Item from Neon Genesis Evangelion by Hideaki Anno / Gainax
Three supercomputers imprinted with a dead woman's personality — the scientist, the mother, and the woman — that run every system in NERV and vote on whether to end the world.
The MAGI System consists of three supercomputers — Melchior, Balthasar, and Casper — each imprinted with a different aspect of Naoko Akagi's personality. Melchior represents Naoko as a scientist, Balthasar as a mother, and Casper as a woman. They run every critical system in NERV: combat operations, synchronization testing, probability calculations, security, and research. When the three MAGI disagree, decisions are resolved by consensus or deferred to human judgment. Major decisions like self-destruction require all three to agree. The Angel Ireul infiltrated the MAGI and nearly triggered self-destruct before Ritsuko reprogrammed them. In the finale, when Ritsuko tried to destroy the MAGI, Casper — the 'woman' — rejected her command, choosing Gendo over Naoko's own daughter. The MAGI are not merely computers; they are Naoko Akagi's ghost, still making choices.
Three compact rectangular prisms with red tops and white bodies, arranged in Central Dogma. A diagonal slit runs from bottom-left to top-right on each. Can be hydraulically raised from the floor for maintenance. Beneath each simple exterior lies an intricate system of tubes, pipes, and brain-like biological components accessed via fiber-optic needle interfaces.
Also known as: MAGI, The MAGI, Melchior, Balthasar, Casper