He's seriously one of my favorite characters in anime. He's a really nice guy who has terrible self esteem issues that he has to deal with ALONG with piloting a giant robot.
Does he run away sometimes and act scared? Yes, but good lord, you would too if you had to get ina giant robot whose pain you yourself felt. He still got in that thing every time to be a hero and no one ever looks at that.
Hell HIS FIRST EPISODE, even after he tells Gendo to screw off he still shelters Rei, a girl who he JUST MET, and was willing to get in EVA to protect her.
He's a hero in every sense of the word and he deserves more respect for being a realistic depitction of a teenage kid with depression.