Built in the First Branch of NERV located in Massachusetts, USA. Unit 03 is one of the two units built with the Second Production Model Design (ie, following the model of EVA-02, but standardized).It is the sister unit of Evangelion Unit 04. The color of Evangelion Unit 03 is much darker than normal color in EVA, with faded black and white under parts orange. The head also has a different layout, with circular lines and a prominent jaw.
The pilot was assigned Suzuhara Toji, but on the way to Japan, the unit 03 was owned by the thirteenth Angel, Bardiel, which appeared like a cloud. Unit 03 under the command of Bardiel was savagely destroyed by the unit 01, after the control was removed from Shinji to activate the Dummy Plug. Toji, the pilot, is severely injured (losing one leg and one arm) in the anime, but dies in the manga.
- Rebuild of Evangelion images show that the 03 changes slightly, it adds a small red plate-shaped mask on his head. Another change is that it is no longer Toji Suzuhara who pilots the Evangelion Unit 03 but Asuka Langley.