All of Evangelion Brings 30 Years of Anime Craft to Tokyo City View

Three decades of Evangelion above Tokyo

About 270 hand painted animation cels, selected from more than 10,000 archived cuts, are among the central attractions of All of Evangelion, the 30th anniversary exhibition now open at Tokyo City View. Running from November 14, 2025, to January 12, 2026, the exhibition occupies the observatory on the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower.

A towering figure of Evangelion Unit 01 greets visitors beyond the elevators, positioned against glass stretching from floor to ceiling. Tokyo's skyline forms the backdrop, connecting the scale of the fictional world with the city outside. The setting gives the anniversary celebration a sense of place while the galleries focus on the work that brought the series to the screen.

Neon Genesis Evangelion first aired in 1995. Thirty years later, this exhibition follows its development from early designs and the original television series to the Rebuild of Evangelion films, which began in 2007, and Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, released in 2021.

Storyboards, finished footage, preview reels, concept art and voice actor audition recordings show different stages of production. Together, they explain how a drawing became a moving scene, how a voice helped define a character, and how changing tools gave the creators new ways to tell their story.

The exhibition also looks beyond the finished images. It traces the move from pencils, paint and film cameras to digital production, then to the combination of animation and methods associated with live action filmmaking. For newcomers, the chronological route offers a clear introduction. For longtime fans, it opens a window into the workshop behind familiar scenes.

How the fictional world took shape

The prologue begins with setting materials and blueprints used to establish Evangelion's characters, environments and machinery. Sketches and notes show how its creators designed the Evas, the Angels and the urban spaces that shaped the atmosphere of the story.

Design sheets record refinements to facial expressions, pilot suits and control rooms. Mechanical charts explain scale and motion, showing how the machines were planned to look and move. These documents make visible the decisions that come before an animated sequence reaches its final form.

Display monitors play short clips alongside the drawings and notes. Visitors can compare an idea on paper with its appearance on screen, following the connection between preparation and execution without needing specialist knowledge of animation.

The chronological layout carries that approach through the exhibition. Early planning leads into television production, followed by the later films and their changing techniques. The route makes the anniversary a history of creative work as well as a celebration of the characters.

Inside the original television animation

The gallery devoted to the 1995 television series displays about 270 hand painted cels selected from more than 10,000 archived cuts. A cel is a transparent sheet carrying part of an animated image. Stacking these sheets allowed different parts of a scene to be photographed together.

Color keys show the intended palettes, while timing sheets mark the beats of movement and dialogue. Camera notes explain how layers were stacked to create parallax and depth, giving the impression that objects occupied different distances within the same scene.

The brushwork is visible under crisp lighting. Alongside the supporting documents, it shows the manual skill behind a series assembled one frame at a time by teams using pencils, paint and film cameras. Visitors can follow both the image itself and the instructions that helped turn it into motion.

Storyboards, auditions and a process open to discovery

Preproduction displays focus on decisions made before final lines and colors were completed. Storyboards map camera angles, timing and emotion. Preview videos give an early sense of pace and music, helping explain how a sequence was shaped before its finished version appeared.

Audio stations play voice actor audition recordings. They offer a chance to hear how casting helped establish the characters' voices before the series' first official broadcast. Alongside the storyboards and previews, the recordings show how visual planning and performance developed together.

Hideaki Anno, the creator of Evangelion, described the production's openness to discovery in a 1996 comment. Comparing the experience with a live performance, he said:

The development of Evangelion gives me the feeling of a 'Live' concert. Whatever the story or the development of the characters, I made them without a plan. At first I had intended to make a simple work featuring robots.

The materials on display give that account a practical setting. Directors refined scenes before animators completed the drawings, while choices about timing, music and voices helped shape what viewers would eventually experience. Fans who first encountered Evangelion on television or home video can see stages of production that usually remain out of view.

