Music of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion discography
Studio albums	5
Live albums	2
Compilation albums	4
Singles	15
Soundtrack albums	12

The soundtracks of Neon Genesis Evangelion were produced for the 1995 anime series of the same name and its sequels, remakes and spinoffs. Shiro Sagisu composed the tracks under the direction of Hideaki Anno, director of the series. In addition to Sagisu's compositions, the soundtracks include pieces by Masami Okui, Kotono Mitsuishi and a wide repertoire of classical music, including symphonies by Beethoven, Bach, Giuseppe Verdi and other composers. Under the direction of Toshimichi Ōtsuki, a representative of King Records and one of the producers of the series, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" was composed as the series' opening theme song. The series used "Fly Me to the Moon", originally written by Bart Howard, as the closing theme song. Different versions of the song were recorded by British singer Claire Littley, Yoko Takahashi and the anime's main female voice actors, Megumi Hayashibara, Kotono Mitsuishi and Yuko Miyamura.

The anime soundtrack was collected in three main albums, released in 1995 and 1996. These were followed by several studio albums, collections and remixes. Sagisu also composed the soundtracks for the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy—a remake of the original series—and several derivative video games. Critics have compared several pieces to Beatles songs and soundtracks from earlier animes, such as Mobile Suit Gundam and Space Battleship Yamato. Sagisu's work has been well received by critics and audiences alike; several albums and singles from the soundtrack have been certified gold or platinum in Japan, reaching the top of the national charts. According to SciFi Japan, albums dedicated to Evangelion have sold a total of nine million copies.

Production

Writing and inspiration

The original soundtrack of Neon Genesis Evangelion was composed by Shiro Sagisu and distributed by King Records, which was also directly involved in the conception and production of the series. The music was produced by the director and main scriptwriter of the series, Hideaki Anno, who gave several instructions to the composer and was personally responsible for choosing the titles of the pieces. Toshimichi Ōtsuki, a representative of King Records, first approached Anno about making Evangelion and gave him the opportunity to launch the project, taking on the role of one of the series' producers. Ōtsuki gave Anno artistic freedom over the entire series' production, except for the series' opening theme song, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis".

Working on Anno's direction, Sagisu sought to capture a "retro" feel in the soundtrack and tie it to the psychological themes of the series. For example, to give the Eva's cockpit the feel of a mother's womb, Anno asked him to compose a melody that would accentuate a feeling of nostalgia. Sagisu and Anno also attempted to differentiate the soundtrack from the soundtracks of other mecha anime series. Most of the compositions were produced with sounds and methods typical of the 1970s, avoiding the use of synthesisers to give the tracks a nostalgic sound. Most of the tracks give prominence to brass instruments, while other tracks emphasize cello or piano. According to writer Masaki Miyakawa, the nostalgic touch of Sagisu's compositions was due to the production process of Japanese animated series of the time; the designs were often not finished until after the production of the soundtrack, so director Anno would have given Sagisu directions by referring to existing products. The first recording sessions were held at King Records studios from 12 March 1995.

Philip Brophy of Real Time compared Sagisu's soundtrack to the soundtrack of Thunderbirds, and the works of Steve Reich and Ken Ishii. Miyakawa compared "Angel Attack" and "Decisive Battle" to the compositions of Japanese special effects tokusatsu films, such as Godzilla; "Angel Attack", in particular, has been compared to the soundtrack of Ryūichi Sakamoto's The Last Emperor (1987) and the song "Kyūchi ni tatsu Gandamu" (窮地に立つガンダム, lit. 'Gundam in trouble') from Mobile Suit Gundam. According to Matthew Magnus Lundeen of Game Rant, the song "Angel Attack", which he likened to the theme of Jaws, was based on the compositions of old tokusatsu series, such as Ultraman or Kamen Rider, while "Decisive Battle" and "Angel Attack II" were compared to the music of James Bond films, specifically to the main theme of From Russia with Love (1963). Miyakawa compared "Rei I" to Sakamoto's compositions and the opening theme of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), "Background Music" to "My Sharona" by The Knack, "She said, 'Don't make others suffer for your personal hatred'" to the music of the Ventures, "Nerv" to the music of super sentai series and "Asuka Strikes!" to American country music and "Octopus's Garden" by the Beatles.

