Special:Badtitle/NS1198:Shinji Ikari/136/en

Throughout the majority of the manga, Shinji appears to be attracted to Rei, and their relationship is far more developed than in the anime. He does, however, get closer to Asuka over time, and after the death of Kaworu, Shinji visits Asuka in the hospital, similar to in End of Evangelion. He confesses his love to her in a way, claiming, "The Asuka I want to protect isn't this empty shell!". Although she soon awakes and strangles him, this suggests that Shinji's manga adaptation has feelings for Asuka as well.