Eva’s special friends take the stage for a special event at series 30th anniversary celebration.

In February, the Evangelion:30+ ; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion fan event is set to take place at the Yokohama Arena indoor stadium in Yokohama, about half an hour south of downtown Tokyo. Some might say that the numbering is slightly off, seeing as how the Evangelion anime TV series premiered in 1995, making 2026 the 31st anniversary, but the TV series’ original run ended in 1996, so maybe that’s the year the organizers are counting from. Others might argue that the name “Evangelion:30+ ; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion” is overly lengthy and convoluted, but hey, we’re talking about Evengelion here, a series that’s never made any pretense about trying to be succinct or direct in delivering messages.

And it’s especially easy to give Evangelion: 30+, as we’ll call it for simplicity’s sake, a pass on its name when it’s doing something as cool as staging a live Evangelion kabuki play.

The performance is slated to take place on February 23, the third and final day of the event, in the venue’s “Stage Area.” Judging from the teaser illustration, the story will be focused on protagonist Shinji and Kaworu, the mysterious friend that Shinji makes late in the anime series but who left a deep impression on fans despite his minimal screen time.

Playing the role of Shinji will be 24-year-old kabuki actor Kichitaro Kamimura. In addition to roughly a dozen classical kabuki plays, Kamimura’s resume includes the role of Riku in the 2023 kabuki adaptation of Final Fantasy X, and he also played Hizamaru in the 2023 and 2025 kabuki plays for anime/video game franchise Touken Ranbu.

“It is a great honor to be given the opportunity to portray Shinji, a character overflowing with humanity and who was captivated so many people, at this important milestone event,”  said Kamimura following the announcement of his casting, “and I am very excited to be able to be part of the first attempt to combine Evangelion and kabuki.”

▼ Kichitaro Kamimura

Kaworu, meanwhile, will be played by 19-year-old kabuki actor Sakon Onoe. Onoe was also a member of the cast of the 2025 Touken Rambu kabuki production, playing the role of Kashu Kiyomitsu, although it appears that he and Kamimura did not appear on the stage on the same days.

▼ Sakon Onoe

Evangelion series creator Hideaki Anno does not seem to be having any direct involvement with the Eva kabuki play, which is being written and directed by Kazuhisa Tobe. Tobe was in charge of the script for the 2019 kabuki adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, however, which was well received, so he knows a thing or two about working with stories near and dear to Anno’s heart.

General one-day adult admission to Evangelion: 30+ is priced at 8,800 yen (US$59), but the Stage Area has its own separate tickets, costing either 28,000 or 36,000 yen, depending on seat location. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on November 29 via the event’s official website here.

Source: Evangelion:30+ ; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion official website via Anime News Network/Joanna Cayanan
Top image: Evangelion:30+ ; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion
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