Gainax Inc. is an animation studio responsible for many animes such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gurren Lagann. For years, there have been disputes behind the scenes that have now led to its closure.
How did the closure come about? Since 2015, Gainax has not produced any anime. The last project the studio worked on was the anime Wish Upon the Pleiades, after which no projects were released. The studio had been around since 1984 and would have celebrated its 42nd anniversary next year.
But on December 10, 2025, the studio completed its insolvency proceedings and no longer exists.
Hideaki Anno, the CEO of Khara Inc., has now written emotional farewell words to the studio. His studio is primarily known for animated films related to Evangelion or for participating in Kaiju No.8 or Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX.
He had been associated with Gainax Inc. for 20 years and was even a shareholder in the studio. Anno holds the old management responsible for the studio’s downfall.
Gainax became a studio with many scandals
What happened behind the scenes? In 2019, the then CEO of Gainax, Tomohiro Maki, was arrested on suspicion of sexually harassing a voice actress (as reported on Sumikai). Following this, rights had to be transferred, and production results and other materials had to be safely returned to their rights holders and authors, according to Anno.
The problem was that the transfer of rights and materials had been carried out without proper procedures under the previous management:
The problem was that the transfer of rights and materials had occurred without proper procedures under the previous management. Therefore, we filed a civil lawsuit against the management at that time, and on January 20, 2023, a settlement was reached in which the claims of the plaintiff were acknowledged, and the defendant apologized.
Subsequently, the critical financial situation of the studio was thoroughly analyzed. It was found that Gainax had lied about repayments. Additionally, statements came to light in which the former management “displayed a lack of respect for the work and employees of Gainax regarding corporate governance and the safeguarding of production materials”.
Anno’s anger turned into deep sadness when he learned of the false statements made by his former friends. He realized that their friendship could never be the same as before.
In the end, Anno lays the blame on the former management team. They left the prestigious studio in the lurch without taking responsibility for commitments and creditors.
The closure is very sad, especially since Neon Genesis Evangelion turned into a classic in the anime world. The series is one of five animes that you must have on your shelf. You can find the other series here: 5 animes that everyone should have on their shelf
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!