Anime
Evangelion is a franchise that began as an original 26 episode anime series titled Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was produced by GAINAX and directed by Hideaki Anno and was originally aired from October 1995 to March 1996. Music for the series was composed by Shiro Sagisu. “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” was used as the opening theme while the ending theme used several variations of “Fly Me to the Moon”. The Evangelion series is widely known for its psychological and often existential style of storytelling. It has gained popularity through the years and spawned countless forms of other media and merchandise. The original series and the first two movies are currently available for streaming through Netflix.
Plot Summary
While there are numerous different universes and continuities within the Evangelion universe, most of them share a few key points with one another. The world of this franchise is usually set in a version of Earth in the “future” (2015, but the series was originally released in 1995) where a significant portion of humanity was wiped out in an event called the “Second Impact”. The protagonist of this story is Shinji Ikari, a timid and self-doubting teenager that is called to Tokyo-3 by his father - the commander of a special agency named NERV - to pilot a biological robot called an Evangelion Unit. These Evangelion Units are the only weapons that are effective when it comes to destroying Angels - strange, otherworldly beings that often have unbelievably destructive power. Risking his own life to protect humanity proves to be incredibly stressful for the young boy, and his struggles become the main focus for many entries in the franchise.
Characters
Shinji Ikari: The protagonist of the series. He is suddenly thrown into a harsh world where everyone expects him to pilot Eva-01 even though he doesn’t want to. Shinji often thinks that he doesn’t have any choice but to pilot Eva-01, as he keeps being told that he is the only one who can and, without him, many people will be hurt or killed.
Rei Ayanami: The pilot of the prototype unit Eva-00. She is often portrayed as having a very deadpan personality that will agree to anything that is asked of her, but she does have her own desires and opinions, even if she doesn’t want to state them.
Asuka Langley Soryu/Shikinami: The hot-headed pilot from Germany that is in charge of Eva-02. She often likes to show off to others to make herself seem superior.
Misato Katsuragi: The leader of the tactical division of NERV and the effective guardian of both Shinji and Asuka, as she lets them stay at her apartment. Although she is seen as a strict commander, Misato has a goofy and sloppy side that she shows when at home.
Kaworu Nagisa: A young boy designated as the “Fifth Children” (“Children” being the term used to refer to an Eva pilot). He only shows up toward the end of the series, but quickly develops a friendship with Shinji. Unfortunately, he is also an Angel, which leaves Shinji feeling betrayed and confused.
Movies
First Series of Movies
Death & Rebirth: A movie that includes a condensed, re-edited version of the first 24 episodes of the original series (referred to as “Death”) plus a retelling of episode 25 (referred to as “Rebirth”). A complete retelling of the ending was planned, but was split into two movies due to time constraints.
The End of Evangelion: The complete retelling of the ending of the original series. It reuses the last 25 minutes of Death & Rebirth, but includes the second half that was previously absent from the first movie.
Revival of Evangelion: A release that compiles the previous two movies into one.
The Rebuild Movies Series
This series is comprised of four movies and act as a recreation of the Evangelion story on a fundamental level. Many characters and locations develop in significantly different ways when compared to their original counterparts. Although these movies are still directed by Anno, they are produced by Studio Khara, which was founded by Anno in 2006.
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone: This movie acts much like a retelling of the beginning of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Very little is changed in terms of story until the very end, where Kaworu is seen on the moon with a white giant that resembles Lilith.
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance: 2.0 is where the stories between the original series and the Rebuild movies begin to truly diverge. A new character named Mari Illustrious Makinami is introduced. It is also revealed that Asuka’s family name was changed from Soryu to Shikinami for the movie series.
Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo: 3.0 takes place 14 years after the second film, leading to a story that is completely unique when compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion. During this time, Misato, Ritsuko, and many other members of NERV rebelled and are now a part of an organization called Wille.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: The final movie in the Rebuild series. It is currently unreleased (as of January 2020), but its first screening is scheduled for June 27th, 2020.
Other Media
Video Games
A variety of video games have been released since Neon Genesis Evangelion began airing in 1995. The genres of these games can range from cute point-and-click games, to arcade-style fighters, to visual novels with original stories. The following list highlights a few particularly notable Evangelion games that have been released.Neon Genesis Evangelion: 1st Impression: An FMV game developed for the Sega Saturn. Its story is set right after Asuka arrives in Japan. An Angel designed specifically for this game appears and steals Shinji’s memories. A sequel titled Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Impression was also released later.
Girlfriend of Steel/Iron Maiden: A visual novel that introduces a new character named Mana Kirishima, who becomes the main romantic interest for Shinji.
Neon Genesis Evangelion 2: A game developed for PS2 and PSP that focuses much more on interacting with characters rather than battling Angels. Hideaki Anno was also extensively interviewed during the development of the game, which resulted in unlockable “Classified Information” files that explained various aspects of the Evangelion universe that were previously unknown.
Manga
The franchise has also spawned several published manga series. The official manga was created by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and contains 97 chapters over 14 volumes. While the series starts out much like the original anime, many differences began to pile up as the publication continued, leading it to be considered a separate continuity. Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days is another manga created by Fumino Hayashi and based on the video game Girlfriend of Steel 2nd/Iron Maiden the 2nd. An original spin-off manga titled Petit Eva: Evangelion@School was also written by Ryusuke Hamamoto. It is drawn in a chibi-style and has a lighthearted, slapstick tone.
Merchandise and Collaborations
Since the Evangelion series became such a hit, an incredible variety of collaborations and merchandise were created and are still in development today. Many kinds of figures, model kits, clothes, and art books can be found both online and in anime merchandise stores. On the other hand, Evangelion collaborated with other well-known franchises like Godzilla and New Balance to create special events and products. A number of other video games like Valkyrie Connect and Phantasy Star Online 2 have also collaborated with Evangelion to have characters from the series appear in their respective games.