Why Is Shinji "The One"?

[The Sqidd]

Joined to ask this.

In Rebuild why is Shinji "the one"? Is it pre ordained? Is it circumstance? Is it because he is a tool of Gendo? I'm hoping it's not because he's the main protagonist.

Thanks

[Archer]

It’s because he’s Gendo and Yui’s son. He’s not particularly special beyond the fact that his parents were involved with NERV and Seele.

[EvaChero]

lets also throw in his excellent sync rate due to Yui being the core of Unit 01...he is able to manipulate the Eva with Zero training which is pretty impressive.

[AdamMalkovitch]

Kaworu: "You seek a world with complimentary. You never change"
Kaji: "That's why you chose him and listed his name in the book of life"
Kaworu chose Shinji at the start of his loop for every timeline, because apparently, Shinji is one person that doesn't change across timelines. Which is debatable, but it works for the sake of this discussion. It was when Shinji changed and decided to take action, and therefore responsibility, following Ayanami 6's death, that the loop was broken, and that's why Kaworu and Rei leave on the train during the metaphysical ending segment. They're leaving existence because eliminating "all EVAs" also eliminated their origin, including the Adams, Lilith, and presumably the FAR and their Golgotha Object.
So essentially, Kaworu saw himself in Shinji, and chose him to be the most important in all timelines, that's why he's always the main character. Shinji being "the one" for lack of a better term is no different than him being the main character in Neon Genesis, Sadamoto's manga, or the multitudes of dogshit spinoffs and janky videogames that miss the entire point of the original series. Except 3nd Impact. That one's good.

[Konja7]

Kaworu: "You seek a world with complimentary. You never change"
Kaji: "That's why you chose him and listed his name in the book of life"
Kaworu chose Shinji at the start of his loop for every timeline, because apparently, Shinji is one person that doesn't change across timelines. Which is debatable, but it works for the sake of this discussion.

I've understand that part a little different.

I think Kaworu mentioned Shinji doesn't change, because Shinji still seek for a world with complimentary at that point (even after all his change in 3.0+1.0).

Also, I've understand from Kaji's words that Kaworu choose Shinji, because Shinji has always sought a world with complimentary.


I should mention that the English terms could sound similar, but the Complementary (相補性) mentioned here isn't the Instrumentality/Complementarity (補完) Project.

[Luigi shinji]

I'm hoping it's not because he's the main protagonist.

Becouse he is the main protagonist.

And also he is Anno's self insert.

[Blockio]

You mean in the same way in which every character in the show Anno wrote explicitly as reflecting a part of himself?

[Luigi shinji]

You mean in the same way in which every character in the show Anno wrote explicitly as reflecting a part of himself?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mjf2pg4MFQ

[dzzthink]

I think it would be best to compare him with the story of Jonah in the Bible, the reluctant hero who after many trials and ordeals (including getting swallowed by a whale) accepts his fate and ends up saving people by preaching the 'gospel'.

[nerv bae]

It’s because he’s Gendo and Yui’s son. He’s not particularly special beyond the fact that his parents were involved with NERV and Seele.

Yup, he's not particularly special. But it's worth remembering he's not particularly normal either:

He was probably born normal but then he got wrung out in the Artificial Evolution Lab, so by the time he's a teenager I don't think he's really normal any more.

At the risk of going off topic, I've been thinking about this a bit recently:

They're leaving existence because eliminating "all EVAs" also eliminated their origin, including the Adams, Lilith, and presumably the FAR and their Golgotha Object.

I think this is an interesting assumption. We're only shown the Evas being eliminated, so there's a plain reading of 3+1 that the FAR, the Golgotha Object, and everything else lore-but-not-Eva still exists (ready and waiting for Evangelion 5.69: Eva Can (Never) End).