>>280886488
Kaji and Gendo are sort of like bad end versions of a future Shinji
Gendo found light in the darkness of his life, and once it was gone he resolved to bring it back or destroy everything and everyone around him trying, going as far as to betray the wishes of his beloved in the process
Kaji, on the other hand, was too detached and made no attempt to hang on to happiness when Misato initially pushed him away, resolving instead to work towards something he felt as larger than himself, a lofty goal he knew he would never accomplish in life and that would only end up hurting Misato only to then burden her with seeing it to the end