Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 6) – An Incredible Next Generation!
Kafka has been given a chance to prove his worth, but he’s finding it impossible to transform, which is really bad news as they are facing Kaiju No. 9 and he’s determined to regain some of the lost Kaiju power!
Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 6) – An Incredible Next Generation!
What happened?
Kikoru raced in to help Kafka who was unable to transform into Kaiju No. 8. He’d tried several times, but it just wouldn’t work. Kikoru decided that maybe Kaiju No. 9 had done something and if she could disrupt things for a moment, he might be able to transform, and as much as she hated to admit it, she needed his help to neutralize this one. She charged in with her axe, cleaving chunks of kaiju away, however, it seemed to be one step ahead of things. The threat she posed was enough for it to try to recall the other version of Kaiju No. 9 to increase its strength. Unfortunately, the other part was busy dealing with Gen Narumi and it wasn’t having any more luck.
It looked like Kikoru was about to land a decisive blow until it made the ant that she was standing on explode. That gave her nowhere to stand, allowing it to slip away. Kafka, however, was able to transform his leg and sweep out the kaiju ant’s legs. That put it directly into Kikoru’s range. She struck hard, slicing Kaiju No. 9’s head in two. Kafka tried to transform, but he failed once more. It had to be something else. Then, Kafka realised that he was afraid that he might lose it again and if that happened he might kill everyone he loved. Kikoru made that assumption too and told him to have more faith in his team.
That seemed to be enough, allowing him to change into Kaiju No. 8 and once he had, he destroyed Kaiju No. 9. At the same time, Gen destroyed his version, however, he couldn’t help but feel like they had missed something. They had. Both versions of Kaiju No. 9 were copies. The real one had tracked down Isao Shinomiya who had been observing the battle. It wanted Isao and the Kaiju Weapon No. 2. However, Director Shinomiya wasn’t about to hand it over willingly. He put it on and unleashed his suit’s full potential. He had to give everything he had just to stop Kaiju No. 9, but the cost to his body would be dire. However, he accepted that the next generation was ready and not just that, they were incredible.
What did you think?
Well, I guessed that it was a psychological issue that was stopping Kafka from transforming, but I missed out on the cause of that issue. Being afraid that he would lose it and hurt everyone around him makes perfect sense. He only just regained control in time to stop himself from killing the Director who is incredibly powerful, so it is believable that he would worry about hurting the others. He did get over it rather suddenly, but trusting his team has been a pretty consistent message from the beginning. As much as this is called Kaiju No. 8, the series really is about the team. Everyone has grown on me and I’m sure that I’m not the only one.
Also, we got to see a little more of Kikoru’s past with her mother being a captain and quite incredible. As much as I don’t want to see how she died, she made such an impact in just a couple of chapters that I would absolutely read a prequel story following her and Isao. The series just keeps on giving. I need to work out how Naoya Matsumoto has made his characters so endearing. It’s funny because he’s taken certain archetypes that I recognise from other stories but these are the ones I like more. Iharu Furuhashi is a great example. He’s basically the same character as Katsuki Bakugou from MHA but likeable. Anyhow, this is a lot of fun although I’m a little concerned about how Isao is going to handle things in the next volume. Hopefully, he just retires from actively fighting kaiju.
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 |
Nice post 🌹🌹
Many thanks
Oo, this is definitely passed where the first season of the anime stopped, but it looks awesome! I can’t wait to see the anime adaptation get there. I’m tempted to read the manga too, but I’m worried it would spoil the anime for me so I think I’ll just wait. Wow, the artwork looks great in the manga version! Yay, I’m so glad to see Kafka and Kikoru work together. They certainly had a rough start, but Kafka is such a genuine nice guy, I’m not surprised they’ve become friends.
I just finished reading volume 8 and things are going to get crazy. Apparently, the second season should air sometime in 2025 so it might not be that long. And yeah, Kafka is the ultimate nice guy who seems to rally everyone around him. I loved the moment he first met Kikoru though. That was hilarious.