Shinji Ikari/Synopsis

The story of Shinji Ikari from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise.
==Original Canon==
=== Early Childhood ===
Shinji was born on June 6, 2001 to Gendo Ikari and Yui Ikari, a year after the Second Impact occurred on September 13, 2000.
In 2004, when he was only 3 years old, he witnessed his mother's "death" during the first EVA contact experiment.
A year later, in 2005, at the age of 4 years old, he was disowned by his father and sent to live with his teacher, Misato Katsuragi.
=== Piloting the EVA ===
In 2015, a 14-year-old Shinji is summoned to Tokyo-03 by his father, who leads an organization known as NERV who operates directly under the United Nations and whose job is to prevent anything like the Second Impact from happening again. Before he can reach his father, however, he is caught in a battle between the United Nation's forces and the Angel Sachiel. He is rescued by Misato Katsuragi, who brings him to NERV headquarters, where it is revealed his father wanted him to pilot a giant robot known as the Evangelion Unit 01, or EVA-01, which is the only weapon able to defeat an Angel. Shinji initially refuses, but agrees after an injured Rei Ayanami is brought in to pilot it in his place. Shinji is then sent to fight Sachiel, and only wins after the EVA goes into "Berserk Mode". After the battle he is sent to live with Misato Katsuragi and is given the task of fighting Angels whenever they appear and is enrolled in a nearby school.
=== Lack of Drive and Resolution ===
At school, after a dispute over Shinji piloting the EVA, he becomes friends with Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida after defeating Shamshel, another Angel. Shinji, unable to pilot the EVA any longer, runs away. He is soon apprehended and brought to Misato, but Misato tells him to leave since he lacks the drive needed. Shinji goes to the train, but finds he cannot leave, and he and Misato reconcile. He soon spots and becomes jealous of the bond seemingly shared by his estranged father and Ayanami Rei, pilot of EVA-00. The two develop a friendship during a cooperative battle between the two and the Angel Ramiel.
=== The Third Child ===
Shinji accompanies Misato in a mission to pick up the incoming Second Child and pilot of EVA-02, Asuka Langley Soryu, who is coming in from Germany. The arrival takes place on sea and is monitored by the United Nations Naval Fleet. However, the fleet is attacked by the Angel Gaghiel and the pair both team up in EVA-02 to defeat it, since Shinji's EVA-01 is not present. Afterwards they arrive back in Tokyo-03 and Asuka is enrolled in the same class as Shinji. Soon after Tokyo-03 is attacked by the Angel Israfel. Both Shinji and Asuka are sent to defeat it, but are overwhelmingly defeated when the Angel splits in two and is able to take advantage of how unsynchronized the two are. Asuka is then sent to live with Shinji and Misato and, after days of training, the two are able to defeat Israfel. Shinji later acts as backup during Asuka's fight with the Angel Sandalphon in a volcano and ends up saving Asuka and EVA-02 when the heat restraints begin to fail.
During a power outage, NERV HQ is attacked by the Angel Matarael. It takes Shinji, Asuka, and Rei working together under emergency power storage to defeat the Angel. Soon after they defeat the Angel Sahaquiel, which was found in orbit and dropped like a bomb over Tokyo-03. After being praised by his father following the battle, Shinji reveals to Misato that he pilots the EVA in hopes of being praised by his father. The next Angel, Ireul, attacks NERV like a computer virus and as such none of the EVA pilots are involved in its defeat.
=== Underestimating Leliel and mistake ===
Shinji's ego quickly inflates due to him passing Asuka to have the highest EVA synchronization ratios, so much to the point that he attempts to fight the Angel Leliel alone. However, it is revealed that Leliel's spherical form is an illusion and EVA-01 and Shinji are trapped in the Angel's "shadow". While trapped in there, the EVA's power supply and life support systems fail and Shinji has a mental breakdown. Shinji then passes out and finds himself in a dreamscape where a younger version of himself forces him to confront his relationship with others. When Shinji wakes up, he finds the EVA's life support systems have failed and he comes to the belief that this is where he will die. As he gives in to hysteria, he has a vision of his mother. As NERV begins a desperate final assault on the Angel, EVA-01, despite being out of power, enters Berserk Mode and rips out of the Angel, defeating it. Shinji is retrieved from the entry plug and wakes up a short time later in a hospital.
