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Summary
After a tremendous run from start to finish,Kaiju No. 8has officially come to a close. The series received an incredible amount of hype and attention in the months leading up to its premiere, and thanks to its great character writing and even greater animation, it more than lived up to its expectations.
Production I.G’sKaiju No. 8stars Kafka Hibino, a new member of the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force who’s suddenly given the power to turn into a monster, the titular Kaiju No. 8. For most of the story, Kafka succeeded at fighting in the Defense Force while keeping his powers under wraps, but soon enough,Kafka was forced to expose himself as Kaiju No. 8to save his team from the Kaiju equivalent to a nuclear bomb.
Sure enough, Kafka was arrested on the spot, and while his teammates believe in his innocence, the higher-ups are all leaning toward killing Kafka.
How Kaiju No. 8’s Final Battle Starts
Anime series by Production I.G; Based on the manga by Naoya Matsumoto
In episode #11 of theKaiju No. 8anime, after much back and forth between the Third Division and the higher-ups, Isao Shinomiya, the leader of the Defense Force, took matters into his own hands by challenging Kafka to a fight.Kafka tried to avoid transforming to make a case for his humanity, but the immense power of Isao’s suit made from the remains of Kaiju No. 2 forced Kafka to transform to save himself. When he did that, though, the bug Kaiju that gave Kafka his powers took control of Kafka and forced him into a berserker-like state.
In his berserker state, Kafka became a much tougher opponent by taking advantage of his regenerative abilities and generally not holding back, and it soon became clear that Isao was on the losing end of the fight. The people watching questioned why Isao didn’t just kill Kafka in his human form, and Kikoru realized thatIsao was secretly testing Kafka to see if he could control his powers. It appeared that Isao’s hopes were unfounded, though, and Kafka slowly moved in for the kill.
Kafka Fights For His Humanity One Last Time In Kaiju No. 8
Kafka’s Last Stand Was the Focus of the Finale
Even after entering his berserker state, Kafka Hibino remained aware of everything that was happening as he tried and failed to regain control of his body. As Kafka was about to kill Isao, though,Kafka finally regained control of his body and stabbed himself in the heartto save Isao’s life. Kafka reasserted that he was Kafka Hibino, not Kaiju No. 8, one last time before losing consciousness, and while Gen Narumi and the First Division wanted to finish Kafka off, Isao requested that Kafka receive medical attention before they did anything else.
How Kaiju No. 8 Ends Its First Season
Sometime later, Kafka awoke in the hospital with Isao at his bedside and a massive scar on his chest where he stabbed himself. After Kafka expressed his relief that he didn’t kill Isao, Isao said that it would have been impossible for a human to have survived a wound like the one Kafka inflicted upon himself, which proved that Kafka is now a Kaiju and no longer a human. However, Isao said thatKafka being a Kaiju didn’t mean he was an enemy, and he even said his name for the first time to emphasize that point.
In a flashback to before Kafka woke up, Isao and the rest of the higher-ups had another meeting whereIsao declared that Kafka would continue to fight as a soldier and not be turned into a weapon. Nearly everyone else protested the idea, but Isao pointed out that if more Daikaiju were going to keep appearing, then they needed someone like Kafka fighting alongside them. That, coupled with Mina’s glowing testimony of Kafka’s humanity, got Kafka’s execution deferred, something everyone in the Third Division celebrated while Kafka just fell back asleep with a smile.
While all of that was happening, Kaiju No. 9 was revealed to be hiding out in the city and becoming even more intelligent, even taking first place in the ranking of an online chess group. Feeling he now understood humanity’s intellect,Kaiju No. 9 revealed his plans to launch an attack against the Defense Force, and to go along with that, he took on a new form and also seemingly cloned himself for extra assistance, as well.
The Biggest Plot Points Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 Needs To Address
Kaiju No. 8’s Season Finale Leaves Many Plot Threads Open
Kaiju No. 8season 2is officially in development, and sure enough, there are numerous plot points it needs to address. Naturally, with the stinger that season 1 ended on, these includeKaiju No. 9’s upcoming assault on the Defense Force, in addition to whatever new powers Kaiju No. 9 and his clone might possess. The teaser trailer for season 2 already implies that will be a major focus of season 2, so hopefully, it won’t be too long before the show gets into it.
Another point that needs to be addressed is the idea of Kaiju being turned into weapons. Kafka and Isao’s fight gave a much clearer picture of what turning a Kaiju into a weapon entails with the suit made from Kaiju No. 2, soKaiju No. 8season 2 should continue where season 1 left off andshow more weapons made from Kaiju. That would do a lot to flesh out the world and could even be an easy way of giving the rest of the cast power-ups, so it would be great for season 2 to follow that up.
The biggest plot point that needs to be addressed iswhat happens to Kafkanow that he’s been outed as Kaiju No. 8. With everyone outside of the Third Division seeingKafka as no different than a Kaiju, Kafka will need to do a lot to get everyone to believe that he can be trusted, starting with how he’ll need to get a better handle on his powers. That’s sure to give Kafka a great character arc inKaiju No. 8season 2, and with how stronglyKaiju No. 8season 1 ended, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about it.
Kaiju No. 8
Cast
Kaiju No. 8 follows Kafka Hibino, who dreams of joining The Defense Force alongside childhood friend Mina Ashiro in a world beset by Kaiju. Kafka’s path diverges as he works cleaning up post-battle, but his encounter with Reno Ichikawa reignites his vow to defend humanity. Released in 2024.
