Summary
The first season ofKaiju No. 8has come and gone, leaving a substantial impact on the anime community. The action-packed season ofKaiju No. 8told the story of Kakfa Hibino and his ambitions to become a Defense Force Officer, joining the side of his childhood friend, Mina Ashiro. Despite failing to meet his potential, the Defense Force opening up its age limit was the opening of the final door for Kafka to make his dreams come true. His shortcomings aside, Kafka’s willpower and determination were second to none, landing a role as a Cadet and earning the chance to prove himself to the top-ranking officers.
By the end of season one, Kafka showcased his strengths from his experience as part of theKaiju Cleaning Company, identifying weak spots of several kaiju and aiding the officers in taking them down. Kafka’s unwillingness to give up earned the respect and acknowledgment needed to rank up from Cadet to Officer, joining the Defense Force’s Third Division. Unfortunately,Kaiju No. 8leaves many unanswered questions at the conclusion of the first season, making season two something to look forward to. Whether it’s a lack of character development or leaving loose ends untied, here are some of the biggest question marks leading into season two.
What Power Does The Parasite Have?
Is The Parasite Inside Kafka Hibino A Kaiju?
Towards the end of Episode 1, appropriately titled “The Man Who Became a Kaiju”,Kafka and his newfound friend, Ichikawa, are recovering after an unexpected clash with a Yoju left them battered and injured. As part of the Kaiju Cleaning Company, both Kafka and Ichikawa were on duty, cleaning up the town affected by an attack. A sudden Yoju’s appearance forced their hand to face a demon far superior to their own strength, leading to Kafka shouting at Ichikawa to run and send off an alert. Due to the limitations to his own strength, Kafka is easily dominated and near the end of his life before a returning Ichikawa saves his life.
Shortly after, Mina and the Defense Force arrive to take down the Yoju with ease and scout the area for any potential threat. Where the episode takes a turn is towards the end, when Kafka is in the middle of thanking Ichikawa before something out of the ordinary occurs. A parasitic entity is hovering over the head of Kafka, stating that he has found what he is looking for before forcing his way into Kafka’s mouth. Upon swallowing the entity, Kafka transforms into a Kaiju, much to the shock of Ichikawa. Where the question remains unanswered in this situation is what exactly this parasitic creature is.
Since it speaks, is it a Kaiju itself? It has the power to turn a human into a Kaiju, so it’s possible that it harbors the power of one itself but lacks the ability to unleash it. Or is it something entirely different, perhapsan unknown Kaiju classthat the Defense Force hasn’t recognized yet? Whatever the answer may be, it could unlock the truth behind the other humanoid Kaijus' arrival on Earth.
Why Was Kafka Hibino Chosen?
The Parasite May Have A Motive
A major trope in many anime series is the unexpected, weak protagonist turning into one of the strongest characters in the series, andKaiju No. 8doesn’t escape this. Kafka Hibino is an unremarkable character that continues to fail tojoin the Defense Forcedespite his many efforts, struggling through the first round of tests before coming up short at the next stage. Even with the power of the Kaiju in his system, Kafka just scrapes by to join the Defense Force as a cadet on his final attempt, where it is also revealed that he has 0% combat power after putting on the combat suit — a first in the history of the Defense Force.
Surely the parasite hovering over Kafka could have selected a more suitable host, considering Ichikawa was a mere two feet away from Kafka. Instead, the parasite clearly has his focus set on Kafka as the target and doesn’t hesitate to enter his orifice. Could this decision be based on Kafka’s weak physical state and the potential of taking over the host without much trouble?Kaiju No. 8does a good job avoiding this question throughout season one, but the answer should be visited at some point in the second season to offer its audience some clarity. If Kafka grows stronger, with the help of the parasite’s power, will the parasite deem it too dangerous to remain inside its host?
Why is Kikoru Shinomiya So Powerful Early On?
