Glossaries _ Characters _ Pen Pen

Name: Pen Pen
Designation: Domesticated Penguin
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About Pen Pen: You would think that Pen Pen as a character would need little or no explanation or analysis, but he performs a distinct role, and is also the subject of a rather interesting albeit oddball theory.

Pen Pen is a warm water penguin, more specifically an Erect Crested penguin. There are some sources that say that he is a "new breed", or genetically engineered in some way. Within the anime and manga there is little to substantiate this. It would seem to me that Pen Pen is an ordinary penguin who walks about wearing a portable cooling unit on his back, enjoying an easy and virtually stress free life. I say virtually because he gets neglected or abused by Misato on more than one occasion due to her incredibly bad cooking and living habits.

Though Pen Pen as an animal has no dialogue, minus a few squaks, he is remarkably well fleshed out for an animal. You could in fact argue that Pen Pen is better fleshed out than some of the other minor characters, like Keel, Kyoko Sohryu, or even the stuffy old teacher of class 1A.  He is your typical mascot character and so much more.  He is a passive observer in the situation, unobtrusive, and inquisitive in many respects.   Pen Pen is a vehicle for comic relief at appropriate times, and on the opposite side of the spectrum he can also be used to accentuate a serious or sad moment, generally in the way in which the principle cast interact with him.

As I said, he is also the subject of a rather oddball rumor. As Evangelion uses Judeo-Christian religious motifs fairly heavily, many people are often curious as to whether or not a God is present or apparent in Evangelion. Some people even have the inclination to believe that Pen Pen is in fact God. This is not so absurd an idea, as gods (not limited to a Judeo-Christian god) are known to assume various forms to observe the world.  And from watching Pen Pen's distinctly and unusually inquisitive nature, you get a sense of intelect or personification from him. The primary support for this theory lies in the way in which he is treated.  If you pay close enough attention, you can find one instance in which he is mistreated or neglected just prior to an Angel attack.   I don't neccessarily believe this was intended, but I can appreciate the humor and logic behind it.  Japanese animators and directors are quite eccentric in some ways.   I highly doubt the validity of the theory, but it is an interesting idea to toy with.

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