Kaiju No. 8

Kaiju No. 8 (Japanese: 怪獣8号, Hepburn: Kaijū Hachigō), also known in English as Monster #8, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto. It has been serialized on Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ app and website since July 2020, with its chapters collected in 14 tankōbon volumes as of November 2024. Shueisha has also published the series digitally on its Manga Plus service in English and several other languages. Viz Media began publishing the series digitally in August 2020 and has published the series in print in North America since December 2021.

Kaiju No. 8
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Kafka Hibino in his monster form
怪獣8号 (Kaijū Hachigō)
Genre	Adventure Science fantasy
Manga
Written by	Naoya Matsumoto
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics+
Magazine	Shōnen Jump+
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	July 3, 2020 – present
Volumes	14
Light novel
Kaiju No. 8: Exclusive on the Third Division
Written by	Keiji Ando
Illustrated by	Naoya Matsumoto
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Viz Media
Imprint	Jump J-Books
Demographic	Male
Published	November 4, 2022
Manga
Kaiju No. 8: B-Side
Written by	Naoya Matsumoto Keiji Andō
Illustrated by	Kentaro Hidano
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics+
Magazine	Shōnen Jump+
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	January 5, 2024 – July 12, 2024
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Directed by	Shigeyuki Miya Tomomi Kamiya
Written by	Ichirō Ōkouchi
Music by	Yuta Bandoh
Studio	Production I.G
Licensed by	Crunchyroll SEA: Medialink
Original network	TXN (TV Tokyo)
Original run	April 13, 2024 – present
Episodes	12
Manga
Kaiju No. 8 Relax
Written by	Kizuku Watanabe
Published by	Shueisha
Magazine	Saikyō Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	June 4, 2024 – present

The story follows Kafka Hibino who, after ingesting a parasitic creature, gains the ability to turn into a kaiju and now must navigate using his power while trying to become part of an organization that eliminates kaiju to fulfill a promise he made with a childhood friend. Matsumoto wrote the outline of the story of Kaiju No. 8 near the end of 2018 making it his second series for the magazine. The series was heavily influenced by Japanese tokusatsu media, especially Ultraman, while the author's struggles in the manga industry served as a basis for the main character's backstory.

An anime television series adaptation produced by Production I.G aired from April to June 2024 with a second season set to premiere in 2025. The series has spawned a light novel, two spin-off manga series, and an upcoming video game.

By September 2024, the manga had over 16 million copies in circulation. The series has been praised for its premise, characters, and art. The series won the Next Manga Award in the web manga category in 2021 and was nominated for the Eisner Award in 2022.

Synopsis

Setting

Kaiju No. 8 is set in a world in which monsters named kaiju regularly cause disasters. Japan has the highest rate of kaiju attacks in the world, therefore in order to combat them it establishes the Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defense Force (JAKDF). Kaiju are assigned a "fortitude level"—a scale indicating their overall strength, and are classified as honju—more dangerous, stronger kaiju, and yoju—smaller kaiju that can accompany or sprout off from honju. Kaiju that have high fortitude levels or abnormal characteristics are given a number as an identifier based on when they first appear, and are classified as daikaiju.

Defense Force officers wear powered suits made from kaiju remains that grant them increased strength, speed, and durability. The suits have a total power output, measured in the form of a percentage (referred to as "unleashed combat power"), which varies from person to person (depending on their ability), with a maximum of 100%. The suits also influence how strong an officer's weapons are.

Daikaiju remains are used to create stronger weapons named Numbers (ナンバーズ, Nanbāzu) that are named after the daikaiju they are made from, but only a select few can use them if they are deemed compatible. Numbers weapons are much stronger than regular suits and provide their users with special abilities. The Defense Force consists of field officers led by platoon leaders, with varying levels of unleashed combat power, and captains and vice-captains whose combat power exceeds 90% and who lead divisions. Field officers are supported by a team of operators who provide information on kaiju, and monitor the field officers' health and suit output.

Plot

After their town is destroyed by kaiju, childhood friends Kafka Hibino and Mina Ashiro both vow to become members of the Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defense Force (JAKDF) to fight kaiju together. Mina has since become the captain of the JAKDF's 3rd Division and is valued due to an ability that makes her shots highly destructive. Kafka has failed the examination numerous times and works in a clean-up crew that disposes of kaiju remains after battle. Kafka meets a young part-time worker in his company, Reno Ichikawa, an aspiring JAKDF member, who reignites his desire to enlist once again. However, a parasitic creature enters Kafka's body through his mouth and he gains the ability to turn into a kaiju. After escaping from the JAKDF, Kafka is given the code name "Kaiju No. 8" and decides to apply while keeping his kaiju form a secret.

Kafka and Reno pass the exam and join the 3rd Division along with Kikoru Shinomiya, a kaiju-slaying prodigy who Kafka saved during the test from a humanoid kaiju which the JAKDF names "Kaiju No. 9." Kafka encounters No. 9 once more when it tries to kill Reno during their first mission with the 3rd Division. Kafka fails to kill No. 9 and as he tries to hide he is attacked by the vice captain of the 3rd Division, Soshiro Hoshina. After a short fight, Kafka escapes from the vice captain, still maintaining his cover. Kafka is eventually forced to reveal his kaiju form when he transforms to save the 3rd Division's Tachikawa base from destruction after it is attacked by another humanoid kaiju named Kaiju No. 10.

Kafka is, reluctantly, apprehended by Mina and sent to JAKDF headquarters where he is given a chance to prove his usefulness after he defeats the Director General of the Defense Force, and Kikoru's father, Isao Shinomiya, in a duel. Kafka and Kikoru join the 1st Division led by captain Gen Narumi where they again fight No. 9 who attacks Shinagawa. They kill two versions of No. 9 while the real one attacks Isao and absorbs him and his Numbers 2 weapon, a powered suit of armor created from the remains of Kaiju No. 2 making No. 9 stronger in the process. No. 9 escapes and prepares for an invasion of Japan while Kafka and Kikoru train for the invasion with Kikoru gaining her mother's Numbers 4 weapon. Reno gains the Numbers 6 weapon and trains with the 4th Division.

Several months later, No. 9 begins its invasion of Japan, sending a group of kaiju identified as Kaiju Nos. 11–15 that attack Gen, Soshiro, Kafka, Mina and Kikoru respectively. After some struggle, Gen, Soshiro, Kafka, and Kikoru succeed in defeating their opponents with Mina being the last one to defeat hers. However, No. 9 uses the corpse of Kaiju No. 14 as a portal to close the distance between itself and Mina, revealing its plan to kill and absorb Mina in order for it to gain her highly destructive ability. Kafka manages to reach Mina in time with the timely arrival of Reno who clears a path for him.

Characters

Main

Kafka Hibino (日比野 カフカ, Hibino Kafuka) / Kaiju No. 8 (怪獣8号, Kaijū 8-gō)

Voiced by: Masaya Fukunishi, Megumi Han (young) (Japanese); Nazeeh Tarsha, Alexis Tipton (young) (English)

A 32-year-old man with dreams of joining the Defense Force to fight alongside his childhood friend Mina Ashiro. He gives up on his dream after failed, past attempts to join the Defense Force and starts working in a kaiju disposal company as a cleaner. He gains the ability to turn into a kaiju after a small, parasitic creature (voiced by Tarako) enters his body through his mouth. After escaping from the Defense Force he is subsequently dubbed "Kaiju No. 8." In his kaiju form, Kafka possesses superhuman strength, speed, durability, regeneration, and the ability to detect other kaiju. He has a fortitude level of 9.8, making him the most powerful kaiju identified by the Defense Force. Due to the low unleashed combat power of his suit he utilizes his knowledge of kaiju anatomy from his work in the disposal industry to help his squad-mates defeat kaiju.