From digital tools to miniature sets

The exhibition's third chapter moves into the 2000s and the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, launched in 2007. Hand drawn layouts appear beside digital assets, showing how computer tools supported complex shots while pencil lines continued to carry expression and gesture.

Model sheets are paired with 3D turntables, rotating views that let visitors inspect a model from different angles. Separate effects layers show how smoke, debris and lighting were simulated. Short text panels explain the digital production process in accessible language.

The final chapter centers on the 2021 film Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. Its displays document the combination of animation and live action methods, including miniature sets built and filmed for reference and motion capture used to help choreograph movement.

The 2021 feature capped a film run that attracted large audiences in Japan and abroad, with more than 6.7 million theatergoers domestically. The exhibition connects its production choices with those of earlier periods, showing how each generation of tools created fresh possibilities for staging and storytelling.

The sequence also makes the continuing role of drawing easy to follow. Digital models and effects expanded what could be constructed on screen, while layouts, gestures and expressions remained part of the creative process.

Why the series and its archives matter

Evangelion challenged expectations of television anime in the mid 1990s by approaching giant robot action through psychology and vulnerability. It combined science fiction with religious and mythic imagery, and gave silence and stillness an intensity comparable to its battle scenes.

Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu carried an emotional weight that became a template for many later shows. The opening theme, sung by Yoko Takahashi, became an anthem that still fills arenas. The series also showed how television anime could become both a widely discussed cultural event and a major engine for merchandise.

Two decades after his 1996 comments, Anno reflected on why animation suited his creative aims. The Evangelion creator said:

Animation is an entirely made up fictional world. This also means that it is the best medium to put imagination to picture.

Original cels, sketches and modern digital assets give that idea a concrete form throughout the exhibition. Placing them together shows continuity across changing tools, with the imagined world remaining central even as the methods used to construct it evolved.

The Anime and Special Effects Archive Organization, founded by Anno, supports the conservation of fragile cels and drawings that could otherwise fade or be lost. Many of the 270 cels on display were prepared with archival support, allowing visitors a rare close look at original color and line work.

Preservation is therefore part of the exhibition's story. The documents and painted sheets record the craft behind the finished work, while their conservation keeps that history available for future audiences.

Opening hours and the anniversary calendar

Tokyo City View combines the retrospective with the observatory's sweeping view of the capital. After sunset, a special light presentation complements the displays. The route ends with a shop carrying limited goods and an exhibition catalogue.

The Tokyo exhibition is open from 10:00 to 22:00, with last entry at 21:00. Its venue is Tokyo City View on the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. The schedule spans the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, with several shorter campaigns during that period.

• 1995: Neon Genesis Evangelion first aired on television.
• 2007: The Rebuild of Evangelion film series began.
• 2021: Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time brought the film series to its latest chapter.
• November 14, 2025: All of Evangelion opened at Tokyo City View.
• November 17 to 30, 2025: Two special ticket campaigns recognize visitors connected to the age of 14 in 1995 or 2025.
• January 12, 2026: The Tokyo exhibition is scheduled to close.
• February 21 to 23, 2026: A separate anniversary event is scheduled at Yokohama Arena.
• 2026: The exhibition is scheduled to travel to Fukuoka and Okayama.

Timed admission helps manage crowds during busy periods. Advance purchase is recommended for popular slots, and same day tickets are available at the venue while capacity lasts.

Ticket prices and two special age campaigns

Tickets require a specified date and time. Advance sales use hourly entry slots from 10:00 to 20:00, and visitors may enter within one hour of the time printed on their ticket.

• Standard admission: adults 2,400 yen; college and high school students 1,700 yen; children aged 4 to 15 years 1,100 yen; visitors aged 65 and over 2,100 yen.
• Advance admission: adults 2,200 yen; college and high school students 1,600 yen; children 1,000 yen.
• To You Who Will Be 14 in 2025: 500 yen for visitors turning 14 between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. Tickets are sold on site from November 17 to 30, with entry between 10:00 and 17:00.
• To You Who Was 14 in 1995: 1,000 yen for visitors who were 14 between April 1, 1995, and March 31, 1996. Tickets are sold on site from November 17 to 30, with entry between 10:00 and 20:00.

