About “Evangelion” in a few words:

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a Japanese anime series that follows the story of a teenage boy named Shinji who is recruited by his father to pilot a giant bio-machine called an “Evangelion” to fight mysterious creatures known as Angels. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the series explores complex themes such as mental illness, loneliness, and the nature of humanity. First released in 1995, the series has become a cult classic and is often regarded as one of the greatest anime series of all time.

Meet the characters from Evangelion

Shinji Ikari

Shinji is this painfully earnest, awkward kid who somehow becomes the axis of everything — the reluctant pilot, the walking emotional weather report, you know? He’s quiet and retreat-y but has these moments of fierce, surprising courage (and then immediately apologizes like three times, classic). There’s a weirdly specific thing where he’ll hum or scribble in a notebook when he’s thinking, or maybe that’s just me imagining him with a pencil, but it sticks. He’s tender, confused, deeply lonely but also capable of real connection, even if he doesn’t always know how to show it. Definitely the “voice inside your head that’s both hopeful and terrified,” which sounds dramatic but fits him so well.

Misato Katsuragi

Misato is chaotic-energy personified — equal parts party-host and crisis manager, which I swear is the best combo ever. She’s loud, flirtatious, and a little messy (socks on the floor? obviously), but she can switch to laser-focus in a heartbeat when things go south. There’s this gorgeous contrast of vulnerability under all that bravado — she drinks beer and drives fast but also keeps one memory like it’s a shrine, and it matters. She’s the heart of the team in a messy, human way, and she’s surprisingly good at saying the wrong thing and meaning the right one.

Ritsuko Akagi

Ritsuko is the cold, brilliant scientist who’s secretly soft in corners she pretends are sealed off — very lab-coat energy with a lipstick habit, maybe. She’s analytical to a fault, always measuring variables and people, but sometimes the petri dish of her feelings spills over and it’s messy and kind of tragic (in a good storytelling way, if that makes sense). She acts like logic is armor but there’s this recurring human gap where her past and loyalty tangle in inconvenient ways. She’s precise, ambitious, and quietly dramatic, like a storm behind safety goggles.

Rei Ayanami

Rei is the soft, enigmatic type that leaves you guessing forever — calm, pale, and strangely magnetic, with a stare that’s both empty and full of something ancient. She speaks quietly, like every word is measured on a scale, and then occasionally she’ll do something unexpectedly pure or childlike and you’re like, oh, there it is. She seems unbothered by most things yet tiny shifts in her expression feel monumental; also I have this image of her collecting tiny shells or maybe it’s just a dream I had, but it fits, right? She’s the quiet mystery of the group, the one who makes silence feel heavy and important.

Gendo Ikari

Gendo is the frosty, chess-master dad figure who gives you high-level scheming vibes and zero bedside manner — like someone who always has one more plan and will sacrifice sleep and feelings to see it through. He’s detached and intimidating, very few smiles, lots of calculated glances, and the kind of presence that makes the room colder when he walks in. There’s a weirdly human crack under the stern veneer if you look close, but it’s tiny and he covers it with even more control. He’s authoritative, distant, and devastatingly single-minded, a commander who prefers decisions over explanations.

Asuka Langly Soryu

Asuka bursts in like a firecracker — loud, proud, and impossibly sure she’s the best at everything (and sometimes she is). She’s brash and competitive, with a huge ego and a secret that she’s actually super scared of being ordinary, which is the most relatable thing ever. She’ll insult you and then save your life, probably in the same sentence, and she collects tiny humiliations like trophies. Hot-headed, brilliant, and heartbreakingly needy if you look behind the mask — she’s glorious chaos with a perfect scar on stage left.

Kozo Fuyutsuki

Fuyutsuki is the tired, wistful mentor with the softest resignation, like someone who’s read too many history books and keeps telling quiet jokes that only he finds funny. He’s steady, thoughtful, and endlessly patient in a way that makes you want to sit and talk to him about summers he never had. He hums old songs (or maybe just recites poetry?) and gives advice that feels like it’s been distilled from decades of disappointment and hope. He’s the calm in a lot of storms, a sympathetic old-school wise guy with a gentle, melancholy smile.

Makoto Hyuga

Makoto is the dependable console-ops guy who’s low-key the backbone of stressy mission nights — calm, efficient, and capable of typing faster than your thoughts. He’s the kind of coworker who knows everyone’s coffee order and also knows when the numbers are lying; practical, observant, and quietly solid. There’s this small, almost dorky kindness to him — he’ll make a tiny joke during debriefs and you’ll snort-laugh before you realize it was actually comforting. He’s steady, pragmatic, and the friend you want near the control panel when everything’s blinking red.

Maya Ibuki

Maya is the enthusiastic, optimistic tech nerd who treats systems like pets and somehow talks to machines like they’re old pals. She’s bubbly and smart, always quick with a fact or a nervous giggle, and tends to get excited about minutiae that other people forget exists. She can be nerdy to a fault — and also weirdly fierce when it comes to defending her friends or her code — plus she has this habit of tapping rhythms on the console when she’s thinking, which is adorable. Bright, earnest, and brilliantly competent, she’s the cheerleader for sanity in a very chaotic job.

Shigeru Aoba

Aoba is the gruff, radio-voiced operations dude who’s deceptively warm once you get past the deadpan — think dry humor plus a heart under layers of cynicism. He’s got this laid-back, world-weary vibe, comments ironically about fate, and then quietly helps you when you’re falling apart, because that’s the kind of person he is. He likes old records or maybe comic books, I can never decide, but he definitely has a weird stash of snacks and an eye-roll for authority. Practical and sarcastic but loyal to the bone, he’s the friend who saves you from overreacting and then makes a joke about it.