The history of Neon Genesis Evangelion's English dubs is almost as complicated as the anime's own lore. The original series (meaning the original 26-episode run, the compilation movie Evangelion: Death & Rebirth, and alternate conclusion The End Of Evangelion) was dubbed by the Texas company ADV Films in the late 1990s up t0 2002. In 2019, when Netflix acquired distribution of Evangelion, they re-dubbed it with a new cast and new script.
The Rebuild Of Evangelion films are just as complicated. The first three films were dubbed by Funimation, with a cast that mixed Funimation regulars with ADV alums. However, the long gap between the 3rd and 4th Rebuild films meant their license lapsed, and Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon A Time was dubbed by Amazon, along with re-dubs of the first three. While Amazon at least recruited some of the ADV/Funimation cast, their dub of Rebuild suffers from the same problems as the Netflix dub of Neon Genesis; stilted direction and literal translation. This means that though the Funimation dub is incomplete, it's in many respects the superior work.
10 Caitlin Glass As Maya Ibuki
Of the three NERV bridge technicians, Maya's always had the most personality. She recoils in fear and horror at any sort of violence, a shame since such things are an occupational hazard, and harbors unrequited feelings for Ritsuko. She was voiced by three actresses across the original Evangelion—Kendra Benham in the original, Monica Rial in the director's cut of select episodes, and Amy Seeley in Death & Rebirth/The End Of Evangelion.
In Rebuild, however, Maya is voiced by Funimation regular Caitlin Glass (whose roles include Winry Rockbell in Fullmetal Alchemist and Nefertari Vivi in One Piece). Glass got to show a new side of Maya in Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo, when the once fearful NERV technician has become a stern WILLE officer during the time skip.
9 Colleen Clinkenbeard as Ritsuko Akagi
Ritsuko Akagi is NERV's head computer scientist and thus crucial in the maintenance of the EVA's. In the original series, her troubled relationships with Gendo and her late mother send her into a downward spiral, poisoning her friendship with Misato and ending in her death. In Rebuild, Ritsuko gets a more positive ending—she becomes Misato's right hand at WILLE and lives through it.
Ritsuko has been voiced by a different actress in each iteration of the series' dub. Her Funimation voice actress, Colleen Clinkenbeard, is an experienced anime dubber and uses her experience to great effect. Unfortunately, the different direction that Rebuild Ritsuko's story takes means Clinkenbeard doesn't get to flex her dramatic muscle as much as ADV's Sue Ulu did.
8 Felecia Angelle As Sakura Suzuhara
You Can (Not) Redo is when Rebuild Of Evangelion goes completely off the rails laid down by Neon Genesis. The story jumps ahead 14 years and introduces a totally new status quo with plenty of new characters. One of those is Toji Suzuhara's younger sister, Sakura, who was only alluded to in the original series. Now all grown up during the time skip, Sakura is a junior member of WILLE and the only one who treats Shinji with anything but indifference or disdain.
Felecia Angelle perfectly captures Sakura's endearing precociousness; she ended up being one of only five Funimation dub actors to reprise her role in Amazon's dub.
7 John Swasey As Gendo Ikari
John Swasey first voiced Gendo Ikari at ADV in director’s cuts of Episodes 21-24, but it was with the Rebuilds that he took over the role full time. Gendo's previous voice, Tristan MacAvery, was one of, if not the best, actors in ADV's dub, so beating him would've been a challenge. Swasey met it by choosing not to imitate MacAvery.
Whereas MacAvery’s Gendo seemed perpetually irritated and always on the cusp of rage, Swasey’s is totally reserved. There's no doubt of his authority, so he barely even needs to inflect his voice to convey it. He also gets to explore new depths to Gendo's character in father and son's final confrontation in Thrice Upon A time.
6 Jerry Jewell As Kaworu Nagisa
The Angel/Human hybrid Kaworu Nagisa plays a larger part in the Rebuilds than the original series. Instead of a one-shot character (plus a post-mortem appearance in End Of Evangelion), he cameos in the first two films before taking center stage in You Can (Not) Redo. However, the trajectory of his arc and ultimate fate are largely the same in both versions.
