Fifteen years following the devastating Second Impact, humanity faces relentless assaults from colossal entities known as Angels targeting Tokyo-3. Conventional military might proves futile against these foes, leaving survival in the hands of NERV, a clandestine group commanded by the stern Gendou Ikari. NERV deploys giant humanoid mechs called Evangelions, armed with advanced weaponry and shielded by Absolute Terror Fields, to combat the Angels. Shinji Ikari, a fourteen-year-old, returns to Tokyo-3 after years of abandonment by his father. Haunted by the loss of his mother and his father's icy demeanor, Shinji fears forming attachments. His world shifts upon meeting Misato Katsuragi, a twenty-nine-year-old high-ranking NERV officer who offers the warmth and care he has long lacked. An abrupt Angel incursion compels Shinji to act, exposing Gendou's true motive for summoning him: Shinji possesses the unique ability to synchronize with Evangelion Unit-01, a robot that responds to his biological signals. Despite the severe psychological strain of piloting an Evangelion, Shinji becomes Tokyo-3's guardian against the angelic threat, oblivious to his father's concealed agenda.

Background

Director Hideaki Anno's depression is what led to the dark themes of Shinseiki Evangelion. Budgetary problems and parental complaints about content led to the original ending being scrapped and replaced with an extremely limited-animation ending breaking from the main plot. A movie, Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni, was later made based in part on the original planned ending and in part on Anno's increasing frustration with the otaku fanbase. The series' mix of psychoanalysis, religious symbolism, and genre deconstruction proved extremely influential on mature anime in the late '90s onward. The Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006 ranked it as the most popular anime of all time.