Glossaries _ Characters _ Shinji Ikari

Name: Shinji Ikari
Designation: Third Child, Pilot of Eva Unit 01
Age: 14
Relations: Gendo Ikari (Father), Yui Ikari (Mother)
Episodes: All
Japanese Voice: Megumi Ogata
English Voice: Spike Spencer

"I musn't run away, I musn't run away.... I'll do it... I'll pilot it!"

With these defining words, Shinji Ikari's life became hopelessly intertwined with Nerv and Eva.  These words define him as a character, wishing to face his problems, wishing to confront that which torments and opresses him.

Shinji Ikari is the very antithesis of the stereotypical hero of a mecha.  He is small, sensitive, and frail.  He lacks any and all characteristics to make him suitable as the focus of an epic story.  Or is he?

Shinji Ikari is perhaps one of the most realistic heros to be portrayed in anime.   He is like many children his age, just coming into the world, and trying to find his place.  Granted, not all teenagers are manic-depressive mecha pilots in the midst of a post apocalyptic plot, but he faces the same issues.  All people can agree that adolescence is a very confusing time for children.  Their views of themselves, and the world they live in change drastically, so much so that they sometimes are forced to reinvent themselves to function in society,

It can be overwhelming, and he is a case example of the youth tormented by the misunderstanding of feelings and motives.  He is a prime example of someone who keeps others at arms length, in fear of being hurt.

Its the Hedgehog's dilemma.  The closer we become, the more deeply we hurt.

He is unsuitable as a focus, or so many think.  Through all his frailties and faults, he come down to our level, and becomes an actual person.  Many people find Shinji to be quite repulsive and annoying.  Even Spike Spencer, the English voice of Shinji was said to have been fed up with the character by the time came to dub the movie.   Fortunately his apathy for the character was projected through the character's words, as it reflected the characters views excellently.  However, to find the character annoying because of the way they react to their surroundings goes to show something, that the character could evoke such a strong reaction shows that he is dynamic, and well designed.

Evangelion is one of the shows that doesn't try to get out of a hole, it wants to evoke feelings in the negative, like so few out there, and Shinji is one such negative.

Shinji was a young boy deprived of his mother, and denied by his father, and through his sheltered nature, he turns out to be emotionally reclusive.  He's an example of what happens to someone when they are denied of the emotional attachment that they need as a child.  His mother was taken from him, before he could remember her face, and subsequently abandoned by his father.  He was abandoned by Gendo, sent to live with a teacher.  Gendo belived himself unfit to raise a child, and felt in his heart that he could never be loved by anyone, except for perhaps Yui, the only one to ever accept him.   Like the pictures that he disposed of, he sent Shinji away, unable to be that which Shinji desired, a loving father.

Shinji, contrary to popular belief does not hate his father.  Perhaps by the end of the series he has begun to hate him, but deep down, he merely resents him, and craves his father's attention and praise.

He is put in the perfect position to achive that.

Come his fourteenth year, he is summoned by his father.  His better judgement told him otherwise, as is evident in the papers he tore up and then taped back together.   At first he refute's his father's wishes, refusing to pilot the Eva.  Time and time again in the series he does this, reusing his father's will, to try and prove some point.  However, his point is irrelevent, he has nothing to gain by showing his father how much he "hates" him.  However spiteful and tactless Shinji may be, he is not without compassion.  His first encounter with the girl known as Rei Ayanami would prove to be one of a number of instances in which his compassion and conscience would betray his desire to hurt his father in the way his father had hurt him.

"I musn't run away, I musn't run away...."

These words would again be repeated through the series, as a reminder of a defining moment in which Shinji chose to do what he should.  And through doing what he should, his motives change, doing what only he can do, as a means of achieving praise and attention.  However, he comes to realize that false praise and adulation are more painful than rejection.

He thought he wanted to be acknowledged, but he comes to find that all he really wants is to be accepted.  By the end of the series, any hope of Gendo being there as his father has been destroyed.  He has come to find that Rei is a clone, and so he shrinks away from her.  Asuka, whom he desired to know past her prides and defenses, has dissapeared.  Kaji, who could be argued as Shinji's role model, has been killed.   Misato has isolated herself.  His friend Touji was nearly killed, and along with Kensuke has conviently been removed from the city, as well as the plot.  And Shinji has been left alone, to stew in his confused feelings of rejection and worthlessness.

Then he meets a boy named Kaworu.

In exchanges dripping with flattery and homo-eroticism, Shinji finds the person he had always been longing for, unconciously or otherwise.  Kaworu Nagisa, age 15, the Fifth Child.  Kaworu connects with Shinji in a way that is unconditional, he accepted Shinji for who he was, and attempted to understand him, and care for him.  No one really ever attempted that.  Though there were times when characters reached out to Shinji, it was more of an obligation, or for ulterior motives.  And even Shinji realizes that Kaworu is unlike anyone he had ever met before.

And for good reason.

"Let us go, Adam's dark shadow, sevent of the Lilim!", cue the Beetoven and prepare to spiral into madness.  Kaworu's an Angel?  Hot shit, didn't see that one coming.   Kaworu's true identity were undeniably foreshadowed through his time in the series, which was very brief, considering the importance of his character.

And through the cruel twist of fate, Shinji is the one who has to stop him, and kill him.  Sent by Seele, Kaworu's objective is simple, to return to Adam, and eradicate all human life.  He did not want this to happen.  The awareness he gave to Rei allowed her to generate an AT Field to neutralize his.  And so Shinji is placed for yet another time in the position to make a choice.  Kaworu placed his life in Shinji's hands, and asked him to end that life.  End the life of the one who loves you in the way you longed for someone to.  The choice was obvious, and so ended the life of Kaworu Nagisa.

Sploosh.

This was the final blow for Shinji, the reprieve from his suffering was followed by the return of all the pain and then some.  And to make matters worse, he gave in to his sexual frustrations with Asuka, and masturbated over her comatose body.

"I'm so fucked up."

And so ends one of the movie's most disturbing scenes.  One of many, and far from the last.  And he goes further downhill.  His mood at this point can only be conveyed by the chilling imagery of his walkman's dead battery indicator, as he has completely given up, and merely wants to be left to die.  Which is more than apropriate at the time being, as possible death is speeding its way towards him in the form of the JSSDF.

Misato comes to his aid, and for the first time really connects with Shinji.   Misato and Shinji are very alike, they more than any other two characters in the series should be able to understand each other, however, it is not until this very pivitol point in the series that they are forced to confront each other.  Fitting, as they as characters have to be forced to confront their problems, and are unable to do it by their own volition.