Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most iconic and enduring franchises in anime history, but its watch order is downright confusing for newcomers.
Plenty of iconic anime series have wound up in a brutal licensing purgatory over the years. Evangelion was among them for a long while, with many needing to pirate fan-subbed episodes to experience the series. That was fixed when the series landed on Adult Swim, and eventually on streaming services.
The trouble is that, across its more than 30 years of existence, much of the series has been chopped up, repackaged, reworked, and remade. That makes it hard for the uninitiated to know where to start, and where to go from there. Here’s how to approach the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, how to watch it in order, and which parts are worth watching.
Full Neon Genesis Evangelion watch order
Neon Genesis Evangelion is broken up across a television series and six films. The franchise began with the TV series and was followed by two films; Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. Death and Rebirth was has been re-released in a few different forms and is available today under the title Evangelion Death (True).
In 2007, Evangelion was rebooted with the “Rebuild of Evangelion” which wrapped in 2021. The rebuild tetralogy of films that serve as an alternative retelling of the original run of movies and The End of Evangelion movie. The story of the films is largely a retread of the show, but it expands on the roles of certain characters, introduces some original characters of its own, and explores the larger world after the Second Impact. It also features a different ending that runs parallel to what’s seen in The End of Evangelion film.
Here is the full Evangelion watch order:
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
- Evangelion Death(true) (1997)
- The End of Evangelion (1997)
- Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
- Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
- Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo
- Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
Alongside the show and films are a number of other adaptations. This includes a series of animated shorts that parody the series, video games, officially translated manga, and novelizations. Most of these have remained Japan-exclusive and few have any true bearing on either the original or rebuild canon.
Unlike the Baki the Grappler series and the original Berserk anime, which have largely been lost to time, all the Evangelion anime releases are available on major streaming services.
Should I watch the Rebuild of Evangelion or the original series?
The Rebuild of Evangelion series is better to watch for newcomers to the series.
While the original series and The End of Evangelion movie are incredibly influential, their roots as a television series hurt them to some degree. Things move at an awkward pace, with the first three quarters of the series being a slow burn before a sprint to a vague conclusion. While there’s depth and intrigue to the ending, the series takes a whiplash-inducingly sharp turn after a point.
By comparison, the Rebuild of Evangelion is more of a straightforward shonen anime. It features impressive animation and non-stop action, albeit while sacrificing much of the psychological and existential elements of the story. Both the rebuild and the 1990s originals are worth watching, but the rebuild is much easier to digest.
Should you watch Evangelion Death(true)?
Evangelion Death(true) is worth watching for anyone who finds themselves uncertain regarding the ending of the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series. Which is, of course, almost everyone who watches it.
Evangelion Death(true) features little original content, but repackages many scenes from Neon Genesis Evangelion in a way that helps make things more understandable. This helps recontextualize many of the early episodes and provides more cohesive stories for the series’ main characters.
