Shinji Ikari
Shinji Ikari is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, created by studio Gainax. He is the franchise's poster boy and protagonist. In the anime series with the same name, Shinji is a young man who was abandoned by his father, Gendo, who later requests him to pilot a mecha known as the Evangelion Unit 01 to protect the city of Tokyo-3 from creatures known as Angels that threaten to destroy mankind. Shinji appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, as well as video games, in the original net animation ', in the Rebuild of Evangelion movies, and the official manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.
Director Hideaki Anno conceived Shinji as a representation of himself, reflecting his four years-long depression following the airing of his previous work '. Shinji's insecure and tormented personality is explored through streams of consciousness and inner monologues, with episodes entirely focused on his introspection. Anno purposely used psychoanalytical theories for his characterization, including the Freudian psychosexual development model. Shinji is voiced by Megumi Ogata in Japanese and Spike Spencer and Casey Mongillo in English.
Shinji's character has received mixed responses from anime and manga publications. His complex characterization received some praise and was generally considered realistic, but he was criticized for his deeply insecure personality and weakness. Nevertheless, Shinji's characterization in the licensed spin-offs and the Rebuild of Evangelion movies earned more positive comments. Shinji has placed highly in popularity polls and has also been the subject of studies by scholars. Merchandise based on the character, including action figures and perfumes, has also been released.
Conception
Neon Genesis Evangelion director, Hideaki Anno, faced a deep depressive state for four years before the production of the series. After the failure of the ' sequel Aoki Uru, Gainax started planning a new series. Themes and ideas of Aoki Uru were borrowed for the new project, including the concept of "not running away". According to Gainax co-founder Yasuhiro Takeda, the passage was "something more than just transposing one show's theme onto another", since "Anno inherited something from Aoki Uru — the determination not to run away from problems — and what we saw in Evangelion was maybe just a reflection of those feelings". Anno reflected his depressive mood in the series, conceiving a world "drenched in a vision of pessimism"; he also started the production "with the wish that once the production complete, the world and the heroes would change". He originally proposed an Asuka-like girl as the main character, following the Gainax tradition of a female protagonist in Gunbuster and '. However, character design Sadamoto proved very reluctant to a new female protagonist; while arguing that "a robot should be piloted by a trained person, and if that person just happens to be a girl then that is fine", he didn't understand the reason why a young girl "would pilot a robot". He eventually suggested a boy as main character; his relationship with Asuka was modeled after Nadia's relationship with Jean, her love interest and eventual husband in the series. Anno, accepting Sadamoto's proposals, suggested two male friends as protagonists named Tōji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida, borrowing ideas from the Ryū Murakami's novel Ai to gensō no fascism scenario; a single male protagonist with two girls beside him was later considered. He named the new male character Shinji after two of his friends, including Evangelion animator Shinji Higuchi. For the last name, he chose the Japanese word "Ikari", literally meaning "anchor", creating a link with the names of other characters in the series, inspired by real terms of nautical jargon or Japanese Imperial Navy warships.His character was conceived to reflect Anno's personality, "both in conscious and unconscious part". Shinji was thus represented like "a melancholic oral-dependent type" and caught "in oral stage", just like Anno considers himself. Seeing Shinji as a simple reflection of Hideaki Anno, assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki worked on the series avoiding to represent him as a brave character, since "Anno isn't that much of a hero". Tsurumaki stated that just like "Shinji was summoned by his father to ride a robot, Anno was summoned by Gainax to direct an animation". Like other male protagonists in the Gainax's series, Shinji was represented with a weak and insecure personality. Gainax wanted to reflect the psychological state of animation fans and the Japanese social context in particular, in which family fathers are constantly at work and emotionally absent. Anno himself decided the protagonist's age considering "age fourteen" as that in which "independence of mind starts manifesting".
