Watch Evangelion in release order: the 26-episode TV series, then The End of Evangelion, then the four Rebuild films. The order fits in one line. What takes a page is the titles: one film replaces the last two episodes, another is only a recap of the series, and each Rebuild film has a second version with a different number.
The order is the easy part in the US. The harder part is that the four Rebuild films are not on any subscription service here, and one of them cannot even be rented. The second table on this page sorts that out service by service. I have watched all of it, from the 1995 series to the last Rebuild film, and the notes below are about what each part asks of you, not just where it sits.
📋 Every Evangelion Title, in the Order to Watch It
| # | Title | Year | What it is | US streaming (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neon Genesis Evangelion (26 episodes) | 1995–1996 | The original TV series | Netflix |
| 2 | The End of Evangelion | 1997 | Replaces episodes 25 and 26 | Netflix |
| 3 | Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone | 2007 | Rebuild film 1 (a retelling) | Rent / Buy |
| 4 | Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance | 2009 | Rebuild film 2 | Rent / Buy (Prime: see note) |
| 5 | Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo | 2012 | Rebuild film 3 | Disc only |
| 6 | Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time | 2021 | Rebuild film 4, the ending | Rent / Buy |
| — | Evangelion: Death (True)² | 1998 | Optional recap of the series | Netflix |
Each title links to its own page on this site, with the trailer, a spoiler-free synopsis and the service-by-service detail.
🗺️ The Watch Order, Step by Step
1. Neon Genesis Evangelion, episodes 1 to 24
Start with the TV series. Netflix carries the director’s cut versions of episodes 21 to 24, which add scenes that were cut for broadcast, so there is no need to hunt down the originals first. This is the part of the franchise everything else refers back to.
2. Episodes 25 and 26, then The End of Evangelion
The last two TV episodes take place almost entirely inside the main character’s head. The End of Evangelion, released in theaters in 1997, shows what happens in the outside world over the same stretch of time. Watch both: the episodes first, then the film. Some fans skip from episode 24 straight to the movie, but the two endings were made to be read against each other, and you lose half the point if you only see one.
A warning, though: the last half hour of the 1997 film is hard to sit through. I would call the ending traumatic, and plenty of Japanese fans use the same word. Give yourself a quiet evening for it, not a late-night double feature.
Optional: Evangelion: Death (True)²
A condensed edit of the TV series. Its first version, Death, played in theaters in 1997 as part of Death & Rebirth; this final cut, Death (True)², came out in 1998. It is on Netflix, and you can skip it. It is for people who want a refresher before the 1997 film, not for first-time viewers.
3. The four Rebuild of Evangelion films
Rebuild is director Hideaki Anno retelling the story from the beginning. 1.11 follows the first episodes of the TV series closely; 2.22 starts to change things; 3.33 jumps somewhere the TV series never went; and Thrice Upon a Time ends the whole franchise. I have seen all four, and they are made for people who know the TV series: you can follow 1.11 and 2.22 without it, but from 3.33 on, the films lean on what you remember from 1995. Watch Rebuild after the series, not instead of it.
Which Version of Each Film?
- 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 were the theatrical cuts. 1.11, 2.22 and 3.33 are the home-video versions with reworked shots, and they are the ones you will find in the US.
- 3.0+1.0 is the fourth film. Amazon lists it as 3.0+1.01 and the US disc as 3.0+1.11, and some sites call it Evangelion 4.0. All of these names are one movie.
- Thrice Upon a Time is 155 minutes long, the longest single feature in the franchise, so plan a full evening for it.
📺 Where to Watch Evangelion in the US (October 2026)
| Title | Netflix | Prime Video | Rent / Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neon Genesis Evangelion | Streaming | Not available | Buy |
| The End of Evangelion | Streaming | Not available | Buy |
| Death (True)² | Streaming | Not available | Buy |
| 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone | Not available | Not available | Rent / Buy |
| 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance | Not available | Listed (see note) | Rent / Buy |
| 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo | Not available | Not available | Not available (disc only) |
| 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time | Not available | Not available | Rent / Buy |
Checked on October 13, 2026 against JustWatch’s US listings. The Criterion Channel also streams the TV series, The End of Evangelion and Death (True)². Prime Video carried all four Rebuild films from 2021, which is why older guides still send you there. One warning about 2.22: JustWatch showed it as included with Prime Video again on October 12, but Amazon had dropped the Rebuild films from Prime in August, so check the Prime Video page before you count on it. The other three are rentals or purchases. 3.33 is the one gap: it is not sold or rented digitally in the US, so the only way to see it is on disc. The 3.33 page explains why.
🗾 Why Evangelion Is Still Everywhere in Japan
Evangelion is not a cult classic in Japan, it is mainstream: JR West even ran an Evangelion-themed shinkansen. Thrice Upon a Time took more than 10 billion yen at the Japanese box office in 2021, the biggest hit of Anno’s career, and the story’s fictional city, Tokyo-3, sits in Hakone, a real hot-spring town near Mount Fuji. The questions people in Japan still argue about, like why the pilots are fourteen, are collected on a separate page.
After the third Rebuild film and before the fourth, Anno co-directed Shin Godzilla (2016). If you finish all of Evangelion and want more of his style, that is the natural next step.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to watch the TV series before the Rebuild films?
You can follow 1.11 and 2.22 without it, since they retell the early episodes. From 3.33 on, the films assume you know the original, and the US situation points the same way: the series is on Netflix, and the films are mostly rentals.
Is The End of Evangelion a sequel or a replacement?
A replacement for the last two episodes, told from the outside. Watch episodes 25 and 26 first, then the film.
Is Evangelion 3.0+1.0 the same as Evangelion 4.0?
Yes. 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is the fourth and final Rebuild film. “4.0” is a nickname some sites use.
Can I watch all of Evangelion on Netflix in the US?
No. Netflix has the TV series, The End of Evangelion and Death (True)². The Rebuild films have to be rented or bought (2.22 may be on Prime Video; see the note above), and 3.33 is disc only.
📝 Final Thoughts
If you only remember one line from this page: TV series, then The End of Evangelion, then Rebuild in number order. The first two are on Netflix tonight, and the Rebuild films will cost you a few rentals. If that is a dealbreaker, stop after the 1997 film: for more than a decade before Rebuild began, the TV series and The End of Evangelion were all anyone in Japan had, and plenty of fans never went further.
