Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most critically acclaimed anime ever. It marked a before and after for the anime industry, as well as pioneering many ideas that would come up in later works. Hideaki Anno created the series after the ending of his work: Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, in which he had already made impressive innovations. With Evangelion, Anno pushed the boundaries even more, and the best example of this is the last five episodes of the series. And a particular character that appeared in just one episode.
Kaworu Nagisa appeared only in Episode 24, and then later briefly in the End of Evangelion movie. And still, Kaworu was a smash hit with fans, and to this day, he sits among one of the most beloved characters of the series. But one of the reasons he is goes beyond his contribution to Evangelion, but to the anime industry at large.
The Angel of Free Will
Kaworu Nagisa Chooses Love
Kaworu debuted in Episode 24, The Final Messenger, released on March 3rd, 1996. After Asuka is driven to a dangerous state of depression following her defeat by the angel Arael. Rei is revealed to be a clone of many following Rei II’s death at the hands of Armisael. Shinji feels lost and confused, wandering around without wanting to even see Misato or go home. He finds himself at a lake at sunset, reflecting on his situation, and wondering what he should do. As he questions himself, he hears someone humming Ode to Joy, and he turns to see a silver-haired boy sitting on an angel statue. The boy introduces himself to Shinji with a smile, making Shinji blush. His name is Kaworu Nagisa.
Music is the crowning achievement of the civilization the Lilin created…don’t you think so?
Shinji spends the majority of the episode with Kaworu, blushing every time his warm smile meets him. Despite his ghostly looks, Kaworu is incredibly gentle and soft-spoken, and he treats Shinji with friendliness. Shinji, who’s always had great trouble making friends and interacting with people in general, quickly feels at ease with Kaworu, and the two become close. After spending some time together in the public bath, Kaworu confesses his love to Shinji.
Kaworu is later revealed to be Tabris, the final angel sent to destroy humanity. After he controls Eva Unit 02 and descends into the Central Dogma to find Lilith, Shinji chases after him with Eva Unit 01. When they both arrive at Lilith’s chamber, Kaworu speaks to Shinji, and he chooses to forego his mission and give humanity a chance to live, requesting Shinji to kill him.
Kaworu’s LGBT Elements
Ambiguous on Purpose, Embraced by Fans
While Hideaki Anno has purposely left the meaning behind Kaworu’s words to Shinji, ambiguous as to the nature of the story. Most fans have embraced Kaworu as a beautiful LGBT representation. While the anime industry was already no stranger to LGBT elements, as seen famously in Sailor Moon with Neptune and Uranus, Kaworu’s characterization and presentation have charmed fans for decades. Kaworu is often cited as one of the most iconic queer characters in anime, and his relationship with Shinji is tragic and moving.
Kaworu’s lines have seen many changes in translation. However, as Anno has stated, Eva is a work that the audience must complete on their own. Kaworu treats Shinji with great care, and while he’s initially designed to do so, he ultimately chooses to save Shinji from suffering. Every angel born from Adam is bestowed with a trait. Zeruel is the angel of strength. As such, Kaworu was bestowed free will. Kaworu willingly chooses to forsake not only his life but his life’s mission to spare Shinji and all of humanity. This is further expanded on in the Rebuild of Evangelion films, where he is revealed to be born in every universe reset with the sole purpose of making Shinji happy and sparing him from suffering.
While Kaworu’s love for Shinji is ambiguously romantic, his devotion to him is obvious. Kaworu made it his true mission across timelines to make Shinji happy. Regardless of ambiguity and translations, Kaworu means a lot to queer audiences. He represents an incredibly positive and beautiful representation in an anime that is constantly filled with psychological horror and tragedy. Kaworu is a beacon of light to Shinji amidst his depressing situation. While Shinji ultimately chooses a heterosexual partner in Mari Makinami, Kaworu’s inclusion evokes great joy from queer fans and creators.
Kaworu was not the first character with LGBT elements, but queer representation has only increased in recent years. While Evangelion is not the only series to be credited for this, its massive popularity certainly helped. Kaworu’s true relationship with Shinji remains ambiguous as are so many elements of Evangelion, but his impact on fans is undeniable.
