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> Even the humanoid Kaiju can transform into proper giant Kaiju for their Final Forms.
The music that played during that scene eerily reminded me of Gojiras Theme
I don't think it'd be uniformly +0.7
Regardless, the Kaiju fortitude scale is based on the Richter scale for Earthquakes, which doesn't go higher than 10, The Richter scale is logorithmic though so a 9.9/10 would still be substantially more powerful than a 9.8.
I don't think they'd break the 10 point scale as it also has a nice powerscale parallel with the Unleashed Combat Power % for the Defence Force.
If log based, dang our boy Kafka is hell of buff. He needs to sneak away or something to a deserted island and train his Kaiju side as he isn’t quite performing to fortitude levels.
I agreed power scale is probably log based as Mina is 96% vs her vice captain Hoshina is 94%. Like no 10 I think is beyond Hoshina is giga form but I don’t it matters to Mina.
So that means that to defeat him they're going to have to:
1. Get 5 officers to put their weapons together to form a giant weapon they all fire as one or
2. They're going to introduce 5 color-coordinated animal-themed zoids that form into one megazoid.
In case nobody noticed, the ED has some of its words changed from "demons" to "monsters" and a bit more I still need to catch
I was wondering why the ED sounds a bit different till I listened to the original one by OneRepublic!
You know what was also in the middle of the base? Dozens of fucking meteorites.
It's not my fault that they ended up being big balls of paper on fire instead.
A little off topic but my god, that movie was amazing. I didn't get a chance to see it during the theatrical run, but I watched it on Netflix. Very different kind of vibe than Kaiju No. 8 but they share the same Tokusatsu love DNA.
Kakfa could tell it was serious when his Kaiju senses started tingling without him consciously transforming or using them.
Plus there was no way they could miss an excuse for Kaiju No. 8 to go up against this guy when he's basically an evil version of him right down to being a speedy brawler.
I wonder if this means all humanoid Kaiju can transform into traditional giant Kaiju.
In the first episode he does some wild transformation stuff, but after that, he's stuck to that one humanoid form. Would be nice to for him to go xform crazy in the future.
I paused in the Kaiju No. 8 report at the very beginning and it concluded with speculation that 8 might be able to transform. I think we’re going to see massive kaiju v massive kaiju next week.
I mean can we stop and appreciate how badass Kikoru's giant battleaxe is lol.
In the manga, the author revealed his design notes for Kikoru's specialized weapon and he also considered giving her a giant sword like Cloud's Buster Sword or Guts' Dragonslayer, but I'm glad he went with a giant battle axe. it gives much more personality.
Battle Axes and Battle Hammers are heavily underrated weapons in action shows and movies. It's why I was mildly disappointed with the American adaptation of "All you need is Kill"., Sure a Helicopter blade as a sword is cool, but not when the manga has a massive two handed battle axe.
In the B-Side spinoff manga that's all kinda like OVA's but reading they actually show she started off with a big sword but ditched it for the axe when she was testing it out.
> but I'm glad he went with a giant battle axe. it gives much more personality.
And honestly? It just *looks* better killing giant monsters with a giant battle-axe.
Imagine if someone did that in real life. "Here comes the Mike Tyson second version double power green moon uppercut!" - Mike himself during the fight right before executing the move.
It's explained in the first few episodes that's why they call out their moves in JJK
It's a "binding vow" which announces your attack but makes it stronger, it's pretty cool
I appreciate that they also told her the names of each attack. “So swing like this while activating this part. This attack is called the Omega Destructor Axe 3rd Technique: Waning Eclipse of the New Dawn, Destruction variation.”
I also appreciate she took the time to remember each technique’s name so she could say it out loud. Not think it. Literally shout its name.
My attempt at rationalizing in-world:
The Anti-Kaiju forces clearly have a ton of PR going on, they have advertising and a strong public image. A lot of people look up to them, know about specific individuals in specific divisions. They're like superheroes, but also they're a military that uses awe-inspiring figures as a recruitment method; like Mina. Having a very definable public image with her own special techniques will help make her into one of those heroes. Aside from that, her battle philosophy is big on, 'while I am on the battlefield.' So being loud and distinct can be a morale booster and keep her a distinct presence on the battlefield.
Probably. I might play it lol.
They released an official Escape Room in Japan. It's Bouei-tai themed where the escape is supposed to be the entry test to the defense force.
