Jindai High

Shinji Kazama’s love of Arm Slaves almost exceeds that of our hero Sergeant Sagara, and serves as a basis for their instant friendship (albeit under equally unique circumstances). An avid collector of Jane’s Armed Slave statistical magazine and photos of the AS’s themselves, it turns out Shinji has a family history with the mechanical beings. His father is heavily involved in Narashino’s Arm Slave Unit.

However, Shinji seems to be ashamed of his father’s failure to become a pilot. While his father turns to building the models of the Arm Slaves after his failure, Kazama is dedicated to understanding the machines in all possible aspects; perhaps he aspires to fulfill his father’s dream. He even travels large distances to further comprehend the logic behind the specs. Sousuke expresses admiration for Shinji, and respects the advice Shinji offers him in several different situations that arise in the series.—miz