After the loss of a close friend, Shinji Ikari's emotional state becomes comatose. His inability to control the humanoid robot Evangelion Unit-01 leaves Gendou Ikari's NERV in a race against SEELE, a shadow organization, to put their ultimate plan into action. SEELE aims to fuse their souls into an Evangelion unit to create a godlike being, while Gendou seeks to turn all of humanity into a single primordial being to reunite with his deceased wife, Yui. The conflict between the two organizations comes to a head as SEELE launches a deadly attack on NERV headquarters. Soldiers sent by SEELE kill NERV's scientists and security personnel, while Asuka Langley Souryuu pilots Evangelion Unit-02 in a final attempt to hold off SEELE's powerful weapons. Despite the ongoing battle, Shinji remains deep within NERV's building, lost in depression. With society disintegrating around them, Captain Misato Katsuragi searches for the teenage boy, the fate of the world resting in his hands.