The voice actor behind Neon Genesis Evangelion’s main character has revealed that series creator Hideaki Anno was the only person who truly understood her struggles.
Megumi Ogata is best known for voicing Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion, a role that would go on to define both her career and the anime itself.
Shinji’s internal conflict and vulnerability became central to Evangelion’s identity, with Ogata’s iconic performance being praised for capturing the character’s emotional weight.
Reflecting on her time working on the series, Ogata revealed that creator Hideaki Anno was the only person who truly understood the struggles she faced as a voice actress at the time.
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In an interview translated by Automaton, Ogata spoke candidly about the pressure she felt to continue taking on emotionally demanding roles, particularly those involving teenage boys, believing her place in the voice acting industry depended on it.
“For a long time, I’ve always thought that I’d become worthless unless I continued to bear those feelings, I was sure nobody would understand me, and I also thought that if I didn’t continue [doing roles of teenage boys], there wouldn’t be a place for me in the voice acting world, so I tried real hard to maintain that.”
However, Ogata has now revealed that Anno’s support stood out in an industry where she often felt misunderstood. According to the interview, Anno told Ogata that her performance as Shinji was integral to shaping the series, saying: “Thank you for always holding on to the feelings of a 14-year-old. It was thanks to you never letting go of those feelings that we were able to create Evangelion.”
Shinji’s voice actress also said that “Anno was the only one who recognized my struggles,” adding that he “made me realize I was really glad to have been able to come this far as a voice actress.”
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