Evangelion mangaka and character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto drew Shinji's character in an ordinary summer school uniform with a white shirt, making him look as "an average character". He also took as model Nadia Arwol from The Secret of Blue Water; the overall look of his face and his eyes were heavily borrowed from Nadia, with just a change in the hair-style. Since Shinji lacks the typical enthusiasm and courage of other robot anime heroes, Sadamoto was forced to give a different heroic interpretation, "rather than a reflection of a hero, sort of a refraction of a hero". At first, he tried to create a character "that would tap into the consciousness of today's anime fans". In the early stages, Shinji was drawn with slightly different features, later changed by the main staff. In one of Sadamoto's original proposals, for example, he had long hair, which should have covered his face or fluttered in the wind in dramatic scenes. Sadamoto himself changed his mind finding his original design "too wild" for the airing.
Voice
In the original animated series, Shinji is voiced by Megumi Ogata. Ogata later voiced him for the 1997 movies ' and ', new Rebuild of Evangelion films and video games, including Shinji Ikari Raising Project and ', among others.Ogata described Shinji as one of the "most memorable" roles of her career. His interpretation required her a considerable effort and physically and psychologically proved her. For example, in the eighteenth episode, Shinji cries and gasps for many seconds while Eva-03 is destroyed by his Eva-01. Finishing the dub session for the episode Ogata felt like her "whole body's aching". "Every time a new script arrived, every time I turned a new page I was torn apart by a new pain", she claimed. Rebuild of Evangelion dub also presented obstacles. In the last recording day for ' Ogata was forced to scream aloud all the time. She collapsed on the floor of the studio, with Anno entered into the room sitting on the floor with her. Anno personally praised her for the work done and shook her hand, thanking her for both "keeping the character's feelings unchanged" and for adding thirteen years of her experience "to the current Shinji".
Appearances
''Neon Genesis Evangelion''
Shinji Ikari was born on June 6, 2001, as the only child of Gendo Rokubungi and Yui Ikari, a brilliant student of Kyoto University and later famous researcher. In 2004 he was taken by his mother to Gehirn research center in Hakone to assist Evangelion 01's first activation test. Due to a mysterious accident, Yui disappears under his eyes. His father Gendo later leaves Shinji under the custody of an acquaintance, with the two living separately for circa ten years. On June 22, 2015, he is invited to Tokyo-3 by his father, commander of Nerv special agency. Unbeknownst to Shinji, however, his father told him to come so he could serve as the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01. Shinji reluctantly agrees and defeats the Angel Sachiel, initially experiencing difficulty, but brutally destroys the Angel after Unit-01 goes berserk. After the Angel attack, Shinji begins living under Misato's guardianship and attends school in Tokyo-3, meeting Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida, who would become his first true friends. When the Angel Ramiel appears and attempts to destroy Nerv headquarters, Shinji and fellow pilot Rei Ayanami work together to destroy the Angel. A nuclear-powered machine intended to fight the Angels named Jet Alone later runs amok, with he and Misato successfully stop it.Shinji later meets Asuka Langley Soryu, an Eva pilot from Germany, and the two successfully defeat Gaghiel. Asuka moves in with Shinji and Misato. As he bonds with them, Shinji slowly becomes more confident and assertive. Shinji, Rei and Asuka are sent to fight the Angel Leliel, however, Shinji, more confident than usual after kissing Asuka and improving his synchronization scores, is now accepting of his role as an Evangelion pilot. He decides to attack on his own, and Leliel's reverse AT field sucks Shinji into a parallel universe named Dirac's sea. Shinji confronts the Angel, during which he also confronts his inner self, forming arguments and philosophies. He is subsequently freed from the powerful Angel through the intervention of his mother Yui, whose soul is within the Eva.
