his last lines in "the end of evangelion" reveal his regret and the true motivations for his ruthless behavior. he intended to use third impact to become godlike and create a better future for humanity together with his wife yui ikari, whom he intended to rejoin at the conclusion of instrumentality. however, when rei defies him he realizes that his efforts are in vain and that he ignored the real wishes of yui. she intended to bring about a brighter future for their son shinji, whom gendo has sacrificed in order to bring her back. in essence, yui's dreams and principles were violated to resurrect her. he was also afraid that his love for shinji would instead hurt him and therefore distance himself from him. shortly after, in the surreal sequence is shown grasping gendo in its hand before decapitating him. the camera then shows gendo's lower body still standing with his upper torso severed.