The Criterion Channel will continue to expand its anime offerings later this year with the addition of one of the most iconic shows of all time. Hideaki Anno's Neon Genesis Evangelion will debut on the streaming service on Sept. 1, courtesy of North American distributor GKIDS.

The release includes three entries in the Evangelion franchise. The first is the original 26-episode series from 1995 and will include both the Japanese dub and the original English dub, the latter of which will be available to stream for the first time. The second is Evangelion: Death (True)2, the 1998 feature film that mostly serves as a recap of the series. The third release is 1997's The End of Evangelion, the acclaimed finale of the original series.

For the uninitiated, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a mech-anime that is widely considered to be one of the most influential and important anime ever made. Criterion summarizes the show as follows:

Set in a postapocalyptic world where teenagers pilot giant Multipurpose Humanoid Decisive Weapons–artificial humans known as Evangelions–to defend humanity from mysterious beings called Angels, the story evolves from high-stakes action spectacle into a deeply introspective exploration of identity, trauma, loneliness, and human connection.

The Criterion release will not include any of the Rebuild of Evangelion films that act as a reboot, retelling, and pseudo-sequel to the original series. The original series, Evangelion: Death (True)2, and The End of Evangelion are all currently available to stream on Netflix as well. The Netflix version of the series uses a newer English-language dub than what will be available in the Criterion release. The Rebuild films are available on Amazon Prime Video, but are leaving the service in mid-August.

The Criterion Channel launched a dedicated anime collection in late 2025. The initial lineup included celebrated feature films like Ghost in the Shell, Paprika, Redline, and Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space. The film version of Gunbuster, Anno's pre-Evangelion directorial debut, is currently available on the streaming service.

Evangelion will return with a new anime series from writer Yoko Taro, the creator of Nier, and director Kazuya Tsurumaki, who previously directed the Rebuild films and recent Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX anime.