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Neon Genesis Evangelion is, without question, one of the most influential and important anime ever made. Not only did it inspire countless anime and imitators, but it’s arguably one of the key shows that cemented anime’s worldwide spread.
As such, many anime paid tribute to Shinji Ikari’s fight against the Angels and his inner demons in different ways. Sometimes this was done through a comical parody, but in other instances, it was done through a sincere homage.
10 Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann — Asuka & Rei Worked In The Suspicious Hot Spring Inn
After clashing with some bunny-shaped Gunmen and stinking up the Gurren Lagann’s cockpit, Team Dai Gurren luck upon a hot spring inn (suspiciously) in the middle of the desert. When they enter, Kamina, Simon and everyone else are greeted by hostesses dressed up as Playboy bunnies. Among the hostesses are Asuka and Rei.
This shouldn’t be too surprising since Gurren Lagann (which is still regarded as one of the best mecha anime of the 2000s) was made by Studio Trigger, which is comprised of veterans from Evangelion’s animators, Studio Gainax. Other cameos include Mahoro from Mahoromatic, and Nono and Lal’C from Diebuster. Either these were just meta cameos, or the bunny Beastmen took the forms of characters they saw in Gainax anime.
9 Sword Art Online II — Kirito & Sinon Shared An Awkwardly Familiar Elevator Ride
One of the most referenced scenes in all of Evangelion was the tense elevator ride that Asuka and Rei had. Aside from the sparse visuals being affordable and easy for animators to recreate, it’s one of the best uses of silence and tension in anime. This scene is so famous that even Sword Art Online II remade it.
In Episode 8, Kirito and his newfound friend Sinon were on their way to a battle royale tournament where they suspected the ruthless player-killer Death Gun would participate. Just like the original scene, Kirito and Sinon’s ride stayed speechless for a few seconds before someone broke the ice. Thankfully, it didn’t end in violence like Asuka and Rei’s ride did.
8 Sayonara, Zetsubo-Sensei — Chiri Kitsu Reenacted Asuka’s Last Stand
Sayonara, Zetsubo-Sensei‘s second season is loaded with Evangelion references, most of them courtesy of Nozomu Itoshiki’s otaku student, Hirumi Fujiyoshi. That said, the most elaborate Evangelion homage came in Episode 4, where Chiri starred in a remake of Asuka’s death in the series’ original finale movie, The End Of Evangelion.
While enjoying a local festival, Nozumu’s group found themselves in the middle of an alien invasion. Luckily, Chiri found an ancient mask that turned her into a superpowered giant and saved the day. Chiri’s brawl is a recreation of Asuka’s fight against the Mass Production Evangelions, right down to random German expressions, her shovel acting as the Spear of Longinus, and the sound effects. Thankfully, she survived whereas Asuka died horribly.
7 Ososmatsu-San — SEELE Cancelled The Matsuno Brothers For Being Too Lewd
As per series tradition, Osomatsu-San’s third season opened with a meta episode that was filled to the brim with references and parodies of other anime. One of the most elaborate gags came in the form of SEELE, only this time the monoliths were Osomatsu-San’s very ticked off producers, not an ancient doomsday conspiracy.
The producers’ biggest issue with the Matsuno sextuplets was that their brash and raunchy style of comedy doesn’t fit well with the Reiwa Era, which they claim demands compliance and wholesomeness. To this end, SEELE replaced the Matsunos with their clean idol counterparts and turned them into walking piles of poop.
6 Nisemonogatari — Hitagi Senjougahara Reassured Koyomi Araragi By Quoting Rei
One of the most heartfelt moments in Evangelion was the conversation that Shinji and Rei shared before they fought Ramiel. Here, Shinji was scared of facing Ramiel again, and Rei assured him that he wouldn’t die because she’ll protect him. This short talk was lifted word for word in Nisemonogatari, only this time it was turned into a gag.
