Evangelion Sixteenth Angel Armisael
Armisael is the final Child of Adam and is designated as the Sixteenth Angel and is named after the “Angel of the Womb”. It appears in Episode 23 of the Evangelion anime series.
Physical Appearance
Like Arael, Armisael’s body seems to be made out of light. Instead of taking a bird-like shape, however, this Angel appears as a ring made with a double helix structure that is similar to that of DNA. It alternates between having a blue and orange pattern, which makes NERV believe that this Angel is able to change its body in some way. Due to the Angel’s long, expansive body, the location of its core is unknown. Armisael also seems to have some degree of intelligence, as it is shown conversing with Rei as it attacks her. Its unique trait is the ability to merge with other kinds of biological life. This is similar to how the Angel Bardiel functions, however, instead of infecting and “possessing” its target, Armisael can outright fuse with it. The limits of this ability are unclear, as it is not allowed to completely fuse with anything long enough to display its full capabilities. When merging with an Evangelion Unit, it seems like its pilot is also affected by this fusion as well.
Notable Abilities
Biofusion: Armisael has the unique ability to fuse with other beings on a biological level. It does so by forcefully piercing its target and physically injecting itself into it. This process seems to take a fair amount of time, however. When attempting to fuse with an Evangelion Unit, as seen with Evangelion Unit 00, it appears that the pilot is also affected by the fusion. Thick, vein-like growths appear under the skin of both the unit and the pilot. As the fusion continues, these veins spread out and become thicker. Armisael is also able to attempt fusion with multiple targets at once. When doing this, it can seemingly act as a “link” between the two targets. When Shinji grabs the Angel with Evangelion Unit 01’s hand in an attempt to rescue Unit 00 and its pilot, miniature bodies shaped like Rei begin growing on Shinji’s hand along with the veins caused by Armisael.
Incredible Durability: This Angel seems to be able to take many attacks without showing any signs of damage afterward. Evangelion Unit 00 uses its rifle at point-blank range, but it appears that this method of attack is largely ineffective. One weapon that is shown to be effective is Unit 01’s Progressive Knife, which can stab through Armisael’s body and cause it to bleed.
Battle and Defeat
During a meeting with SEELE, Gendo Ikari receives an urgent phone call from NERV to alert him that the Sixteenth Angel is approaching, causing him to postpone the meeting until after Armisael is dealt with. Evangelion Unit 00 is currently the only unit that is fully functional, as Unit 01 is under lockdown after its battle with Zeruel and Asuka is no longer able to pilot Unit 02. As Armisael’s abilities are unknown, Rei is told to wait for the Angel to make the first move. As its two helixes merge into a single ring, two ends break apart from one another, turning its body into a line instead of a ring. Armisael then swiftly attacks Unit 00, breaking through the Unit’s A.T. field with ease. Things begin taking a turn for the worst as the Angel begins trying to fuse itself with Unit 00 and its pilot. Rei attempts to use her Evangelion’s rifle, but it does not damage the Angel at all. The fusion process continues and it appears that Armisael attempts to communicate with Rei. In a dream-like sequence, Rei begins talking with the Angel, which appears as a copy of Rei, mimicking both her appearance and voice. Meanwhile, Gendo lifts the lockdown on Unit 01 and allows Shinji to fight the Armisael. The Angel notices Unit 01 when it deploys its A.T. field and attacks it. Shinji manages to dodge and catch the Angel with one of Unit 01’s hands, although this allows Armisael to begin fusing with Unit 01 as well. Rei then begins to contain Armisael within Unit 00 and starts a self-destruct sequence. The resulting explosion is incredibly massive, damaging much of Tokyo-3 and completely destroying both Evangelion Unit 00, Armisael and Rei.
This would be the second time and the second body of Rei that was killed.
Armisael in Other Media
The Sixteenth Angel Armisael, does not make any appearances in the Evangelion Rebuild movies to date. In the manga adaptation created by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and also the Director’s Cuts and extra scene is shown during the infection of Evangelion Unit 00. Upon being fused with Armisael, Evangelion Unit 00 is shown to grow a fleshy tumorous mass that emerges in the shapes of almost all of the previous Angels that have appeared up to the point in the story line.
In addition, right before the self-destructing, this additional scene shows a naked glowing figure of Rei, resembling Lilith with a halo above her head.