New Neon Genesis Evangelion TV Series Announced With Yoko Taro Joining Studio Khara and CloverWorks
A new Neon Genesis Evangelion series was announced at a 30th anniversary event in Yokohama, Japan, and Yoko Taro will be handling the scripts and series composition. The news matters because it pairs the Evangelion franchise with creators known for unconventional narrative approaches, while leaving key story details deliberately unclear.
Yoko Taro named as series writer
Yoko Taro, creator of the video game NieR, has been tapped to write the scripts and oversee series composition for the new Evangelion TV anime. This move follows a decision that Hideaki Anno will not be writing the scripts for the project. Yoko Taro is already known to wear a large moon mask in public appearances, described in the announcement as a giant and rather unsettling moon mask. The announcement also notes that this is not Yoko Taro's first experience penning television scripts: he co-wrote the NieR: Automata anime spinoff.
Production and directing team: Studio Khara, CloverWorks, Tsurumaki and Yatabe
The series is in production at Studio Khara and CloverWorks. Kazuya Tsurumaki will direct episodes; his credentials cited in the announcement include directing the Rebuild of Evangelion films and the recent Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX anime. He will direct alongside Toko Yatabe, who is credited with work on Evangelion: 3. 0+1. 0 Thrice Upon a Time.
Music and creative pedigree: Keiichi Okabe and NieR connections
Keiichi Okabe will provide the music for the new series. The announcement links Okabe to the NieR franchise and also identifies him as a composer associated with Tekken. The presence of Yoko Taro and Keiichi Okabe reinforces a creative throughline from the NieR universe into this Evangelion project: NieR is described as having rich, complex lore spanning thousands of years and occasionally dipping into a parallel universe.
What is known about the story — and what remains unclear
At present, concrete plot details are scarce. The production team has released a trailer, but the trailer is light on details about story direction. It is currently unclear whether the new TV series will be a remake of the original story, a sequel, or a spin-off along the lines of chibi-inspired Petit Eva: Evangelion@School. Additional narrative specifics were not revealed with the announcement.
Context from both franchises cited in the announcement
The announcement situates the new TV series within a long legacy: the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series famously dealt with teenagers piloting giant robots called Evas against Angels, and explored themes such as existential uncertainty, theology, mental health, anxiety, depression, coming of age, and familial resentment across 26 half-hour episodes and a wrap-up movie that replaced the final two episodes. The Rebuild of Evangelion project was previously released as four feature films that retold the events of the series with different plot elements and a new ending, released between 2007 and 2021.
The announcement also highlights NieR's origin as a spin-off of a PS2 game called Drakengard. One of Drakengard's multiple endings sends a final boss from a fantasy realm to modern-day Tokyo; slaying that boss releases a virus that plagues humankind, which in turn eventually leads to the post-apocalyptic setting of NieR. The materials framing the announcement used a large-genre analogy to describe that chain of events, calling it similar to if the events of a Dragon Quest game somehow led to the world of Resident Evil.
The original Neon Genesis Evangelion series and the End of Evangelion film are described as available on major streaming platforms, while the four Rebuild films are available on other popular streaming services.
Next steps and what to watch for
The announcement was tied to the franchise's 30th anniversary event in Yokohama, and the production credits emphasize the shift in writing duties to Yoko Taro while keeping established Evangelion collaborators on board. Recent updates indicate more details may follow, but for now story type, release schedule and episode count remain unclear. The trailer released with the announcement demonstrates visual intent but does not resolve core plot questions; further official releases will be required to learn whether this series revisits familiar ground or takes Evangelion into new territory under Yoko Taro's stewardship.