Miyakawa and several fans have also noted similarities between Sagisu's work and the music of the anime Space Battleship Yamato, with which it shares the instrumentation of strings, horns, rhythm section and percussion. They have compared "Eva-01" to the song "The Birth" and the theme of Battleship Andromeda, "Background Music II" to "The Original Space Battleship Yamato" track and the main theme of The Magnificent Seven (1960), and noted that "Background Music III" may have been inspired by Yamato song "Hero's Hill", heard in the film Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato (1978).

The music used in the twelfth episode during the confrontation against Sahaquiel was described by writer Dennis Redmond as "a Spanish-style aria reminiscent of Leone's Spaghetti Westerns", while "Eva-00" has been compared to the works of Bernard Herrmann. According to Heike Hoffer, the music reflects the psychology of the characters in the series; Misato's theme has a jazzy, laid-back sound, Asuka's has a Western sound, and Rei's has a Debussy-like harmonic piano.

The track "Borderline Case", used during the introspective scenes featuring Shinji, has been noted for its metaphysical tone, and ambient or minimalist influence. According to a file on the album Refrain of Evangelion, Misato's theme also has an unusual tune compared to the other soundtracks in the series; however, since Sagisu also participated in the composition of the music for the variety show Waratte iitomo!, "this type of music is also his cup of tea". The series' opening theme song, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", has been described by Jack Doyle of The Mary Sue as "a baroque pop earworm". The original composition, characterised by sounds similar to music of the second half of the 1980s, has also been remixed into various genres, such as techno, jungle and traditional Japanese music.

Classical music

In addition to Sagisu's original compositions, the soundtrack also includes classical music, such as Johann Sebastian Bach's Suite for Cello Solo No.1 in G Major, Violin Partita No.3, Suite No. 3 in D Major and Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, Johann Pachelbel's Canon, Georg Friedrich Händel's Messiah, Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem and Ludwig van Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

Hideaki Anno, himself a fan of classical music, initially requested that the Polovician Dances, from Aleksandr Borodin's opera Prince Igor, be used as the opening theme song for the series, but that request was rejected by TV Tokyo. Anno's use of classical music during violent scenes has been compared to Stanley Kubrick's works. The Cello Suite, played by Shinji in the fifteenth episode of the series, was selected by screenwriter Akio Satsukawa, who is known for using classical music pieces, such as Manon Lescaut and Madama Butterfly, in his works.

Ode to Joy is used as the soundtrack for the series' twenty-fourth episode, and features lyrics with several parallels to the series' plot. The song was used to echo the theme of the episode and for the line "We enter intoxicated and quivering, O Heavenly One, into Thy temple". The piece was used in both the original series, in the scene in which Kaworu Nagisa attempts to break into the deepst part of Nerv Headquarters, as well as in the film Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and in the third installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion saga. Haiku Hoffer has noted how Ode to Joy, unlike other pieces such as Bach's Cello Suite, is well known in Japan, as it is played during end-of-year concerts called Daiku; the fact that Kaworu hums the piece in front of Shinji, seen in Japan as a song to be sung as a group symbol of cooperation and a sense of community, would immediately suggest to the Japanese viewer how the two characters are destined to become friends over the course of the series. Also audible in the piece is the phrase "der Cherub steht vor Gott", "the cherub stands before God", which Hoffer associates with the fact that Kaworu stands before the Angel Lilith, a figure resembling a deity. Pachelbel's Canon has also been used in Rebuild promotional videos.

Other songs

The soundtrack features contemporary songs that were not composed for the series. Tracks by Kotono Mitsuishi and Masami Okui are used in several scenes of the series, usually as background music or on Shinji's Digital Audio Tape player. The soundtrack features songs by Mitsuishi, Misato Katsuragi's original voice actress, including "You are the only one", "Aoi legend", "Toi sora no yakusoku" (遠い空の約束, lit. 'The promise of the distant sky') and "Fall in a Star", all from Lilia 〜from Ys〜, a 1992 album dedicated to the music of the Ys video game series. Mitsuishi's songs were also reused in Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone and later released in the related soundtrack albums.