After Shinji is forced to fight Eva-03, controlled by Bardiel, while his classmate Toji Suzahara is trapped within, Shinji decides to quit Nerv. Zeruel soon appears and decapitates the other Evangelion units, defeating both Rei and Asuka. Shinji, arguing with his mentor and Misato's lover Ryoji Kaji, returns to Nerv to protect the city. He attains a 400% sync ratio with his unit, allowing him to continue his assault and frees the Evangelion in the process. As a result, he is trapped within its core for a month before being released. During the battle against the Angel Armisael, Rei sacrifices herself to save Shinji and is subsequently revived through one of her clones. While Asuka runs away and becomes comatose, and Toji and Kensuke flee Tokyo-3, Shinji begins to suffer from depression. He meets Kaworu Nagisa, Asuka's substitute pilot, becoming friends. However, it is later revealed that Kaworu is the final Angel, and Shinji is forced to kill him, further traumatizing him. In the series' Instrumentality, he confronts his traumas and why he acts the way he does, as Shinji believes himself to be worthless and unworthy of affection. After conversing with most of the Evangelion cast and seeing a version of himself in a world in which he leads a normal life, the young boy finally realizes he can be happy and his existence is worth living regardless. Shinji is greeted by the rest of the cast and congratulated.
''The End of Evangelion''
The End of Evangelion continues Shinji's story, portraying his downward spiral into depression and eventual loss of the will to live. Shinji visits a comatose Asuka in the hospital, but when his pleas for attention go unanswered, Shinji accidentally exposes Asuka's breasts and masturbates at the sight. He remains catatonic while all Nerv personnel, including Misato, are killed. Shinji then decides to pilot the Eva to save those who are still alive and Asuka. When Shinji learns of Asuka's defeat, the Evangelion moves on its own to let Shinji enter it again. Despite this, after witnessing the mangled, mutilated corpse of Unit-02 being carried by the Mass Production Evas, Shinji's intense emotion summons the Lance of Longinus stuck on the Moon to Earth. The fusion of the Lance of Longinus with the Eva recreates a Tree of Life. Shinji has extended dream-like exchanges with Misato, Rei and Asuka regarding the pains of reality and his tensions with them, seeing himself having sex with her. When he begs for Asuka's attention and she refuses him, Shinji starts Third Impact and humanity's souls are reunited into a single existence. However, after reevaluating his position and talking with Rei, Kaworu, and his mother Yui, he decides that he wants to live in the real world and returns to Earth, also giving the choice for other humans to return. Shinji, having erected grave markers in memory of most of the other characters, wakes up sometime later, and notices Asuka laying down by his side. He attempts to strangle her again for an unclarified reason, but stops himself and breaks down after Asuka regains consciousness and caresses his face.''Rebuild of Evangelion''
In Rebuild of Evangelion, Shinji returns as the central protagonist in ', where he is shown to be more outspoken than his TV counterpart. In this film, Shinji's role is very much the same as that of the anime series. He is assigned to be the pilot of Unit-01 and works alongside Rei to defeat the Angel Ramiel. In ', Shinji continues his duties as the pilot of Unit-01, albeit reluctantly. After the battle with Bardiel, wherein his father forced him to critically injure Asuka, Shinji retires from his duties and leaves Nerv. When Zeruel consumes Rei, Shinji returns and defeats the Angel by seemingly fusing with the Evangelion.In , set fourteen years later, Shinji is awakened to a world completely changed by the Third Impact. Shinji is treated with hostility by Misato and others. They install a "DSS Choker" on him, an explosive device on his neck that is to be activated if he comes close to starting another Impact. After learning from Misato that they are part of a new organization called Wille fighting against Nerv, Shinji decides to leave with Rei. At the remnants of Nerv, he is approached by Kaworu Nagisa, Eva-13 designed pilot, who befriends him. He becomes despondent after Kaworu tells him that humanity holds him responsible for initiating Third Impact. After Shinji realizes that he failed to save Rei and the new one is merely a new clone, Nagisa convinces him to pilot Eva-13 with him. Shinji starts Fourth impact, Eva-13 then eats the Twelfth Angel and ascends to divinity. Kaworu is subsequently killed by the DSS Choker he had taken from Shinji in an attempt to stop Fourth Impact. A devastated Shinji loses his will to live. Asuka rescues him from his Entry Plug and berates him for acting "like a baby". The Rei clone appears and follows both, as they start heading along the ruins of Tokyo-3 to get rescued by Wille again.
