Evangelion Thirteenth Angel Bardiel
Bardiel is a Child of Adam and is designated as the Thirteenth Angel and is named after the “Angel of Haze”. It appears in Episode 18 of the Evangelion anime series. This Angel is a parasitic being that appears as a fungus-like slime that is capable of forcefully taking control of Evangelion Units, Evangelion Unit 03 being a primary example.
Physical Appearance
In some ways, it is similar to the Eleventh Angel, Ireul. Instead of having one massive body, Ireul and Bardiel are completely amorphous. While Ireul is described as being a colony of microscopic organisms acting as a singular unit, it is unknown if Bardiel behaves in the same way as Bardiel is never shown being able to separate itself into multiple bodies. In some ways, Bardiel functions similarly to the real world fungus known as cordyceps, a parasitic fungus that turns its host into a zombie that exists only to help the fungus reproduce. Once a unit is infected, its pilot loses all control and Bardiel is free to use the unit as it pleases. In the original series, it is not known if it also infects the pilots of infected units. However, in the second Rebuild movie, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Bardiel is shown interacting with Asuka Langley Shikinami, though the exact effects of this interaction are unclear. This Angel is also capable of spreading its infection to other Units, however, it fails to do so completely. Because Evangelion Unit 03 was taken over almost immediately after activation, the details and unique characteristics of this specific unit are not shown.
Notable Abilities
- Parasitism: It is unknown exactly how or when it happened, but Evangelion Unit 03 is infected with Bardiel. It lays dormant until the unit is activated. The moment Unit 03 begins to move, Bardiel begins taking control of the unit. Once control is gained, Bardiel can move the body of Evangelion Unit as if it were its own. This strange form of parasitism also seems to change the physiology of the host in some ways as well. As it tries to infect Evangelion Unit 00, part of Unit 03’s arm seems to melt into a goo-like consistency that is then absorbed into Unit 00. Furthermore, this parasitism seems to allow the limbs of the infected Eva-03 to stretch incredible distances, catching Evangelion Unit 01 off guard.
Battle and Defeat
As Toji Suzuhara begins preliminary testing for piloting Evangelion Unit 03, the dormant Bardiel awakens and begins taking over the unit. The infected unit behaves similarly to the berserk Evangelion Unit 01, as it is able to open its mouth and produce a voice - something the Evangelion Units do not display under normal conditions. The infected Unit 03 causes a massive explosion at the facility it is stored in. An alert is sent to NERV, but members are not aware of what caused the blast. The other three Evangelion Units are sent to a nearby location to find the target. When Gendo Ikari confirms that Unit 03 is moving on its own, he orders that it be reclassified as the Thirteenth Angel and commands the other Evangelion Units and pilots to destroy it. NERV attempts to remotely eject the entry plug that Toji is in but a layer of Bardiel’s fungus-like body secures the plug in place. Both Rei and Asuka are hesitant to attack the infected unit, as they know that Toji is the one piloting it. Bardiel then takes down Unit 02 and attempts to infect Unit 00. It produces a liquid from its arm that enters into the arm of Evangelion Unit 00, but Gendo orders the infected arm to be severed remotely to prevent the infection from spreading throughout the entire unit. Shinji does not know that Toji is the person piloting Unit 03, but still refuses to engage the Angel/Evangelion hybrid because he knows that there is another human still inside of it. Because Shinji refuses to fight, Gendo gives the order to switch Evangelion Unit 01’s control over to the experimental Dummy Plug. Shinji is forced to watch as the A.I. controlled Eva-01 gruesomely destroys Unit 03 and the entry plug that contains Toji. Toji manages to survive the brutal attack, but he loses one of his legs in the process.
Bardiel in Other Media
The Thirteenth Angel, Bardiel makes an appearance in both the Rebuild movies and the manga adaption by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.
In the Rebuild movie Evangelion 2.0, Bardiel is referred to as the Ninth Angel. The Angel has the same method of attack as to the anime series. However the significant difference is that instead of Toji as the pilot, Bardiel took over Evangelion Unit 03 when Asuka was piloting. In the movie, Evangelion Unit 02 was put into storage as a treaty was passed allowing one country to only operate three Evangelion Units in one time. The defeat of Bardiel was the same as the anime series. Asuka made it through the battle with injuries. The last difference was that during the battle, Bardiel tried to contaminate Evangelion Unit 01.
Bardiel in the manga adaptation follows a similar storyline to the original anime. However, in the manga, Shinji knows that his friend Toji is the pilot. The end of the battle results in the death of Toji, whereas in the original anime series he survived with serious injuries.