u/SkirtHeavy9189

This discussion will never end but I believe gow 3 kratos is still probably stronger than current one , yes I know that it's been stated that norse kratos > greek kratos , but there is chance that devs meant base norse kratos > base greek kratos. Kratos in gow 3 had more weapons , faster and also enhanced by power of hope , he also had bow of apollo , giving him the edge in range as well. Unless we are arguing that norse kratos has surpassed his younger version by a good margin since greek version was in his 50s and current kratos is in 1050s ( at least that's what I have from fandom)

I have seen this match up being posted a lot and a lot of people seem to believe that ares would mop the floor with thor and it's just so absurd , ares literally got killed by a kratos who wasn't a god , he was farrrr weaker than ther kratos thor fought and actually overpowered and killed/knocked out. Only zeus and hades are comparable to thor in Greek pantheon and sisters of fate because of their hax , thor gaps Poseidon too. Athena too , I forgot she has become a transcendental being , thor pretty much gaps the rest of the pantheon.

the discussions I have came across the social media and I have observed that mosasaurus is overglazed as f*ck , people thinking it was the most powerful predator in earth's history, it wouldn't be even most powerful predator if it was alive today , cachalot whale would pack his ahh , people really think it can take on a fcking meg , acting like meg doesn't have a stronger bite force and was at least 4-5 times heavier , jurassic park really made people think it was some cthulhu level sh*t 😭😭.

Johan is a character which can be analysed from a lot of angles in my opinion , his character is stacked with a lot of subtle details which make his micro-characterization exceptionally powerful. In this post I want to highlight a few micro-details about his johan which makes his character strikingly compelling.

1.Johan's control over perception

An very intresting trait about his character is the how johan controls others perception , his manipulation is very sophisticated , he doesn't go to others and verbally manipulate them , instead he gives them just enough material to let them create an image of him themselves , a good example can be how he uses this method on karl schuwald. Johan represents himself as a polite , young , caring and intelligent man. He portrays himself as genuinely helpful person , this psychological behaviour is similar to a quote from erving groffman's book ' The presentation of self in everyday life ' ( quote written below )

“It will be convenient to label as ‘front’ that part of the individual’s performance which regularly functions in a general and fixed fashion to define the situation for those who observe the performance."

it basically means where a person's behavior helps shape how others understand them. I think what makes johan's manipulation so effective is that he doesn't simply create a false image of himself , he makes other people participate in creating it. He understands that people don't simply see who you are , they analyse you through what you show them. Johan gives them exactly what they need to believe.

2.Johan's unstable sense of self

I think this is by far one of the most complex and intresting things about Johan's character , it's very difficult to differentiate between who johan really is from the identities he creates. Throughout the story of monster we sea johan taking up different roles depending on the people around him , but we are rarely shown who the 'true' johan is underneath those masks and I think is a very compelling aspect of johan's character. A mask or a fake identity is usually supposed to hide the true self beneath it, but with johan the more masks we are shown the further we are from what is actually underneath them. This concept is fairly explored in R.D laing's book ' The divided self ( also I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to grasp Johan's character on a deeper level). There is a quote from this book -

“The reason I suggest that one speaks of a false-self system is that the ‘personality’, false self, mask, ‘front’, or persona that such individuals wear may consist in an amalgam of various part-selves, none of which is so fully developed as to have a comprehensive ‘personality’ of its own.”

Laing is basically describing a false-self system as an outward personality made up of different “part-selves,” allowing a person to present different versions of themselves to the outside world. Johan isn't simply hiding his personality behind different identities ,his ability to become whoever others need him to be makes his own identity increasingly difficult to define. The scary thing about him isn't that we don't know everything about it , it's that we don't even know where 'fake' johan ends and 'real' johan begins.

3.Johan's exceptional understanding of attachments

One of the most interesting traits about johan his , how exceptionally he can understand the human emotional attachments , he understands what someone would want from a parent, child , friend etc and also he can understand these attachments without having to emotionally invest equally in other person's story.

