Hachirota Hoshino is the protagonist of the series. Everyone simply calls him "Hachi" (Japanese for "eight" or "eighth") or "Hachimaki" ([ハチマキ, "Headband"], because he wears one during his EVAs). His dream has always been to own his own spaceship, but between the cost of purchasing one and his low-paying, seemingly dead-end job, Hachi struggles with even deciding whether or not to pursue his dream. Hachi's father is a renowned engineer, a source of much ambivalence to Hachimaki. Much of Hachi's drive is summed up in "bigger, faster, and further". However, this drive makes him conflicted about his own relationship with space. Loud and brash, Hachi has difficulty expressing himself adequately, especially in romantic matters. It should be noted that Hachirota's back-story is portrayed slightly differently in the anime than in the manga.
