Ikari Shinji's theme 

Yes! That is right! Other people have also realized that this song sounds like: 1) Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto no. 2 2) God Save the Queen / King or 3) "Shinji is just like me" which I've never actually listened myself to but it's really popular Which one were you?

At least Shinji got his own theme. I have none.

I love this comment section so much. Everyone's defending and saying how much they love Shinji which is very rare. He's one of my favorite characters to ever exist simply because he's the most relatable and human character I've ever seen.

Shinji's honestly one of the more interesting protagonists I've seen. If there's a singular word I have for him, it's "flawed". He doesn't have the high ideals most main characters have in stories, but is it really realistic to think that he should? Being only 14, his life is anything but figured out. Epiphanies that lead to disaster and further epiphanies. Isn't that just being a teenager? While his morals may seem twisted, he just hasn't had the opportunity to develop his personality enough to make such large decisions. Even the very ending could have been entirely different if it happened a day earlier or later. His mind was a mess, but rightfully so.

People are rotten, Shinji is one of the most relatable protagonist ever. It seems that everyone wants to have someone to push down so they can feel superior.

I love my theme so much.

Where are the papers? I want a permanent membership of the Shinji Ikari Defense Squad

When Light Yagami grabs a pen When Eren Yaeger tastes his thumb When Sasuke Uchiha opens his eyes When Ichigo Kurosaki yells When Monkey D. Luffy takes stance with one fist on the ground When Tanjiro Kamado breathes in When Kakarot roars When Edward Elric prays When Ryuko puts on her suit When Simon pulls his pin And when Shinji Ikari pilots Shogoki... *That is when this plays.*

I didnt knew that 2020 had a song

Hehe, the funny pose

Everyone asks "Where is Shinji?" but no one asks "How is Shinji?"

Shinji Ikari Defense Squad reporting in

Shinji DESERVES to be happy.

People call Shinji a pussy, but let's be real. 99.99% of us would have turned out similar if we were in Shinji's shoes.

The only person who made Shinjis life easier was the gay angel dude who didn't put up a fight and let Shinji kill him, think about that the only person that was nice to Shinji was the person who he was forced to kill

Rewatching it via Netflix I just realized how EVERYONE treats Shinji like trash. At first It gives the feeling it's only Gendou who is distant and cruel, but in reality everyone, from Asuka to Misato, patronizes him and constantly puts him in pressure, never giving him the option to fail. Ironically, in the series where everyone acts like a dick to each other, Shinji is the only one who rarely gives it back.

Shinji always annoyed me but maybe it's because he reminds me of my teen self

I used to be so hard on Shinji when i was younger....then you realize he was a just a 14 year old kid! The realism of NGE showing how immature and torn he was in dealing with so much trauma is amazing and one only appreciates it more and more with age...

We gotta protect this boy

“A child that is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth”

I think the funniest part of Shinji and yet the most tragic part In the spinoff games. We see that if you surround Shinji with mentally sound nice people his age Shinji just ends up being a nice normal kid. Hes just a person.

To everyone who thinks that Shinji is a pussy: he's not. He was a human who feared death, but already lost most of his life and lived the rest by just accepting orders, up to the very point where he even accepted to be extremly near to death itself. But he built a new life, without even wanting it, up to the very point he didn't accepted everything and thus, lost his mind with time, mostly because of the pressure he had... And even after this all... He tryed to fix the world. He didn't accepted all orders, but he accepted his destiny. You shouldn't compare NGE with other animes in this way, you should compare it to real life, because NGE's characters are there to compare them with real life and your self. So... Could you do this?

Despite how many people perceive Shinji, I think he's really the strongest protagonist I've seen in any story. Man went through some deep shit, and he took it like a real person would - internalized it, tried to force it down, had it bubble up in toxic and horrific ways, and push others away from him. People treated him like trash, and he was always set up to fail, yet he came back anyways! Shinji cried and struggled, but isn't that what strength is? Excellent writing, Ano.

I love Shinji because I see myself in him because he’s weak, he always wants to escape, he hates himself, and I want to love me so I love Shinji. I want him to be better and to be happy because I want to be better and to be happy.

Shinji is more or less the most flawed protagonist I've seen. Nothing about him is idealized. And you missed a HUGE point in Evangelion, to love you have to be loved. Shinji isn't (or is convinced so), therefore it really takes a toll on his personal and emotional life. This probably applies to a good deal of the main characters too. Odds are that Pen-Pen is the sanest character. If you wanna watch meaningless sex or meaningless fanservice, then you're looking in the wrong way.