It was revealed that the small parasitic kaiju is made from the fallen kaiju slayers during their fight against the Daikaiju of the Meireki-Era, which made him see the phantasms and their influence of their hatred towards kaiju.

Reno Ichikawa (市川 レノ, Ichikawa Reno)

Voiced by: Wataru Katoh (Japanese); Adam McArthur (English)

An 18-year-old man who starts working in the same company as Kafka with plans to join the Defense Force. He becomes friends with Kafka and helps him hide the secret of his kaiju form. Reno is a considered to be a promising recruit and quickly becomes one of the Defense Force's strongest assets and joints the Fourth Division after the destruction of the Third Division's base. He is compatible with the Numbers 6 weapon made from the remains of Kaiju No. 6 that has a fortitude level of 9.6 and that devastated the Defense Force prior to the events of the series. The Numbers 6 weapon takes the form of a suit of armor that increases Reno's strength and speed and gives him the ability of cryokinesis.

Kikoru Shinomiya (四ノ宮 キコル, Shinomiya Kikoru)

Voiced by: Fairouz Ai (Japanese); Abigail Blythe (English)

A young woman who joins the Third division together with Kafka and Reno. A kaiju-slaying prodigy, Kikoru is one of the greatest talents in the Defense Force and has the highest recorded unleashed combat power as a recruit. Her father, Isao, is the Director General of the Defense Force while her mother, Hikari, was a captain who died in the line of duty while fighting off a kaiju invasion led by Kaiju No. 6 prior to the events of the series. She uses a giant axe as her personal weapon and inherits her mother's Numbers 4 suit which gives her increased speed and the ability of flight.

Defense Force

Executives

Isao Shinomiya (四ノ宮 功, Shinomiya Isao)

Voiced by: Tesshō Genda (Japanese); Christopher Wehkamp (English)

The Director General of the Defense Force and Kikoru's father who is considered to be one of the strongest combatants in the history of the Defense Force. Isao uses the Numbers 2 weapon made from the remains of Kaiju No. 2 in the form of a powered suit of armor and gauntlets, which gives him superhuman strength and the ability to use blasts that extend his attack range. Isao begins teaching Kikoru how to fight against kaiju after the death of his wife, Hikari. Isao tests Kafka in battle and spares him from disposal so that he can be used as an asset for the Defense Force. During one of Kaiju No. 9's attacks on Tokyo, Isao is killed and absorbed by No. 9.

Keiji Itami (伊丹 啓司, Itami Keiji)

Voiced by: Takayuki Sugō (Japanese); Jason Douglas (English)

Itami is the dutiful Deputy Director of the Defense Force, and is later appointed the Director after Shinomiya's demise at No. 9's hands.

First Division

Gen Narumi (鳴海 弦, Narumi Gen)

Voiced by: Kōki Uchiyama (Japanese); Aaron Dismuke (English)

The captain of the First Division of the Defense Force and its strongest active captain. Gen uses the Numbers 1 weapon made from the remains of Kaiju No. 1. The weapon takes the form of a powered suit of armor and a pair of retinal implants that give Gen the ability to predict enemy movements allowing him to always land his attacks. His personal weapon is a large rifle with a bayonet.

Rin Shinonome (東雲りん, Shinonome Rin)

A platoon leader in the First Division who highly respects Gen. She uses a minigun as her weapon of choice.

Second Division

Jura Igarashi (五十嵐 ジュラ, Igarashi Jura)

Jura Igarashi is the Captain of the Second Division of the Defense Force. She is also Hakua Igarashi's older sister.

Third Division

Mina Ashiro (亜白 ミナ, Ashiro Mina)

Voiced by: Asami Seto (Japanese); Katelyn Barr (English)

The 27-year-old captain of the Third Division of the Defense Force. She is Kafka's childhood friend with whom he vowed to fight against kaiju. She is one of the strongest officers in the Defense Force and is highly skilled in using firearms due to a unique ability making her shots more devastating compared to other captains. Her personal weapon is a handheld cannon, making her effective against giant-sized kaiju.

Soshiro Hoshina (保科 宗四郎, Hoshina Soshirō)

Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi (Japanese); Landon McDonald (English)

The vice-captain of the Third Division. He is a skilled swordsman who is good at fighting smaller kaiju. Soshiro is frequently advised by his superiors to quit being a field officer due to his ineffectiveness with firearms. Mina, however, values his skill as a swordsman and asks him to become her vice-captain. On Soshiro's recommendation, Kafka is retrained as a cadet in the Third Division. Secretly, Soshiro suspects that Kafka is hiding something since the Third Division registered a 9.8 fortitude level at the same time that Kafka's suit stopped working when he transformed during the aptitude test to save Kikoru from a honju. In the battle against Kaiju No. 10 Soshiro stalls the fight long enough for Mina to incapacitate it after which it is turned into a Numbers weapon that is compatible with Soshiro. This weapon takes the form of a sentient suit with a tail that can be used for attacks.

Iharu Furuhashi (古橋 伊春, Furuhashi Iharu)

Voiced by: Yuuki Shin (Japanese); Ben Stegmair (English)

A new recruit who joins the Third Division together with Kafka, Reno and Kikoru. He and Reno become part of the same platoon and develop a rivalry over the course of their training.

Haruichi Izumo (出雲 ハルイチ, Izumo Haruichi)

Voiced by: Keisuke Koumoto (Japanese); Howard Wang (English)

A new recruit of the Third Division, Haruichi is the scion of the Izumo family who run the Izumo Tech corporation that develops equipment for the Defense Force.

Aoi Kaguragi (神楽木 葵, Kaguragi Aoi)

Voiced by: Shunsuke Takeuchi (Japanese); Jonah Scott (English)

A JGSDF officer who joins the Third Division and becomes part of the same platoon as Haruichi.

Konomi Okonogi (小此木 このみ, Okonogi Konomi)

Voiced by: Sayaka Senbongi (Japanese); Celeste Perez (English)

The lead operator of the Third Division who provides information to field officers. Her operations team monitors the suit power output of officers and can also remove their limiters allowing the officers to use greater outputs.

Akari Minase (水無瀬あかり, Minase Akari)

Voiced by: Nene Hieda (Japanese); Monica Flately (English)

Akari is a Defense Force officer of the Third Division.

Hakua Igarashi (五十嵐ハクア, Igarashi Hakua)

Voiced by: Mayuko Kazama (Japanese); Molly Searcy (English)

Hakua is a tall Defense Force officer with blue hair in the Third Division. She is also Jura Igarashi's younger sister.

Tae Nakanoshima (中之島 タエ, Nakanoshima Tae)

Voiced by: Mutsumi Tamura (Japanese); Ezra Vervin (English)

Nakanoshima is a platoon leader in the Third Division of the Defense Force, who is into younger guys. Haruichi and Aoi are part of her platoon.

Ryō Ikaruga (斑鳩亮, Ikaruga Ryō)

Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa (Japanese); Zac Loera (English)

A platoon leader of the Third Division. Reno and Iharu are part of his platoon.

Fourth Division

Jūgo Ogata (緒方ジュウゴ, Ogata Jūgo)

The captain of the Fourth Division of the Defense Force. He trains Reno and Iharu when they join the Fourth Division after the destruction of the Third Division's base and oversees Reno's training with the Numbers 6 weapon.

Sixth Division

Sōichirō Hoshina (保科 宗一郎, Hoshina Sōichirō)

The captain of the Sixth Division of the Defense Force. He is the older brother of Soshiro Hoshina (vice captain of the Third Division) and uses the single-blade style.

