A brand-new short anime project from the Neon Genisis Evangelion franchise has been officially announced. The new work will premiere as an event-exclusive screening during “EVANGELION: 30+; 30th ANNIVERSARY OF EVANGELION”, a large-scale festival scheduled to take place from February 21 to 23, 2026, at Yokohama Arena.
The newly produced short anime, titled “Evangelion Broadcast 30th Anniversary Commemorative Special Screening,” has a runtime of approximately 13 minutes and is being created specifically for the event. Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno is credited with planning, scriptwriting, and overall supervision, while Naoyuki Asano, who served as animation director on Rebuild Of Evangelion, will direct the short.
In addition, longtime Evangelion staff members Kazuya Tsurumaki, Shinji Higuchi, and Ikki Todoroki are listed as supervisors on the project. At present, story details, characters, and setting remain undisclosed.
The short anime will be world-premiered exclusively at the event venue and will not be available for online or theatrical release. The screening will take place once per day across the three-day festival on a massive LED screen measuring 18 meters wide and 15 meters tall, installed on the main stage.
To view the screening, attendees must either purchase the “STAGE AREA Ticket,” which grants access to all stage programs for a single day, or the “ALL AREA Pass,” which includes entry to both the stage area and the exhibition area titled “EVA EXTRA 30.” No additional fee is required to watch the short anime. However, the ALL AREA Pass is already sold out for all dates.
About Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a Japanese anime franchise created by Hideaki Anno and produced by GAINAX, first broadcast in 1995. Set in a post-apocalyptic world threatened by mysterious beings known as Angels, the series follows a group of teenage pilots tasked with operating biomechanical weapons called Evangelions, humanity’s last defense against extinction.
Beyond its mecha action, Evangelion is widely recognized for its psychological depth, exploring themes such as identity, trauma, depression, isolation, and human connection. Its unconventional storytelling, religious symbolism, and philosophical undertones significantly reshaped the anime industry and influenced generations of creators.
Following the original TV series and its controversial ending, the franchise expanded through multiple films, including The End of Evangelion (1997). In 2007, Anno rebooted the property with the Rebuild of Evangelion film series produced by Studio Khara including: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, and the concluding film Shin Evangelion (2021).
The release of Shin Evangelion marked the definitive conclusion of the main saga and became the franchise’s most commercially successful entry, surpassing ¥10 billion at the Japanese box office. Nearly three decades after its debut, Neon Genesis Evangelion remains one of the most influential and culturally significant anime franchises of all time.
Source: Official Website
