Ever want to step inside and pilot an Eva? Fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion rejoice, you can now enter and ride inside a full-size Eva! Toei Kyoto Studio Park, also known as Toei Uzumasa Eigamura, has just opened a life-sized Neon Genesis Evangelion attraction that lets you become a Nerv Pilot. That's right, Neon Genesis Evangelion has gotten the theme park treatment!
Toei Kyoto Studio Park, as the name implies, is a theme park located in Kyoto owned by Toei Company, an incredibly well-known television and movie production studio in Japan. Similar to how Universal Studios originated as a backlot tour, Toei Kyoto Studio Park is located at an actual Toei filming location. While most of the park is modeled after the Edo period, and used for live-action filming, Toei is also incredibly famous for their anime, so of course, the park has bits of anime attractions scattered throughout. This is exactly where the real-life Eva unit comes in.
Now, this life-size recreation isn't just any old Eva. Nope, it is in fact Eva 01! For those unaware, Eva 01 is the main Eva seen in the show, piloted by series protagonist Shinji Ikari. Guests of the park walk right up to this massive purple behemoth, entering by stepping on its hand and walking inside. While this is technically a life-size scale replica, it isn't the entire bot per se, with the figure starting at its torso, rising through a blood-soaked ground. Now it wouldn't be a complete Evangelion experience without being able to step inside the Entry Plug and take command of the cockpit, would it? Don't fret, guests can actually do just that, placing themselves right into the pilot's seat.
The attraction is mainly a walkthrough, full of fun interactive pieces and amazing photo ops (lots and lots and lots of photo ops), but the pilot seat does provide a bit of a "ride" experience. Guests are given a Nerv access card that can be scanned around the entire attraction, activating different events and keeping track of your journey. The card also syncs with the various photo opportunities around and inside the attraction, activating automated cameras that take the best shots of you and your party, keeping them organized for later access at the park's photo center. Theme park fans may be accustomed to a similar style photosystem if they have ever partaken in either Disney's or Universal Studio's photo pass program, however, this one comes as part of the attraction rather than as an additional cost to the ticket. The pilot seat features a slew of different scenarios that place the rider in battle against Angels, giving one the chance to truly feel like they are part of the Nerv team. Guests can view their scores to compete against friends and see if they truly have what it takes to earn the rank of pilot, with a scoring system that ranks up compared to Eva pilots from the series.
The fun doesn't stop with the attraction though! The park has gone all out on the Evangelion theming, even bringing about specially themed meals to the park. They really took this theming to the next level, not only theming the actual meals themselves but even the dishes they are served in. Fans can not only pilot an Evangelion, they can eat like a pilot too!
Now for those fans that can't make it all the way to Japan but still want some new Eva action, there has been an insane amount of Neon Genesis Evangelion inspired merch dropping lately. From wireless earbuds inspired by the Evas, a fire FILA clothing collab, an entry plug pillow, and even MRE's themed around the food eaten by Nerv pilots. No matter what you need, whether new sneakers, earbuds for your tunes, or a quick meal, it seems one can now do it in full Neon Genesis Evangelion fashion.
On a side note, this isn't the only giant mecha to recently be constructed in Japan; a life-size Gundam has also been built! However, unlike this Eva attraction, the Gundam is actual, real-life, full-scale mecha, and even took its first few steps back in 2020! No, your eyes are not deceiving you, Japan now has building-sized walking mechas, although the bot is still pretty slow and more just an amazing step towards things to come. Sadly, this bot doesn't allow just anyone to hop in the pilot's seat, so for now, fans can get their mecha pilot fill through this new Eva ride.
Toei Kyoto Studio Park's incredible life-size Eva 01 from Neon Genesis Evangelion is open now!
Source: YouTube