In the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, Evangelions (also referred to as Evas or EVA–pronounced "Avangelions"/"Avas"/"AVA"), are the fictional mecha piloted by the Children chosen by the Marduk Institute (a front company of Seele). The Evas were created by Nerv. Their principal purpose is defending Tokyo-3 from the Angels. The Evas were designed by Ikuto Yamashita and series director Hideaki Anno.