The Weeknd debuted a new song sampling the theme from Neon Genesis Evangelion at his Asia tour opener in Tokyo on September 19.

Abel Tesfaye performed the untitled track at the Belluna Dome with Yoko Takahashi, the Japanese singer behind the series' opening theme, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis." A title and official release date for the song remain unannounced.

The performance came with a visual by Yoko Taro, the writer-director whose credits include the 2007 video game NieR:Automata. The visuals incorporated imagery from both NieR:Automata and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The Tokyo date kicked off the latest leg of Tesfaye's After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour, which launched in 2022 and has run for years. He has released two albums in that span: a 2023 soundtrack to the HBO series The Idol, and Hurry Up Tomorrow, released in 2025, which he billed as his final release under the Weeknd name. Hurry Up Tomorrow was accompanied by a film directed by Trey Edward Shults, starring Barry Keoghan, Jenna Ortega, and Tesfaye himself.

The debut raises the question of whether new Weeknd material will follow an album marketed as his farewell to the project — and whether the Evangelion collaboration will get an official release.