Kaji Ryoji

The triple agent whose past motivated Shinji to return.

Ryoji Kaji appears to be a triple agent, working as the chief inspection officer for Nerv (Internal Affairs) while secretly investigating Nerv for the Japanese government, and at times seemingly acting as a cat's-paw both for and against Gendo Ikari and Seele. He is given more of a back story in the manga; he tells Shinji of his past to motivate Shinji to return to Nerv after the fight against Bardiel in a hidden supply closet. Asuka's crush on him is also expanded on in the manga, with Kaji describing himself as a "weak" and "wretched" man after Asuka's confession.