Memes /
Neon Genesis Evangelion
aka: Rebuild Of Evangelion
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Please add entries in the following format:- The meme. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The explanation behind the meme.[[/labelnote]] ExplanationLike this.
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Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Everyone gets hugged and turns into Tang or Morning Rescue. ExplanationThe common summary for End of Evangelion. Note that this is exactly what happens.
- Evil Manga Kaworu ExplanationPerhaps as a result of his Misaimed Fandom, the manga made Kaworu less ambiguous in his intentions and more sinister, leading to this to distinguish between the two versions.
- Kaworu kills kittens. ExplanationIn the manga Kaworu strangles a kitten to death, and that's all that anyone remembers.
- Every time you masturbate Kaworu kills a kitten. ExplanationCreated after the above, a variation on the popular meme of "Everytime you masturbate God kills a kitten".
- Robo-Shinji. ExplanationUsed to refer to Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, since it was pointed out how similar he was to Shinji conceptually. Ironically, there's an ending in one of the Lighter and Softer games where Shinji is turned into Robocop. No kidding.
- Shinji sucks! ExplanationA large portion of the series' enormously Broken Base is because of Shinji, viewed then and now as an incredibly pathetic and weak main character for the genre. Especially in the west. In his homeland, he’s much more liked, especially in the recent years.
- Who killed Ryouji Kaji? Explanation (spoilers)Kaji's killer is never seen, and speculation about them abounded until Word of God put their foot down and said it was just a random soldier.
- Kaworu died for your sins! Again! Explanation (spoilers)Kaworu is frequently interpreted as a Christ figure, a divine being sacrificing himself so that humankind can live, leading to this. Became an Ascended Meme when ADV Films created a bumper sticker with this phrase on it.
- "GENDOWNED"
ExplanationBecame both famous and copied to death after its "debut" in AMV Hell 2.- Later followed by the lesser known "RITSUKOWNED!" ExplanationBased on a scene in the manga version of End where Ritsuko, after having been shot by Gendo, wills herself to hang on just long enough to take revenge by reaching her gun and shooting Gendo in the throat point-blank from behind.
- "It's Gendo!" "Oooh, Baby." ExplanationThe spoof video Evangelion: ReDeath spawned this incredibly popular line.
- "[anime X] + the Evangelion opening, lulz":
- ZOMG TEH REI!! ExplanationA summary of Rei's (according to Word of God, misaimed) fandom. Derives from a short-lived 4chan meme where someone used MS paint to give a penis blue hair to vaguely resemble Rei, and drew "TEH REI" next to it. Yeah.
- "I'm so fucked up..." Explanation (Spoilers)The ADV dub's translation of Shinji's line after he masturbates over Asuka's comatose body, preceded by a close-up of his semen-soaked palm. The moment quickly became the film's Signature Scene thanks to its unsettling nature and Shinji's Precision F-Strike. Consequently, it became a popular subject for parody online, typically via attaching Shinji's line to similar shots of goo-covered palms from other works.
- "I'm the lowest of the low..." ExplanationNetflix's revision of the iconic line in their version of the dub. Often used to mock the changes that they made, even though it's a more accurate translation of the original line.
- Omedetou! (Congratulations!). ExplanationThe ending to the series. No, we don't understand it either, and it's likely not meant to be understood anyway. Most older fans tend to use "Congratulations!" as a greeting to newbies confused about the Gainax Ending.
- For bonus hilarity, look at the comments.
- Now in 14 languages!!
- Despair Edition
- "Way to go man!" ExplanationAnother translation change for the Netflix re-release of the series. During the memetic "Congratulations" curtain call ending, where all of Shinji's friends and acquaintances are congratulating him in his mind on the epiphany he's reached, Toji breaks from saying it and instead says "Way to go man." In light of the other controversial changes the new translation introduced, this became more of a joke for being a Single-Issue Wonk.
