How would you mentor Shinji Ikari?

[t209]

We (the evangelion fans) know that Shinji Ikari is a whiny teenager who is controlling a robot that he did not want to pilot. Here's a list of mentor that you would use for Shinji...
1. Commisar (Warhammer 40,000)
2. Heavy (Tf2)
3. R.Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket)
and you can pick your own "favorite" mentor.

[Lord Raziere]

1. Kamina
2. Harry Dresden
3. Ciaphas Cain
4. Lelouch Lamperouge
5. Tavi
6. Edward Elric
7. Baron Wulfenbach
8. Ebenezzar (Harry's Mentor)
9. Yoda
10. Goku

[Tengu_temp]

Kid doesn't need a mentor. Kid needs a therapist.

[The_Admiral]

I would Dump him with Coop Cooplowski. Then stand back and watch the resulting mayhem.

[Hopeless]

We (the evangelion fans) know that Shinji Ikari is a whiny teenager who is controlling a robot that he did not want to pilot. Here's a list of mentor that you would use for Shinji...
1. Commisar (Warhammer 40,000)
2. Heavy (Tf2)
3. R.Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket)
and you can pick your own "favorite" mentor.

Introduce him to Sosuka Sakara of Full Metal Panic and explain to them that they're the world's last hope against an invading extra terrestrial menace and have Sagara teach Shinji his particular brand of fighting as well as have him associate with the rest of Mithril and have Shinji's classmates transferred to Sagara's school so he can keep and eye on them...

Angels? They have no idea how much trouble is about to head their way!!!

Add most of the main cast for all of the Gundam series and make sure they know Shinji needs help and let them loose!

Now what was the name of that series involving spiral power?

[Mando Knight]

According to Super Robot Wars, all he needs is Bright Noa. It's a proven fact that people slapped by Bright realize they are/can be MEN OF DESTINY.

[Aotrs Commander]

With a stick. A really big stick.



Or possibly my rocket launcher.

[nyarlathotep]

The Ice King from Adventure Time. It would be so funny that the end of the world wouldn't matter.

Alternatively Commissar or Warboss Yarrick.

[Terraoblivion]

Through amateur counseling that would probably make everything worse and make my own issues worse by having to constantly be mature, levelheaded and responsible. So basically, any attempt of my trying to mentor the poor kid wouldn't end well.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Introduce him to Sosuka Sakara of Full Metal Panic and explain to them that they're the world's last hope against an invading extra terrestrial menace and have Sagara teach Shinji his particular brand of fighting as well as have him associate with the rest of Mithril and have Shinji's classmates transferred to Sagara's school so he can keep and eye on them...

Angels? They have no idea how much trouble is about to head their way!!!

Add most of the main cast for all of the Gundam series and make sure they know Shinji needs help and let them loose!

Now what was the name of that series involving spiral power?

But Shinji Ikari was already on Full Metal Panic as that crazy-ass kid piloting the Behemoth. Neither he nor terrorist!Misato made it out of that one alive.


Anyway, what the kid really needs is a role model who isn't drowning too deeply in their own self-loathing to give him positive attention. No one on his show fits the bill, so Super Robot Wars's usual circumstances of forcing him to hang out with the Greatest Hits of 70's Super Robot shows seems to work out well. Or Bright. But really Brightpunching and the accompanying dressing-down only works when combined with more positive reinforcement, even in canon.

Through amateur counseling that would probably make everything worse and make my own issues worse by having to constantly be mature, levelheaded and responsible. So basically, any attempt of my trying to mentor the poor kid wouldn't end well.

So basically what Misato did in the show, minus all the sexual trolling.

[Agrippa]

Kid doesn't need a mentor. Kid needs a therapist.

I'll bite, who's the shrink you have in mind Tengu?

[nyarlathotep]

I'll bite, who's the shrink you have in mind Tengu?

Perhaps Dr. Crane or Hannibal.

[Agrippa]

Perhaps Dr. Crane or Hannibal.

Are you trying screw the poor kid up even more?

[Tengu_temp]

I'll bite, who's the shrink you have in mind Tengu?

Anyone with any idea what they're doing will do. All such people apparently died in the Second Impact.

But Shinji Ikari was already on Full Metal Panic as that crazy-ass kid piloting the Behemoth. Neither he nor terrorist!Misato made it out of that one alive.

But they were antagonists! If Shinji was mentored by Sousuke instead of having to fight him...

