緒方恵美
In the original Japanese, Shinji is voiced by Megumi Ogata in all his appearances in the original series, as well as the later films, spin-offs, video games and the new "Rebuild of Evangelion" film series. Ogata described Shinji as one of the "most memorable" roles of her career. His characterization required considerable physical and psychological effort. In the eighteenth episode, Shinji cries and gasps during a fight; Ogata felt like her "whole body [was] aching". "Every time a new script arrived, every time I turned a new page I was torn apart by a new pain", she said. Dubbing the film "The End of Evangelion" (1997), moreover, she tried to achieve "a higher synchronization rate with the general director than the TV series". Ogata's agent initially refused her participation in "Eva", and she agreed due to her status as a newcomer, but Anno directly insisted with her. Ogata considered her acceptance a monumental choice for her career.