The 1990s are often remembered as a golden era for anime, but at the time, many in the Japanese industry thought the medium had hit a creative wall. That changed in 1995 when Neon Genesis Evangelion premiered. It was a psychological, philosophical, and genre-bending mecha story that redefined what anime could be. Created and directed by Hideaki Anno, Evangelion is today recognized as the most influential science-fiction anime of all time. But contrary to popular belief, it did not originate from a manga. Instead, the anime was the original work, and its manga counterpart existed to promote the TV series rather than serve as its source.
Production on Neon Genesis Evangelion began as early as 1993, during a period when Anno struggled with depression and was in an emotional battle that was deeply reflected in the themes and characters of the series. His goal was to create a mecha anime that appealed to the otaku community while breaking free from genre conventions. The result was a cultural earthquake. When Evangelion aired in 1995, it revitalized the industry, gained an enormous cult following, and became one of the most analyzed pieces of media ever created.
Like many anime originals, Evangelion launched with supplemental material, including a manga adaptation. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto’s manga debuted on December 26th, 1994 ten months before the anime. This timing led many fans to assume the manga came first. But Sadamoto worked directly with Anno and the anime production team to adapt Anno’s story, not the other way around. Once the anime aired, it quickly outpaced the manga, covering more narrative ground and ultimately defining the franchise’s core identity.
Though the manga ran until 2013, long after the original series ended, it remained as a complementary interpretation and not the foundation of the franchise.
Sadamoto has repeatedly stated that the Evangelion manga should be viewed as its own independent work. While it follows the major events of the anime, it prioritizes clarity, character development, and conventional storytelling over the surreal, symbolic, and experimental approach that defined Anno’s version.
Characters in the manga are often more grounded. Shinji is less paralyzed by fear and self-loathing, Kaworu appears earlier, and nearly every character is given more comprehensible emotional arcs. Fans often praise the manga for making the cast feel more human and for expanding on their motivations. However, the biggest difference lies in the ending.
Where the anime’s finale and later The End of Evangelion embraced psychological abstraction and emotional deconstruction, the manga opts for a more optimistic conclusion. Shinji rejects Instrumentality, and instead of a world reborn amid cosmic despair, he awakens in an alternate reality where none of the previous trauma occurred. He meets Asuka at a train station, both free of their pasts. The hopeful tone dramatically contrasts with Anno’s more challenging, polarizing finales.
Despite debates over which ending is best, every iteration of Evangelion has its fans. The original 1995 anime, the End of Evangelion film, the manga, and the Rebuild of Evangelion movie series all reinterpret the story of Shinji Ikari in unique ways. Yet all roads lead back to the groundbreaking original TV series, the version that reshaped the mecha genre and the anime industry as a whole.
Evangelion’s influence spans decades. Just as Anno drew inspiration from titles like Mobile Suit Gundam, Space Battleship Yamato, and Devilman, later creators would draw heavily from Evangelion. This includes beloved works such as Serial Experiments Lain, RahXephon, and Darling in the Franxx, all spiritual descendants of Anno’s masterpiece.
Above all, Evangelion proved anime could be emotionally raw, philosophically dense, symbolically rich, and profoundly personal. Nearly 30 years later, it remains a transformative force that continues to inspire creators and challenge viewers. Whether through its anime, manga, or films, Neon Genesis Evangelion endures as one of the most iconic, important, and impactful works in science fiction and one that didn’t start with a manga at all.
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