Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Shin Seiki Evangelion) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and published by Kadokawa Shoten. It began in Shōnen Ace in December 1994 and ended in June 2013. It consists of 14 volumes, each composed of several “stages” or chapters. It was initially released before the anime series of the same name by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production and was originally intended as a companion adaptation to that of the TV series.

Plot

Sadamoto was the original character designer for the anime with Hideaki Anno as the supervisor and animated only part of the original anime for the purpose of writing the manga version, However, in the early days, he was involved in some way up to the sixth episode by coming up with ideas, in the 24th episode, he was the animation supervisor.

Like the anime, the manga is focused on Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy who was recruited by his father Gendo to the shadowy organization Nerv to pilot a giant bio-machine mecha named “Evangelion” into combat against beings called “Angels“. The plot, however, features numerous small differences from the plot of the anime, including Toji Suzuhara’s death; the omission of five Angels; and an earlier introduction of Kaworu/Tabris. Shinji’s character and personality, alongside various other characters from the series (such as Asuka Langley Soryu), are also slightly different in the manga.

The manga volumes do not always begin or end at points corresponding to episode breaks. Volume 10, for example, begins halfway through the battle with Armisael in episode 23, while Volume 11 adapts the events depicted in episode 24 and the first several minutes of End of Evangelion.

Neon Genesis Evangelion
English cover of the first tankōbon volume, featuring Shinji Ikari (front) and Gendo Ikari (back)
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン (Shin Seiki Evangelion)
Genre	Apocalyptic,[1] mecha, psychological drama
Manga
Written by	Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
English publisher	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Viz Media SEA Chuang Yi
Magazine	Monthly Shōnen Ace (1994–2008) Young Ace (2009–2013)
Demographic	Shōnen, seinen
Original run	December 26, 1994 – June 4, 2013
Volumes	14 (List of volumes)
TV anime
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Anime films
Revival of Evangelion Death & Rebirth (March 1997) The End of Evangelion (July 1997) Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. (2007) 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. (2009) 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. (2012) 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
Spin-off manga
Angelic Days Shinji Ikari Raising Project Campus Apocalypse Petit Eva: Evangelion@School