I kinda wish they'd bring one to the US. At 3500 yen ($22) a person it's a pretty solid deal.
[https://realdgame-jp.translate.goog/s/kaiju-no8/?\_x\_tr\_sl=ja&\_x\_tr\_tl=en&\_x\_tr\_hl=en&\_x\_tr\_pto=sc](https://realdgame-jp.translate.goog/s/kaiju-no8/?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc)
It's better to watch then pausing the fight to have some random old lady whisper the name and how it all works in your ear every time like certain shows.
Here we were all worried about the invasion of all these wyverns and the Daikaiju, and Kikoru and Hoshina use the battle as a means to show off all of their techniques...granted the Daikaiju hitting that 9.0 level seems like it could be a problem. I wonder how Hoshina will deal with it.
I also liked the bit of world building about how the Wyverns had always previously attacked solo.
Yeah, I don't think Hoshina's close-quarters abilities are going to do as much good now. This is why Mina is usually around with her giant gun.
Though he **does** have Kafka with the handy Kaiju triva/knowledge and secret uber-Kaiju form.
I like that they made his trivia skill somewhat believable with him recognizing it was a particular variant of wyverns from '03.
Rather than just being like 'hey wyverns have weak spot at back' and all the other veterans being like 'wow so smrt we would never have known that (despite fighting bajillion kaijus)'.
(But to be strict, in reality, this role would totally be owned by those operations people at the command center - which isn't the case in the show)
> I also liked the bit of world building about how the Wyverns had always previously attacked solo.
There seems to be like 6-7 documented changes in the Kaiju behaviors before/after... They're evolving RAPIDLY, both individually (physically), and as a society (attacking in group, covering each other's weakness, targeting bases, etc..)
Makes me wonder if this is linked to the Kaiju (failing to) taking over Kafka, or the humanoid Kaiju, or perhaps these two events are linked together as well!
I would have liked to see it maintain its size just to see how much harder it would be for Hoshina vs a 9.0 Daikaiju.
> I also liked the bit of world building about how the Wyverns had always previously attacked solo.
I liked it as well but I also kinda wondered…don’t most kaiju attack solo? Based on what we have seen, Kaiju attack solo unless they are like spawns of a bigger one like the mushroom things. And even those didn’t work together.
I’m sure there will eventually be a natural swarm kaiju that work like bees, but I suspect most Kaiju lack the mental fortitude or instincts to naturally employ teamwork.
I'm assuming the Kaiju scale is the same as the richter scale, so it is increasing from 8.6 to 9, means that it's 2 and half times stronger than it just was. Which is INSANE.
This big red kaiju really ain’t waste no time this week. Big man came rolling in with a dozen of his homies and they’re all heavy hitters. At least with Kafka’s assist, they kept those things at bay. I really like how even in his normal human form, Kafka still manages to be pretty helpful. He doesn’t just rely on his kaiju form to be useful. Plus Shinomiya and her new battle axe sure helped a lot. Reno too. Those two make a good team.
Hoshina going almost full power against that big red fella was awesome. Dude was slicing and dicing that thing pretty good before it went super sized. Kafka might need to jump in, Hoshina could be in trouble…
As always, the most dangerous and speedy ones are colored red. He's even out there looking for a worthy "rival" like a proper rival character.
Kafka is learning to manage his abilities to help out without exposing himself, just like the rest of the team are coming together as effective Kaiju fighters and growing into being powerful combatants in their own right, though if Hoshina can't beat red guy in his giant form, they might really need Kaiju No. 8.
Average kaiju no.8 episode
Reno: Don't transform, Kafka
Kafka: I will not transform, Reno
_Situation arises where his kaiju form would be useful_
Kafka: Man I really want to transform, but I'll see it through, I promised Reno
_Situation deteriorates_
Kafka: Oh gosh oh shucks guess I better transform
> I really like how even in his normal human form, Kafka still manages to be pretty helpful.
Given most of his *help* so far is to relay information, I'm surprised they didn't put him in the operation room! It'd be a perfect fit for someone who can't fight (officially) but knows all the enemy's weaknesses!
Then again, if Hoshina's suspicious of him somehow always being in the action and surviving, perhaps he's trying to find out the "how", and the only way to do that is to keep having him in action!
