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Misato: "Far be it for me to make judgments on your private life, but under these circumstances should you be hitting on girls in this organization?"
Kaji: "Who's under whom isn't your concern. Or would you prefer that I hit on you, Katsuragi?"Why Kaji Is Absolutely Fabulous!
He's the glib and grinning silver-tongued imp, who needles the top brass at NERV and gets away with it -- for a while. He's the rakish fount of sensuality and sexual innuendo, who occupies the dreams of a teenage girl and the nightmares of a young woman. In other words, he is Ryouji Kaji -- the heartthrob, the icon, the main event, the phenom, and the show-stopper on Evangelion.
Kaji enters the series in Episode 7 as the mysterious voice on the phone with Gendou Ikari. Though it goes without being stated, he is introduced as a NERV intelligence agent of some considerable skill. In fact, Commander Ikari is indebted to him for past actions. And in this instance, he has once again successfully supplied the Japanese government with false information to cover NERV's activities.
- Misato: "Kidnapped? Our Vice-Commander was kidnapped?"
Intelligence agent: "Two hours ago. He was last seen in the Eighth District."
Misato: "That's inside this installation. What in the hell were you idiots in Intelligence doing?"
Intelligence agent: "The whole thing was orchestrated by someone inside our organization. We were taken by surprise."
Misato: "Someone who can outwit Section 2 of the Intelligence Division? It couldn't be him?!"
Intelligence agent: "Ryouji Kaji is suspected of being the mastermind of the operation."
Yet in his first appearance, when he walks on to the bridge of a UN aircraft carrier in Episode 8, he comes off as a handsome young rake set only on renewing intimate relations with Misato Katsuragi. He runs away when the UN vessels are attacked over the Pacific. But appearances can be deceptive.
In truth escorting Soryuu Asuka Langley and EVA 02 to NERV HQ are only a minor phase of his assignment. He carries with him Adam in its embryonic stage.
Later in the series, we catch glimpses of him flirting with his female colleagues or doing his part-time job of spying on NERV for the government. He never at any time uses a member of NERV for information. He instead allows himself to be used in order to get to the truth.
He never plays Misato off against Ritsuko and why not? Because he knows more than Misato about the happenings in NERV and he knows nearly as much as Dr. Ritsuko Akagi.
He certainly knows that Ritsuko is intimate with Ikari. He says to her that she must be enduring an unrequited love. Then follows that up with "a woman with a mole in the pathway of her tears is destined for a life full of them."
Ritsuko takes it as a come on, simply because it is better to be flattered than to be found out. But later in the series in Episode 15, she tells him that he's very honest and warns him not to delve too deeply into NERV's affairs, or he might get his fingers burned. In saying this, she acknowledges his knowledge and his skill at gathering information.
Nor does he do anything more than sacrifice himself for Misato, just as her father had done 15 years before. He lets himself be used by her not simply to force her to think about NERV's actions, but to be with her. His love for her is the most uncomplicated thing about him.
Misato: "Mmmm .... Let's do it."
Kaji: "Again? Don't you have to meet with your friend at school?"
Misato: "Huh? Oh, yeah, Ritsuko. It's all right. We still have time."
Kaji: It's already been a week since we started hanging out here."
Misato: "I'm just getting the hang of it. So, please. Doing this makes me feel like I exist."He saves her position when he comes up with a battle plan to defeat the Seventh Angel. He doesn't take advantage of her when they're stuck in an elevator or when she's drunk.
His feelings for her are cruelly exposed in Episode 15. She tells him that she lied when she broke up with him, that he's like the father she hates, and that she probably used him to expunge her pain. How does he react to this information? He defends her from her own accusations. In that moment just before he kisses her, his face is absolutely priceless, full of confusion, affection, compassion, and need.
He kisses her for himself, but also for her. He understands that she finds comfort in physical intimacy.
Unfortunately, Kaji doesn't reveal much more of himself. That is, unless you listen to his advice to Shinji. Then his actions can be understood.
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- Kaji: "No, not yet."
- Shinji: "What's my father like?"
- Kaji: "We'll, there's a surprise question. I thought you'd ask about Katsuragi."
- Shinji: "It seems like you're always with my father."
- Kaji: "Vice-commander Fuyutsuki is the one who's always with him. Have you been asking about your father?"
- Shinji: "I haven't been around him much."
- Kaji: "So you don't really know him."
- Shinji: "But I've learned a lot about him lately. About his work, about my mother, so . . ."
- Kaji: "No, you're wrong. You only believe that you've learned. The fact is that people really don't understand themselves, much less each other. Understanding one hundred percent of anything is impossible. That's why we spend so much time trying to understand our own motivations and those of others. That's what makes life so interesting."
Shinji: "Are you asleep yet, Kaji?"
Kaji is flirtatious. Kaji is cunning. Kaji is fearless. But he is also very kind, which is what drew Misato and Asuka to him in the first place.
He is like Shinji because he is kind, only he knows that kindness is not a weakness.
He is like Rei because he adroitly follows orders, only he knows when to follow his heart.
He is like Asuka because he desires the attention of others, but he knows the difference between innocent flirtation and love.
He is like Ritsuko because he too suffers from an unrequited love, but he never loses himself in the yearning; he remains strong and his strength uplifts the one he loves.
He is like Ikari and Fuyutsuki, thoroughly competent, in control, and holding on to a fading hope, but his motivations reflect being deeply in love with a woman who exists on a distant shore.
He is like Misato, who is, despite herself, like her father, living in pursuit of a goal to the exclusion of all else.
But in the end, he is uniquely Kaji and that is what makes him my favorite character.
Everything Kaji:
Fan-art
On Becoming a Man
"So, we can hang around again just like we used to."
"You tried to find peace in Kaji's kindness."
What if another pretty girl fell for Kaji-kun? It could be ELECTRIFYING!Words of Wisdom
"The honor would be mine ..."
Do you love me?