Kaiju No. 8 (TV 2024–2025)
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Kaiju No. 8 (怪獣8号 Kaijū Hachigō) is a 2024 animated kaiju series funded by the JAKDF 3rd Division and animated by Production I.G. It is an adaptation of the Shonen Jump+ manga of the same name by Naoya Matsumoto. Season 1 ran from April 13 to June 29, 2024, simultaneously broadcast on Japanese television and distributed worldwide by Crunchyroll.[1] Season 2 began with a special episode on July 5, 2025, and officially ran from July 19 to September 27, simulcast similarly to the first season.[4] A "Final Chapter" is currently being produced.[5]
The series follows Kafka Hibino, whose dream to fight Kaiju alongside his childhood friend Mina Ashiro in the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force, but finds himself instead employed by Monster Sweeper Inc., unable to join the Defense Force. It seems his childhood dream would remain just that until one day, he accidentally consumes a strange winged creature and gains the ability to turn into a Kaiju, reigniting his chances of fighting in the Defense Force with Mina, who is now Captain of the 3rd Division. With joining the Defense Force, however, comes the challenge of harnessing these new powers as best he can to prove his worth and make his dream a reality.
Description
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In a world plagued by threatening creatures known as Kaiju, Kafka Hibino aspired to enlist in the Japan Defense Force to defeat them. |
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Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Storyboards by | Air date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Season | |||||
| Season 1 | ||||||
| 1 | 1 | "The Man Who Became a Kaiju" | Tomomi Kamiya | April 13, 2024 | ||
| Kafka Hibino has almost abandoned his dream of joining the anti-Kaiju "Defense Force." He now works in Kaiju clean-up, disposing of the bodies of slain Kaiju and thinking back with regret to the days he spent with his childhood friend Mina Ashiro, captain of Defense Force's Third Division. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju" | Takayuki Inagaki | Kazuya Nomura | April 20, 2024 | |
| After turning into a Kaiju, Kafka is forced to flee. His escape is interrupted, however, by the arrival of another Kaiju... | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Revenge Match" | Hitomi Ezoe | Kazumi Yu | April 27, 2024 | |
| Kafka arrives for one last shot at the Defense Force entry exam... but can he pass while keeping his Kaiju powers a secret? | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Fortitude 9.8" | Kazuki Yokoyama | Iwao Teraoka | May 4, 2024 | |
| An unexpected incident during the exam forces Kafka to use his powers at the risk of revealing his secret. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Joining Up!" | Koji Komurakata | Yojiro Arai | May 11, 2024 | |
| Kafka is now a member of the Defense Force, if not a full-fledged one. But Hoshina tells him he has three months to prove himself before he's fired... | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Sagamihara Neutralization Operation at Daybreak" | Tetsuji Nakamura | Kazuya Nomura | May 18, 2024 | |
| It's time for Kafka's first mission, and he witnesses the true power of the Defense Force when a Kaiju strikes a nearby city. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Kaiju No. 9" | Yoshihide Ibata | Takayuki Sano, Shigeyuki Miya |
May 25, 2024 | |
| Reno and Iharu encounter a powerful humanoid Kaiju that quickly overwhelms them. Can help arrive in time? | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Welcome to the Defense Force" | Haruo Okuno | June 1, 2024 | ||
| After transforming into a Kaiju to rescue Reno and Iharu, Kafka is found by Hoshina, who immediately attacks him. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Raid on Tachikawa Base" | Koji Komurakata, Ryota Furukawa, Claire Barbou des Courières, Hirotaka Mori |
Ryota Furukawa | June 8, 2024 | |
