On December 10, 2025, the legendary animation studio GAINAX—known for classics such as Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Gurren Lagann, and Neon Genesis Evangelion—completed its bankruptcy liquidation and officially dissolved as a corporate entity, marking the end of its approximately 42-year history. On the following day, Hideaki Anno, one of GAINAX’s co-founders and now President of animation studio Khara, issued a public statement summarising the studio’s final phase and openly criticising the former management.
GAINAX was initially founded by members including Hideaki Anno, Yasuhiro Takeda, Hiroyuki Yamaga, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and Shinji Higuchi. Although the studio became the birthplace of the iconic Neon Genesis Evangelion—a series created and directed by Anno that reshaped the anime landscape—the company began to decline in the 21st century as key creative talents gradually departed.
In 2019, the then-president was arrested on criminal charges, sending the company into paralysis. A new management team was later assembled with support from Khara and others, attempting to rebuild the company and sort out its tangled assets and liabilities. However, due to the overwhelming historical debt burden, GAINAX ultimately filed for bankruptcy in May 2024.
With the liquidation of the leading company, its affiliates have also accelerated their process of “de-GAINAX-ing.” Notably, GAINAX’s former Fukushima branch—later spun off and renamed STUDIO GAINA—officially changed its name again to BENTEN Film, Inc. on August 1, 2025.
With the completion of the liquidation and Anno’s announcement, the era of GAINAX—once a defining force in the anime industry—has formally come to an end. The remaining assets, including rights to past works, have been handled separately throughout the bankruptcy proceedings.
The GAINAX trademark has been transferred to Khara, and the copyrights and production materials for titles such as Gurren Lagann and Gunbuster were sorted and returned with Khara’s assistance before bankruptcy, thereby preventing their loss.
The Evangelion IP remains unaffected: its rights were transferred as early as 2006, when Anno founded Khara. All subsequent Rebuild of Evangelion films and related works have been produced under Khara, and GAINAX’s bankruptcy does not impact EVA’s ongoing management.
The above content is compiled by ModeZone, a fashion and entertainment magazine.
