Evangelion fans, get ready because the fiery pilot of Unit-02 is about to steal the spotlight. Studio Khara officially confirmed that Asuka Langley will be the protagonist of the new Evangelion anime short premiering at the EVANGELION:30+; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion festival.
The announcement came through Khara No.2 Unit’s official account, and honestly, if you know anything about Hideaki Anno’s relationship with this character, it’s not surprising at all.
This isn’t some recycled compilation or throwback reel. The 13-minute short is a completely new production, planned, written, and supervised by Anno himself.
Naoyuki Asano, who served as animation director for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, is directing the project, alongside franchise veterans Kazuya Tsurumaki, Shinji Higuchi, and Ikki Todoroki as supervisors. So yeah, they’re bringing the A-team for this one.
Why Asuka? Anno’s favorite pilot gets her moment
Here’s the thing about Asuka Langley that makes this feel inevitable. During the Hideaki Anno Exhibition in June 2025, when asked about his favorite Evangelion character, Anno didn’t hesitate: “Asuka is the one I feel the most about“.
The competitive, hot-headed pilot of EVA-02 was actually conceived as a potential protagonist for the original series before the creative team settled on Shinji as the main character.
Anno originally designed Asuka Langley to represent desire and ambition, contrasting sharply with Rei’s maternal qualities, and she quickly became one of the franchise’s most beloved characters.
What we’re getting is described as a “special side story” created exclusively for the 30th anniversary celebration. No plot details yet, and the mystery surrounding which timeline or aspect of Asuka’s character will be explored makes this even more intriguing.
Some fans initially speculated about an adaptation of Evangelion: ANIMA, the light novel featuring an alternate timeline, but nothing’s been confirmed.
Festival screening details
The short will screen exclusively from February 21 to 23 at Yokohama Arena, projected on a massive 18-meter-wide by 15-meter-high LED screen on the event’s main stage.
The catch? It’ll only screen once per day during the three-day festival, and access requires STAGE AREA or ALL AREA Pass tickets, the latter already sold out for all dates.
Khara emphasized this is festival-exclusive entertainment, telling fans to enjoy “a special version of the Evangelion world that can only be experienced through this commemorative screening“.
The event also features a new kabuki performance, concerts, production material exhibitions, and even recordings from the original voice cast auditions.
Evangelion’s Legacy Continues
The franchise began its original broadcast from 1995 to 1996, revolutionizing the anime industry with its story about teenagers piloting humanoid weapons against mysterious entities called Angels.
The series rebooted in 2007 with the Rebuild of Evangelion film tetralogy. The final installment, released in 2021, became the first in the saga to surpass 10 billion yen at the Japanese box office, cementing the franchise’s massive cultural impact.
With Anno personally crafting this anniversary short and putting Asuka Langley front and center, this feels like more than just a celebration, it’s a love letter to one of anime’s most iconic characters from the creator who feels the strongest connection to her.
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