- Updated on: July 24, 2022
- by Ernie
Neon Genesis Evangelion is the OG in the anime industry. If you are a 90’s kid, there is a high chance that you have grown up watching Evangelion. It is crazy that despite the main series finishing such a long time ago, its films are releasing…. EVEN TODAY!.
Regardless, it is one of the most popular anime franchises and newer anime fans have been looking forward to giving it a go. But there is a slight problem with that. Although, Neon Genesis Evangelion has very few episodes in the anime series, there are a lot of films.
Table of Contents
As a result, it can get pretty confusing for new fans to binge-watch the show in proper order. But not to worry, since we will provide the best watch order guide to help you navigate through the series easily.
Table of Content
HOW TO WATCH EVANGELION
Release Date Watch Order
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- Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes 1-26 (inc. episodes 21-24 director’s cuts) [1995-1996]
- Evangelion: Death(True)2 [1997]
- End of Evangelion [1997]
- Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone (2007)
- Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance (2009)
- Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo (2012)
- Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
So, here you have the release date watch order for the series. The interesting thing about the Evangelion series is that it will not make much of a difference if you watch the series by the time of their release or in their correct chronological order. This is because the films are essentially a rebuild of the original story with some extra content. But if you want to watch it on the basis of chronological order, we have also provided that below.
Chronological Watch Order
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- Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime: Original Episodes 1-6
- Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone (Movie)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime: Original Episodes 7-20
- Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance (Movie)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime: Original Episodes 21-24
- Evangelion Death(True)2 (Movie)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime: Original Episodes 25-26
- The End Of Evangelion (Movie)
- Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo (Movie)
- Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time
Here you go! This is the best suggested order for Neon Genesis Evangelion that will help you to navigate the series properly.
1. Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime: Original (1995) Episodes 1-6
Release Date: Fall 1995
Episodes: 6
Type: TV
Duration Per Episode: 24 minutes
At first, we start off with the very first six episodes of the series. In general, they serve as introductory episodes by telling us about most of the main characters. They give time for the characters to settle in and explain the plot to us slowly. We get an idea of the aim of the series and how everything works. From the very start, we also come to know about the Unit 01 of Evangelion.
The important characters who are shown in these six episodes are – Shinji, Gendo, Rei, Misato and Pen-Pen. Shinji is the pilot of the first unit and he immediately jumps into action with Rei as they take on the apocalyptic Angels and attempt to bring them down. It is also important to note that Rei is Shinji’s mother. But she is just a clone and her real mother died long ago.
2. Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone (2007) (Movie)
Release Date: Summer 2007
Episodes: 1
Type: Movie
Duration Per Episode: 1 hour 41 minutes
In short, the very first movie of Evangelion is a recap of the first six episodes. It starts off building the Evangelion film series and does a good job at it. Although, the story is the same, the animation and structure are completely different. There are also more scenes added in the film to make the fans understand the plot with relative ease. You will get more substance and dialogue in this particular film compared to the original episodes.
So, if you are thinking about skipping the first movie, then you are making a grave mistake. It starts off in a post-apocalyptic world as we are introduced to a 14-year-old child named Shinji Ikari. He is brought to NERV and his father wants him to become the pilot of Evangelion. It is a huge android that has been solely created to battle against “Angels“.
3. Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime: Original (1995) Episodes 7-20
Release Date: Fall 1995
Episodes: 13
Type: TV
Duration Per Episode: 24 minutes
This is the main crunch part of the anime series that deals with important events. It contains the hook to make you completely obsessed with this series and you will only stop after finishing it to the end. The bulk of the story lies in these episodes with a huge twist at the end that will make your heads go round. Throughout the series, we will also get introduced to new characters like Asuka and Kaji.
Also just like how we came to know about Evangelion Unit 1 in the first six episodes, here we will know about the second unit of Evangelion. Deep dark secrets regarding the humans and the Evangelion units will also come to light. In the end, in a major revelation, we will be shown that Eva Unit 01 will detach themselves from NERV and attain a God level status.
4. Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance (2009) (Movie)
Release Date: Summer 2009
Episodes: 1
Type: Movie
Duration Per Episode: 1 hour 52 minutes
As we have stated before, the films of the Evangelion franchise are essentially a rebuild of the original anime series. Although, the main core story is the same, you will find out that there are a lot of differences in the movies with the original episodes. New contents are introduced with better animation. The second movie also progresses smoothly compared to the episodes it is based on. In Evangelion 2.0, the Angels have been changed and their introduction, along with the introduction of several other characters are also different.
A whole new pilot has been introduced altogether in this film. There is no doubt that this film gives enough incentive for the fans to not skip it. Apart from that, the ending of the film is also completely different after Unit 01 breaks free from the control of NERV. In this way, it sets off the story in a completely different direction. The new pilot introduced in this film is Mari Illustrious Makinami. Mari, along with Asuka help Shinji and Rei in tackling the Angels. They pose an even bigger threat in the second film compared to the first one.
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime: Original (1995) Episodes 21-24
Release Date: Fall 1995
Episodes: 4
Type: TV
Duration Per Episode: 24 minutes
People who are well into pop culture know that, in any franchise, we get to see the origin story at a certain point in the timeline. These four episodes of the Evangelion anime series serve exactly to that point. We get to know more about the past of Shinji’s mother and the backstory of Rei also surfaces.
