Neon Genesis Evangelion is a 26-episode anime that aired on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996, directed by Hideaki Anno and produced by Studio Gainax and Tatsunoko3. The plot follows 14-year-old Shinji Ikari, drafted by the paramilitary group NERV to pilot the biomech Evangelion Unit-01 against enigmatic invaders called Angels, alongside co-pilots Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu2. Critics later framed the show as both an apex of mecha anime and a bleak study of depression and isolation, which is a big reason it keeps getting rediscovered online1.

As a meme source, Evangelion feeds a steady stream of reaction images, screencaps and AMVs rather than one single template. Shinji's crying face, Asuka's plugsuit poses, Gendo's steepled-fingers pose and the show's red-on-black title cards are recycled endlessly as shorthand for teenage despair, smug superiority or ominous foreshadowing2. The final two episodes' abstract collage of scribbled text and Shinji's inner monologue also gave the fandom the term Gainax Ending, later applied to any anime that wraps up with confusing symbolism instead of plot5.

Evangelion material is typically used as reaction fodder: a Shinji screencap for emotional collapse, a Gendo pose for smug scheming, an Asuka glare for annoyance, or the red block-text title cards edited over unrelated footage for ominous effect2. The term Gainax Ending is often used in comments to mock any confusing or symbolism-heavy finale, not just Evangelion's own5.