Neon Genesis Evangelion aired its first episode in 1995 on Japanese television. Its 26 great episodes went on to spawn countless video games, manga adaptations, trading cards, and fan works that show no sign of stopping any time soon. Not only did it inspire stories and games, but it was also the genesis of figurines and plenty of other physical merchandise that can be found practically anywhere anime or manga are sold.
Most Evangelion merch, clothes, and media are cool enough to covet, but some of the most interesting and noteworthy Evangelion items belong to the strange crossovers that the Evangelion series has participated in.
7 Evangelion X FILA Offered A Peek Into A Fashionable Alternate Universe
This collaboration between Neon Genesis Evangelion and FILA was primarily made to advertise new FILA shoe designs but also included shirts, outerwear, and accessories.
Besides the great clothing, the clothing line also resulted in interesting promotional art featuring FILA clothes on 5 of the anime's Eva pilots. The collaboration also proved that it is impossible to make Shinji Ikari look cool, even with fashionable streetwear.
6 Evangelion X Transformers Was A Surprisingly Fitting Crossover
MP-10 Convoy Mode "Eva" is an Optimus Prime toy with colors and decals based on Eva Unit-01 and NERV itself. The toy was inspired by a Japanese web novel series, Transformers Mode “Eva," in which Optimus Prime scanned Eva Unit-01 to gain abilities from it, as well as its colors and size. The enhanced Optimus Prime then went on to fight the angels from Neon Genesis Evangelion and the ghost of the Decepticon Starscream.
The toy was limited to 1,000 units, making it difficult and expensive to come by today. The crossover also gave fans detailed, official artwork of the Transformers Mode “Eva” version of Optimus Prime.
5 Evangelion X New Balance Brought AT Field Technology To Footwear
In this example of another Neon Genesis Evangelion shoe collaboration, Evangelion teamed up with New Balance for three shoe designs based on Shinji, Asuka, and Kowaru's Eva Units. Each shoe referenced Evangelion subtly through the AT Field text on the midsole and the NERV logo on the tongue. Something less subtle would be the clearly mismatched coloration of the Asuka shoes.
4 Evangelion X Tamagotchi Lets Buyers Raise Their Own Angels, Eva Units, and Pilots
Tamagotchi have been popular toys in Japan since their release in 1996. They were later exported to America and localized in 1997. There have been many crossover Tamagotchi virtual pets, like Pokemon, Star Wars, Demon Slayer, and of course, Neon Genesis Evangelion versions.
The Evangelion Tamagotchi features 6 different colorations for the physical egg-shaped device, as well as 26 different characters from the anime that can be raised as virtual pets. Some of the most interesting "pets" that players can raise besides the angels are Rei, Kaworu, and Eva Unit-01.
3 Director Hideaki Anno Ties Evangelion X Shin Godzilla Together
Universal Studios Japan offered a limited-time ride where parkgoers could witness a battle between Godzilla and Eva pilots to promote the 2016 film, Shin Godzilla. The collaboration makes perfect sense when considering that Hideaki Anno was the director of both Shin Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Collaborations between Evangelion and Godzilla have led to great things, like an Eva Unit-01/MechaGodzilla popcorn container, plenty of art, and multiple figurines.
2 Evangelion X Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion Is Obscure In America But No Less Impressive
Although this series has very little presence in America, Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion still led to a great piece of Evangelion crossover merchandise called the Evangelion-01 Shinkalion Z 500 Type EVA. The toy is based on the real-life Evangelion-themed train that ran for about 4 years from Shin-Osaka to Hakata to celebrate Evangelion's 20th anniversary.
Even for Evangelion fans who have never even heard of Shinkalion, this transforming bullet train would surely be a welcome collectible.
1 Evangelion X Super Robot Wars Has Shown Off Many Crossovers Over The Years
There are well over 40 Super Robot Wars video games, and at least 5 of them feature robots and pilots from Neon Genesis Evangelion. To be specific, Super Robot Wars Final, Alpha, Alpha 3, L, and MX all feature characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion but, unfortunately, nearly every Super Robot Wars was exclusively released in Japan. These games also feature tons of robots, kaiju, and vehicles from countless other classic anime, manga, and video games.
Not only do the Super Robot Wars console games mentioned above feature Evangelion characters, but the mobile game, Super Robot Wars DD, does as well. This mobile game even includes an Eva-Unit-01-colored Mecha Godzilla and Godzilla himself as part of the Shin Godzilla promotions mentioned earlier.