Neon Genesis Evangelion is an anime classic from the 1990s, one that blends mecha robot action with coming-of-age arcs and profound concepts of religion, philosophy, and the very essence of life itself. While the original anime series lasted for a single season of 26 episodes, the franchise evolved to incorporate many films that can confuse the viewer in terms of narrative.
If you are curious about where to start with Neon Genesis Evangelion, we have a streaming guide that will kickstart your journey into the surreal world of Hideaki Anno’s iconic anime.
How to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion in order
Beginners to the franchise can start by watching the original anime series which presents a complete story on its own. Evangelion: Death(true)2 serves as a skippable follow-up which is essentially an hour-long recap of the entire series.
After finishing the anime, some viewers can also choose to watch the film The End of Evangelion which offers a different ending, replacing the anime’s final two episodes.
Original series:
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Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996)
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Evangelion: Death(true)2 (1998)
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The End of Evangelion (1997)
A decade later, a new Neon Genesis film series sought to retell the story of the entire anime with some additional subplots and characters. Titled the “Rebuild of Evangelion”, the four films in this series can be watched in the same order as their release date.
Rebuild of Evangelion series:
Regardless of which series you choose to watch first, the general premise remains the same. Set in a post-apocalyptic Japan plagued by gargantuan alien creatures called “Angels”, the humans set out to fight them in biomechanical mecha suits known as Evangelion. However, the anime is more than just a good vs evil saga as each suit requires a teenage pilot of sound mind.
With protagonist Shinji Ikari and two other pilots in the forefront, the anime explores the mental and physical limits to which the trio is tested. Instead of just taking down their extraterrestrial enemies, Shinji and the others must also discover the very cause of human actions and confront their own deepest fears, making Neon Genesis Evangelion a more psychologically-motivated watch than other conventional anime series. This might appear like Gundam on the surface but this is not your average robots-fighting-aliens anime.
Why does Neon Genesis Evangelion have multiple endings?
Despite boasting impressive animation and profound storytelling throughout, the budget for Neon Genesis Evangelion’s original anime ran out towards the final few episodes. This led the story to be wrapped up quicker than expected and viewers got a two-part finale that was filled with hallucinatory sequences and a mind-numbing open-ended conclusion.
While many anime fans have gone on to appreciate the complex and abstract ending years later, initial responses were more mixed. To clear the air around the final two episodes, director Hideaki Anno later got involved in a theatrical release The End of Evangelion that sought to offer a clearer perspective on the ending.
But continuing discussion and speculation on the ending of NGE led to a total reboot with four movies that formed the Rebuild the Evangelion series. Apart from fleshing out the anime arcs even further, the intent of the reboot movies was also to introduce the world of Evangelion to new fans at the time.
Where can you stream Neon Genesis Evangelion in order?
One can watch the original Neon Genesis Evangelion anime, Evangelion: Death(true)2, and The End of Evangelion on Netflix. All movies of Rebuild the Evangelion series can be watched on Amazon Prime Video.
