Editing Neon Genesis Evangelion (section)

==Influence and legacy==
''Evangelion'' has had a significant impact on [[Japanese popular culture]].<ref name=Fujitani />{{sfn|Azuma|2009|p=4}} The series also had a strong influence on anime, at a time when the anime industry and televised anime series were in a slump period.<ref name=Revolutions /> [[CNET]] reviewer Tim Hornyak credits the series with revitalizing and transforming the giant mecha genre.<ref name= PacRim /> In the 1980s and 1990s, Japanese animation saw decreased production{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=55}} following the [[Lost Decade (Japan)|economic crash in Japan]].{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=60}} This was followed by a crisis of ideas in the years to come.{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=105}} Against this background, ''Evangelion'' imposed new standards for the animated serial, ushering in the era of the "new Japanese animation serial",{{sfn|Fontana|Donati|2013|p=141}} characterized by innovations that allowed a technical and artistic revival of the industry. The production of anime serials began to reflect greater author control, the concentration of resources in fewer but higher quality episodes, typically ranging from thirteen to twenty-six, a directorial approach similar to live film, and greater freedom from the constraints of merchandising.{{sfn|Tavassi|2012|pp=247–248}}
[[File:STGCC cosplayers of Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami 20150912.jpg|thumb|Two [[cosplay]]ers portraying Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami. The franchise has been credited as a conduit for making cosplay a worldwide phenomenon.<ref>{{cite web|first=Inui|last=Tatsumi|url=https://www.nippon.com/en/column/g00255/|title=The Expanding Cosplay Universe|date=March 6, 2015|access-date=August 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202213813/https://www.nippon.com/en/column/g00255/|archive-date=February 2, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
According to [[TV Tokyo]]'s Keisuke Iwata, the global spread of Japanese animation dramatically expanded due to the popularity of ''Evangelion''.<ref>{{cite web|title=TV Tokyo's Iwata Discusses Anime's 'Road to Survival'|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-01-29/tv-tokyo-iwata-discusses-anime-road-to-survival|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928080755/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-01-29/tv-tokyo-iwata-discusses-anime-road-to-survival|archive-date=September 28, 2013|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> In Japan, ''Evangelion'' prompted a review of the cultural value of anime,<ref>{{cite book|first=Fausto|last=Colombo|title=Atlante della comunicazione: cinema, design, editoria, internet, moda, musica, pubblicità, radio, teatro, telefonia, televisione|publisher=Hoepli Editore|language=it|year=2005|page=39|isbn=978-88-203-3359-1}}</ref> and its success, according to Roland Kelts, made the medium more accessible to the international youth scene.<ref>{{cite book|first=Roland|last=Kelts|title=Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S.|url=https://archive.org/details/japanamericahowj00kelt|url-access=registration|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2006|page=[https://archive.org/details/japanamericahowj00kelt/page/112 112]|isbn=978-0-230-60203-8}}</ref> With the interest in the series, otaku culture became a mass social phenomenon.{{sfn|Azuma|2009|p=117}}<ref>{{cite book|first1=Antonia|last1=Levi|first2=Mark|last2=McHarry|first3=Dru|last3=Pagliassotti|title=Boys' Love Manga: Essays on the Sexual Ambiguity and Cross-cultural Fandom of the Genre|publisher=McFarland|year=2010|page=260|isbn=978-0-7864-4195-2}}</ref> The show's regular reruns increased the number of otaku,<ref>{{cite book|last=Lunning|first=Frenchy|title=Fanthropologies|year=2010|pages=215–216|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|isbn=978-0-8166-7387-2}}</ref> while John Lynden links its popularity to a boom in interest in literature on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Kabbalah and Christianity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lyden|first=John|title=The Routledge Companion to Religion and Film|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2009|page=208|isbn=978-0-415-44853-6}}</ref>

Critics traced ''Evangelion''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s influence on subsequent anime series, including ''[[Serial Experiments Lain]]'', ''[[RahXephon]]'', ''[[Texhnolyze]]'', ''[[Gasaraki]]'', 
''[[Guilty Crown]]'', ''[[Boogiepop Phantom]]'',{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=249}} ''[[Blue Submarine No. 6]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|pp=184–185}} ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=123}} ''[[Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne|Rinne no Lagrange]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Hale|first=Mike|title=Watchlist: 'Lagrange,' Anime With Echoes of 'Evangelion'|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/watchlist-lagrange-anime-with-echoes-of-evangelion|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 24, 2012|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013135318/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/watchlist-lagrange-anime-with-echoes-of-evangelion/?