Shinji Ikari (Japanese: 碇 シンジ, Hepburn: Ikari Shinji) is a fictional character in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Gainax. He is the franchise's poster boy and protagonist. In the anime series of the same name, Shinji is a young man who was abandoned by his father Gendo. Gendo asks him to pilot a mecha called Evangelion Unit 01 to protect the city of Tokyo-3 from creatures which threaten to destroy humanity, and are named Angels. Shinji appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, video games, the original net animation Petit Eva: Evangelion@School, the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and the manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.
