Neon Genesis Evangelion: Netflix Reveals Premiere Date for the Classic Anime Series

Netflix has finally revealed when Neon Genesis Evangelion will premiere on the streaming service: the launch date is June 21, 2019.

This is great news for fans of the beloved anime, which until now has never been available for streaming legally on a global scale.

As IGN’s resident Evangelion expert, Max Scoville, points out in the video below, "this is one of the most beloved, cult classic anime series out there and up until now, it’s been incredibly hard to track down the original series and subsequent first few movies legally or affordably," meaning that Netflix's acquisition of the show and two of its sequel movies, Evangelion: Death True² and The End of Evangelion, will introduce a whole new generation to Shinji, Rei, Asuka and the rest of the Evangelion crew.

The series premiered its original 26 episodes in 1995, and follows a team of teenagers who are recruited by a mysterious organization to fight an invading alien force known as Angels by piloting mecha Evangelion (EVA) machines. But beyond the seemingly generic anime premise, the series delves into much weightier psychological and metaphysical themes that are beautiful and at times completely baffling.

Evangelion is part of Netflix's concerted push into anime - this year, the streaming service will also launch Ultraman on April 1, Rilakkuma and Kaoru on April 19, 7Seeds (April TBD), and Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac (Summer 2019). A live-action remake of Cowboy Bebop, another beloved and critically-acclaimed anime, is also in the works at Netflix, along with anime series based on Altered Carbon and Pacific Rim.

While you're waiting for Neon Genesis Evangelion to premiere, check out our list of the best anime series on Netflix right now, and watch the Season 2 trailer for One-Punch Man, which will stream exclusively on Hulu in the US.