_r=0|archive-date=October 13, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Gurren Lagann]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2008-09-07|title=Dig For Fire: The Roots of Gurren Lagann|date=September 7, 2008|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927043055/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2008-09-07|archive-date=September 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=167}} ''[[Argento Soma]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=126}} ''[[The Candidate for Goddess|Pilot Candidate]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=490}} ''[[Generator Gawl]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=106}} and ''[[Dai-Guard]]''.{{sfn|Fontana|Donati|2013|p=137}}{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=120}} References, homages and tributes to the series are also contained in Japanese and Western media such as the third episode of ''[[Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=161}} ''[[Koi Koi Seven]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=346}} ''[[Hayate the Combat Butler]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Hayate the Combat Butler|author=Martin, Theron|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/hayate-the-combat-butler-gn-1|date=December 4, 2006|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207010154/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/hayate-the-combat-butler-gn-1|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Baka and Test]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Baka and Test|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/baka-and-test/blu-ray+dvd-complete-set|author=Martin, Theron|date=September 23, 2011|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207015235/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/baka-and-test/blu-ray+dvd-complete-set|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Regular Show]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-04-10/neon-genesis-evangelion-opening-parodied-on-regular-show/.86964|author=Lamb, Lynzee|date=April 10, 2015|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Opening Parodied on Regular Show|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=April 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320110417/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-04-10/neon-genesis-evangelion-opening-parodied-on-regular-show/.86964|archive-date=March 20, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]]'',<ref>{{cite book|first=Gina|last=O'Melia|title=Japanese Influence on American Children's Television: Transforming Saturday Morning|publisher= Springer|year= 2019|page=209|isbn=978-3-030-17415-6}}</ref> ''[[Gravity Falls]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://it.ign.com/gravity-falls/168011/feature/gravity-falls-ricordo-di-unestate-pazzesca|author=Peduzzi, Andrea|date=April 6, 2020|title=Gravity Falls, ricordo di un'estate pazzesca|publisher=IGN|access-date=July 16, 2020|language=it|archive-date=July 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716150651/https://it.ign.com/gravity-falls/168011/feature/gravity-falls-ricordo-di-unestate-pazzesca|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Sgt. Frog]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=575}}{{sfn|Tavassi|2012|p=400}} ''[[Rick and Morty]]'',<ref>{{cite web|publisher=News Week|access-date=August 3, 2021|url=https://www.newsweek.com/rick-morty-season-5-episode-7-power-rangers-mafia-adult-swim-1615120|title='Rick and Morty' Season 5 Episode 7: The Power Rangers Mafia|date=August 2, 2021|archive-date=August 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802235301/https://www.newsweek.com/rick-morty-season-5-episode-7-power-rangers-mafia-adult-swim-1615120|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[One Hour Photo]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.looper.com/391501/the-one-hour-photo-prop-that-actually-belonged-to-robin-williams/|title=The One Hour Photo Prop That Actually Belonged To Robin Williams|author=Aston, Ryan|website=Looper|date=April 23, 2021|access-date=September 14, 2022|archive-date=September 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914220547/https://www.looper.com/391501/the-one-hour-photo-prop-that-actually-belonged-to-robin-williams/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Steven Universe]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chapman|first=Jacob|date=July 31, 2015|title=Why Are Anime Fans Obsessed with Steven Universe?|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2015-07-31/why-are-anime-fans-obsessed-with-steven-universe/.91130|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250413222100/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2015-07-31/why-are-anime-fans-obsessed-with-steven-universe/.91130|archive-date=April 13, 2025|access-date=May 4, 2025|website=Anime News Network}}</ref> ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/director-jordan-vogt-roberts-on-why-kong-skull-island-is-unlike-any-other-king-kong-movie-751932|title=DIRECTOR JORDAN VOGT-ROBERTS ON WHY 'KONG: SKULL ISLAND' IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER 'KING KONG' MOVIE|work=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|date=February 17, 2017|access-date=December 3, 2022|archive-date=December 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204011703/https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/director-jordan-vogt-roberts-on-why-kong-skull-island-is-unlike-any-other-king-kong-movie-751932|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Nope (film)|Nope]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/940351/this-influential-anime-inspired-the-final-alien-design-in-nope|title=This Influential Anime Inspired The Final Alien Design|website=Slashfilm|access-date=December 3, 2022|archive-date=July 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725212954/https://www.slashfilm.com/940351/this-influential-anime-inspired-the-final-alien-design-in-nope/|url-status=live}}</ref> The show's mixture of religion and mecha also influenced subsequent Japanese video games, including ''[[Xenogears]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=Takahashi|first=Rika|title=Xenogears|url=http://www.ex.org/3.3/38-game_xenogears.