Do we like them?

Do we like Shinji Ikari?

A character from Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996)

Our score: 6 out of 10. We'd back him, and we'd give him a hug first. He's scared, sulky and often runs away, but he keeps showing up for the people around him when it counts.

Shinji is a quiet, anxious teenager. His father Gendo, who runs the secretive agency NERV, abandoned him years ago. Gendo suddenly calls him to Tokyo-3, a fortified city under attack by giant beings called Angels, and tells him to pilot Evangelion Unit 01 or nobody else can.

Shinji is no natural hero. He is afraid of pain, afraid of being rejected, and desperate for approval from a father who gives him almost none. He gets his own room in Misato's apartment, where he finds an uneasy sort of family. He also gets complicated friendships with the aloof pilot Rei and the hot-headed Asuka. He often wants to quit, and sometimes does.

We score him a 6. He's sympathetic, and what he does under pressure is brave in a real, unglamorous way. But he's also passive and avoidant, and he can be selfish when he's hurting. The show is about a kid learning, slowly and painfully, whether he deserves to be here at all. Whether you back him depends on how much patience you have for a frightened teenager.