Neon Genesis Evangelion is now almost three decades old but is still one of the most popular anime shows around. It’s action-packed, mysterious, beautifully animated, imaginative as all heck, and has some of the most unforgettable characters in anime.
Whether they’re begrudgingly working together to save the world or simply figuring out how to live in the same apartment, the network of friendships and rivalries within this cast propels Evangelion forward.
Picking the best amongst these is tough but, completely subjectively, here are my ten favorite characters from the franchise. Beware of spoilers, but if you haven’t seen this show by now can you really call yourself an anime fan?
10. Shigeru Aoba
The NERV support crew primarily exist to yell technobabble exposition about AT Fields, battery levels and whatnot, but I have a soft spot for the glum and lanky Shigeru Aoba for one very specific reason. During instrumentality in End of Evangelion, the characters get to see an image of the person they love the most before exploding into orange goo.
Everyone else looks beatifically happy during the process… except Aoba. He crouches under his desk and screams in existential terror before exploding. And, honestly, we’d be doing the same. Respect.
9. Kaworu Nagisa
Kaworu, Tabris, the 17th Angel, the Fifth Child. You can possibly add “Shinji’s love interest” to that list. Kaworu doesn’t turn up until late in the original show’s storyline and turns the idea of what an Angel can be on its head. Kaworu isn’t smashing down buildings or firing giant laser blasts, but he effortlessly penetrates Shinji’s emotional armor.
Shinji is eventually forced to kill Kaworu, and this traumatic moment fuels the fires that lead directly into the finale and End of Evangelion. Kaworu is a character whose time on screen can be counted in minutes, but he makes every single one of them count.
8. Ryoji Kaji
Who wouldn’t fall for this hunky watermelon enthusiast? Well, sure he’s a triple agent with unclear motivations, but you cannot deny his charisma. Kaji is also notable for his past relationship with Misato, with the pair simultaneously at loggerheads while also being seconds away from smooching.
Sadly the whole saving the world thing constantly gets in the way of them properly reconnecting, but we wish we could have seen more of Kaji in happier times.
7. Pen Pen
That’s right, I’m putting the penguin on the list. Sure, Misato’s pet genetically engineered penguin isn’t the most consequential character in the franchise, but he is one of the funniest. Evangelion is often dealing with traumatizing events and emotional breakdowns, so sometimes you just want a gag about a penguin hanging out and having a hot bath.
Pen Pen’s ultimate fate is unknown, as Misato sadly sends him away after Tokyo-3 becomes too dangerous. That said, Adam’s Anti-AT field dissolves all organisms and, last we checked, that includes penguins. Let’s hope he had a smile on his beak as he exploded into goo.
6. Ritsuko Akagi
Evangelion is bristling with complex and damaged characters, but one of the most enigmatic is NERV’s chief scientist Ritsuko Akagi. Frequently butting heads with Misato while also pretty much being her best friend, Ritsuko combines technical wizardry with a ridiculously cool head, as proven by successfully battling the Angel computer virus threatening to take over the computers designed after her mom’s mind.
Sadly Ritsuko ends up falling in love with Gendo Ikari and is shot by him just before Instrumentation. Dammit Ritsuko, Maya was right there all along.
5. Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami is a true cultural icon and one of the most famous anime characters of all time. That said, she’s at number 5 on this list, only because it’s very difficult to pin down who Rei actually is. That’s because, spoiler alert, Rei is a clone who’s periodically replaced when she dies. This means she’s aloof, doesn’t have much interest in personal safety, and doesn’t see the point of forming human connections.
Even so, she and Shinji gradually form a close, quasi-romantic bond with each other. There’s only one fly in the ointment: Rei is cloned from the cells of Shinji’s dead mom. Bit of a mood-killer finding that one out.
4. Gendo Ikari
Gendo Ikari is in command of a fleet of ridiculously powerful Evas, has the world’s top scientists working under him, and has almost complete autonomy to act how he pleases. But there’s one thing he’ll never have: a Father’s Day card.
Yup, Gendo might be the single worst Dad in the history of anime, and that’s a tough crowd to stand out in. Somewhat worryingly, Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno based Gendo on his own Dad, explaining in an interview that he was “beaten and kicked” as a child and that he once said to him “I wish you were not here.”
We wouldn’t want to work for Gendo, but dammit, the guy has layers and we love to hate.
3. Asuka Langley Sohryu
Asuka doesn’t arrive in Evangelion until episode 8 – but when she does appear it’s with a bang. In comparison to the other pilots, she’s a breath of fresh air – worlds away from the introverted Shinji and the distant Rei. Asuka is aggressive, courageous, confident (overly so) and very happy to be in control of a giant red death machine.
She’s great in every episode, though her climactic confrontation with the Mass-Produced Evas in End of Evangelion is one of the coolest anime action sequences of all time. Unfortunately for her, it’s shortly followed by one of the most painful-looking anime death sequences of all time.
Thankfully she bounces back from this and returns from Instrumentality, though as this means being stuck on a ruined world with Shinji for company she may have been better off dead.
2. Shinji Ikari
Shinji Ikari may be a coward, a pervert, a loser, a cry-baby, a doormat, self-loathing, ineffectual, incredibly whiny, riddled with deep-seated emotional issues and horny for his dead mom’s clone but… well, he’s 14. Who amongst us was any different at that age? Well, maybe not the dead mom clone thing, but the point stands.
Anyway, Shinji has way more resting on his shoulders than any 14-year-old should have. He’s essentially pressed into forced service as a child soldier, constantly put in mortal danger, is plugged into a giant monster robot, and eventually has the fate of the entire human race in his hands. Sure, Shinji then chooses to kill every living thing on the planet, but after thinking a little harder he changes his mind. Fair enough.
Shinji is a massive pain and often supremely annoying, but we’d like to see you do better in his shoes!
1. Misato Katsuragi
Misato Katsuragi isn’t top of this list solely because I had a giant crush on her as a teenager – just mostly.
And really, what’s not to love? Misato is funny as hell, competent, kind, sexy, intelligent, drives a cool car and sinks beers for breakfast. Admittedly that last one turned out to be significantly less cool in real life and was in retrospect a big relationship red flag, but that’s a story for another day.
Anyway, it’s interesting relating to Misato in different ways at different stages of your life. When I was young she was an impossibly cool older woman. Now I can wholly sympathise with her as she frets over her car payments, does her laundry, eats too much takeout, and does her best to take care of her boss’s weird kid.
She’s my favorite character in Evangelion, which automatically makes her one of the best in all of anime. Colonel, we stan.