Neon Genesis Evangelion

From Animepedia

Characters

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 Child and the sole pilot of Evangelion Unit 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.

Rei Ayanami (綾波レイ Ayanami Rei)

Voice

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

Birthdate

Unknown

Rei is the pilot of Evangelion Unit 00. She has received pilot training since the project's beginning, and therefore she is known as the First Child. 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 Evangelion Unit 02, and the Second Child. She is of mixed decent, being only one-quarter Japanese, and three-quarters European, which explains 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.

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).

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.

Ryohji 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 Ryohji 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)

Kōzō Fuyutsuki (冬月コウゾウ Fuyutsuki Kouzou)

Makoto Hyuga (日向マコト Hyuuga Makoto)

Maya Ibuki (伊吹マヤ Ibuki Maya)

Shigeru Aoba (青葉シゲル Aoba Shigeru)

Kensuke Aida (相田ケンスケ Aida Kensuke)

Kaworu Nagisa (渚 カヲル Nagisa Kaworu)

Hikari Horaki (洞木ヒカリ Horaki Hikari)

Naoko Akagi (赤木ナオコ Akagi Naoko)

Yui Ikari (碇ユイ Ikari Yui)

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

Pen² (ペンペン Penpen)