Here Combat Power Level Needs Explaining
By the end of Episode 2, “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju”, Kafka, Ichikawa, and the audience are introduced to a new character,Kikoru Shinomiya. A young girl by appearance, she quickly demonstrates how powerful she is by revealing a combat suit underneath her coat and using it to lift a van off the ground and toss it like a sack of potatoes. It’s made clear early on that she is a remarkable candidate to not only join the Defense Force, but represent the class as its top student with the potential of a captain. WhereKaiju No. 8struggles with Kikoru’s character is the developmental side of her personality.
The audience is briefly introduced to a backstory involving her upbringing as a child and the expectations brought down on her by her father, General Shinomiya. It’s quickly learned that she is expected to grow as powerful as possible to save the world and prevent something deplorable from occurring. Her mother is brought up as a victim that serves as the motivation for her father’s ambitions, but not much else comes from this. It’s very apparent why Kikoru would want to grow stronger, and her desire to do so grows following the events between Kafka and her father during the final episodes of season one.
What isn’t clear is how Kikoru grew so strong in a short amount of time. Kikoru is merely a teenager, yet is capable of drawing out46% combat powerfrom the suit the first time she places it on. This staggering accomplishment catches the captain and vice captain of the Defense Force off guard, as the combat power for a rookie is higher than anything they’ve ever seen. Is it possible that there is more to her power, and if there are others that can draw out the same levels?
Where Did Humanoid Kaijus Come From?
Their Plans For World Domination Are Still Unclear
In Episode 4, “Fortitude 9.8”, Kikoru is faced with a humanoid Kaiju that possesses the power to revive the fallen Yoju and Hanju in the training area. Not only is it capable of revival and can take down any opposition in its path with the flick of its fingers, this humanoid Kaiju can talk. This shouldn’t come to a surprise to the audience afterKafka’s transformation into a Kaijukept his ability to communicate in human language and keep his emotions and reactions. Yet, the discovery of another humanoid Kaiju leaves the door open to exploring how many of them remain on Earth, or if there are more in the universe.
It’s unexplained where they came from or how many there are, but two have shown up in season one thus far. By the end of season one, the humanoid Kaiju that Kikoru discovered exclaims thathe wishes to retrieve the Kaiju powerfrom Kafka, declaring that the power has fallen into the wrong hands. This may also mean that the parasite could have confused Kafka for its actual target, or perhaps went rogue to rebel against the other humanoid Kaiju. This is the only clear motivation of the humanoid Kaiju on Earth, but do they have bigger ambitions, such as global domination?
How Does Kafka Hibino Have 0% Combat Power?
The Impact On His Ambitions To Join Mina’s Side
During their training under the Defense Force,Kafka puts on his combat suitto discover he has 0% combat power. This revelation makes vice captain Soshiro Hoshina burst out into laughter, as this has never happened in the history of the Defense Force. Kafka even takes it one step further by attempting to force out even a fraction of a percent of the suit’s power before he is scolded for looking like he is constipated. What doesn’t make sense in this situation is why Kafka is the first and only character to be unable to draw out any combat power from the suit, while others are capable of higher limits.
The Defense Force combat suits are supposedly meant to bring out an individual’s power and make it easier to carry heavy objects, such as other humans or their own weapons, and allow them to leap higher and run faster. Yet, in Kafka’s case, he is dealt a handicap unlike anyone else, forcing him to rely on his own physical strength to keep up with the other hopefuls looking to join the Defense Force. Since this isn’t the first time Kafka has failed in the second stage of the Defense Force trials, one would have to imagine he has tried on a combat suit at least once before.
Eventually, Kafka does squeeze out some combat power from the suit, albeit it remains at a remarkably low percentage. Due to his Kaiju powers, this storyline is never fully explored or explained to the audience, leaving it ambiguous and up to interpretation. Is his inability to bring out combat power from the suit strictly due to his age and lack of strength, or is there something else hanging in the balance? The audience has seen Kafka briefly outrun a Yoju, which should bring out some semblance of power, which leaves this unanswered question a topic to re-visit during season two.
Kaiju No. 8
Production I.G’s Kaiju No. 8 is a Spring 2024 anime based on Naoya Matsumoto’s Shonen Jump+ manga. Set in an alternate version of Japan, the story follows the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force as they try to protect the nation from monster attacks.