=== Fourth Child Tragedy ===
After Toji Suzuhara is chosen as the Fifth Child he is put through tests with EVA-03. However, the EVA becomes possessed by the Angel Bardiel and kills almost everyone at the test besides Toji (who is inside the EVA), Misato, and the head NERV scientist Ritsuko Akagi. Gendo orders all three EVA units to be dispatched and declares the EVA itself to be the Angel. After Asuka and Rei are both defeated, Shinji refuses to attack the Angel, knowing that there is someone his age inside (although he is unaware that it is his friend). Gendo orders control of the EVA to be switched to the Dummy Plug program, an artificial intelligence based on Ayanami Rei. The Dummy Plug savagely attacks EVA-03, much to the horror of Shinji, who at this point is reduced to an onlooker. Shinji is even more horrified when he realizes that the retrieved pilot is a horribly maimed Togi. Shinji is then brought before his father, accused of insubordination, and declares he no longer wishes to pilot the EVA. Gendo tells him that if Shinji runs away they will likely never meet again, which Shinji confirms is his intent.
=== Saving Tokyo 3 ===
Before he can leave, Tokyo-03 is attacked by the Angel Zeruel and Shinji is lead to a civilian shelter. Meanwhile at NERV, EVA-01 is refusing to synchronize with both Rei and the Dummy Plug, leaving only EVA-02 and a damaged EVA-00. During the battle, Asuka is defeated and EVA-02 crashes through Shinji's shelter. After watching EVA-00 fail to defeat the Angel, Shinji goes to NERV and agrees to pilot EVA-01 after learning if any Angel were to reach Adam, the world would end. During the battle, however, EVA-01's power runs out. Suddenly, Shinji's synchronization ratio jumps to 400% and the EVA springs to life and decimates the Angel, a later examination reveals that at this moment, Shinji's physical form dissolved into the EVA. Shinji spends 30 days inside the EVA due to his unwillingness to come out.
=== Ayanami's True Nature and NERV's Dark Secrets ===
After the defeat of Arael and Armisael, head scientist Ritsuko informs Shinji that his movements are no longer restricted and he is taken into Terminal Dogma. There, he witnesses Misato surprise Ritsuko at gunpoint, demanding to be given information that up to this point she had been denied. Shinji and Misato are then shown the Evangelion Graveyard, where Ritsuko reveals Shinji witnessed his mother's absorption into EVA-01. They then reach the Dummy Plug Tank, where dozens of clones of Rei float around. Ritsuko then gives a monologue on the nature of Rei, NERV, and the Evangelions, after which she begs Misato to kill her. Misato refuses, Ritsuko breaks down weeping, and Shinji stands stunned at the events he just saw.
=== Meeting Kaworu Nagisa ===
Following the battle against Armisael, Asuka is left in a comatose state. Seele sends Kaworu Nagisa to replace her, and he instantly bonds with Shinji. Kaworu reveals himself to be the Fifth Children. Following synchronization tests in which Kaworu scored exceptionally well, Kaworu shares a public bath with him. There Kaworu talks about human nature and then tells Shinji that he likes him. Not being able to go back to Misato's apartment due to her complicating their relationship, Shinji stays with Kaworu for the night. During that night, Shinji muses about his life, and Kaworu says he may have been born to meet Shinji. Later, when Kaworu seizes EVA-02, descends to Terminal Dogma, and reveals himself to be the final Angel, Shinji is devastated and follows his father's orders to pursue with EVA-01. He is, however, unable to stop Kaworu and he reaches Terminal Dogma, where he believes Adam to be. Kaworu instead finds Lilith there and changes his plans, asking Shinji to kill him to that humanity could be safe. Following a long pause, Shinji does so. He later expresses grief over this action, killing someone he saw as human.
=== Third Impact (End of Evangelion) ===
Following the death of the final Angel, Kaworu Nagisa, Shinji visits Asuka in the hospital. He accidentally turns over. This reveals her breasts and he masturbates, quickly regarding himself as disgusting afterwards. The next day, during SEELE's attack on NERV, Misato finds Shinji about to be killed by SEELE soldiers. She kills them and takes Shinji to an underground parking lot. Misato drives Shinji deep into NERV HQ, past the Evangelion Graveyard. They learn via a stolen radio that EVA-02 has been activated and Asuka is awake. Misato orders Asuka to destroy SEELE's Mass Production Evangelions, which is a line of EVAs they produced, piloted by Dummy Plugs based on Kaworu Nagisa.