- I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I MUSTN'T RUN AWAY, I MUSTN'T RUN AWAY, I MUSTN'T RUN AWAY, I MUSTN'T RUN AWAY!!!!!!! ExplanationShinji attempts to use this as his Survival Mantra. It doesn't quite work that way...
- Thermal Expansion ExplanationShinji's physics lesson with Asuka quickly descends into Something Else Also Rises.
- Reispin (and pretty much everything to do with deformed Rei's head).
- The Penguin Army has found its banner. We're so screwed.
- EVERY SINGLE MISSILE HIT THE TARGET!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!!! Explanation An incredibly over-the-top declaration made by a Red Shirt gunship pilot in the first episode of the English dub, after every single missile fired at the Angel failed to leave even a scratch.
- "I can't believe Eddy fucking died." Explanation The voice acting for said Red Shirt in this scene is frequently noted to sound very similar to Tony Sampson's performance as Eddy from Ed, Edd n Eddy, of all people. Cue plenty of jokes — amidst many other references to the iconic Cartoon Network show — that the hapless gunship pilot is none other than Eddy himself after enlisting in the military, and the situation he's in being his latest Get-Rich-Quick Scheme gone horribly wrong.
- MIND RAPE! ExplanationAsuka's psychic assault by the 15th Angel became the Trope Namer for any form of mental violation.
- The Gendo pose. ExplanationAnyone clasping their hands in front of their face while wearing Scary Shiny Glasses is instantly mysterious and sinister.
- "Ritsuko Akagi, the truth is..." "... huh. You liar." ExplanationGendo's last words to Ritsuko in The End of Evangelion are infamously muted, leaving fans to fill in the blank.
- Here's the manga's take: "Until now, your actions were exemplary... I did love you."
- X (Not) Y ExplanationFollowing the examples of You Are (Not) Alone and You Can (Not) Advance, it's gotten popular to make random statements with the word 'not' (or something else) in brackets.
- Macekre of Evangelion. ExplanationIt's hilarious to imagine what it would be like if 4Kids Entertainment got hold of Evangelion. A commonly recurring theme in such parodies is changing the Evas to legitimate Super Robots instead of being a disturbing biomechanical twist on the concept.
- Shinji wins! Apocalypse time! ExplanationAt the end of 2.0, Shinji gets the girl... and triggers Third Impact.
- "Saabisu, saabisu!" ExplanationMisato's habit of promising Fanservice during the Next Episode Previews.
- "Goo lau!/Gulan!/Goo lurrrr!/some other phonetic variation" ExplanationKaji's "English" in ''Evangelion 2.0''.
- DOO DEATETTU DA ENJERR ExplanationAlso Kaji's infamous Engrish, rendered phonetically. He doesn't actually say "to defeat the Angel", or "to defeat the Angels" - it just evolved that way.
- "ZA BEASTO" ExplanationMari's Engrish Pre Ass Kicking One Liner
- "POINT BLANK, SHITHEAD!!!" ExplanationAnother Mari-ism, this time from Evangelion 2.22's English dub.
- [something happens] while Hideaki Anno plays unfitting music. ExplanationA snowclone of the YouTube Poop "while I play unfitting music" meme, referencing the abundant use of Soundtrack Dissonance in Evangelion.
- "I will not be a puppet for you to control." ExplanationSaid by Rei III to Gendo as she disowns him while he tries to create his version of Instrumentality, becomes independent and does it her way. So popular is the equivalent phrase in Japan that they parodied it on Keroro Gunsou.
- "Captain Asuka" or "Asuka the Pirate", taken from her eyepatch in the Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0 teaser, is already becoming a meme. A later preview has further mutated this into Space Pirate Asuka.
- Everything in, of and relating to the final scene of Evangelion 2.22 has attained memetic status.
- MOON MAN SAYS NO! Explanation (spoilers)Used to refer to Kaworu coming out of nowhere with a Deus ex Machina to keep the movies going. Why? Because last we saw him, he was on the moon.