I think this trait is similar to john bowlby’s attachment theory , which suggests that people develop expectations about themselves, other people, and relationships through their experiences with those around them. He describes these as “internal working models” ,which help people understand how others are likely to behave and how they should respond.

A good example of this is how johan interacts with richard braun , richard is trying to repair his relationship with his daughter after being consumed by alcoholism and guilt for years , johan precisely understands how important this reunion is. He doesn't simply remind Richard that he has committed a murder , he connects this guilt to the person richard wants to see the most in this world , his daughter. He makes richard question if a person like him who has committed such a sin is even worthy of meeting her. Ultimately pushing him back to whiskey which contributes to his death. Johan doesn't simply read emotions he also understands the relationships behind them , he understood the weight of richard's guilt because of what he wants to be for his daughter , he understood the fragility of this and exploited it. Johan's ability is understood how emotions provide weight to people's relationships.

This is the second half of analysing religious symbolism and last post of this series , it was very exciting to analyse all these symbolic elements from nge.

5. Crucifixion & Sacrifice

Crucifixion imagery appears throughout nge and it's used extensively for a reason , nge repeatedly depicts evas and angels in crucifixion positions, surrounded by enormous crosses or pierced by objects resembling them , this immediately evokes the crucifixion of jesus christ, traditionally associated with suffering, sacrifice, death, and salvation. The symbolism becomes especially significant with Eva-01, which is repeatedly subjected to imagery resembling a crucified body despite being neither human nor divine in the traditional sense. this creates a connection between the suffering of the Evangelions and the religious idea of sacrifice, while also making their battles feel like something much larger than ordinary conflicts. The crosses that appear during explosions and moments of immense destruction further reinforce this association, turning scenes of death and destruction into something resembling religious rituals. nge uses crucifixion imagery to construct a theological symbolism and trigger sense of sacred suffering and sacrifice, and it's ambiguous, leading to multiple interpretations.

6.Spear of Longinus

I have analysed it already but this time it's from a different lense , let's start with the religious significance of the spear of longinus is one of nge most direct references to christian tradition. In the new testament, a Roman soldier pierces the crucified jesus with a spear to confirm his death, and later christian tradition identifies this weapon as the Spear of Longinus. nge takes this relatively specific religious symbol and constructs it into a mysterious supernatural artifact of enormous power. Its ability to pierce and restrain beings such as Angels and Eva-01 gives the Spear a connection to divine power, sacrifice, and death. Its association with Eva-01 is particularly significant because the Evangelion itself is repeatedly presented through crucifixion imagery, making the Spear's presence feel like a deliberate continuation of the christian imagery surrounding Christ's suffering and death. At the same time and as usual nge does not simply recreate the biblical story , it alters and recreates it , it takes the Spear's religious meaning and incorporates it into its own mythology, turning a symbol associated with the death of Christ into an instrument influencing the fate of humanity itself.

7. Resurrection & the Second Coming

NGE uses imagery of the Christian concepts of resurrection, death, and the return of a divine being. Eva-01's transformation during the Third Impact is particularly significant: after being destroyed and pierced by the Spear of Longinus, it undergoes a dramatic transformation and becomes something resembling a divine or transcendent being. This can be compared to the christian idea of resurrection, where death is followed by a return to a higher or transformed state. the 3rd Impact itself also contains imagery associated with an apocalyptic event, in which the existing world is destroyed and humanity undergoes a profound transformation. However, nge deliberately gives these ideas an ambiguous form rather than presenting them as straightforward salvation. Instead of humanity being saved by a benevolent divine power, its salvation comes through the dissolution of human existence and birth of collective consciousness. combining imagery of death, resurrection, apocalypse, and transformation, nge creates its own distorted presention of religious salvation and the return to a higher state of existence.

