Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996)

The following weapons were used in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion:

Pistols

Heckler & Koch USP

Major Misato Katsuragi's sideearm is the HK USP 40.

Heckler & Koch USP - .40 S&W

A NERV intelligence officer returns the USP 40 back to Misato. Note the .40 S&W markings on it.

Misato's USP 40 is seen on her desk in "Tears".

Misato holds her USP on Kaji as she catches him trying to enter Terminal Dogma.

Submachine Guns

Nambu Type 100

Seen in "Rain, After Running Away", Kensuke Aida owns a replica Nambu Type 100 submachine gun.

Nambu Type 100 (post-1944 model) - 8x22mm Nambu

The silhouette of Aida's replica Type 100, seen while he acts out a dramatic two-person death scene by himself.

Aida stops and stares for a moment, giving a view of the SMG's stock; it appears that, unlike a real Type 100, his replica has a thick buttplate.

The clearest shot of Aida's replica guns, sitting on a rack in his tent. Oddly, it is never seen with a magazine.

Aida stands in silent despondence, giving a good view of the Type 100's muzzle.

Heckler & Koch MP5

Only briefly seen in "Tears", the Nerv HazMat team appear to be armed with Heckler & Koch MP5A3s. Concept art shows that the MP5 was also considered as a possible weapon for the JSSDF soldiers.

Heckler & Koch MP5A3 - 9x19mm

A Nerv security guard in full HazMat gear with the team that recovered the wreckage of Eva-00's Entry Plug in "Tears".

Rifles

Dragunov SVD

Briefly seen in "Rain, After Running Away" Kensuke Aida owns a replica Dragunov SVD, which he keeps in his tent.

Dragunov SVD - 7.62x54mmR

Aida's replica SVD sits next to his Type 100; while it may initially appear to have been drawn too short (i.e. about the same length as the Type 100), this is simply a product of the lighting.

Machine Guns

Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1

Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 machine guns are seen mounted on United Nations Air Force Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-Ds in "Asuka Strikes".

Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 with ammo belt (30x165mm).

UNAF Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-Ds in position at the USS Harry S. Truman aka United Nations Navy ship "Over the Rainbow".

Sumitomo M2

United Nations Army Type 74 MBTs are armed with the Sumitomo M2, the licensed-made version of the Browning M2 as the secondary weapon.

Browning M2HB (.50 BMG). The Sumitomo M2HB is a license-made version of the Browning M2HB for Japanese use only.

UNA Type 74s line up on the road, aiming their Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm guns at the ocean to await for Sachiel. The M2s are mounted on top of the turret in "Angel Attack". The scene is replicated in the first Rebuild of Evangelion movie.

Sumitomo Type 74

The Sumitomo Type 74, the co-axial machine gun version of the Sumitomo Type 62 GPMG, is mounted on Type 74 MBTs in a co-axial position.

Vehicle-mounted Type 74 machine gun (7.62x51mm NATO).

UNA Type 74s line up on the road, aiming their Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm guns at the ocean to await for Sachiel. The Type 74s are mounted on the turret next to the gun in "Angel Attack". The scene is replicated in the first Rebuild of Evangelion movie.

Rocket Launchers

M269 Launcher Loader Module

M269 Modules mounted on UN Army-controlled MLRS are used to fire M26 rockets at Sachiel when it begins to approach Tokyo-3 in "Angel Attack".

M269 Launcher Loader Module mounted on an M270 MLRS (227mm).

UN Army MLRS firing rocket payload at Sachiel. This scene is replicated in the first Rebuild of Evangelion movie. Incidentally, it's also recreated in Shin Godzilla, which shares many visual similarities and was also directed by Hideaki Anno.

Evangelion Weapons

The Evangelions (or simply Evas), the massive humanoid constructs around which much of the story's plot centers, use a variety of weapons; while some are fictional, many are based off of real-world firearms (albeit visually modified, and scaled up to fit the Evas' massive size).

Steyr ACR

The most prominently-featured weapon used by the Evas is a scaled-up Steyr ACR, referred to for unclear reasons as a "Pallet Rifle". It is never shown being reloaded (the Evas simply dropping them when they run out of ammunition), nor is it ever shown ejecting spent casings (implying that, unlike the real ACR, the Pallet Rifles use caseless ammunition of some form); it apparently fires explosive shells, and is shown as being more or less useless in every one of its appearances barring "In the Still Darkness". Concept art claims it to be a railgun firing depeleted uranium shells.

