How to Watch Evangelion in 2020, Twenty Years After
When the final episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion aired in 1996, Japanese audiences were angry. After watching a series that elevated anime to a thought-provoking level, the ending felt like a letdown. Not only was their favorite show over, but the finale failed to satisfy. Still, history views Evangelion favorably, with critics calling it a watershed moment in Japanese animation.
Netflix has announced it will add Evangelion to its library next year, but April is far away yet. Those who want to see Shinji, Rei and Asuka battle angels in an apocalyptic Tokyo are better off looking for alternatives online, at least for now. DVDs and Blu-Ray aren’t options, either, as the rights are limited outside of Japan.
Whether you’re a newcomer who wants to watch a landmark in Japanese animation or an anime fan looking to see what all the hype is about, we did the heavy lifting to find where you can watch the show. The original series from the late ‘90s is the best place to start. We’ll show you how to watch Evangelion on free streaming websites, paid services via VPN and even Kodi add-ons.
We’ve done so with other landmark shows as well; check out our pieces on how to watch Game of Thrones and how to watch House of Cards for examples. If anime ain’t your thing and you prefer regular Netflix, check out our best Netflix hacks.
Watch Evangelion For Free
An immediate and user-friendly way to watch Evangelion is through free streaming. Accessing high-quality episodes with English dubs or subtitles is easy, so it takes little time or setup to begin watching. The websites they’re on have their own set of challenges, as they’re often riddled with pop-up ads that contain malware, but there are ways to navigate them safely.
For your first line of defense, go with one of our best pop-up blockers. They help lessen annoyances and prevent malware from infiltrating your system. Another layer of safety to add is antivirus software. Check out our antivirus reviews to start. We’ve reviewed some of the best on the market today and feel we have a handle on which are the very best antivirus solutions.
Going to websites with pop-ups puts your privacy at risk. When you access a page, you’re not just receiving data, you’re also sending it. There’s no getting around that, unless you want to stop using the internet; check out our online privacy guide for more on this.
Since no longer accessing the web probably isn’t an option for you, consider browsing with a virtual private network, which will encrypt your data. That means your information will remain secure while using those free streaming websites. Our extensive best VPN reviews and comparisons will help you pick one and get going.
Last, but not least, we’ve found two websites that offer the entire Evangelion series and its accompanying films Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion.
WatchDub presents the complete series and movies dubbed in English. If you prefer watching with the original Japanese audio and English subtitles, AnimeHeaven offers high-quality versions of all 26 episodes and the movies with that option.
Watch Evangelion on Kodi
If you haven’t heard of Kodi and how it can improve your home viewing experience, we have a Kodi guide to get you up to speed. It’s an all-inclusive media center where you can download open source applications and services in a unified dashboard.
Among the many plugins Kodi offers is KissAnime, an add-on that not only offers Evangelion, but hundreds of other anime shows and movies. It has all 26 episodes of the original series and the two follow-up movies in subtitled and dubbed versions.
As a reminder: we encourage users to heed copyright laws when accessing third-party plugins on Kodi. The company is not responsible for supporting the add-ons or helping with problems you may experience. We have an article on how to use Kodi and install add-ons if you need the help.
Consider adding a VPN to your setup to lift ISP blocks and get access to Kodi add-ons. Read our comparison of the best VPN for Kodi for suggestions.
Other Methods
Since the rights to Evangelion have expired for several distributors outside of Japan, it’s not easy to find. That means major streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video don’t have it. Even services geared toward anime, such as Funimation, Crunchyroll and VRV, come up short.
All is not lost, though, if you prefer to pay and watch it on a trusted streaming service. Amazon Japan has all 26 episodes of the original series, though it’s unclear whether English subtitles are an option. To access that content from regions outside of Japan, you’ll need one of our best VPN for streaming picks, though in a pinch the best VPN for Netflix will do. Our selection of the best VPN for Japan are all good to go here, as well.
If none of the options we’ve discussed work, you have one last resort: torrents. Search The Pirate Bay or one of its alternative websites, but be sure to equip yourself with one of the best VPN for torrenting from our list before downloading anything.
Final Thoughts
Watching Evangelion is like a rite of passage. Many call it a masterpiece, while some find it overrated. Its influence, like the LCL fluid inside Eva units, has spread throughout modern anime. Though every animephile can tell you their opinions on the show, few can show you where to watch it.
We’re not ones to let expired distribution rights get in the way of experiencing a milestone in Japanese animation. While it’s hard to find the original series outside of Japan, there are still several ways to get your Evangelion fix and using a VPN is the common denominator between them.
What do you think of Neon Genesis Evangelion? Are there other ways to watch the original series that we missed? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.