In Nisemonogatari’s first episode, Araragi woke up in chains in a dingy building. Senjougahara came to his rescue, and directly quoted Rei (“You won’t die. Because I’ll protect you.”) upon arrival. Araragi then deflated the situation by pointing out that now wasn’t the time for non-sequitur Evangelion references and Senjougahara’s flirty taunting.
5 Gintama — Shimura Shinpachi Experienced Shinji Ikari’s Human Instrumentality
As the number one gag anime, Gintama unsurprisingly lampooned Evangelion more times than anyone could remember. That said, the most elaborate spoof came in the third season finale, where the Yorozuya debated how their hypothetical series finale should go now that Takasugi Shinsuke was beaten. One possibility was a remake of Evangelion’s last episode.
In a one-to-one recreation of the original Human Instrumentality, Shinpachi pondered on what he should now that everyone died fighting Takasugi. He concluded that as long as his beloved idol Otsu-chan was in his life, everything was going to be okay. Fittingly, Hasegawa took Gendo’s place since they share the same voice actor, Fumihiko Tachiki.
4 Hayate The Combat Butler!! — Hinagiku Katsura Sang An Idol Rendition Of ‘A Cruel Angel’s Thesis’
Not unlike Gintama, the comedic Hayate The Combat Butler also made tons of Evangelion references, with one of its most elaborate shout-outs found in the second season’s twelfth episode. Here, the unofficial school idol Hinagiku entered a surprise birthday party, where her fans asked her to sing “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.”
Yoko Takahashi’s song is Evangelion’s legendary opening number, and it’s one of the franchise’s most beloved aspects. Hinagiku sang it much to the crowd’s delight, all the while Hayate ran to save Nagi. Apart from the scene being edited like Evangelion’s opening credits, the episode was appropriately titled “Cruel Big Foolish Guy’s Thesis.”
3 Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For An Otaku — Everybody Picked A Side In The Eva Fandom Wars
As an anime that stars adult anime fans, it isn’t surprising that the cast of the relatable work-life anime Wotakoi would mention something as quintessential as Evangelion at least once. Case in point, during Episode 2, Hanako and Narumi got into a heated debate about who the “best girl” in Evangelion was. Unfortunately, the actual debate wasn’t shown.
Hanako was a firm Asuka stan, while Narumi (who even did Gendo’s thinking pose) was on Team Rei. Meanwhile, Tarou went for Mari from the Rebuild movies while Hirotaka chose Eva Unit-01. As a bonus, the two guys reenacted Gendo and Fuyutsuki’s iconic sitting formation earlier in the same episode.
2 Shirobako — Everybody Has Heard Of Neon Generation Avangaldon
Shirobako is an anime about anime itself, specifically how it’s made and who makes it in the first place. As such, the anime is loaded with references to anime and their prolific creators, with Hideaki Anno and his most famous work getting a mention. Or in Shirobako’s world, Kanno Mitsuaki and Neon Generation Avangaldon.
Desperate to get an animator for a complex horseback sequence, production assistant Aoi Miyamori asked industry veterans for help. They jokingly suggested that she meet the legendary Kanno, which she took seriously in Episode 12. The soft-spoken yet eccentric Kanno didn’t take the job, but he did refer her to the right person.
1 Joshiraku — Kukuru Anrakutei Called Out Evangelion Clones
Joshiraku is a sitcom about the daily lives and hilariously longwinded conversations of five rakugoka (read: practitioners of rakugo), but one of Kukuru’s talks got real for a minute. In an OAD (Original Animation DVD) that came exclusively with the manga’s fifth volume, Kigurumi got lectured about how laser-focusing on anything was counterproductive.
To illustrate her point, Kukuru said that one of the anime industry’s biggest faults was focusing on trends instead of taking creative risks. An example was Evangelion (represented by a silhouette of Rei), since the watershed mecha anime inspired countless pale imitations that tried to surpass it in terms of darkness while missing its life-affirming subtexts.
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