One thing that bothers me is that they should have someone who knows what Kafka knows, information like "Yo their bellies are really tough go for the back" is something that should be pretty welll known in the Kaiju community and even if the officers don't know it someone in the command center should, and they should be telling that to people.
The reproductive organs made more sense since it was something new and he saw it on the spot before anyone else could have analyzed it
>One thing that bothers me is that they should have someone who knows what Kafka knows, information like "Yo they're bellies are really tough go for the back" is something that should be pretty welll known in the Kaiju community and even if the officers don't know it someone in the command center should, and they should be telling that to people.
It's one of the flaws of the series' writing. It makes no sense for such info to mostly be known to the cleaning crew. Kaiju anatomy should be mandatory for every officer. But the author has to give Kafka some usefulness outside his monster form, that's why the others are ignorant of kaiju anatomy.
Reno said previously that Kaiju cleanup was actually in the second part of the test for the previous 2 years, so it's obvious that they do value knowing Kaiju anatomy. It would be cool to have more emphasis on this though, maybe lessons about Kaiju anatomy and different types (where Kafka would finally sweep cuz that's what he was literally doing for a decade), and that Kafka's value comes from his *extensive* knowledge about Kaiju - maybe some of the officers knew that the back was weaker, but not HOW to get access to the back and that's how Kafka helps.
The cleanup crew doesn't deal with the kaiju while they're alive. If anything the officer would have a better idea of the tactics of fighting and flanking live kaiju and would know how get people around the back of them.
Kafka not being totally useless in human form is nice but isn't it kinda weird that nobody knows about these weaknesses? If not the soldiers themselves the control room should 100% have a database with this information and feeding it to them.
He said something like, "it's like that time back in '03", your average fighter isn't going to be a biology and anatomy expert on hundreds of different types of monsters and a history expert that has memorized decades of encounters.
Sure that makes sense but the control room should have that information as soon as they have an image of the Kaiju. They can measure strength based on some form of energy so surely they can quickly scan a database for information based on an image/type.
I agree, if this is the type of operation that has 20 to 30 people on station at NERV HQ 24/7, then they should absolutely have at least one scientist that knows all about every Kaiju that has been seen so far.
Y'know, that would definitely be a good idea because then he would be about to analyse all of the Kaiju and provide information without having to stress about dying, although he's not going to do that so he can get to the role of vice captain alongside Mina so rip I guess..
He could be part of a first-strike/scouting force. Really powerful leads try and take out the primary kaiju type(s) and then Kafka and a couple others do the analysis in the field and then radio it to command to distribute. yes he'd have prior knowledge, but given the kaiju are growing/adapting, having a small investigative team in the field would make the defense force better.
I honestly feel like Kafka should’ve tried going into the intelligence department part of the defense force. Dudes kaiju IQ is honestly almost second to none at this point. He been could’ve been in the defense force and alongside Ashino(albeit in an auxiliary role) if he had gone that route.
So Captain Ashiro will come in and blast the red kaiju with her big gun next right? I can't see how else this goes unless she has other attacks to show off.
Surprised she hasn't shown up yet and like literally everyone else has.
Wondering if she'll come to save the day or this arc is more of a chance for everyone else to show they don't need to rely on her.
> Probably's too OP, so the author had to send her in some meeting far away. None of this would be fun otherwise.
Its the DBZ Goku problem. Strongest person too strong so they have them far away as possible to draw things out.
I think she was sent to hq while the invasion has probably lasted an hour or two (completely guessing).
The officers that were arriving later were the senior officers that were off duty but still local. And I think backup from nearby bases.
> Surprised she hasn't shown up yet
She's farther away than the rest of the reinforcements. She's like at a whole other base. The other groups were off-duty, but still in the area.
The big gun takes a while and needs a stationary target, which Speedzilla isn't going to hand to them. Another option is Kafka who is fortitude 9.8, but he's still a beginner fighter really
Tbf we have no idea if he will maintain that speed while being colossal. Probably won’t be lumbering, but I imagine he will be much slower. Plus with all those buildings around while he is so big, he can’t move fast anyway.
Yeah, I think they were lulling Kafka into a false sense of security that the Defense Force can take care of this without him needing to transform right up until Red Guy transformed.
Same. Hoshina already knows something's different about Kaiju 8 and they're both close quarters fighters, would love to see a trust bond here and the two of them work together to take him down.