For this of you wondering, this piece is a MINOR variation of an old melody used for England’s anthem (God save the queen) and “my country ‘it’s of thee”, also the same melody for at least seven other countries, it’s also the melody for the traditional song, “this is my planet earth”. The world’s anthem in a way, which the composer uses perfectly by being able to tell how everyone in the show puts the fate of the world on shinji arms, stressing him until he decides to make the world into his liking in the End of Evangelion, much like this theme did. Even stranger, we only hear this piece in the very first episode, somehow giving a clue on how the whole story will conclude.

There's no grace. It's a thoroughly lonely, selfish and harsh melody with each segment properly representing Shinji's state of mind. The piano is depicting a struggle, a wish for hope, love and purpose - at the same time being the realizement of his naivety, anger, confusion and most importantly - misery. While the piano(Shinji) is expressing itself, the rest of the instruments accompany it symbolizing the world, or everyone around Shinji. Violins are the breaking point and usually are used to magnify the feeling of dread, confusion and hope with a reflection on those emotions. Violas', cellos' and double basses' job is to magnify the feelings of tragedy, despair and sadness.

Shinji Ikari and Guts (from Berserk) are the most tortured characters in anime history, bar none.

For some reason Shinji always seemed very haunted to me. He always seems to play to role of the unwilling fool in a plot beyond his understanding.

I never really understood why Shinji is so hated. The first time I saw NGE I connected to him more than to any other character, he's just so damn relatable. edit: I'm also part of the Shinji Ikari Defense Squad :)

At first it did not understand the hatred so exaggerated to the protagonist but then it became more evident. The author obviously wants us not to insert ourselves into the protagonist but not so that we do not feel good enough to confront reality. And we do not all like that

I think we, as an audience, have a bad habit of overlooking the fact that Ikari Shinji is a _child soldier_ when we judge him.

Who else feels like Shinji deserves a hug? Boi suffered long enough and he barely received affection back (except that "pilot")

I'm just a poor boy... nobody loves me...

I don't get why people call Shinji whiny and annoying. His behavior is reasonable when you take into account his childhood trauma, the lack of affection/appreciation he is given even when the fate of humanity rides on his shoulders, and the fact that he's still only 14. Shinji's character design isn't trying to imitate a crybaby, but rather a real human who feared death and coudn't move on from his past traumas

Possibly the greatest and most well-composed theme I've ever heard in anime history.

Ayyyyyeeee

Shinji Ikari will always be at my heart as the bravest human in history. Bless you,Third child #ShinjiIkariDefenseSquad

I don’t like shinji because I see myself in him

Palpatine (to Shinji): “Young fool, only now... at the end, do you understand,”

This is so like Rachmaninoff: Concerto for piano No 2 in many ways... Even so, beautiful, and really nostalgic. :)

You know? I never hated Shinji even in the first episode. Maybe we are more similar than I imagined XD

what a mysterious & complicated personality...Shinji is one of the "deepest" anime characters ever.

"erm.... shinji isn't the perfect unstoppable anime protagonist so he fucking sucks" 🤡 i love this dude with all my heart

Shinji needs a hug. And Asuka, a restraining order. Against him.

Congratulations!

*DEPRESSION INTENSIFYS*

No joke, tune sounds like it's part of a thriller/psychological horror old time movie. Love it! Love the discordant feeling.

#TeamShinji

It's such a deeply moving piece, and I think it personifies Shinji, and this experience of an anime, perfectly. I think that even those who despise Shinji's character can sympathise with him through this music alone.

I never got the Shinji hate. He's the most relatable main character I've ever seen in any medium.

What's wrong with running away from reality if it sucks?

I hate how everyone just wails on shinji with the message that " this is the example of what you *arent* supposed to be ". Like, hes been through so much and the pressure of the world around him just got to him, is that really so horrible?

For some reason, I really laughed at the fact that the applause at the end was represented by the "congratulations Shinji" scene.

When a literal penguin has more mental stability than you and everyone else you know and love. Also people call Shinji a coward because they're so used to the common strong protag we see in the disappointing anime of today and I'd bet that they would be turned into an eviscerated mess in a week if they were in Ikari's shoes.

Up your head, Shinji. You deserve to be fine.

I love Shinji. Is an amazing character, is an angel in a hell. Those stupid people who say than Shinji is not a good protagonist, are fucking stupid. Evangelion is about depression, Shinji reflect perfectly what depression feels like.

