Neon Genesis Evangelion remains a heavily merchandised franchise in 2026, with collaborations spanning apparel, food, figures, and video games, alongside new streaming availability and a top-ranked theme song.
Neon Genesis Evangelion's 2026 presence is defined by a steady stream of licensed merchandise and cross-media collaborations. Apparel deals led the year: GU released four vintage-style T-shirts on June 22, and GEEKS RULE partnered with PARCO for a world tour selling six designs across Taipei, Hong Kong, and Seoul. Designer Mikio Sakabe announced a footwear and bag collaboration, with orders opening July 8. Collectibles ranged from Blitzway's die-cast Unit-01 figure and Kotobukiya's re-released TV Ver. plastic model to Kawada's Nanoblock kits and Hobby Max's Misato Katsuragi figure. Food and lifestyle items included the Evangelion Osechi 2027 New Year's set and GARRACK mechanical watches using raden inlay.
Digital and streaming access expanded. Criterion Channel will add the original anime and two films on September 1, following GKIDS' 2020 licensing. The Evangelion ANIMA side novel began an audiobook adaptation, with Volume 1 on Audible. In gaming, The First Descendant launched a cosmetic collaboration on June 18, and Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail announced a raid collaboration, Ghost of Desire, with animator Mahiro Maeda handling designs.
Recognition and fan engagement continued. Yoko Takahashi's 'A Cruel Angel's Thesis' topped TBS' Japan's Strongest Anime Songs Best 100, voted by 166 music professionals from 41 countries. A KADOKAWA art collection of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's Evangelion illustrations is scheduled for November 10, 2026, with a limited edition featuring mini shikishi of Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and Kaworu. A personal note came from To Love-Ru creator Kentaro Yabuki, who drew Unit-08 for his son.
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Good Smile Company's MODEROID DX-SCALE line is getting a large Evangelion Unit-01 kit from Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition. Standing about 260mm tall, it features movable joints, molded colors, clear parts, pre-painted parts, and decals. Some armor reacts to blacklight. A LUMINOUS SET EDITION, sold at the Good Smile Company official shop, adds a glowing head and two blacklight stands. Both release in June 2027.
Sega will release two prize figures from The End of Evangelion starting September 18. The XrossLink series figures depict Unit-02 and the EVA Mass Production Unit in battle poses. Each stands about 10 by 16 to 18 centimeters, and displaying them together recreates the film's intense confrontation.
The Evangelion 30th anniversary exhibition 'ALL OF EVANGELION' will run from September 4 to October 12, 2026, at the new PARCO HALL in Nagoya PARCO. Weekday visitors will receive one of five original postcards featuring Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Mari, and Kaworu, while supplies last. Newly drawn banners will also appear in the Osu shopping district from August 1.
New merchandise for the Evangelion 30th Anniversary Exhibition "ALL OF EVANGELION" at the Nagoya venue includes palm-sized plush mascots of Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Mari, and Kaworu, based on newly drawn illustrations and featuring key chains. The exhibition runs from September 4 to October 12, 2026, at PARCO HALL.
GEEKS RULE is holding a world tour with PARCO, selling collaboration T-shirts based on Chainsaw Man, Dandadan, and Neon Genesis Evangelion across three cities. The tour starts in Taipei on August 1, moves to Hong Kong on August 8, and ends in Seoul on September 5. Six shirt designs are available, with some items planned for later release in Japan.
Square Enix announced at FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin that Mahiro Maeda will join the collaboration alliance raid Ghost of Desire, planned for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. Maeda, an animator affiliated with Khara, will handle numerous designs for the Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover.
Criterion Channel will add the Neon Genesis Evangelion television anime and the Evangelion: Death (True)² and The End of Evangelion films on September 1. GKIDS licensed the titles in 2020. The original anime and films had long been out of print in North America.
