| Kaworu Nagisa | |
|---|---|
| Neon Genesis Evangelion character | |
 | |
| First appearance | Neon Genesis Evangelion episode 24: "The Beginning and the End, or "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"" (1996) |
| Created by | Gainax |
| Voiced by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Aliases | Adam Tabris |
| Species | Angel |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Fifth Child |
Kaworu Nagisa (Japanese: 渚 カヲル, Hepburn: Nagisa Kaworu), real name Tabris (タブリス, Taburisu), is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Gainax. In the series, he is the pilot of a giant mecha named Evangelion Unit 02 for the special agency Nerv. Kaworu is the seventeenth and final member of the Angels which threaten humanity. When he arrives at Nerv, he meets Eva-01 pilot Shinji Ikari, showing great affection towards him. After revealing his nature as an Angel to Shinji, he asks him to kill him to allow humanity to survive. Kaworu appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, video games, the original net animation Petit Eva: Evangelion@School, the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and the manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. He also has a prominent role in Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, the third film of the Rebuild saga.
The character, originally conceived by Gainax as a cat controlling a boy, was supposed to appear in the series' twenty-second episode. After several changes, director Hideaki Anno and screenwriter Akio Satsukawa decided on him being the last Angel, and he was included in the twenty-fourth episode.
Although Kaworu only appeared in one episode, he was popular with audiences and animation enthusiasts and topped popularity polls. Some critics disliked his ambiguity and the undertones of his relationship with Shinji; others praised his personality, finding him to be open, affectionate and sociable. His role in the film Evangelion 3.0 also attracted the attention of critics, with reviewers generally appreciating his relationship with Shinji. Merchandise, particularly action figures, based on Kaworu have been released.