Music of Neon Genesis Evangelion

The franchise has had various soundtracks, remix albums and compilations released around it. The franchise has sold more than 9million albums and singles.
Shirō Sagisu composed most of the music for "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and for the original TV show's three OST albums. He received the 1997 Kobe Animation award for "Best Music Score". King Records and their label Starchild (specializing in music, animation and film) distributed most of the albums, singles and box sets. For the anime series, Yoko Takahashi performed the song "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" which was used as the opening theme song for the series. The song "Fly Me to the Moon" originally by Bart Howard was performed by various voice actors from the anime series and these versions of the song were used as the ending theme song for the series. Theme songs were also granted for the films in the franchise "", its follow-up "The End of Evangelion" and three installments of the "Rebuild of Evangelion" film series.
Theme songs.
"A Cruel Angel's Thesis".
 is the theme song used in the popular anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion" performed by Yoko Takahashi. It was used as the opening to the series, and two instrumental versions of it were played in the finale episode titled "Take care of yourself." These versions are named "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and "Good, or Don't Be", scored for violin, piano, and guitar. The single was released on October 25, 1995 with the part number KIDA-116. It also reached a peak rank 17 in the Oricon album database, in which it appeared 61 times in total.
"Fly Me to the Moon".
"Fly Me to the Moon" is one of the theme songs in the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" series. In the anime it was used as the ending theme. Various artists including voice actors from the franchise have performed the song. It has mainly been performed by Claire Littley, Yoko Takahashi, Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, Aki, and Aya. Hikaru Utada also performed her version of "Fly Me to the Moon" for the film "".
Originally "Fly Me to the Moon" was a pop standard song written by Bart Howard in 1954. "In Other Words" was the original title for the song and Felicia Sanders introduced it in cabarets. The song became known popularly as "Fly Me to the Moon" from its first line, and after a few years the publishers changed the title to that officially.
"Tamashii no 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 February 21, 1997. Takahashi later remixed the song as "Soul's Refrain (Erato Version)" for her 1997 album "Li-La".
"Thanatos -If I Can't Be Yours-".
"Thanatos -If I Can't Be Yours-" (stylized "THANATOS-IF I CAN'T BE YOURS-" in Japan) was the theme song used in the continuation and completion of the previous films "Death and Rebirth", "The End of Evangelion". LOREN & MASH performed the song in the original and the 9 Years After mix version, which was composed by Shirō Sagisu and played in both the end credits and the credits to episode 25. Loren and Mash also sang various songs in "Neon Genesis Evangelion". Other songs by Loren include the "Komm, süsser Tod" Tumbling Down Remix among other songs on "Evangelion: Vox". Other songs by Mash include various songs on "Evangelion: Vox", including "X-plicit" and "Armageddon", a rap version of Pachelbel's Canon in D, complete with string quartet.
"Komm, süsser Tod".
"Komm, süsser Tod" (German, also rendered as "Komm, süßer Tod"; ; "Come, Sweet Death" in English; 甘き死よ、来たれ in Japanese) is a song, performed by Arianne Cleopatra Schreiber (who released two new versions in March 2012), with piano, Hammond organ, and various string arrangements orchestrated by Shirō Sagisu. It is sung in English and used in the 1997 animated film "The End of Evangelion" during the beginning of the Third Impact.
Hideaki Anno wrote both the original Japanese lyrics for this song and the unused "Everything You've Ever Dreamed", which was also sung by Arianne and composed by Shirō Sagisu (it later appeared on the "Refrain of Evangelion" album). The songs were then adapted into English by Mike Wyzgowski and performed by Arianne.
An instrumental version of this song is used during the Evangelion ending in "". Notably, the song plays during a far more optimistic version of the events of "End of Evangelion", with Shinji and Asuka rescuing Rei and averting the Human Instrumentality Project.
"Beautiful World".
"Beautiful World" is Utada Hikaru's 19th Japanese single and her 26th single overall. The single was released on 29 August 2007. "Beautiful World" was used as the theme song for the first installment of the "Rebuild of Evangelion" series of films, "Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone". It peak ranked 2nd in the Oricon singles charts and remained there for 26 weeks.
"Beautiful World (Planitb Acoustica Mix)" is a remix of "Beautiful World" by Utada Hikaru. In May 2009, Hikaru Utada was announced to return to the series and provide the theme song for the second film in the "Rebuild of Evangelion" series, "". "Beautiful World" was re-released in 2009 as "Beautiful World: Planitb Acoustica Mix" for the release of the movie after previously being released to be used as the theme song for the first film.
"Sakura Nagashi".
 is Utada Hikaru's 26th Japanese single and her 34th single overall, written in collaboration with Paul Carter. The single was released on November 17, 2012. "Sakura Nagashi" was used as the theme song for the third of the "Rebuild of Evangelion" series of films, "". It peaked at number 1 on the iTunes Japan Weekly Charts.
