Casual and die-hard Eva fans alike: set course for Tokyo City View now. The lofty exhibition space on the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower is currently showing ‘All of Evangelion’, the most extensive showcase ever devoted to the franchise.
Marking three decades since Neon Genesis Evangelion first appeared on television in 1995, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the evolution of one of the most influential works in contemporary Japanese animation through the production materials, design documents and visual experiments that shaped its striking world.
Here’s what to expect at the show, which is set to run until January 12 2026.
Entering the world of Evangelion
After stepping through the venue’s atmospheric entrance, the first thing you’ll see is a huge Evangelion Unit-01 figure standing against the panoramic backdrop of Tokyo. Illuminated with a special light arrangement exclusive to the Tokyo venue, this introductory space establishes the exhibition’s tone: a celebration of scale, craftsmanship and visual imagination.
From here, the exhibition unfolds chronologically, tracing the development of the franchise from its earliest conceptual foundations to the expansive, technologically innovative productions of recent years.
Beyond the giant Eva, the prologue section introduces the earliest phase of creation, long before the first episode aired. You’ll encounter a rich selection of setting materials, the essential blueprints from which characters, environments, mechanisms and the broader world of Evangelion were built.
These documents reveal how foundational ideas were refined through continuous experimentation. Presented with clarity and precision, they demonstrate the remarkable structural planning that underpins the entire series.
The art of hand-drawn animation
Then it’s on to the first main chapter, which focuses on the original 1995 TV series and its hand-drawn cel animation. At a time when anime was still produced by photographing layers of painted acetate, creating fluid movement required thousands of individual drawings.
‘All of Evangelion’ brings together approximately 270 cels selected from more than 10,000 existing cuts, made available with the cooperation of the Anime Tokusatsu Archive Centre.
The vivid colours, specialised paints and textured surfaces of the cels offer a rare opportunity to appreciate the medium beyond what was visible on broadcast screens. Each cut serves as a testament to the manual skill and meticulous labour that defined animation in the pre-digital era.
Sound, storyboards and structure
Chapter Two shifts to the audiovisual dimension of the franchise. Displayed here are the storyboards that served as the blueprints of each NGE episode, with annotations indicating timing, performance, sound cues and emotional nuance.
Alongside these are preview videos roughly thirty seconds in length, originally broadcast at the end of each episode, whose tightly arranged sequences of images and narration recapture the anticipation felt by viewers during the original broadcast years. Excerpts from audition recordings further trace the care taken in all aspects of production.
Reinvention through digital production
The third chapter moves to the 2000s, when digital tools transformed animation practices. With the launch of the new Rebuild of Evangelion film series beginning in 2007, the franchise simultaneously revisited and reinvented earlier material. The exhibition presents hand-drawn key animation and layouts alongside digitally created mechanical designs and backgrounds, illustrating how analogue and digital elements were harmonised.
The exhibition highlights the intricate modeling of large-scale structures, made possible through the emerging 3D technologies of the time, revealing how new tools opened avenues for complex visual sequences that had previously been impracticable.
New techniques in a new era
The final chapter examines the franchise’s most recent phase, culminating in Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, the 2021 film that brought the long-running narrative arc to a close. During this period, production methods incorporated live-action techniques such as miniature sets and motion capture, employed to push the expressive possibilities of animation.
The exhibition presents detailed production materials – including revised layouts, original drawings and digital composites – that document how these approaches were used to enrich the visual and spatial depth of the later works.
The concluding section highlights how the franchise has never stopped transforming over three decades, evolving in tandem with the technological and artistic developments of the broader animation industry.
As a whole, the exhibition forms an unprecedented survey of Evangelion’s creative history, offering a comprehensive look at how its world has been constructed, reconsidered and expanded over time.
Above all, the focus is on the production process itself – the drawings, the tools, the designs, the experiments – offering visitors a deep dive into the craftsmanship and innovation that have sustained the franchise’s enduring presence.
A collab café and exclusive merch
Adjacent to the exhibition, Tokyo City View’s The Sun & The Moon Cafe offers a special collaboration menu with sweets and drinks inspired by the visual world of Evangelion. Available for the duration of the event, these treats allow visitors to recharge before hitting up the on-site Evangelion Store, where you’ll find limited-edition goods including an official 272-page catalogue, acrylic stands, keychains, magnets, postcards and more.
Not in Tokyo? Not to worry – following its run in the capital, ‘All of Evangelion’ will travel to Fukuoka from January 24 2026, before opening in Okayama in spring 2026.
‘All of Evangelion: Evangelion 30th Anniversary Exhibition’ is open daily at Tokyo City View until January 12 2026.
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