Before official streaming, the Evangelion community relied on high-quality fan-subs (like those from [Sephiroth] or [gg] ). These archives often bundled the series with deleted scenes, creditless openings, and artbooks.
In many ways, that .001 extension is a digital fingerprint of a fan community that refuses to let the original experience of the show fade into obscurity. Evangelion.7z.001
The extension .7z.001 indicates that a large 7-Zip archive has been "split" into multiple smaller chunks. Before official streaming