Evangelion studio admits leaking its own 30th anniversary short after "insufficient understanding of X’s takedown request system"

Evangelion studio Khara has issued an apology after leaking its own 30th anniversary short – but then released it officially to the public anyway.

Previously, the short – a playful trip down memory lane for Asuka and her Rebuild counterpart – was only available to attendees of the 30th anniversary Evangelion celebration event.

The video was (predictably) filmed behind-closed-doors, which led to Khara undertaking actions to remove it.

In doing so, however, Khara allegedly emailed a high-quality copy of the short to the user, who then spread it around social media.

From there, the damage was done – and Khara released the short on YouTube on March 7. You can see the full 15-minute video, including the Shinji x Asuka moment that caused heated debate, below.

【公式】『エヴァンゲリオン放送30周年記念特別興行』 - YouTube

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"During the process of submitting takedown requests to X, information included in our report to demonstrate ownership of the video’s copyright was disclosed to the account that had posted the unauthorized recording due to the platform’s reporting system," Khara wrote in a statement on its official website.

It continued, "We regret any concern this situation may have caused. We sincerely apologize to all parties involved and to everyone who has supported the Evangelion series for the concern and inconvenience this incident has caused. We also sincerely apologize to everyone who attended the event for the distress and inconvenience caused by this situation. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and are currently confirming the facts and conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident, while also considering measures to prevent recurrence."

That's not the only new Evangelion content suddenly bursting onto the scene. A new Evangelion series, fronted by Nier's Yoko Taro, is currently in the works. Its first trailer has even hinted at a myriad of possibilities, including being set after the events of the classic '90s anime series or in the Rebuild timeline.

Still playing catch-up on Hideaki Anno's masterpiece? Here's how to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion in order. Then, dive into all the new anime you should be watching this season.