Arael
Arael is the Fifteenth Angel in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Named after the angel governing birds, it manifests in satellite orbit as a giant, luminescent structure resembling a avian skeleton. Unlike most other Angels, Arael refrains from physical combat, relying instead on a powerful psychological invasion that targets the human mind from space.
Overview
Arael is the Fifteenth Angel in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Named after the angel governing birds, it manifests in satellite orbit as a giant, luminescent structure resembling a avian skeleton. Unlike most other Angels, Arael refrains from physical combat, relying instead on a powerful psychological invasion that targets the human mind from space.
Appearance
Arael resembles a massive, glowing avian skeleton composed of pure light. Its core is suspended outside its primary physical structure, held in place by appendages attached to its underbelly.
Personality
Arael shows no conventional emotions or malice, acting out of an apparent drive to analyze and comprehend human intellect. By penetrating a target's psyche, it unearths past traumas and deep-seated insecurities until the subject's mind collapses.
Abilities
Arael utilizes a beam of visible light energy capable of bypassing physical armor, A.T. Fields, and mental barriers. This projection forcedly reopens a victim's psychological wounds and destroys their nervous system, leading to severe mental incapacitation. Positioned in satellite orbit, it remains completely out of reach for conventional long-range weaponry like positron rifles.
Background
After appearing in Earth's orbit, Arael remained stationary rather than descending toward NERV headquarters. When Evangelion Unit-02 was deployed to intercept it, Arael launched its psychological beam, rendering pilot Asuka Langley Soryu mentally incapacitated. Retaliatory sniper fire from Evangelion Unit-00 failed due to extreme distance, prompting Gendo Ikari to order the use of the Spear of Longinus, which was hurled from Earth by Unit-00 to destroy the Angel.
Relationships
Arael concentrated its mental invasion on Asuka Langley Soryu while she piloted Evangelion Unit-02, destroying her spirit. It ignored Evangelion Unit-00 until Rei Ayanami, executing an order from Gendo Ikari, hurled the Spear of Longinus into space to eliminate the threat.
Trivia
During the scene where Arael bombards its target with psychological light energy, Handel's 'Hallelujah' chorus from Messiah plays in the background. The name Arael traces back to occult lore such as the Dictionnaire Infernal, where it is listed as an angel or spirit associated with birds.