What Is Evangelion About? Complete Story & Themes Explained

What is Neon Genesis Evangelion actually about? On the surface, it's an anime about teenagers piloting giant robots to fight mysterious beings called Angels. But beneath that premise lies one of the most psychologically complex and philosophically dense narratives in anime history.

Created by Hideaki Anno in 1995, Evangelion starts as a mecha action series before gradually revealing its true focus: the internal struggles of damaged people trying to connect with each other. The show uses apocalyptic battles as a backdrop for exploring depression, trauma, identity, and the human need for connection.

The Basic Plot: What Happens in Evangelion

At its core, Evangelion follows 14-year-old Shinji Ikari, who's recruited by his estranged father to pilot a giant bio-mechanical weapon called an Evangelion. These machines are humanity's only defense against the Angels—powerful beings threatening to destroy civilization.

The Setting and Premise

The story takes place in 2015, fifteen years after a catastrophic event called the Second Impact killed half of humanity. The secretive organization NERV, led by Shinji's father Gendo Ikari, has built the Evangelions to combat the Angels.

Key Story Elements:

Location: Tokyo-3, a fortified city built to fight Angels
NERV: Secret organization defending humanity
Evangelions: Giant bio-mechanical units synchronized with pilots
Angels: Mysterious beings attacking in sequence
Second Impact: Catastrophe that nearly destroyed humanity

Shinji reluctantly becomes an Eva pilot alongside two other teenagers: Rei Ayanami (a mysterious girl with connections to NERV's secrets) and Asuka Langley Soryu (a confident, skilled pilot hiding deep insecurity).

How the Story Progresses

The series begins with straightforward monster-of-the-week battles. Each Angel presents unique challenges requiring different strategies to defeat. However, the narrative gradually shifts focus from external battles to internal psychological struggles.

Story Arc Breakdown:

Episodes	Focus	Tone
1-6	Introduction, early Angels	Action-focused
7-13	Character development, new pilots	Balanced
14-19	Psychological depth, relationships	Increasingly dark
20-24	Major revelations, mental breakdown	Intensely psychological
25-26	Abstract internal exploration	Experimental

As the series progresses, battles become less important than understanding why characters act the way they do. The show reveals that everyone involved carries deep trauma affecting their ability to connect with others.

Major Plot Revelations

The latter half reveals shocking truths about NERV's true purpose, the Evangelions' nature, and humanity's fate. These revelations recontextualize everything viewers thought they understood.

Critical Story Twists:

Evangelions contain human souls, including Shinji's mother
NERV is executing a secret plan called Human Instrumentality
The Angels seek to trigger Third Impact, which would end humanity
Gendo has personal motives beyond saving humanity
Reality itself may not be what characters perceive

The Psychological Core: What Evangelion Is Really About

Strip away the robots and monsters, and Evangelion is fundamentally about loneliness, depression, and the difficulty of human connection. Creator Hideaki Anno channeled his own struggles with clinical depression into the narrative.

Depression and Mental Health

Shinji's character embodies clinical depression's core symptoms. He struggles with worthlessness, self-hatred, inability to connect with others, and paralyzing fear of rejection.

How Evangelion Depicts Depression:

Constant negative self-talk and self-blame
Avoidance of responsibilities due to fear of failure
Difficulty accepting praise or love from others
Running away when emotional pain becomes overwhelming
Seeking validation while rejecting it simultaneously

The show doesn't romanticize or trivialize mental illness. It presents depression's grinding, daily reality with uncomfortable honesty. Shinji's struggles feel authentic because they reflect Anno's real experiences.

The Hedgehog's Dilemma

A recurring concept in Evangelion is the "hedgehog's dilemma"—a metaphor explaining why relationships are simultaneously necessary and painful. Like hedgehogs trying to share warmth in winter, people need closeness but hurt each other when they get too close.

Character Relationships Illustrating This Theme:

Shinji and his father (abandonment and rejection)
Shinji and Asuka (attraction mixed with hostility)
Shinji and Rei (connection hindered by secrets)
Misato and Kaji (past love complicated by present pain)
Gendo and everyone (complete emotional isolation)

Every major relationship in Evangelion demonstrates how trauma prevents genuine connection. Characters desperately need each other but can't overcome their psychological barriers.

Identity and Self-Worth

The series constantly questions what defines individual identity. If we exist only in others' perceptions, do we truly have independent selves? This philosophical exploration intensifies throughout the series.

Identity Questions Evangelion Raises:

Does self-worth require external validation?
Can we truly know ourselves?
Is identity fixed or constantly changing?
Do we exist independently of others' perceptions?
What happens if we merge all consciousness?

These questions culminate in the series' controversial final episodes, which take place almost entirely in characters' internal psychological spaces.

Episode 25: The Abstract Turn

Many viewers ask specifically about Episode 25 because it represents Evangelion's most radical departure from conventional storytelling. This episode essentially abandons traditional narrative for pure psychological exploration.

What Episode 25 Presents

Instead of showing battles or plot progression, Episode 25 takes place almost entirely in abstract space. It uses still images, text, rough sketches, and philosophical dialogue to explore Shinji's psyche.

Episode 25's Unique Approach:

Minimal animation, mostly static images
Direct psychological analysis of characters
Philosophical and psychological terminology
Questions directed at viewers themselves
Abandonment of external plot entirely

This episode resulted from production constraints—the studio ran out of money and time. However, Anno transformed these limitations into bold artistic choices that served the story's psychological focus.

Why This Episode Matters

Episode 25 (and 26) force viewers to engage with characters' internal reality rather than external action. It's Evangelion's thesis statement made explicit: the psychological journey matters more than the physical one.