Kaijus

Kaiju No. 9 (怪獣9号, Kaijū 9-gō)

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Japanese); Alejandro Saab (English)

A humanoid kaiju who can create other kaiju and absorb humans, taking their appearance and memories. No. 9 infiltrates society by initially disguising itself as a human kaiju cleaner named Takamichi Hotaka (voiced by Tomokazu Sugita). No. 9 orchestrates most of the catastrophes that befall the Defense Force. It absorbs Isao Shinomiya and his Numbers 2 weapon which greatly increases its strength and ability to create stronger kaiju. No. 9 is constantly in the pursuit of knowledge and aims to create a world for kaiju to thrive in. When his core was destroyed it was revealed that he absorbed the Daikaiju of the Meireki-Era during his youth, which unleashed after the core was destroyed.

Kaiju No. 10 (怪獣10号, Kaijū 10-gō)

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese); Brent Mukai (English)

A humanoid kaiju that leads an attack on the Third Division's base leading a group of wyvern kaiju. It is ultimately defeated by Soshiro and Mina and is apprehended by the Defense Force. While imprisoned, No. 10 reveals that its creator is Kaiju No. 9 and asks to be turned into a Numbers weapon to be used by Soshiro. It is the first kaiju to be made into a Numbers weapon while still alive, retaining its sentience. No. 10 has a maximum fortitude level of 9.0.

Production

Manga

Matsumoto had always loved tokusatsu, and he particularly liked the protagonist archetype seen often in the genre—where individuals gain extraordinary abilities, and become a hero, but also bear the weight of inner struggle as a consequence.

—Shōnen Jump+ editor-in-chief Seijiro Nakaji on Naoya Matsumoto's tokusatsu influences.

Naoya Matsumoto began his career in 2006 with Neko Romancer, a series that was published in Jump Giga (then known as Akamaru Jump). He authored a series titled Nekowappa! that debuted in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2009. The series was a continuation of a one-shot that Matsumoto wrote for the JG1 One-Shot festival. He published another one-shot titled Shikai Enbu in the 2012 spring edition of Jump Giga (then known as Jump Next) before starting his second serialization with Pochi Kuro that debuted on Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ application and website in 2014.

Matsumoto presented the idea and general outline of Kaiju No. 8's story to deputy editor-in-chief of Shōnen Jump+, Seijiro Nakaji, near the end of 2018. Influenced by tokusatsu media such as the Ultraman series, specifically Ultraseven (1967), as well as Shin Godzilla (2016) and Pacific Rim (2013), Matsumoto aimed to create a story that follows a protagonist who has to achieve their goal while hiding their identity from a hostile organization they are also a part of, seeing it as an entertaining concept. The decision to have Kafka try to join Defense Force to fulfill his dreams was decided on early in the series' development although there were plans to have him maintain a secret identity while leading a normal life. Kafka's predicament in the series was partly inspired by Matsumoto's career struggles in the manga industry. Working on Kaiju No. 8 was challenging for Matsumoto but it allowed him to move away from his usual stories which was echoed by Nakaji who said that the idea behind the series was unexpected since Matsumoto had usually authored fantasy stories.

Depicitions of oni inspired Kafka's monster design.

Page layouts are designed to be easy to follow especially on smartphones due to the manga being released digitally. Nakaji said that they try to take advantage of the series being digital by giving an example of a panel in the second chapter that was completely in color, something that would not be possible if the series was being published in a physical magazine. The codenames that are given to kaiju were inspired by typhoon categorization on the suggestion of a coworker of Matsumoto's who pointed out that this would make the kaiju appear more as disasters. The kaiju designs are inspired by mythological creatures, animals and plants. Kaiju No. 8's design was modeled after depictions of oni while the design's color was inspired by the film Tron (1982).

Matsumoto works with three assistants for the series: Osamu Koiwai who is responsible for background art, Jiro Sakura who does "finishing work" and Mantohihi Binta who is credited for weapon design. For background art, Matsumoto prepares a storyboard providing panel compositions of a chapter that are sent to Koiwai who creates an initial draft for Matsumoto's approval. Upon approval, Koiwai can proceed with creating the final version of the background art which takes 3–4 days to complete. Koiwai shares his creative process for the series on YouTube.

Anime

Tetsuya Nishio was brought onto the project as character designer and chief animation director by Production I.G producer Masashi Ohira who thought that Nishio's designs facilitate animation and, while not as detailed, still had a "three-dimensional feel." Nishio provided designs for human characters and humanoid kaiju that are present in the story. Apart from serving as chief designer of kaiju for the series, Mahiro Maeda provided detailed imagery of kaiju anatomy during battle scenes. Ohira approached Shinji Kimura to serve as art director as they thought that Kimura could create a sense of realism in the setting. Toho Animation producer Katsuhiro Takei said that Production I.G and studio Khara were brought on to the project due to similarities that Kaiju No. 8 had to previous works of both studios. Specifially, Takei thought that Kaiju No. 8's focus on the daily lives of its characters was influenced by Production I.G's film Patlabor (1989) while the story's setting was reminiscent of Khara's Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) series. By including both studios in the production process Takei said that they aimed to recreate the look of anime from the 1990s.

The anime utilizes a mix of hand-drawn and 3D animation. The lead director of 3D animation, Masaru Matsumoto, worked with a small team of animators that utilized Autodesk 3ds Max and Blender software with production starting in March 2022 and continuing while the series was airing. Directors Tomomi Kamiya and Shigeyuki Miya would indicate which sequences required 3D animation during storyboarding while Kimura and mechanical designer Shinobu Tsuneki worked closely with the team in order to evoke the aesthetics of previous Production I.G films such as Patlabor (1989) and Ghost in the Shell (1995) focusing on realistic depictions of military combat. Extensive 3D animation was used for portraying battles against large numbers of monsters and for dynamic camera movement in action sequences. The opening sequence of the first season was produced by studio Khara in collaboration with Japanese creative agency WOW. Directed by Hibiki Yoshizaki with Kouhei Nakama serving as CG director the opening sequence aimed to show the origin of kaiju.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto, Kaiju No. 8 started on Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ application and website on July 3, 2020. In August 2020, Matsumoto and Kaiju No. 8 adopted a schedule where a new chapter is published every week for three weeks, followed by a one week break. From June 25, 2021, a new schedule was adopted where a new chapter is published every two weeks. Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on December 4, 2020; a promotional video for the volume, presented as a news program, was shown on the big screen of Yunika Vision at Seibu-Shinjuku Station from December 4–10, 2020. As of November 1, 2024, 14 volumes have been released.

Viz Media began publishing the series in English on its website on August 2, 2020, under the title Kaiju No. 8, and on February 19, 2021, it announced that it had licensed the series for print in English, releasing the first volume on December 7, 2021. Shueisha began publishing chapters of the series on its Manga Plus website and app on July 22, 2020, under the title Monster #8 in English and several other languages. On March 30, 2023, Manga Plus announced that it would include Kaiju No. 8 in the title of the version of the manga on its service.

To promote the release of the first volume in France, publisher Crunchyroll (then known as Kazé) displayed a mural on the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris from October 6–15, 2021. The series is licensed in Italy by Star Comics, the publication of which was commemorated by the display of a mural in the Porta Genova metro station in Milan. The series is also licensed in Spain by Planeta Cómic, in Argentina by Editorial Ivrea, in Taiwan by Ever Glory Publishing, and in Poland by Studio JG.

