Evangelion: A New Series from the Creator of NieR:Automata

During the event “EVANGELION:30+; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion,” production of a new Evangelion animated series was officially announced.

The event, held at Yokohama Arena from 21 to 23 February 2026, surprised fans and media worldwide with this closing announcement, as nothing of this magnitude had been teased before the celebration of the franchise’s thirtieth anniversary.

This new project does more than celebrate an anniversary: it represents a genuine creative relaunch for Evangelion three decades after its first television broadcast. Unofficially titled “Next Genesis,” it suggests an expansion of the Neon Genesis Evangelion narrative universe in the form of a sequel or reinterpretation.

Yoko Taro writes Evangelion’s “Next Gen”

The new season of Evangelion, the series that has undoubtedly defined psychological and mecha anime since the mid-1990s, is in development under the aegis of Studio Khara and CloverWorks, two emblematic names in contemporary Japanese animation. But the most surprising aspect of the announcement concerns the creative staff involved.

The scripts and narrative composition of the new series will be handled by the celebrated Yoko Taro, whose actual appearance remains unknown to this day, a writer and game designer known for the action RPG series Drakengard and its NieR spin-offs. With his fragmented, philosophical and psychologically intense storytelling, and his extensive, unpunished use of backwards scriptwriting, Taro brings to Evangelion’s narrative universe a potentially darker, more layered vision, already capable of fuelling high expectations among long-time fans.

Alongside him are long-standing names from the saga: Kazuya Tsurumaki, a veteran director associated with the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and Toko Yatabe, previously an assistant director on Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. The soundtrack will be composed by Keiichi Okabe, best known for his work on NieR and the anime Summer Time Rendering.

The power of feedback: Netflix and the fans’ dubbing controversy

Culturally, Evangelion has long been a milestone in animation: its influence has reached beyond mecha anime, extending into gaming, fiction, music, philosophy and even fashion.

And when the anime arrived on Netflix, fans’ enthusiasm lasted roughly as long as an Angel facing EVA-01 in berserk mode. The platform’s new dub triggered an epic controversy: different voices, ultra-literal adaptations and lines that sounded as if they had come out of an automatic translator caused the hardcore long-time fanbase to revolt.

So, while the work was being discovered and rediscovered by a broader, more diverse audience, social media had turned into a gigantic Third Impact made of memes, heated threads and semi-scientific analyses of why “you don’t mess with Misato’s intonation.” Netflix had to backtrack, removing the dub adapted by Gualtiero Cannarsi, judged cumbersome and outdated, and entrusting a new version to Roberto Stocchi and Laura Cosenza, whose work was positively received by Italian audiences.

In other words, in 2019 human error was still the series’ true central theme.

An Evangelion sequel: confirmed rumours or self-fulfilling prophecies?

No details have yet been revealed about the plot or the series’ release window.

Today’s announcements do, however, have a curious precedent in a rumour from 2024. Hideaki Anno, the original creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion, had floated the idea of a new sequel potentially entrusted to another author, hinting at the possibility of expanding the franchise beyond his direct oversight.

In September 2025, meanwhile, Evangelion: A Cross Reflections was announced, a virtual novel in virtual and augmented reality promising fans an immersive experience, with an alternative plot and characters set within the original series’ 26 episodes, scheduled for release in the first half of this year.

The festival “Evangelion:30+; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion” hosted the world premiere of an animated short titled Evangelion Hōsō 30 Shūnen Kinen Tokubetsu Kōgyō, written by Hideaki Anno and directed by Naoyuki Asano, previously animation supervisor on Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time, from which we can expect new clues about future developments.

Gaming and entertainment are increasingly intertwined: what should we expect?

Overall, the arrival of creative professionals from the video-game industry in film and television screenwriting represents a welcome break with the past. World-building and narratives founded on the choices and responsibilities of the viewer-player put active engagement back at the centre, breaking the passivity of a gaze now numbed by binge-watching.

In this sense, a new chapter of Evangelion written by someone like Yoko Taro, who demands attention and interpretation rather than distracted consumption, promises to inspire an entirely new generation.

All that remains is to wait for further details from Studio Khara and CloverWorks about what will be one of the most eagerly awaited anime events of the coming years.