Editing Neon Genesis Evangelion (section)

==Characters==
{{Main|List of Neon Genesis Evangelion characters{{!}}List of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' characters}}
Hideaki Anno attempted to create characters that reflected parts of his own personality.<ref name=JEN>{{cite news|last=Kosukegawa|first=Yoichi|title=Cartoon 'Eva' captures sense of void among Japanese youth|newspaper=Japan Economic Newswire|date=May 8, 1997|quote=In the September 1996 issue of the Quick Japan information magazine, Hideaki Anno, the director of Evangelion, described Eva as a 'personal film,' each character reflecting part of his own personality.}}</ref> The characters of ''Evangelion'' struggle with their interpersonal relationships, their personal problems,{{sfn|Napier|2002|p=425}} and traumatic events in their past.{{sfn|Miller|2012|p=85}}{{sfn|Ishikawa|2007|p=76}} The human qualities of the characters have enabled some viewers of the show to identify with the characters on a personal level, while others interpret them as historical, religious, or philosophical symbols.<ref name="Eng-DVD-commentary">{{cite video|title=Evangelion: Death & Rebirth; End of Evangelion|medium=DVD commentary track|publisher=Manga Entertainment}}</ref>

[[Shinji Ikari]] is the series protagonist and the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit-01. After witnessing his mother Yui Ikari's death as a child, Shinji is abandoned by his father, Gendo Ikari. He is emotionally hypersensitive and sometimes does as expected out of fear of rejection, but he has often rebelled and refused to pilot the Eva because of the excruciating harm that has been done to him or to his friends. Throughout the series, he says to himself "I mustn't run away" as a means of encouraging himself to face the threats of the day, and this sometimes actually gives him bravery in battle, but he has a lingering habit of withdrawing in response to traumatic events. Anno has described Shinji as a boy who "shrinks from human contact" and has "convinced himself that he is a completely unnecessary person".<ref name="What-were-we-making">{{Cite book|last=Sadamoto|first=Yoshiyuki|author-link=Yoshiyuki Sadamoto|others=Essay by Hideaki Anno; translated by Mari Morimoto, English adaptation by Fred Burke|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 1|date=December 1998|orig-date=1995|publisher=VIZ Media LLC|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-1-56931-294-0|pages=170–171|chapter=What were we trying to make here?}}</ref>

[[File:Characters of Evangelion.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|The cast of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' as depicted on the Japanese "Genesis" (volume) 14 [[LaserDisc]] and [[VHS]] cover]]

The withdrawn and mysterious pilot of Evangelion Unit-00, [[Rei Ayanami]], is a clone made from the salvaged remains of Yui and is plagued by a sense of negative self-worth stemming from the realization that she is an expendable asset.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Roderick|title=Meet the voice of AD Vision: Amanda Winn|url=http://www.ex.org/2.5/12-news_winn.html|volume=2|issue=5|work=EX Magazine|access-date=October 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050329093608/http://www.ex.org/2.5/12-news_winn.html|archive-date=March 29, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> She at first despises Shinji for his lack of trust in his father Gendo, with whom Rei is very close. However, after Shinji and Rei successfully defeat the Angel Ramiel, she takes a friendly liking to him. Towards the end of the series, it is revealed that she is one of many clones, whose use is to replace the currently existing Rei if she is killed.

[[Asuka Langley Soryu]] is a child prodigy who pilots Evangelion Unit-02 and possesses a fiery temper and an overabundance of pride and self-confidence, which often gets her in trouble and difficulty, especially during battles. As a little girl, Asuka discovered the body of her mother shortly after she committed suicide, leading the child to repress her emotions and vow never to cry. Asuka and Shinji develop intense but ambiguous feelings toward each other and have difficulty reaching out to others. Their relationship was initially modeled on the one between Jean, Nadia's love interest and eventual husband in the earlier ''[[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water|Nadia]]''.<ref name="Mond">{{cite book|chapter=Interview with Sadamoto Yoshiyuki|title=Der Mond: The Art of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto – Deluxe Edition|publisher=[[Kadokawa Shoten]]|year=1999|isbn=978-4-04-853031-6}}</ref> Similarly to Shinji, Asuka and Rei are presented with their own flaws and difficulty relating to other people.{{sfn|Napier|2002|pp=425–426}}

[[Misato Katsuragi]] is the caretaker and commanding officer for Shinji and Asuka.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=4|pages=5–8|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> Her professional demeanor at Nerv contrasts dramatically with her carefree and irresponsible behavior at home. Character designer [[Yoshiyuki Sadamoto]] conceived her as an older "[[girl next door]]" and promiscuous loser who failed to take life seriously.<ref name=Mond/> Hideaki Anno described Shinji and Misato as "afraid of being hurt" and "unsuitable—lacking the positive attitude—for what people call heroes of an adventure."<ref name="What-were-we-making" />

The teenage Evangelion pilots are ordered into battle by the steely Gendo Ikari, Shinji's father and the commander of Nerv. He abandoned Shinji and recalled him only to serve as an Evangelion pilot. Gendo salvaged the remains of his dead wife's body to create Rei, whom he viewed as a mere tool at his disposal to defeat the Angels and enact Instrumentality. Similar to Shinji, he is somewhat asocial and is afraid of being insulted by others and often runs away from such, often committing immoralities in the process. This fear is also what drove him to abandon Shinji. He is depicted as relentless in his drive to win, a man who "takes drastic and extreme measures, by fair means or foul, or by hook or by crook, in order to accomplish his own purpose."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Anime Expo '96 interview|author=Graham, Miyako|magazine=Protoculture Addicts|date=November 1996|issue=43|pages=40–41}}</ref> According to Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the characters of Gendo and Fuyutsuki are based on Ed Straker and Alec Freeman of the television series ''[[UFO (British TV series)|UFO]]''.<ref name="Mond" /> Sadamoto designed the visual appearance of the characters so that their personalities "could be understood more or less at a glance".{{sfn|Lamarre|2009|p=204}} The distinctive aesthetic appeal of the female lead characters' designs contributed to the high sales of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' merchandise. The design of Rei, in particular, became so popular that the media referred to the character as "Premium Girl" due to the high sales of books with Rei on the cover.{{sfn|Fujie|Foster|2004|p=39}}