Shinji is realistic and not simple power fantasy like other teen boys in anime.

We love Shinji. He was emotionally unstable, but who could blame him. His mom died in his early childhood, his father neglected him for all of his life, he hardly had a choice to pilot the EVA and save the world from godly beings when he didn’t even know what an EVA was, and he was forced to kill Kaworu, the one person that had genuine feelings towards Shinji. I feel so bad for him :(

Remember kids, if you hate Shinji, chances are you ARE Shinji, only you refuse to admit you hate that part of yourself for the times you acted like he did. Shinji doesn't deserve hate, he deserves pity.

When you think about, Shinji is actually very strong in a very unconventional way. For instance take Jotaro from stardust crusaders. He’s a badass who is physically strong and had magical superpowers on top of that. So he’s a physically strong character. Then take day Lelouch from Code Geass who’s greatest weapon is his mind on top of some magical superpowers. However he is a mentally strong character. And then there’s Shinji. Despite what you say, this is a 14 year old kid who still fended off giant space monsters while battling severe trauma and depression. On top of that, even though he did end the world (which makes sense why he did in his position and his view on life) he still brought everyone back in hopes for himself that he could find happiness. It’s somewhat a selfish reason for saving everyone, to find his own happiness, but nonetheless it shows that with everything he’s been through in his life and in the show, he still was strong enough to give life a second shot not only for himself but for everyone else. In my book, that’s being emotionally strong. Something we often don’t see in many characters as a source of strength because it’s hard to write and develop. Hopefully he found some happiness with Asuka or anyone else after EoE and here’s to hoping he finds happiness in 3.0+1.0. Shinji, you are one of my favorite anime characters.

Shinji and Asuka were the only characters that I identified with in my life, 10 years ago when my depression started I was like Asuka, now I look more and more like Shinji, it gets harder and harder to live. Evangelion translated into words feelings I couldn’t even express, seeing how people hate Shinji made me understand a little why people don’t like me, seeing all this from another perspective made me reflect on everything, but maybe I’m more stupid than I thought, because even so I couldn’t reach any different conclusions

From someone who never watched evangelion, this melody feels like falling in love with someone you shouldn't, and I think it's extremely beautiful.

Ppl: mental illness needs to be taken more seriously! Characters that actually has mental illness: * shows it * Ppl: ew nvm we don’t like that

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty...

I'm glad people have started respecting Shinji more. Most of the fandom seemed to hate him 8+ years ago.

Loving this comment section. I've aways been an avid Shinji defender, bro is by far the most relatable protagonist in any anime and deserves more recognition for taking so much shit in stride in a realistic way. While I love idealized protagonists that can take anything thrown their way, like Guts or Jotaro, there is simply no possible way to ever fully relate to them. They are fantasies of characters, an that is great. I'll always love a character that serves to inspire through how impossibly strong they are in the face of massive turmoil. But Shinji serves as an inspiration because he is so human. He just BARELY makes it through most situations he is put in, and is eternally changed by nearly every one of them. While obviously the hardships he faces are far more than any of us will ever face, there is something to that imperfection in handling situations. SO many other protagonists only falter in their final moments, but it is nice to have a character that you can relate to their countless failures but continued dedication towards improvement. Sometimes I feel as though I'm going nowhere, I'm not doing enough, like I've failed in many regards that only I'll notice and no one else will ever point out. Most of the times those kinds of failures go unnoticed in fictional narratives, but through Shinji, Evangelion is capable of giving a narrative that is actually relatable, flaws and all. And I really appreciate Anno for having done that. Giving a character that despite the impossibility of how deep he is in all the shit he doesn't understand, he still tries. I'll do the same, even if I reach an ending drenched in despair, trying is all we can do as living beings. And I think there is importance to that, even if there isn't some afterlife, even if there isn't any hope of improvement in the grand scheme, even if my life means nothing, I still enjoy the feeling of trying. So I'll keep on trying until I physically, mentally and emotionally can't anymore.

Gendo is an asshole, he doesnt deserve Yui. Shinji is the offspring of Yui and Gendo, so this would make Shinji 50% Yui. But Gendo just rejects him. If Yui could see him, she would reject him like he rejects Shinji. Gendo should have viewed Shinji as the part of Yui that is still alive, and cherished him. He should have been a father to him and bring him up so he can become the best person he can be. I despise my own father because he was not a real father to me.