They reach the chamber holding EVA-01 (but not without Misato being mortally wounded by SEELE soldiers) and Shinji claims he cannot pilot it, listing all his faults. Misato gives a passionate speech, gives him her cross necklace, and then kisses him deeply. She then pushes him into the elevator, promising to "do the rest" when he got back. As the elevator begins to descend, Shinji notices Misato's blood on him and he begins to sob. When he reaches the chamber containing EVA-01, he is unable to get in the EVA. He is surprised when it moves of its own accord and grasps the platform he stands on.
Part 2 begins with Shinji inside EVA-01. He triggers a cross shaped explosion which destroys NERV HQ. It then rises out of the ruin, spreading a pair of bright wings. Inside the EVA, Shinji notices the MP EVAs eating EVA-02's remains and screams. Human Instrumentality begins and Rei merges with Lilith, killing Gendo. A giant Rei rises out of the ruined Geofront. The MP EVAs begin to merge with Rei, terrifying Shinji. Rei's face then changes to Kaworu's, which puts Shinji at ease. A giant spear known as the Spear of Longinus fuses with EVA-01, forming the Tree of Life.
Shinji returns to his dreamscape. There, a young Shinji is asked by a group of children to help build a pyramid. He agrees but the other children leave him and he destroys it in frustration. He then sees flashes of Asuka, Rei, and Misato, and sees images of Misato's past. He is then brought to a train, where he reveals his frustrations about the ambiguity in those three relationships. He then goes to when he and Asuka kissed, and she yells at him for being afraid of everyone and only seeking her as an escape. He strangles her.
Shinji tells the giant Rei that it would be better if everyone died. A colossal Rei, hundreds of miles tall, forms and humanity begins dissolving into a sea of primordial fluid (LCL). The Tree of Life, still containing EVA-01 and Shinji, is absorbed into the giant Rei. Shinji then findings himself laying in a sea of LCL with Rei over him, and he declares this isn't what he wanted. Rei then reverses Instrumentality, and it is assumed that the world started over.
Some time later, Shinji is seen with only Asuka nearby, being the first person to return after him. Shinji attempts to strangle her again, but stops when she caresses his cheek. Shinji starts to cry, and she simply says "Disgusting/I feel sick".
== Rebuild Canon ==
=== You Are (Not) Alone ===
In the first installment of the tetralogy, Shinji Ikari's fate follows his TV counterpart, starting from the apparent death of his mother and being abandoned by his father, to piloting Evangelion Unit-01 and defeating Sixth Angel. However, he is slightly more aggressive and becomes aware of Lilith's existence far sooner, as Misato Katsuragi reveals the goals of the Angels to him shortly before the fight with Sixth Angel, with said fight acting as motivation.
=== You Can (Not) Advance ===
Following the defeat of the Sixth Angel, the history of this particular incarnation of Shinji Ikari begins to depart from his original counterpart. He is first seen in the film with Gendo, standing before Yui Ikari's grave. During their short conversation, Gendo reveals that the grave itself is hollow and that he holds all of memories about Yui deep inside of his heart. After dialogue is over, Gendo leaves through the helicopter while Shinji decides to stay for a moment, but not before thanking his father for spending his free time with him.
Upon Seventh Angel's arrival, Misato drives Shinji in her car to NERV only for the Angel to be killed by new pilot, Asuka Shikinami Langley. During the battle, Misato's car is nearly crushed by Unit-02 and send flying before being stopped by Unit-00. Afterwards, Shinji together with Kensuke, Toji and Rei meets with new pilot. She recognizes him as the Third Child, disgusted by his shy attitude. Kaji takes them to oceanarium where group sees living sea animals for the first time, as Second Impact sterilized seas and oceans on a global scale. On the rooftop, Shinji encounters Mari who falls on top of him from parachute and briefly talks to her. She introduces herself as Fourth Child and exchanges a few lines with her.