For Funimation, Jerry Jewell voiced Kaworu. His performance in You Can (Not) Redo is the best dubbed Kaworu performance. He's the most alien, fitting for a not-quite-human character, yet his voice is a soothing one, as calming as the music he makes with his piano. Listening to Jewell's Kaworu speak, it's all the more understandable why Shinji feels so comfortable in his presence.
5 Spike Spencer As Shinji Ikari
There are only three voice actors who have dubbed Evangelion since the beginning and remained in their roles all the way up to Thrice Upon A Time (barring the Netflix re-dub). One of them is Spike Spencer as the series' pseudo-hero, Shinji Ikari. Of the three consistent voices, Spencer’s age is the most notable.
It's often hard to buy his voice as that of a teenage boy, and one has to wonder how much this fed complaints about Shinji's "whininess." That said, Spencer is a talented actor; his performance in the climax of Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance ("I want Rei - Give Her Back!") is downright chilling.
4 Brina Palencia As Rei Ayanami
In ADV's dub, Amanda Winn-Lee voiced Rei Ayanami; she later became ADR director for Death & Rebirth + End and returned as Rei in the Amazon dub. Winn-Lee's performance as Rei is iconic, but it'd be remiss not to give credit to Brina Palencia's performance for Funimation; which is a very close, respectable second to Winn-Lee's.
Palencia's Rei is lower-pitched and doesn’t sound as ethereal as Amanda Winn-Lee, more akin to a human's voice than an angel's. However, that difference works well since the Rebuilds place greater focus on Rei’s burgeoning humanity.
3 Allison Keith-Shipp As Misato Katsuragi
Alongside Spike Spencer and Tiffany Grant, Allison Keith-Shipp has been the most consistent dub actor in Evangelion as Misato Katsuragi. Keith-Shipp is semi-retired from voice acting, a shame given her tremendous talent. Misato is a woman of contrasts; on duty as a NERV colonel, she's tough as nails and a stern though compassionate leader.
Off the job, she's a hot mess with a taste for alcohol and an apartment whose state reflects her personal life. Keith-Shipp has always performed that contrast well, nailing comedy and drama alike. That balance comes out in both the Funimation and Amazon dubs of Rebuild.
2 Tiffany Grant As Asuka Langley Shikinami
Paralleling her belated introduction in the original series, Asuka Langley Shikinami debuts in You Can (Not) Advance. As (almost) always, she was voiced by Tiffany Grant. Grant is enthusiastic about the part, to say the least, and is even fluent in German, Asuka's mother tongue. Rebuild Asuka is written quite differently than in Neon Genesis—compare her different surname, Shikinami vs the original Soryu.
Still, Grant excels all the same as everyone's favorite histrionic redhead EVA pilot. Tragically, Grant's professed favorite Asuka line ("[Shinji is] not just an idiot, he's an a**hole!") is only present in the unavailable original Funimation dub for You Can (Not) Redo.
1 Trina Nishimura As Mari Illustrious Makinami
Mari Makinami is an original creation of the Rebuilds without a counterpart in Neon Genesis. She doesn't have the depth of Shinji, Asuka, or Misato. Thanks to her foul-mouthed giddiness and lack of any overt psychological issues, she feels like a character from a more conventional mecha anime who somehow stumbled into the Evangelion universe.
However, in terms of performance informing character, Trina Nishimura stands tall and proud. All the best line deliveries in You Can (Not) Advance are hers (e.g. "Just... f***ing... DIIIIIEEEE!", "Point blank, sh**-head!", "Nothing ventured, nothing gained!", "THERE IT IS!"). Listening to her speak, it's impossible not to become as exhilarated as Mari herself is while piloting an EVA. No disrespect to Deneen Melody, but it's a shame Nishimura didn't return for the Amazon dub.