Shinji Ikari is one messed up kid. If it isn't his father ignoring him and all of his parental duties, it is the fact that he is a child soldier in a war against Angels that is doing no favors to his psyche. Each Angel almost as horrifying as the thought of actually sitting down and talking to his father. Combine that with the problems puberty brings to the average teenage boy and you have the recipe for a walking, talking disaster.
It is hard not to feel bad for the boy. Most of his problems are beyond what a normal boy could and should handle at his age. Then again, that doesn't absolve the young man from the mistakes he made along the way.
10 Sympathized: Getting Slapped By Asuka
Let's start this list off on a lighter note. When Asuka was introduced to Evangelion she comes in like a firecracker ready to pop off at everything and everyone. In one of her most memorable moments, she slaps every boy that happens to catch a glance at what's underneath her skirt when a wayward wind lifts it.
While a funny scene in its own right, Shinji and the boys were not at fault. Sure, she may have been embarrassed but she shouldn't have subjected Shinji (and the rest of the boys) to some undue punishment. As an enlightened man once said, "Well damn, Jackie. I can't control the weather."
9 Didn't: The Hospital Scene
There is no way to sugarcoat this, so we'll just say it straight. At one point in End of Evangelion, Shinji comes upon an exposed and comatose Asuka and decides to masturbate to what he sees.
Not only is it a breach of trust, but it is downright one of Shinji's worst moments. The world may have been slowly closing in on Shinji but that was no excuse to use your comatose friend to seek relief. At the end of the scene, Shinji sees his own handiwork and comments that he is the worst, and we'll have to agree with him on that.
8 Sympathized: Being Ignored By His Father
Throughout the series, Shinji is desperate for attention from his father. When he was first summoned by his father, he thought that he wanted to finally reconnect after abandoning him ten years ago. Instead, Gendo only wanted to use him as a pilot for Eva Unit 01.
The disappointment doesn't stop there. Shinji then tries to use being an Eva Pilot as a crutch to try and impress his father... only to be further shut down at every attempt throughout the series. His father just as distant as he was when he abandoned him ten years ago.
7 Didn't: Almost Kissing Asuka In Her Sleep
During one episode, Shinji finds himself sleeping next to Asuka after she stumbles into his bed while sleepwalking. After a while, he then finds himself hopelessly being drawn to her lips only to pull back at the last opportunity when she mentions her mother's name.
While it is good that he pulled back at the last second, he got dangerously close. He got so close, in fact, that it could still be considered a breach of trust. There were plenty of other ways to handle the curiosity that comes with puberty than to try and kiss a sleeping friend.
6 Sympathized: Get In The Robot, Shinji
A lot of people seem to give Shinji flack for not getting in the damn robot. Others seem to understand that while the standard shonen protagonist would have no problem jumping into a mech to save the day, Shinji had every reason to refuse.
As mentioned above, Shinji had no clue he was being summoned to pilot a giant robot. Instead, he thought his father was reaching out to him after abandoning him years ago, only to find out that he wanted to use him as a mere tool to pilot Unit 01. Add to that the fact that he had no formal training and was guilt-tripped into piloting the Eva in the first place and it is hard to not feel sorry for the boy.
5 Didn't: When He Choked Asuka
Okay, this is the last entry about Asuka, we promise. Asuka just seems to get the brunt of this boy's bad behavior.
To kick off Third Impact in End of Evangelion, we are treated to a scene where Shinji begins to choke Asuka. Then, after Instrumentality, he finds her and immediately picks up where he left off. While there are many theories as to why Shinji felt the need to choke her, including one which states that he was trying to find out whether she was real or not, we can't help but think there are better ways to find out.
4 Sympathized: When He Helplessly Watched His Eva Crush Toji
The worst part is that he didn't even know that Toji was piloting Unit 03 until after his entry plug was crushed. When Gendo decided to use the Dummy Plug system to force Unit 01 to destroy Toji's Eva, all Shinji could do is look on in horror as his mech ripped into Unit 03's core. Already upset over hurting another person, he screams when he finds out that Toji was inside of it.
It is heartbreaking to think about what must have gone through Shinji's mind when he noticed Toji's presumably mangled body among what remained of the entry plug. Sadness, anger, hopelessness, and probably a litany of other terrible emotions, it is all too much of a boy his age to have to handle.
3 Didn't: When He Ran Away During An Angel Attack
It could be argued that no one could blame Shinji for quitting NERV and running away after he was forced to destroy Unit 03 and sent Toji to the hospital. He sure could have picked a better time for it, though.
Just as he tries to run away, another Angel attacks Tokyo-3. Leaving NERV with little time to prepare and with one less pilot to intercept it, they try to have Rei use Unit 01 and then try to use the Dummy Plug System, but neither work and allow the Angel to almost reach NERV's core. If he didn't come back at the last second, all of the people in NERV and the world would have been destroyed. Conversely, the Angel might not have gotten that far in the first place if Shinji didn't leave so suddenly.
2 Sympathized: Killing Kaworu
If you cannot sympathize with Shinji here than you might want to check yourself for a missing heart. Kaworu is the only person that seemed to give a damn about Shinji. Regardless of what you think their relationship was, Kaworu was the only one to make Shinji feel loved and respected.
Then he has to crush Kaworu with his own hands. It is such a heart-wrenching scene to see Kaworu say that he loves him and that he deserves to live, resigning himself to fate and allowing Shinji to kill him. It is probably even worse for the young man caught on the other end of that exchange.
1 Didn't: The Time His Overconfidence Got The Better Of Him
It doesn't work out either way for Shinji. He either lacks enough confidence to take charge of his own life, or he has too much and makes terrible decisions because of it. There seems to be no middle ground for the boy throughout most of the series.
After receiving some good news that his sync ratio with Unit 01 is the highest among the three pilots, Shinji lets it get to his head when he fights the next Angel. Instead of waiting for Asuka and Rei to get into position, he attacks Leliel prematurely and gets stuck in the Dirac Sea. A pocket Dimension where the Angel exists and where escape is nearly impossible. It is a horrible experience for Shinji all around, but he only has his overconfidence to blame.