Evangelion TV Anime Episodes

Neon Genesis Evangelion is comprised of 26 episodes. The following list contains the titles of each episode followed by a brief summary.

Episode 1 (“Angel Attack”)

The Third Angel, Sachiel, begins attacking Tokyo-3 Shinji is called to NERV to pilot Evangelion Unit 01.

Episode 2 (“Unfamiliar Ceilings”)

Shinji begins his attack on the Angel, but his inexperience allows the Angel to knock him unconscious. Misato convinces him to say at her apartment and, later that night, he recalls the rest of the battle with the Angel.

Episode 3 (“The Silent Phone”)

Three weeks later, Shinji attends Class 2-A. He is introduced to Kensuke and Toji who, shortly after, get to see Shinji piloting Evangelion Unit 01 firsthand.

Episode 4 (“Rain, After Running Away”)

Due to the stress of piloting Evangelion Unit 01, Shinji attempts to run away and wanders around aimlessly and considers resigning as a pilot, but can’t bring himself to.

Episode 5 (“Rei, Beyond the Heart”)

Shinji is tasked with giving Rei her renewed NERV ID card. Afterward, Ramiel begins its attack and severely injures Shinji and Evangelion Unit 01.

Episode 6 (“Showdown in Tokyo-3”)

As Shinji recovers, Misato and NERV devise a plan to destroy Ramiel from afar using a positron rifle and all of the electricity in the country.

Episode 7 (“The Works of Man”)

Ritsuko tells Shinji about the truth behind the Second Impact. Meanwhile, Misato and Ritsuko watch a demonstration of a new unmanned anti-Angel robot that fails, resulting in Shinji needing to help Misato onto the creation before it explodes.

Episode 8 (“Asuka Arrives in Japan”)

Misato, Shinji, Kensuke, and Toji are invited onto a fleet of UN ships that are carrying Evangelion Unit 02 and its pilot Asuka Langley Soryu to Japan. The Angel Gaghiel attacks and Shinji and Asuka team up in Evangelion Unit 02 and defeat it with the help of Misato and the UN commander.

Episode 9 (“Mind, Matching, Movement”)

The Angel Israfel attacks. Both Asuka and Shinji are sent to destroy it, but this Angel has the ability to split in two, which catches the two off guard. They are forced to work in perfect unison to defeat the Angel.

Episode 10 (“The Magma Diver”)

The embryo of the Angel Sandalphon is found in a volcano and Gendo Ikari orders the Evangelion units to capture it. The Angel begins to rapidly mature, which puts Asuka in serious danger. However, the Angel is defeated by using Eva-02’s coolant to weaken its hard body.

Episode 11 (“In the Still Darkness”)

All of Tokyo-3 loses power right before the Angel Matarael attacks. The NERV crew and the pilots have to unlock everything manually, but eventually manage to take down the Angel.

Episode 12 (“A Miracle’s Worth”)

Misato is promoted to Major. Sahaquiel is discovered in Earth’s orbit and it attempts to bomb NERV from space. Each pilot is given a plan of action to stop the attack and the Angel’s defeated.

Episode 13 (“Angel Infiltration”)

The Angel Ireul infiltrates NERV and hacks into their supercomputers. Before all control is lost, Ritsuko creates a self-destruct program that kills the Angel.

Episode 14 (“Seele, the Seat of the Soul”)

Half of this episode is a recap of the Angels previously shown and takes the form of a SEELE meeting. The other half shows a cross-compatibility test between Shinji and Rei’s units.

Episode 15 (“Lies and Silence”)

Shinji and Gendo visit Yui’s grave together. Misato catches Ryoji Kaji sneaking around Terminal Dogma, where closely kept NERV secrets are kept. Ryoji admits that he has been acting as a spy for the Japanese government.

Episode 16 (“The Sickness unto Death, and Then...”)

Shinji outperforms Asuka in a synchronization test. This causes Shinji to gain some confidence that leads him to charge and attack Leliel. This results in Shinji being swallowed up by the Angel. Hours later, Evangelion Unit 01 goes berserk and destroys the Angel from the inside.

Episode 17 (“The Fourth to be Qualified”)

News comes in that the experimental Evangelion Unit 04 exploded and destroyed a NERV branch in the US. Toji is selected to be the fourth Eva pilot, but he only accepts on the condition that his sister is transferred to NERV’s hospital.

Episode 18 (“Life and Death Decisions”)

Evangelion Unit 03 is revealed to be infected with the Angel Bardiel. All pilots hesitate to attack because they know that Toji is the pilot inside. A Dummy Plug is used with Eva-01 and Shinji can only watch as Evangelion Unit 03 is destroyed.

Episode 19 (“A Man’s Battle”)

Shinji renounces his position as an Evangelion pilot once again and runs away from NERV. However, Zeruel begins its attack and forces Shinji to reconsider.

Episode 20 (“Of the Shapes of Hearts and Humans”)

The battle with Zeruel resulted in Shinji disappearing inside of Evangelion Unit 01, though he is not dead. In this unusual state, Shinji experiences a psychological trip and makes contact with his mother, who seems to help him reappear outside of Eva-01.

Episode 21 (“The Birth of NERV”)

In an interrogation by SEELE, Kozo Fuyutsuki recalls the times before the Second Impact and reveals the pasts of the major members of NERV.

Episode 22 (“Staying Human”)

Asuka’s synchronization rate begins declining and she is subject to a psychological attack by Arael. She is forced to relive her traumatic childhood against her will.

Episode 23 (“Tears”)

Asuka is left unable to pilot Evangelion Unit 02 while Armisael attacks, leaving Evangelion Unit 00 the only available unit. The Angel begins fusing with Eva-00 and the lockdown on Eva-01 is lifted. Rei decides to sacrifice herself to kill the Angel.

Episode 24 (“The Last Cometh”)

Asuka disappears and Shinji is too afraid to face Rei or Misato. In his time of need, Kaworu appears to comfort him. However, it is revealed that Kaworu is the Final Angel. Upset and confused, Shinji kills Kaworu after a long hesitation.

Episode 25 (“The Ending World”)

Several psychological “cases” are shown from various characters throughout the series and the Instrumentation of humanity begins.

Episode 26 (“The Beast That Shouted ‘I’ at the Heart of the World”)

The Instrumentality continues and the psychological analysis becomes more focused on Shinji. He learns there is no “self” without others to define it and that since there are so many different possible outcomes in the world, there may be a reality where he can accept and love himself.