How to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion in order – including the Rebuild movies

Shinji sitting in EVA in Neon Genesis Evangelion
(Image credit: Studio Khara)

Watching Neon Genesis Evangelion in order is easy, if you know how.

But, for the uninitiated, it can soon turn into a nightmare. The original 26-episode anime series is soon followed by an End of Evangelion movie and the 'Rebuild' entries, big-screen adventures that are re-imaginings, remakes, and sort-of sequels. It's... confusing.

As you can imagine, you might need a guide if you're watching Neon Genesis Evangelion in order for the first time. To help, we'll paint the full picture of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion anime, End of Evangelion, the four Rebuild movies, and everything else, skippable or otherwise.

For more, be sure to check out the best anime to watch right now (a certain Neon Genesis Evangelion makes the cut) as well as a larger look at the new anime in 2024. We also have guides to Jujutsu Kaisen season 3, the Chainsaw Man movie, and One-Punch Man season 3.

How to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion in order – anime, End of Evangelion, and Rebuild movies

Shinji in the Neon Genesis Evangelion finale

(Image credit: Netflix/Gainax)

Watching Neon Genesis Evangelion in release order is undoubtedly the best way to do things. That’s helped enormously by Netflix having the worldwide streaming rights to the mainline series, including the director’s cuts of episodes 21-24.

The original versions of those episodes are harder to track down and, honestly, not worth it. The director’s cuts are more comprehensive.

One thing to note is the subtitles for the Netflix versions have been tweaked slightly – and led to some controversy over the relationship between two of the characters. The choice is yours, but Netflix is far more accessible.

So, that makes it quite easy: watch all 26 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix. Then, you’ll need to complete Shinji's story with the feature-length End of Evangelion movie (also on Netflix).

The initial Neon Genesis Evangelion watch order for the anime only, then, looks like this:

  • Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes 1-26 [1995-1996]
  • End of Evangelion [1997]

Asuka in the Neon Genesis Evangelion rebuild movies

(Image credit: Gainax/Studio Khara)

In the 21st Century, show creator Hideaki Anno retold the story of Evangelion in a series of four movies titled the Rebuild of Evangelion.

As you might expect, they are confusingly titled: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.

For their home releases, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 were all given extended cuts with additional scenes, called 1.11, 2.22, 3.33. They’re the ones you need to seek out – and they’re all available on Amazon's Prime Video streaming service.

For pretty heavy spoiler reasons, the Rebuild movies should be watched after the mainline series even though they are (mostly) separate versions of the same story and stand alone as their own adventures. Here’s the order – making particular note that, again, you should watch 1.11 instead of 1.0, 2.22 instead of 2.0, and so on.

  • Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone (2007)
  • Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance (2009)
  • Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo (2012)
  • Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)

As they're all available on Prime Video worldwide, you’ll need both an Amazon and Netflix membership to get the complete picture of the series outside of forking over serious money for the physical releases.

TL;DR? Watch all 26 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix, End of Evangelion, then the four Rebuild movies. Simple!

The full Neon Genesis Evangelion watch order looks like this:

Complete Neon Genesis Evangelion watch order

Mari in Evangelion:3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon A Time

(Image credit: Toho)
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes 1-26 (inc. episodes 21-24 director’s cuts) [1995-1996] Available on Netflix
  • End of Evangelion [1997] Available on Netflix
  • Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone (2007) Available on Amazon Prime Video
  • Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance (2009) Available on Amazon Prime Video
  • Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo (2012) Available on Amazon Prime Video
  • Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021) Available on Amazon Prime Video

How to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion in chronological order

Neon Genesis Evangelion chronological order

(Image credit: Netflix/Gainax)

Honestly? Watching Neon Genesis Evangelion in chronological order is a tough ask. Mercifully, the first 24 episodes can be watched as normal. Then, it gets a little tricky.

Series protagonist Shinji then becomes part of a major event that technically takes place during episodes 25 and 26 and also the End of Evangelion movie. If you want to go super in-depth and granular with the chronological order, you can watch episodes 1-24, the first hour of End of Evangelion, then episodes 25 and 26 for a more introspective look at the main characters during a significant plot beat. Then you’re free to finish up End of Evangelion before moving on to the Rebuild movies.

We’d recommend just sticking with the main order above – but the option is here if you want it. At the very least, it gives greater context to the utterly bewildering final two episodes of a series that, famously, ran out of steam (and budget) during its original run.

Neon Genesis Evangelion order – should I skip Evangelion: Death(True)2?

Neon Genesis Evangelion watch order

(Image credit: Netflix/Gainax)

The only skippable piece of mainline Evangelion media is a curiosity that can also be found on Netflix called Evangelion: Death(True)2, otherwise known as Evangelion: Death and Rebirth.

The ‘Death’ portion of the movie is a recap of the entire series with some newly-drawn scenes, as well as some larger world-building that's covered in the series' director cut episodes. The ‘Rebirth’ section is just the first third of End of Evangelion – and was released as a teaser for Japanese audiences in 1997. Our advice? Skip it. You’re not missing out on anything important, but it does technically come after episode 26 and before End of Evangelion in terms of release dates if you're in a completionist mood.

Phew. We made it! For more, check out the best anime on Netflix and how to watch Attack on Titan in order.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Read more
How to watch Attack on Titan in order
How to watch Attack on Titan in order
Tanjiro in the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle arc
How to watch Demon Slayer in order
Haikyu
How to watch Haikyuu in order (anime series and movies)
Dragon Ball in order: Goku, Bulma and Yamcha in the anime, Dragon Ball.
How to watch Dragon Ball in order (TV shows and movies)
Pokemon
How to watch Pokemon in order: a complete guide to the TV show and movies
Ichigo in a sword fight with Renji during the events of Bleach
How to watch Bleach in order (TV show and movies)
Latest in Animation Shows
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A looks to finally bring my anime-inspired dreams of truly active combat to life
Mark in Invincible season 3
Two years after first teasing it, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has arrived in Invincible – and he could be the show's best villain yet
Spider-Man in the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man finale
Marvel EP shares hopes to release a new Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man series every year
Slam Dunk
Hate anime? 32 anime movies and TV shows to change your mind
Pokemon Concierge
All episodes of one of the best Pokemon TV shows are now free to watch on YouTube, with the reminder that more is on the way
jinx in 2xko weilding a big hammer with a smirk on her face
The League of Legends fighting game spin-off won't be getting its big playtest, but that's so that more of you can play it later this year
Latest in News
a titanium watch with grey and orange features on the arms and face
You can look like Solid Snake with this Death Stranding 2 watch, but it'll cost you over $1,500
Monster Hunter Wilds trailer screenshot showing a young woman with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail smiling slightly, pumping her left fist in the air
Monster Hunter Wilds' Gemma actor requests "tips for beginners" from fans of Capcom's action RPG as it's the "first MH game that I've ever played"
Doom: The Dark Ages screenshot
Doom director claims The Dark Ages can be beaten without using a gun, but "the game's not necessarily built to do that"
Giancarlo Esposito in The Electric State
The Electric State may be the Russo brothers' most challenging VFX project yet, but stars Stanley Tucci and Giancarlo Esposito say it's one of the easiest films they’ve ever done
The Last of Us season 2 trailer shows spores
The Last of Us season 2 is bringing in one of the biggest game omissions from season 1 – and the showrunners say it's for a "good reason"
Chris Cocks with a transformer grimmacing behind him
Hasbro CEO, D&D DM, and self-professed "AI bull" Chris Cocks says AI is "supercharging fandom" which is "just net good for the brand"