In “End of Evangelion” there is an infamous scene in which Shinji masturbates to Asuka. I’ve noticed that occasionally people will assume that this scene exists simply for shock value, and has no real purpose beyond that. For example, in this clip from a video review the youtuber expresses a similar criticism of the scene:

BenTheSage-“It’s not related at all to the plot. It’s just extraneous and holy contemptable character moment. “ 3:18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6VCU_ol_wA

I have also seen people in a Facebook group genially ask “what’s the point of this scene?”:

I’ve seen these sentiments be expressed multiple times over the years so I figure it’d be worthwhile to at least try and explain how the scene fits into the movie from a structural point of view and what it accomplishes. The masturbation scene is actually the second scene of the entire movie and to properly explain it we are going to have to put it into context so, to understand the masturbation scene we are going to have to talk about the opening of EoE that takes place right before it.





These shots are from the opening scene of the film that only lasts a few seconds. There isn’t any dialogue in this scene so I want us to focus on the setting. We see Shinji alone at the same lakeshore where he met Kaworu. We know it’s the same lakeshore because of the angel statue. It’s the same one that Kaworu was sitting on during episode 24. In total this specific setting is used 3 times and if we count the beach imagery alone then it’s actually used four times; twice in episode 24 and twice in EoE itself. Since we are being given specific shots that let us know it’s the same setting we can safely assume that it’s Anno’s intention for us to think about how the scenes work together.

That being said the first time we’re introduce to this setting is in the opening of episode 24. The scene opens with a Shinji monologue.





Shinji, before meeting Kaworu, thinks to himself:

Shinji: “Everyone, including Toji and Kensuke, lost their homes and left. My friends…I don’t have anyone I can call a friend anymore. There’s no one. I can’t go seeAyanami. I don’t have the courage for it. I don’t know how I’m supposed to face her. Asuka, Misato-san, Mother…What should I…What should I do?”

Thanks to this monologue we know that in general Shinji is feeling alone and unsure of himself. Also, take note that immediately after the dialogue establish Shinji’sfeelings Kaworu appears and manages to distract Shinji from this discomfort. So, going forward, keep Shinji’s thoughts and feelings in mind while linking them to this setting.

The second time the setting is used is after Kaworu dies and we know it’s the same place because again the creators go out of their way to make sure we know it by giving us similar imagery and a shot of the angel statue.





Here Shinji is again distressed but this time he is with Misato and they have a conversation so let’s look at it:

Shinji: “Kaworu said he loved me. It was…It was the first time someone told me they loved me. He was like me, and Ayanami. I loved him. Kaworuwas the one who should have survived. He was a much better person than I am. Kaworu should have been the one to survive.

Misato: “You’re wrong. Only those who have the will to live get to survive. He wished to die. He abandoned the will to live, clinging instead to a false hope. You did nothing wrong, Shinji.”

Shinji: “You’re cruel, Miss Misato.”

Now because of the dialogue we know Shinji is having negative views of his self-worth since he believes he should’ve died instead of Kaworu. And unlike Kaworu Misato is failing to comfort Shinji.

Connecting the Dots:







Something that all these scenes share in common is that Shinji comes here when he is distress. What is unique about the third time he goes to the lake shore is that he is alone so there is no one to comfort him and unlike the scenes in episode 24 there is no dialogue or inner monologue. We only get images. Since we only have images it behooves us to rely on the repetitive imagery to derive meaning from all this. By linking the three scenes through imagery the creators are lettings us know that the opening scene of EOE is essentially a continuation of the thoughts and feelings that Shinji expressed when he met Kaworu (loneliness and uncertainty) and after he killed Kaworu (low Self-worth).

And to recap these feelings are justified because his friends have left the city, the Rei he knows is dead and he’s scared to even be around the current one, and while it hasn’t been mentioned yet at this point in the story we will learn that he is also scared of Misato and she can’t provide him the comfort he seeks, and finally and obviously Kawouru is d ead . Shinji is looking for the same comfort he got from Kaworu and that Misato tried to give him during episode 24 and there is literally only one person left in the entire cast for Shinji to go to. That person is Asuka. The opening lake scene leads us/takes Shinji directly into the hospital scene and sets the stage for everything that happens in it. Now with all the context being established, we can proceed to talk about how the hospital scene functions and what it accomplishes.

Hospital Scene:





*In no particular order

Purpose of Scene 1#: It helps explain the negative aspects Asuka and Shinji’s relationship in order to put Shinji’s character flaws on display.