| Tachikawa base comes under attack from the air, as a powerful Kaiju has its sights set on the Defense Force. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Secret Revealed" | Kenta Kushitani | Susumu Nishizawa | June 15, 2024 | |
| When the Defense Force is in danger, Kafka is forced to choose between keeping his secret and saving his comrades. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Kaiju No. 8 Captured" | Ayataka Tanemura | June 22, 2024 | ||
| Kaiju No. 8 is captured, and Kafka is at the mercy of the Defense Force's most important leaders. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Kafka Hibino" | Katsuya Kikuchi | Katsuya Kikuchi, Shigeyuki Miya |
June 29, 2024 | |
| Kafka's final fate is determined as the monster within him tries to take control. | ||||||
| Season 2 | ||||||
| Special | "Hoshina's Day Off" | Shintaro Itoga | Naoki Arakawa | July 5, 2025 | ||
| A day off... a rare day of peace for the Defense Force. After spending so long training, Reno has forgotten what he's supposed to do with free time. He sees that Hoshina is up to something with his own day off, and decides to go on a mission to tail him with Iharu! But then things go in an unexpected direction... | ||||||
| 13 | 1 | "Kaiju Weapon" | Mineo Oe | Shigeyuki Miya | July 19, 2025 | |
| Kaiju No. 10's assault has done catastrophic damage to Tachikawa base, and Japan is about to enter a new age of danger. While the fate of Kafka Hibino, who was captured as "Kaiju No. 8", remains unknown, the newest members of the Third Division are sent to missions in different units. Kikoru Shinomiya is sent to the First Division, the strongest in the Defense Force, and goes to meet its captain, Gen Narumi, but...[6] | ||||||
| 14 | 2 | "The Next Generation's Trial" | Kazuma Sato | Kazuya Nomura | July 26, 2025 | |
| A massive sinkhole strikes Shinagawa and countless ant Kaiju swarm out of the hole. Kafka and Kikoru, now with the First Division, join the fight. As the rest of the officers execute Narumi's orders, Kikoru lives up to expectations by taking down one Kaiju after another. Kafka, now under Defense Force supervision, battles the Kaiju to prove his worth.[6] | ||||||
| 15 | 3 | "The Strongest Division" | Haruo Okuno | Haruo Okunu, Takahito Katayama |
August 2, 2025 | |
| Kaiju No. 9 appears for the third time, splitting in two and overwhelming the Defense Force. Kafka and Kikoru fight together to stop its first body, but its constant evolution during combat means it's all they can do to keep up. Then Kafka fails to transform into Kaiju No. 8! In a moment of terrible danger, Kikoru remembers a promise she made with her mother, Hikari Shinomiya... Meanwhile, Narumi engages in a tremendous battle with the second body of Kaiju No. 9.[6] | ||||||
| 16 | 4 | "The Man Called Isao Shinomiya" | Ryo Kodama | Naoki Arakawa | August 9, 2025 | |
| Thanks to Kikoru's words, Kafka finally transforms into Kaiju No. 8 and uses his true power to overwhelm Kaiji No. 9. With the combined might of Narumi, Kikoru, and Kafka, the First Division truly becomes the ultimate force Isao Shinomiya envisioned. But there's barely a moment to enjoy their victory as alarms ring out. "I'm taking the might of this powerful Kaiju", Kaiju No. 9 says, and disappears. Now the Defense Force is faced with its greatest peril ever![6] | ||||||
| 17 | 5 | "I Want to Be Strong" | Shinji Nagata | Kazuya Nomura | August 16, 2025 | |
| After absorbing both Isao and Numbers Weapon 2, Kaiju No. 9 gains the terrible might of Kaiju No. 2. Narumi and Kafka barely manage to corner him, but he escapes at the last second. With news of Isao's death, all of Japan is plunged into deep mourning and fear for the future. While Narumi and Kikoru's resolve to fight is renewed, Kafka is forced to face the price that comes with his power.[6] | ||||||
| 18 | 6 | "Compatible Weapon" | Naoki Matsuura | Shigeyuki Miya | August 23, 2025 | |
| Kaiju No. 10 reawakens in the custody of Third Division and makes an offer to Vice-Captain Hoshina. Meanwhile, at Ariake Maritime base, a critical conference is held. As they discuss what to do about Kaiju No. 9, their greatest threat, Hoshina makes a surprising proposal.[6] | ||||||