Soundtrack albums.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion".
"Neon Genesis Evangelion" is the first soundtrack album for the anime series. It was produced by Hideaki Anno and released under the King Record label Starchild with catalog number KICA-286 on December 6, 1995. It was recorded on November 22, 1995,
and peaked at number 12 on the Oricon albums chart, staying in the chart for 22 weeks. The album was re-released on DVD-Audio with catalog number KIAW-21 on December 22, 2004. The album was released in the US by Geneon Entertainment on January 1, 2004.
Track #1 is the director-edited version of the opening theme "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" performed by Yoko Takahashi with lyrics by Neko Oikawa. Track #2 and #23 are two versions of Bart Howard's "Fly Me to the Moon"; the closing anime theme was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and performed by Claire and Yoko Takahashi, respectively. The liner notes contain the lyrics for the two theme songs. A vinyl print of the album came out on September 9, 2015.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion II".
"Neon Genesis Evangelion II" is the second soundtrack album released for the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" anime series. It was produced by Hideaki Anno, while Shirō Sagisu composed the tracks (unless stated otherwise). The King Records label Starchild released the album with the catalog number KICA-290 on February 16, 1996, and the album peaked at number 4 on the Oricon albums chart where it stayed for 15 weeks. The album was re-released as a DVD-Audio with catalog number KIAW-22 on December 22, 2004.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion III".
"Neon Genesis Evangelion III" is a soundtrack album featuring music from the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" anime series. The album reached a peak of rank 1 on the Oricon album database, with 11 frequent appearances. Shirō Sagisu composed the music, the label Starchild distributed the album with Hideaki Anno as the producer. It was released on May 22, 1996 and on August 3, 2004 by Geneon Anime Music.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition".
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition" is the fourth music album released relating to the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It features three instrumental, five vocal, and four drama tracks. "Addition" was released on December 21, 1996 in Japan by King Records in a limited and a regular edition, which respectively bear the catalog numbers KICA-333 and KICA-334. The limited edition album was released to include a movie ticket for the first Evangelion movie, "Evangelion: Death and Rebirth", which was released on March 15, 1997. The album cover features an illustration by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the series character designer.
"Addition" features the voice actresses for Rei Ayanami (Megumi Hayashibara), Asuka Langley Soryu (Yuko Miyamura), and Misato Katsuragi (Kotono Mitsuishi), who between them account for seven of the twelve tracks. The classical pieces of music in the album are "Chorus: Hallelujah" and "Chorus: Worthy is the Lamb...Amen" from "Messiah" by George Frideric Handel, played by the Amor Artis Chorale & English Chamber Orchestra and conducted by Johannes Somary, and "4th Mov: Presto" (Symphony No. 9 in D minor Op. 125 "Choral") ("Ode to Joy") by Ludwig van Beethoven, played by the Brussels Philharmonic and conducted by Alexander Rahbari.
Hayashibara, Miyamura, and Mitsuishi are accompanied by the voice actor for Shinji Ikari and the supporting characters on the drama track "Shuukyoku no Tsudzuki" ("After the End"), a comedic parody in which the reunited cast tries to come up with ways to continue "Evangelion" when popular demand makes the studio order them to produce a "third" season even though the TV series ended after a 26-episode run. Presented as a "lost 27th episode", the comedy revolves around the characters breaking the fourth wall, and behaving as if they are really actors who portray the characters on the series while at other times acting as if they are the characters in the series. They try to increase the sex appeal of the series, change the show's format, and try to explain what the Angels actually are. However, when their efforts prove "unsuccessful", they decide to give up on it. Humorous moments of the drama include Rei finally lashing out against Asuka's abuse, the Evangelion pilots being changed to resemble Super Sentai characters, Asuka and Kaworu interacting for the only time in the series, and the cast re-enacting the first episode solely by their own vocal sound effects.
"Evangelion Death".
"Evangelion: Death" is a soundtrack album released on June 11, 1997 by the King Records label Star Child, containing music from the first part of the first "Evangelion" film, "". It reached a peak of rank 1 in the Oricon album database. Shirō Sagisu composed most of the music. The disc has several tuning tracks and string solos that are portrayed in the film as being played by the four primary Evangelion pilots. The disc includes as bonus tracks "False Regeneration" from the "Rebith" part of the film as well as Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem. The CD is no longer in print.
"The End of Evangelion".
"The End of Evangelion" is the soundtrack album of the 1997 film "The End of Evangelion". It features music composed and conducted by Shirō Sagisu. It also features the ending theme as well as Johann Sebastian Bach's "Air on the G String" and "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147". It was released on September 26, 1997 on King Records's Starchild label, peaking at number 3 on Oricon's albums chart. Geneon Entertainment released the album on May 11, 2004 in North America.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion: S² Works".