Now we know with some confidence that Shinij is at the hospital because he is looking for the same kind of comfort and direction he received from Kaworu and Misato and because he has nowhere left to go to. So to clarify he isn’t here because it’s Asuka specifically but because there’s no one left. This is an important distinction to make so that we can understand what this scene is trying to communicate about Shinji and Asuka and what it’s trying to set up for later in the film. For example, later during the coffee pot scene when Shinji says, “Asuka help me. You’re the only one that can help me!” and Asuka replies, “Liar. Anyone will do. You don’t care who it is…So now you come running to me because that’s the easiest way to keep from getting hurt!” we can look back to the masturbation scene and know exactly what kind of behavior she is criticizing Shinji for even if the viewer didn’t notice it during the show itself. Asuka does not like being used by Shinji while at the very same time being his arbitrary choice. This hurts her deeply.

On a more literal level, I think it’s pretty straightforward as to why Shinji did this. He was lonely, depressed and selfishly wanted to feel better so in a moment of weakness he simply reacted to what he saw. That being said let’s look at what the scene accomplishes within the context of the overall story and not just the film. When Shinji masturbates to Asuka its direct proof to the viewer that Shinji is in fact attracted to Asuka at least on some level and there’s a part of him that desires her as more than just a friend. The reason this emphasis is needed is that in the show so far Shinji’s attitude towards Asuka has been arguably platonic, specifically from Asuka’s own point of view. This platonic-ness I’m referring to is highlighted when Asuka tries to kiss Shinji and he has no meaningful reaction and whenever Asuka flirts with him he passes on her and, depending on your definition, indirectly or directly rejects her. This physical expression of Shinji’s desire for Asuka’s body matters because Asuka is frustrated with Shinji because that’s exactly what she wants from Shinji but he is incapable of providing that for her when she is conscious. The masturbation scene validates Asuka’s frustration with Shinji. Asuka frustration is made explicit during the EoE train scene when Asuka says:

“I know all about your little jerk-off fantasies about me. Go ahead and do it like you always do. I’ll even stand here and watch you. If I can’t have you all to myself then I don’t want anything from you.”

During this Shinji isn’t even capable of looking her in the face which further substantiates her complaints and we get a flashback to the masturbation scene during this exchange which clues us into the connections I’m trying to explain right now. Appropriately this train scene takes place right before the coffee pot scene where her frustrations come into full conflict with Shinji. So, Asuka wants Shinji’s attention but like I mentioned earlier she doesn’t want to be a side choice, she wants to be the only choice. And for those who think that Asuka complaints are exaggerated, I would mention that the one and only time Shinji is ever upfront with his attraction to Asuka is when she is asleep which ironically parallels the masturbation scene.





Thanks to this scene we understand exactly why she is so frustrated by Shinji. Shinji is failing to do what Asuka needs and want all while trying to use her for himself. The masturbation scene is a direct representation of her complaints and it’s an example of Shinji’s one-sided way of relating to others. This scene is hardly extraneous since it directly validates aspects of Auska and Shinji relationship during the latter half of the show while giving us an example of Shinji’s character flaw that works both on a figurative and literal level. That being his habit of using people for self-gratification.

Purpose of Scene 2#: It drives the story(plot) forward and directly leads into the next scene.

Character development through plot progression: Episode 24(Post Kaworu death)- Shinji: “I should’ve died” EoE Hospital scene(Shinji masturbates to Asuka)-Shinji: “I’m so fucked up” EoE MisatoxShinji scene( Shinji criticizes/hates himself as result): “I can’t, I’m no good…I did something terrible to Asuka, I killed Kaworu, I’m a horrible person”



One of the functions of a plot in a story is to be the vehicle by which we explore characters while interlocking important events. So, the masturbation scene is like a domino in an order of events that lets us clearly track Shinji character development through the plot progression. The masturbation scene does this by building upon the issues of self-worth mentioned in episode 24 and sets up the self-hate that leads directly to Shinji completely shutting down when Misato finds him under the stairs. The masturbation scene is the final nail in the coffin that makes Shinji convince himself that he is a “horrible person”. From Shinji’s point of view, his actions at the hospital validate what he has already started to think of himself after killing Kaworu especially since it’s a decision he made completely of his own volition unlike his decision to pilot Eva and to kill Kaworu. He must accept complete responsibility for what he did to Asuka and it is the only act up until this point in the show where Shinji knowingly did something without being “told” to do it but instead acted because he wanted to(lust, pain) and without self-doubt. In a show about a child who struggles with defining himself because he can’t make decisions for himself a moment of personal responsibility like the masturbation scene is extremely impactful. The scene is not at all extraneous and upon further thought, it becomes clear, at least to me, that it is in fact necessary. Hypothetically, if this scene were removed we would be forced to assume why Shinji is in the state he is when Misato finds him instead of actually knowing and understanding why. The way Shinji progresses narratively from the beach to the hospital and then under the stairs is an example of a good plot at work since they all lead logically and naturally into the depress stupor Shinji is in during EoE. Plot points themselves are connected by cause and effect and a good plot has these points connect logically.

