dude was an introvert who was abandoned by his father after the death of his mother at a young age.
Then suddenly after years of not talking to him Shinji is called to save humanity after meeting his father again 5 minutes later.
The dude steps up and while depressed as hell with no friends and no family manages to keep things together while taking on a task only he can accomplish. Then just when things seem to work out for him every single part of his life falls apart in the most horrific and tragic ways. He thinks about running away a few times but ultimately he tries to fight and survive in a world that keeps on showing how unfair it is. He has his issues but honestly for as much as people complain that he doesn't have a backbone ultimately he is human.
Plus he is like 13.