Shinji Ikari is 14 years old, the "3rd Child", and designated pilot of Evangelion Unit01. Shinji is the main character of the story and this allows the audience to learn more about him than any other character. He seems to be very quiet and withdrawn, but this is only a protective shell he forms about himself to keep other people away from him. When he begins to develop friendships with his classmates and Misato, one learns that he tries to keep people at a distance because he fears being hurt by them. This fear is caused by two things: the fact that his father deserted him when he was four years old and that his mother disappeared early in his life. Shinji lacks self-motivation and passes through life by doing whatever other people tell him to do. He has a knack for piloting the Evas but doesn't enjoy doing it. In fact, he actually quits twice and comes back because other characters encourage him to. Since Shinji can be manipulated so easily, many of the characters use this to walk all over him. (Asuka's attitude towards Shinji is a prime example of this.) Though Shinji is normally very docile, traumatic experiences in Unit01 cause him to lose control and lash out at those around him, which sometimes even causes his Eva to go berserk. These flaws make Shinji and the whole story line very interesting for the viewer to watch and wonder what's going to happen next.