Set in a near-future Tokyo-3 built to withstand attacks from colossal beings called Angels, this landmark 1995 series centers on a teenage boy reluctantly drawn into piloting a giant biomechanical weapon for a secretive organization called NERV. The story balances intense battles with an unflinching look at trauma, parental neglect, and the psychological cost of being asked to carry the world. For visitors to Tokyo, the Hakone and Odaiba areas offer real-world echoes of the landscapes that shaped the series' iconic visual identity.