Okui's songs "Bay side love story -from Tokyo-", "Face", "Ryōte-ippai no yume" (両手いっぱいの夢, lit. 'Hands full of dreams') and "Fushigina yoru"不思議な夜 (Mysterious nights), rom Gyuu, the singer's first album, were used. The fifteenth episode also features Tentō mushi no samba (てんとう𰙫のサンバ, lit. 'The ladybird's samba'), a 1973 song popular at Japanese weddings, recording for the series during dubbing by Junko Iwao, Miki Nagasawa, Yuko Miyamura and Megumi Ogata.

"Fly Me to the Moon"

For the closing theme song, staff decided to use an existing song, "Fly Me to the Moon" by Bart Howard, with original arrangement and interpretation. The animations for the end theme song were designed and created by Masayuki, one of the assistant directors of the series. The song was later included in the various soundtrack albums and reused for some promotional videos of the feature films Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone and Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, the first and second chapters of the Rebuild. The song is performed by British singer Claire Littley and the anime's female voice actors, Megumi Hayashibara, Kotono Mitsuishi and Yuko Miyamura, in different versions from episode to episode. In one of the initial proposals, it was instead the opening theme song of the series that would change from episode to episode, imitating the opening song of Silver kamen. The main version, arranged by Toshiyuki Omori and sung by Claire, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

In 2003, Gainax released a new edition of the series called Renewal, including a bonus disc containing various extras. A remastered version of "Fly Me to the Moon," without credits, was also added to the bonus disc. This extra was later added to subsequent Japanese editions, such as the Blu-ray box set of the series released in 2015. New versions of the piece were also added to the Renewal edition. The various versions of "Fly Me to the Moon" are:

Episode		Vocal		Version
		Original	Renewal	Original	Renewal
#1		Claire Littley		Normal
#2				Normal	Normal (without Strings)
#3		Claire Littley	Yoko Takahashi	Normal
#4				Normal	Normal (without strings)
#5		Megumi Hayashibara		Rei #5
#6		Megumi Hayashibara		Rei #6
#7		Yoko Takahashi		4 Beat
#8		Aya		Bossa Techno
#9		Yoko Takahashi	Yūko Miyamura	Acid Bossa	Bossa Techno
#10				Normal	Normal Orchestra (with chorus)
#11		Claire Littley	Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Hayashibara and Yūko Miyamura	Normal	Normal Orchestra (#1)
#12		Yoko Takahashi	Kotono Mitsuishi	4 Beat	Normal Orchestra (with chorus)
#13		Yoko Takahashi		Acid Bossa
#14		Yoko Takahashi	Megumi Hayashibara	Normal	Normal Orchestra (solo)
#15		Off Vocal	Kotono Mitsuishi	4 Beat
#16		Off Vocal	Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Hayashibara and Yūko Miyamura	Normal	Normal Orchestra (Interlude Start ~ #1 Second Half)
#17		Aki		Jungle
#18		Claire Littley	Off Vocal	Normal	B-4 guitar & piano
#19		Claire Littley	Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Hayashibara and Yūko Miyamura	Normal	Normal Orchestra (#2)
#20		(Off Vocal)		B-22 A-Type	B-4 piano
#21	On-Air	Yoko Takahashi	Off-Vocal	Normal	4 Beat
	Director's Cut	(Off Vocal)		4 Beat (90 seconds)
#22	On-Air	Aya		Bossa Techno
	Director's Cut	(Off Vocal)		Bossa Techno (80 seconds)
#23	On-Air	Megumi Hayashibara		Rei #23
	Director's Cut			Rei #23 (90 seconds)
#24	On-Air	(Off Vocal)		Normal
	Director's Cut			Normal (90 seconds)
#25		Megumi Hayashibara		Rei #25
#26		Megumi Hayashibara		Rei #26

Theme songs

"A Cruel Angel's Thesis"

"A Cruel Angel's Thesis" (残酷な天使のテーゼ, Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze, "Zankoku na Tenshi no These" in Japan), performed by Yoko Takahashi, is the theme song used in the anime. Two instrumental versions of the song were played in the finale, "Take care of yourself". Those versions were named "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and "Good, or Don't Be", and scored for violin, piano and guitar. The single was released on 25 October 1995. It reached a peak rank 17 in the Oricon album database, in which it has appeared 61 times.

"Tamashii no Refrain"

"Tamashii no Refrain" (魂のルフラン, Tamashī no Rufuran, "Soul's Refrain") was the theme song used for the first film in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. It was performed by Yoko Takahashi and released as a single on 21 February 1997. It ranked third on the Oricon charts, selling more than 800 thousand copies.