But the most important introduction in these four episodes is that of Kaworu. Fans who have already finished the series know the importance of Kaworu and his connection to Shinji. Some other essential parts include the downward spiral of Asuka and the introduction of the Spear of Longinus.
6. Evangelion Death (True) 2 (1997) (Movie)
Release Date: Winter 1997
Episodes: 1
Type: Movie
Duration Per Episode: 1 hour 44 minutes
This is where the complex parts of the Evangelion franchise started. If you are a simple guy who hates complicated kinds of stuff, wait till you hear about this. As we have said, the movie franchise of Evangelion is essentially a recap of the anime original episodes. In this movie, they go even further, by combining two movies together. Before that, we need to know about Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. It also consists of two parts: with the first part being just the recap of the series. However, the second part is the real gem with many unseen scenes.
It covers the mental health of Shinji and how the political scenario has changed completely. At this point, it was already confusing but the franchise thought they haven’t done enough. They should re-edit Death and Rebirth and combine it with some parts of the next film, The End of Evangelion to make the fans crazy. Once you fully navigate this messed up maze, there will hardly be any difference between your mental state and Shinji’s mental state.
7. Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime: Original (1995) Episodes 25-26
Release Date: Fall 1995
Episodes: 2
Type: TV
Duration Per Episode: 24 minutes
Yes, finally we arrive at the last two episodes of the anime original series. You may ask why these two episodes are listed separately from the others. This is because they somehow divide the fanbase into two parts. While one part says that they have no connection to the main story, the other part says that they are quite important. In our opinion, there is no harm in watching these two episodes.
Think of it as two bonus episodes where you get additional content. But if you are completely out of time and you can’t even watch just two extra episodes, then you can certainly skip them. It will start off where we left things, at the end of Evangelion Death (True) 2 movie. The psychological aspect in these two episodes is very deep, as we will see the human version of our characters. It shows the aftermath, where our characters struggle with their thoughts and try to deal with them.
8. The End Of Evangelion (1997) (Movie)
Release Date: Summer 1997
Episodes: 1
Type: Movie
Duration Per Episode: 1 hour 26 minutes
If the title hasn’t already made it clear, The End Of Evangelion film depicts what happens after everything has settled down. You can also think of it as an alternative ending to the story. But don’t get fooled by the title. You would think that The End Of Evangelion will be the last film of the franchise but it is not. The focus of this film will be mainly on NERV and Instrumentality. NERV has been taken over and fans will also be treated to an exciting Eva battle. The Third Impact is close at hand and Shinji is caught in a dilemma. He can’t decide on whether to choose Instrumentality or not.
He needs to decide quickly since the fate of the world may well rest on just this single decision. And there we will finally have our end of the Evangelion series. Or so we thought! Some years later the franchise will come with ANOTHER two films. The only difference is that they are set in an alternate timeline. Thus, we can well and truly say that The End of Evangelion marked the ending of the original series.
9. Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo (2012) (Movie)
Release Date: Fall 2012
Episodes: 1
Type: Movie
Duration Per Episode: 1 hour 35 minutes
Evangelion 3.0 was released after 14 years of the previous film. It takes place in a totally different timeline and shows us what if? In this movie, Shinji has still not started the Third Impact. He has been asleep the whole time. Moreover, the other characters who were shown to be quite aged in the previous film are still in their younger days.
Kaworu is also introduced a lot earlier and then they team up to take control of a brand new Evangelion. The title is also ironic in itself. It speaks about how you can’t redo but the entire plot is different. The story starts off as usual in a post-apocalyptic world with Shinji being trapped inside the Unit 01 of Evangelion.
But to his surprise, he becomes imprisoned by WILLE and is made to pay for his actions. Rei rescues Shinji and brings him to the headquarters of NERV where he meets Kaworu. Kaworu tells himself to get prepared for a battle, only this time, his battle is against his friends rather than the Angels.
10. Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time (2021)
Release Date: Winter 2021
Episodes: 1
Type: Movie
Duration Per Episode: 2 hours 35 minutes
Finally, we have arrived at the last movie of the Evangelion franchise that has been released this year. It is also crazy that the last two films in the Evangelion franchise have a gap of 9 years between them. It well and truly establishes the end of the rebuild film series.
In this story, Shinji Ikari has completely lost his will to live. But one place may just give him enough hope to cling on to his life. On the other side, Wille is desperate to stop the Final Impact by setting the Instrumentality Project in motion. Asuka and Mari play a huge role in this last film of this series.
Evangelion Rebuild Film Series Extended Cuts
If all of these were not enough, the already existing films were renumbered. Their home release was shown with additional scenes where you can find extended cuts. We have listed them below for your convenience:
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- Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone
- Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance
- Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo
Yes, the Evangelion film franchise is totally not confusing. It does not exactly matter whether you watch the extended cuts or the original releases. The core story is the same in both. But on official online platforms, you will mostly find the extended cut versions only. So, it is better to watch them since everyone loves free bonus content. That’s why we spend a little extra time, to see the end-credits scene in a movie.
What Did You Think About The Watch Order? Let Us Know In The Comments Below!
This concludes the complete watch order of the Evangelion series. There are some parts that can be skipped if you want, like The Death and Rebirth Movie if you see the combined movie in place of it. Other than that we believe almost all the other parts are essential. We do hope you will not be in any confusion after this.
