Yoko Taro is writing a new Evangelion television series for Studio Khara and CloverWorks while his 2027 stage restaging of Shonen YoRHa ver 1.2 moves through open auditions. He appears in public mainly as an interviewer and panel MC, most recently at The Tenth Mosaic on September 22 and 23, 2026.
Taro's best-documented activity in this coverage is writing rather than directing. Studio Khara announced at the Evangelion:30+ 30th Anniversary event that a new Evangelion television series is in development with Taro as series composer and scriptwriter, co-produced with CloverWorks. Kazuya Tsurumaki directs alongside Toko Yatabe, Keiichi Okabe composes, and Hideaki Anno is not listed among the lead creative credits. Story details, release timing, and cast have not been announced. Days later, a visual Taro produced with singer Yoko Takahashi ran during The Weeknd's September 19 show at Saitama's Belluna Dome, using Neon Genesis Evangelion clips and a sample of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis."
His stage work moved forward separately. Kyodo Medias announced that Shonen YoRHa ver 1.2, sharing a worldview with NieR:Automata, will be restaged in 2027 with Taro on original work and script, Matsuta Ichidai directing, and Okabe Keiichi composing. Tokyo dates are November 28 to December 5, 2027 at Theater G-Rosso; Osaka dates are December 16 to December 19 at Cool Japan Park Osaka TT Hall. Auditions close October 18.
Much of the recent coverage shows Taro in conversation rather than in production. He opened The Tenth Mosaic, a game culture event at the Institut francais de Tokyo, in a talk with ENDER LILIES director Keisuke Okabe. Okabe described a stress-driven method: when envy of a strong game sets in, he plays a Steam title with Mixed user reviews to rebuild confidence and studies its missteps. Taro said he does not feel envy and described his own role as filling gaps no one else has covered. Separately, Taro approached Denfaminicogamer to request an interview with the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined team so he could learn how its art was achieved; the resulting feature names art director Tatsuro Asano and a process using photogrammetry of dolls and a four-tone black-and-white blur.
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At The Tenth Mosaic, held September 22 and 23 at the Tokyo French Institute, Yoko Taro opened the festival in conversation with Keisuke Okabe, director of ENDER LILIES. Okabe said he came to games from doujin manga, was hired by Neverland Company, drew and wrote for a mobile project, and grew into directing. ENDER LILIES began as a Slack proposal, reached a three-month mockup, and shipped after three to four years with roughly 500 million yen.
Kyodo Medias announced that Shonen YoRHa ver 1.2, a stage play sharing a worldview with NieR:Automata, will be restaged in 2027. Yoko Taro handles original work and script, Matsuta Ichidai directs, and Okabe Keiichi composes. Tokyo performances run November 28 to December 5, 2027 at Theater G-Rosso; Osaka runs December 16 to December 19 at Cool Japan Park Osaka TT Hall. Auditions close October 18.
Yoko Taro, director of NieR:Automata, and Keisuke Okabe, director of ENDER LILIES and ENDER MAGNOLIA, held a one-hour talk session at The Tenth Mosaic, a game culture event at the Institut francais de Tokyo in Tokyo on September 22 and 23, 2026. Taro served as MC and drew out Okabe on the making of the ENDER series. Okabe described a method he calls "stress-driven development": when envy of a strong game sets in, he plays a Steam title with Mixed user reviews to rebuild his confidence, then studies its missteps for his own work. He said he picks such games when the store page pitch reads well but the ratings do not. Taro said he never feels envy and described his own role as filling gaps no one else has covered.
The Weeknd's After Hours Til Dawn Tour presented a visual piece produced by NieR:Automata director Yoko Taro and singer Yoko Takahashi. It ran during the September 19 show at Saitama's Belluna Dome and uses clips from Neon Genesis Evangelion, samples of Takahashi's "A Cruel Angel's Thesis," and Evangelion-style imagery. Cast and staff shared photos and video afterward.
Yoko Taro, creator of the NieR series, approached Denfaminicogamer in March 2026 with an unusual request: interview the team behind Dragon Quest VII Reimagined so he could learn how its in-game art was achieved. The resulting feature reveals art director Tatsuro Asano, a self-taught illustrator who worked at an eyeglass store until his mid-30s, used photogrammetry of actual dolls and a four-tone black-and-white blur process to create the game's diorama-like visual style.
Anime Feminist's weekly round-up for February 25 to March 3, 2026, covers several industry stories. A major focus is the controversy around Manga One, which secretly rehired a writer convicted of sexual abuse against minors. Multiple manga creators, including One (One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100), Haruko Kurumatani (Nakasetakute Doushiyou), and Misaki Takamatsu (Skip and Loafer), publicly condemned the publisher. Witch Hat Atelier creator Kamome Shirahama also commented, asking for compensation for an illustrator harmed by the situation. The round-up also includes a discussion of the manga Tank Chair and its cripple punk motifs, an interview with the director and producer of Champignon Witch, and an analysis of gender performance in In the Clear Moonlit Dusk. Other topics include a review of Peter Grill and the Philosopher's Time criticizing its sexual politics, a report on the growing trend of men wearing makeup in Japan influenced by K-beauty, and a post about Seven Seas Entertainment stating it will not use AI in translations after its acquisition by MediaDo. The round-up also notes the passing of KyoAni founder Hideaki Hatta.
A new Neon Genesis Evangelion television series is in development, with NieR creator Yoko Taro attached as series composer and scriptwriter. Studio Khara announced the project during the final program of the Evangelion:30+ 30th Anniversary of Evangelion event over the weekend. The series will be co-produced with CloverWorks, known for Spy x Family. Story details, release timing, and cast have not been revealed. Kazuya Tsurumaki, a longtime Evangelion collaborator and director of FLCL, will direct alongside Toko Yatabe, who has worked extensively within the franchise. Keiichi Okabe, another key NieR creative voice, will compose the music. Original Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno is not listed among the lead creative credits. The announcement positions the project as the franchise's first completely new TV installment in years, fueled by the creative team's well-regarded profiles for atmosphere and story crafting.