De Agostini Japan opened reservations on August 4 for Evangelion Osechi 2027, a limited-quantity New Year's food set themed on Neon Genesis Evangelion. The set costs 23,650 yen including tax, with orders accepted until November 30 and delivery scheduled for December 30, 2026. The centerpiece is an original-design jubako box marked with the NERV logo, the words "NERV ONLY" and "TOP SECRET," and the unit numbers EVA-01 and EVA-02. Inside are 37 varieties of Japanese and Western dishes arranged in two tiers: the first tier uses the unit colors of Unit-00, Unit-01, and Unit-02, while the second tier expresses the pilot characters through selected ingredients, including a hamburg steak and broccoli dish inspired by Shinji's lunchbox and a truffle-flavored fruit fromage in Kaworu's image color. The set also includes a water-repellent furoshiki printed with the A.T. Field, paper coasters featuring the five pilots in New Year's attire, celebratory chopsticks with a Unit-01 wrapper, a Lance of Longinus-shaped pick about 15 cm long, and character decoration picks. Planning and manufacturing is by Yamafuku Co., Ltd., with manufacturing consigned to Oichi Chinmi Co., Ltd. The product is frozen and quick-frozen at a domestic factory.
KADOKAWA has revealed the newly drawn illustrations for the mini shikishi included in the limited edition of "Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Art Collection EVANGELION," scheduled for release on November 10, 2026. The four mini shikishi each feature a newly drawn illustration of Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Soryu, and Kaworu Nagisa. The art collection collects approximately 200 pages of illustrations from the Evangelion series that Yoshiyuki Sadamoto has created over the years. The limited edition comes in a B4 variant size, housed in a box, and includes 15 reproduction original artworks. The price is 17,600 yen (tax included). At Kadostore, a set of three A4-size clear files will be available as a purchase bonus. The art collection is published by KADOKAWA and has an ISBN of 978-4-04-117498-2. A special page is available on the KADOKAWA website.
At Wonder Festival 2026 Summer, held in late July 2026, the AmiAmi Hobby Camp booth featured a wide array of new figure displays from multiple manufacturers. Dengeki Hobby Web reported on colored samples of 'DaiBros Core' Rage Nightveil, 'Girls' Frontline 2' 1913 Battlecruiser, and 'NIKKE' Bay, along with prototypes from 'Warship Girls R' and 'Girls' Frontline 2: Exilium' SOP. Other notable exhibits included painted samples of 'Gakuen Idolmaster' Fujita Kotone, 'Sakura Wars' Sakura Shinguji, and 'Evangelion' Rei and Asuka. The Alphamax booth showcased 'Azur Lane' Prinz Eugen and Kansas figures, plus 'Brown Dust II' Frozen Queen Wilhelmina. At the Koi Koi booth, painted samples based on illustrations by Kekemotsu and Michihasu appeared, alongside a prototype of 'To LOVE-Ru' Lala Satalin Deviluke in a swimsuit. Original character figures by DISH, including 'Shibuna Pharaoh' and a tentative 'D-chan', also drew attention. The event featured a mix of licensed properties and original creations from various studios and illustrators.
The official Evangelion side novel Evangelion ANIMA, written by mechanical designer Ikuto Yamashita, is being adapted into an audiobook. Volume 1 is available on Audible, with subsequent volumes releasing from around August 2026. Narrator Sasaki Aitani voices multiple characters.
Blitzway has begun accepting pre-orders for the Carbotix Evangelion Unit-01 action figure, designed with a focus on realistic functionality and die-cast metal construction. The standard version costs 36,300 yen, while a DX version with a hangar is priced at 58,300 yen. Pre-orders opened June 30.
Designer Mikio Sakabe, under the label MIKIOSAKABE, has announced a collaboration with the Evangelion series. Seven types of shoes and bags will be released, incorporating visual elements from the series. Orders open July 8 through the MIKIOSAKABE & JennyFax online store, with an in-person order event in Tokyo on July 18-19.
