - Official Complete File

  • Shoji Kawamori - Design Works

  • Calculations made by Stocking Anarchy on OneLastForum

Comments

  1. I'm so glad that someone finally covered Evangelion THOROUGHLY in one of these blogs

    ReplyDelete
  2. Even Though it was a wash, thank you for covering Eureka 7.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problem! Personally, my favorite Asuka matchup is Tetsuya Tsurugi the pilot of Great Mazinger, but I wanted to give Eureka its flowers since it's unlikely any blog will cover them again
      That's our little tribute to the series

      Delete
  3. Awesome blog! I love and I repeat, I love this matchup. Mecha MU are a sad scarcity in the DB fandom and the series in general.

    Most of what I see tends to feature Transformers or Power Rangers… which are great, don’t get me wrong. But this! Asuka vs Anemone is exactly the kind of mecha showdown I live for. It’s sad Anemone dies here, but hey, hopefully it encourages the folks who read this to check out Eureka 7. Truly an amazing series.

    Im excited to see what other mecha matchups you people bring in the future.

    Now, slightly changing topics: I read Kaiser’s answers, and it reminded me of a TVTropes article I came across years ago comparing Tetsuya to Asuka that sold me that matchup... So yeah…

    Eva-02 vs Great Mazinger is a fight I would love to see:

    Tetsuya has skill and experience in spades. Plus he likely wont get hurt by Great’s injuries (unless you attack the pilder) like Asuka, and he should have a mobility advantage. But that’s probably where his edge ends.

    I think you could argue their stats are fairly close. Great Mazinger, thanks to downscaling Grendizer’s moon-sized asteroid feat, versus Eva-02 with its own scaling... Makes this feel like a vanilla Mazinger Z vs vanilla Getter Robo scenario. This time, however, the Mazinger should lose. Eva-02 has a wide array of weapons (or durability negation rust hurricanes with its rifles, at-field throw and knifes) that could overwhelm Great’s alloy, and Great might struggle to pierce an AT Field on the first place.

    All in all, Asuka should take that one cleanly too...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me and Kaiser discussed this one a lot during production of this as well. It's really close, Asuka has basically all the advantages except AP and Skill. It's possible that it's enough for Tetsuya to win, but it will be a hard-diff fight for either regardless. Taking AP alone isn't a surefire win for Tetsuya in this matchup particularly, and Asuka will evidently be on the backfoot, having to rely entirely on her duraneg options to score a win.

      Delete
    2. If making the fight would you include Kaiser's ova great mazinger? Or limit to the manga + toei anime (grendizer ova) + Infinity movie?

      I feel the Asuka shown here would be enough however.

      Delete
    3. Personally I'd stick to the Toei continuity for Great Mazinger but use the manga as support since it was made by the creator and ran concurrently with the show (they also influenced one another)
      So Toei shared verse + Infinity + manga
      Gosaku Ota Great Mazinger is also very iconic and important to the character so I'd use that
      Asuka's media lost would remain the same
      Personally I think Tetsuya wins since speed is even and Tetsuya one shots with everything (60 petatons + mazin power amps vs 5 petatons max + amps) while Asuka needs specific weapons to do it (positron rifles and melee weapons)
      I think one thunder break is enough to break the at field and fry eva 02
      But it's definitely close, it's asuka's closest matchup

      Delete

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