Characters in Neon Genesis Evangelion

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Shinji Ikari (碇シンジ Ikari Shinji)

Voice

Megumi Ogata (Japanese)
Spike Spencer (English)

Birthdate

June 6, 2001

Shinji is the protagonist of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He is the Third Children and the sole pilot of EVA-01. He is very introverted, and therefore has difficulty communicating with and relating to other people. Shinji does not have much (if any) self-worth, and is frequently depressed throughout the series. This likely stems from being abandoned by his father, Gendo Ikari, as a very young child, after his mother's disappearance. After ten years of estrangement, Gendo suddenly summons Shinji to Nerv, in order to have Shinji become an Evangelion pilot. With reluctance, he accepts, and eventually ends up living in Tokyo-3, with Misato Katsuragi as his guardian.

Misato Katsuragi (葛城ミサト Katsuragi Misato)

Voice

Kotono Mitsuishi (Japanese)
Allison Keith (English)

Birthdate

December 8, 1986

Misato is the chief operations officer at Nerv, initially with the ranking of Captain, though later she is promoted to Major. She is very capable and professional in her work. This is severely contrasted by her behavior at home: Upon Shinji's arrival, Misato's house could not, in any way, be described as "tidy". She is also quite a drunkard, both starting and ending the day with a can of beer. She seems to be a lighthearted, cheerful person, but this is simply a defense mechanism used to run away from anything that appears to be developing into more than a surface relationship. Consistent with the dissonance of the rest of Misato's character, the loneliness caused by this defense mechanism causes her to take others under her metaphorical wing (Pen², Shinji, Asuka).

Rei Ayanami (綾波レイ Ayanami Rei)

Voice

Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese)
Amanda Winn-Lee (English)

Birthdate

Unknown

Rei is the pilot of EVA-00. She has received pilot training since the project's beginning, and therefore she is known as the First Children. She is a very enigmatic, isolated person. Rei is extremely introverted and aloof, even more so than Shinji, with her only apparent relationship being with Gendo Ikari, although at one point, Rei remarks to Shinji that she "doesn't know what kind of person he (Gendo) is". Rei does not seem to value her existence much either, but for entirely different reasons than Shinji.

Asuka Langley Sohryu (惣流・アスカ・ラングレー Souryuu Asuka Ranguree)

Voice

Yuuko Miyamura (Japanese)
Tiffany Grant (English)

Birthdate

December 4, 2001

Asuka is the first pilot of EVA-02, and the Second Children. She is of mixed decent, being only one-quarter Japanese, one-quarter German, and one half never specified, but presumably Caucasian, explaining her very non-Japanese appearance. In a severe contrast to the Evangelion pilots introduced before her, Shinji and Rei, Asuka appears to be a very strong, extroverted, arrogant, and fiercely independent person. However, this is a façade, behind which Asuka hides her truly vulnerable, insecure self, and a traumatic past. Perhaps because of this internal conflict, Asuka has a very volatile temperament, and is frequently verbally abusive, particularly to Shinji. She is the second Evangelion pilot to move into Misato's apartment.

Gendo Ikari (碇ゲンドウ Ikari Gendou)

Voice

Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese)
Tristan MacAvery (English series and movies), John Swasey (English "Director's Cut" episodes)

Gendo is the commander of Nerv. He is responsible for the research on the Evangelion units and the Human Instrumentality Project. Gendo is portrayed as a ruthless, yet brilliant scientist and politician, who will do anything to achieve his goals, even if this means treating people like objects, or even destroying the world as we know it. He is also the father of Shinji Ikari, but they have a strained relationship at best, as Gendo abandoned Shinji at a young age. Little is known about his background and personality. However, one thing that is made clear is his very strong emotional connection with the deceased Yui Ikari, which is perhaps his most significant motivator.

