Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 8) – I’ll Teach Ya How to Fight!

It’s been one month since Reno first tried to use Weapon No. 6 and he’s been training hard. So hard, in fact, that he’s ready to give it a full test. After this, they’ll know for sure whether he can use it or not!
Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 8) – I’ll Teach Ya How to Fight!
What happened?
Reno Ichikawa and his platoon are going to neutralise a mole-type kaiju with a fortitude level of 6.4. It’ll be Reno’s first full combat session with Weapon No. 6. Captain of the Fourth Division, Juugo Ogata never expected Reno to get this far. In truth, he kind of hoped that he would fail to use it since Weapon No. 6 would put so much pressure on him that his life would be shortened as a result. Still, he was surprised to see that Reno made it in just one month. Now, it was time to see what he could do with it. Iharu Furuhashi was with Reno and was keen to see his friend kick ass, even if it meant leaving him behind.
The fight started well with Reno using the freezing abilities of Weapon No.6 to pin the kaiju down, however, there were moments when he lost control and the suit was already starting to damage his body. Then, it looked like the trial was over when Reno trapped himself in a case of ice. Ogata was about to call the whole thing off when Furuhashi raced to Reno’s aid, asking for more time. He managed to snap Reno out and carried him to a safe point where he could snipe the kaiju. All Furuhashi had to do was keep it busy and create an opening. As Ogata watched the battle, he noticed that Furuhashi’s combat potential was varying wildly between attack and defence. Surprisingly, that is how Ogata’s power works. If he can train Furuhashi to use it then the pair of them would be monsters. Meanwhile, Reno killed the kaiju with one shot, proving that he was ready to use Weapon No. 6.
When Kafka heard that Reno was going to be assigned to Weapon No. 6, he didn’t like it one bit. The thought of Reno putting himself through so much scared him. However, Kikoru reminded him that they were all soldiers and all able to make their own decisions. He had to have more faith in his team. That’s all good and well, but he was feeling like he hadn’t progressed much himself. Without Kaiju No. 8 he was nothing. That was when he ran into Hoshina who attacked him with a rubber knife and then thanked him for saving the team, especially considering what it cost him. Then, he offered to train Kafka to fight so that when the time came, he would be able to stand alongside Mina!



What did you think?
Most of this volume was the battle against the mole-type kaiju where we got to see Reno using Weapon No. 6 and Furuhashi showing that he has more potential than he thought. It just doesn’t show up all the time at the moment. I like that he’s got something to work on because he’s had to watch Reno come from nowhere and leave everyone behind, but rather than getting bitter and resenting him, he’s become his biggest supporter. In a sense, this was almost a training montage, although rather than seeing the training, we skipped to the reveal of how that training went. I quite liked it this way as much as I enjoy a good montage.
It was also nice to see Kafka get to talk to Hoshina again. I’ve always loved their interactions and was pleased to see them fall straight back into their routine. There was an interesting moment when Kafka appeared to see the spirit of a kaiju hunter from centuries ago. I wonder what that means. Anyhow, everything is clearly building towards the time when Kaiju No. 9 returns with his army of daikaiju. I can’t wait. It’s going to be epic. There were some other things that I picked up on in this volume. It would appear that the kaiju are limited to Japan as people are fleeing the country and this is an alternate timeline to our own as people have been fighting kaiju since the Edo period (1603 to 1868).

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 | Chapters |
1 | I Found You | 1-7 |
2 | Fight by Her Side | 8-17 |
3 | Welcome to the Defense Force | 18-26 |
4 | Looks Like This Game is a Draw | 27-35 |
5 | I Expect Results! | 36-43 |
6 | An Incredible Next Generation! | 44-51 |
7 | The Start of the Kaiju Era! | 52-59 |
8 | I’ll Teach Ya How to Fight! | 60-66 |
9 | Harbingers of the Cataclysm! | 67-73 |
10 | The Second Wave! | 74-81 |
11 | I Don’t Want to Die… | 82-89 |
Anime
Season | Season One |
Released | Spring 2024 |
Animation Studios | Production I.G |
Episodes | 12 |