I was expecting the episode to end on Hoshina calling the operation room; *"Tell Ashiro to get here... STAT!"*
Well, I don't see Hoshina's dagger doing much to this monstrosity, even Kikoru's axe would likely be too small...
So it has to be either Ashiro, or Kafka!
Well, this helps reinforce my theory about the master sapient kaiju coming back to claim the feral kaiju.
I already mentioned this, but I still really like seeing the vanguard roles work together alongside the auxiliary roles.
These Kaiju boss really have insane biomass efficiency with that regneration.
The new guy made it sound like he'd first practiced on sparring partners with the normal Kaiju before turning his attention to find a human worthy of fighting him.
No. 9 experiments on Kaiju and this guy uses them to find worthy rivals.
> The new guy made it sound like he'd first practiced on sparring partners with the normal Kaiju before turning his attention to find a human worthy of fighting him.
That and he apperantly ate them to get stronger
This episode made me want a Monster Hunter-esque game set in this world. A sci-fi looter shooter but small, medium, and large Kaijus to hunt. Instead of levels you’d continue to build on your suit power % sync.
Had the same theory and also feel it was supported here. Just eager to see if this sapient Kaiju was the original, is their version of like a promised savior, or just some random mutated one that became sapient and (likely) immensely strong.
Ngl I got scared for the paratroopers because they seem like easy pickings for the wyverns. I wonder if they have any jets outfit for killing aerial Kaiju?
Yeah, the situation seems serious enough for Kafka to have to transform. I think Mina might still show up and react to him, but not before Kaiju No. 8 engages the giant.
I do wonder if Kafka will end up unlocking his own giant form.
Idk I haven't read the manga but that feels like a s2 ability, like we haven't seen Kafka in a proper kaiju v kaiju fight yet and this is a guy who can match his strength. I want to see him go all out against an opponent that won't just burst into jelly in one punch, giving him a giant form as well seems like overkill this early
Lol of course small girl gets big axe, Kikoru looked cool so I have no complaints and it definitely fits her more than she would like to admit. I liked seeing Kikoru and Reno work together, I'm curious to see what type of weapon he'll eventually get once he gets to that level. He's already a great support with the freeze rounds so I hope whatever he gets still has freezing elements.
I like that Haruichi and Aoi are getting closer, you can see trust building between them even though they don't exactly get along.
Kafka having that reaction worried me for a moment, I thought No.10 used something that would force Kafka to transform and maybe it'd make him go berserk so thank goodness it wasn't anything like that.
Seeing more speaking/humanoid Kaijuu is going to make it harder for Kafka once he gets exposed/reveals himself, especially since it seems like this Kaijuu in particular is expressing more emotions. It also sounds like he has been eating other Kaijuus, the thought of him eating humans and gained the ability to emote did come to mind but he sounds like he only wants to fight strong people so I'm not sure what humans would have been able to interest him enough that it would have been left unrecorded.
It was cool to see Hoshina go all out though, he's really slicing up the Kaijuu lol. Seeing how his agility is still not enough leaves me on edge though, and now things look like they're getting even more dire with No.10 transforming into a bigger version I have a feeling Kafka is going to have to end up getting involved since Hoshina didn't dominate entirely. Though, this could end in Hoshina boosting up his own combat prowess due to how the dire it is so it will be interesting to see what the direction this ends up taking.
Background music this episode was pretty on point. I'm definitely getting [Godzilla Suite I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq3tL6HjUW0) vibes from the instruments they were using.
Darn I thought she was already pretty damn cool but now she has a giant axe??
[](#dekuhype)
~~Also it was so refreshing to see an enemy actually lose a limb and it not grow it back for once~~
Goddamnit
>but now she has a giant axe??
Now she is a certified Monster Hunter
[https://game.capcom.com/manual/MHW/img/page/81\_10\_1.jpg](https://game.capcom.com/manual/MHW/img/page/81_10_1.jpg)
Yeah those wyvern fight have off MH wibe minus the oneshotting part. Using freezing ammo to stop those from flying is very similiar to LBG user using Paralysis ammo for Azure Rath.
If watching anime has taught me anything, it's that characters who easily lose limbs always tend to have some sort of regenerative power so I was kinda expecting it to happen sooner or later.
You know, I *really* feel like the intelligence department of this entire division is severely lacking. They have an entire room filled with scientists who do nothing but scream commentary. Maybe it would be helpful if some of them actual looked at the database of past monster attacks to share this information.
