Evangelion is one of those franchises that ended and also has not ended. Its onscreen life may have concluded, but the merch continues. Among them, figures are perhaps the most common. Speaking of which, Takara Tomy has also jumped on the NERV bandwagon with a new action figure under its T-SPARK Toyrise series.
Standing about 24 cm (9.4 inches) tall, the Toyrise Evangelion Unit-01 Figure [JP] adopts TV-series-inspired proportions but reimagines the figure with Toyrise’s unique mechanical surface details and original styling.
The lanky purple biomechanical menace has a wide range of articulation for recreating dramatic poses from the anime or inventing entirely new reasons for NERV headquarters to panic. Its arms and legs feature 3 mm hardpoints, allowing the included weapons to be mounted in different positions and combined into custom loadouts. Unit-01 now has tactical accessorizing—a thing which its onscreen counterpart can only dream about.
The arsenal comprises a Progressive Knife, Palette Rifle, Magorok E. Sword, and Counter Sword. Takara Tomy also includes an umbilical cable, interchangeable fist parts, and several joint pieces. In short, it has enough weaponry to make an Angel reconsider its career choices.
The Toyrise Evangelion Unit-01 Figure is priced at 24,200 yen [JP] (around US$164). Japanese pre-orders remain open through November 11, 2026, with release scheduled for late March 2027. No batteries are required, though several layers of unresolved psychological trauma may improve authenticity. Just don’t cry and whine like a baby like Shinji. Ugh. That dude is impossible!
But never mind Shinji. The release may be Takara Tomy’s first Evangelion figure under the Toyrise banner, but it is certainly not the company’s first encounter with NERV. Its history includes the 2014 MP-10 Eva Optimus Prime, the newer Synergenex Evangelion Prime Unit-01 and Unit-02, the Shinkalion 500 TYPE EVA transforming bullet train, and a garage full of NERV and Evangelion Racing Tomica cars. Basically, Takara Tomy has been finding excuses to paint things purple, green, and red for years. Giving Unit-01 a dedicated Toyrise figure merely brings the relationship back to where all the psychological damage started.
Images: Takara Tomy [JP].