Does the average person relate to Shinji when they watch Evangelion?
Even if you hate him, I like to imagine that most Yea Forumsnons can empathize with him on some level.
Does the average person relate to Shinji when they watch Evangelion?
Cameron Thompson
Parker Hughes
If by most people being pathetic losers, then he's very relatable. To some extent, wanting to kill yourself is human. We know Shinji could have been suicidal at some point.
Joseph Brown
not really
Xavier Torres
not at all. i'm not a pussy and I would totally risk my life without hesitation because i'm better than him
Tyler Adams
I felt sorry for him most of the time but sometimes also outraged. Mainly, on the two most crucial moments in which he needed to get into the damn robot, on episode 19 (I think) and End of EVA. Those were the main times I found myself being angry at him. But for the most part I just lamented that this kid had to bear so much on his shoulders, and took respite in every single instance in which he appeared happy. I think that people who hate Shinji project onto him what they think an anime protagonist ought to be, but that's missing the point.
The word that comes to mind when I think of him is "pathetic", and I'm not even memeing. He really is pathetic. But I still find him to be an engaging protagonist and one of my favorites in any form of media.
Also, I don't get the "get in the damn robot" meme; I was exposed to it before I even watched EVA and I imagined he would be a whiny baby the entire time, but after the forth episode he always gets in the EVA, whether he wants or not, until almost the end of the series.
Leo Myers
The truth is, shinji is waaaay above average.
Most adults would have blown their brains out in his situation or run away, or break down in tears, let alone 14 year olds.
He's got some will on him, and he can actually put in the effort to become stronger, protect his friends, pilot the eva, and help himself.
He's also not average in his situation. His loneliness and abandonment messed with him a lot, he was pretty much an empty husk going through the motions by the time he was 14, that's not normal.
Consider too that shinji recovered over murdering several of his friends and sorted his life together in a 40 minute alone time. That's something most people don't achieve in their whole life, let alone 40 minutes.
Blake Gonzalez
People who are like Shinji will hate him even more instead of empathizing, because their whole problem is that they hate themselves.
Evan Long
Yes. Only true pussies are incapable of showing some sympathy for someone who suffered as much as he did. Those same faggots are fat losers without any sort of trauma
Camden Jenkins
I don't think you even need trauma to feel sympathetic towards Shinji. I certainly don't have it and I could empathize with him just fine. Not 100% seeing myself in his place, but I could place where he stood emotionally. I do believe that the people who dislike Shinji have certain expectations out of the MC of the anime they're watching, and anything that deviates from that is just bad for them.
Jaxon Cruz
No. Only losers like Anno do.
Oliver Allen
My 12 year old self could relate to him on almost every level.
My 14 year old self could relate to him on some stuff.
My current 19 year old self can't really relate to him except for our infatuation with Asuka.
Jackson Walker
Apparently... Yes
One of my friends that doesn't watch anime (A pretty normal person for internet standards) gave it a try and told me That "Now I understand why some people at my job and fmaily said that they related to Shinji"
Joshua Diaz
But in the end he tried to enter the robot. It was the fucking Blakelyte that fucked him and Asuka
Austin Turner
He would have managed to enter the robot if he hadn't outright refused to do anything in the first half.
Now, whether Yui would have let him pilot once he got in there is another story.
Robert Davis
Average person? No. It's incelcore. I relate pretty strongly.
Christopher Fisher
I'm an incel and this is the truth.
Hunter Martinez
>He thinks is incelcore
>Shinji gets the attention of both pussy and dick
Incels can't relate to Shinji at all
Nolan Gutierrez
Actually if Asuka was a man she would be an incel
David Peterson
I don't have the experience of abandoning my hospitalized friend so I could fuck some faggot in a bathtub so no, I don't relate to Shinji.
Adrian Morris
I want to have sex with shinji, I'm a male.
Anthony Parker
that was pretty gay, not gonna lie, but until that everyone could relate to shinji
Hunter Hall
While I am willing to admit that Shinji's sexual repression is somewhat explored, it's far from his most defining feature.
Ryder White
>pathetic losers
How is he a loser exactly?
