Misato Katsuragi

From OtakuWiki

Misato Katsuragi is a character in the manga and anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, as well as Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone . Her Japanese seiyou (voice actor) is Kotono Mitsuishi, and her English voice actor is Allison Keith Shipp.

Story

At 14 years of age, Misato was the sole survivor of the ill-fated Katsuragi Expedition, a scientific survey in Antarctica investigating the discovery of a GeoFront structure near the coast... as well as the discovery of Adam, the 1st Angel. Professor Katsuragi didn't have a good relationship with his wife and daughter, and Misato even laughed when her mother decided to take Misato and leave Antarctica for Japan and file for divorce. But on the day they were to leave, Adam suddenly went berserk, killing the scientists and unleashing what would be called the Second Impact. Professor Katsuragi, dying from his wounds, had carried his injured daughter Misato to one of the rescue capsules and sealed it before he died. When Misato finally opened the capsule hours later, much of the continent was under water, the result of the Antarctic ice cap melting, and the one sight she saw was the wings of Adam in the distance.

Misato would later recover from her injuries, although the mental scars from her experience kept her from speaking for two years (she still bears the physical scars from her experience, which is between her breasts). She would later attend college, where she met Ritsuko Akagi, who she would have a long, but fracturous relationship. Also during her college years, she had met Ryoiji Kaji, whom she would have an on-and-off romantic relationship. She later became part of the Gehiern Project, the predecessor to NERV, and would remain with that agency since.

Misato is a walking contradiction. While on duty with NERV as its strategic commander, she is a brilliant tactical strategist, often coming up with life-saving plans with little planning or facts. The best example of this is "Operation Yashima", a plan she came up with when Ramiel, the 5th Angel, threatened to drill directly into NERV's GeoFront to get to Lilith, the 2nd Angel. Misato appropriated a massive proton accelerator cannon from the government, as well as the entire Japanese power grid, to enable Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami, as well as their Evangelions, to destroy Ramiel.

However, Misato's home life is less than ideal, possibly because of her past trauma. Her apartment is a mess, her refrigerator is practically empty (except for beer, which is in quantity), she subsists on junk food, is a bad cook, and drinks heavily. She is also a bad driver, and many a pedestrian usually has to get out of the way when she drives. And above all that, she still has to house Shinji, and later Asuka Langley Sohryu. She also keeps a Rockhopper penguin, Pen-Pen, as a pet.

Lately, she has been reunited with her old lover Kaji, who now works as a minor officer in NERV. She later found out he was, in fact, working for the Japanese Intelligence Agency, who is investigating NERV about their secret dealings. Before his death at the hands of NERV's special section (on orders from NERV's commander Gendo Ikari), Kaji gives Misato all the secrets he had uncovered about NERV (and possibly of NERV's parent agency SEELE) that he has uncovered so far... secrets that Misato is now trying to find out!