Absolute Anime

Doctor Ren wrote:Shinji. I like how he breaks the mold of the standard anime protagonist. Unlike most main characters seen in anime, he is a complex person who suffers from a number of internal conflicts. Because Gendo abandoned him at a young age in order to focus on Project Evangelion, Shinji developed low self-esteem and became avoidant of others so as to prevent hurting them or become hurt himself. He pilots Eva Unit 1 in order to gain Gendo's love and approval. In most anime, the main character will want to save the world just because he or she wants to. Shinji, however, does so in order to have his father acknowledge him, which is a much more realistic and understandable motive than "OMG, gotaa safe teh wurld cuse I r teh guud n gots too11!!"

Personally, I find Shinji very easy to relate to. At his age, I myself was a quiet, introverted loner who wanted more than anything to have my parents approve of me (actually, in Shinji's case, it's only his father). Ironically enough, I would also frequently listen to music in order to block out my surroundings.