Introjection (Neon Genesis Evangelion episode)

"Introjection" is the nineteenth episode of the Japanese anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which was created by Gainax. Hideaki Anno and Akio Satsukawa wrote the episode, which animator Masayuki directed. The series' protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy whose father Gendo recruited him to the special military organization Nerv to pilot a gigantic, bio-mechanical mecha named Evangelion into combat with beings called Angels. In the episode, Shinji conflicts with his father and leaves Nerv. As he is about to leave Tokyo 3, Angel Zeruel attacks the city, defeating Asuka Langley Soryu's Eva-02 and Rei Ayanami's Eva-00. Shinji again boards Eva-01, which goes berserk and devours Zeruel.

During the production of "Introjection", animator Takeshi Honda gave the female characters a youthful touch. The episode reprises several situations and frames from the first episodes of the series to show Shinji's growth and maturation. The installment includes cultural references to the manga artist Daijiro Morohoshi, the Japanese anime series Ultraman, Buddhism, and Christianity. The episode's title refers to the eponymous psychological concept.

"Introjection" was first broadcast on TV Tokyo on February 7, 1996, and drew an eight-percent audience share on Japanese television. Critics praised the episode for its direction and action sequences, considering it one of the best episodes of the series. Merchandise based on "Introjection" has been released.