In one aspect, Shinji is an antithesis of Noriko.
Noriko struggles to keep up with her class, but perseveres nonetheless because she trusts Coach and is passionate about living up to her father’s legacy.
Shinji is naturally talented, but only participates because his father demands it, just robotically follows orders and openly expresses doubt about what the point of it all is.
Complementarily, Gendo is kind of a dark mirror to the Coach. Both paternalistic “mentor” figures who pressure teenagers to go beyond their limits, but Gendo much more openly considers people expendable for the sake of his greater goals.








