Angels in Neon Genesis Evangelion

The Angels (使徒, shito, lit. 'apostles') are fictional entities from the anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which was produced by Gainax studio and directed by Hideaki Anno. Angels also appear in the manga adaptation of the same name, which was illustrated by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.

In the original animated work, almost all of the Angels are antagonists of mankind who repeatedly try to reach the headquarters of the special agency Nerv in the city of Tokyo-3. Most of the Angels originate from an entity called Adam, but the eighteenth specimen, humanity, is descended from Lilith, the second Angel. To counter the Angels' invasion, Nerv builds the Evangelions, mechas that just like the Angels have a force field called an AT Field.

The Angels appear in works from the animated series, in spin-off manga, video games, visual novels, in the yonkoma manga Petit Eva: Evangelion@School, and the Rebuild of Evangelion film tetralogy. The names of the Angels past Adam and Lilith, which are revealed in the fourteenth and twenty-third episodes of the series, refer to the namesake angels of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The characteristics and functions of each Angel are deliberately similar to those of their namesakes in ancient sacred texts. Their designs have been praised by critics and animation enthusiasts, and influenced subsequent animated series.