Evangelion Creator's Sequel Comments Prove How it Could Be the Next Gundam-Level Franchise

Summary Hideaki Anno hints at a future where Evangelion can thrive without his direct involvement, potentially opening up new creative doors.

The possibility of new directors leading future sequels indicates a willingness to let go of control, enriching Evangelion's identity.

Like other long-lived franchises, Evangelion could see fresh perspectives and reinventions, staying true to its core themes even without Anno's direct input.

The legendary Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise has the potential to exist beyond its creator. Hideaki Anno's interview with The Asahi Shimbun implies that the acclaimed director is already considering letting his creation move on without him. While his comments were about hypothetical sequels, the telling comment about it being led by someone else shows that Anno is willing to let go of the reins. This could enrich Evangelion's identity in the future.

While Evangelion is intimately connected to Anno, it also has the potential to exist outside of him. While there are countless non-canonical spin-offs, Anno's interview shows a willingness to relinquish control. While it may not be "his" Evangelion, it could also mean the franchise could persist and perhaps even thrive with new ideas from new directors.

Similar to Mobile Suit Gundam and other long-lived franchises, Evangelion could see a future where its themes and imagery are given a fresh perspective by new creators willing to engage with Anno's original world.

Related Evangelion Creator Leads Anniversary Project For Another Legendary Sci-Fi Anime Neon Genesis Evangelion's Hideaki Anno is one of the biggest names in anime, and he's now lending his talents to an equally legendary sci-fi anime.

Hideaki Anno Envisions Evangelion Without Him

The franchise could see mainline sequels without his input

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According to Anime News Network, Anno suggested that any future sequel would be led by "someone other than [himself]". The director also clarified that the next director would "receive a high degree of freedom". After handling the original anime series and several movies, including a whole set of reboots that lead to a new ending, it seems Anno is ready to move on from Evangelion, as formative as it is to his legacy. On the other hand, it can also be said that Evangelion is also ready to move on without its creator, as is the rest of the industry.

Evangelion beyond Anno isn't necessarily that heretical, either, with the franchise spawning dozens of manga, novels, and video games, that reinvent the setting and characters as they please. The only difference is that the director might give his blessing for an official sequel to do the same. But Evangelion is robust enough to withstand change, and many other franchises prove it works.

Mobile Suit Gundam is an obvious parallel: despite originating as Yoshiyuki Tomino's brainchild, the series survived its dramatic reinvention with G Gundam, paving the way to more sequels and alternate timelines that successfully maintain the series' core themes.

The Evangelion Franchise Is Ready to Move On

While it is not to say that fans should expect Shinji to do martial arts in a few years, they should at least be confident that the next director who takes a crack at the franchise will retain the original themes, even if the scenery and characters change. While Anno and his anime are inextricably linked, the director seems not to want to forever curate its sequels. What shape the next Neon Genesis Evangelion will take is unknown, but with all the alternate retellings it already has, an official change in directly feels like a rubber-stamped formality, at most.