The creator of ‘Evangelion’ is against adapting anime for Western audiences: “They should adapt to us.”

Evangelion may have started as a cult favorite, but over the years it’s become a global phenomenon — spawning movies, merchandise, and a massive international fanbase. Even so, its creator, Hideaki Anno, isn’t budging on one core belief: anime should never be reshaped to fit Western tastes.

In a recent interview with Forbes Japan, Anno made his stance crystal clear. He doesn’t create stories with foreign markets in mind, and in his view, it’s Western viewers who should make the effort to understand Japanese storytelling, not the other way around.

His comments have sparked intense debate among anime fans, especially as Japanese pop culture continues to explode worldwide. Over the past decade, industries like manga and video games have tripled their revenue overseas.

But Anno insists that none of this global success has ever influenced his creative process. For him, the priority is simple: focus on what resonates with Japanese audiences. Anything beyond that is just a bonus.

“Anime should be made for Japanese people”

Anno’s philosophy is especially evident in Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, where he took full control of the creative, production, and promotional process to avoid outside interference. When developing the film, he says he “wasn’t thinking about foreign audiences at all.”

He went even further, explaining that creating with other markets in mind is nearly impossible for him because his creative instincts are deeply tied to the Japanese language and cultural context.

“Works created through Japanese thinking are hard to understand in other languages,” Anno said. “But we can’t adapt to them. We’re sorry, but we ask the audience to adapt to us.”

Miyazaki as the model

To illustrate his point, Anno pointed to another giant of the industry: Hayao Miyazaki. In his view, the Studio Ghibli co‑founder also doesn’t tailor his films for Western viewers. Miyazaki simply makes the movies he wants to make, and the industry handles whatever international distribution comes afterward.

With that comparison, Anno reinforces his long‑held belief: anime should be treated as an artistic expression, not a product engineered for global consumption.