SHINJI AIN'T A BITCH FAQ

PART 1:  Introduction
---------------------

  Good day, Evangelion fans!  Tis Strike Fiss here!  I have been fortunate enough in my lifetime to see all of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and live long enough to realize it was perhaps one of the greatest monuments to Anime since Akira and Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind.  Amazing animation, mind-twisting plots, and some of the most complex characters you will ever see all inhabit this amazing series.  This is also a very dark, very tormented series, however.  It's characters, though flawed horribly, are also very real and three dimensional.
  Shinji is the focus of much of the series, and is one of the most interesting fictional persons I know.  This website sticks up for him.  Even though he is weak, and needs a spine implant at times, I celebrate his triumphs and his journies in becoming someone better.  I proudly yell along side him as he slamms the 14th Angel into the catapult.  I fell the anguish as Shinji rides the monorails for days on end.  I feel helpless as Misato hears Kaji's final words, and vengeful glee as I watch Asuka smash through the Eva Series, EVEN WHEN I know the outcome.  Shinji is someone who I can relate to.  Not because I am like him, but because he is so real I can sometimes pretend I am him.
  This page is both a tribute to Shinji, and a defence against the misconceptions and rumors that pile up against him.  Enjoy!

                          -Strike Fiss
                     strikef@bigfoot.com
 
 

PART 2:  Bitches
----------------

2.0:  "What is a Bitch?"

  In this context, a Bitch is someone unworthy of being called a hero.  Someone who is weak in both body and mind.  Who gets slapped around and crushed under heel.  Also, someone who gets fucked up the ass by someone else (if not male, then a female with a strap-on).
 

2.1:  "W...but...you just described Shinji PERFECTLY!"

  It would seem like that to the untrained eye, but I intend to prove that, not only is Shinji NOT a Bitch, but he is a pretty kick ass mofo.
 

2.2:  "Mofo?"

  Yeah.  Think Pulp Fiction.  "Bad Assed MuthaFucka"  Shinji is not a weakling.  He is, instead, a haunted individual, but one with true determination and drive.  One who is willing to sacrifice himself for others, and one who will take NO SHIT when the time is right.  Depending on what a fan sees, Shinji can be either a Bitch, or a Bad Assed Mofo.  I intend to show the side of him that is rarely seen, and that is the Mofo.  Shinji has been labled a Bitch too often.
 

PART 3:  Berserker
------------------

3.0:  "How can you call Shinji a Hero when he seems so weak?"

The weakness is only what he himself has taught himself to believe.  When faced with an ultimatum, however, Shinji is a true hero.
-Against the 3rd Angel, even though he has NO idea what's going on, he'll put his ass on the line to save Rei, who can't even sit up.
-Again, against the 3rd Angel, he Berserks.  Berserker is NOT the Eva taking over.  It is Shinji's deepest, darkest, angryiest thoughts finally surfacing to take control.  Power he rarely lets loose is finaly unleashed in an exausting, driven rage.  With the link he has with Evangelion Unit 01's soul, it is no wonder he is the best pilot.
-Against the 14th Angel, Kaji finally tells him he has 2 choices.  He can let everyone die, or he can pilot to save them.  It is nobody's choice but his own, and Shinji makes the hero's choice, knowing he is the last resort.  Shinji does NOT run away.
-When Asuka is being attacked mentally, he beggs for a chance to go out and stop the Angel, and is only denied by his father's orders.
-After almost killing Toji, Shinji turns his hatred towards his father.  "Unit 01 has a hundred and eighty-five seconds of power left in reserves.  That's enough to destroy at least half of headquarters...."
 

3.1:  "What about End of Evangelion?"

  True.  Shinji turned into a Bitch.  However, this was simply because he had convinced himself of his failings.  His spirit was still there, just unable to surface like previous times.
 

3.2:  "Ha!  So you admit it!"

  Wouldn't you do the same if your world was falling apart, people were trying to kill you, you found out everything has been either a lie, conspiracy, or trick, and the only person you could talk to was in a coma?  All after killing your friend?  Yeah.  You'd be a Bitch too.
 

3.3:  "What about how Asuka always beats him around?"

  Love does strange things to men.  ^_^
 
 

PART 4:  Pacifism
-----------------

4.0:  "What about all that following orders stuff?  Don't you think he's kinda whipped?"

  Sometimes, Shinji does seem to follow orders too easily.  However, he is more concerned with others than himself.  Helping others is where he recives his happiness.
 

4.1:  "What about all that maid stuff he does?"

4.2:  "Why did he whimp out against so many Angels?"

  Against Toji?  He knew this new Angel had a fellow pilot hostage.  Even though he did not know who it was, he did not want to be responsible for the pilot's death.  The fact he would rather die than kill proves what a strong character he has.  Even when the Dummy Plug took over and did the work for him, he never forgave himself for letting it happen.  He wanted to stop the slaughter, even though there was nothing he could have done.
  Other times, he walked away from being a pilot because of the pain involved, or in defiance of his father.  But he was never afraid to face an angel.  Not even Kaoru, though he felt much the same way about killing him as hurting Toji.  To be a hero was always his choice, and he never lost sight of that, even though his reason for piloting may have changed.
 