He'd probably die even earlier. Yeah.

[Lord Loss]

Lloyd Asplund (Code Geass)

He turns Suzaku into a killing machine and leads innocent little Nina to the creation of WMDs. I think he can handle Shinji Ikari (I haven't seen NGE though so I'm not sure)

[Cespenar]

Are you trying screw the poor kid up even more?

That's not a half bad idea. Sanity through stack overflow.

[darthbobcat]

We (the evangelion fans) know that Shinji Ikari is a whiny teenager who is controlling a robot that he did not want to pilot. Here's a list of mentor that you would use for Shinji...
1. Commisar (Warhammer 40,000)
2. Heavy (Tf2)
3. R.Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket)
and you can pick your own "favorite" mentor.

Ooooh, R. Lee Ermey... that'll be hard to top.

Genma Saotome from Ranma 1/2 (for the lulz)
Master Asia from G Gundam (Domon turned out pretty well, after all)
Anastasius Focht from Battletech (Focht knew what it was like being a teenager being led by the nose, he could help Shinji develop some spine)
Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star (again for the Lulz)

[sentaku]

hmm, lets see

1. Mr. T
2. Batman
3. Captain Li Shang

[darthbobcat]

hmm, lets see

1. Mr. T
2. Batman
3. Captain Li Shang

I'd prefer the Adam West Batman or the Brave and the Bold Batman for Shinji. He needs more camp and fun in his life.

[Solaris]

Kid doesn't need a mentor. Kid needs a therapist.

A mentor is a therapist with a skillset.

The following phrases are best kept in mind with how I'd mentor this kid:
"The beatings will continue until morale improves!" and "This is my rifle! There are many like it, but this one is mine!"
Suggesting R. Lee Ermey hit it. Drill Sarn't got the cure for what ails the whiny kids. It's been my experience that once you quit letting them go "Woe is me," help them get some purpose and direction in their life, and get outside a show where Script Says, kids grow up just fine.
If not, at least I get to have fun traumatizing him until the world ends.

[Marlowe]

Make him watch the first two episodes of Zeta Gundam. Then tell him "See that guy Kamille? Be as LITTLE like him as possible."

[OracleofWuffing]

Doc Louis.

... Well, sorry, that's the only guy I can think of that'd make a good mentor for anyone.

[Tengu_temp]

A mentor is a therapist with a skillset.

An amateur therapist, maybe, but I'm talking about pros. Amateurs tried to fix Shinji in canon already and it ended up just excellent.

By the way, seconding what Nerdo said: kid needs some positive reinforcement, not just people telling him "you suck, shape up *punch*". That'd only make his trauma worse. Hell, even the positive reinforcement needs to be done carefully, or else we end up with another reckless charger like Asuka. Or, even worse, Shinji and WH40K.

Make him watch the first two episodes of Zeta Gundam. Then tell him "See that guy Kamille? Be as LITTLE like him as possible."

Ouch. Kamille is like one of those people who self-diagnose with Asperger's on the internet, with an extra heaping of anger management issues on top of that (which seems to be a common trend among Newtypes, but I digress). He's not a good role model for anyone.

[Agrippa]

I think Shinji should be placed in group thearpy under Dr. Emil Skoda. Shinji's fellow patients are the following.

1. Nathan Ford
2. Parker
3. Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
4. Steve Rogers A.K.A. Captain America (he has some unresolved feelings over the death of James "Bucky" Buchanan Barnes, but mostly he's here to provide moral support to the others)
5. Bruce Wayne A.K.A. Batman
6. arguably Malcolm Reynolds
7. Dwight McCarthy
8. both Terra Branford and Celes Chere
9. Doctor Victor Fries A.K.A. Mister Freeze
10. Buffy Summers
11. a sizable protion of the cast of Puella Magi Madoka Magica
12. Marv
13. Micheal Westen

A good number of fellow patients could also help mentor Shinji as well.

[Seraph]

Suggesting R. Lee Ermey hit it. Drill Sarn't got the cure for what ails the whiny kids.

you . . . do remember that Gunnery Sergeant Hartman got shot in the face for his behavior, right?

[NNescio]

An amateur therapist, maybe, but I'm talking about pros. Amateurs tried to fix Shinji in canon already and it ended up just excellent.

Dr. Lecter is qualified, right? Or was.

