The legendary Evangelion franchise is making a surprise return to the industry anime global with the announcement of its latest project.
After the end of the movie saga Rebuild of Evangelion with Thrice Upon A Time, many fans thought the story had reached its final conclusion. However, Studio Khara confirmed that a new era for the EVA unit and its pilots will soon begin through the television series format.
Information regarding the continuation of the series was finally officially revealed to the public on February 23, 2026. The announcement was made on the last day of the “EVANGELION:30+； 30th ANNIVERSARY OF EVANGELION” event held at the Yokohama Arena.
The project was billed as the “Next Genesis” for the franchise and brought together big names who had not previously been directly involved in the main production.
Yoko Taro Scripts the New Evangelion Series
The biggest surprise of this announcement is the involvement of Yoko Taro in the core staff. The renowned game creator has been officially appointed to handle Script and Series Composition. Yoko Taro is widely known among gamers for his work on the series NieR (NieR: Automata, Replicant) and Drakengard.
This will be Yoko Taro's first time working directly for the mecha franchise. Previously, she was involved in the production of the anime NieR: Automata Ver1.1a and KamiErabi GOD.app. The collaboration between Hideaki Anno's original material and Yoko Taro's signature writing style is certainly something the community is looking forward to.
Studio Khara and CloverWorks Collaboration
In addition to the scriptwriters, the lineup of studios handling the animation has also undergone significant changes. The project will be produced through a collaboration between Studio Khara and CloverWorks.
Studio Khara is Hideaki Anno's studio that holds the intellectual copyright of the series, while CloverWorks is the studio behind popular titles such as Spy x Family, Bocchi the Rock!, and My Dress-Up Darling.
In the Director's chair, Kazuya Tsurumaki is once again trusted to lead the project. Tsurumaki is a veteran who knows the franchise well, having previously directed FLCL, Diebuster, and served as Co-Director for the tetralogy of films Rebuild of Evangelion.
Tsurumaki will not be working alone in directing this series. He will be accompanied by Toko Yatabe as a fellow Director. Toko Yatabe has a solid track record as an Assistant Director in the movie Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time. He has also handled Storyboard and Episode Direction for the anime Chainsaw Man and Character Design for The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe.
Keiichi Okabe Collaborates Again in the Music Sector
The atmosphere of Yoko Taro's story would not be complete without the right musical accompaniment. As such, Keiichi Okabe has also been announced as joining the core staff as Composer. The working relationship between Yoko Taro and Keiichi Okabe goes back decades, most notably through their iconic works in the series NieR and Drakengard.
Besides games, Okabe also has experience handling music for anime such as Summer Time Rendering and Yuki Yuna Is a Hero. The reunion between Taro and Okabe in the Evangelion universe is predicted to result in a soundtrack that is different from the classic Shiro Sagisu feel that has been attached to the series.
First Teaser and Production Status
While the announcement is official, the studio has yet to give an exact release date for the show. However, fans won't have to wait too long to see the first visuals. A video teaser of the new series has been broadcast on Japanese TV channel TBS.
The airing of this teaser was done in conjunction with the premiere of the movie Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time on Japanese terrestrial television.
You can check out the teaser trailer below to get an early idea of the visuals on offer:
In addition to the anime teaser, the anniversary event that took place in Yokohama also showcased many interesting things related to the 30-year journey of the franchise. Here is the atmosphere of the exhibition and event:
This move signifies Studio Khara's seriousness in expanding their reach after the era of feature films. With the TV series format, the story presented is likely to be more complex and in-depth. You can look forward to further updates on this series in the future.