Steyr ACR - 5.56x45mm SCF

Shinji training with Unit-01 and its Pallet Rifle, as seen in "The Silent Phone"; it appears to have iron sights instead of the real rifle's integrated optic, though why it'd have either when the Evas apparently have built-in targeting systems is unclear.

Unit-01 fires the ACR.

Or rather, it doesn't, since this is a training simulation; instead, this is apparently a laser-based training device.

In the fight against Samshel in the same episode, Unit-01's real Pallet Rifle gets cut in two, along with the building next to it, by the Angel's strange laser-whip-things. Note the odd disc in the stock and the redesigned magazine.

A Pallet Rifle appears in one of NERV's many pop-up elevator boxes; the text at the bottom-right is a countdown timer, since a large portion of the final fight in "Mind, Matching, Moment" is focused around timing and synchronization.

The elevator extends its Pallet Rifle out, giving a clear view of the markings; despite being presumably made in Japan (and intended for use there either way), the markings on these are all in English.

A close-up of the weapon's muzzle as it fires; unlike a normal ACR, the cuts on the Pallet Rifle's flash hider are dispersed in all directions, for reasons that are made clear further down the page.

Unit-01 and -02 jump away from their barrier, just before Israfel slices it to pieces; for some reason, the rifle is drawn much smaller than normal here. Unit-02 is seen with a completely fictitious weapon, purportedly some sort of positron-beam rifle (different from the one below); here, however, it's shown functioning similarly to the Pallet Rifle.

Unit-01 grabs a rifle tossed up to it by Unit-00; "In the Still Darkness" contains some of the most detailed and prominent shots of the Pallet Rifle. Fitting for the only episode where it's actually used to any worthwhile effect. And for an episode whose primary conflict is that practically nothing in the facility is working.

Unit-01 raises the Pallet Rifle...

...and opens fire. Here, the reason for the odd flash hider design is made apparent; the four equidistant holes give the rifle a distinct cross-shaped muzzle flash, in keeping with the series' apparent obsession with crosses.

PTRS-41

A major plot device of "Showdown in Tokyo-3" is the "Positron Rifle", a prototype energy weapon under development by the JSSDF; it is "requisitioned" by Nerv and rebuilt for Eva use, with the resultant weapon seemingly based on the PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle. Notably, it features a series of cables attached to it (most prominently to a large block where the PTRS's magazine would be); these are plugged into the weapon's power source, which consists of the entire Japanese national grid. The weapon is also used in Episode 22, albeit to considerably lesser effect, and apparently without its national-blackout requirement.

PTRS-41 - 14.5x114mm

The initial establishing shot of the Positron Rifle, as seen from above; note the distinctive muzzle brake and offset front sight (though what an energy weapon with a computerized optical sighting system needs either of those things for is unclear).

Being as long as it is, the Positron Rifle rarely fits on screen; as such, the only good full-profile shots of it to be had are stitched-together images like this one. While it may appear to be bent, this is simply a result of the shifting perspective of such a shot.

Unit-01 racks the weapon's charging handle, immediately after an order is given to "clear the chamber".

It's not clear whether or not these two events are linked, since the actual apparent purpose of doing this is to load in one of the rifle's massive fuse units. These are presumably impossible to fire the rifle without, given that the pop-up "DANGER" indicator behind the "bolt" only pops up once one is chambered.

Another stitched image; apparently, much of the rifle is purple. Also note the large tube above the barrel labeled "FX-1"; on the original PTRS, this is a gas tube. It's not entirely clear how this tube manages to stay straight, seeing as it's only attached to the rifle's receiver and another power cable.

The Positron Rifle fires in two stages; first, the large, eight-holed block attached to the right side of the receiver is hit with eight white beams.

Then, the rifle actually fires, with enough muzzle blast to push all the nearby trees around.

A shot of the rifle's muzzle brake, right as an attack from Ramiel lands behind Unit-01; note how the front sight now extends straight up instead of at an angle.

Unit-01 readies another shot; note that the wires in the old fuse unit (the one being ejected) are severed.

The Positron Rifle's targeting system; despite all the importance given to correcting for variation by Dr. Akagi, the only thing the pilot apparently has to do is wait for the two symbols to align in the center.

Once they do so, the reticle changes into this.