Alternatively, Dr. Samson, for someone who currently practices.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

I'm seconding Kamina. I mean, seriously. I haven't seen any of NGE, but from what I hear, Shinji wouldn't be much more of a challenge than Simon was. My gosh...is it possible that Kamina could make Shinji into a badass?

[Dumbledore lives]

I'm seconding Kamina. I mean, seriously. I haven't seen any of NGE, but from what I hear, Shinji wouldn't be much more of a challenge than Simon was. My gosh...is it possible that Kamina could make Shinji into a badass?

Shinji has a lot of deep seated emotional problems, definitely more so than Simon. He manages to fight even with all the messed up mentoring and attempts at therapy, and actually does a competent job. Honestly, Kamina would probably push him until he died, it would not be a fruitful relationship.

[Lord Seth]

I'm seconding Kamina. I mean, seriously. I haven't seen any of NGE, but from what I hear, Shinji wouldn't be much more of a challenge than Simon was. My gosh...is it possible that Kamina could make Shinji into a badass?

The main issue is that the universe of Gurren Lagann seems to be designed to reward being awesome, whereas the universe of Evangelion apparently wants to make people suffer as much as possible.

[Seraph]

I'm seconding Kamina. I mean, seriously. I haven't seen any of NGE, but from what I hear, Shinji wouldn't be much more of a challenge than Simon was. My gosh...is it possible that Kamina could make Shinji into a badass?

the main thing people seem to be missing here is that Shinji was more or less entirely justified in wanting to see the world burn. He doesn't need to be "whipped into shape," he needs someone to give him one good reason to want to save humanity.

Shinji is hella badass when the chips are down, which everyone conveniently forgets. Dives into molten rock without a second thought to save Asuka, Charges Shamshel with nothing but a knife and thirty seconds of battery power, and stands at ground zero of Sahaquiel's attempted colony drop and holds it back through a materialized barrier of force of will. And before anyone says "but he had to have his arm twisted to be badass," all three of those examples are things he did pretty much out of his own free will, and charging Shamshel was directly against the advice of everyone in the base, who were (ironically) telling him to run away and regroup.

Shinji is exactly as "badass" as everyone claims they want him to be. the problem is that he's just as pessimistic and fatalistic about it as an actual 14-year old with abandonment issues actually would be in his situation, but he does it anyway. The reason anime fans hate Shinji is deep down, they know that they would never be able to do even half the **** he does, and they hate that he dares to complain about being in the situation they would love to be in.

Consider Shinji's situation, and you will see why he acts the way he does. His father? Abandoned him for years, suddenly calls him up and tells him to come by, and instead of even giving Shinji the slightest bit of apology or respect, tells him to pilot the Eva or he'll make a near-terminally injured girl do it instead. Misato? she acts nice, but from shinji's perspective of things, she's just as willing to guilt-trip him as Gendou if being nice doesn't make him fall in line, and the way she acts at home seems like little more than an insulting facade. Ritsuko is, well, Ritsuko. Asuka openly sees him as a threat to her "superiority" and never, ever lets him forget it, even when she's trying to get him to reciprocate her romantic advances. Even Touji and Kensuke, who are supposedly his best friends, never really stop seeing him as "the guy who pilots the giant robot," and Kensuke repeatedly tries to use him as a way into NERV.

Almost every single person in Shinji's life, from his perspective of things, only pretends to be nice for the sake of manipulating him. The only exceptions, the only people who ever treat shinji with genuine unconditional compassion, are:

-His mother, in her form of Eva unit 01, who breaks the laws of physics to make sure her boy is safe.
-Rei, who only ever comes close to guilt tripping him once, as a statement of fact that if he won't fire the rifle, she'll have to.
-Kaworu, who never once asks Shinji for anything except at the very end of his life, when he asks shinji to kill him because he genuinely feels Shinji deserves life more than he does.

Think about that for a moment. of all the people Shinji knows, the only ones who seem to genuinely care about him are a Monster, a Clone Puppet, and the Enemy. He spends the entire series being guilt-tripped into saving the lives of people who, frankly, seem to be trying their hardest to prove that they don't deserve it, and he is acutely aware of this fact.

The reason End of Evangelion plays out the way it does is that Shinji has finally stopped trying to care about all of those people, and the three entities who ever treated him with unconditional kindness more or less ask him nicely to end the world with them and even offer him the chance to be the one in charge.


tl;dr: if you want to fix shinji's "whininess," he's the last person you need to be looking at.