Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 3) – Welcome to the Defense Force
As Kaiju No.8, Kafka fought back the other kaiju that transformed from a human form. He would have killed it had the Defense Force not found them. Then, as he tried to escape, he ran into Hoshina!
Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 3) – Welcome to the Defense Force
What happened?
The kaiju that attacked Kikoru in the training exercise reappeared having taken on a human form. It hurt Iharu and Reno, forcing Kafka to transform into Kaiju No. 8 and fight back. The other kaiju, now known as Kaiju No. 9 thought it would be an easy victory but hadn’t counted on Kafka’s kaiju form being insanely strong. Within a couple of blows, he had exposed its core and was about to land the final blow. However, more Defense Force Officers arrived and got in the way. Kafka had to protect them allowing Kaiju No. 9 to escape.
Kafka ran off and searched for somewhere quiet to change back, however, he ran into Hoshina who was excited to let loose. He claimed his skills made him perfect for fighting small and medium-sized kaiju and he wasn’t lying. He cut off one of Kafka’s hands and then almost cut through to his core. However, Kafka stopped his sword and then broke it in two. He managed to escape leaving Hoshina deflated and curious about its fighting style. It felt more human than kaiju…
Word got back to headquarters that Kaiju No. 9 had been in human form which gave them something to track, however, they couldn’t release the information for fear of causing panic and riots. They didn’t have much time to worry about that as ten wyvern-type kaiju attacked. Kafka was surprised as wyvern-types only ever attack as individuals. Something far more dangerous must be behind it. Hoshina came face to face with that thing, but would he be strong enough to stop it?
What did you think?
It was a good volume but I’m not sure it’s continued to develop the story in the same way the previous volumes did. I liked that Kafka was promoted after the information he was able to give in the last fight and he’s already shown that he has a far better understanding of kaiju than most. His fight with Hoshina was interesting, but Kafka’s main appeal is when he’s on the offence as he’s insanely powerful, so seeing him trying to dodge and block Hoshina’s attacks wasn’t as exciting. It just didn’t have the same intensity.
Kikoru getting a giant axe to use was perfect and I’m looking forward to seeing her throw that thing around in the future. It was also nice that Mina acknowledged the promise they made when they were younger. When I think about it, there were a lot of little things going on in this volume and that kind of slowed things down. It felt like an in-between moment and given the way it started and ended, that makes perfect sense.
Hopefully, the next volume will be focused on dealing with the new threat and maybe Hoshina will find out about Kaiju No. 8 when Kafka no doubt is forced to change to save him. This is still a good story with some amazing art and intense action. It just wasn’t as captivating as the first two volumes. There’s plenty of time for it to come back strong so I’m not worried.
Volume highlights
Series Information
| English Title | Kaiju No. 8 |
| Japanese Title | Kaijuu 8-gou |
| Genres | Action, Adult Cast, Military, Monsters, Science Fiction |
| Demographic | Shounen |
Manga
| Author | Naoya Matsumoto |
| Artist | Naoya Matsumoto |
| Volumes | Ongoing |
| 1 | I Found You |
| 2 | Fight by Her Side |
| 3 | Welcome to the Defense Force |
| 4 | Looks Like This Game is a Draw |
| 5 | I Expect Results! |
| 6 | An Incredible Next Generation! |
| 7 | The Start of the Kaiju Era! |
| 8 | I’ll Teach Ya How to Fight! |
| 9 | Harbingers of the Cataclysm! |
| 10 | The Second Wave! |
| 11 | I Don’t Want to Die… |
Anime
| Season | Season One |
| Released | Spring 2024 |
| Animation Studios | Production I.G |
| Episodes | 12 |