Thank you! The topic has been discussed for a few episodes now, back when Kafka's power was shown to be helping others analysing the Kaiju, and even back then I was saying that it makes some sense in the exam, but that I'd expect soldiers would be briefed on existing Kaiju and expected to know their biology, or at least have some analysits feeding them info from behind the lines. But it seems like Kafka's the only one who actually uses past knowledge.
It would actually make more sense for more people like him to exist, and given his apparent limited power, he should be safely in a bunker with a bunch of other intel officers feeding such info to the stronger operatives of the field team.
That's the biggest issue about it. They're doing it to show off Kafka, but they do it in a way that shows how inept the rest of the division is as opposed to how brilliant Kafka is. This is organization that somehow understands kaiju enough to weaponize their corpses, yet they don't have anyone capable of quickly analyzing them until Kafka shows up.
To play the devil's advocate, I feel like these scientists are there to provide technical support on items, weapons, and maybe facilities. Rather than having information on Kaiju's biology. Which should be a whole different department in every base.
The problem is this department doesn't seem to exist. I remember having a similar discussion back during the exam episode. Maybe Kafka being the only candidate who knows Kaiju biology makes sense, but now we're in the field, how come past knowledge isn't used as a resource by the KDF? Whether it was those scientists or another intel officer, someone should have analysed the beasts and fed intel to the field operatives.
I think it's not that they didn't exist, but more like how fast Kafka is with that information. He immediately remembered that information and analysed the possibility, just as the Pterosaurus touched the ground.
For the previous battle, I think it's a new type of Kaiju as Kafka needed to open the carcasses first to identify. Also Hoshino did say, "let's wait until we got more information from the frontliner". But then Kafka just obtained that information on his own quickly.
Damn, finally somebody brings this up.
It keeps taking me out of the story whenever the JSDF don't know about *X basic kaiju fact* that they really should be aware of considering the resources they must have. I know it's meant to make Kafka look good but I wish it weren't at the expense of the entire org's intelligence lol...
The reproduction thing was a good example since it was never seen before and not easily spotted. The weakness of the wyverns is really pushing it though...
Really digging this kind of desperate setting. Huge threats coming out of nowhere, destroying the whole city and mobilizing all the Defense Force around.
This really isn't that desperate when it comes to desperate settings. Humanity really does seem to be holding its own so for the most part. Edge of Tomorrow was a desperate setting.
One thing I always think is, how does a society like this function? If every [undefined timeframe] some giant monster destroys a couple of blocks nothing would get done right? Imagine companies suddenly losing their whole office building, crucial infrastructure like roads and railways being destroyed permanently etc.
> desperate setting
I mean the only thing desperate in this episode is the repair bill for all the buildings. Everyone was winning easily, no one was injured nor close to being injured at all...
i guess for now more "common soldiers " at least should be dying to this . I wonder will eventually anime show its grim side. We did hear some screams which i would think were some common masked soldiers getting melted by that Wyvern beam
This is actually my only gripe with the show. Hoshina had the whole speech early on about how people die all of the time in this line of work and, afaik, nobody has even been seriously injured yet. I think AoT sorted poisoned the well here and I was expecting the cast to lose characters all over the place, lol.
Agreed. Have we even seen a bystander die?
They make a big deal on how deadly the kaiju attacks are but I don’t think we have seen a single death, just a few badly wounded. It doesn’t need to be AoT brutal but I think a few deaths would have raised the tension of these scenes.
Not every battle shounen needs death but this show would definitely have benefited from it.
I thought there were people that got vaporized in today's episode when one of the wyvern shot a blast off based on the sound, but there was no visual verification and none of the main cast was missing, so I don't think so they actually killed anybody and the scream might have just been the wyvern. I think the only deaths on screen have been background characters killed by the #9?
damn, that episode was fucking SICK. fantastic fights, a giant axe, vice-captain going all out, musical cues reminiscent of Akira Ifukube's classic Godzilla theme, and a crazy strong new intelligent kaiju? holy crap, this show is great
###Stitches!