Volumes

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	December 4, 2020	978-4-08-882525-0	December 7, 2021	978-1-9747-2598-4
Chapter: 1–7
While Kafka Hibino labors for Monster Sweeper Inc. to clean up a dead kaiju, he meets and befriends Reno Ichikawa. It was killed by his childhood friend Mina Ashiro, now serving as a captain in the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force (JAKDF), leader of its Third Division (3D). Reno is a new part-timer working with Kafka who plans to undergo enlistment trials to join the JAKDF; although Kafka has tried to enlist numerous times, he failed. When Reno tells Kafka the age limit has been raised to 33, they plan to enlist together. During another cleanup, they are injured by a yoju, a residual kaiju that commonly arrives after the strong honju are defeated; in the hospital, Kafka swallows a small monster, becoming the eponymous Kaiju No. 8 (K8). While running away with Reno, Kaiju No. 8 saves a mother and daughter from another yoju and vows to join the JAKDF after learning how to switch between Kafka and K8. Reno and Kafka compete with fellow examinees Haruichi Izumo, Iharu Furuhashi, Aoi Kaguragi, and Kikoru Shinomiya, "the greatest talent of all time". After struggling with the fitness portion due to his age, Kafka and the others are fitted with JAKDF suits and sent to neutralize honju and yoju as the final exam. Kafka leans on his cleaning experience to support the others. After Kikoru completes the task by finishing off the final honju, a mysterious humanoid kaiju appears and revives it, threatening Kikoru; Kafka transforms into K8 to save her.
2	March 4, 2021	978-4-08-882611-0	April 5, 2022	978-1-9747-2714-8
Chapter: 8–17
K8 is a daikaiju, one of the strongest ever. The humanoid kaiju is surprised to learn there were no fatalities before disguising as a human and joining coworkers at Monster Sweeper. JAKDF 3D Vice Captain Soshiro Hoshina enrolls Kafka as a cadet rather than an officer, privately voicing suspicions about K8. After two months of intense training, Kafka and the other rookies are deployed to their first mission, tackling the yoju offspring of a mushroom-like honju in Sagamihara, which Mina dispatches easily. Kafka notices the slain yoju have reproductive organs and the humanoid kaiju reveals itself to Reno and Iharu. Kafka and Kikoru realize the sudden radio silence means trouble, and K8 rescues Reno and Iharu.
3	June 4, 2021	978-4-08-882671-4	July 12, 2022	978-1-9747-2899-2
Chapter: 18–26
K8 knocks down the humanoid kaiju, but it escapes after JAKDF reinforcements distract K8; as news reports name it Kaiju No. 9 (K9), it assumes the identity of another human. K8 encounters Soshiro but manages to flee. Two weeks later, the team celebrates the successful completion of their first mission and Kafka is named a regular officer. That night, multiple honju invade Tachikawa Base; while Soshiro tackles the daikaiju leader, to repel the other kaiju, Kikoru wields a massive axe and Reno uses freeze rounds.
4	September 3, 2021	978-4-08-882815-2	October 11, 2022	978-1-9747-3234-0
Chapter: 27–35
Soshiro struggles against the daikaiju leader, retroactively designated Kaiju No. 10 (K10); as his overheating suit shuts down, Mina returns to the base and blasts the core of K10 after Kikoru and Hoshina collaborate to hobble it. As the team starts to relax, Kafka publicly reveals himself as K8 by transforming to save the senior officers from an imminent threat. Mina and the rest of the 3D apprehend Kafka. The JAKDF General Director, and Kikoru's father, Isao Shinomiya orders the 3D to hand Kafka over to headquarters. While they are escorting Kafka to headquarters, Mina reassures him that no one in 3D sees him as a threat and that they will try to help him avoid execution. With their forces depleted, 3D is temporarily dissolved and its officers are transferred to other divisions. Isao visits Kafka and shoots him, noting that Kafka could not stop bullets with his bare skin if he remained human, then begins to fight K8 using a suit and weapons derived from Kaiju No. 2.
5	December 3, 2021	978-4-08-882872-5	January 10, 2023	978-1-9747-3418-4
Chapter: 36–43
Kafka finds himself unable to control K8 during the fight but manages to prove his humanity to Isao, who warns him his survival depends on how useful he is. Kikoru and Kafka are assigned to 1D under Captain Gen Narumi; he demands they demonstrate overwhelming skill. After an earthquake opens up a sinkhole in Shinagawa, unleashing ant-like kaiju, 1D is deployed to clean up. Kafka fails to transform into K8 as K9 emerges, but Kikoru defends Kafka.
6	March 4, 2022	978-4-08-883053-7	April 11, 2023	978-1-9747-3633-1
Chapter: 44–51
A flashback shows former 2D Captain Hikari Shinomiya, Kikoru's mother. Hikari wielded Numbers Weapon 4 (NW4), derived from Kaiju No. 4, and was killed while fighting Kaiju No. 6; Kikoru's ambition comes from Hikari's sacrifice. Kafka realizes his fear of being fully subsumed into K8 is preventing the transformation. K9 had split part of its core to engage Gen; K8 unlocks new strength to knock down the primary K9 (K9-alpha). The secondary K9 (K9-beta) gains a temporary advantage over Narumi until he uses RT-0001, the grafted retina from Kaiju No. 1, allowing him to predict K9-beta's moves. After Isao praises the team for defeating K9-alpha and -beta, they realize that both were decoys (K9-beta and -gamma), and the real primary K9-alpha attacks Isao to take Numbers Weapon 2 (NW2). During the fight, Isao attempts to destroy K9-alpha, striking it twice with directed energy blasts and exposing its core, but fails.
7	July 4, 2022	978-4-08-883170-1	July 11, 2023	978-1-9747-3869-4
Chapter: 52–59
K9 kills Isao and fuses with his body, taking control of NW2, then flees after fighting K8 and Narumi. After the funeral service for Isao, Kikoru and Kafka both vow to take down K9; Kikoru spars with 1D platoon leader Rin Shinonome under Narumi's training program; a small spot on Kafka's hand will not revert to human. K10 confesses that it was created by K9 and offers to become a Numbers Weapon for Soshiro so it can continue to fight. Leaders of 1D, 2D, 3D, and 4D meet at an anti-K9 conference, presided over by new General Director Keiji Itami; Soshiro reveals that K10 was a prototype and proposes a merger of divisions. Reno, who was reassigned to 4D under Captain Juugo Ogata, is identified as a potential match for Numbers Weapon 6 (NW6); Juugo proposes a one-month trial period before he is willing to approve NW6 for Reno.
8	November 4, 2022	978-4-08-883305-7	October 10, 2023	978-1-9747-4062-8
Chapter: 60–66
A month later, Reno has improved enough with the NW6 suit to tackle a recurring honju at Bungui-toge Pass in Haseichinose, Ina, Nagano; during the fight, Reno's combat power increases abnormally and Iharu steps in to help. Iharu reminds Juugo of himself; in a flashback, Juugo recalls Hikari's excitement at her trial with NW4 and vows to impress the danger of self-sacrifice on the next generation. Kafka frets the JAKDF only needs K8; Soshiro trains him in unarmed combat to minimize the time he spends transformed as K8.
9	March 3, 2023	978-4-08-883443-6	January 2, 2024	978-1-9747-4301-8
Chapter: 67–73
After two months, Kafka's phone is returned and he reluctantly takes a phone call from Reno and Iharu, who reassure him that everyone in 3D sees him as a friend. Before the disquieting calm ends, he shares a lunch with Ashiro as they reminisce about their school days. Simultaneous kaiju attacks erupt nationwide; for the first time in a decade, the NW4 suit is deployed, now worn by Kikoru. Gen saves a wedding party in Sumida Ward from an unwanted guest. 6D Captain Soichiro Hoshina, the older brother of Soshiro, reports in from Himeji. Soshiro enters the battle at Chōfu Airport wearing NW10, which retains the sentience of K10; they argue and are nearly killed before Soshiro decides to follow K10's lead by allowing it to control his body.
10	August 4, 2023	978-4-08-883613-3	June 4, 2024	978-1-9747-4699-6
Chapter: 74–81
Soshiro and K10 continue to bicker but exhibit astonishing success and synchronized power output against the kaiju as they secure the runway. As platoon leaders Rin Shinonome and Tachibana face six supergiant-class kaiju in Ōizumi, Mina uses a railgun to snipe them from Tachikawa, 20 km (12 mi) away. Daikaiju emerge to confront key officers: Kaiju No. 11 vs. Gen Narumi, K12 vs. Soshiro Hoshina, K13 vs. Tachibana and Rin Shinonome, K14 vs. Mina Ashiro, and K15 vs. Kikoru Shinomiya. Kikoru struggles against K15, but she declines reinforcements, saying she will win after catching up to Hikari's use of NW4. Although she cuts K15 to pieces, K15 initiates a psychogenic attack, targeting Kikoru's desire for her parents' praise. Similarly, the other daikaiju gain the upper hand, as each were created to target their respective officer's weaknesses.
11	December 4, 2023	978-4-08-883747-5	October 1, 2024	978-1-9747-4900-3
Chapter: 82–89
After K13 defeats Tachibana and Rin, Kafka arrives and, transforming to K8, pulverizes it. Kikoru finds new motivations and slices K15; as K15's core fades, a brief flashback to K15's training demonstrates how differently K9 treated K15 compared to Isao and Kikoru. K11 taunts Gen by predicting and reciting his moves from Isao's memories. Gen recalls his frustration that Isao was killed before Gen could impress him by demonstrating the true future sight; Gen unleashes it to beat K11. Soshiro realizes that K12 is an improvement of K10 and switches to single-blade form, for which K9 had not prepared K12.
12	April 4, 2024	978-4-08-883898-4	February 4, 2025	978-1-9747-5272-0
Chapter: 90–97
K12 manages to gain the upper hand, but K10 saves Soshiro by sacrificing its tail and he realizes he enjoys combat as much as K10. Using three swords simultaneously, one grasped in the tail, Soshiro and K10 defeat K12 with a new technique. While engaging K14, Mina has a flashback to her early career with the JAKDF; even after she was identified and celebrated as a sniper, she still struggles with fear over harm coming to fellow soldiers and citizens. After K14 is taken down, K9 emerges, isolating Mina behind a horde of daikaiju and threatening to extract her powers.
13	July 4, 2024	978-4-08-884160-1	—	—
Chapter: 98–104
K9 reveals its plan to create an army of K6-class daikaiju, augmented with Mina's sharpshooter skills. K8 is torn between abandoning the public to the horde and rushing off to help Mina. Reno reassures K8 that he can protect the citizens; the remaining members of 3D reunite, having completed their missions elsewhere. Juugo trained Iharu in the desperate combat style, allowing Iharu to optimize his inconsistent combat power level. Gen realizes that K9 is controlling the horde remotely and proposes an all-out attack on K9 rather than wasting effort on the drones. As K9 begins to absorb Mina, her pet tiger Bakko fights back. K9 reveals that it is a composite of all the kaiju and humans it has absorbed for hundreds of years; she nearly succumbs, but K8 pulls her away from K9.
14	November 1, 2024	978-4-08-884315-5	—	—
Chapter: 105–112
K8 confronts K9. Using Isao's memories and squadron-style combat technique, K9 begins to beat down K8, but K8 surprises it with a new move variant, exposing K9's core; K9 evolves into a two-headed kaiju with K2 before K8 can crush the core, pushing K8 back. After K9 seizes K8's exposed core, Mina saves K8. Mina and Kafka ruefully muse how none of their childhood dreams came true, save their vow to fight together. Kafka lifts the restrictions on K8 to gain a final advantage over K9. K9 calls K8 a kaiju designed to kill kaiju; K8 subdues K9 long enough for Mina to retrieve her main weapon. After Mina shatters K9's shield, Isao/K2 takes control long enough for K8 to punch K9's core.