THANK YOU!

i find myself attracted to shinji more than any of the other characters because of how unsexualized he is. he's very flawed and very human

shinji ikari is the perfection of the imperfect of the human being

As others feel in the comments, I love shinji because he hates himself as I do. I have never related with a character's behavior and outlook on life as much as Shinji.

I can relate a lot with Shinji Ikari, and I'm almost 40

Nice song to listen while running away

This legitimately sounds like a trial of morality in someone's mind.

Everyone be calling Shinji a pussy or a piece of shit but can you imagine what it would be like for your dad to finally talk to you after years of being abandoned and telling you to risk your life to save the world. I think the piece of shit in this story was definitely Gendo.

this is the perfect post nut clairity music

Disgusting

People forget that Shinji was just a young kid. A teenager confronted by the cruelty of this world. Forced to do things he didnt want to. He endured, he struggled and then he broke. All the pressure, all the loss, all the pain, all the hatred and the lack of empathy and love for him broke him. He was alone in a dark ocean. And he drowned. He is not a perfect protagonist, but that is what he is about. He is no hero. He never wanted to be one and he does not find a real purpose or redemption in beeing one. He does things because he has no choices. In the end - he is just human. A human kid that was used. And this piece of music tells a lot about what is going on inside of him. Anger, sadness, desperation, crying for help, losing oneself.

Wow, It's so intense., it reminds me of the Rachmaninov piano concerto 2, as a pianist I have to play this marvelous piece. Here I go Shinji.

If this was created 300 years ago then everyone would know of this song today and it would be viewed as a masterpiece

the music starts so nicely and then it transforms into something scary, dangerous, empty. It's like if there was no hope... but there is hope, hope is everywhere, hope is everything and will stay that way forever. This is song is poethic without any lyrics, it has so much power.

it's unfortunate when people dislike evangelion because they hate the protagonist for being a whiny little bitch. but that is what makes NGE the greatest anime of all time. shinji isn't some typical shounen protagonist, and the people who want him to be one aren't going to enjoy it. he's just some normal looking 14 year old boy who was forced to pilot an evangelion. no brightly-colored spiky anime hair. there is no great climax in which shinji starts believing in the power of friendship and suddenly gains the strength to win. he is met with the apocalypse caused by his own hand, and he can do nothing but scream.

I’ve always understood why Shinji was always so hated, because I absolutely despise him. But, I despise him because I feel like he’s a self insert character, one who reminds me of myself. Rather than trying to make a character with all the good traits of me, instead he’s a character with everything I hate about myself. The most emotive I’ve ever got watching anything was watching end of Evangelion, as I screamed at the T.V in rage for his inaction. I hate him, but I feel like he’s the best way to heal in a way. (Sorry for bad grammar, 5am tired rn)

"shinji's a pussy" bro had his chest melted, had a spear go through his head and had the fate of basically the entire world in his shoulders more than once.

Very Rachmaninoffesque! I love it!

“Shinji’s a pussy.” “MF, have you SEEN the shit he’s fighting?!? Do you have any idea how big the angels get?!? HE HAS TO CATCH AN APOCALYPTIC MEATEOR SIZED LIFEFORM WITH HIS HANDS! Giant robot hands but still.

So this is what depression sounds like

Hands down Shinji is the realest character I've ever seen, I love how Evangelion deals with psychological problems, speaking of which, everyone in that show deserves a happy ending. Especially Shinji.

If only therapists survived in the 2nd Impact...

For anyone who says he loves shinji in the comment. YOU ARE NOT THE REAL SHINJI FAN. The right way to say is: I hate shinji, just as I hate myself.

As someone who struggles with constant self hatred I connected with Shinji so damn much. I’m now a proud member of the Shinji Ikari Defense Squad

They all treat him like shit, even going as far as "You are a coward if you dont just suddenly jump into this giant robot to fight against that giant monster without any training or instructions whatsoever" Who wouldnt get fucked up psychologically.

im just like him except i dont crank my soulja boy to comatose women

shinji is possibly the most relatable mc ever.

Love Shinji as a character. I understand why a lot of people don’t like him, but he’s always been painfully realistic and relatable to me.

It's nice to have a song that reminds you that things genuinely aren't OK

Get put of the robot shinji, you need a fucking break man

My lizard youtube brain thought this was an analysis video. What I got instead was the realization that, holy shit, Eva has a fire soundtrack.

Shinji goes through the worst heck ever through the episodes. LeT my BOi bE HAppY