Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D was a temporary pre-Shin Japan Heroes Universe crossover ride at Universal Studios Japan between the Thematic Series' first two productions, Shin Godzilla and Rebuild of Evangelion that ran between May 31 - August 25, 2019, serving as a sort of follow-up to previous temporary attractions based on the two individual properties.
When a creature shows up in Osaka-III after defenses fail to stop him, NERV responds by sending out the Evangelions to head it off, believing it to be another Angel. Only once there, Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, and Asuka Langley Shikinami discover that they aren't dealing with an Angel at all—but rather the King of the Monsters himself, Godzilla. However, soon they discover that there's a reason Godzilla is there, one having to do with a record amount of recorded lightning strikes and the disappearance of the Mahoroba asteroid probe.
Another Godzilla vs. Evangelion project would come in the form of a Pachinko machine titled Godzilla vs. Evangelion: G Cells Awakening, incorporating a Godzilla/EVA-01 fusion seen in collaboration merchandise.
Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D provides examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: Though he still expresses self-doubt in this mission, Shinji Ikari is the only pilot to accomplish anything while fighting against Shin Godzilla, and in the end he turns the tide of the battle against Ghidorah. How? By impaling King Ghidorah on a giant katana.
- Adaptational Heroism:
- In Shin Godzilla, Godzilla was a walking natural disaster lashing out at humanity because of his mutation, much like the Godzilla of the original Godzilla (1954). Here, much like the Showa and MonsterVerse Godzillas, he only came ashore to head off King Ghidorah, and the fight with the EVAs was due to him surprising NERV.
- For that matter, NERV is doing something unambiguously heroic for once in heading off Godzilla and later Ghidorah. While he has very little screentime, Gendo Ikari likewise isn't out to cause the end of the world in this story.
- Aliens Are Bastards: True to his Showa, Rebirth of Mothra, and MonsterVerse incarnations, Ghidorah is an alien creature bent on destruction.
- Alien Blood: This Ghidorah has glowing blue energy for blood.
- Beam-O-War: Godzilla and Ghidorah engage in this before Godzilla destroys Ghidorah.
- Crossover: Right in the title, though more specifically between Shin Godzilla (given the Godzilla used originated from there) and the Rebuild of Evangelion films (given both the EVAs' designs and Asuka being identified as "Shikinami", not "Soryu").
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Godzilla vs. the EVA units. Despite Shinji, Asuka, and Rei working together, none of them could even scratch the King of the Monsters, and the battle ends with Godzilla delivering a Tail Slap to swat them aside so he can do what he actually came to do: fight King Ghidorah.
- Cool Versus Awesome: The resident Shrinking Violet, Emotionless Girl, and Tsundere of mecha anime fight the freaking King of the Monsters, and later get into an Enemy Mine when the Golden Demise arrives.
- Enemy Mine: It ultimately comes down to Godzilla and the EVAs fighting King Ghidorah.
- Foreshadowing: The faux-news reports at the start including that a record amount of lightning strikes have been seen in the Kansai region, and the disappearance of the Mahoroba asteroid probe, as well as the tabloid The Sol having a story about aliens as its cover story and said cover picture hint at King Ghidorah's arrival.
- Gravity Master: Much like the Ghidorah of Rebirth of Mothra 3 and Monster X/Kaiser Ghidorah, Ghidorah's gravity beams actually do affect gravity, yanking buildings out of the ground. Ghidorah even throws this floating debris at Godzilla.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Ghidorah twice over! His gravity beams levitating buildings gives Shinji a chance to impale Ghidorah in an already open wound; and his beams reenergize Godzilla, who destroys Ghidorah after a brief Beam-O-War.
- Hostile Terraforming: Just like in the MonsterVerse, Ghidorah's presence causes the planet's ecosystem to fall.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Shinji, using a giant sword, stabs Ghidorah in a wound Godzilla opened.
- Jagged Mouth: King Ghidorah's mouth gives off this appearance, with his teeth blending into his jaws and mouths.
- Let's You and Him Fight: The only reason Godzilla fights the EVAs is because he took NERV by surprise when he decided to head off Ghidorah. Once they realize what's going on, the Pilots decide to focus on Ghidorah whilst staying out of Godzilla's way.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Some things never change — like Asuka being one of these, repeatedly jumping onto Godzilla and trying to pummel him.
- Lighter and Softer: Despite the Godzilla used being the one from Shin Godzilla and the fact that the other franchise is Neon Genesis Evangelion (and given the use of the Rebuild version, after the route the third movie went), the short film's actually tame, more akin to a lot of the other Godzilla movies and to the Evangelion franchise's participation in the Super Robot Wars series; the worst that happened to Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and their respective EVAs is that they got a bit banged up. In particular, Shinji's Unit-01 getting shoved through one building and falling onto another, which takes him a few moments to haul himself up from.
- Mythology Gag:
- Much like Shin Godzilla mostly used Showa-era roars, so does this Ghidorah use the giggling cackle of the Showa-era Ghidorah.
- One of the people who says Tokyo couldn't be salvaged after Second Impact is named "Yamane".
- Much like in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, the capital of Japan is moved from Tokyo to (an) Osaka.
- Outside-Context Problem: There's the little matter of NERV not expecting the "Angel" to actually be Godzilla. And for that matter, that Godzilla decided to come ashore to head off a certain golden, three-headed dragon, which is the ride's closest analog to an Angel.
- Tail Slap: How the actual titular fight between Godzilla and the Children ends, by Godzilla smacking the EVAs with his tail so they couldn't interfere with his attempts to stop Ghidorah anymore.
- Versus Title: Godzilla vs. Evangelion, though the battle between Godzilla and the EVAs isn't the main conflict, but rather with Godzilla's archenemy Ghidorah.
