Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most successful, influential, and lasting anime franchises in history, spanning over 30 years of wildly popular releases and collaborations with more to come in the future. Through alternate reality rebuild films and more merchandise than one person could ever own, the series has remained relevant well beyond its initial airing.
Though fans thought they’d said their final “bye-bye, all of Evangelion” in 2021’s Evangelion 3.0 +10, it was announced last week that an all-new anime was currently in production by Studio Khara and CloverWorks, and will be written by Nier creator Yoko Taro.
Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s influence reaches far beyond the boundaries of anime, and the stories behind its production and of its creator, Hideaki Anno, have become legendary. However, few fans are aware Anno and his Studio Gainax partners themselves took great inspiration from one often underappreciated ’60s sci-fi creator.
Hideaki Anno and Evangelion Took Major Inspiration from the Work of Gerry Anderson
Evangelion’s Roots Can Be Found in Thunderbirds, UFO
Evangelion‘s influence can be found throughout and beyond the world of anime, either through direct, overt references or subtle stylistic nods to the series and its characters. More than three decades on, it’s likely that some shows or films are unknowingly taking inspiration from others who themselves were inspired by the series.
Few franchises have boasted characters and mechs as iconic as those found in Evangelion, and Hideaki Anno, being a self-proclaimed anime-obsessed otaku, has made it known that he studied the art form and took great inspiration from ’60s and ’70s mecha anime like Mobile Suit Gundam. However, he and the other Gainax founders were just as much fans of sci-fi as they were of anime.
Hideaki Anno’s first professional writing, directing, and editing credits were not attached to an anime production, and instead came on The Complete Thunderbirds, a 1985 compilation film of Gerry Anderson’s original series. Anderson, more than a decade on from his passing, remains a monumental figure within the sci-fi genre, and an overlooked source of inspiration for Hideaki Anno.
While Evangelion‘s plot may not share many similarities with titles like Thunderbirds, Space 1999, or UFO, the futuristic technology throughout Nerv’s headquarters certainly does. A number of the anime’s classic scenes take heavy visual inspiration from the aforementioned Anderson works, and they’re plain to see when compared side-by-side.
The iconic Evangelion start sequence, in particular, borrows quite a bit from Anderson’s Thunderbirds, as does Tokyo-3’s retractable city, while the Nerv uniform, and especially Gendo’s attire, borrows from 1970’s UFO.
During Anno’s 2022 film, Shin Ultraman, Thunderbirds model kits make an appearance on screen, and the director would go on to remaster 1985’s The Complete Thunderbirds in the same year.
Evangelion Has Gone On to Influence Countless Other Works
By taking his favorite works and so unapologetically using them as inspiration, Hideaki Anno would go on to inspire countless other works and artists across several mediums of entertainment throughout the years. Some of those include anime titles like Gurren Lagann and Code Geass, gaming legends like Hideo Kojima, and games like Nier: Automata.
Evangelion Studio Begins Piracy Crackdown After Its Exclusive New Anime Release Leaks Online
Neon Genesis Evangelion’s new exclusive anime short has surfaced online, and Studio Khara is making it clear that they’re cracking down.
Now, the creator of Nier, Yoko Taro, has the chance to bring his own Evangelion-inspired vision to the series in the franchise’s upcoming anime production. None of it would have been possible without the shows and films that inspired Anno, and the work of Gerry Anderson is a major, often overlooked influence on the series.
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