All 6 Neon Genesis Evangelion Movies, Ranked From Worst to Best

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the greatest anime franchises of all time. Evangelion takes the mecha genre to its logical conclusion by asking, “what would really happen if children were forced to pilot giant robots?” The series starts off like a traditional mecha anime, much like Mobile Suit Gundam, only to quickly spiral out of control as the main characters sink deeper into their personal psychological problems and fail to properly confront their trauma.

The original Neon Genesis Evangelion anime is a bleak, depressing, and at times deeply uncomfortable story that uses its mecha foundation to explore themes of identity, self-harm, childhood trauma, and depression with an impressive amount of nuance. Evanvgelion infamously ran out of budget near the end of its run, resulting in an iconic, thought-provoking ending that frankly just proves that limitations bolster art.

Following the end of the Evangelion anime, the series came back for a proper grand finale movie titled The End of Evangelion. Years later, Evnagelion returned yet again in a series that started as a remake, only to make it clear it was actually a sequel. Between the original Evangelion and the Rebuild of Evangelion reboot, there have been a handful of Neon Genesis Evangelion movies. Some are just as good, if not better, than the original anime, while others leave a lot to be desired.

6

Death & Rebirth is a Glorified Compilation Movie

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth is the first and worst Evangelion movie. Death & Rebirth released nearly a full year after the original NGE anime ended. The movie is split into two parts, Death and Rebirth. Evangelion: Death is a recap of the first 24 episodes of the anime, speed running the show in just 72 minutes. It goes without saying, but Evangelion: Death fails to do the anime justice and is no way a replacement for actually watching Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Evangelion: Rebirth is the first 24 minutes of The End of Evangelion. At the time of its release, this was the only way to experience new material after the anime’s movie. That said, Evangelion: Rebirth suffers from basically being a prologue with no real ending, while also being made totally redundant by The End of Evangelion now existing. Unless you want to experience a piece of Evangelion history or, for whatever reason, need a super quick recap of the anime, Death & Rebirth simply isn’t worth watching.

5

3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is Frustrating By Design

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is the third movie in the Rebuild of Evangelion reboot and feels like the Rebuild’s take on Episodes 24 through 26 of the Neon Genesis Evangelion. 3.0 features beautiful animation, amazing music, and some of Kaworu’s best material in the entire series, but suffers from some frustrating narrative decisions. The movie takes place after a time skip that jumps over what the cast did between 2.0 and 3.0.

This is done to make the audience understand and feel Shinji’s confusion on a profound level, but doesn’t exactly do the story any favors. Not helping matters is the fact that the preview for 3.0 promised some genuinely interesting material that just gets glossed over. Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is quite possibly the most depressing entry in the series. There is an air of hopelessness that permeates the entire movie, for better or worse.

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4

1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Beautifully Remakes the Anime’s First Story Arc

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone was the first movie in the Rebuild series and is the only entry that feels like a proper remake of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Featuring gorgeous new animation that heavily punches up the action, You Are (Not) Alone remakes the first six episodes of the Evangelion anime, showing Shinji’s introduction to NERV and his growing relationships with Misato and Rei. On multiple levels, Evangelion 1.0 is a fantastic film.

On one hand, it’s a great remake that lulls the viewer into a false sense of security that later Rebuild movies will be traditional remakes, only to brilliantly pull the rug out from underneath the viewer. On the other hand, 1.0 features several hints that the Rebuild saga is actually a sequel to Neon Genesis Evangelion, like the sea being red like at the end of The End of Evangelion. The Kaworu post-credits scene is also a great plot twist that promises there’s so much more to the Rebuild “remake” than meets the eye. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is a perfect balance of early Evangelion’s quaint atmosphere and the chaos that defined the end of the series.

3

2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Made It Feel Like Anything Could Happen in the Rebuilds

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance starts out like a normal remake of the next few episodes of Evangelion, only to quickly branch out into a wholly new take on the material. 2.0 features some of the best Gendo and Shinji interactions in the entire series, while sporting excellent action, and amazing character development for Shinji that perfectly (and painfully) sets up his arc for the rest of the Rebuild series.

The highlight of Evangelion: 2.0 is the movie’s ending, where Shinji prematurely triggers Third Impact multiple episodes before it’s meant to happen. The chaos and horror of the last few minutes, all wrapped up in a warped moment of control for Shinji. Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance is one of the best anime movies of all time, masterfully tricking the viewer into thinking Shinji can truly change his fate in the Rebuild.

2

3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is a Masterful End to the Evangelion Franchise

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is currently the grand finale to the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, and the series could not have asked for a better ending. Thrice Upon a Time finally shows the state of the world after 3.0 merely hinted at it, featuring some of the best-written and directed “slice of life” material in the entire series. The downtime in the first half of the movie offers Shinji, Asuka, and Rei absolutely phenomenal character development while perfectly setting up the movie’s endgame.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’s second half is one of the best things to come out of modern anime, period. The movie builds off, embraces, and counters The End of Evangelion brilliantly, giving fans a deep dive into Gendo’s psyche and finally giving Shinji the deepest catharsis possible. Thrice Upon a Time is an absolute triumph of the anime medium, featuring some of the best animation, drama, and emotion in the entire franchise, wrapping up the Evangelion saga in a beautiful bow. Thrice Upon a Time comes so close to being the absolute best movie in the series.

1

The End of Evangelion is the Greatest Anime Movie of All Time

The End of Evangelion is an absolute masterpiece. The movie takes place during Episodes 25 and 26 of the Neon Genesis Evangelion, showing what actually happened while everyone was going through Instrumentality, and detailing the downfall of NERV, SEELE, and mankind as Third Impact finally happens. The End of Evangelion is a deep, dense character study of who Shinji is as a character, forcing him to confront himself far more harshly than he did during the original anime.

The End of Evangelion’s oppressive atmosphere accurately mirrors Hideaki Anno’s deep depression while making the series, making for a film that feels downright hostile towards its audience at times – but EoE is all the better for it. The End of Evangelion features the best animation, art direction, and music in the series. The End of Evangelion is the absolute peak of what the franchise is capable of artistically, and a movie everyone should watch at least once in their lifetime, not just anime fans. Just make sure to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion first.