Shinji Ikari, on the other hand, DOES whine. A Lot. However, it should be noted that despite being reluctant (and at some points, all together opposed) to fulfil his role, he does (in one way or another) end up getting the job down. Unlike Cloud (who, after all, had ambitions to join SOLDIER), Shinji has no desire to fight. Where Cloud fights because he wants to protect people, Shinji fights because he feels he has no other choice. Cloud distances himself from others because he feels that he must suffer on his own accord, and seek redemption on his own. Shinji distances himself from others because he is afraid of being hurt, and afraid of hurting others (Re: Hedgehogs Dilemma). He is unable to feel for other people because he hates himself, and this hatred subsequently leads to him closing off the world in the final episodes. Shinji is a classic anti-hero, a trait that Cloud shows only briefly in the beginning of FF7. Really, there are almost no similarities that can be drawn between these characters. There motivations, appearance and personality are all very different.
I think you havnt watched many episodes of Evangelion, because shinji for a time embraced his role as an eva pilot, partially due to rei and the fact that she was a genetic clone of his mom, fused with the DNA of an angel. Though we didnt know it at the time, you can clearly see him wholehearted begin to embrace fighting at the helm of eva 01 to ensure that rei will not suffer and die. Later he even began to enjoy the role, becoming cocky even for a brief period.

So, his character arc for more then half the series was from whiner, to cocky hero. Kinda sound like someone we know? YAH CLOUD! during the beginning of FFVII he's all guts and guille, putting on an act as a cool merc, later he gets broken down and when we see his real personality, he's just pathetic. He grew up a weakling, no father, a doting mother, and having tifa protect his punk ass (just as lita is seen doing in various eps). He whined about it so much and wanted to be strong so that he would be accepted (like shinji did later on in evangelion). Yet while shinji had a mecha for backup, how the heck cloud ended up tough enough to pull a blade out of his gut, lift seph by the end of that blade and hurl him into a pit without having his fingers sliced off is beyond me. Once again the great god of plot contrivance (tetsuya nomura be thy name) smiles on him.

And perhaps you havnt seen Advent children yet, but cloud is back in full whiner mode yet again. So he's got a friggin rash on his arm, he decides to become a hermit. Boo, friggin hoo. Then he's whining to everyone how he cant protect anyone, he wants forgiveness, (like shinji) he sits there while midgars children get kidnapped and tifa and the turks all have to sit there coaching him until he gets off his butt. Also akin to shinji. Only difference is that shinji's development (or self destruction if you will) as a character is logical, well planned and thought out, clouds is contrived as hell. One line from vincent and he's walking on sunshine. What the hell? and Marlene goes from hating his guts to thinking he's the tops in two seconds. Arrgghhh, can we have some friggin logic to these proceedings?

Clouds growth at the end of the original FFVII, as shallow and contrived as it was, gave the game a decent amount of closure. Yet in AC he's back into full shinji ikari mode. Personally, I think cloud is more likeable when he whines, because thats the only time he has anything resembling depth. when's hes into full action hero mode he's bland as toast. boring. In the game he found out he's been borderline MPD for the past few years, and before that he was a weakling, yet afterwards he's back in full action hero mode. How does that make ANY sense? It doesnt. If he left for a while, trained so that any strength or training he has is truly his and not some projected delusion brought on by his disassociative personality, that would have made more sense. It would have been logical, and better thought out. The revelation of his past and true character had no consequences whatsoever. So yah, most of the time he's shinji ikari with a big sword, and others he's just a blank slate modelling action hero stereotypes.

And yet everything you said is a superficial quality. You may as well compare her to Hyatt, who also wears short skirts, has larger than average breasts and works as a waitress on a multitude of occasions. Lita isn’t the only one of the Sailor Senshi that wears a short skirt either, thus it does not count as a character trait. Lita’s skills in the martial arts are subsidiary to her primary means of attack, which is her ability to manipulate/produce lightning. In fact, her martial abilities were probably only added to the script because the complimented her boisterous nature, which is where she differs from Tifa the most.
lita's martial abilities, and giftend endownment are major parts of who she is. several times her physical abilities come into play as her character is delved into. not to mention that when the show is unedited, her rack gets several jokes. Complete with her thinking she should get the starring role in a school play because of her cup size. Of all the Sailor Senshi, she is the one who's physical assets get the most mention. Again, like tifa. As for your mention of hyatt, she was also fanatically loyal to Ilparatzza, going so far as to attempt to murder a friend. Hyatt wasnt so much submissive, as she was loyal.

Lita is an outspoken, extroverted tomboy. Tifa is not either of these things; these are characteristics that define Aeris more than anyone else. For a ‘fighter type’ female lead, she actually militates from the usually stereotypes significantly and is a rather submissive. She is not at all hostile, and even when she is lecturing Cloud, it isn’t exactly a ‘good tongue lashing’. Lita is also a slave to her sexual desires (aka ‘boy crazy’) while Tifa only really ever shows interest in Cloud. There is a particularly hilarious moment in FF7 that plays upon Tifa’s inability to recognise advances from men. You can actually get Cloud to crack on to Tifa very early in the game, to which she replies, “I don’t know what you mean…”. This emphasises Tifa’s ‘innocent’ qualities, something which conflicts rather strongly with her physical characteristics, but is present non-the-less. There really isn’t anything substantial that links these two characters together; other then they both have particularly large breasts…
Yet for all lita's boy chasing (not nearly as incessant as minako's) , she is one of the few who at the end of the series doesnt have a boyfriend. For all her sexual fueled personna, she is still one of the more heartfelt and original characters. And you exaggerate Tifa's "inncent(?) qualities". Was she not the one using her physical assets to gain a meeting with don coniro? Yah, playing the role of a prostitute is REAL innocent huh? Was she not shown as being tougher then many of the boys back in nibelhelm? Bossy even? The qualities that make her unlike lita (what few there are) Is what makes her as unlikeable as cloud. In the end she is just as weak a character as he is. In Advent Children she does little but moon over him (in much the same way lita moons over her ex) and whine. ditto for in the game as well, though she did have a few moments where her tomboy side shined through (which made her comparible to lita again. If you take a look at design, main characteristics, and drawing points... she is identical to lita in every way... save lita has some actual thought and heart whereas tifa's arc is very trite and boring.

And yet, who’s the one that’s getting his post edited?
Oh my god, I edit my posts, im so ashamed. :rolleyes2