Liam Young
Nolan Watson
Shinji is too young to be considered incel and sexuality is not his main issue.
Logan Hughes
shinjis a kissless neet virgin
Jose Reyes
You're supposed to sympathize with Shinji, not empathize, especially by the end of End. He's deliberately portrayed as a spineless brat who literally chooses to bring about the apocalypse because he killed only person who ever coddled him.
You're supposed to feel sorry for Shinji, recognize his negative parts, see any of the negative parts in yourself, and work to fix those problems.
Eli Sullivan
>14 years old virgin
Nothing of abnormal here
>neet
He goes to school and has a job being an Eva pilot.
Aiden Long
I relate to Asuka more. I would be overjoyed to get in the robot and risk my life... for the wrong reasons.
Grayson Kelly
Yeah. We all having Shinji feelings. He's the archetype of fear and combating that fear.
Juan Myers
he's a hikineet
James Torres
I have never seen this fetish before
Jeremiah Carter
He brought the world to its end? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I interpreted the ending was Shinji doing away with the idea of turning humanity into a collective and instead choosing to let all mankind remain as individuals to continue exploring each other and understanding our own relationships because he came to the conclusion that the pain that came with that discovery was worth it, finally accepting pain instead of being so terrified of it.
Austin Davis
The people that hate him are the once that relate the most. They will just never admit it.
Grayson Hernandez
But if you were put in that situation you totally would do it.
And Asuka ran away for like a week before she was hospitalized.
Nicholas Wright
Kaworu simply gave Shinji what wanted and needed at possibly his lowest moment. It makes total sense that he run away, and I don't think most people should have trouble understanding why he choose to act that way when his choice was between standing by the side of a girl whose main interactions with him consisted on verbal abuse, and a guy unlike you've never met before who gives you everything you want, even if you think you don't deserve it. Shinji's actions are all too human and something most people could get behind easily.
Jeremiah Morgan
Did Shinji even know where Asuka was at the time Kaworu came about? She was missing for a week at that time, plus she was completely comatose in a hospital so he wouldn't even be able to get the feeling of human interaction with Asuka if he went to her making it even easier to understand why he became infatuated with Kaworu.
Jonathan Thompson
Ethan Thompson
Its a bit wierd, I don't think I've ever related to him on my first watch of the show, but on subsequent rewatches I found myself understanding him more and more.
I think him being more subdued compared to the more exciting personalities of the other major characters made me ignore him when I first got into Eva.
Connor Parker
> Daily reminder that nobody wins the Shinjibowl in NGE, but Rei wins it in the rebuilds
Also, if you can't relate to Shinji on at least one topic you aren't human. :'^)
Colton Nguyen
>Shinji's actions are all too human and something most people could get behind easily.
People watching anime are legit misanthropic though. They can't stand other people and take anime as a substitute for reality and human relations (see the 3DPD meme)
Robert Lee
was never able to empathize with him and always hated him, the ultra pathetic japanese crybaby boy/man is such an insanely detestable trope and im pretty sure shinji started my hatred for it
Leo Gray
Fuck off, pablo
Michael James
It seems odd to me that anyone misanthropic could enjoy art, when it is without a doubt the most humane thing anyone could experience. It is beyond science in that sense because on top of requiring technique that only the human mind can grasp, it relies emotions in ways that are impossible to experience any other way. Misanthropes who get any enjoyment out of anything man-made seem kind of hypocritical to me.
Julian Taylor
Is that why people get mad when someone makes dick jokes about Shinji?
Benjamin Butler
>americans believing they have more empathy than mexicans.
Liam Diaz
Shinji's hate goes this way
Hideaki Anno >>>>>>>> Fangirls >> Spics >>>>>>>>>> the rest
Never heard of machismo?
Austin Gray
In most cases, anime isn't art. It's cookie-cutter crap made specifically for being consumed by losers looking for companion. Isn't obvious with all the creepy fixation on virginity?
William Powell
Shinji is okay, but a terribly overrated character. The most unforgivable thing is how the Shinji archetype of male characters (super nice beta oblivious-to-other-girls-feelings self-insert) poisoned romance in anime/manga stories. I'm so happy this archetype is gone for good.