Blitzway Japan announced pre-orders for the CARBOTIX Evangelion Unit-01 die-cast action figure, opening June 30, 2026. The figure comes in a standard edition and a DX Ver. with a hangar diorama. The standard edition costs 36,300 yen, the DX Ver. 58,300 yen, with shipments scheduled for December 2026.
Yoko Takahashi's 'A Cruel Angel's Thesis' from Neon Genesis Evangelion took the top spot in TBS' Japan's Strongest Anime Songs Best 100 ranking, voted on by 166 music professionals from 41 countries. Naruto Shippuden's 'Blue Bird' and Dragon Ball Z's 'CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA' placed second and third, respectively.
GU will release a collaboration with Neon Genesis Evangelion starting June 22. The lineup includes four vintage-style T-shirts featuring characters and Evangelion units, priced at 1,990 yen each.
Kawada announced two Nanoblock sets based on Evangelion's EVA Unit-01 and Unit-02, releasing in Japan on July 18, 2026 and in the US on September 25, 2026. Each kit costs about $11 in Japan and $15.95 in the US. Unit-01 has 280 pieces and stands 115mm tall, while Unit-02 has 290 pieces and stands 108mm tall. Both are rated three out of five in difficulty and feature posable arms and legs.
NEXON announced on June 12 that a collaboration between its free-to-play looter shooter The First Descendant and the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion will begin on June 18. A trailer released alongside the announcement shows Descendants wearing plug suit-style costumes modeled after Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Shikinami, and Mari Illustrious Makinami. The collaboration is cosmetic, with full-body skins, weapon skins, and social motions expected. NEXON has not yet detailed the sales format or full item list. An upcoming developer livestream on the game's official YouTube channel will introduce collaboration items and events ahead of the June 18 launch, along with June update content. The First Descendant is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. The game previously collaborated with NieR: Automata and Bayonetta.
Ueni Trading is releasing a mechanical watch collection under the GARRACK brand, featuring three models themed on Evangelion units 01, 02, and 00. The dials use the raden mother-of-pearl inlay technique, with a Japanese-made MIYOTA automatic movement. Prices range from 77,000 to 79,200 yen, available at Evangelion stores and Ikebukuro TOKYO-01.
GU will release a collaboration with Neon Genesis Evangelion starting June 22. The lineup includes four vintage-style wash-processed T-shirts featuring the main visual with Shinji, Asuka, and Rei, as well as designs for Unit-01 and Unit-02. Each T-shirt costs 1,990 yen tax included.
Manga artist Kentaro Yabuki, known for To Love-Ru, drew an illustration of Evangelion Unit-08 for his preschool-age son. The boy requested the pink mecha after seeing it on Yabuki's collection shelf. Yabuki shared the anecdote and drawing on his sub-X account, where it drew comments about the father-son moment and the rare robot art.
GU will release four vintage-style T-shirts featuring Neon Genesis Evangelion characters and mecha, including a main visual design with Shinji, Asuka, and Rei, plus Unit-01 and Unit-02 shirts. Each T-shirt costs 1,990 yen and goes on sale June 22.
Hobby Max Japan has started accepting pre-orders for a new figure of Misato Katsuragi from Neon Genesis Evangelion. The figure is based on a manga volume cover illustration and features a leather-finish costume, a jacket draped over her shoulders, and a handgun in her right hand. Pre-orders run from May 26 to June 30 at 23,980 yen.
Kotobukiya is reprinting the Evangelion Unit-01 TV Ver. plastic model, originally sculpted by Yuichi Kuwamura. The kit reproduces the TV series design with a wide range of motion, including articulated fingertips for breaking AT fields. It includes multiple hand parts, pre-painted pieces, and accessories like the entry plug and progressive knife. The model is priced at 6,380 yen and ships in November.
A writer for Japan Powered reflects on how turning anime into a subject for analysis has eroded the ability to watch it purely for enjoyment. The habit of comparing every narrative to touchstone series and hunting for article ideas means even bad shows get watched, and relaxation only comes from re-watching stories already mined for content.