Soon, Eighth Angel is detected by NERV on Earth's orbit. Appearing as a monstrous pulsating black sphere, the Angel planned to drop itself from the stratosphere to obliterate the GeoFront, and by extension Tokyo-III. Shinji, Rei and Asuka are forced to join their forces together to defeat it and save Tokyo-III. After reaching an immense level of speed, Shinji uses Unit-01 to activate AT field and stop the Angel's fall dead in its tracks. In response, Eighth Angel manifest its humanoid form from its eyeball and grab Unit-01's hands, crushing them. As Unit-01's arms begin to crumble, Unit-00 and Unit-02 finally reach Shinji's location. While Unit-00 tears through Eighth Angel's AT field and grabs its core, Unit-02 stabs it with both of her progressive knifes. The Core bursts open and splits large quantities of blood, causing the Angel to die.
Later, Shinji learns that Evangelion Unit-03 will arrive and Rei Ayanami will be designated as its pilot, as her Unit-00 was badly damaged in a fight with Eighth Angel and SEELE said that it served its purpose. However, Asuka decides to take over Rei's role as Unit-03 so the First Child could arrange party at her apartament. Unfortunately, due to Eva being transported during the abnormal storm, Ninth Angel manages to take control over it as soon as mental link between the pilot and Eva is established. The Angel-Eva hybrid escapes from NERV facility at Matsushiro by setting of a nuclear explosion.
Being the only pilot currently available, Shinji Ikari is deployed against Unit-03, who is labelled as the Ninth Angel and targeted for termination. NERV fails to inject Entry Plug from Unit-03 as it is blocked by numerous tendrils wrapped around it. Knowing that Asuka is still inside of an Entry Plug, Shinji refuses to fight with Ninth Angel, who knocked Unit-01 with the drop kick and started choking it. After Shinji initially breaks out of the grip, Ninth Angel mutates additional set of arms to immobilize Unit-01's own arms before resuming choking.
However, Gendo was not willing to let the Angel ruin his Instrumentality by killing Shinji and rendering Unit-01 useless. Second commander ordered technicians to initiate activation of Dummy Plug System, Unit-01's eyes turned blood-red and Eva effortlessly broke out of Ninth Angel's grip. After breaking the Angel's cranial cavity, Unit-01 started to brutally massacre Unit-03 by tearing out its armor and eating its organs. Carnage was finally halted when Unit-01 finished remains of Unit-03 by crushing its Entry Plug between its jaws. Unit-01 stood motionless while holding a broken Entry Plug in its jaws, as rainbow appeared over Angel's corpse.
Consumed by anger, Shinji used Unit-01 to lay waste within GeoFront only for Gendo to order NERV technicians to put LCL pressure in Unit-01's Entry Plug to maximum level, knocking out Shinji in the process. After spending some time in a prison cell, Third Child is brought to commander's office. Gendo lists the crimes he hypocritically caused Shinji to commit and asks him if he has anything else to say, to which Shinji answers with statement that he wants to be Eva pilot no more. Gendo nods and orders technicians to erase all records about the Third Child, then to override Unit-01's core so Rei could be its pilot.
However, before Shinji can leave Tokyo-III, Tenth Angel appears and instantly destroys any encountered military units before dripping a hole into GeoFront with its energy beams. As Shinji retreated to civilian shelter, Unit-02 (now piloted by Mari) engaged in the combat with the Angel, who easily blocked all of her attacks with AT field and then dismembered her Eva with its ribbon arms. Rei attempted to kill Tenth Angel by showing N² Balistic Missile down to its core, but the Angel at last second covered it with rib cage-like protrusion on its chest.
Seeing that public shelter is no longer safe, civilians left it while Shinji remained in the sitting position. Unit-02 suddenly destroyed a wall in a shelter, barely alive from its encounter with Tenth Angel. Mari asked Shinji why is he sitting there and not piloting, to which Shinji explained. To show him results of running away from problems, Mari grabbed Shinji with Unit-02's hand and shown him aftermath of Unit-00's battle with Tenth Angel. Eva was paralysed from intense pain with its armor charred black, allowing Tenth Angel to completely devour it and assimilate Rei's DNA and soul. Angel then transformed into colossal pale woman and blew a hole into Central Dogma.