Purpose of Scene 3#: It further connects and enriches the themes of the show through the use of imagery and book ending.

EoE: Rei: “Then what is your hand for?”

Hand Symbolism: The hand symbolism is tied to ideas of personal identity and therefore self-worth in Eva.

Killing Kaworu Hand

EoE masturbation

Reis Blood





Throughout the series, there is recurring use of hand imagery and dialogue. It leads us to ask what do hands mean in Evangelion and the hands, therefore, become symbolic. This hand symbolism is used in large variety of contexts so depending on the scene in question the hand symbolism can have many interpretations. This recurring hand theme ends up becoming a major philosophical question by the end of the series made evident not only by its frequent use but by some dialogue from Rei where she explicitly brings up the question of “what are hands for” to Shinji. The way I interpret this is that hands, through our actions and choices, are the way people connect with each other. For example, holding hands, choking people, helping people, hurting people, even using people are all physical representations of our bonds with others. In the context of Evangelion asking what hands are for is the almost like asking what’s the purpose or meaning of life in light of being a human (a social being). Human existence basically amounts to our relationships with each other and our hands are how we express those relationships. Obviously, this is open to many interpretations so you may disagree with me specifically but generally speaking it’s a safe bet say the hand symbolism in the masturbation scene is part of Evangelion’s overall larger thesis. The masturbation scene gives us a purely self-indulgent example of what hands are for and invites us to ask “what does that say about humanity, relationships, and Shinji.”And this contrast with the ending where hands are not only used to hurt others but to comfort. The masturbation scene is one of many moments that directly support and build upon this theme in order to help the viewer explore these ideas. The masturbation scene literally helps give the show meaning.

Ep 24 Bookending:





For those who don’t know, a bookending is when the beginning of a story parallels or matches with the ending. There are no concrete rules for how book endings should work but typically they are used either to show how things have changed or how they have stayed the same by using the parallelism to highlight similarities and differences. So, for example, episode 24’s opening and closing beach scenes create a bookend that show how Shinij started the episode depressed and ended it still feeling depressed.

EoE Bookending:





Eoe use of book ending is a bit more subtle than episode 24. Like I mentioned earlier the opening scene of EoE is linked to the beaches from episode 24 by virtue of the imagery. Well, the same is true of it’s ending. We get a repetition of beach imagery. So even though we can’t tell whether or not the location is exactly the same we can be sure that it is the director’s intention for us to notice that there is a connection. In addition to this, both the opening and closing of EoE involve Shinji and Asuka in very extreme moments so that’s another parallel. Note: Reis appearance is also a bookend but for the entire series.





Now if we go strictly by plot these two scenes don’t really seem to have anything to do with each other but thanks to the use of bookending we know to look deeper. We’ve established that the masturbation scene was the consequence of Shinji essentially looking for comfort, and we know this is then followed up on by the instrumentality train scene and coffee pot scene because they referred back to it in the dialogue. During the “coffee pot” scene Asuka’s answer to Shinji’s call for help is “no” and he chokes her; the final scene is thematically a continuation of that scene, so we have Shinji choking her again but this time her response is a caress implying that she is willing to help Shinji. By linking the opening with the final scene the narrative is letting us know that they are continuing the same conflict that was presented in the opening. Between these three scenes, we are getting Shinji and Asuka’s full story distilled beautifully and since they are not connected directly by plot the director must necessarily rely on things like imagery and book ending to convey this. At this point, I would hope that it is self-evident that the masturbation is not superfluous since it is one of the foundational pieces being used to explore Shinji and Asuka relationship in this trifecta of scenes.

Masturbation scene: “Asuka please help me” Shinji uses Asuka(masturbate) and conflict is subtly introduced.

Coffee pot scene: “Asuka help me, you’re the only person who can help me.”……”No” They discuss their relationship and conflict reaches its dramatic peak.

Final Scene: No words(*disgust) but Asuka caress is a sign that the “Helping” conflict is resolved and we have character development. Asuka and Shinji will most likely help each other going forward.

-zlink64/Murderousjohnny