A good view of the muzzle brake as Unit-01 fires its second shot; note that only two of the brake's several ports are actually used.

IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX

In "The sickness unto death, and then..."e, Shinji's Eva Unit-01 is seen using a handgun which appears to be a scaled-up, but otherwise completely unaltered IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX, right down to the rather baffling inclusion of the scope mounting rails; it is used to little effect against the episode's Angel, and is never seen again (presumably having been lost in the Dirac Sea said Angel created).

IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX - .50 AE

The first clear shot of Unit-01's Desert Eagle, as it backs up against a building.

Unit-01 raises its weapon; despite being designed explicitly for combat, the Evas apparently don't practice proper trigger discipline.

Unit-01 aims its Desert Eagle around the building's corner, showing its massive bore (bigger proportionally than even the .50 AE version's)...

...and fires at Leliel. This is the only instance where an Eva's weapon is seen ejecting casings.

Upon seeing his target disappear and the ground turn into the Dirac Sea, Shinji/Unit-01 does what any rational person would:

Attempt to shoot it.

Unit-01 looks up at the once-again-present Leliel (or rather, its "shadow"), Desert Eagle in hand.

The clearest shots of the weapon are also the last, occurring just as Unit-01 sinks into Leliel's Dirac Sea; note that it has a hole in its hammer, for whatever reason.

The Desert Eagle sinks into the Dirac Sea, and is never seen again.

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare

Rei's Eva Unit-00 is seen on two occasions ("The sickness unto death, and then..." and "Tears") with a sniper rifle based on the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare; alongside alterations to the profile of the stock, the most prominent difference between the real rifle and the Eva version is that the latter is semi-automatic.

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare - 7.62x51mm NATO

A stitched shot of the rifle, showing its atypical stock design and complete lack of a bolt handle. Note the wire leading from the scope; this is connected to Unit-00's helmet, indicating that it interfaces with the onboard targeting system in some way.

Another view of the rifle in profile, as Unit-00 lines up a shot on Leliel's "shadow"; note that the connecting wire is now absent.

Unit-00 opens fire; despite the evidently massive amount of energy involved in this, multiple successive shots somehow fail to damage the building that the rifle's bipod is mounted on.

Unit-00 with its rifle in "Tears"; this appears to be largely re-used from the initial shot in "The sickness unto death, and then..." (the first one in this section), but with a different background - the last few episodes of NGE were notoriously short on time, so lots of assets were recycled (most famously in the last two episodes).

A wider shot of the rifle as Armisrael attacks Unit-00; note how it now has a bolt handle and substantially longer scope, and lacks a muzzle brake.

Unit-00 grapples with Armisrael...

...and fires several rounds into it point-blank. Like most other guns used by the Evas, this somehow does absolutely nothing.

A close-up of the rifle's apparently-functionless bolt handle as Armisrael proceeds with its deeply disturbing attack.

Repeating Rocket Launcher

Asuka's Eva Unit-02 is seen with a magazine-fed repeating rocket launcher on two occasions ("Life and Death Decisions" and "A Man's Battle"); while fictional, it bears a passing resemblance to the M18 Recoilless Rifle. In the former, she doesn't ever fire the weapon, while in the latter she dual-wields them; for entirely unclear reasons, this does practically nothing to her target.

M18 Recoilless Rifle - 57x303mmR

Unit-02 with its rocket launcher; this is the only shot of it in all of "Life and Death Decisions". Note the M18-esque flared rear tube.

A top-down shot of Unit-02 surrounded by various weapons in "A Man's Battle", including at least 3 of the rocket launchers.

Another view; the weapons are all apparently just jammed into the ground, despite the obvious potential problems that a rocket launcher with a dirt-filled barrel could cause.

Yet another shot from a different angle, showing the rocket launcher's simple-looking trigger group.

Her Pallet Rifles proving ineffective against Zeruel, Asuka decides the next logical move is to use a rocket launcher.

Or rather, two of them.

Unit-02 firing its rocket launchers; this is the clearest shot of the (comparatively small) rockets, just before their motors activate and cover most of the screen in dramatic fire. Their small size would make sense if they're supposed to fit into the magazine on top of the weapon; the fact that the main motors haven't activated yet suggests that they use a two-stage launching system (with a booster charge to push the rocket out of the tube, and a motor to propel it from there), though the fact that the rockets' motors activate so soon after they leave the launcher renders this a bit pointless.