Kaji, with Asuka, still frozen, in the foreground. He speaks with an aloof manner.
KAJI:“Seeing as you're famous in this sphere.”
ASUKA:“... (Looks at Shinji)”
Asuka drops her reaction pose, and her face becomes serious.
KAJI:“The one who operated an Eva in actual combat without any training whatsoever, the Third...”
MAN:“Who is it? Who's the lucky man? Don't tell me it's that man...”
Zusuchan: Asuka drops her reaction pose at the exact moment Kaji calls Shinji famous, which for her translates to him calling Shinji more important than Asuka.
Kendrix: The characterization of Kaji as ‘aloof’ is interesting, like he might be holding something back. Though like Misato, he has this immediate urge to mentor the lost kids, telling Shinji to be more confident & apparently having acted as a parental substitute to Asuka. This might be read as sharing some common values or experiences, I guess. Like general extroversion, cultivating a charming veneer, wanting to make up for their survival guilt through good deeds or something etc.
Since the Manga gives him this backstory as a war orphan, my headcanon has been that all the kids remind him a bit of either his younger self or his dead brother (if he exists in this continuity)
UrsusArctos: Since you brought up meeting Kaworu in the last cut, I actually see why Kaji is characterized as 'aloof'. Kaworu straight-up tells Shinji "Not to be rude, but I think you should be aware of your position" while Kaji gives the explanation without directly telling Shinji what he thinks he should do (resulting in Shinji being embarrassed/slightly defensive in the next cut). And Shinji is later shown to be highly dependent on people who care about him or who are above him to tell him what to do.