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume. They were serialized on Shōnen Jump+.

• Chapter: 113–117

Spin-offs

Kaiju No. 8: B-Side

A spin-off manga illustrated by Kentaro Hidano, titled Kaiju No. 8: B-Side (怪獣8号 side B) ran from January 5 to July 12, 2024, on Shōnen Jump+. The spin-off is based on the light novel Kaiju No. 8: Exclusive on the Third Division, written by Keiji Andō, and features side-stories of Defense Force members. Shueisha collected its chapters in two tankōbon volumes, released on April 4 and October 4, 2024.

Shueisha and Viz Media began publishing the series in English on January 4, 2024, Shueisha on its Manga Plus website and app and Viz Media on its Shonen Jump website and app. Viz Media will release the volumes in print, with the first one set to be released in Q2 2025.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	April 4, 2024	978-4-08-884010-9	—	—
"Twin Blades of Reminiscence" (追憶の双刀, Tsuioku no Sō Katana) "Buried Fire" (埋もれた火, Umoreta Hi) "Void at the End of the Road" (道の先の虚空, Michi no Saki no Kokū) "An Outstretched Hand" (差し出された手, Sashidasareta Te) "Valkyrie Blues" (戦乙女の憂鬱, Ikusa Otome no Yūutsu) "Goddess of Destruction" (破壊の女神, Hakai no Megami)
2	October 4, 2024	978-4-08-884271-4	—	—
"Crab Collision" (蟹硬戦) "A Strike Unmatched" (一擊、無双) "Dirty, Unpolished Stone" (泥だらけの原石) "The Elite Division's Problem Child" (エリート部隊の 問題児) "Where the Lone Wolf Belongs" (孤狼の居場所) "The Successor of the Mightiest" (最強を継ぐ酱)

Kaiju No. 8 Relax

Another spin-off manga, illustrated by Kizuku Watanabe, titled Kaiju No. 8 Relax, began its serialization in Saikyō Jump on June 4, 2024, and on Shōnen Jump+ on June 7 of the same year.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	November 1, 2024	978-4-08-884312-4	—	—

Light novel

A 4-chapter side-story light novel titled Kaiju No. 8: Exclusive on the Third Division (怪獣8号　密着！第3部隊, Kaijū Hachigō: Mitchaku! Daisan Butai) written by Keiji Andō and illustrated by Matsumoto, was released on November 4, 2022. On February 2, 2024, Viz Media announced that it had licensed the light novel for print in English. It is set to be published on December 3, 2024.

Anime

On August 4, 2022, it was announced that the manga would be receiving an anime adaptation, later revealed to be a television series produced by Production I.G, with Studio Khara supervising the kaiju designs and artworks. It is directed by Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya, with scripts by Ichirō Ōkouchi, character designs and chief animation direction by Tetsuya Nishio, art direction by Shinji Kimura and monster designs by Mahiro Maeda. The series aired from April 13 to June 29, 2024, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates, alongside Twitter for simulcast in Japan.

Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired in Japan, as well as dubbed versions an hour after its television premiere, which includes English, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. Medialink licensed the series for streaming in Southeast Asia on its Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.

