Shinji Character Analysis (2.0/3.0)

[Xard]

The fact is Misato saw the halo appear and she still urges him to go at it. And she can't influence his actions... What actions? was Shinji aware of what was happening? She's guilty for being his commanding officer and not telling him how things are looking outside. He screwed up because he was greenlit to do it. How did she deal with the weight?

Your irrational hatred for Misato is getting better of you. Shinji was not giving a single fuck about what anyone was saying at that point. Misato and Ritsuko might've as well stripped down naked and pull a human centipede and Shinji wouldn't have batted eyelash

[StratoSakuya...AF]

Your irrational hatred for Misato is getting better of you. Shinji was not giving a single fuck about what anyone was saying at that point. Misato and Ritsuko might've as well stripped down naked and pull a human centipede and Shinji wouldn't have batted eyelash

Mmm... you may be right on that one. However, misinformation in Shinji's behalf alone absolves him from much of the guilt. If I kill someone in self-defense that was not trying to kill me, but it seemed as such... would I be imprisoned for murder? Or not?

[penguintruth]

Kind of funny that the thing everyone in the fandom was praising him for (going after Rei and retrieving her from the Angel) is the the thing that screwed everyone over in-universe.

[Xard]

Kind of funny that the thing everyone in the fandom was praising him for (going after Rei and retrieving her from the Angel) is the the thing that screwed everyone over in-universe.

Perhaps among viewers at large but EGF was a bloody battleground over whether Shinji was supposed to be a huge huge slimy bastard at end of 2.0 for years.

That debate more than anything else burned down the subforum back in the day

[bobbyfischer's ghost]

Mmm... you may be right on that one. However, misinformation in Shinji's behalf alone absolves him from much of the guilt. If I kill someone in self-defense that was not trying to kill me, but it seemed as such... would I be imprisoned for murder? Or not?

you would be charged with manslaughter, you still killed people regardless of culpability.

[Mr. Tines]

In my considered opinion, based on the evidence to date, at least one of these "spoilers" came to pass. The one that was totally predictable.

SPOILER: Show

[StratoSakuya...AF]

you would be charged with manslaughter, you still killed people regardless of culpability.

Some laws exempt you because you're doing it on self-defense. Not sure if it's universal though.

[Xard]

In my considered opinion, based on the evidence to date, at least one of these "spoilers" came to pass. The one that was totally predictable.

Best 5 seconds ever, you'll see ;________;

[StratoSakuya...AF]

Best 5 seconds ever, you'll see ;________;

Which?

[Kendrix]

Personally I sort of interpreted Shinji's actions as bieng like this. Someone you love is trapped under a log. In order to save them from dying you must move the beam. Since you want them to live you move the beam. Afterwards you learn that you caused a bridge to collapse, killing the people on the bridge. You were warned you may injure yourself and never walk again. You heard creaking when moving the log. You were not told moving the log would collapse the bridge. Does this make your action selfish, and or wrong? In my viewpoint, no. It makes it tragic, but you are not selfish or guilty. Trying to save someone you love is not selfish.

This. It's just tragic.
What's he gonna DO now, what's he freakin' gonna DO?

[Jayfive]

Which?

The one about Pinkie.

Though more cynical folk than I might suggest that the one about Shinji brings the total to 2.

[prototype00]

This. It's just tragic.
What's he gonna DO now, what's he freakin' gonna DO?

Because Shinji is a classical anti hero and a tragic hero, it doesn't matter what he'll do. Because he will always fail. Sad isn't it.

[Darkwing]

About the only out, and it would probably would be a cop out, I could come up with is this. It's mentioned that when the pull out Shinji they aren't sure if it's Shinji. Well that and the revalation Yui played Shogi got me thinking. What if Shinji in 3.0 is like what happened to Kyoko in the original series? He's acting stupid and crazy because part of his soul is missing, making him stupid and crazy. What's more Yui has an agenda of her own. She could be influncing him and getting him to act to pomote her own agenda.

Yeah It's grasping at straws, and I don't buy it myself, but I figured I'd put it out there.

