It's official, Gainax, the studio behind Neon Genesis Evangelion, has ceased to exist after over 40 years in the anime industry

Gainax, the anime studio behind Neon Genesis Evangelion and many other titles, filed for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court on May 29, 2024, and announced it soon after. As of December 10, 2025, the company has now been officially dissolved, ending more than 40 years of activity in the anime industry. With support from Studio Khara (founded by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno) its former works and rights have been managed and transferred to the appropriate holders. While this may open the door for future projects, the fall of Gainax remains a deeply unfortunate chapter in anime history.

How a legendary anime studio came to an end

Starting around 2012, Gainax’s management made a series of bad business moves that slowly drained the company’s money. As President Yasuhiro Kamimura explained in a June 7, 2024 statement, they tried side ventures like restaurants that flopped, launched a CG studio without a real plan, and even handed out big unsecured loans to executives. None of this paid off, and the studio ended up buried in debt.

Because they owed so much, Gainax got kicked off production committees for not paying royalties and was hit with multiple lawsuits, including from Studio Khara, founded by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno. Over time, a lot of their partner studios and staff left, taking talent and experience with them, which made it harder for Gainax to function.

Things got even worse in 2019 when the then-president Maki Tomohiro was arrested for sexual offenses (not related to the company), which seriously damaged Gainax’s reputation and stability.

By May 2024, debt collectors were coming after them, and the studio realized it couldn’t keep going. Gainax filed for bankruptcy on May 29, 2024, and the court accepted it a few weeks later.

Finally, in December 2025, Gainax was officially dissolved. Its remaining works and rights were returned to their creators or transferred to other studios like Khara. Gainax’s collapse came from years of bad decisions, huge debt, legal trouble, staff leaving, and leadership scandals – bringing an over 40-year chapter in anime history to a sad close.

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