Evangelion returns with a 13-minute anniversary anime set to premiere in 2026

There are only a handful of anime franchises like Evangelion that have kept the fandom active even after the series ended a long time ago. It has managed to command a certain cultural weight and emotional intensity that, when the news of this series getting a short film was released, the fandom reignited the hype. While the main story might be over, the production team is coming up with a brand-new animated short film.

According to official sources, this Evangelion film is going to be around 13 minutes, and as it is part of the 30th anniversary celebrations, it will premiere in February 2026. The movie is titled Evangelion Broadcast 30th Anniversary Special Screening, and fans will be able to watch it as part of the series festival that is taking place in Yokohama Arena from February 21-23, 2026.

For now, this short film will be screened once per day at the event. Fans around the world will have to wait for further updates on when this will be made accessible on streaming platforms. While the world of Evangelion ended in 2021, this project could be released for the sole purpose of reuniting fans and also attracting new viewers.

Fans should not be worried about the integrity of these short films because the creator of this franchise, Hideaki Anno, has worked on them as the planner, scriptwriter, and supervisor. This is to make sure that the show remains firmly rooted in his vision and he gets another chance to give fans a narrative without losing its essence, as it is the main reason why fans fell in love with the franchise in the first place.

Fan Reactions: Excitement meets fatigue

Since this news has been released, the fandom is split into two factions. Some longtime fans of Evangelion are hyped to see their beloved characters being animated again. On the other hand, there are a few fans who feel like the story has ended for good, and releasing this short film feels like a deliberate marketing move to keep the hype around the franchise alive. Overall, fans are openly discussing all over social media about their feelings towards this project; some common comments have been:

"They look so happy, surely that will be reflected in the short...right?" said one fan.

"I don’t want any time skip drama, I just wanna see a nice slice of life with them all grown up being adults. That’s all I ask for!!!!!🗣️🗣️🗣️" added another fan.

"Thankfully it’s a short and not a feature-length animation, since that whole universe had a satisfying conclusion in the final iteration. And I’d rather have it properly adapted in games. Cause a proper single-player or co-op EVA-type game would be cool" stated a netizen.

In the end, for many fans, the idea of getting a short film that is directly supervised by Anno himself feels more like a thoughtful epilogue than a full reboot.

Key art of the Evangelion short film sparks timeline theories

With this announcement, the production team has also released a key visual that features characters like Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Mari, and Kawor. The illustration showed them to be in casual outfits. But what has caught fans' attention is how all of them are smiling in a way that feels strikingly un-Evangelion. For a franchise popularly known for psychological trauma, existential dread, and emotional collapse, the cheerful visual immediately threw the fandom out of the loop.

Because Mari Illustrious Makinami appears in the artwork, fans are speculating that this short film might take place in the Rebuild of Evangelion timelines, as that makes much more sense than the creator choosing the original 1995 anime continuity. Finally, the smiles we see in the visual might be a hint that it represents peace or merely masks another emotionally heavy story; it remains a classic Evangelion question.

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Final thoughts

One thing is for sure that the Evangelion still has the power to ignite conversation. So, when February 2026 arrives, fans around the world will be watching closely and hoping that it will leave a lasting impact.

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