| 19 | 7 | "Wall" | Chen Xiaocan | Shinsaku Sasaki | August 30, 2025 | |
| Reno Ichikawa has been chosen to wield the power of Numbers Weapon 6, the most powerful and dangerous of them all. After making it through the trial period specified by the Fourth Division's commander, Jugo Ogata, he enters his first battle with his new weapon. Meanwhile, Iharu feels a mix of different emotions as he watches Reno's incredible growth...[6] | ||||||
| 20 | 8 | "Destiny" | Masateru Nomi | Naoki Arakawa | September 6, 2025 | |
| Iharu pushes and encourages Reno as the power of Kaiju No. 6 threatens to take over, then challenges the Honju to battle. As he displays incredible combat power out of nowhere, he is about to awaken to the power of a "Flash Adapter", just like Ogata. Iharu and Reno's trust in each other becomes a powerful weapon that leads them in battle. Ogata sees the two of them together and remembers a conversation he had with Hikari Shinomiya...[6] | ||||||
| 21 | 9 | "Omen" | Haruka Yoshinaga, Ryo Kodama |
Katsuya Kikuchi | September 13, 2025 | |
| Kafka learns the Defense Force close-quarters combat style from Hoshina so that he won't have to rely on the power of Kaiju No. 8 to fight. Ironically, it was Isao who created the fighting style. Kafka gets his phone back during his training and receives a message from his comrades. Meanwhile, the Defense Force's leadership is busy dealing with a rash of unsolved Kaiju incidents around Japan.[6] | ||||||
| 22 | 10 | "Cataclysms" | Yuta Mikami | Naoki Arakawa | September 20, 2025 | |
| Kaiju appear all over Tokyo at the same time! Narumi's First Division and Mina's Third Division join the fight, but Kaiju are attacking critical facilities across Japan, not just in Tokyo. The Defense Force's strongest fighters with their Numbers Weapons join the battle alongside its newest recruits to carry on Isao's legacy![6] | ||||||
| 23 | 11 | "Second Wave" | Jun Soga, Ryo Kodama, Shota Hamada |
Shigeyuki Miya | September 27, 2025 | |
| Mina's powerful strike from beyond the horizon saves the Defense Force in their battle with the supermassive Kaiju. Just as reports come in from all over Japan that the tide is turning, Mina, Narumi, and the Defense Force's most powerful members find themselves face to face with five numbered Kaiju! As things begin to turn for the worse again, Kafka, who's been told to stand by for the battle with Kaiju No. 9, must make a decision...[6] | ||||||
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Masaya Fukunishi as Kafka Hibino / Kaiju No. 8
- Wataru Kato as Reno Ichikawa
- Asami Seto as Mina Ashiro
- TARAKO as Mysterious Larva
- Fairouz Ai as Kikoru Shinomiya
- Kengo Kawanishi as Soshiro Hoshina
- Yuki Shin as Iharu Furuhashi
- Keisuke Komoto as Haruichi Izumo
- Shunsuke Takeuchi as Aoi Kaguragi
- Sayaka Senbongi as Konomi Okonogi
- Tesshō Genda as Isao Shinomiya
- Mutsumi Tamura as Tae Nakanoshima
- Shin Furukawa as Ryo Ikaruga
- Kenta Miyake as Kaiju No. 10
English dub
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Nazeeh Tarsha as Kafka Hibino / Kaiju No. 8
- Alexis Tipton as Kafka (child)
- Adam McArthur as Reno Ichikawa
- Katelyn Barr as Mina Ashiro / Mina (child)
- Abigail Blythe as Kikoru Shinomiya
- Landon McDonald as Soshiro Hoshina
- Celeste Perez as Konomi Okonogi
- Howard Wang as Haruichi Izumo
- Derick Snow as Mizoguchi[7]
- Michael Stimac as Masahide "Toku" Tokuda
- Matthew Elkins as Miike
- Mauricio Ortiz-Segura as Yoshimura
Staff
Season 1
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Shigeyuki Miya, Tomomi Kamiya
- Chief animation director Tetsuya Nishio
- Written by Ichiro Okouchi
- Based on the manga by Naoya Matsumoto
- Music by Yuta Bandoh
- Opening theme "ABYSS" by Yungblud
- Ending theme "Nobody" by OneRepublic
- Sound director Fumiyuki Go
- Director of photography Eiji Arai
- Edited by Aya Hida
- Art director Shinji Kimura
- Color designer Izumi Hirose
- 3DCG director Masaru Matsumoto
- Character designer Tetsuya Nishio