I thought of another reason for Rei to be absent. She wouldn't hold 3rd Impact against him as much as others. And not because of the saving her bit. What was Rei created for? To influince 3rd impact. She could very easily have been the triggerman instead of Shinji. And this makes Kawrou's attitude towards Shinji make even more sense.

[pwhodges]

I thought of another reason for Rei to be absent. She wouldn't hold 3rd Impact against him as much as others. And not because of the saving her bit. What was Rei created for? To influince 3rd impact. She could very easily have been the triggerman instead of Shinji.

Hang on; if I recall what I've read correctly, 3rd impact was cut short, supposedly by Kaworu's lance. But what if the actual act which cut it short was Shinji removing Rei from the angel? She'd have good (for her) reason to be pissed with him in that case.

[Seele00TextOnly]

But what if the actual act which cut it short was Shinji removing Rei from the angel?

Wait, no, you have to watch the footage again if you can speculate that, because him pulling her out is precisely when things started going even more to crap. Lancing Eva-01 is what caused all the floating stuff to fall back down and the sky to come back.

[pwhodges]

OK, I suspected that was out of line, but I just felt like trying it for size...

[Darkwing]

Hang on; if I recall what I've read correctly, 3rd impact was cut short, supposedly by Kaworu's lance. But what if the actual act which cut it short was Shinji removing Rei from the angel? She'd have good (for her) reason to be pissed with him in that case.

I meant she could have ended up bieng the cause and the one who triggered it, and was hated, not Shinji. I didn't mean that she was wanting it to happen.

[Drabant]

Post on different viewpoints

I think you're spot on here. There's more agenda rather than thought behind this. I suppose some are more concerned about who Shinji saves rather than why/how he is saving Rei.

From what I've been able to gather from the recent translated bits of the audio rip of Q, Shinji did not know what he was doing. He was convinced he was just saving Rei. He had absolutely no idea.

Thus your "saving someone is good" comment along with the "accidental beam collapsing the bridge" rings true.

All I can say, that Shinji is, (he always was but now more than ever) redeemed in my eyes. For now, until more information is revealed, I am safe in my position, I think.

I cannot possibly blame Shinji for causing something he did not intend, for something he had no idea would happen, and possibly, something he was duped into doing. I was certain he would be blamed for it, and seemingly he was in 3.0.

SPOILER: Show

Shinji: I didn’t do it! I don’t know anything! I just want to save Ayanami.
Kaworu: You did… and it started Third Impact.
Shinji: Even if that’s the case, I was unaware of it! I can’t be blamed!
Kaworu: But this is what you did.
Shinji: AHHHHH!(crash)

http://pastebin.com/mzH3PSP6

Undoubtedly his actions caused 3I. But can he really be blamed, as in it was a personal fault?

[Azathoth]

Undoubtedly his actions caused 3I. But can he really be blamed, as in it was a personal fault?

Seems like you kind of answered your own question there. Really, I don't think it would matter all that much if he'd gotten back into Eva-01 with an end goal of transforming everything into flowers and bunnies. He still destroyed the world, and the responsibility for that can't be pushed off onto anyone else. Kaworu is right: it is what he did and making excuses isn't going to improve the situation; neither is frantically trying to redo things.

I'm not sure why people are trying to avoid blaming Shinji when Shinji clearly and rightly blames himself for it, so much so that he will literally risk destroying the world again just to avoid facing the consequences of his actions.

[Xard]

Seems like you kind of answered your own question there. Really, I don't think it would matter all that much if he'd gotten back into Eva-01 with an end goal of transforming everything into flowers and bunnies. He still destroyed the world, and the responsibility for that can't be pushed off onto anyone else. Kaworu is right: it is what he did and making excuses isn't going to improve the situation; neither is frantically trying to redo things.

I'm not sure why people are trying to avoid blaming Shinji when Shinji clearly and rightly blames himself for it, so much so that he will literally risk destroying the world again just to avoid facing the consequences of his actions.

Well obviously intention is important thing to judge when he hold people accountable but it's indeed odd many are doing anything to shift the blame from Shinji onto anything else when films themselves and even Shinji - finally - realizes he's at fault.