After the airing of the final episode, a sequel was announced. In August 2024, it was announced that it will be a second season set to premiere in 2025. A compilation film of the first season and an original episode, "Hoshina's Day Off" (保科の休日, Hoshina no Kyūjitsu), will screen together in Japanese theaters for three weeks starting on March 28, 2025. Crunchyroll will stream the second season.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Storyboarded by	Original air date
1	"The Man Who Became a Kaiju" Transliteration: "Kaijū ni Natta Otoko" (Japanese: 怪獣になった男)	Tomomi Kamiya	Tomomi Kamiya	April 13, 2024 (2024-04-13)
Kafka Hibino works as a cleaner disposing the carcasses of Philinosoma and other kaijus after they have been eliminated by the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force, a military organization that protects Japan from kaiju. Initially wanting to be part of the Defense Force, Kafka gave up after failing to pass the exam before he got too old, but finds out the Defense Force has recently raised the recruitment age to 32, making him eligible again. At work, Kafka and his new coworker and aspiring Defense Force Member, Reno Ichikawa, are attacked by a Trichonephila yoju, a type of smaller kaiju that accompany larger ones named honjus. After holding the yoju off, the duo are saved by the Defense Force's Third Division led by Captain Mina Ashiro, Kafka's childhood friend with whom he made a promise to fight kaiju together. Later in a hospital, at the encouragement of Reno, Kafka decides to try to join the Defense Force one last time. However, Kafka is attacked by a parasitic kaiju that enters his body through his mouth and turns him into a human-kaiju hybrid. A patient reports Kafka's position forcing him and Reno to flee. In a post-credits scene, Mina is called to gather her squad and eliminate the kaiju reported to be at the hospital.
2	"The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju" Transliteration: "Kaijū o Taosu Kaijū" (Japanese: 怪獣を倒す怪獣)	Takayuki Inagaki	Kazuya Nomura	April 20, 2024 (2024-04-20)
While Mina orders her squad to move to the location where a kaiju was reported, Kafka and Reno leave the hospital to hide from the Defense Force. As the duo is escaping, Kafka detects a Trichonephila yoju that emerges from the underground and attacks a nearby house, trapping a woman and her daughter. Kafka steps in and kills the yoju saving the mother and daughter with the daughter thanking him for his help which strengthens his resolve to join the Defense Force. After changing back to his human form Kafka escapes with Reno. Mina and her squad arrive at the scene and question the girl about what happened. The girl mentions a "good kaiju" that saved her and her mother which surprises Mina. Three months later, Kafka has been given the codename "Kaiju No. 8" due to evading capture and he and Reno pass the first part of the test. The duo proceed to the testing grounds for the second part of the test where they meet Kikoru Shinomiya, another recruit, who notices that Kafka smells like a kaiju.
3	"Revenge Match" Transliteration: "Ribenji Matchi" (Japanese: リベンジマッチ)	Hitomi Ezoe	Kazumi Yū	April 27, 2024 (2024-04-27)
Reno tells Kikoru that he and Kafka work as kaiju cleaners explaining his smell and swaying her doubts. Kafka and Reno begin the physical part of the test, which Kafka barely passes, and move on to the aptitude test. The proctor for the exam, the vice-captain of the Third Division, Soshiro Hoshina, explains that the recruits need to eliminate a large group of Primigenius yoju led by a honju in a training area. The recruits are outfitted with power suits, made from kaiju muscle fibers, that empower them, boosting their physical capabilities and their weapons and providing them with a shield that, if activated, makes them fail the test. The suits have unleashed combat power expressed as a percentage with Kafka being the only recruit with a 0% output. Despite that, Kafka utilizes his knowledge of kaiju to support others in eliminating the targets when a yoju attacks him and injures him. Right before his shield activates Kafka is saved by Kikoru after which Soshiro advises him to quit due to his injuries. Kafka refuses and chooses to continue as Mina watches his progress.
4	"Fortitude 9.8" Transliteration: "Forutichūdo 9.8" (Japanese: フォルティチュード9.8)	Kazuki Yokoyama	Iwao Teraoka	May 4, 2024 (2024-05-04)
Kafka and Reno try to support other recruits due to the duo's low firepower. Kikoru runs past other recruits eliminating all yoju and the honju, ending the aptitude test. As Kikoru is about to return to the others, she is attacked by an intelligent, humanoid kaiju that revives all of the yoju and the honju, making them stronger in the process. The humanoid kaiju orders the honju to attack Kikoru who tries to fight it off. A flashback reveals that Kikoru's father, the Director General of the Defense Force, Isao Shinomiya, demands from her to be perfect on the battlefield in the memory of her mother who was killed by a kaiju. Despite her efforts, the honju heavily injures Kikoru and prepares to kill her as Kafka appears and transforms, killing the honju and saving Kikoru's life. The Defense Force picks up on Kafka's fortitude level, revealing it to be 9.8 which is written off as a reading error. Mina and Soshiro survey the destroyed honju with Soshiro suspecting that it is connected to the Trichonephila yoju Kafka killed three months prior. As Kikoru recuperates in the hospital, Soshiro questions her if she killed the revived honju. Kikoru lies and says that she is the one who killed it. Later, the humanoid kaiju listens to a news report about the incident, changing its appearance to that of a human kaiju cleaner.
5	"Joining Up!" Transliteration: "Nyūtai!" (Japanese: 入隊！)	Kōji Komurakata	Yōjirō Arai	May 11, 2024 (2024-05-11)
With the test finished, Reno and Kikoru are inducted into the Defense Force as officers while Kafka is accepted as a cadet to be further trained on Soshiro's recommendation who points out Kafka's contributions in the aptitude test to the selection committee. Secretly however, Soshiro suspects that Kafka is hiding something as his vitals were not being picked up when the 9.8 fortitude level reading appeared during the test. Kikoru talks with Kafka and Reno about Kafka's power and promises to keep it a secret advising Kafka to be careful as the Defense Force would most likely dispose of him since numbered kaiju are used to make more powerful equipment. The trio continue their training slowly increasing their unleashed combat power. Kafka and Reno befriend recruits Iharu Furuhashi, Haruichi Izumo and Aoi Kaguragi with Kafka revealing that he and Mina are childhood friends which is overheard by Soshiro. Later, Kafka and Soshiro talk about Kafka's promise to Mina and that Kafka aims to be by her side which Soshiro interprets as a challenge to take his position. Their conversation is cut short by an alarm that indicates a new kaiju emergency and Kafka prepares for his first mission.
6	"Sagamihara Neutralization Operation at Daybreak" Transliteration: "Yoake no Sagamihara Tōbatsu Sakusen" (Japanese: 夜明けの相模原討伐作戦)	Tetsuji Nakamura	Kazuya Nomura	May 18, 2024 (2024-05-18)
The Third Division begins an operation to eliminate a large fungal type honju called Mixogastero that emerges in Sagamihara. Mina uses her personal weapon, a massive handheld cannon, to eliminate the honju while utilizing her full unleashed combat power. The honju's destruction releases a swarm of Phaneroplus yoju that start approaching the city. Kafka and the rest of the division are tasked with eliminating the swarm to prevent further destruction. Kafka struggles to help in combat due to his low unleashed combat power so he dissects a dead yoju, finding its core and a set of reproductive organs that allow it to increase its numbers even after death. Soshiro thanks Kafka for his help and the information is spread to other platoons. As Reno and Iharu eliminate yoju in a part of the city, they encounter the humanoid kaiju that attacked Kikoru during the entrance exam, in its human disguise, as it wonders how the Defense Force found out about the yoju's anatomy.
