SoraNews24 —Japan News—
Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
-
TOP
» Japan
-
» Evangelion theme song lyricist talks about her annual royalties, buying caves in Turkey
Featured
- Weird
- Studio Ghibli
- Jobs
Evangelion theme song lyricist talks about her annual royalties, buying caves in Turkey
Krista Rogers Sep 16, 2015- Tweet

Neko Oikawa, who wrote the lyrics for Neon Genesis Evangelion’s theme song “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” recently revealed some details regarding the staggering amount of money that she makes in annual royalties off of the enduringly popular song–along with where 300 million yen (US$2.4 million)-worth of her savings has recently gone to.
Oikawa appeared on the September 10 episode of Fuji TV’s variety show Out x Deluxe. She revealed that to this day she has never watched the 1995 anime series, despite the fact that the theme song she penned for it has largely contributed to her annual income of no less than 30 million yen (approximately $250,000) for the past 20 years. When the show’s MC asked her, “So are you just not interested in Evangelion?”, she replied, “It’s a completed job, so not really.”
Even now, “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” frequently tops lists of the most popular (and oversung) songs in Japanese karaoke rankings. Oikawa stated that she earns between one to two yen (approximately US$0.01-0.02) in royalties each time the song is sung at karaoke, and even more when it’s played at pachinko parlors, for a grand total of roughly 100 million yen ($829,635) per year.
▼ If series protagonist Shinji made that kinf of money (instead of the modest salary his job actually commands), he could jet out of Tokyo-3 and go live in some secluded area of the world where even the folks at NERV couldn’t bother him…or at least upgrade from a cassette player.
As previously revealed earlier this year, Oikawa also stated that she wrote the now iconic lyrics in a mere two hours after seeing only the anime’s project proposal and two minutes’ worth of footage, which hadn’t even been colored at the time.
When the MC asked her what she does with all of her money, viewers who thought the famous lyricist would be living extravagantly were taken aback to learn that Oikawa’s bank account balance last month was only 100,000 yen (US$830). Apparently, her former husband recently spent approximately 300 million yen buying a cave in Cappadocia, a historical region in Turkey known for its abundance of geological “fairy chimneys” and ancient rock dwellings. A cruel angel’s thesis, indeed!
Sources: Daily Sports Online via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Neko Oikawa Official Site
Insert image: Evangelion Armageddon
Like this:
Like Loading…
- Japan
- (anime • Evangelion • music • Neko Oikawa)
Related Stories
Evangelion theme song lyricist shares surprising fact about her Eva-watching history
‘A Cruel Angel’s Thesis’ took just two hours to write says Evangelion lyricist Neko Oikawa
All words in Evangelion theme replaced by cat meow in official remake by original singer【Video】
Anime song fitness video series kicks off with exercise routine for the Evangelion theme【Video】
Evangelion’s ‘Cruel Angel’s Thesis’ Gets New Taiko Drum Arrangement in July
- Death Note 2016: live-action movie sequel to feature new Six-Note Rule【Video】
- How honest is Japanese society? So honest this train station is fine with a non-closable “gate”
- Trackbacks (0)
Trackbacks
- There are no trackbacks yet.
