Shinji Ikari

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## Base Breaking Character

### Powers/Skills

Piloting Eva Unit-01
Controling and deciding the fate of humanity (temporarily)

### Family

Yui Ikari (deceased mother)
Gendo Ikari (father)
Rei Ayanami (clone relative)
Misato Katsuragi (parental guardian)

### Allies

Asuka Langley Sohryu
Rei Ayanami
Misato Katsuragi
Kaworu Nagisa
Mari Illustrious Makinami (Rebuild continuity)
Ryoji Kaji
Tōji Suzuhara
Kensuke Aida

### Enemies

Angels
SEELE
Gendo Ikari

### Goals

Save the world from the threat of the angels (succeeded)
Earn the attention and admiration of his father (formerly)
Prevent Human Instrumentality (failed)
Find a will to live (succeeded)

### Why Do Some People Hate The Character?

Many find him as a cry baby, who complains about how hard his life is
Many deeply hated him for sexually assulting Asuka during her comatose state

### Why Do Some People Love The Character?

Many find his story deeply tragic especially his struggles with the life he is living in
He is viewed as relatable character when it comes to his personality and mental problems

### Type of Base Breaking Character

Mentally-ill Anti-Hero

**Shinji Ikari** is one of the main protagonist of the *Neon Genesis Evangelion* series. He is an mentally-ill child who is ask to pilot Evangelion Unit-01 and help defend the world from the alien threat known as angels. He is the abandoned son of Gendo Ikari, the leading commander of NERV. Both of have a very strain relationship due to Gendo leaving his son at such a young age leading Shinji to resent his father. Despite his hate towards his father, they are similar beings with extreme cynical views on the world and have immense self-loathing due to the tragedy in thier lives.

Shinji is friendly but very introverted as he wants to be left alone and struggles on understanding the horrible reality he lives in. Despite his friendliness, his introverted personality actually hides a more insecure and vulnerable boy with selfish desires. Throughout the series, Shinji struggles with having an normal life as a student and being an Eva pilot, which the experiance deeply effects him psychologicaly.

In both English and Japanese dub of the original anime, he is voiced by Spike Spencer and Megumi Ogata. In the Netflix dub, it's Casey Mongillo.

## What Makes Him a Base-Breaking Character

### Why Do People Love Him?

* Shinji is a deeply tragic figure, who lost his mother when he was a kid and at the same moment was abandon by his father. This event deeply affected Shinji psychologically, which allowed him to develop deep insecurities and became an introverted child. When he was selected to become an Eva pilot with the series progressing, Shinji's mentality begins to worsen and develop a sense of self-loathing and nihilism.
	+ He is so tragic that many people deeply despise Gendo for abandoning his son and refusing to rekindle whats left of their relationship.
* Many find Shinji's personality and introverted behavior relatable including the problems he faces in life.
* His relationship with the main cast is considered to be interesting since it display much of his characterzation.
* Shinji's complex relationship with Asuka, Rei, and Kaworu is well like by many to the point of people creating many pairings and ships for Shinji between those characters.
* Even when Shinji becomes much worse in the End of Evangelion movie, he is still sympathized with by many due to his life falling apart and refuses to continue being a pilot because the amount of suffering that he believed has caused.

### Why Do People Don't Like Him?

* Despite his tragedy and his mental state becoming progressively worse, many of his detractors view him as cry baby, who is always complaining about how bad his life is. It also doesn't help when those same detractors don't find him that competent of a character.
* Many of his detractors deeply despise Shinji after the events of the End of Evangelion movie, where he *masturbated* to Asuka's body when she was still in a coma, which counts as sexual assault. It also doesn't help when he refuse to go back to piloting his Eva to help Asuka defeat the mass produce Evangelions. She was ruthlessly killed because Shinji did not want to help due not seeing the point of living anymore.
	+ He even refuse to save everyone in NERV headquarters from an army sent by SEELE.
	+ Afterwards, he damns humanity to be annihilated due to his own personal rage and suffering, which is considered to make him more detestable with some audience members finding him less sympathetic than he was intended to be, even if he redeems himself.
* Shinji is a victim of the many shipping wars that happen in the fanbase with him being constantly paired up with either Asuka, Rei, and Kaworu. Even at that some feel Shinji doesn't deserve to be pair with Asuka or Rei.

## External Links

* Shinji Ikari on the Evangelion Wiki
* Shinji Ikari on the Hero Wiki
* Shinji Ikari on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki