Ryoji Kaji
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"Making something... Nurturing something is really great. You can see and learn so many things from the process." |
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"The person in charge exists to take responsibility." |
| Ryoji Kaji | |
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| 加持 リョウジ | |
| Age | 30 |
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| Birthday | 06/17/1985 |
| Seiyū | Koichi Yamadera |
Kaji is a triple agent, working for Nerv, Seele, and the Japanese Government. He and Misato Katsuragi were lovers when they were in college. Some time after their breakup, Kaji began working for Nerv in Germany, where he met Asuka Langley Soryu. Although a triple agent, he has been said to have his own agenda, to "search for the truth". Since returning to Japan, he has tried to get close to Misato once again.
Contents
Profile
At first glance, Ryoji Kaji (almost exclusively addressed by his family name) appears to be one of the more well-balanced characters in the series, with an amicable, teasing manner and a wry smirk. While there’s little that could truly refute that, Kaji keeps guarded enough about his own past and motivations that one is left unsure about a lot of things.
He has a philosophical side, one that leans towards pessimism about human interaction, but also of support for the individual capacity to take action. In Kaji's view, people can’t really understand themselves, perhaps not even each other, and completely understanding people is impossible. This might relate to the bleaker themes of the series, though Kaji himself presents it with a slight smile.
Kaji also is negative about the relationships between the sexes, stating that there is a river dividing men and women, one deeper than the ocean. Though some might read this particular belief as an accurate observation of human nature, it still fits with the rest of Kaji’s views of human interaction in general.
Kaji has a melon patch which he enjoys taking care of, remarking on how much can be learned from nurturing something, and that it was a place where he’d like to be when he died. When Shinji visits him at the melon patch, Kaji says that knowing pain makes it easier to be kind to others, which was different from being weak.
Kaji is killed at the end of Episode 21 by an unseen shooter. Presumably a Seele agent.
Kaji's Relationship with Misato
Kaji's relationship with Misato may have been more distant than it appeared, as Kaji’s final words to her (in an answering machine recording) were, “If I ever get to see you again, I'll say the words I wasn't able to say eight years ago”. Also, they always refer to each other by their family names.
Misato originally broke up with Kaji after realizing how much like her father he was. But Misato’s descriptions of her father as an emotionally weak workaholic seem to be the opposite of Kaji’s personality. Perhaps there was a hidden side to Kaji, or to Dr. Katsuragi.
Kaji tries to get Misato accept the decisions she made in her past, but is less than successful.
Kaji's Relationships with Other Characters
In addition to flirting with Misato before they got back together, Kaji also flirted with Maya Ibuki and Ritsuko Akagi, both of whom weren’t interested. It might have been more to make Misato jealous or to joke around, than having any real interest in them. Kaji ignores Asuka’s infatuation with him, believing that Asuka is too young.
Shinji looks up to Kaji as a sort of mentor, and accepts behavior in him that he would disaprove of in other characters. For instance, in Episode 08 when Kaji asks nim about Misato's sleeping habits, Shinji just laughs. If anyone else asked him that same question he would have probably been extremely embarrassed.
In episode 19, it's Kaji who convinces Shinji to fight, telling the temporarily ex-pilot during the attack by Zeruel that only he can pilot, and he must make that choice for himself, and consider everything so he will have no regrets, thus encouraging Shinji to return.
Notes
- "Kaji" literally means "Rudder", fitting with the nautical theme naming of the series.
- The given name "Ryoji" is only heard when Kaji is refered to by his full name. Even Misato, his ex-girlfriend, uses his family name, calling him "Kaji-kun" (including later on when she isn't mad at him).
- "Ryoji" is derived from the given name of Ryoji Sadawa, the hero of Minako Narita’s manga Aitsu.
Kaji in the Manga
Unlike the anime, which is silent about Kaji's past before he met Misato, Sadamoto's Manga has a Kaji backstory chapter, in which we learn that he was in a post Second Impact gang of looters, and when captured he betrayed his friends to their deaths.
In the Manga version of Kaji's death scene, he is portrayed as being already wounded, and instead of saying, "Hi, you're late!", he says "Try to aim better this time". Kaji's death scene in the manga implies that Gendo shot him. In the anime this scene ends with the fatal gunshot, but in the manga it continues to show Kaji's long dead gang coming for him. While we won't know for sure this is the case until the final manga stages are published, he is almost certainly seeing them the same way other characters see Yui, Misato, or Ritsuko during Third Impact. That is, this is probably Sadamoto's way of preparing us for Kaji's participation in Instrumentality.
The manga includes a chapter in which Kaji tells Shinji that Gendo is being backed by an ancient organization called Seele, and that Gendo and Seele both have agendas beyond defeating the Angels.
Manga Notes
- In Sadamoto's Manga, Kaji is depicted driving a Lotus Elan 1600 S1
| Characters |
| Main characters: Shinji Ikari | Rei Ayanami | Asuka Langley Soryu |
| Nerv staff: Misato Katsuragi | Gendo Ikari | Ritsuko Akagi | Kozo Fuyutsuki | Ryoji Kaji | Maya Ibuki | Makoto Hyuga | Shigeru Aoba |
| Classmates: Toji Suzuhara | Kensuke Aida | Hikari Horaki |
| Other characters: Kaworu Nagisa | Yui Ikari | Naoko Akagi | Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu | Dr. Katsuragi | Keel Lorenz | Pen Pen |
| Rebuild of Evangelion: Asuka Shikinami Langley | Mari Makinami Illustrious | Sakura Suzuhara | Ryoji Kaji (Jr) |
| Miscellaneous: Minor Characters | Minor Characters (Rebuild) | Extracanonical Characters |
| Theory and Analysis: Name Origins (Warships) | Designs | Relationships | Profiles |
| Resources: 2015: The Last Year of Ryohji Kaji |