7	"Kaiju No. 9" Transliteration: "Kaijū Kyu-gō" (Japanese: 怪獣9号)	Yoshihide Ibata	Takayuki Sano & Shigeyuki Miya	May 25, 2024 (2024-05-25)
The humanoid kaiju attacks Reno and Iharu, severely injuring the latter. Reno tries to contact the rest of the Third Division but the humanoid kaiju reveals that it formed a "mimetic space" that blocks communications and that allows it to remain hidden from the Defense Force. Reno and Iharu try to defeat it but are easily dispatched. As the humanoid kaiju is about to kill the both of them, Kafka arrives and easily defeats it. However, a pair of Third Division officers appear preventing Kafka from finishing off the humanoid and it escapes. Kafka runs away from the area to hide in an alleyway where he is found by Soshiro who attacks him and accuses him of attacking Reno and Iharu. Soshiro removes the limiter from his suit so that he can use his full unleashed combat power and informs the Third Division that he is neutralizing Kaiju No. 8.
8	"Welcome to the Defense Force" Transliteration: "Bōei Tai e Yōkoso" (Japanese: 防衛隊へようこそ)	Haruo Okuno	Haruo Okuno	June 1, 2024 (2024-06-01)
Kafka tries to defend himself long enough to escape without hurting the vice-captain. Soshiro locates Kafka's core and tries to destroy it but Kafka successfully counters his attack, breaking the vice-captain's sword, and escapes while avoiding detection. Soshiro informs Mina that he suspects that Kaiju No. 8 might be a daikaiju, a rare and powerful type of kaiju. The humanoid kaiju, now identified by the Defense Force as Kaiju No. 9, kills a man and absorbs him, taking his appearance and goes into hiding. With the mission over, Kafka and Kikoru visit Reno and Iharu who are recovering in a hospital. The Third Division holds a party to celebrate their success and Reno and Iharu's recovery. Soshiro announces that Kafka is now officially part of the Defense Force due to his contributions in the mission and is later promoted by Mina who informs Kafka that this was done on Soshiro's recommendation. While Mina leaves the base to have a meeting at headquarters regarding No. 9, Kafka visits Soshiro as the latter is training and thanks him for his trust. While this is happening, in the skies above the base a group of flying yoju led by another humanoid kaiju prepare to attack the Third Division base.
9	"Raid on Tachikawa Base" Transliteration: "Tachikawa Kichi Shūgeki" (Japanese: 立川基地襲撃)	Kōji Komurakata, Ryōta Furukawa, Claire Barbou des Courières & Hirotaka Mori	Ryōta Furukawa	June 8, 2024 (2024-06-08)
The group of flying kaiju land on the Third Division base and begin their assault. Soshiro leads the defense efforts as Mina is away at headquarters. Kafka identifies the kaiju as wyverns named Preondactyls and relays this information to Soshiro and the rest of the division saying that they are usually solitary. Soshiro deduces that the wyverns put aside their pride and are banding together under a leader. The leader is identified as another intelligent, humanoid kaiju with a fortitude level of 8.3 classifying it as a daikaiju. The humanoid attacks Soshiro as he is the strongest fighter on base. While this is happening, Reno, Iharu, Haruichi and Aoi try to eliminate the other wyverns with the help of Kikoru who was given an axe as a personal weapon made from the remains of a previously eliminated honju. Soshiro continues fighting the humanoid leading it to the training grounds, utilizing his full unleashed combat power and nearly destroying its core. However, the humanoid keeps its core intact and transforms, increasing its size and fortitude level to 9.0 as it prepares for further battle.
10	"Secret Revealed" Transliteration: "Bakuro" (Japanese: 曝露)	Kenta Kushitani	Susumu Nishizawa	June 15, 2024 (2024-06-15)
Soshiro's battle against the humanoid continues, but his suit ceases the full output due to the strain it's causing on his body. During the battle, he recalls being told by his father and superiors to give up on joining the Defense Force since he cannot wield firearms well enough. To his surprise, Mina asked him to join her division because his skills might be useful against future smaller kaiju and because she cannot wield blades herself. Remembering the trust Mina showed him, Soshiro continues to fight despite the physical strain until the humanoid grabs a hold of him. Kafka attempts to transform to save him but with the timely return of Mina and with Kikoru's help the Third Division subdue the kaiju. The division's celebration is cut short when they notice that the rest of the wyvern kaiju gathered themselves into a bomb capable of devastating the entire city. Left with no choice, Kafka transforms into his kaiju form in front of everyone, leaps to intercept the bomb, punches it to a higher altitude for it to explode far away from the city. As the dust clears, Mina and the rest of the division gather around Kafka to detain him.
11	"Kaiju No. 8 Captured" Transliteration: "Torawareta Kaijū Hachi-gō" (Japanese: 捕らわれた怪獣8号)	Ayataka Tanemura	Ayataka Tanemura	June 22, 2024 (2024-06-22)
The top brass of the Defense Force, led by Isao Shinomiya, order the Third Division to hand over Kafka to headquarters in the Ariake maritime base his transport being overseen by the Deputy Director of the Defense Force, Keiji Itami. While detained, Kafka is informed by Mina that she and the rest of the Third Division do not see him as an enemy and will do everything they can to help him avoid disposal. Mina affirms Kafka's desire to be by her side saying that she waits for his return. Reno, Iharu, Haruichi and Aoi are set to be transferred to other divisions for further training while the Third Division base is rebuilt after its destruction by the other humanoid kaiju, now identified as Kaiju No. 10. Kikoru talks with her father about sparing Kafka's life as he saved her during the aptitude test. Isao, however, shows her an x-ray of Kafka's chest saying that his heart is now a kaiju core and insisting that he is no longer human. Still, Kikoru vouches for Kafka's humanity. Afterwards, Isao fights Kafka in a containment cell to dispose of him. Kafka tries to avoid using his kaiju form to prove his humanity but senses a great power emanating from Isao's suit and realizes that Isao is wearing a Numbers weapon, a more powerful Defense Force suit made from defeated numbered kaiju; his made from the remains of Kaiju No. 2. Before Isao deals the death blow, Kafka fully transforms and fights back. However, deep in Kafka's subconscious, the mysterious kaiju that infected him gains control of his body and directs him to rush towards Isao as Kikoru watches on in horror.
12	"Kafka Hibino" Transliteration: "Hibino Kafuka" (Japanese: 日比野カフカ)	Katsuya Kikuchi	Katsuya Kikuchi & Shigeyuki Miya	June 29, 2024 (2024-06-29)
The fight between Kafka and Isao continues as Keiji notices that Isao seems to be testing Kafka rather than trying to kill him. Kikoru realizes that her words got through to her father. Kafka becomes more powerful, increases in size and overwhelms Isao. In Kafka's subconscious, the mysterious kaiju devours him and he falls into an abyss. As Kafka is about to deal the death blow, a mental image of Mina grabs his hand and says that she will always wait for him which causes Kafka to strike his own core, preventing himself from killing Isao. Kafka collapses and is taken by medics to be taken care of. The rest of the Third Division remember Kafka's contributions and hope for his return while Mina is called to headquarters to provide information on Kafka as an officer. She praises his efforts and speaks positively about his character recalling the time he comforted her when they were younger. Isao visits Kafka and explains that he decided to keep him alive as an asset for the Defense Force but that the rest of the top brass still see him as a kaiju and that they want him dead. He tells Kafka to prove his worth, calling him by his name. Kafka states he will prove himself as an officer. The Third Division receive news that Kafka's disposal has been deferred. In a post-credits scene, Kaiju No. 9 talks with another version of itself as it prepares its next move.