8.Godhood, Salvation & Human Transcendence

one of nge most important religious ideas is humanity's desire to transcend its earthly existence and reach something resembling the divine. SEELE's ultimate goal through Instrumentality is not simply to change humanity, but to overcome the limitations that define human existence and bring all human beings into a higher state , these elements are drawn from the religious concept of salvation, where humanity seeks release from suffering and separation through something greater than ordinary existence. Eva-01's transformation during the third Impact further reinforces this imagery, as it becomes a being with almost godlike characteristics. nge complicates the idea of salvation by asking whether escaping human limitations is actually desirable. If humanity eliminates pain, separation, and individuality, it may also lose the qualities that make human life meaningful. In this way neon genesis presents transcendence as both a dream and a danger, questioning whether salvation should mean escaping the human condition or accepting it despite all its flaws.

Okay now I am gonna analyze my favourite category , let's dive deep into the religious symbolism of nge.

1. Christianity and biblical imagery

Christian and biblical imagery is absolute the foundation of nge's symbolism and it's absolutely stacked with it throughout the story , appearing through crosses, biblical names, religious terminology, and imagery of creation, sin, sacrifice, and salvation. From the very beginning, the series surrounds its mythology with a distinctly Christian visual language, making events such as the arrival of the Angels and the Impacts resemble religious revelations or apocalyptic events. Crosses appear throughout the series, sometimes accompanying explosions, deaths, and moments of immense supernatural power, represents this event as something sacred or divine. Biblical refrences such as Adam, Lilith, Angels, and the Dead Sea Scrolls further are symbolic anchors and act as representation of chain of events which are part of the humongously diverse storytelling of NGE. but NGE does not simply retell Christian theology it takes these familiar religious concepts and reconstructs them into its own mythology. This makes the symbolism less about presenting Christianity literally and more about using Christian imagery to explore ideas such as creation, sacrifice, salvation, apocalypse, and humanity's relationship with the divine.

2. Kabbalah & the Tree of Life

I know I have already analysed this from an existential symbolic lense but this time we are analyzing it from religious symbolic lense and I would say it goes even beyond in this category , let's start then , so nge draws heavily from kabbalistic imagery as well particularly the Tree of Life , it's a significant symbol in jewish lore and it consists of ten interconnected Sephiroth representing different aspects of divine existence. The Tree traditionally describes a structured relationship between the divine and the material world, with the Sephiroth representing different stages through which divine reality can be understood. NGE used this imagery during the Third Impact, most notably when Eva-01 is positioned within the form of the Tree of Life, making the scene look like a divine transformation. The symbolism shows humanity's attempt to cross the boundary between the human and the divine, with Eva-01 becoming something far beyond an ordinary biological or mechanical being. The series also shows other Kabbalistic imagery and elements throughout its story , constructing an image that SEELE's plans are connected to an ancient system of hidden knowledge. but I am not saying that nge is strictly follow traditional kabbalah , it borrows a lot of elements but reshapes them and uses that imagery to construct its own religious presentation , using the tree of life as a visual representation of humanity's attempt to understand, reach, and ultimately transcend the divine.

3.Adam & Lilith

I have analysed these points as well but we are using a different lense , let's start , so adam and lilith are among the clearest examples of nge taking figures from religious tradition and reconstructing them into its own story and . adam is traditionally associated with the first human in the book of genesis,, while lilith comes from later jewish lore, where she is commonly portrayed as a primordial woman associated with adam. nge transforms these figures into the source of two different forms of life adam gives rise to tthe Angels, while lilith becomes the source of humanity. This creates a religiously charged contrast between two branches of creation, while also giving humanity a direct connection to the series' broader creation mythology. lilith's crucified form, the mask covering her face, and her enormous white body further shows her appearance as a mysterious, almost divine being. through adam and liilith, nge takes religious concepts of creation, humanity, and primordial beings and utilizes them in it own way , turning biblical and jewish imagery into the parts of its own story.