"Thanatos -If I Can't Be Yours-"

"Thanatos -If I Can't Be Yours-" is a song composed for The End of Evangelion and used as the end credits music. The single, with English lyrics sung by the duo Loren&Mash, was released on 1 August 1997. It reached number two on the Oricon charts, sold 600 thousand copies and was certified platinum. According to the book Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide, written by Kazuhisa Fujie and Martin Foster, the song's violent and pessimistic lyrics may refer to the psychoanalytic concept of Thanatos, the destructive death drive postulated by Sigmund Freud. Another song from the original series was also titled "Thanatos" for the same reason.

"Komm, süsser Tod"

"Komm, süsser Tod" (German, also rendered as "Komm, süßer Tod"; [kɔm ˈzyːsɐ toːt]; Come, Sweet Death in English; 甘き死よ、来たれ in Japanese) is a song composed for The End of Evangelion. For the track, performed by Arianne, Anno wrote Japanese lyrics that were later translated into English by Mike Wyzgowski. The melody of the song is homonymous to a Bach symphony (BWV 478) and has been compared to that of "Hey Jude" by the Beatles.

"Beautiful World"

"Beautiful World" was released on 29 August 2007. The track was performed by Utada Hikaru and used as the end credits song for the first two installments of Rebuild of Evangelion. The song reached number two on Oricon's weekly charts, and received platinum certification for selling 250,000 physical copies and diamond certification for one million certified digital sales.

"Sakura Nagashi"

"Sakura Nagashi" (桜流し, lit. "Flowing Cherry Blossoms/Cherry Blossoms Sinking") was composed for Evangelion 3.0 and performed by Utada Hikaru. It was released as a single on 17 November 2012 and was commercially successful, ranking number two on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.

"The Final Decision"

"0902 The Final Decision....alterna orchestra" is a digital single released by King Records on 24 April 2019 on various platforms, including iTunes. The single was released to advertise concerts for Evangelion Wind Symphony, scheduled for May 2019 in several Japanese cities.

"One Last Kiss"

"One Last Kiss" was composed for the last installment of the Rebuild saga and sung by Utada Hikaru. The song, released on 9 March 2021 in the United States and in Japan on 10 March, reached number two on the Oricon charts and number 37 on the Billboard United States Album Sales chart.

"What if?"

"Shiro Sagisu <<what if?>> Yoko Takahashi ver." (鷺巣詩郎 what if? 高橋洋子ver.?, Sagisu shirō what if? Takahashi Yōko ver.) was released as a single on 31 August 2021 alongside the release of Shin Evangelion on Amazon Prime Video. Shiro Sagisu composed and arranged the song, which was sung by Yoko Takahashi with Gina Foster and Derk Green as backing vocalists. Mike Wyzgowski wrote the lyrics. "What if?" was released as both a regular edition and a special high-resolution edition, and was made available on Apple Music, Amazon Music, iTunes Store, Recochoku, mora and e-onkyo. A sample of the song was released for a limited time on the official Evangelion Eva-Extra app. Another version called "memorial vocal" was also released on the Shin soundtrack. CD Journal wrote that: "The chemistry between Yoko Takahashi's mysterious and poignant voice and the song's music is a delight to the ears".

Soundtrack albums

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion, known as Neon Genesis Evangelion I, was the first album in the series by order of release, produced by Anno and distributed by King Records' Starchild label on 6 December 1995. Instead of naming the album after the Japanese name of the series, Toshimichi Ōtsuki of King Records chose the international title of the series, Neon Genesis. The album includes the most frequently used songs and main characters' themes. The album also includes a version of the opening theme song called "Director's Edit. Version", on which Anno made changes to the chorus and restored the guitar interlude.

The album had a positive commercial response, reaching number 12 on the Oricon album charts and remaining on the charts for 22 weeks. King Records re-released Neon Genesis Evangelion I in DVD-Audio on 21 December 2004 and a remastered version of the album called "2013 HR Remaster Ver." on 18 December 2013. A vinyl pressing of the album was also released on 9 September 2015. For the new release, Chris Bellman of Barney Grand Mastering remastered the original tracks in Los Angeles.