"Neon Genesis Evangelion: S² Works" is a soundtrack box set of music from the anime television series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and the first two "Evangelion" films, "Evangelion: Death and Rebirth" and "The End of Evangelion". Released on December 4, 1998, it peaked at number 38 in the Oricon album chart, making 2 appearances in total. It was distributed by King Records and composed mostly by Shirō Sagisu. In addition to tracks included on earlier "Evangelion" soundtracks, this 7-disc set includes many unused songs and alternate mixes or arrangements of existing songs. It was issued as a limited edition release. The title is based on the fictional internal organ and infinite energy source of the Angels called the S² Engine.
"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 peaked at number 28 in the Oricon database, making 6 appearances in total. All tracks featured on the album are presented in their entirety, without being edited for film length. 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 was released on September 25, 2007 by Starchild. The executive producers are Hideaki Anno and Toshimichi Otsuki while Shirō Sagisu produced the music (acting also as the composer and conductor) and Tomohiro Ogawa.
"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 (those that Shinji listens to on his SDAT, although two of them were not used in the film) sung by Misato Katsuragi's voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi. The first press version of the soundtrack included a white slipcover and an "Evangelion: 1.0" postcard. The London Studio Orchestra performed the score, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and Hideaki Anno and Toshimichi Otsuki produced the music. It peaked at number 38 on the Oricon albums chart, making a total of 9 appearances on the chart. The album was released on May 25, 2008 by Starchild.
"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 peaked at number 8 in the Oricon album charts, charting for a total of 16 weeks. It features music composed by Shirō Sagisu and performed by the London Studio Orchestra as well as a choir of four. The executive producers were Hideaki Anno and Toshimichi Otsuki while Shirō Sagisu provided the keyboard and programming as well as two bonus songs. The album was released on July 8, 2009 in both a single-disc regular edition (catalog number KICA 985) containing the music as edited for the film, and a special edition (catalog number KICA 983/4) that features an additional disc containing unedited versions of the music and a twenty-page booklet with commentary by Shirō Sagisu, as well as sheet music excerpts. The first press edition of the special edition included a hard plastic orange slipcover and an "Evangelion: 2.0" postcard. Starchild released the album. In their review, iSugoi.com gave the "Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Original Sound Track" a 96%, and commented that "Overall, this is a soundtrack that should please as well as surprise fans. Even as a standalone soundtrack, it's still an incredibly realized and focused soundtrack. Shirō Sagisu continues to strive forward in delivering an impressive and satisfying contribution to the realm of Evangelion."
"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 Shirō 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 exactly as it appears 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/DVD of the movie and was released on April 24, 2013.
Compilation albums.
"The Day of Second Impact".
"Evangelion: The Day of Second Impact" is a soundtrack album featuring music from the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" TV series and the films "Evangelion: Death and Rebirth" and "The End of Evangelion". It was released in Japan on September 13, 2000 by King Records and in North America on September 7, 2004 by Geneon Entertainment and peaked at number 20 in the Oricon charts, ultimately making just 2 appearances. All of the songs on this album previously appeared on other "Evangelion" albums or singles.
As the title implies, it is based around the Second Impact, a pivotal event in the "Evangelion" storyline. The album release date matches that of the fictional event.
"Evangelion: The Birthday of Rei Ayanami".
"Evangelion: The Birthday of Rei Ayanami" is the twelfth music album released in the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" franchise. As the title indicates, its focus is Rei Ayanami, one of the three primary protagonists of "Neon Genesis Evangelion". The album features background music and instrumental tracks related to Rei's appearances in the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" TV series and movies. It also contains vocal tracks by her voice actress, Megumi Hayashibara, for the "Rei Ayanami versions" of certain songs related to "Neon Genesis Evangelion". "The Birthday of Rei Ayanami" was released on March 30, 2001 in Japan by King Records, Hayashibara's 34th birthday. Rei Ayanami's in-universe birth date is unknown. "The Birthday of Rei Ayanami" was only released in Japan. It peaked at number 45 in the Oricon albums chart and made just 3 appearances.
The album cover features an illustration by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the character designer for the series. The CD itself depicts the front part of Rei's plug suit bearing the inscription 00, which refers to her designated Evangelion, Unit 00. The album was produced by Kouji Asano and Takashi Tokuhara.
"Refrain of Evangelion".
"Refrain of Evangelion" is a soundtrack album featuring music from the anime television series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and the films "Evangelion: Death and Rebirth" and "The End of Evangelion". This album also features an unused song from "The End of Evangelion" called "Everything You've Ever Dreamed" as a special bonus, although it had previously been included on Disc 6 of the "Neon Genesis Evangelion: S² Works" box set.