Ritsuko Akagi (赤木リツコ Akagi Ritsuko)

Voice

Yuriko Yamaguchi (Japanese)
Sue Ulu (English)

Birthdate

November 21, 1985

Ritsuko is Nerv's head scientist. Apart from Gendo and Fuyutsuki, she knows the most information about the Evangelion units, the Human Instrumentality Project, and the true nature of Rei Ayanami. Ritsuko is primarily in charge of the trio of supercomputers known as the Magi, as well as being heavily involved in maintaining and repairing Tokyo-3's defense systems against the Angels. Ritsuko is very intelligent and pragmatic, and generally quite willing to sacrifice the lives of the Evangelion pilots, much to Misato's indignation. Ironically, despite her negative feelings toward her mother, Naoko Akagi, Ritsuko seems to be following in Naoko's footsteps in just about every way possible. Ritsuko has been friends with Misato since their college days, although as the series progresses and Misato learns more about Nerv, this quickly dissolves.

Ryoji Kaji (加持リョウジ Kaji Ryouji)

Voice

Kouichi Yamadera (Japanese)
Aaron Krohn (English)

Birthdate

June 17, 1985

Kaji is a special inspector for Nerv, while at the same time being employed by the Japanese government to investigate Nerv, as well as being used as a cat's-paw by both Nerv and Seele. It seems that his true loyalties do not adhere to any organization, but only in his desire to "find the truth". While Ryoji is his first name, everyone, even the people he is closest with, refers to him by his surname, Kaji. Kaji is a detached, easy-going, friendly person, who flirts indiscriminately with almost every female he comes across, and he seems to maintain this attitude even in times of crisis. Although these traits cause him to appear to be just an irresponsible, comic-relief character, he has a more serious side which appears on occasion.

Toji Suzuhara (鈴原トウジ Suzuhara Touji)

Voice

Tomokazu Seki (Japanese)
Brett Weaver, Joe Pisano, Michael O'Connor (English)

Birthdate

December 26, 2001

Toji is brash, hotheaded, and somewhat of a delinquent (toward school, anyway). Originally from the Osaka region, he speaks with the associated dialect. He is one of Shinji's classmates. At first, Toji has much animosity toward Shinji, since his younger sister was seriously injured in EVA-01's first battle due to what Toji perceived as the pilot's clumsiness. However, due to events which lead to Toji witnessing the amount of mental strain the pilot is subjected to during battles, Toji develops sympathy toward Shinji, and they become friends.

Kozo Fuyutsuki (冬月コウゾウ Fuyutsuki Kouzou)

Voice

Motomu Kiyokawa (Japanese)
Guil Lunde (English series), Michael Ross (English movies)

Birthdate

April 9, 1956

Fuyutsuki is second-in-command at Nerv, and often temporarily takes charge when Gendo is absent or otherwise unavailable. Although he is most commonly seen in the company of Gendo, Fuyutsuki does not particularly like Gendo, and their relationship is one of convenience. Fuyutsuki was originally a professor of metaphysical biology at Kyoto University. It was there that he met Yui Ikari, a young bioengineering student. While many of the details of their relationship are unclear, it seems that they were rather close, and even spent time with each other outside of school. It was through her that Fuyutsuki met Gendo, and became involved with Nerv.

Makoto Hyuga (日向マコト Hyuuga Makoto)

Voice

Hiro Yuuki (Japanese)
Matt Greenfield (English series), Keith Burgess (English movies)

Birthdate

February 13 (Year unknown)

Hyuga is one of the three main computer technicians at Nerv. He is highly skilled at his work, being resourceful, quick-thinking and brave. However, he is also a bit of a nerd, often choosing to read manga during his breaks One of his most distinguishing traits is his huge attraction to Misato, although he never explicitly acts on this. Even when Misato's relationship with Kaji is rekindled, Hyuga doesn't attempt to interfere, nor does he become (visibly) upset. He seems to be very devoted to Misato, practically jumping at any opportunity to help her.

Maya Ibuki (伊吹マヤ Ibuki Maya)

Voice

Miki Nagasawa (Japanese}
Kendra Benham (English series), Amy Seeley (English movies), Monica Rial (English "Director's Cut" episodes)

Birthdate

July 11, 1991

Maya is one of the three main computer technicians at Nerv. She frequently assists Ritsuko, whom she affectionately refers to as "Ritsuko-sempai" or simply "Sempai", and has a close bond with. Maya is optimistic and cheerful, as well as trusting and faithful. She is also very sensitive, and tends to shy away from or become nauseated by violence. Maya idealizes science and technology very much, perhaps because they were the primary thing that saved the post-Second Impact world she grew up in.