Nathaniel Butler
I found Asuka more relateable, her coping mechanisms are more similar to mine basically.
That's one of the only significant differences between Shinji and Asuka honestly.
Cameron Reyes
Why you insist Shinji created this archetype, or even that Shinji belong to it? That make you sound like a complete newfag or just a spic
Jeremiah Carter
then it's not an all spic shit but mexican only, we are not like them on southern cone, we have the catholic empathy inherited from spain and italy.
Jonathan Brown
>catholic empathy
The same catholic priests that rape children, associated with right-wing dictators hired by America and go against the people's wellbeing by preaching in favor of far right policies? Even removing the child rape, catholic priests tend to be extremely cruel with children
Nathaniel Peterson
He made it popular, it exploded in popularity afterwards. Eva popularized alot of anime tropes and this is an indisputable fact.
Look at how people see Shinji in doujins, Angelic Days/Raising Project/Eva VNs. Shinji is the king of the "beta oblivious male whom has a harem of beautiful girls after his dick" Just look how he is in Rebuild 2.22.
Levi Parker
not the jewish-infiltred Vatican 2 catholicism of course.
though there is nothing bad at having autoritharian government, reminder they were supported by murica because afraid of communism and new Cuba's.
and the old fashioned support for the Axis is comfy.
Jordan Stewart
Tenchi Muyo is more responsable for that crap than Eva. Shinji doesn't even qualify as a loser self-insert for having emotional issues that go beyond which girl he want to fuck and a personality. Also his life isn't the kind of life a male otaku want, except if you give a very shallow read like Kensuke did in episode 4. about the spin-offs, Asuka is le generic tsundere and I don't know what the fuck is Rei so they're exploitative crap that doesn't matter. Only hardcore Evafags consume it anyway
Julian Bailey
he's 14 tf.
Andrew Taylor
>I stopped by 7-Eleven, and they’re having a new Evangelion giveaway promotion! But…once again, Shinji isn’t here (・_・、)
Henry Wilson
>relate
I mean, everyone relates to him insofar as he represents weakness, fear and snivelry. He's just so pathetic though, even as a kid, that he is definitely hard to love. He's certainly an interesting character though. People that dislike him AND dislike his writing are the worst plebs around.
Ryan Nguyen
A big part of what I think makes it work is that he isn't mature enough to do anything he really doesn't want to. Without a Misato there to commander-mommy him toward seeing how it relates to what he wants, he doesn't think in terms of necessity, or duty, or that he and everyone else are dead anyway if he doesn't do something. Everything is close-in and personally motivated for him, so he actually could destroy Nerv or leave them just because he was mad at his dad, but also he was still at Nerv and bouncing back from everything up to then just because he wanted to be there.
Joshua Richardson
>if you were put in that situation you totally would do it.
No, not everyone is a deplorable piece of shit like Shinji.
>Asuka ran away for like a week before she was hospitalized.
He did the same to Toji, did the same to Rei, then Misato and even Kaworu. Not to even mention what he did to Asuka in the end. He abandoned every single person who was ever kind to him, he realy should have killed himself like he wanted to, at least the third impact would be averted. Instead he got off scot free without ever having to face any of the billions of people he killed, save for Asuka, whom he tried to kill immediately after. I have no idea how anybody ave for a complete psychopath could ever empathize with Shinji.
Asher Murphy
Shinji is a deconstruction of the usual protagonist.
Of course people going into Evangelion expecting the average shounen protagonist won't like Shinji.
Shinji is too real for a lot of people with how well he represents the anxiety and fear in all of us.
Bentley Brooks
it was tough to see that the usual response to shinji is hate. when i first watched eva, i expected to see a compleatly shit caracter whose actions i wouldn't understand. but i related to shinji quite a bit, and understood why he acted the way he did.
when asuka kissed him is a good example. i've seen people criticize shinji for not making a move, but if i was in that situation i sure as hell wouldn't make a move either.
Isaac Russell
>Nobody wins