Meanwhile at NERV, Gendo desperately tried to activate Dummy Plug System once again. However, Unit-01 was rejecting it and demanded to bring back Shinji. Third Child appeared at the platform before Unit-01 and begged his father to let him pilot it despite his previous behavior. At Central Dogma, Tenth Angel suddenly burst out of the main screen and leaned over to technicians. Preparing to kill them with energy beams, Angel failed to react to Unit-01's sudden punch in the face. Overpowering far larger creature, Unit-01 dragged Tenth Angel across facility to the elevator before sending them both back to GeoFront. Pinning the Angel to the ground, Shinji with psychotic smile attempted to rip off the Angel's head off.
Unfortunately, Unit-01's internal battery power has run dry. Sensing the opportunity, Tenth Angel turned its arms into ribbons and penetrated Unit-01's chest, launching it into nearby mountainside. As the creature prepared to finish off Shinji and Unit-01, Third Child managed to awaken the beast inside of his Eva. Turning green parts of it into red, Unit-01 evolved a new powers and stronger AT field. Angel instantly launched itself at the Eva, only to be blocked by AT field. Tenth Angel used its energy beams, but they too were blocked by AT field. Warping its AT field, Unit-01 send Tenth Angel flying away. Then, Unit-01 generated even more powerful energy beams, instantly destroying Tenth Angel's AT field. Angel emerged unharmed and stood up, only to be shot once again by Unit-01's energy beams, vertically slicing it in half.
Crushing Tenth Angel's remains of face, Unit-01 started to initiate the Third Impact and evolve even further. Shinji wanted nothing but to salvage Rei Ayanami's soul from Tenth Angel's core. He used his soul to dive into Tenth Angel's core and grabbed Rei Ayanami's own soul, nearly burning his skin off. 
As he and Ayanami merged with Unit-01, awakened Eva continued to terraform the Earth. According to Ritsuko, Unit-01 has now become a perfect life form that will destroy all life that came before it. Suddenly, Lance of Cassius descended from the Moon and impaled Unit-01's core, setting it dormant and halting the impact. One responsible for this was no one other than Evangelion Mark. 06, piloted by Kaworu Nagisa. Fifth Child claims that this time, he is going to bring Shinji happiness.
=== You Can (Not) Redo ===
Shinji and his Eva are retrieved from Earth’s orbit, only for Shinji to be fitted with a DSS chocker and greeted coldly by Misato and a recovered Asuka, and Eva Unit 01 being repurposed as the power source of WILLE’s ship, the Wunder. Disgusted and appalled by Misato’s new personality, Shinji is picked up by a clone of Rei and brought to his father, who orders him to pilot Evangelion 13. Shinji also meets and bonds with Kaworu, who encourages him to fix his mistake and takes the DSS choker on his neck instead. 
Unfortunately, Shinji and Kaworu were both tricked into starting the Fourth Impact, which is halted by Kaworu’s sacrifice and Mari’s safe extraction of Shinji, who is now traumatized to the point of catatonia. Asuka finds him and takes him across a red desert with Rei’s clone following them.
=== Thrice Upon a Time ===
A still catatonic Shinji is brought to a peaceful village where his old friends Touji, Kensuke and Hikari live. Through them showing him the kindness he was wrongly denied, he slowly comes out of his catatonia, and by the time Shinji fully recovers, he decides to help WILLE stop Gendo, despite Sakura Suzuhara’s objections. Realizing the error and hypocrisy of her attitude towards Shinji since the previous film, Misato takes a bullet for him, admitting her responsibility for his mistakes and letting Shinji go after Gendo.
In the Minus Space, Shinji uses a fully restored Unit 01 to briefly fight his father in Evangelion 13, and manages to convince him to stop. Gendo opens up to Shinji and finally realizes that by abandoning him and causing him so much suffering, he had dishonored Yui. Gendo begs Shinji’s forgiveness and as Shinji choses to reset the world to its pre-Second Impact state, Gendo repentantly sacrifices himself along with Yui for their son’s survival from the process. With the “Curse of Eva” finally broken, all Evangelions cease to exist and everything related to them vanishes forever. 
Later, an older Shinji meets Mari at the same train station as Asuka, Rei and even Kaworu, with the five of them able to live happily and Shinji finally at peace with himself.
Category:Synopsis