- Trackback URL
Trending Today
- Liquid croissant coffee is coming to Japanese stores this month
- Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
- Continuing cyberattacks hit Japanese arcade hard [Photos]
- Pachinko parlor operator arrested for not obscuring the act of gambling well enough
- Starbucks Japan reveals this year’s lucky bag, but you’ll have to act fast to get one
- Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
- First-ever cafe on Tokyo Imperial Palace Garden grounds is now open
- Princess Mononoke was going to look totally different, new Studio Ghibli artbook shows
- Tokyo to build new crematoriums to meet surging demand
- Godzilla becomes a Japanese randoseru backpack, as do two of his greatest rivals [Photos]
- Death Note 2016: live-action movie sequel to feature new Six-Note Rule【Video】
- How honest is Japanese society? So honest this train station is fine with a non-closable “gate”
-
Recent Posts
- Pokémon doughnuts pop up at Mister Donut, with a new gathering that’s bigger than ever
- Discount retailers known for massive bargains releases massive Japanese egg sandwich
- Tokyo to build new crematoriums to meet surging demand
- Pachinko parlor operator arrested for not obscuring the act of gambling well enough
- Continuing cyberattacks hit Japanese arcade hard [Photos]
-
MOST POPULAR
- Today
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Yearly
Today
Liquid croissant coffee is coming to Japanese stores this month
Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
Continuing cyberattacks hit Japanese arcade hard [Photos]
Pachinko parlor operator arrested for not obscuring the act of gambling well enough
Starbucks Japan reveals this year’s lucky bag, but you’ll have to act fast to get one
Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
First-ever cafe on Tokyo Imperial Palace Garden grounds is now open
Princess Mononoke was going to look totally different, new Studio Ghibli artbook shows
Tokyo to build new crematoriums to meet surging demand
Godzilla becomes a Japanese randoseru backpack, as do two of his greatest rivals [Photos]
Weekly
Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
Life-size Monster Hunter dragon statues to be built at Japanese shopping mall
Modern exosuits are opening up ancient Japanese castle climbs to everyone
Evangelion announces collaboration with Hard Rock Cafe
Studio Ghibli homeware brand’s faux oil lamp brings light, smiles, and Kiki’s Jiji to your home
Cold Stone is closing its final branch in all of east Japan, but it’s going down singing
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods for 2026, with exclusive holiday surprises
Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
Monthly
Pokémon Company announces first-ever permanent Pokémon store to open outside Asia
Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
What’s it like to stay in a Japanese container hotel?
Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
Chainsaw robots helping keep trains running safely in east Japan [Video]
New Studio Ghibli anime gets extended run at the only cinema in Japan where it’s being shown
Tokyo train station will play Godzilla theme song as new departure melody
Osaka’s famous Glico Running Man will be removed and replaced with a new-look sign
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
-
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Stand back, kids! 64-year-old enka singer Aki Yashiro completely nails cover of Evangelion theme
Here are Japan’s most-sung karaoke songs in 2022 from karaoke system Joysound
Evangelion theme song played on a pea pod is just as weird and awesome as it sounds【Video】
Should the new Japanese national anthem be an anime song?
Vocaloid takes over teen karaoke scene, more than half of 2014’s top 20 songs synthetic
Here’s what Japanese netizens think of the U.S.’s top 20 most-picked karaoke songs
Over 130,000 Japanese netizens rank the Top 20 anime opening themes of all time
The Top 10 anime theme songs that Japanese people jammed to at karaoke in 2021
No one will be flying Evangelion spear to the moon as crowdfunding project dies on the vine
Evangelion singer cancels appearance at anime orchestra concert over use of AI-generated artwork
Awesome-looking Godzilla vs. Evangelion video is a real project, and a real monkey’s paw【Video】
All-time greatest anime song singer releases all albums, 41 singles for online streaming services