On May 26, 2003, King Records released the album in Japan and Geneon Entertainment released it in America on November 9, 2004, while it reached number 62 in the Oricon database, making a total of 6 appearances.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Decade".
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Decade" is an album released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the date the TV series began airing. The album peaked at number 24 in the Oricon charts, making 90 appearances on the chart. In addition to the music used in the anime, the theme song "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" was also newly recorded and sung by Yoko Takahashi. The album was released in Japan on November 26, 2005 by King Records on 1 disc with a length of 73 minutes.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Soundtrack 25th Anniversary Box".
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Soundtrack 25th Anniversary Box" is an album released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the date the TV series began airing. The album was released in Japan on October 7, 2020 by King Records.
"Evangelion Finally".
"Evangelion Finally" is an album released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the date the TV series began airing. In addition to the music used in the anime, the ending song "Fly Me to the Moon" and "I'm Back to the Primitive Mind" were also newly recorded and sung by Yoko Takahashi. The album was released in Japan on October 7, 2020 by King Records.
Arranged albums.
"Evangelion-VOX".
"Evangelion-VOX" is an album consisting of songs from and based on the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" anime television series and the movie "The End of Evangelion". It was recorded in 1997 and released December 3, 1997. The songs are R&B/hip-hop remakes of several pieces of background music from the "Evangelion" series. The album was released by Starchild Records and produced by Shirō Sagisu. It peaked at number 10 on the Oricon albums chart, making 6 appearances.
"Evangelion PianoForte #1".
It was released under the King Record's label Starchild with catalog number KICA-3216 on October 23, 2013.
"The world! Evangelion Jazz night =The Tokyo III Jazz club=".
It was released under the King Record's label Starchild with catalog number KICA-3219 on December 24, 2014.
"ShiroSAGISU OUTTAKES FROM EVANGELION (VOl.1)".
It was released under the King Record with catalog number KICA-3262 on July 30, 2016.
Live albums.
"Evangelion Symphony".
 is an orchestral live album featuring music from the anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion". It was recorded at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall in 1997.
It was released on December 22, 1997 with the catalog number KICA-390/1 on King Records' label Starchild Records. Shirō Sagisu created and produced the music. It also peaked at rank 34 in the Oricon charts, managing to make a total of six consecutive appearances.
Studio albums.
"Evangelion Classic 1 - Beethoven: Symphony No.9 "Choral"".
 is a CD album containing a recording of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, as conducted by Alexander Rahbari. The fourth movement was used in the 24th episode of the series, and was previously released on "Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition". It was released on October 22, 1997 by King Records, with the catalog number KICC-231.
"Evangelion Classic 2 - Verdi: Requiem".
 is a double-CD set containing a recording of "Messa da Requiem" by Giuseppe Verdi, as conducted by Alexander Rahbari. The "Dies irae" was used in the trailers for "", and was previously released on "Evangelion:Death". It was released on October 22, 1997 by King Records with the catalog number KICC-232.
Track listing
"Evangelion Classic 3 - George Frideric Händel: Messiah (Complete)".
 is a soundtrack album released on October 22, 1997 by King Records. It features pieces originally composed by George Frideric Handel, as conducted by Johannes Somary. The Hallelujah chorus and the concluding piece, "CHORUS: Worthy is the Lamb...Amen" were used in the 22nd episode of the series, and were previously released on "Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition". It was released as two CDs with the catalog number KICC-234 and peak ranked 96 in the Oricon charts, making only one appearance.
"Evangelion Classic 4 - J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No.3 & others".
 is a compilation CD album containing Johann Sebastian Bach's classical pieces used in "" and "The End of Evangelion". It was released on October 22, 1997, produced by King Records with the catalog number KICC 236. The soundtrack was conducted by Vassil Kazandjiev and composed by Bach.
"Refrain: The Songs Were Inspired by Evangelion".
"Refrain: The Songs Were Inspired by Evangelion" is an album consisting of songs from and based on the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" anime series. Some of the songs are new versions of tracks included on "Neon Genesis Evangelion II", "Neon Genesis Evangelion III" and "Evangelion: Death and Rebirth". All songs are performed by Yoko Takahashi (who performed the opening theme for the series as well as other tracks), track 14 being an exception which was recorded on the streets of London by street singers. This album was released by Starchild and produced by Toshiyuki Ohmori, it was released on November 6, 1997.
"Evangelion Extreme".
It was released under the King Record with catalog number KKICA-2561 on May 22, 2019. All songs are performed by Yoko Takahashi.
Games.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Impression".
"Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Impression" is a 1997 video game for the Sega Saturn. It came with an extra mini-CD with four tracks, catalog number 670–10219.