To Face the World Alone or Together: Jus ad Bellum and the Lives of Child Soldiers in Neon Genesis Evangelion

Abstract

This paper argues that the principles of just war theory are ambiguous, with too many exceptions justifying a cycle of violence that puts children at risk. This is undertaken through a cultural legal analysis of Neon Genesis Evangelion, particularly its presentation of child soldiers. The children within the narrative were conscripted into an armed galactic conflict where human survival relied on an adolescent hero. Neon Genesis Evangelion reveals the ambiguities of just war theory’s first limb, jus ad bellum, by highlighting excessive exceptions. The circular violence in the narrative depicts a model of violence that impacts children. This analysis contributes to the discourse on just war theory in the contemporary atmosphere of fractured global relationships.