Outside of Japan, Geneon Entertainment released the album in January 2004 in an edition including all of the original tracks. Jonathan Mays of Anime News Network positively reviewed the album, saying: "Sagisu's themes are instantly memorable, making full use of a small chamber orchestra to make intensely personal music, a perfect match for Hideki Anno's soul-searching anime series." Lisani and Phile praised the "2013 HR Remaster Ver." edition, particularly with regard to the rendering and improved sound clarity. Sagisu received the Best Musician award at the 1997 Animation Kobe for the soundtrack.

Neon Genesis Evangelion II

Neon Genesis Evangelion II was released by Starchild on 16 February 1996, and re-released in a second edition on 22 December 2004. The album entered Billboard charts; it remained on the national Oricon charts for 15 weeks, reaching fourth place. An image of Rei Ayanami drawn by series character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto was used for the album cover; Sadamoto was inspired by a version of "Fly Me to the Moon" sung by Megumi Hayashibara, the character's Japanese voice actress. On 18 December 2013, a remastered edition of the album called "2013 HR Remaster Ver" was released; the tracks were remastered at Bernie Grundman Studios in Hollywood under the supervision of Sagisu.

Two versions of Hayashibara's "Fly Me to the Moon", from the fifth and sixth episodes, were included on the album. Only the chorus of the song had been recorded, at short notice, for the TV broadcast, and were released after fan requests.

Outside Japan, the album was released in the US by Geneon in March 2004. Jonathan Mays of Anime News Network positively reviewed Neon Genesis Evangelion II; Mays particularly praised "Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!" because of its "simple, humorous melody and solid instrumentation", calling it "the real gem" of the soundtrack. Orin Starchaser of Ex magazine described Neon Genesis Evangelion II as better than its predecessor and praised Takahashi's "Yokan" track. Starchaser criticized the album for including various versions of "Fly Me to the Moon"; the reviewer criticised the "Aya Bossa Techno" version in particular, which he called a "blemish on her record that really ought not be remembered".

Neon Genesis Evangelion III

The third album, Neon Genessi Evangelion III, was released in Japan on 22 May 1996. It was redistributed on DVD-Audio on 22 December 2004. As with the previous two albums, a remastered version called "2013 HR Remaster Ver." was released on 18 December 2013. The album was released in the United States on 3 August 2004 by Geneon Entertainment. The album's content focused on synthesizer tracks, used mainly in the second half of the series.

Neon Genesis Evangelion III was well received by the public. The album charted for 11 weeks on the Oricon charts, reaching number one, an achievement not achieved by an anime since Galaxy Express 999 seventeen years earlier. Orin Starchaser of Ex stated that he enjoyed the album's first 22 tracks, such as "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and "Good, or Don't Be", but as with the previous album, he criticised its repetition and the flatness of the various versions of "Fly Me to the Moon". Jonathan Mays of Anime News Network also expressed a similar opinion. CD Journal, on the other hand, welcomed the 2013 remastered version of III and the previous two albums, stating: "The music is superb and can be listened to as a magnificent, sumptuous, delicate and romantic symphony."

Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition

Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition, the fourth album dedicated to the franchise, was released on 21 December 1996. Addition was released to commemorate the theatrical release of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. Both a regular edition and a limited special edition with a special Death and Rebirth ticket attached were put on sale. Both editions were made available for a limited period during the film's production. When the album was announced, Gainax gave it the working title of Ex. Initially only the limited edition was planned, but as many fans already had tickets for Death and Rebirth or lived in areas without cinemas open to the public, the regular edition was also released. Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition had good commercial success; the regular version managed placed five times in the Oricon charts, reaching fourth place, while the special edition stayed on for 29 weeks, reaching 18th place.

Addition featured an audiodrama entitled Shūkyoku no tsudzuki (終局の続き, lit. 'Continuation of the finale'). In the audiodrama, written and directed by Anno, the characters of Evangelion metanarratively break the fourth wall and discuss how to improve and continue the series. To commemorate the broadcast date of the first episode, the track was made available in 2019 on the official Eva-Extra app for a limited time. Kenneth Jin-ho Cho of Ex magazine praised the hilarity of the audiodrama and its use of classical music, but found the album to be superfluous: "Nothing on this disc is really a motivated purchase point and it seems more like an outlet for the cast of Evangelion to kick back and let loose with the vocal cords".