Manga
In the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Shinji has a different character. In the manga, he has brown eyes instead of the blue ones he has in the anime series and Rebuild. Sadamoto attempted to portray him as more of a misfit, a young teenager more stubborn, rebellious, juvenile and apathetic than the insecure Shinji of Hideaki Anno. For example, in the fourth episode of the anime, Shinji runs away due to being overwhelmed by his responsibilities, while in the manga he runs away because he realizes Misato is spying on him and documenting his every action. Later, after the battle against Bardiel, in which his friend Toji dies following an order from Commander Ikari, Shinji tries to punch his father. Shinji is overall far more aloof and distant in the manga, but also enjoys a close relationship with Rei, while he is in turn initially apathetic to Asuka. He also has a tormented relationship with Kaworu, whom he deliberately avoids, accusing him of being a cynic and strange, while Kaji has an increased role as a mentor to him. His friendship with Toji and Kensuke is also more distant. He also has a modified backstory, with the introduction of an unnamed aunt, uncle and cousins and memories from his late childhood, away from Gendo. A different Instrumentality is presented, with Shinji recognizing the need for human interaction and saving Asuka in her fight against the Mass Production Evangelions. In the ending, he is seen leading a normal life in a reformed new world; while waiting for a train he meets Asuka, though they only have a faint recollection of one another.Sadamoto decided to work on an Evangelion manga while watching Shinji in the first episodes of the original series. Reflecting on his dialogues he wondered "what the world looked like through Shinji's eyes", also changing the main theme from "running or not running away" to "being honest with themselves as much as possible". This led him to change his characterization and psychology. During the entire serialization, Sadamoto also wanted to reflect contemporary teenagers in him and took inspiration from the Gulf War, wondering how a 14-year-old would have behaved boarding a helicopter. To realistically portray his psychology he drew inspiration from his personal experience, thinking back to his adolescence and trying to transpose his experiences on paper. Sadamoto compares the manga to the anime as Anno's work giving the feel of an honors student, while his work is "more like a flunk-out".
In other media
In a scene from the last episode of the animated series, an alternate universe is presented with a completely different story than the previous episodes. A parallel reality is shown, in which Shinji lives with both his parents with a normal middle school student life. He is also a primary protagonist in ' and ', where he is portrayed in a different light than his anime counterpart, usually happier and more stable. The same characterization can be found in '. Some spin-offs and video games such as these pair Shinji romantically with Asuka Langley Soryu or, less commonly, Rei Ayanami, Kaworu, and other characters, including Hikari Horaki, or original characters, such as Mana Kirishima and Mayumi Yamagishi. In Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project, he is presented as a childhood friend of Asuka and a distant cousin of Rei Ayanami. In ', Shinji is portrayed as a boy "frightened by the idea of growing up" but extremely popular among the students of Municipal Nerv High School of Tokyo-3. In Evangelion: Detective Shinji Ikari, Kaji and Kaworu are portrayed as two private investigators to whom Shinji is forced to ask for help, ending up investigating a mysterious case with them.In Evangelion: Anima, set three years after The End of Evangelion but with a different Instrumentality scenario, Shinji is 17 years old. He lets his hair grow, which makes him look like Kaji, and is now a good friend with both Rei and Asuka. He first pilots the Evangelion Unit-01 Type-F, but after the attack of EVA0.0 and the subsequent unification of his soul with Eva-01, he pilots a mecha named Super Evangelion and its upgrades. In addition to the video games based on the original animated series, Shinji's character appears in media outside the Evangelion franchise, such as in Monster Strike, Tales of Zestiria, Puzzle & Dragons and in an official cross-over episode of Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion, in which he is voiced by Ogata and pilots a transformable train called 500 Type Eva. He is also a playable character in the popular cross-over video game franchise Super Robot Wars, where he and other Evangelion characters work with characters from other mecha series, in which he develops a crush for other characters such as Lynn Minmay, provoking jealously in Asuka, who tries to regain his attention. Other games include a scenario where Eva Unit-01 goes berserk after fighting the fourth angel, with him fighting Kouji Kabuto and Mazinger Z. After regaining his sanity, he and Rei rejoin the battle against the Angels.