Music

The music was composed by Yuta Bandoh creating a film score for the series. Bandoh worked with various artists such as (sic)boy, Taiiku Okazaki and LEO Imai to compose original songs for the anime. The soundtrack also features music by "The Kaiju Band", a musical project created for the anime consisting of guitarist Takayuki "Kojiro" Sasaki, King Gnu bassist Kazuki Arai and drummer Shun Ishikawa. American artists Patrick Paige II of The Internet and Suni MF are also featured on the soundtrack which was released on June 26, 2024. The opening theme song is "Abyss" performed by Yungblud, while the ending theme song is "Nobody" performed by OneRepublic.

Other media

Kafka Hibino is featured as a playable character in the video game Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions that was released on the Nintendo Switch on July 28, 2022.

A life-size statue of Kafka's kaiju form was displayed at the Tachikawa Station on the Chūō Main Line from April 26–29, 2024. Kafka's voice actor Masaya Fukunishi was appointed as the ceremonial one-day manager at the Kaiju No. 8 store in the station. The statue was displayed in four other places from May 1 to June 16, 2024.

A video game project, tentatively titled Kaiju No. 8: The Game, was announced in June 2024. It is developed by Akatsuki Games and is set to be available for smartphones and Windows (via Steam).

Reception

Popularity

According to Yūta Momiyama, the deputy editor-in-chief of Shōnen Jump+, Kaiju No. 8, along with Spy × Family, have been very popular and are doing especially well on the Manga Plus service. In December 2020, it was reported that Kaiju No. 8 surpassed 30 million views, making it the fastest Shōnen Jump+ series to achieve this feat, and each new chapter published surpasses one million views. In February 2021, the series reached 70 million views. In April 2021, the series reached over 100 million views. In February 2023, the series reached 400 million views. The series ranked tenth on AnimeJapan's 5th "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2022.

Manga

The School Library Journal listed the first volume of Kaiju No. 8 as one of the top 10 manga of 2021. It ranked third on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022 list of best manga for male readers. The series ranked second on the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2022. The series was included in Polygon's list of the best comics of 2021, Kotaku's list of the 11 best manga series of 2021 and The Fandom Post's list of the 12 best manga series of 2020.

Sales

The series' first volume sold 90,831 copies in its first week, and 69,404 copies in its second week. By December 2020, the first volumes had over 430,000 copies in circulation (print and digital). In January 2021, it was reported that the series was the best-selling new manga of 2020, within only 28 days since the first volume was published. By March 2021, the manga had over 1 million copies printed physically and 200,000 copies sold digitally, making it the fastest Shōnen Jump+ series to reach 1 million copies in circulation, and 20 days later reached 1.5 million copies in circulation. By June 2021, the manga had 2.5 million copies in circulation, and by middle of the month it reached 3 million copies. By September 2021, the manga had over 4 million copies in circulation; over 5.5 million copies in circulation by December 2021; over 6.7 million copies in circulation by March 2022; over 7.8 million copies in circulation by July 2022; over 8 million copies in circulation by August 2022; over 10 million copies in circulation by December 2022; over 11 million copies in circulation by March 2023; over 13 million copies in circulation by April 2024; over 14 million copies in circulation by June 2024; over 15 million copies in circulation by July 2024; and over 16 million copies in circulation by September 2024.

The series' fifth and sixth volumes were among the 30 best-selling manga volumes of 2022. Volume 9 was among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023. Volume 10 was Shueisha's seventh highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024 (period from April 2023–March 2024), with 600,000 copies printed.

Individual volumes have ranked on Circana (formerly NPD) Bookscan's monthly list since 2021 and on The New York Times' Graphic Books and Manga bestseller monthly list since 2022. The series' first volume sold 118,000 copies in the United States in 2022.

In France, the series sold 22,041 copies in its first week, making it the best-selling debut of manga in France. By April 2023, the series sold 888,888 copies in France. In Italy, the first volume had a first print run of 245,000 copies (including various editions), surpassing Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, which has 200,000 copies in circulation per volume.

Critical reception

The series' first volume has been positively received. The series has been praised for its premise, which has drawn comparisons to the Ultraman series, and for its comedy. Praise has been aimed at the art particularly the series' kaiju designs while Kafka Hibino has been singled out as an endearing character and a novel aspect of the series due to his age. However, the first volume received some criticism for its formulaic beginning as well as, what was deemed as, inconsistent art quality and fast pacing that sacrifices character development.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2021	14th Manga Taishō	Grand Prize	6th place
	5th Tsutaya Comic Award	Next Hit	2nd place
	Geeks d'Ouro	Best Manga Series	Won
	Tokyo's New Manga Award	Best Manga	Won
	7th Next Manga Award	Web Manga	Won
	7th Ayumi Comic Award	Grand Prize	Won
	Da Vinci 21st Annual Book of the Year	Book of the Year	12th place
2022	26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize	Cultural Prize	Nominated
	eBook Initiative Japan Manga Award	Grand Prize	Won
	Eisner Award	Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia	Nominated
	Da Vinci 22nd Annual Book of the Year	Book of the Year	26th place

Anime

The series' premiere was positively received. In a series of positive reviews for Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman praised the art, animation and music saying that the series treads familiar territory but that "it's very comfortably working within the bounds of its genre and having fun with them." James Beckett complemented Production I.G for successfully balancing comedic elements of the story with "wonderful and weighty little beats that sell the entire world that much more effectively." Nicholas Dupree praised the show's action sequences and worldbuilding, noting that Kafka is a character who is easy to root for while Richard Eisenbeis praised the animation, specifically the detailed and realistic depiction of kaiju fights and their dissection, although he found the character designs to be simplistic. Digital Spy's Janet A Leigh praised the series' premiere for its animation and action, comparing its premise to Attack on Titan but with a more light-hearted tone. Toussaint Egan of Polygon similarly described the series' premise as a combination of My Hero Academia and Pacific Rim while praising its tone, dramatic moments, action and art direction.

Grant Jones of Anime News Network wrote positively about the first season with high praise for the season's second half. Episode 6 ("Sagamihara Neutralization Operation at Daybreak") provided story elements that expanded upon the world of the series. Episode 8 ("Welcome to the Defense Force") was a highlight due to a well animated fight scene between Kafka and Soshiro, for providing depth to supporting characters and for increased tension due to Kafka's secret identity nearly being revealed. Episode 10 ("Secret Revealed") was praised for the surprising development of Kafka revealing his kaiju form to the Defense Force as Jones expected this to happen much later. The final two episodes were praised for their overall presentation in terms of animation, direction and storyboarding with the eleventh episode ("Kaiju No. 8 Captured") bringing the "visual fidelity to the highest levels in the season thus far" while the final episode ("Kafka Hibino") provided an effective cliffhanger for the second season. Criticisms of the season were aimed at the character designs which were described as "rather bland" and "very flat." Episode 3 ("Revenge Match") was seen as a low point of the season due to its reliance on tropes and its "lackluster" animation. Isaiah Colbert of IGN wrote positively of the first season saying that even though the series follows standard tropes of "other shōnen anime," its balance of action and drama allowed for "character-rich moments" that added depth and intrigue to the story.

Further reading

• Taniguchi, Ryuichi (December 11, 2020). 『怪獣8号』は正義を描き切れるか？ 『呪術廻戦』『デビルマン』の展開から考察. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd.
• Kitani, Makoto (January 19, 2021). 怪獣の力を身につけた正義のオッサンの勇姿を見よ！ 「ジャンププラス」が放つ正統派ヒーロー漫画『怪獣8号』が熱い!!. Da Vinci News (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation.

External links

• Official website at Shōnen Jump+ (in Japanese)
• Official website at Manga Plus
• Official website at Viz Media
• Official anime website (in Japanese)
• Kaiju No. 8 at Anime News Network's encyclopedia