The End of Evangelion: Who Was the Very First “Sekai-kei” Protagonist?

What is “Sekai-kei”?

In this world, there exists a term called “Sekai-kei.” It’s a bit tricky to explain specifically, but it’s a strangely convincing term that sinks into your heart without any explanation. However, this time I want to consider who the first “Sekai-kei protagonist” in history was, so I must define its meaning. Although there are various things written on Wikipedia and other sources, in this article, I will define it as:

“A work in which the protagonist’s personal problems are directly linked to the problems of the world, and the resolution of the protagonist’s problems has a significant impact on the world.“

Of course, I don’t think this covers all “Sekai-kei” works, but I believe it’s a generally good definition.

The concept of “Sekai-kei” itself was strongly influenced by the work *Neon Genesis Evangelion*, and it is fundamentally a concept that emerged “after Evangelion.” Therefore, it is chronologically impossible for a “Sekai-kei protagonist” to be in Evangelion.

However, in my opinion, the very first “Sekai-kei protagonist” in history does exist within the work of Evangelion. If that’s the case, it would seem that Shinji Ikari would be the first “Sekai-kei protagonist,” but that is not so. The first “Sekai-kei protagonist” in history is Gendo Ikari.

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “【新世紀エヴァンゲリオン旧劇場版】史上初の『セカイ系主人公』は誰か？“

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a TV anime series directed by Hideaki Anno, which aired from 1995 to 1996. Although it was sprinkled with intriguing mysteries such as “Seele,” “Angels,” and the “Human Instrumentality Project,” these mysteries were not resolved during the TV broadcast and were carried over to the theatrical movie released in 1997.

I previously wrote about why we were not satisfied with the ending of the TV version.

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The key point there was that “in the TV version of Evangelion, there was a gap between the protagonist of the world and the protagonist of the story.”

Of course, the protagonist of the story is Shinji Ikari. Because there was no modern reality in which he could solve the problems he faced, they had no choice but to say “Congratulations.” So, who was the “protagonist of the world?” That was, of course, Gendo Ikari.

In the world of Evangelion, Shinji Ikari is, unfortunately, just one of the background characters. No matter how much he struggles, the world does not change, and it undergoes rapid changes in places beyond his knowledge.

The only one who commits to it with his own will is Gendo Ikari. Seele is the one pulling the strings the most, but structurally, Gendo, who tries to use or deceive the secret society Seele to desperately achieve his own goals, is more fitting as the “protagonist.” So, what was it that Gendo wanted to achieve, even to the point of deceiving the world?

Gendo Ikari’s Goal Revealed in The End of Evangelion

In the TV series, Gendo repeatedly used suggestive words and actions, confusing us and Shinji. But in the end, what he wanted to achieve was…

“To meet his beloved wife, Yui Ikari, who disappeared into the Eva, one more time.“

“Seriously, Gendo?” many in the audience must have thought. There is actually a very hard-to-understand hint in the TV series. In episode 15, “Lies and Silence,” when Shinji and Gendo are visiting Yui’s grave (or rather, memorial), Gendo says:

In other words, he’s trying to say, in his own Gendo-like way, “Daddy still loves Mommy! I brought you here, whom I don’t usually see, because I wanted to tell you that! You get it, Shinji! Daddy still wants to see Mommy!” But there’s no way anyone could understand from that.

If Shinji had been the kind of person who could figure out his father’s goal from that conversation, he wouldn’t have suffered so much. Gendo-kun, who silently and single-mindedly pushed towards his goal. It seems he hoped his son would see his back and move forward.

The Miracle That Happened in The End of Evangelion

Thus, Gendo Ikari’s internal problem was meeting “Yui Ikari,” and to achieve that, he used the Human Instrumentality Project and tried to change the very state of the world.

Moreover, he was one step away from the success of his plan. Isn’t this exactly Sekai-kei? Gendo Ikari’s age is said to be 48. He will probably remain the oldest Sekai-kei protagonist in the future. Gendo, doing the whole Sekai-kei thing is only for high school students. At your age, you should think a little about the trouble you’re causing others.

Well, while his son Shinji was struggling with human relationships as the protagonist of the story, Gendo-kun was steadily advancing his plan. However, at the very last moment, the plan fails. And the one who stopped his plan was his son, Shinji Ikari.

Not only that, Shinji ultimately snatched the position of the world’s protagonist from his father.

We get so caught up in things other than the story’s progression that we forget what *The End of Evangelion* was about, but structurally, it is “a story of Shinji overcoming his father,” and if you look at the end, it becomes “a story of parting with his mother who sleeps within Unit-01.”

In other words, “Thank you, Father; goodbye, Mother.” However, because it didn’t quite become a “Congratulations to all the children” moment, we lost track of the story’s structure in the movie (which also shows how wonderful the TV series ending was). To summarize:

When you think about it this way, *The End of Evangelion* was a good story about “overcoming one’s father.” Why did it turn out like that?

Finally

If you extract only the structure of *The End of Evangelion*, it becomes a good story. However, the most shocking part of that movie is being scolded by director Hideaki Anno, saying, “You guys! Stop watching anime and go back to your daily lives! It’s disgusting!”

I want to say, “It’s your fault for creating something so interesting!” but perhaps he feels responsible for what he has created. This feeling might be close to that of director Hayao Miyazaki. Apparently, Director Miyazaki is furious, saying, “Parents who show their children Totoro are the worst!” (though the essential problem is probably showing it “on TV” routinely).

It’s true that we are scolded in *The End of Evangelion*, but I don’t think a work can be created solely from such aggression towards others. Perhaps there was also an aspect of aggression towards himself, which resulted in it appearing in the work in that form. Well, even so, let’s take Director Anno’s scolding to heart, live our daily lives properly, and watch anime only when we’re truly bored. I think even Director Anno would forgive that much.