| Shinji Ikari | |
|---|---|
| Neon Genesis Evangelion character | |
 Shinji Ikari with his Eva-01 (in the background) as a child (left), as a pilot (center) and as a student (right) | |
| First appearance | Neon Genesis Evangelion chapter 1: "Angel Attack" (1995) |
| Created by | Gainax |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Shinji Ikari |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Third Child |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Age | 14 |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Notable relatives | Gendo Ikari (father) Yui Ikari (mother) Rei Ayanami (biological relative) Misato Katsuragi (guardian) |
Shinji Ikari (Japanese: 碇 シンジ, Hepburn: Ikari Shinji) is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Gainax. He is the franchise's poster boy and protagonist. In the anime series of the same name, Shinji is a boy abandoned by his estranged father Gendo after the mysterious death of his mother Yui. Years later, Gendo asks him to pilot a mecha called Evangelion Unit-01 to protect the city of Tokyo-3 from Angels, creatures which threaten to destroy humanity. Shinji appears in the franchise's feature films and related media, video games, the manga Petit Eva: Evangelion@School, the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and the manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.
Director Hideaki Anno conceived Shinji as a representation of himself, reflecting his four-year depression after the airing of his previous work, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. Shinji's insecurity and torment are explored through streams of consciousness and inner monologues, with episodes focusing on his introspection. Anno used psychoanalytical theories for his characterization, including the Freudian psychosexual development model. His design was created by Sadamoto. Shinji is voiced by Megumi Ogata in Japanese, and by Spike Spencer and Casey Mongillo in English.
Shinji has received mixed responses from anime and manga publications. Although his complexity and realism has been praised, he is criticized for his insecurity and weaknesses. However, Shinji's characterization in the spin-offs and the Rebuild of Evangelion films has been received more positively because of his courageous and self-confident personality, especially in the second installment, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. Shinji has placed highly in popularity polls and been the subject of scholarly studies. Merchandise based on the character, such as action figures and perfumes, has been marketed.