What Episode 25 Explores:

Shinji's self-hatred and need for validation
Alternative realities where characters have different lives
The nature of identity and consciousness
Whether happiness requires external change or internal acceptance
How we construct self-image from others' perceptions

Some viewers consider these episodes brilliant psychological exploration. Others find them frustrating cop-outs. Both reactions are valid responses to Evangelion's deliberately challenging conclusion.

Major Themes Throughout the Series

Beyond individual episodes or films, Evangelion develops consistent themes across its entire runtime. Understanding these themes clarifies what the series is fundamentally about.

The Fear of Intimacy

Every character struggles with the terror of genuine connection. Their defenses against intimacy manifest differently but stem from the same fear of rejection and pain.

Character Defense Mechanisms:

Shinji: Passivity and withdrawal
Asuka: Aggressive independence and denial
Rei: Emotional detachment and self-negation
Misato: Forced cheerfulness hiding pain
Gendo: Complete emotional shutdown

The series argues that these defenses, while protecting against hurt, ultimately cause greater suffering by preventing the connection humans need.

Existential Philosophy

Evangelion draws heavily from existentialist philosophy, particularly questions about meaning, choice, and authentic existence in an absurd universe.

Existential Questions:

Question	How Evangelion Addresses It
Does life have inherent meaning?	No—we must create our own
Can we escape loneliness?	No—but we can accept connection despite pain
Are we free?	Yes—but freedom brings terrible responsibility
What defines authentic living?	Facing reality rather than escaping

The series ultimately argues for accepting existence's painful aspects rather than seeking escape through fantasy, denial, or merged consciousness.

Religious and Mythological Symbolism

Evangelion famously uses Christian imagery, Jewish mysticism, and various mythological references. However, these serve aesthetic and thematic purposes rather than theological ones.

Symbolic Elements:

Angel names from biblical and apocryphal sources
Dead Sea Scrolls predicting events
Tree of Life diagrams from Kabbalah
Crucifixion and resurrection imagery
Creation myth parallels

Anno has admitted much of this symbolism was chosen for visual impact rather than deeper meaning. The series is about human psychology, not religious commentary.

Why Evangelion Resonates with Audiences

Despite—or because of—its challenging nature, Evangelion became one of anime's most influential and beloved series. Its honest portrayal of mental health struggles connects deeply with viewers.

Authentic Emotional Representation

Unlike most anime protagonists, Shinji isn't heroic or aspirational. He's realistically damaged, making mistakes born from genuine psychological issues rather than plot convenience.

Why This Matters:

Viewers with depression see their experiences reflected
Mental illness portrayed without romanticism
Characters feel like real people, not archetypes
Emotional struggles prioritized over action
No easy answers or simple solutions offered

For many fans, especially those struggling with mental health, Evangelion was the first media that accurately depicted their internal experience.

Cultural Impact

Evangelion fundamentally changed anime, demonstrating that the medium could handle complex psychological and philosophical content while remaining commercially successful.

Evangelion's Influence:

Proved anime could explore mature themes seriously
Inspired countless creators to take narrative risks
Created new expectations for character depth
Demonstrated commercial viability of challenging content
Became cultural touchstone beyond anime fandom

The series' impact extends beyond anime into broader discussions of mental health, philosophy, and media criticism.

Collecting the Story: Physical Connections to the Narrative

For fans moved by Evangelion's story, collecting and model kits offers tangible ways to maintain connection with the narrative. These pieces represent specific moments and characters from the complex story.

Why Collect Evangelion Items

Physical collectibles create lasting bonds with stories that resonate emotionally. High-quality capture key moments, preserving the narrative in three-dimensional form.

Collection Benefits:

Visual reminders of meaningful themes
Appreciation for character and mechanical design
Community connections with fellow fans
Physical expression of emotional connection
Support for continued franchise quality

Thoughtful collecting aligns with Evangelion's themes by engaging with fiction meaningfully without using it to escape reality.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Neon Genesis Evangelion actually about?

Neon Genesis Evangelion is about teenagers piloting giant bio-mechanical weapons to fight mysterious beings called Angels. However, the surface action-story serves as framework for exploring depression, trauma, loneliness, and the difficulty of human connection.

Creator Hideaki Anno channeled his own struggles with clinical depression into the narrative, making it one of anime's most psychologically honest works.

What is The End of Evangelion movie about?

The End of Evangelion provides an alternative, more concrete ending to the TV series. It shows the apocalyptic Third Impact event while maintaining focus on characters' psychological states.

The film depicts what physically happens during the TV ending's abstract psychological exploration, offering closure while remaining thematically consistent with the series' focus on choice and human connection.

What happens in Episode 25 of Evangelion?

Episode 25 abandons traditional narrative for abstract psychological exploration. Using minimal animation, still images, and philosophical dialogue, it directly analyzes characters' internal states rather than showing external events.

This experimental approach resulted partly from production constraints but ultimately serves the series' emphasis on internal psychological reality over external action.

Is Evangelion worth watching despite the confusing ending?

Yes—Evangelion's journey matters more than its destination. The character development, psychological depth, and thematic exploration provide value even if the ending confuses or frustrates you.

Many viewers recommend watching the TV series, then The End of Evangelion film, and finally the Rebuild movies for multiple perspectives on the story.

What's the difference between the TV ending and The End of Evangelion?

The TV ending (episodes 25-26) takes place almost entirely in psychological space, using abstract imagery to explore internal acceptance. The End of Evangelion shows what physically happens externally during those same events.

Both endings are canon and complement each other—one focuses inward, the other outward, but both address the same themes of choice, connection, and accepting existence's pain.

Conclusion

So what is Evangelion truly about? It's about the struggle to exist authentically in a world where connection is both necessary and painful.

It's about depression, trauma, and the defenses we build against intimacy. It's about choosing to engage with reality despite its pain rather than escaping into fantasy.

Core Takeaways: