KawoShin

KawoShin is the slash ship between Shinji Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa from the Neon Genesis Evangelion fandom.

Canon
Kaworu only appears in Episode 24 and the End of Evangelion. By the time they meet, Shinji feels completely alone. His friends have moved away, Tokyo-3 has been destroyed, he has lost all hope of earning his father's approval, he is afraid of Rei and Misato, and he is unsure of where Asuka is or how to connect with her.

Kaworu is friendly, gentle, and open towards Shinji, and Shinji quickly opens up to him in turn. Kaworu tells Shinji that he was born to meet him, and that he loves him. However, the next day, Kaworu is revealed to be an Angel.

Hijacking Unit 2, Kaworu attempts to initiate Third Impact. Shinji initially refuses to believe that Kaworu is an Angel, but quickly realizes he must fight him. Shinji defeats Kaworu, and Kaworu asks Shinji to kill him. He tells Shinji that his death will allow humanity to continue on. Shinji hesitates, but he eventually does so. Shinji is left broken and distraught by the decision.

In End of Evangelion, Rei takes Kaworu's form to calm Shinji. Rei and Kaworu, or mental images of them, help Shinji come to terms with himself, the world, and the traumas he has been through.

Fanon
Like Shinji's other pairings, KawoShin is divisive. The rapid development of their bond, the equally destructive end, and the slash nature took many fans aback.

Supporters argue that Kaworu was the only person who was consistently kind and caring to Shinji. They view Kaworu as Shinji's best option for a healthy relationship, and criticize the dub decision to translate Shinji's feelings on Kaworu as "liking" him rather than "loving" him. Some further suggest that fans who criticize the pairing do so because of homophobia.

Meanwhile, detractors often suggest that Shinji was too broken and Kaworu too naive for either to properly understand their feelings. They point out that Shinji was portrayed as unambiguously straight until Episode 24, and that Kaworu's death damaged Shinji immensely. Many have questioned the extent to which Kaworu, as an Angel, actually felt or understood what he claimed to Shinji. Others argue that Kaworu was purposefully manipulating Shinji, in order to further damage him.

Nevertheless, Kaworu and KawoShin have proved immensely popular. Many of the spin-offs have expanded on Kaworu's his dynamic with Shinji. Most notably, Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0 focused largely on their relationship, albeit with a similar tragic ending.

Fandom
AO3