I Love The Differences In Evangelion Media, And How They Highlight Different Aspects Of Everyone, But

I love the differences in Evangelion media, and how they highlight different aspects of everyone, but especially Shinji

Like Manga Shinji represents a much more kinda "normal kid" which is all Shinji wants, he grew up with family, he makes sarcastic comments or faces much more often, and he has kinda reasonable reactions to the weird shit "Misato what the hell did you say?" "Our guy got his ass kicked", and even his piloting reflects it, he doesn't just tremble and trip at the sight of Sachiel, he instead rushes straight towards it, dirececting his anger at the angel, and we see his reason for the EVA going beserk, he called and cried out for BOTH of his parents, and we see the merging of Yui and 01

But anime Shinji kinda represents the Shinji others see, he grew up with teachers but no family, we see his EVA physically protect him when it stops the lights from hitting him, we see him cowering in fear at the sight of sachiel, and when the EVA goes berserk it takes away the focus on Shinji, because all anyone is seeing is the EVA now

Rebuild Shinji represents the Shinji that Gendo sees himself in, this Shinji pulled Rei from her entry plug identically to how his father did, this Shinji willingly initiated the 3rd impact and threw away his literal humanity to save the girl he loved, he was the Shinji who desperately just wanted to see Rei one last time, and was willing to do anything for her, the Shinji everyone grew cold towards and even hated, and of course the Shinji and Gendo who piloted twin Evangelions, weilding the twin spears, each fighting for one person, one (physically) identical person. He was the Shinji who talked to his father.

And Anima Shinji I feel like represents the true Shinji to an extent, or at least what Shinji wishes to an extent. His father, lillith, and the JSSDF battle all just disappeared, Kaji and Toji were both still alive, he saved Asuka, he stopped the impact, he gets to grow up as a semi-normal kid becoming student president, he gets to grow his hair like Kaji (a genuine and present male role model who was there for Shinji, and the man who gifted him the watermelon patch which represented the world for Shinji), the Shinji who Asuka didn't hate, the Shinji that still got to talk to Kaworu, and the Shinji that inspired hope when he piloted. When Shinji pilots his Super-EVA people cheer and stomp along to his heart beat, his mere existence brought people joy, which is what I think Shinji above all else wanted.

They all represent a part of Shinji, "The self has always been composed of two selves - the self which is observed, and the self that observes itself"