Evangelion Resurrected: New Series Announced for 30th Anniversary with Yoko Taro and Star Directors

On February 23, 2026, during the final program of "EVANGELION:30+; 30th ANNIVERSARY OF EVANGELION," a shocking initial announcement regarding the production of an entirely new series for the popular anime franchise Evangelion was made, generating immense buzz among fans. According to the announcement, the new series will be produced by Studio Khara and CloverWorks. Yoko Taro, known for the NieR series, will be in charge of series composition and script. Kazuya Tsurumaki and Toko Yatabe will serve as directors, with Keiichi Okabe handling the music, revealing a star-studded production team.

In response to this news, numerous voices of excitement and anticipation have filled social media. Fans expressed their enthusiasm with comments like "What incredibly exciting news!" and "The release of the first footage for a brand-new series on TV makes my heart pound as a fan." Great expectations are being placed on how the Eva world will evolve under this new creative team, with many looking forward to how the story and visual expression will advance given the impressive lineup. Specifically, Yoko Taro's involvement has sparked particular interest, with questions arising such as "Will the story delve into a decadent worldview?" highlighting curiosity about how his distinctive style will influence Evangelion.

On the other hand, long-time fans have expressed a range of reactions. Some hope for the completion of past works, such as "I want to see the episodes between Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance and Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo." Others voiced bewilderment at the series' continuation, saying things like "I feel like there's nothing left to do, but they're still going?" and "The story ended so beautifully, they should just let it rest." There were also expressions of deep affection for existing characters and anxiety about potential changes, with comments like "They won't change the characters, right? I've loved those kids forever..." Furthermore, fundamental questions about the series' identity were raised, such as "If Hideaki Anno isn't involved, then 'Is that truly Eva?' I might wonder."

As symbolized by the poignant comment, "So Eva isn't over yet," the Evangelion series, which once seemed to have concluded, is restarting in an entirely new form on its 30th anniversary. Amidst a mix of fan expectations and concerns, further information releases are eagerly awaited.

The context

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a highly influential Japanese anime franchise created by Hideaki Anno, first airing in 1995. It is renowned for its complex psychological themes, philosophical and religious symbolism, and deconstruction of the giant robot (mecha) genre. The series follows a group of teenagers who pilot massive bio-mechanical mechas called "Evangelions" to fight alien beings known as Angels and prevent a global catastrophe.

The franchise has a long and often contentious history of endings, with its original TV series finale and subsequent film The End of Evangelion sparking intense fan debate. More recently, the "Rebuild of Evangelion" film series (Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, and Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time) was released, largely seen as Hideaki Anno's definitive conclusion to the saga. The announcement of an "entirely new series" for the 30th anniversary, especially with Anno's main studio, Studio Khara, involved but without him explicitly named as director or head writer, comes as a major surprise to many, challenging the perception that the story was truly finished.

The involvement of Yoko Taro, known for his unique and often dark narratives in video games like the NieR and Drakengard series, is particularly noteworthy. His signature style, which often explores themes of existentialism, nihilism, and the deconstruction of traditional storytelling, suggests a potentially fresh and perhaps unsettling direction for the Evangelion universe. Kazuya Tsurumaki, a long-time associate of Anno and director on previous Evangelion projects (including FLCL and Rebuild films), provides a link to the franchise's past, while CloverWorks is a prominent anime studio known for high-quality productions.