Evangelion Death

The album Evangelion Death was released on 11 June 1997. The album reached number one on the Oricon charts and was certified platinum.

The End of Evangelion

The End of Evangelion was released on 26 September 1997. The album reached number three on the Oricon charts and was certified gold.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: S² Works

Neon Genesis Evangelion: S² Works was released in Japan on 4 December 1998. The album appeared twice on the Oricon charts, peaking at number 38. Several unreleased pieces, or variations of pieces already used in the classic series, were included in the seven-disc album. King Records also included a phone card and a booklet containing explanations and lyrics of the songs with the album.

Music from Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone

Music from Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is the first soundtrack album featuring music from the film Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, composed by Shirō Sagisu. The album, which features unedited tracks, was released on 25 September 2007 by Starchild. Most of the songs are new versions of background music from the original Evangelion animated television series. The score was recorded by the London Studio Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, England. The album peaked at number 28 on the Oricon charts, making 6 appearances in total.

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Original Soundtrack

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Original Soundtrack (catalog number KICA 886) is the second soundtrack album of the 2007 film Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. It features music composed by Shirō Sagisu, edited for film length, as well as the film's theme songs performed by Hikaru Utada and three bonus songs. It peaked at number 38 on the Oricon albums chart, making a total of 9 appearances on the chart.

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Original Soundtrack

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album of the 2009 film Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. It features music composed by Shirō Sagisu and performed by the London Studio Orchestra as well as a choir of four. It peaked at number 8 in the Oricon album charts, charting for a total of 16 weeks.

Music from Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo

Music from Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is the soundtrack album of the 2012 film Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. It features music composed by Shiro Sagisu. The music featured is presented in its entirety, without being edited for film length. The album was released on November 28, 2012.

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo Original Soundtrack

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo Original Soundtrack is the second soundtrack album of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. It features music composed by Shirō Sagisu, as they were edited for use in the film, as well as the film's credit song performed by Hikaru Utada. It was sold as a first press release with the Blu-Ray and DVD of the movie and was released on 24 April 2013.

Music from "Shin Evangelion" Evangelion: 3.0+1.0

Music from "Shin Evangelion" Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 is the soundtrack album of the 2021 film Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. It features the film's unedited tracks, composed by Shirō Sagisu. The album was released on 17 March 2021.

Compilation albums

The Day of Second Impact

Evangelion: The Day of Second Impact was released on 13 September 2000, the date on which a catastrophic event called Second Impact occurs within the fictional narrative of the series. It included "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", "Fly Me to the Moon" and several other tracks that had already been released on previous albums. The album ranked twice on the Oricon charts, reaching number 20. Outside Japan, it was released by Geneon Entertainment. Jonathan Mays of Anime News Network praised the album, especially for its inclusion of what he called the series' best tracks.

Evangelion: The Birthday of Rei Ayanami

Evangelion: The Birthday of Rei Ayanami was released on 30 March 2001 to celebrate Rei Ayanami's birthday. It included several songs related to the character and a version of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" sung by Megumi Hayashibara, Rei's Japanese voice actress. Hayashibara stated that in singing the song, she was thinking of the scene in which Rei smiles for the first time at Shinji Ikari in the film version of Evangelion, avoiding giving the impression of a cold character. The album placed three times on the Oricon charts, reaching number 45.

Refrain of Evangelion

Refrain of Evangelion was released on 24 July 2003 to coincide with the release of the Renewal of Evangelion home video edition; the album included 26 tracks, including "Everything You've Ever Dreamed", a track originally intended for The End of Evangelion.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Decade

Neon Genesis Evangelion Decade was released on 26 October 2005, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the series. It included several tracks featured on previous albums, a previously unreleased track performed by Hayashibara as Rei and a new version of the series' theme song. The first release was included inside a special cardboard case and accompanied by previously unreleased official illustrations. The album ranked for 91 weeks on the Oricon charts, reaching number 24.

A.T. Eva01 Reference CD

A.T. Eva01 Reference CD was released by King Records on 27 December 2007, a few months after the debut of Rebuild. As an accompaniment, King also distributed a pair of Evangelion-themed official headphones.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Soundtrack 25th Anniversary Box

Neon Genesis Evangelion Soundtrack 25th Anniversary Box was released on 7 October 2020, marking the 25th anniversary of the series. The album, originally scheduled for release on 25 March, comprised several tracks from the classic series and the 1997 film, including a new version of Takahashi's "Fly Me to the Moon", and came with a special booklet. The album managed to place three times on the Oricon charts, reaching number 28.

