Shinji Ikari

Shinji Ikari is the reluctant teenage protagonist of the Neon Genesis Evangelion universe, a reserved boy recruited by his estranged father to pilot a massive biomechanical mech called an Evangelion in defense of humanity against mysterious beings known as Angels.

Shinji Ikari made his Dark Horse Comics debut in the pages of No Need for Tenchi #7 in 2000, stepping into the Modern Age of comics as the central figure of one of manga's most emotionally resonant science-fiction universes. Over roughly sixteen years, he anchors titles like Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Shinji Ikari Raising Project, and Campus Apocalypse, sharing the page with iconic companions including Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Soryu, and Misato Katsuragi. His catalog presence across 22 appearances reflects a character whose hold on readers is anything but casual — this is a name that means something to a devoted, passionate fanbase. If you're exploring the Evangelion corner of Dark Horse's library, Shinji is, inevitably, where the story begins.