For adults, advance admission saves 200 yen compared with the standard price of 2,400 yen. Students and children each save 100 yen against their standard admission prices. The two age campaigns offer separate, more limited opportunities tied to the anniversary years.

Online advance sales run from late September through the final day of the exhibition. Same day ticket sales run from November 14 to January 12 at the building's ticket counter and machines.

Organizers may change schedules, capacity limits or policies. Current arrangements and ticket purchasing information are available on the official exhibition page.

Getting there, cafe dishes and limited goods

Roppongi Hills Mori Tower is at 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo. Exit 1C of Roppongi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line connects directly to Roppongi Hills. From the Toei Oedo Line, visitors can use Exit 3 and walk about six minutes.

Azabu juban and Nogizaka stations are within a 10 minute walk. Elevators and automatic doors are available at the facility.

The Sun and The Moon cafe, on the same floor as the exhibition, serves dishes, desserts and drinks inspired by the series. The menu includes Unit 01 spice chicken curry, Asuka's tomato pasta, the 10th Angel burger, Kaworu's black sesame parfait, Rei's chiffon dessert and drinks themed around the characters.

A weekday gift program offers visitors a random All of Evangelion card featuring one of five main characters, while supplies last. The program runs on weekdays from November 14 to January 9, excluding December 29 to January 2.

The official store carries acrylic stands, can badge sets, trading magnets, metal keychains, a skateboard deck featuring Unit 01 artwork and a postcard box. An exhibition catalogue documents the show, giving visitors a record of its focus on production and creative development.

The cafe, shop and evening light presentation extend the visit beyond the galleries. The central attraction remains the progression through the archive, with the observatory's view providing a setting for the anniversary experience.

Fukuoka, Okayama and a separate Yokohama celebration

Fukuoka and Okayama are scheduled to host All of Evangelion after the Tokyo run in 2026. Dates for those stops have not been given. The regional tour will bring the exhibition's production history to audiences beyond the capital.

Yokohama Arena will host a separate large scale anniversary event from February 21 to 23, 2026. Its program is divided into an exhibition area and a stage area, with tickets available for either zone or both.

The EVA EXTRA 30 exhibition area will feature a central LED tower with six sides, a virtual camera studio based on technology used for a key battle scene in the 2021 film, and a gallery of production materials from across the franchise. This part of the celebration combines archival displays with an interactive approach to filmmaking.

The stage area is planned to host live music, fashion programs, talk sessions and screenings on a giant LED screen. The program includes a performance by Yoko Takahashi, an Evangelion fashion runway and a debut kabuki project connected to the series.

Tokyo's exhibition places craft and history at the center of the anniversary. Yokohama adds performance and interactivity, while the regional tour expands access to the archives. Together, the events follow Evangelion from its beginnings as drawings and production plans to scenes and characters that remain part of a shared cultural vocabulary.

Highlights

• All of Evangelion runs from November 14, 2025, to January 12, 2026, at Tokyo City View on the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower.
• About 270 hand painted cels were selected from more than 10,000 archived cuts.
• Displays cover early designs, storyboards, preview videos, voice actor auditions and the move into digital film production.
• The 2021 film section includes miniature sets and motion capture methods.
• Opening hours are 10:00 to 22:00, with last entry at 21:00. Tickets require a specified date and time.
• Standard adult admission is 2,400 yen, or 2,200 yen in advance. Special age campaign tickets are available on site from November 17 to 30.
• The venue includes a themed cafe, limited merchandise and a weekday character card program while supplies last.
• The exhibition is scheduled to travel to Fukuoka and Okayama in 2026.
• A separate Yokohama Arena celebration runs from February 21 to 23, 2026, with exhibitions, performances, talks and screenings.