Evangelion Finally

Evangelion Finally was released by King Records on 7 October 2020 to coincide with the series' 25th anniversary. The original release date, 13 May 2020, was postponed for production reasons. The album was released in a regular edition and a limited special edition. An official booklet containing interviews with Takahashi and Hayashibara was also included in the package. Outside Japan, the album was released in a two-disc edition by Milan Records.

The album featured nine tracks, and six bonus tracks, including a new version of "Fly Me to the Moon" sung by Takahashi and a new arrangement of "Kokoro Yo Genshini Modore". A saxophone was inserted into the first part of "Kokoro Yo Genshini Modore" at Takahashi's suggestion; the chorus of the original version, sung by her brother Gō, was replaced by one sung by Takahashi herself. The song was also used in Espirit Japon, a program broadcast by BS Fuji. The album had a positive commercial response, charting 33 times on the Oricon charts and reaching number 6. The album also peaked in popularity during January and March 2021, coinciding with the release of the last Rebuild installment. In the United States, it debuted at number 111 on the Billboard 200 and number 8 on Top Album Sales with almost 9,000 sales.

Arranged albums

Evangelion-Vox

Evangelion-Vox was released by King Records on 3 December 1997. The album included 20 hip-hop and R&B tracks and remixes recorded by Sagisu after the release of The End of Evangelion. Sagisu rearranged the compositions, incorporating spoken interludes and vocal samples of characters from the series. Several British artists contributed to the album, such as rapper Mali, Loren & Mash, lovers' rock singer Carrol Thompson, Camelle Hinds, vocalist for the soul group Central Line, and an unidentified artist known by the pseudonym The Lord. Outside Japan, it was distributed by Milan Records in 2022. The album received a positive commercial response, appearing 6 times on the Oricon charts and peaking at number 10.

Evangelion Wind Symphony No.1

Evangelion Wind Symphony No.1 was released in Japan on 9 December 2009. The album features the main tracks from the series, rearranged for brass instruments under Sagisu's supervision. The album included a CD-ROM containing PDFs with sheet music of the songs and a booklet with comments, interviews and detailed explanations about the various pieces.

Evangelion Wind Symphony No.2

King Records released Evangelion Wind Symphony No.2 on 9 December 2009 simultaneously with the first volume and with the same extra content. On 7 September 2018, songs from the two albums were performed by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre under the direction of Masamichi Amano.

Evangelion PianoForte #1

Evangelion PianoForte #1 was released on 23 October 2013. The album included several pieces from the Rebuild soundtrack rearranged for piano and performed under Sagisu's supervision. The cover art, depicting Shinji and Kaworu with a piano as the background, was designed by Takeshi Honda.

The world! Evangelion Jazz night =The Tokyo III Jazz club=

The world! Evangelion Jazz night =The Tokyo III Jazz club= was released on 24 December 2014. The album contains several jazz arrangements of Sagisu's music and three songs performed and written by Megumi Hayashibara. The album cover was designed by Moyoco Anno, wife of the series' director. The sixth and seventh tracks were released as separate tracks on the CD, but in a later high-resolution edition they were merged into one track. The eighth track, "Dilemmatic Triangle Opera", was supposed to be sung by Hayashibara in Rei Ayanami's tone, but the take was abandoned in the process and instead released on Hayashibara's own Fifty〜Fifty album.

ShiroSagisu Outtakes from Evangelion (vol.1)

ShiroSagisu Outtakes from Evangelion (Vol.1) was released by King Records on 30 July 2016. The album, produced in honour of the 25th anniversary of Anno and Sagisu's collaboration, which began with the series Nadia, includes previously unreleased tracks by Sagisu and songs used for Japan Animator Expo. Outtakes was released at the same time as Anno's Shin Godzilla soundtrack and sold alongside it. The album included the "Londonderry orchestra+piano" track, originally planned for Evangelion 3.0, a version of "Everything you've ever dreamed" by Arianne based on a version from Evangelion Piano #1 and "1155 twenty-five degrees of frost", first released in 2013 on A.T. EVA HQ-3.0.

