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Ryoji Kaji (加持リョウジ, Kaji Ryōji?) is a fictional character from the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. He is employed by NERV as a special inspector.
Quick Answers
What is the role of Ryoji Kaji in the Rebuild of Evangelion film series?
What is the significance of Ryoji Kaji's uniform in the Evangelion series?
How does Ryoji Kaji's appearance differ from Fuyutsuki in the Evangelion series?
What is Ryoji Kaji's job at NERV in the Evangelion series?
How does Ryoji Kaji's character contribute to the plot of the Evangelion series?
Profile[]
In his first appearance, he is seen wearing a NERV administrator's uniform similar to Fuyutsuki, with olive jacket, pants over a red shirt. Unlike Fuyutsuki, the color of the triangle decorations are not the same in all pieces, being the top one red and the sleeves blue. He has long brown hair that is tied at the back of his head in a ponytail. He usually does have a very casual look. This can be seen first of all in his outfit: a blue shirt with a loose collar, a red tie which is also loose, and black pants. He doesn't practice a clean shave, having a few stubbles in his face. He is also able to speak fluent English at the beginning of 2.0.
Most of the time Kaji is very laid back and jovial, he always remains calm and maintains his sense of humor during crisis. He also shamelessly flirts with the other women in NERV, which angers Misato Katsuragi. Despite his irresponsible public appearance, Ryoji is very responsible and shows a lot of wisdom in his interactions especially with Shinji Ikari.
The relationship between Kaji and Misato is different from that in the NGE series. They are not ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends in the Rebuild continuity, rather than a developing romantic relationship. Prominent examples include Misato blushing in front of Kaji during one of their conversations; and Misato worrying about Kaji's whereabouts after the Ninth Angel incident. It is later revealed that Misato and Kaji have a son.
History[]
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance[]
In Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Kaji is introduced in the story. Little is known about Kaji's childhood. He returns to the University where he meets Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi. They were good friends and eventually, Ryoji had a romantic relationship with Misato. Even when their relationship was going well, Misato decides to break up because she recognized too much of her father in Kaji's personality.
Meanwhile the Third Angel is active in the Bethany Base, he organizes his escape as Mari Makinami Illustrious fights against the angel. This escape serves as an alibi for him to leave from the base with the Nebuchadnezzar's Key, which he later gives to Gendo.
Kaji then joins the NERV HQ. There he meets Ritsuko and Misato again and sets up a watermelon field in the GeoFront. He invites the Evangelion pilots and their friends to an ocean restoration center, where the effects of the Second Impact can be reversed and animals can swim again in the blue ocean, instead of the red ocean that covers the world. He talks with Shinji about Second Impact and how it affected Misato.
Despite his work for NERV, he remains suspicious and investigates some of their actions. The disappearance of Evangelion Unit-04 is very suspicious and he shares certain information with Misato. During Near Third Impact, Ryoji seems to understand the implications of the event and anticipates issues with SEELE.
Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo[]
In Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo, Kaji is only briefly mentioned by one of the WILLE's crew members, Koji Takao. There is one hint at his possible demise. When Shinji asks Asuka on Rei's whereabouts, she responds negatively by saying, "There is no time to worry about such things anymore." and turns to Misato for agreement, to which Misato answers with silence.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time[]
Kaji is revealed to be deceased in Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time, however he had a child with Misato, named after him. Kensuke explains that "someone had to be sacrificed to stop Third Impact, and Kaji volunteered, with Misato's consent. During the Instrumentality sequence, it is shown he spent time with Kaworu Nagisa. Kaworu has memories of having spent time with Kaji, and he criticizes Kaworu for his single-mindedness with Shinji, saying Kaworu was only looking for his own happiness, to which he agrees. When Shinji frees him, Kaji proposes to Kaworu that he go to farm with his son and Misato.
Voice Actors[]
- Japanese: Kōichi Yamadera
- English: J. Michael TatumWP, Sean BurgosWP (Amazon)
- French: Patrick Laplace, Anatole de Bodinat
- Italian: Francesco Prando
- Portuguese (Brazil): Marco Antônio Abreu, Fábio Azevedo
- Russian: Vyacheslav Garder (Reanimedia)
- Spanish (Spain): Eduard Itchart
- Spanish (Latin America): Luis Tenorio
- Catalan: Antoni Forteza (3.0+1.01), Eduard Itchart (2.22)
- German:
- Hindi:
- Korean:
- Chinese (Taiwan):
Trivia[]
- His family name, "Kaji" is written with the characters for 'increase' (加) and 'hold' (持) in Japanese. "Ryoji" was the name of a hero in Minako Narita's manga Aitsu.[1]
- It is also the Japanese term for Adhiṣṭhāna, a form of divine guidance or assistance in Buddhism [2], possibly referring to his role as a supportive figure to both Shinji and Asuka. It is also somewhat of a departure from the Christianity / Judaism themes of the anime.
- In Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time, the identification code of the NERV VSTOL aircraft on which Ryoji Kaji rides is "NK99 HA43". The NERV logo is overwritten with WILLE.
- In the Evangelion 3.333 release, the alteration was reflected in the VTOL aircraft that crashed in the area where Second Angel Lilith's body was.
- In the Imageboards by Mahiro Maeda, Kaji was shown to be alive and greeted Shinji in the Command Center.
References[]
- ↑ Evangelion character names; Translation of essay by Hideaki Anno about character name origins; includes a link to the original essay in Japanese.
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhi%E1%B9%A3%E1%B9%ADh%C4%81na