The franchise

Media franchise

A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...

 is an umbrella of Japanese media properties generally owned by the anime studio Gainax

Gainax

is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...

. It has grossed over 150 billion yen since 1995. The central (and original) works of the franchise feature an apocalyptic

Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction

Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...

 mecha

Mecha

A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...

  action story which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary

Paramilitary

A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....

 organization Nerv to fight hostile beings called Angels

Angel (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

In the anime and manga Neon Genesis Evangelion, are beings which attack Tokyo-3 over the course of the story. They are the main antagonist of the series and were designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.-Description:...

. Nerv's primary weapon against the Angels are giant humanoids called Evangelions

Evangelion (mecha)

In the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, , are the fictional mecha piloted by the Children chosen by the Marduk Institute . The Evas were created by Nerv. Their principal purpose is defending Tokyo-3 from the Angels...

 which are piloted by select teenagers, one of whom, Shinji Ikari

Shinji Ikari

is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Hideaki Anno. The protagonist of the series , he is the Third Child and pilots the Evangelion Unit 01...

, is the primary protagonist

Protagonist

A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...

.