- Kaiju designer Mahiro Maeda
Season 2
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Shigeyuki Miya[4]
- Based on the manga by Naoya Matsumoto
- Music by Yuta Bandoh[4]
- Opening theme "You Can't Run From Yourself" by AURORA
- Ending theme "Beautiful Colors" by OneRepublic
- Character designer Tetsuya Nishio[4]
English dub
Season 1
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Studio Crunchyroll[7]
- Voice director Shawn Gann[7]
- Producer Susie Nixon[7]
- Adapted by Jarrod Greene[7]
- Mixer Nathanael Harrison[7]
- Engineer Jose Sandoval[7]
Season 2
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Studio Crunchyroll
- Voice director Shawn Gann[4]
- Producer Susie Nixon[4]
- Adapted by Dallas Reid, Jarrod Greene[7][4]
- Mixer Nathanael Harrison[4]
- Engineer Victor Acosta[4]
Appearances
Kaiju
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Weapons, vehicles, races, and organizations
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Development
Studios Production I.G. and Khara, inc. announced that they will animate the series and create the kaiju designs respectively on December 15, 2022.[18] It was announced on August 5, 2023 that Masaya Fukunishi was cast as Kafka Hibino/Kaiju No. 8,[19] Wataru Kato as Reno Ichikawa,[20] and Asami Seto as Mina Ashiro.[21] Fairouz Ai and Kengo Kawanishi were announced to voice Kikoru Shinomiya and Soshiro Hoshina respectively in the series on December 16.[22] On December 22, Yuki Shin was announced to be the voice of Iharu Furuhashi,[23] Keisuke Komoto the voice of Haruichi Izumo,[23] and Shunsuke Takeuchi as the voice of Aoi Kaguragi.[23] On February 29, 2024, Sayaka Senbongi was announced to be cast as Konomi Okonogi.[24]
Marketing
A teaser for the anime was uploaded to TOHO animation's YouTube channel on August 4, 2022,[25] with an official trailer following on December 15.[18]
From March 19 to 24, 2023, the character designs for Kaiju No. 8,[26] Kafka Hibino,[27] Mina Ashiro,[28] Reno Ichikawa,[29] Kikoru Shinomiya,[30] and Soshiro Hoshina[31] were revealed. The second teaser trailer for the series was released on August 5, along with two new character visuals three days later, of that same year.[32] On December 16, the main trailer for the series was released online, along with new character design visuals for Kikoru Shinomiya and Soshiro Hoshina.[22] Character designs for Iharu Furuhashi, Haruichi Izumo, and Aoi Kaguragi were unveiled on December 22.[23]
On February 29, 2024, the second main trailer for Kaiju No. 8 was released alongside the design for Konomi Okonogi.[33][24] On June 29, a second season was confirmed to be in production alongside a teaser.[34] On December 22 of that year, a teaser visual for Season 2 was released online, establishing a release in July 2025.[35]
On March 21, 2025, the first teaser trailer for season 2 was released.[36] On June 1, a key visual was revealed online, along with a release set for July 19.[37] On June 18, the first main trailer for Season 2 was released,[38] while the second was released on July 10.[39] An illustration by Mahiro Maeda was released online on July 7 for a collaboration between Godzilla and Kaiju No. 8,[40] which began on November 3, providing a line of merchandise―including some featuring Maeda's art on them―for sale on the TOHO animation store website.[41] On December 20, the "Final Chapter" was revealed to be in production along with an original short anime titled Narumi's Weekday.[5]
Theatrical releases
On March 28, 2025, a compilation of Season 1 was given a limited three-week theatrical release as a double feature alongside the special episode "Hoshina's Day Off".[42]
Gallery
- Main article: Kaiju No. 8 (series)/Gallery.
Videos
- Main article: Kaiju No. 8 (series)/Videos.
Trivia
- The symbol used for the Kaiju traffic light bears a striking resemblance to the one used for the Kaiju in the Pacific Rim franchise.
External links
References
This is a list of references for Kaiju No. 8 (series). These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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