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928055802/http://www.ex.org/3.3/38-game_xenogears.html|archive-date=September 28, 2012|work=EX Magazine|access-date=September 16, 2013|url-status=dead|quote=The game starts with a stunning full motion video sequence that feels rather reminiscent of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion.''}}</ref> and ''[[El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leigh|first=Alexander|title=Interview: Beautiful, Creative El Shaddai Is Daring To Be Weird|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/interview-beautiful-creative-i-el-shaddai-i-is-daring-to-be-weird|website=Gamasutra|access-date=September 16, 2013|quote=Not only does ''El Shaddai''—the name of which features the secondary title ''Ascension of the Metatron''—feature a variety of gameplay types and level styles, but it borrows from a number of aesthetic influences. These'll be familiar to fans of popular Japanese anime like ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''&nbsp;...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001181455/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34410/Interview_Beautiful_Creative_El_Shaddai_Is_Daring_To_Be_Weird.php|archive-date=October 1, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

The design and personality traits of the character Rei Ayanami were reused for many anime and manga characters of the late 1990s, such as Ruri Hoshino of ''Nadesico'', Ruriko Tsukushima (''[[Shizuku (video game)|Droplet]]''),{{sfn|Azuma|2009|pp=49–50}} Miharu (''Gasaraki''),{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=221}} Anthy Himemiya (''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]''), and Lain Iwakura (''Serial Experiments Lain'').{{sfn|Saito|Azuma|2009|p=125}} The character of Asuka was parodied by Excel (''[[Excel Saga]]''),<ref>{{cite book|first=J. P.|last=Telotte|author-link=Jay Telotte|title=The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|year=2008|page=133|isbn=978-0-8131-2492-6}}</ref> and some of her traits were used to create the character of Mai in ''[[Gunparade March]]''.{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|pp=259–260}} According to Italian critic Guido Tavassi, ''Evangelion''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s mecha design, characterized by a greater resemblance to the human figure, and the abstract designs of the Angels, also had a significant impact on the designs of future anime productions.{{sfn|Tavassi|2012|p=248}} [[Nobuhiro Watsuki]] designed several characters for ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' based on characters from ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', namely [[Uonuma Usui]], [[Honjō Kamatari]] and [[Fuji (Rurouni Kenshin)|Fuji]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Watsuki|first=Nobuhiro|author-link=Nobuhiro Watsuki|title=[[Rurouni Kenshin]], Volume 14|year=2005|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|page=66|isbn=978-1-5911-6767-9}}</ref><ref name="KamatariandFuji">{{cite book|last=Watsuki|first=Nobuhiro|title=Rurouni Kenshin, Volume 15|year=2005|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|pages=86, 126|isbn=978-1-5911-6810-2}}</ref> Other artists have cited the series as an inspiration, including [[Makoto Shinkai]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Kelts|first=Roland|date=February 17, 2012|title=Shinkai engages intl anime fans|newspaper=The Daily Yomiuri|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/T120210005792.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216191208/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/T120210005792.htm|archive-date=February 16, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Gege Akutami]] for their manga ''[[Jujutsu Kaisen]]''.<ref>{{cite web|language=fr|publisher=Le Figaro|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/bd/gege-akutami-pour-le-heros-de-mon-manga-je-me-suis-inspire-de-mon-frere-20201007|title=Gege Akutami : "Pour le héros de mon manga, je me suis inspiré de mon frère"|date=October 7, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2021|archive-date=January 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117214402/https://www.lefigaro.fr/bd/gege-akutami-pour-le-heros-de-mon-manga-je-me-suis-inspire-de-mon-frere-20201007|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> In the aftermath of ''Evangelion'', Anno reused stylistic conceits from the series in the live-action ''[[Love & Pop]]'' and the anime romance ''[[Kare Kano]]''.{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=185}} ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' also influenced music artists, such as the British band [[Fightstar]] and its debut album, ''[[Grand Unification (Fightstar album)|Grand Unification]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=185}} and the Japanese band [[Rey (band)|Rey]], which derived its name from the character of Rei Ayanami.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/music/60445/|title=イケメンアニソンバンドがメジャーデビュー|publisher=Oricon.co.jp|access-date=September 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929094222/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/music/60445/|archive-date=September 29, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>