 

PART 5:  Sexuality
------------------

5.0:  "Is this page a result of a Shinji/Kaoru page?"

  Yes.  It is a direct reaction to a page like that, and the 30 minute Dennis Leary style rant in response to it.  ^_^  This idea was further fostered by an odd Shinji/Gendo ish picture that happened to be on an adjacent page.
 

5.1:  "So are you Homophobic?"

  No.  I simply do not like seeing Shinji AND Kaoru commited to a grossly exagerated and implausable fantasy that belittles both of them.  IF they were homosexual, I would not have a problem with that.
 

5.2:  "Is Shinji gay?"

  No.  A number of facts point to his hetrosexuality.
  -Pathetic, but obvious, the first scene in End of Eva points to the distinct attraction to Asuka that Shinji feels.  He is directly affected by her physical presense, and we also find he wants a relationship with her very badly.
  -Another slightly more obvious scene is in "Magma Diver" where Asuka and Misato are "playing" on the other side of the hot-spring.  Even Pen-Pen seemed slightly surprised at Shinji's enthusiastic reaction to hearing how soft Asuka's skin was on her "most important parts!"  Heh.
  -Shinji tends to respect, not admire, other men in his life.  Kaji, for example, has been the source of great wisdom to Shinji, and he will often seek out answers about life, love and women through the "master" of such things.
  -Shinji is not flattered in the least when Kaji offers to buy him a drink.  ^_^
  -Blushes.  Shinji does it a lot.  It's not becuase he's thinking about getting a rim-job from Kaji, no surree.  More like as he's caught staring at Rei's ID, about to be kissed by Asuka, and being smashed up the side of the head with "HENTAI!" flying around.
  -Instrumentality Dream Sequence:  He seems QUITE infatuated with "Miss Katsuragi" like the other Stooges, and seems to have the same argumental...but very real...relationship with Asuka.  Not to mention he peeks at Rei's panties.
  -Also, the final, offical word from the creators seems to point at Shinji being straight...at least because it's more profitable.  This site includes infromation on the Girlfriend Of Steel, so check it out.
 

5.3:  "But what about the last episode and Kaoru?"

  Still, no.  In the 1-3 days that the two could have been around eachother, it would be very unlikely any physical relationship could have developed, even under ideal situations.  Simply, a good friendship had developed.  Shinji found someone who accepted him for who he was, and would listen to his woes when his entire world was falling apart.  Kaoru found reason to find pitty, and love, for the human race.
  Also, Kaoru's comments about sharing a bed and amiration are a lot like the differences in sexual tollerences between Japanese and North American culture.  An angel is a being of love and light, and would probably not think much of asking if Shinji would like to share a bedroom with him.
  If honest love did exist in Shinji's mind for Kaoru, it was not present during the final moments of the final episode.  Shinji reacts to Kaoru's identity with disgust and betrayal.  He regrets having to kill him, but this is not much different from his reaction to Toji's Eva.  Shinji is forced to destroy Kaoru, and regrets it, thinking he wasn't worthy, that he should have lost.  This is not how one reacts after killing somone they loved.

  In a way, this relationship can be viewed as the Shinji/Rei relationship.  Shinji finds a connection with a seemingly alien person, though he can't quite figure it out at first.  Shinji may have found that same sense of "mother" and safety that he found in Rei at the beginning.  Because Kaoru and Rei are almost identical, character-wise, this is not really a far-fetched idea.
 

5.4:  "Okay, but how about Kaoru?  Was he putting the moves on Shinji?"

  Probably not.  Again, he's an angel for crying out loud!  ^_^  Maybe it's like doing that little kiss-kiss thing that russian people do.  Heh.  Who knows.  But even Kaoru seemed more intersted in his mission and his perceptions of Shinji than Shinji himself.
  SOME versions of the subs DO mention that both Shinji and Kaoru say Love with the context of one another.  However, I am afraid that this 'love' was a little premature, and not what most people make it out to be.  They were amazingly good friends in the time they were together, and there was regret at the end on both their parts...but let's face it, the Evangelion characters aren't going to find love that easily.  IF this is love, it's a platonic kind, and not a get-down-N-shag love.
 
 

5.5:  "Fair enough.  But what about Misato's comment?  That he didn't like a woman's touch?"

  Ooh!  Very good point.  Unfortunatly, that was Misato's point of view.  As we learn later on in Instrumentality, Misato sees physical touch and sexuality as a way to connect to people on a basic way...much like how Shinji wants to always help out and follow people's orders.  Misato misinterperates Shinji's attitude when she tries to touch/hold him and he doesn't want to be.  This was not necessarily shying away from women, but rather ALL human contact.
 

