Kaiju No. 8, a Japanese manga series by Naoya Matsumoto, is set to release its second season in 2025. The series, based on the manga, follows Kafka Hibino, who gains the ability to turn into a kaiju after ingesting a parasitic creature. The story is influenced by Japanese tokusatsu media, particularly Ultraman, and Matsumoto’s struggles in the manga industry.
The anime television series adaptation, produced by Production I.G, aired from April to June 2024, with a second season set to premiere in July 2025. The series has spawned a light novel, two spin-off manga series, and an upcoming video game. By September 2024, the manga had over 16 million copies in circulation. The series won the Next Manga Award in 2021 and was nominated for the Eisner Award in 2022. Let’s now discuss more about Kaiju No. 8 anime and its season 2 release date.
Table of Contents
Kaiju No.8 Season 1 Overview
Kaiju No. 8 is set in a world where monsters called kaiju cause disasters. Japan has the highest rate of kaiju attacks, and to combat them, the Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defense Force is established. Kaiju are assigned a “fortitude level” and are classified as honju, yoju, or daikaiju. Officers wear powered suits made from kaiju remains, which grant them increased strength, speed, and durability. Daikaiju remains are used to create stronger weapons named Numbers, which are much stronger than regular suits and provide special abilities.
The Defense Force consists of field officers led by platoon leaders, captains and vice-captains whose combat power exceeds 90%, and a team of operators who provide information on kaiju and monitor their health and suit output. Kafka Hibino and Mina Ashiro vow to become members of the JAKDF to fight kaiju together. Kafka and Reno pass the exam and join the 3rd Division, along with Kikoru Shinomiya, a kaiju-slaying prodigy who Kafka saved during a test from a humanoid kaiju named Kaiju No. 9.
Kafka and Kikoru join the 1st Division led by captain Gen Narumi, where they fight No. 9, who escapes and prepares for an invasion of Japan. They defeat two versions of No. 9 and absorb Isao and his Numbers 2 weapon, a powered suit of armor created from the remains of Kaiju No. 2. No
Several months later, No. 9 begins its invasion of Japan, sending kaiju Nos. 11-15 to attack Gen, Soshiro, Kafka, Mina, and Kikoru. After some struggle, Gen, Soshiro, Kafka, and Kikoru defeat their opponents, with Mina being the last one to defeat hers. However, No. 9 uses the corpse of Kaiju No. 14 as a portal to close the distance between itself and Mina, revealing its plan to kill and absorb Mina to gain her destructive ability.
Characters
In the series, Kafka Hibino, Reno Ichikawa, Kikoru Shinomiya, Gen Narumi, Riin Shinonome, Jura Igarashi, Mina Ashiro, Soshiro Hoshina, Iharu Furuhashi, and Haruichi Izumo are all characters who join the Defense Force to fight against kaiju. Kafka Hibino is a 32-year-old man who dreams of joining the Defense Force alongside his childhood friend Mina Ashiro. After failing past attempts to join the Defense Force, he works in a kaiju disposal company as a cleaner. He gains the ability to turn into a kaiju after a parasitic creature enters his body through his mouth.
Reno Ichikawa is an 18-year-old man who starts working with Kafka and helps him hide the secret of his kaiju form. Reno becomes one of the Defense Force’s strongest assets and joins the Fourth Division after the destruction of the Third Division’s base. He is compatible with the Numbers 6 weapon made from the remains of Kaiju No. 6, which has a fortitude level of 9.6 and devastated the Defense Force prior to the events of the series.
Kikoru Shinomiya is a young woman who joins the Third division together with Kafka and Reno. She is a kaiju-slaying prodigy with the highest recorded unleashed combat power as a recruit. Her father, Isao, is the Director General of the Defense Force and Kikoru’s mother, Hikari, who died in the line of duty while fighting off a kaiju invasion led by Kaiju No. 6.
Gen Narumi is the captain of the First Division and uses the Numbers 1 weapon made from the remains of Kaiju No. 1. His personal weapon is a large rifle with a bayonet. Rin Shinonome is a platoon leader in the First Division who highly respects Gen and uses a minigun as her weapon of choice.
Jura Igarashi is the Captain of the Second Division and is also Hakua Igarashi’s older sister. Mina Ashiro is the 27-year-old captain of the Third Division and is one of the strongest officers in the Defense Force. Soshiro Hoshina is the vice-captain of the Third Division and is skilled in using firearms. Iharu Furuhashi is a new recruit who joins the Third Division together with Kafka, Reno, and Kikoru. They become part of the same platoon and develop a rivalry over the course of their training.
In summary, the series follows the adventures of Kafka Hibino, Reno Ichikawa, Kikoru Shinomiya, Gen Narumi, Riin Shinonome, Soshiro Hoshina, Iharu Furuhashi, Haruichi Izumo, and others in the Defense Force.
Kaiju No.8 Season 2 Release Date
Kaiju No. 8 has been officially renewed for season two, with the new episodes set to be released in 2025. The renewal announcement was revealed in a teaser trailer during Kaiju Day 2024, which showed various monster attacks and the announcement of the new season. The official website of Kaiju No. 8 anime announced that the new season will be available to stream on the Crunchyroll platform.
Season one aired from April 13 to June 29, 2024, and was produced by Production I.G, with Studio Khara supervising the kaiju designs and artworks. The series was directed by Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya, with scripts by Ichiro Okouchi, character designs and chief animation direction by Tetsuya Nishio, art direction by Shinji Kimura, and monster designs by Mahiro Maeda.
Crunchyroll licensed the series for streaming in more than 200 countries and territories, including India. Production I.G producer Masashi Ohira brought Tetsuya Nishio onto the project as character designer and chief animation director, who provided designs for human characters and humanoid kaiju that are present in the story. Shinji Kimura was approached as art director due to her ability to create a sense of realism in the setting.
Kaiju No. 8’s release window was confirmed at the end of a teaser trailer that dropped for Kaiju Day 2024, in early August. At this point, there is no firmer date or time of year, so fans can check back for news and updates.
Official Release video is given below:
Final Thoughts
Kaiju No. 8, a Japanese manga series by Naoya Matsumoto, is set to release its second season in 2025. The anime adaptation, produced by Production I.G, aired from April to June 2024, with a second season set to premiere in July 2025. The series follows Kafka Hibino, who gains the ability to turn into a kaiju after ingesting a parasitic creature.
The series is influenced by Japanese tokusatsu media and Matsumoto’s struggles in the manga industry. The anime has spawned a light novel, two spin-off manga series, and an upcoming video game. The series won the Next Manga Award in 2021 and was nominated for the Eisner Award in 2022. The anime will be available to stream on Crunchyroll in more than 200 countries and territories, including India. The anime utilizes a mix of hand-drawn and 3D animation.