Get in the bullet train, Shinji! The Evangelion Shinkansen is here 【Videos】
Evangelion taking over Tokyo Skytree just in time for Christmas
Evangelion welcomes back Utada Hikaru for final movie’s theme song, vinyl collected release
-
-
Categories
Categories Select Category Africa (33) Anime & Manga (193) Art (64) Australia (42) C America (9) C Asia (17) Canada (59) Cats (72) China (847) Culture (180) Cute (187) Entertainment (248) Europe (345) FN24 (1) Food & Drink (314) Games & Tech (167) Global (1,073) India (11) Internet (2,198) Italy (13) Japan (34,557) Korea (375) Lifestyle (76) Mexico (6) Music (12) N Asia (4) New Zealand (11) News (61) North Korea (72) Oceania (10) Russia (56) S America (33) S Asia (66) SE Asia (378) Space (2) Taiwan (203) UK (18) Uncategorized (19) USA (978) W Asia (25)
-
Archives
Archives Select Month November 2026 (26) October 2026 (144) September 2026 (156) August 2026 (174) July 2026 (197) June 2026 (174) May 2026 (138) April 2026 (142) March 2026 (150) February 2026 (124) January 2026 (138) December 2025 (136) November 2025 (136) October 2025 (151) September 2025 (154) August 2025 (143) July 2025 (158) June 2025 (165) May 2025 (162) April 2025 (181) March 2025 (157) February 2025 (127) January 2025 (139) December 2024 (148) November 2024 (149) October 2024 (153) September 2024 (154) August 2024 (158) July 2024 (156) June 2024 (150) May 2024 (166) April 2024 (150) March 2024 (157) February 2024 (169) January 2024 (159) December 2023 (165) November 2023 (166) October 2023 (166) September 2023 (173) August 2023 (183) July 2023 (171) June 2023 (180) May 2023 (158) April 2023 (152) March 2023 (167) February 2023 (160) January 2023 (171) December 2022 (175) November 2022 (176) October 2022 (179) September 2022 (191) August 2022 (202) July 2022 (193) June 2022 (178) May 2022 (178) April 2022 (181) March 2022 (212) February 2022 (199) January 2022 (224) December 2021 (230) November 2021 (214) October 2021 (215) September 2021 (238) August 2021 (225) July 2021 (207) June 2021 (218) May 2021 (209) April 2021 (206) March 2021 (225) February 2021 (209) January 2021 (224) December 2020 (225) November 2020 (224) October 2020 (231) September 2020 (238) August 2020 (227) July 2020 (220) June 2020 (209) May 2020 (215) April 2020 (238) March 2020 (235) February 2020 (222) January 2020 (233) December 2019 (187) November 2019 (214) October 2019 (237) September 2019 (195) August 2019 (205) July 2019 (183) June 2019 (201) May 2019 (231) April 2019 (192) March 2019 (242) February 2019 (211) January 2019 (238) December 2018 (212) November 2018 (217) October 2018 (214) September 2018 (203) August 2018 (217) July 2018 (218) June 2018 (208) May 2018 (204) April 2018 (193) March 2018 (216) February 2018 (192) January 2018 (223) December 2017 (204) November 2017 (209) October 2017 (218) September 2017 (209) August 2017 (228) July 2017 (222) June 2017 (245) May 2017 (229) April 2017 (197) March 2017 (165) February 2017 (151) January 2017 (180) December 2016 (260) November 2016 (267) October 2016 (302) September 2016 (387) August 2016 (351) July 2016 (379) June 2016 (379) May 2016 (312) April 2016 (347) March 2016 (414) February 2016 (379) January 2016 (359) December 2015 (359) November 2015 (378) October 2015 (435) September 2015 (419) August 2015 (152) July 2015 (218) June 2015 (179) May 2015 (237) April 2015 (223) March 2015 (119) February 2015 (121) January 2015 (394) December 2014 (376) November 2014 (376) October 2014 (414) September 2014 (349) August 2014 (379) July 2014 (316) June 2014 (375) May 2014 (384) April 2014 (354) March 2014 (318) February 2014 (284) January 2014 (270) December 2013 (224) November 2013 (242) October 2013 (244) September 2013 (226) August 2013 (241) July 2013 (214) June 2013 (222) May 2013 (191) April 2013 (173) March 2013 (149) February 2013 (85) January 2013 (106) December 2012 (111) November 2012 (149) October 2012 (151) September 2012 (118) August 2012 (99) July 2012 (56) June 2012 (57) May 2012 (54) April 2012 (62) March 2012 (40) February 2012 (27) January 2012 (24) December 2011 (18) November 2011 (12) October 2011 (1) September 2011 (9) August 2011 (11) March 2011 (1)
-
- About Us | Jobs | Contact | Contribution | Partner with Us
© SoraNews24 —Japan News— / SOCIO CORPORATION
- Advertise |
- About Us |
- Work with us |
- Contact |
- Contribution |
%d