Live albums

Evangelion Symphony

Evangelion Symphony (エヴァンゲリオン交響楽, Evangerion Kōkyōgaku) was released by King Records on 22 December 1997. It includes songs from the soundtrack performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall on 6, 7, 8, 9 and 14 July 1997, prior to the release of The End of Evangelion. The voice cast from the series attended the event; it was recorded and later released on Laserdisc.

Shin Godzilla vs Evangelion Symphony

Shin Godzilla vs Evangelion Symphony was released on 27 December 2017. The album merged the soundtracks of Evangelion and Shin Godzilla, both directed by Anno. The music was performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra on 22 and 23 March of that year. The album placed twice on the Oricon charts, placing 44th.

Studio albums

Evangelion Classic 1 - Beethoven: Symphony No.9 "Choral"

Evangelion Classic 1 - Beethoven: Symphony No.9 "Choral" (Japanese: エヴァンゲリオン･クラシック➀　ベートーヴェン◎交響曲 第9番 ニ短調 作品125 ｢合唱つき｣, Hepburn: Evangerion Kurasikku 1 - Bētōben: Kōkyōkyokudai dai kyū-ban ni tanchō sakuhin hyakunijūgo 'Gasshō-tsuki') was released on 22 October 1997, then redistributed on 6 November 2013.

Evangelion Classic 2 - Verdi: Requiem

Evangelion Classic 2 - Verdi: Requiem (Japanese: エヴァンゲリオン･クラシック➁　ヴェルディ◎レクイエム, Hepburn: Evangerion Kurasikku 2 - Verudi: Rekuiemu) was released on 22 October 1997, then redistributed on 6 November 2013.

Evangelion Classic 3 - George Frideric Händel: Messiah (Complete)

Evangelion Classic 3 - George Frideric Händel: Messiah (Complete) (Japanese: エヴァンゲリオン･クラシック➂　ヘンデル◎オラトリオ｢メサイア｣全曲, Hepburn: Evangerion Kurasikku 3 - Handeru: Oratorio 'Mesaia' Zenkyoku) was published on 22 October 1997.

Evangelion Classic 4 - J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No.3 & others

Evangelion Classic 4 - J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No.3 & others (Japanese: エヴァンゲリオン･クラシック➃　バッハ◎管弦楽組曲第3番｢アリア｣､他, Hepburn: Evangerion Kurasikku 4 - Bahha: Kangengaku kumikyoku dai san-ban 'Aria', hoka) was released on 22 October 1997, and then redistributed on 6 November 2003.

Refrain: The Songs Were Inspired by Evangelion

Refrain: The Songs Were Inspired by Evangelion was released on 6 November 1997 simultaneously with Li-La, Takahashi's sixth album. Takahashi herself sang all of the songs on the album. The album received a positive commercial response, topping the Oricon charts six times and reaching number six. Patrick Gan of Original Sound Version wrote a positive review on the album, praising the track "Kibō no Sora" and the new arrangement of "Shiawase wa Tsumi no Nioi".

Evangelion Extreme

Evangelion Extreme was released on 22 May 2019. The album featured several songs used for pachinko games dedicated to Evangelion and an unreleased song called "Akaki Tsuki". Special complimentary stickers were also included with the disc. The album included a lyrics booklet published in Japanese and English. Yoshinori Kameda designed the illustration used as the album cover, which had been used in 2013 for the game CR Evangelion 8 (CRヱヴァンゲリヲン8). The new songs were written by Takahashi, who created the pieces while reflecting on Evangelion and its theme of motherhood. Takahashi experimented with elements of EDM and beatbox on the album. The tracks were also used for the game P Evangelion Shito Shinsei (P新世紀エヴァンゲリオン 〜シト、新生〜), released in December 2019.

Evangelion Infinity

Evangelion Infinity is a three-disc album released on 21 July 2021. Outside of Japan, Infinity was released digitally by Milan Records. Several arrangements of classic songs from the soundtrack were included on the album, including a version of "Decisive Battle" used by Anno in Shin Godzilla. The album was originally intended for a double-disc release, but a third was added during production and the catalogue numbers changed accordingly. The album was commercially successful, charting seven times on the Oricon charts and peaking at number fourteen.