5.6:  "You mentioned how you were mad that Shinji AND Kaoru were paired?"

  Yes.  Kaoru kicks ass in his own right as well.  I didn't like how he was the instrument of Shinji's "Bitchness".  It would be the same as Shinji and Toji or something.  Kaoru deserves better.  Had the series expanded his character, I think he would have been very cool to have around, instead of the "flavor of the episode" so common in EVERY anime.  He made quite an impression on everyone in only about 15 minutes of air-time.  However, part of that was due to his death...so you never know.
 

PART 6:  Assorted Myths of Bitchness
------------------------------------

6.0:  This secton deals with other little tidbits that people have brought up while discussing Shinji in a negitive sense.
 

6.1:  "He's a typical nerd...straight A's and no life."

  So he's smart and does his homework?  Who cares.  And for life?  If you had Shinji's life, I think you'd enjoy the quiet times more too.
 

6.2:  "He can't stand up to his dad!  Wuss!"

  Not true.  When pushed into a corner, Shinji will fight even his father with whatever force he can.  Lucky for Gendo he controls most of the strings around them, and makes that retaliation much more difficult.  Shinji would like to LOVE his dad, but he knows that could never be possible.
 

6.3:  "He plays a CELLO!!!"

  Damn rights he does.  No annoying squeaky viola for the man.  He knows his music, after all. ^_^

7.0:  "ARGH!  Okay!  Okay!  I give up!  Shinji Ain't A Bitch!"

  That's right.  About time ya figured it out!
 

7.1:  "But...he's really not that cool, is he?"

  Wanna bet?
 

7.2:  "How much?"

  $50 bucks and a case of Jolt Cola?
 

7.3:  "DEAL!  AHAHA!  Prove it, sucker!"

• Shinji pilots the best Eva, of course!
• Best plugsuit colors of the Three Children.  (Toji and Kaoru's kick ass, but they never got much of a chance to wear them, sorry boys!)
• If it wasn't for Shinji, Misato would drownd in beer cans!
• Friends with Pen-Pen.
• Lives with Misato AND Asuka.
• Got Rei to not only smile and blush, but say thank you as well.
• Nobody...and I mean NOBODY...says "purple is a stupid color!" around Shinji.
• Saves NERV's ass.
• Saves Asuka's ass.
• Saves Rei's ass.
• Saves Toji and Kensuke's asses
• Saves Maya and the Bridge Crew's asses.
• Saves everyone's ass.
• Can take a punch, despite his stick-like body.
• Can take another, and still looks mad.
• Can take a slap.  (Not as well from Asuka...but still.)
• Can take being boiled alive in LCL when hit by a partical beam.  (Now THAT'S impressive)
• Doesn't care that there are energy tenticals sticking through his spleen.
• No arm?  Broken arm?  Who cares.  Must kill angel!
• Can hold his breath the longest.  (1 month in LCL!  Who hoo!)
• Walls are nothing for Shinji and Eva-01.
• Eva-01 ONLY likes Shinji.  Grrr.  Bad dummyplugs!
• With Shinji around, Sync-Rate records get smashed.
• Didn't need training to pilot Unit-01
• Uses an SDAT...much more environmentaly friendly than always changing batteries in a CD player, but has the same great sound.
• Got Unit 01 to finally show us them cool KAEW  (Kick Ass Energy Wings)
• Nobody...and I mean NOBODY...screams like Shinji.
• Shinji can go from Calm to Berserker in about 5 seconds.
• Who needs power cords when you have Shinji and his Momma workng together?
• Knows some German.  ^_^
• Is the only man Kaji entrusted to show his Watermelons to.
• Knows what kind of underware everyone has.  (Laundry?  So what!)
• Asuka kisses him, and he does pretty good considering a lack of air.
• Is around Gendo.  (Everyone in the show deserves a medal just for standing near him and not going absolutly crackers)
• Has amazingly deep comversations with himself on trains in his mind.
• "You're number One!"
• Doesn't burn his hands when he opens super-heated plugs.  Unlike his bitch-assed father.
• Is the only one who cares about Rei because she looks so lonely, and not because she's a babe.
• Didn't go on a killing rampage after he was forced to wear that horrible unitard and tank-top when sync-training with Asuka.  Now THAT is will power!
• Has amazing Hentai Luck.  (Always is in the right place in the right time to see the ladies naked/topless/exposded/making out)
• Has lots of scribbly 3rd grader drawings in his head.
• Plays the cello.
• Strangles Asuka (sometimes she REALLY deserves it...hehe)
• Has one helluva nice right hook.  (Toji knows)

7.4:  "Argh!  Dammit!"

  Heheh.  Free Jolt for me!
 
 
 

PART 8:  Anything else?  Suggestions are welcome! E-MAIL ME!
 
 

You can go BACK to the main page now.