Shigeru Aoba (青葉シゲル Aoba Shigeru)

Voice

Takehito Koyasu (Japanese)
Jason C. Lee (English series and movies), Vic Mignogna (English "Director's Cut" episodes)

Birthdate

May 5 (Year unknown)

Shigeru Aoba is the last of the three main computer technicians at Nerv. His character is not explored much within the series, so not much is known about him. He is an avid guitar player, and is commonly seen carrying a guitar, reading guitar-related magazines, and even playing air guitar. Aoba also seems to be a bit of a cynic, often scoffing at Maya's extreme faith in technology.

Kensuke Aida (相田ケンスケ Aida Kensuke)

Voice

Tetsuya Iwanaga (Japanese)
Kurt Stoll (English)

Birthdate

September 12, 2001

Kensuke is a classmate of Shinji's, as well as being a friend of both Toji and Shinji. He is a military otaku, and one of his favorite things to do is to go out into the wilderness and stage elaborate war scenarios, all on his own. He desperately wants to become an Evangelion pilot, even after seeing a pilot in action. Kensuke's father works for Nerv, which Kensuke uses to his advantage by hacking into his father's data files. Due to this, he often knows more about the internal workings of Nerv than Shinji. Despite his odd obsession with warfare, Kensuke is portrayed as a gentle, though somewhat nerdy character, sometimes acting as a counter-balance to Toji's often reckless behavior.

Kaworu Nagisa (渚カヲル Nagisa Kaworu)

Voice

Akira Ishida (Japanese)
Kyle Sturdivant (English series), Aaron Krohn (English movies), Greg Ayres (English "Director's Cut" episodes)

Birthdate

September 13, 2000

Kaworu is the Fifth Children, and surrogate pilot of EVA-02. He is a very mysterious person, and quickly becomes very close friends with Shinji.

Hikari Horaki (洞木ヒカリ Horaki Hikari)

Voice

Junko Iwao (Japanese)
Carol Amerson (English)

Birthdate

February 18, 2002

Hikari is the class representative of Class 2-A, which is the same class that all of the Evangelion pilots attend. She adheres very closely to her duties as class rep, and is very strict in making sure that the jobs of the other students are taken care of correctly. When Asuka arrives, she and Hikari quickly become friends. This is possibly the closest friendship that Asuka has within the series.

Naoko Akagi (赤木ナオコ Akagi Naoko)

Voice

Mika Doi (Japanese)
Laura Chapman (English)

Birthdate

Unknown.

Naoko Akagi is Ritsuko's deceased mother, and the creator of the Magi supercomputers.

Yui Ikari (碇ユイ Ikari Yui)

Voice

Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese)
Kim Sevier (English series), Amanda Winn Lee (English movies)

Birthdate

March 30, 1977

Yui Ikari is Shinji's mother and Gendo's wife. She disappeared during a strange accident in 2004.

Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu (惣流・キョウコ・ツェッペリン Souryu Kyouko Tsepperin)

Voice

Maria Kawamura (Japanese)
Kimberly Yates (English)

Birthdate

1974 (exact date unknown)

Kyoko is Asuka's deceased mother. She worked with the German branch of Gehirn.

Pen² (ペンペン Penpen)

Voice

Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese)
Amanda Winn Lee (English series and movies), Mandy Clark (English "Director's Cut" episodes)

Birthdate

Unknown.

Pen² is Misato's pet, who lives at her apartment. He is a "warm-water penguin", and, according to the manga, a result of genetic engineering. In both the manga and the series, Pen² displays traits that penguins and birds do not normally have, such as his three retractable claws at the end of each wing. He also appears to possessed greatly enhanced intelligence, as he is shown watching television, taking hot baths, and even reading newspapers. Pen² is the animal mascot of the series, and as such, generally serves as comic relief in many episodes.