Evangelion watch order
Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari is summoned to Tokyo-3 by the father who abandoned him and ordered to pilot Eva Unit-01 against the mysterious Angels attacking the city. Hideaki Anno's 26-episode series got two endings in the 1990s, then a four-film retelling, the Rebuild of Evangelion, that finished in 2021.
First time? Watch Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes 1–26, then The End of Evangelion. Later, watch the four Rebuild films in order, ending with Thrice Upon a Time.
Story order
The original continuity first: episodes 1–26, then The End of Evangelion. Then the Rebuild films, a separate continuity, with the 3.0 (-46h) prologue in its place between 2.0 and 3.0. Recaps and the Petit Eva parody are left out.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (episodes 1–24)
Shinji joins NERV and fights the Angels alongside Rei and, from episode 8, Asuka, as the show turns darker and more psychological in its second half. Episodes 21–24 exist in original and Director's Cut versions; the cuts add a few minutes of scenes and are what Netflix streams.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (episodes 25–26)
The original TV ending, told almost entirely inside the characters' minds rather than showing what happens in the world. Watch it: The End of Evangelion is the outside view of the same events, not a replacement you can watch instead.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
An 87-minute film made up of Episode 25': Air and Episode 26': Sincerely Yours, showing the ending from the outside: the attack on NERV and what happens to the world. Essential; watch it right after episode 26.
- Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
The first Rebuild film: a close remake of TV episodes 1–6 with new animation, ending with Operation Yashima. The later home-video version, 1.11, adds a few minutes and is the one on Prime Video.
- Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
Loosely covers TV episodes 8–19, introduces the new pilot Mari, and starts to change major events. Its revised version is 2.22.
- EVANGELION:3.0 (-46h) (optional)
An 11-minute prologue to 3.0, set in the gap between 2.0 and 3.0 and following members of WILLE, the group Misato leads in 3.0. Only released as a bonus on the 3.0+1.11 home video, so most viewers never see it.
- Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo
Jumps 14 years ahead and leaves the TV story behind completely. Deliberately disorienting: Shinji knows as little as you do. Its revised version is 3.33.
- Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
The 155-minute finale of the Rebuild films and the last word on Evangelion so far. It nods back to the original series and The End of Evangelion, so watch those first. Prime Video carries it as 3.0+1.01.
Release order
Everything in the order it came out. Death & Rebirth and Death (True)² were made while fans waited for the real ending; neither is needed.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (episodes 1–24)
Shinji joins NERV and fights the Angels alongside Rei and, from episode 8, Asuka, as the show turns darker and more psychological in its second half. Episodes 21–24 exist in original and Director's Cut versions; the cuts add a few minutes of scenes and are what Netflix streams.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (episodes 25–26)
The original TV ending, told almost entirely inside the characters' minds rather than showing what happens in the world. Watch it: The End of Evangelion is the outside view of the same events, not a replacement you can watch instead.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (optional)
Death is a recap of episodes 1–24 with some new footage; Rebirth is an early, unfinished version of the first part of The End of Evangelion. Made while the real ending was delayed, so skip it.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
An 87-minute film made up of Episode 25': Air and Episode 26': Sincerely Yours, showing the ending from the outside: the attack on NERV and what happens to the world. Essential; watch it right after episode 26.
- Evangelion: Death (True)² (optional)
A slightly revised version of the Death recap, without Rebirth. In 1998 it was shown in cinemas together with The End of Evangelion as Revival of Evangelion; Netflix lists it as a separate film. Optional recap.
- Petit Eva: Evangelion@School (optional)
Three-minute super-deformed CG gag shorts set at a school, based on a four-panel manga. A parody, not part of the story.
- Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
The first Rebuild film: a close remake of TV episodes 1–6 with new animation, ending with Operation Yashima. The later home-video version, 1.11, adds a few minutes and is the one on Prime Video.
- Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
Loosely covers TV episodes 8–19, introduces the new pilot Mari, and starts to change major events. Its revised version is 2.22.
- Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo
Jumps 14 years ahead and leaves the TV story behind completely. Deliberately disorienting: Shinji knows as little as you do. Its revised version is 3.33.
- Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
The 155-minute finale of the Rebuild films and the last word on Evangelion so far. It nods back to the original series and The End of Evangelion, so watch those first. Prime Video carries it as 3.0+1.01.
- EVANGELION:3.0 (-46h) (optional)
An 11-minute prologue to 3.0, set in the gap between 2.0 and 3.0 and following members of WILLE, the group Misato leads in 3.0. Only released as a bonus on the 3.0+1.11 home video, so most viewers never see it.
Explained
Two endings: which one is real?
Both. Episodes 25 and 26 tell the ending from inside Shinji's head; The End of Evangelion shows what is happening in the world at the same time. Official materials have the story branch after episode 24, but the usual advice is to watch all 26 episodes and then the film, since each makes the other easier to follow.
Which version of episodes 21–24?
There are original broadcast versions and Director's Cuts, which add a few minutes of extra scenes (first shown in Death) without changing the plot. Netflix streams only the Director's Cuts. Either version is fine for a first watch.
Do I need Death & Rebirth, Death (True)² or Revival of Evangelion?
No. Death is a recap of episodes 1–24, Rebirth is a rough early version of the first third of The End of Evangelion, and Revival was a 1998 cinema package of Death (True)² plus The End of Evangelion. If you've seen the series and The End of Evangelion, you've seen the story.
Is Rebuild a remake or a sequel?
It starts as a remake: 1.0 retells episodes 1–6 almost shot for shot, and 2.0 reworks much of the middle of the series. From 3.0 on it tells a new story, and Thrice Upon a Time ends it with deliberate references to the original, so watch the TV series and The End of Evangelion first. The numbered versions (1.11, 2.22, 3.33, 3.0+1.01) are revised editions of the same films, and they're what Prime Video streams.
Which dub, and is there more coming?
Netflix's 2019 dub has a new cast and a new translation; the older ADV dub is on disc. The Rebuild films on Prime Video have their own dub, which brings back several ADV actors. Outside Japan, Netflix replaces the ending song "Fly Me to the Moon" with instrumental music. A new Evangelion TV series from Studio Khara and CloverWorks, written by Yoko Taro, was announced in February 2026; it has no release date yet as of October 2026.