Characterization and themes
Shinji is an introvert boy, with few friends, totally unable to communicate with other people, extremely fearful of hurting others or being hurt. In his relationships also tends to adopt a completely passive attitude, which leads him to apologize for everything like a classical conditioning. Even his clothing suggests that he avoids choosing his clothes, wearing without complaining about the clothes others provide to him instead. When compared to the stereotypical hero, particularly of the mecha genre, Shinji is characterized more by the absence of energy and emotion than by heroism, courage, or bravery. As his voice actress Megumi Ogata said, "he didn't act like an anime character, but typically talked very quietly and sparingly, and it was like he was suddenly thrust into an anime world".Hideaki Anno described him as a "cowardly young man" who has convinced himself that "he is a completely unnecessary person". His childhood trauma led him to doubt the value of his existence, to be disheartened, and to seek a raison d'être that allows him to live in the real world and society. His naturally scrupulous and skeptical character leads him to wonder about the deep reasons that drive him to pilot Eva-01. The last two episodes focus on his path and his psychology in a sort of psychoanalytic session. During a stream of consciousness, he confesses being, in fact, afraid "of himself" and his father. After being called by his father to Tokyo-3, he pilots Eva-01 just for the affection and the approval of other people, without any heroism or true ideal. He also has an intimate desire for acceptance and is very concerned about the perception that others have of him. Sadamoto described him as "the kind of character who would encase himself in a shell of his own making". Despite the hatred between him and his father, Shinji harbored an intimate desire for acceptance and would like to be able to trust him. A different interpretation was given by Kazuya Tsurumaki, assistant director, according to whom "Shinji is the exact opposite of what the conventional impression of him is", since "he is not cowardly and indecisive; he is obstinate and doesn't pay any mind to other people".
After his first arrival to Tokyo-3, he repeats to himself the words "I mustn't run away", attempting to find the courage to face off his responsibilities. During the twentieth episode, he remembers being "escaped" from the experimental site where his mother died, an incident that generated a compulsive thought of "not running away". Contrary to what is commonly believed by fans, Anno didn't want to suggest that running away is always wrong, believing that "one can't advance without hurting others" and criticizing instead people who didn't choose between running or not running away, as "there are things that you gain and things that you lose running away, after all". He eventually inserted the line "If something is truly hurtful it's okay to run away" in the final installments, reflecting his idea that "if you don't pick something that's the same as with dying". For the Italian researcher Fabio Bartoli, Shinji's character is a "perfect representative" of the otaku generation, "being a young man with relationship difficulties and accustomed to spending a lot of time at home". Writer Andrea Fontana gave a similar interpretation, seeing him as a mere representation of otaku and their inability to relate and communicate with others. For Bartoli, moreover, the last scene of the anime, in which the boy's glass prison shatters ending his psychoanalytic session, could be a reference to the shinjinrui, the Japanese generation born in the seventies, also knows as crystal-zoku. Fontana also saw in Shinji's evolution "an exhortation" by Anno to otaku, Japanese society, and young people of the time "to break the crystal cage in which they locked themselves up, looking confidently at their neighbor". For the theme of the conflictual relationship between fathers and children Anno apparently took inspiration from the works of director Yoshiyuki Tomino. The idea of a dark and introverted pilot, in particular, can be found in Amuro Ray, the main character from Mobile Suit Gundam. According to Toshio Okada, however, Evangelion and Gundam offer different answers; in Gundam one of the main themes of the story was "the desire of the protagonist to be recognized by other people", while Evangelion completely questions the concepts of hero, salvation and redemption. Academic Christophe Thouny interpreted Shinji as a messianic figure. Japanese writer Kazuhisa Fujie also noted that his name may be a pun with shinjin, "God-man", a Japanese epithet of Jesus Christ.
