Gainax filed for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court on May 29, 2024, and announced the filing on June 7. The proceedings later concluded; reporting says Gainax ceased to exist as a legal entity on December 10, 2025. The studio behind Neon Genesis Evangelion is therefore no longer an operating company.
What happened to Gainax?
Gainax was established in 1984 and worked in animation and game software production and sales. In a notice dated June 7, 2024, signed by representative director Yasuhiro Kamimura, the company said it had filed for bankruptcy on May 29 and that the Tokyo District Court had accepted the filing. Gainax’s notice, reproduced in ORICON’s official English translation, described the decision as the result of its financial difficulties.
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The bankruptcy was not still underway at the end of the timeline reported here. AUTOMATON WEST reported on December 11, 2025, summarizing a statement by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, that proceedings had concluded and the company ceased to exist as a legal entity on December 10, 2025. AUTOMATON WEST’s report is secondary reporting; the official-gazette notice was not directly reviewed.
Why did Gainax file for bankruptcy?
Gainax attributed its worsening finances from around 2012 to a combination of business and management problems. Its notice cited restaurant management that did not meet expectations, an unplanned CG company, high unsecured loans to executives, failed investment projects, and practices the company characterized as treating it as personal property.
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The company also said unpaid royalties led to expulsions from committees and loan lawsuits, that it lost its animation-production capability, and that it had accumulated substantial debt. Gainax said a debt-collection company sued it in May 2024, making continued operations difficult and prompting the bankruptcy petition. These are the company’s explanations; the notice does not give an independently verified total debt figure.
Does Gainax still own Evangelion?
No. Gainax’s June 2024 notice identified Neon Genesis Evangelion as one of its hit works while saying that Khara held the copyright at that time. The bankruptcy did not cause a transfer of Evangelion rights: according to Gainax’s own notice, Khara already held them when the filing was announced. Gainax also said the trademark for Gainax had already been transferred to Khara for management.
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The notice said Khara and Gainax’s new board worked with related parties to confirm rights and organize the future management of major works and materials. That statement does not mean every former Gainax property has the same owner; rights should be considered work by work.
Are other Gainax-named companies part of the bankruptcy?
Gainax explicitly said several similarly named companies were separate legal entities, not the bankrupt company. It named Gaina (Studio Gaina), Fukushima Gaina, GAINAX International, GAINAX Kyoto, Yonago Gainax, Gainax Niigata, and GAINAX WEST. The shared name alone is not evidence that one of these entities was included in Gainax Co., Ltd.’s bankruptcy or dissolution.
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What about reports involving Gainax’s former president?
A separate official Evangelion statement from 2019 said the person then identified as Gainax’s president had no involvement in Neon Genesis Evangelion or the series. It also said that the case then in the news did not affect the planned production or release of the 2020 film. That statement is specific to the circumstances and plans described in 2019; it does not establish Gainax’s later corporate status.
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