- Evas In Space! Explanation (spoilers)The second preview for Evangelion 3.0 features Asuka in Unit-02 flying around in space, fighting something offscreen. Becomes Hilarious in Hindsight when one realizes that the Light Novel Evangelion: Anima did it first.
- The elevator scene with Asuka and Rei.
- "Reiquarium": Explanation (spoilers)Fan Nickname adopted as the official term for a massive aquarium-like construct that holds dozens of spare body clones for Rei, should her current body be destroyed, and infamously known for a ruthless dose of horror the moment Ritsuko expresses her hatred for them, pushes a button, and makes every last clone rot to pieces.
- "Giant Naked Rei (GNR)": Explanation (spoilers)Fan Nickname for the Gainax Ending antics of End of Evangelion- Rei steals Adam from Gendo and fuses with Lilith while she's completely naked, having disregarded her lack of clothing as important and left her school uniform garb behind in the "Reiquarium;" the God-like entity assumes Rei's form, then grows unbelievably huge anatomically, so to speak. In other words, her big 'uns are the size of Asia.
- "Kimochi warui (I feel sick)."/"How disgusting." Explanation (spoilers)The very coldly delivered final line of End of Evangelion in both the Japanese and English dubs, respectively- spoken by Asuka as Shinji sobs over her body, which contrasts with her gesture seconds earlier, when she had gently caressed Shinji's face as he was strangling her.
- Bishonen Space Jesus: Explanation (spoilers)Fan Nickname for Kaworu since his role in Evangelion 3.0.
- Everybody finds love in the end. Explanation (spoilers)Line from "Sakura Nagashi", the ED of Evangelion 3.0., as a sort of mantra to hope for a happy ending in Final (after the overall bleakness of 3.0., which contrasted the Lighter and Softer feel from 1.0. and 2.0.).
- End of X. Explanation: When a movie is either a) made of mind-screw or, more negatively, b) seems to deliberately troll the audience by making no sense, it can be called this, in reference to The End of Evangelion.
- You da man, Shinji Explanation A comic by pancakestein depicting a slightly altered version of Episode 1, later dubbed.
- GET IN THE FUCKING ROBOT, SHINJI. Explanation A catchphrase that sums up the habit of jokingly claiming that everything Shinji is called on to do — i.e. piloting a giant cyborg with a mind of its own to fight Physics-buggering monsters that want to destroy humanity, while being constantly bullied, manipulated and ignored by his none-too-stable colleagues — is perfectly normal and not worth complaining about.
- GET THE FUCK OUT OF THAT ROBOT, SHINJI! ExplanationAs of 3.33, it was to prevent another awakening.
- And now, a contemplation.
- YO SHINJI, GET IN THE ROBOT. YOUR DAD LOVES YOU, GET IN THE ROBOT. ExplanationFrom a "4Kids version" of the opening that turns the song into a Theme Tune Rap that strips all the pathos out of the show.
- "What is the evangelion of X?Explanation: A stock 4chan troll asking for "2deep4u" recommendations for a given medium. Naturally culminating in "evangelion of anime" (usually Madoka).
- It's 2015 everyone, get your Walkmans ready.ExplanationSimilar to a certain movie's guess on fashion, the series assumed some things about the future that didn't quite pan out... Until Sony revealed a new updated Walkman model in January 2015.
- Gendo Ikari Memorial Parent of the Year Award Explanation"Awarded" to the parents who treat their children the worst. Infamous recipients include Precia Testarossa, Fire Lord Ozai, Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord Randyll Tarly, King Stannis Baratheon, Denethor, Shou Tucker and Ragyo Kiryuin.
- "There is no word for "I" in Japanese." ExplanationA rather infamously incorrect statement by Amanda Winn Lee made on the commentary track on the Manga Entertainment release of End of Evangelion. It is often referred to as a reason why the commentary should never be used as an authoritative source in analysis of the series.
- That scene.ExplanationA common fanspeak term for the infamous masturbation/Dude, She's Like in a Coma scene from End of Evangelion.