Psychoanalysis
When he moves to Tokyo-3 middle school, Shinji struggles to make friends and keeps a cold, laconic and reserved attitude. According to Ritsuko Akagi, he suffers from the hedgehog's dilemma. As the hedgehogs of the original Arthur Schopenhauer's Parerga and Paralipomena, Shinji is afraid to be hurt and withdraws from human contact. His relationship with Misato Katsuragi seems to perfectly follow the Schopenhauer concept, but in the fourth episode, Hedgehog's Dilemma, the two characters finally get closer without hurting each other. Schopenhauer originally named the concept porcupine dilemma, but director Anno purposely chooses an alternative translation as he wanted to portray Shinji as a hedgehog, an animal with smaller and less acute spines than a porcupine, suggesting more delicacy for the character. Despite the dilemma, in The End of Evangelion he definitively chooses to live with other people, rejecting Instrumentality and unconditionally accepting the others.Since he lost his mother figure in a traumatic incident Shinji seeks a substitute for the lost mother figure in women around him and in Eva-01, since it contains her soul. Critic and academic Susan J. Napier interpreted Angels as "father figures, whom Shinji must annihilate". In the first part of the series, he emotionally depends on Unit 01 in every aspect, but he gradually becomes negatively affected by this symbiotic relationship. Anime News Network reviewer Mike Crandol described his entry in Eva-01 as a Freudian "return to the womb" and his struggle to be free of the Eva as his "rite of passage" into manhood. In psychological terms, Anno described Shinji as a boy with a strong Oedipus complex for his father Gendo. The Oedipal triangle is completed by their common interest for Rei Ayanami, a mere genetic clone of Yui Ikari. Neon Genesis Evangelion
In the twentieth episode, Weaving a story 2: Oral Stage, Shinji gets trapped in Eva-01 dissolving into its Entry Plug; during a stream of consciousness he has some visions informed by Sigmund Freud's theories, including a scene in which he's breastfed from Yui, recalling the oral stage, first tap in Freudian psychosexual development theory. Through his mother's help, Shinji symbolically born a second time, finding his will to live and regaining his own body. He presents features usually linked to the oral character, a personality that can found in some dependent, needy and weak individuals who see other people merely as a satisfaction tool. According to Freudian theory, oral personalities were not opportunely fed during weaning. With the vision of the mother's breast he thus metaphorically resolves its oral fixation, becoming a more self-conscious individual. In the two final episodes, he sees both the good and the dark side of other people, like a baby who realizes during the oral stage that two different personalities can coexist within an individual. His Oedipus complex also resolves in the final episode, which ends with the captions "To my father, thank you" and "To my mother, goodbye", signaling his definitive entry into adulthood.
Cultural Impact
Popularity
Immediately after the first run of the series, Shinji ranked second among the "most popular male characters of the moment" in the Anime Grand Prix survey by Animage magazine, with just two hundred votes less than the most popular character, Duo Maxwell from Gundam Wing. In the following two years rankings, he finally rose to first place. In the 1997 Anime Grand Prix he got around 1 200 votes, more than double than the second character, Kaworu Nagisa. Megumi Ogata also won for three years the second place in voice actor rankings, after Rei Ayanami's actor Megumi Hayashibara. Shinji also emerged sixth among most popular male characters in August 1996 and eleventh in July 1998.He took 77th place in 2002 in a TV Asahi poll about the most popular anime characters of all time and 25th in 2007 among the most popular male heroes as well. Shinji also won the first place in Newtype magazine popularity charts. In August and September 2009 it emerged in the third and first place. In October he took third place, becoming the most popular Evangelion male character. In March 2010 Newtype elected him the "most popular male character of the nineties". In 2014 a survey was aimed at foreigners residing in Japan, with the question "Which character do you aspire to look like?". Interviewees gave a great variety of answers, with Shinji Ikari took seventh place. In 2012 Fuji TV asked about 14 000 fans to name the "best anime hero"; Shinji Ikari took twentieth place among the most voted characters. In 2016 he appeared thirteenth in an Anime News Network survey on the "strongest pilots" of Japanese animation.
