Neon Genesis Evangelion or commonly referred to as Evangelion or Eva has gained critical acclaim both in Japan and worldwide. Regarded as a series that revolutionized the mecha genre, it has become a cultural icon and is still influencing the anime industry. Here’s a list of anime similar to Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Madoka is a 14-year-old middle-schoolgirl with an ordinary life. After experiencing an unusual dream, she encounters a magical creature named Kyubey. This mystical being offers Madoka and her friend Sayaka the opportunity to become magical girls in exchange they have to fight witches – beings that are invisible to humans and cause misery in the areas they inhabit. However, another magical girl appears – Homura – who’s set on preventing Madoka from accepting this deal.
Although Madoka Magica is a total departure in terms of genre – magical girl – from Evangelion’s mecha genre, it does have many similarities. Similar to Eva the series is deeply immersed in complex story elements and the amount of symbolism it conveys, consequently deconstructing the magical girl subgenre. On top of that, the series takes the motif of the child soldier and applies it to an unexpected subgenre.
Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventures
Similar to the previous character, Kazuki is an ordinary “nerd” in high school the problem is that he isn’t very smart. On top of that, Kazuki is plagued by visions – giant robots who fight each other – that only he can see. Before he knows it, he is sent to a strange parallel world where he lands in the middle of a war for control of the world! Now in this strange new world, he has to become a pilot to one of the robot to fight for peace. All the while trying to find his way back home.
Released three years later Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventures borrows many elements of Eva – from the main characters to the mechas. Both series have an ordinary Japanese high-school boy who gets entangled in a war, which he does not want to be involved. While the female leads are also similar to Eva’s, as one is emotionless and the other says what she thinks. Although the characters may be similar, Evangelion has deeper psychological drama, while Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventures is more of light-hearted adaptation with some harem.
Eureka Seven
The series follows the story of Renton – a typical 14-year-old boy – who lives with his mechanic father in the backwater town of Bellforest. Like many other kids his age, he thinks nothing but reffing – riding trapar waves on a board – and becoming mercenary like his idol Holland. One day a girl named Eureka crashes into his life and from there his journey with mercenaries begins.
Like Eva, Eureka Seven centers around an awkward young boy which mission is to save the world from an “enemy”. Similar to Neon Genesis Evangelion there is doubt on whether the enemy that they are fighting is actually evil or are humans the villain. Another, resemblance between the series are the main characters as the series touches on human psychology – how they deal with difficult choices; will they breakdown or breakthrough. In all, Eureka Seven is a bit more comical and lighthearted, due to the occasional comedic scenes.
Bokurano
During a summer camp, a group of children – eight boys and seven girls – find a strange cave at the beach. Deep within the cave they discover computers and other electronic equipment. Later on, a man named Kokopelli offers them an unusual offer – to participate in a game. In the game, they would defend the world with powerful giant mechas against alien invaders. The children all except one eagerly accept this challenge. However, this game turns out to be too real for them.
One of the primary similarities between Neon Genesis Evangelion and Bokurano is that both are mecha anime. However, this is not the only similarity between these two series as they both deconstruct the mecha genre by adding dark psychological elements. On top of that, the series focusses around children who are tricked by an adult to fight against an unknown enemy without any explanation as to why.
RahXephon
The story centers around Ayato Kamina, a regular high school boy in Tokyo. One day strange creatures abruptly attack Tokyo, and Ayato gets captured by Terra – a military organization. There he learns that the Tokyo that he’s learned to know was attacked by the Mu – an alien race set on “tuning” the world – and is currently surrounded by a sphere. He also discovers the existence of the angel-winged giant robot, RahXephon. Now it is up to Ayato to pilot the RahXephon and defeat the Mu all the while struggling with his memories.
Almost 15 years after its release RahXephon still receives criticism for being a clone of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Although the series is similar to Eva, it has its own distinct flair. The main difference between these two iconic series is that RahXephon has a more developed love story. In addition to these similarities, this series is less complicated and easy to follow.
Although we have only chosen a few anime series, there are many other shows that are similar to Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is not for nothing that they say that it saved the anime industry.