- Shinji's Faptastic Adventures in Boobieland (sometimes abbreviated as "SFAiB") ExplanationA more (darkly) comedic nickname for aforementioned scene.
- Shinji's yogurt.ExplanationGiven the infamy of the hospital scene, many online have taken to giving the moment in a far more innocuous context.
- Rami-chan.ExplanationNickname for Ramiel, the Fifth Angel.
- Rami-chan is best girl.ExplanationA combined Take That! and Take a Third Option joke response to the long-standing fandom debate whether Rei or Asuka (and sometimes Misato) is the best female character of the series, that states that Ramiel, which has the shape of a giant shiny, blue floating octahedral, is in fact the best female character.
- [screams geometrically] ExplanationAn attempt at describing the strange, piercing sound Ramiel makes when it moves around.
- Asuka vs. Rei ExplanationAsuka and Rei are two of the most popular "waifus" in anime history, and any debate over who is better will usually end up in flames. Adding to the hilarity of this is they were supposed to be exaggerations of popular waifu traits and having any romantic attraction towards them was supposed to be wrong.
- "Worthy of my grace." ExplanationThe version of Evangelion available on Netflix came with a new translation of both subs and dubs. And with that, a lot of changes. Among those complained about were lines that toned down the hints of a relationship between Shinji and Kaworu, chiefly changing "worthy of love" to the technically more accurate, but incredibly clunky-sounding "worthy of my grace." The latter line became a common point of mockery for said clunkiness, particularly among detractors of the new translation.
- Mr. Anno's Wild Ride.ExplanationA Snow Clone of "Mr. Bone's Wild Ride" (which in itself is named after the popular Disneyland ride "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride") and a popular Fan Nickname for the series.
- A photoset on Tumblr showing a cat with a blank expression laying on its side, which turned out to be Anno's cat, Might Jack.note Sadly, Might Jack died at 13 in March 2018.
- I said I wasn't gonna lose my head, but then POP! Explanation There are multiple videos (such as this one) playing up the Homoerotic Subtext between Shinji and Kaworu while also being timed with the lyrics to show Kaworu's head getting violently popped off his body (from getting squeezed by Unit 01 in the show and from an explosive collar in the Rebuild 3.0. set to the song Pop! Goes My Heart by a fictional band from the movie Music and Lyrics.
- It's Wednesday, or as I like to call it, THURSDAY. ExplanationA captioned macro meme of Asuka looking haughty, as if she were saying this, which originally ended with a Facebook-wine-mom-style punchline comparing the work week to a hostage situation, but had "THURSDAY" crudely pasted over it.
- "You think you can just say things to me?" ExplanationA panel from the manga of Asuka saying the line to Shinji, it was quickly applied to situations where people refused to listen to logic or the speaker simply couldn't believe what they were hearing.
- Feliz Jueves! TranslationHappy Thursday! Explanation A meme originating from a video by the Mexican/Uruguayan Facebook page Mi Lugar Favorito (eng. "My Favorite Place"), which is dedicated to sharing wholesome, motivational posts. The video in question featured a GIF of a young running Asuka accompanied by playful music and the text "Vengo Corriendo Que Quiero Ser La Primera Persona En Desearte un Feliz Jueves!!! (eng. "I Come Running 'cause I Wanna Be The First Person To Wish You A Happy Thursday!!!"); in an ironic case of Cowboy BeBop at His Computer, the GIF actually comes from an flashback where Asuka runs to tell her mother she was selected to be an EVA pilot, only to find her corpse hanging from the ceiling. The sheer juxtaposition between the innocent nature of the video and the dark themes of the series from which it originated made it popular among Spanish-speaking communities, with Asuka being heavily associated with Thursdays to the point of flanderization.
