"From now on I am Japanese": Fans react to McDonald’s Japan's commercial for ‘Evangelion’ collaboration

McDonald’s Japan has collaborated with the iconic anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion as part of its unique marketing strategy.

On December 26, the fast-food chain released a commercial on social media that involved a new kind of Evangelion robot – Unit M, sporting McDonald’s famous red and gold color scheme.

The 30-second clip included scenes from the original anime series as it introduced three unique burgers on their menu - Hash Brown & Thick Beef Patty with Rich Garlic Mayo, Mexican Cheese Chicken, and Cheese Double Teriyaki. The burgers will be available from January 6, 2025, near McDonald’s store.

Earlier, McDonald’s Japan launched transformative figurines which are part of its recent collaboration with the Evangelion franchise. These toys convert into food items from McDonald’s menu – a plastic cup, a Big Mac, and fries. The customers can purchase them via a lottery that reportedly runs from December 19, 2024, to January 10, 2025.

The partnership between McDonald’s Japan and Evangelion was officially announced on December 19, 2024, and has drawn significant attention from fans worldwide.

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How netizens reacted to the McDonald’s commercial?

Fans on social media gave mixed reactions to McDonald Japan’s latest commercial featuring its collab with the Evangelion anime series. While some fans described it as a “canon event” for Japan others said that it is one of the “best anime collab” by the brand, indicating its previous collabs with anime franchises like Pokémon, Dragon Ball, Yu-Gi-Oh! Among others.

"yo, from now on i’m Japanese. shin chin chan sen." A fan wrote on X.

"That commercial is definitely a canon event for Japan." Someone else commented.

"This reminds me of the anime inspired Japanese Football jersey." A fan wrote.

"This is the best anime collab for McDonald’s so far." A user said.

"McDonalds is getting crazy with these collabs." Another fan added.

"McDonald's is definitely gearing up for something exciting in 2025! Can't wait to see what they have in store!" One more tweeted.

However, some netizens asked Western advertisers including those in the US to take inspiration from McDonald's Japan’s latest commercial.

"Western advertisers should be taking notes. This actually does its job, unlike most western ads." One person tweeted.

“@McDonalds would never do anything this cool for the U.S. for shame.” One fan said while slamming the brand.

"how come we dont get stuff like this in the usa?" Another fan added.

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More details about the Evangelion X McDonald’s burgers and figurines

The three different figurines in McDonald’s Evangelion Value Set are inspired by three main Evangelion Units which feature Rei Ayanami’s Unit-00, Shinji Ikari’s iconic Unit-01, and Asuka Langley Soryu’s Unit-02.

The customers can buy the three different toys individually or the complete set which will cost 3,900 yen (or about $24.77.) They are available through a lottery system that can be entered through McDonald’s Japan App. Just scan the QR code and you are ready.

The lottery which runs until January 10, 2025, will announce the winners on January 16, 2025. The selected winners can pick up the McDonald’s Evangelion Value Set between January 20 and January 26, 2025, as per reports.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a Japanese anime series that was telecast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. It was produced by Gainax, and directed by Hideaki Anno.