4.The Angels

The Angels are one of nges most important symbolic elements in the story, it constructs the imagery of divine messengers of god and transforming them into mysterious beings and act as a challenge to humanity's place in creation. in the bible, angels are generally associated with god's will, guidance, protection, and divine authority , nge reconstructs these elements differentlu the angels are presented as powerful beings originating from adam who tried to reach humanities world , the name of angels such as sachiel, ramiel, zeruel, and arael, are taken from angelic and religious traditions, their abstract appearances are used to projects an otherworldly presence. this creates an intresting contrast between their traditional religious depiction and their depiction in nge. in nge the angels are not simply servants of a divine being, but instead become another form of life with its own place in creation. Through them, nge re-constructs the concept of angels and uses it to blend and erase the distinction between the divine, the extraterrestrial, and the biological, and it poses a question to humanity ' are we really the centre of universe and ultimate form of life?'

I will be covering second half of existential symbolism in this post and conclude this category for now and move onto religious symbolism in my next post.

5.The Tree of Life

the tree of life is a symbol of existence, transcendence, and humanity's desire to reach a higher state of being , since nge is stacked with religious symbolism the tree of life also symbolises Kabbalistic concept of the Sephirotic Tree, it represents a path connecting different aspects of existence, from the material world toward the divine. we directly see a powerful symbolism of this imagery when during the Third Impact, the Eva-01 becomes positioned at the center of a symbolic Tree of Life, suggesting a transition beyond ordinary human existence. The imagery reflects humanity's recurring desire to overcome its physical and existential limitations and reach a higher level but it's that simple NGE also presents transcendence as a paradox and it's quite ambiguous transcendence or reaching a god like state does not necessarily mean you can reach true happiness or divine enlightenment. The Tree of Life simply symbolises humanity's attempt to reach a higher and go beyond their limits whether they are physical or abstract and it also represents an intresting question ' will overcoming these limit be truly meaningful?'.

6.second and third impact

The Second and Third Impacts can be interpreted as symbols of death, destruction, rebirth, and the cycle of nature of existence. it doesn't potray destruction as a simple end of everything, NGE presents these catastrophic events as moments in which the existing order of life is broken down and replaced by something different something new , the Second Impact demonstrates this on a global scale, while the Third Impact takes the idea even further by threatening to dissolve the boundaries of human existence itself. This creates an existential pattern in the series , for something new to emerge, something else must first come to an end. The imagery of mass death and destruction therefore carries a deeper meaning, reflecting the unavoidable presence of death within existence and the possibility of renewal that follows it. The Third Impact is particularly significant because it goes even beyond and blurs the distinction between destruction and creation , the destruction of humanity's existing form simultaneously becomes the possibility of a new state of existence , this ambiguity reflects one of NGE's core ideas ,that death is not necessarily end of life, but an unavoidable part of the process through which life changes and continues. At the same time, the series questions whether rebirth or transformation is inherently desirable, since creating a new existence often requires the destruction of what came before. Through the Impacts, NGE explores how existence can change or end, and how destruction can sometimes lead to renewal.

7.Adam and Lilith

Adam and Lilith are symbols of the origins of life and humanity's place within existence. In NGE, Adam and Lilith are the sources from which different forms of life emerge, ideas about creation and the origin of living beings. Adam represents the source of the Angels, while Lilith gives rise to humanity, placing humans within a much larger process of life that existed long before them. it challenges the idea that humanity is the center or ultimate purpose of existence, instead presenting humans as only one form of life among many. Their existence also creates a distinction between different paths of evolution,and it questions about what makes humanity unique and what its place is within the larger order of life. by symbolizing Adam and Lilith , nge explores where life comes from, humanity's place in the universe, and whether human existence has any predetermined purpose or meaning.

8.Shinji's choice to return

Shinji's choice to return to individual existence is a symbol of accepting life despite its suffering, uncertainty, and imperfections. Throughout nge Shinji repeatedly struggles with whether continuing to live is worth the pain that comes with being human. Instrumentality offers him an escape from these difficulties by removing the boundaries between people, but it also removes the individuality that allows people to make their own choices and experience genuine connections. By rejecting this escape, Shinji accepts that pain, loneliness, and rejection are unavoidable parts of existence, but so are happiness, freedom, and meaningful relationships. His decision therefore represents an affirmation of existence: life does not need to be free of suffering to be worth living. In the end, NGE shows that meaning is not something that can simply be given to us ,it is something we must choose and create for ourselves