- "is that your fucking fursona? that's cringe"ExplanationA Stylistic Suck fan comic in which Shinji says the following upon noticing Asuka drawing a fursona before Asuka angrily responds with "YOURE cringe!!!!!", causing Shinji to run away and cry to himself in the bathroom. The fact that the piece so effectively parodied the exact style of amateur anime fan comics on DeviantArt quickly brought it to attention, leading it to become a popular subject for redraws based around different IPs; the Furry Fandom also caught wind of the comic, which in turn led Asuka's fictional fursona to become a popular subject for fanart among them.
- Kaworu and Shinji's Homoerotic Subtext has spawned or at least contributed heavily to the spawn of the incredibly popular mysterious light haired and emotional dark haired Boys' Love pair dynamic in the shipping community both in the show's home country and overseas since Evangelion's initial release.
- Yandere Sakura Explanation (spoilers)Sakura Suzuhara's comparatively kind behavior towards Shinji in 3.0 and subsequent mix of genuine concern, sheer terror, and threats to him in 3.0+1.0 caused an explosion in fanart of her as a yandere. Often includes her wounding Shinji, fighting with Mari, or implied urophagia (as the Wunder recycles urine into drinking water).
- Rei Plush / Rei Chiquita Explanation This cartoonishly-proportioned plush of Rei is worshipped by the fandom and made into various nonsensical memes, such as Third Impact.
- Asuka Plush / Minisuka
- Hey Carnage, do you know Candice? Explanation A 4-panel webcomic where Asuka attempts to trick Carnage with a Candice joke only for Carnage to remind her of her mother hanging herself, then cutting to a picture of Asuka with a shocked expression on her face before cutting to a poster of Let There Be Carnage.
- When I want to watch blue but my bitch wife wants to watch orange.Explanation A popular gif◊ depicting Shinji and Asuka switching the TV channel back and forth between two different shows, with the caption "when i want to watch blue but my bitch wife wants to watch orange" (referring to how the "TV shows" are rendered as a solid blue screen and a solid orange screen due to animation constraints).
- Shinji? Crank that Soulja Boy!ExplanationA scene from Episode 11 dubbed over with Asuka ordering Shinji to open the door with the phrase above, the song mentioned being played while he uses the crankshaft.
- If you have something to say, then just spit it out already.ExplanationThis fandub of Rei and Asuka's argument in the elevator from episode 22 received a number of recursive edits, replacing the Popcat audio with different sound effects, music, or other memes to serve as Asuka's response to Rei's above statement.
- Nazi Asuka. ExplanationFans with a fondness for Black Comedy often enjoy invoking the All Germans Are Nazis stereotype with Asuka, who is half-German.
Rebuild of Evangelion
- The Fan Nickname of calling the Second Child Pirate Asuka given her eyepatch in the 3.33 trailer is popular among fans.
- Mari's cat smile seems to be this, being used as the thumbnail for many 3.33 trailer videos.
- ~Everybody finds love... in the end...~ ExplanationUsed as a desperate plea by the fans for the series to not end in complete tragedy.
- Shinji Can (Not) Win, and variations of the ().ExplanationA rift of the films' subtitles. Normally done to mock Shinji's Butt-Monkey status.
- "Shinji, get in the fucking robot!" or "Get in the fucking robot Shinji!"ExplanationA phrase used by many fans who are confused by the characters's priorities in whether they want Shinji to pilot the EVA or not. It can also be used to make the characters look like jerks who blame Shinji for the damage he causes despite them being the ones who told him to do it. Exhibit A and B.
- Fans and imageboards simply titling the infamous piano scene in 3.33 as "the gay piano" due to the unbelievably massive amount of Homoerotic Subtext that is in that scene. In fairness, it's hard to not interpret the scene that way.
- "When is EVA 4.0 coming out?"ExplanationSaid in a deprecating manner due to the continuous Schedule Slip of 3.0+1.0. Finally a Discredited Meme after 2021, when the movie released
EVERY SINGLE MEME HIT THE TARGET! AAHHHHH!!
AAA-AAA-AAAAAAGH!!
