Evangelion Turns 30 — and a Brand-New Anime Series Is Officially in Production

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Evangelion just turned 30 — and instead of only looking back, Studio Khara used the anniversary to confirm the franchise's next chapter is already in motion.

The 30th Anniversary Event

"EVANGELION:30+" ran at Yokohama Arena from February 21-23, 2026, with exhibits, stage events, and merchandise marking three decades since the original 1995 series. A new Asuka-focused short anime premiered on opening day and later streamed free on Studio Khara's YouTube channel starting March 8.

A Brand-New Series, Written by Yoko Taro

The bigger news came on February 23, 2026: Studio Khara officially confirmed a completely new Evangelion anime series is in production, with NieR creator Yoko Taro writing the series and CloverWorks co-producing alongside Studio Khara. No release window, cast, or story details have been revealed — but the confirmation alone marks the franchise's first genuinely new television storyline in decades, distinct from the Rebuild film series that concluded in 2021.

What To Know

Yoko Taro writing a new Evangelion series is a genuinely unusual creative pairing — he's known across an entirely different medium (video games) for narratives that deliberately subvert player/viewer expectations, which raises real questions about how his sensibility will interact with a franchise as thematically dense as Evangelion.

Neon Genesis Evangelion's original 1995-96 run is widely credited with popularizing psychologically complex, deconstructionist storytelling within mecha anime — its influence extends well beyond anime into how Japanese pop culture more broadly treats depression, trauma, and identity as legitimate subjects for mainstream entertainment, not just niche or arthouse work.

What Fans Are Saying

• "Yoko Taro writing Evangelion is such an unexpected but fascinating pairing."
• "30 years and the franchise is still generating this much genuine excitement."
• "CloverWorks and Studio Khara together sounds like a great production combination."

Original Japanese

• 「ヨコオタロウさんがエヴァを手がけるのは意外だけど期待しかない」
• 「30年経ってもこれだけ話題になるのはすごい」
• 「CloverWorksとスタジオカラーの組み合わせは制作面でも楽しみ」

Easy Japanese

『エヴァンゲリオン』の完全新作アニメシリーズが制作されることが発表されました。30周年を記念するイベントで発表されました。