Critical response
Shinji Ikari's character sparked very mixed opinions and split anime critics in two. His detractors criticized his persistent insecurities, his vulnerability and his total absence of temper and resoluteness. Pete Harcoff, a reviewer for Anime Critic, gave a positive review of Neon Genesis Evangelion yet maintained a negative view of Shinji's character, stating that Shinji was ineffective and disappointing to watch. THEM Anime Reviews' reviewers were harsher of the character's constant angst in the television series, finding it as a negative trait. Raphael See who found Evangelion "a little cliche, or just plain irritating at times" the characterization of most of Evangelion cast and negatively underlined the pessimistic attitude of Shinji, since "is always down in the dumps, feeling sorry for himself". Japanator listed him among the "characters with no chance in reality", also saying "he really sucks as an Eva pilot and he has the spine of a jellyfish". Comic Book Resources criticized him for being represented as a stereotypical talented male protagonist and the harem tones of the plot. Critics who praised his characterization and realism were just as many, defending him from negative criticism; among these, the American writer Susan J. Napier, according to whom Shinji "still wins the championship for most psychologically complex male character ever created". IGN's editor Chris Mackenzie placed him in 25th place among the best anime characters of all time, saying "maybe we love Shinji because we wish we could be in his shoes, because we know we could do the job so much better ourselves". Jen Contino praised its characterization and placed ninth among the best anime characters of all time.In 2013 Anime News Network's editor Lynzee Lam placed him in first place among the seven most "crybaby heroes" in the history of Japanese animation, appreciating his motivations and psychological realism. Examining the differences between Evangelion: 2.0 You Can Advance film and the original animated series, myReviewer.com wrote: "to the relief of many, Shinji isn't as much of a whiner anymore, and he shows that he has a backbone on more than one occasion in this film". IGN's Ramsey Isler elected him "greatest anime character" in all times, praising his originality and his realistic characterization. According to Isler Shinji arouses the hatred of the spectators because unjustly considered "a wuss; scared, whiny, creepy, and hopeless" characters, asking: "But what 14-year-old kid wouldn't be given what he's had to deal with?". He concluded his comment saying: "He's a character that challenges the audience by not giving them a superficial, vicarious power fantasy like you'd get from so many other anime. He is pathetic, but that is what makes him great. That is what makes him a genuine work of art".
Shinji's role in the Rebuild of Evangelion films got a better response as he was noted to be friendlier with other characters in contrast to his role in the TV series. Martin Theron from Anime News Network praised his verisimilitude reviewing '. Theron listed the scene from ' in which Shinji saves Rei as the "Best Scene" in the site's feature "The Best of 2011." Martin praised Shinji's determination in such scene as "this is the first time in the entire franchise that he whole-heartedly goes after something because he wants it, rather than because he's expected to or has no choice." Despite criticism to the, multiple reviewers praised Shinji's interactions with Kaworu, and some considered it melodramatic. Nicoletta Christina Browne of THEM Anime Reviews criticized their relationship, finding it "rushed", artificial and unclear.
Legacy
Over the years merchandise items inspired by the character of Shinji have been produced, such as clothing, action figures, collectible models, perfumes, and drinks. Shinji has also been used for some Japan Racing Association advertising campaigns and to sponsor a culinary company specializing in miso soups called "Shijimi from lake Shinji", proving to be so popular as to increase its takings and attract tourists to the homonym lake just for the drink.Ryo Ōyama, one of Guilty Crown staff members, compared the main character Shū Ōma to Shinji Ikari and his role in the Neon Genesis Evangelion saga, since "they're both in their own world and they don't come out from that world". According to Ōyama, Shū is a sort of "a 2011 version of Shinji", but Shinji differs for his "more passive" and pessimistic attitude. Similar comments were made by the actor Asa Butterfield, who compared him to Ender Wiggin from Ender's Game, which he portrays. According to Butterfield, both characters "withdraw from the world", face new experiences and fight against unknown enemies. Lain Iwakura, the female protagonist of Serial Experiments Lain, Simon from Gurren Lagann, Daisuke Dojima from Revisions and the main character from Cyborg She also have affinities with Shinji. In the fourth episode of the dorama Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu a character named Shinji appears, ex-boyfriend of the female protagonist Mikuri, inspired by the homonym Evangelion character. Shinji is mentioned by Steven Universe from the homonym show in a parody of the final scene of the series. British group Fightstar honored him by naming him a song from the album One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours. 's director Jordan Vogt-Roberts named a character Gunpei Ikari taking inspiration from his surname.