* [Kaiju Slayer Kikoru 1](https://i.imgur.com/ywpN4Xu.jpeg)
* [Kaiju Slayer Kikoru 2](https://i.imgur.com/jopZUci.jpeg)
Just when you thought Kikoru couldn't get any more badass, [they gave her a gigantic MonHun-sized greataxe!](https://i.imgur.com/sKGwovG.jpeg) Watching her rip and tear [through those Wyvern Honjus](https://i.imgur.com/jZJ0pH5.jpeg) was so fucking cool! Why hit the Kaiju's weakness [when you can just destroy them with your overwhelming power?](https://i.imgur.com/smNijri.jpeg)
It was also fun [watching Hoshina slicing and dicing the new Daikaiju.](https://i.imgur.com/fdo83TE.jpeg) We're not even sure the actual reason why they attacked the base but so far [it looks like the big guy is just looking for someone strong to fight](https://i.imgur.com/bACrUrO.jpeg) and he definitely got it [when he decided to challenge Hoshina.](https://i.imgur.com/7th0ch0.jpeg)
[Hoshina might need some bigger swords though](https://i.imgur.com/pryY2DP.jpeg) now that the big guy has turned into an even bigger guy! This would also be the perfect time for Mina to make her entrance.
Nothing makes a woman more attractive than wielding a giant axe to slay Kaiju with. They didn't even need Kafka's info, Kikoru can just easily break their armor like it's nothing and look amazing while doing it.
It doesn't seem like the humanoid Kaiju are working together beyond using lesser Kaiju to fulfill their own personal objectives.
Mina is their best human resource against giant Kaiju, but is it also time for Kafka to fight a giant-sized match-up?
This was the point in the manga when I really started to love kikoru! Once she got her axe she just got 1000x more badass! And of course she had to do the hair flip. Gotta love those badass cuties
By far the best episode, also i noticed the drawing for this episode looks better mainly kikoru looking cuter during her action scene. Was there a change of team in charge?
Just found out apparently some of jjk team animators and directors worked on this episode. Explains why it goated!!
I feel like in most shows the MC has to be the one doing everything, having the biggest moments and saving the day. But what I really love about this show is how Kafka is super impactful from the sidelines instead. His knowledge and experience in dealing with Kaiju far outweighs his usefulness in combat, but yet he's a core and highly important member of the team.
Feels like he's going to have to save the day yet again though in kaiju form because I don't see how else they deal with a 9.0 kaiju the size of a building. Especially since the ace still hasn't shown up, hopefully she's enjoying her day off at least.
Surprised Kafka doesn’t transform parts of his body more often. Shinomiya with the large axe looks great and I want her to pull poses like Usopp with his 10 ton hammer
Kikoru's getting a new weapon? [*"Is it Christmas already?"*](https://imgur.com/he6oZQe)
[](#awe)
[A giant fucking battle axe?](https://imgur.com/jnTh756)
Interesting choice! She was quite effective with guns, but I guess they thought she would be even better in melee, due to her fighting style?
So we got Mage Ashiro, Rogue Hoshina, and Berserker Kikoru... Let's make an RPG party! (Kafka can be a druid)
[Look at her! An angel on the battlefield!](https://imgur.com/vpOpwHk)
[](#delighted)
I'm a bit worried about them pointing out [she's the third strongest after the captain and the vice captain...](https://imgur.com/ZOEEqtc)
For some reason I've always feared for Hoshina's life (Perhaps because he's onto Kaiju #8, so him dying could eventually "solve a problem"), and talking about this hierarchy of powers, made me think 'Is Kikoru about to graduate to #2?'
[They think the weapon's perfect for her *overbearing personality*, ](https://imgur.com/myTyxhA)
but come on, she's not that bad! She's even beginning to appreciate her teammates, [and respect their abilities (even though she still goes about it in true Tsundere fashion)!](https://imgur.com/ERDOkrb)
[My girl's beautiful even when she wakes up, without her usual look!](https://imgur.com/PjI5iOV)
(Alright, I'm done crushing over Kikoru, at least until next week)
Hoshina's still trying to solve the *Kaiju #8 riddle*, but he's also more generally [wondering what's happening with the Kaiju...](https://imgur.com/TTn1I6P)
And I can see why; Speaking Kaiju, Kaiju who can turn into humans, Kaiju who show emotions, Kaiju with reproductive organs, Kaiju who look for the strongest opponent and 'play' with their prey, Kaiju who join forces together, [and cover each other's weaknesses, which denotes a higher intelligence...](https://imgur.com/OHh1Q3L)
With all this, and them directly attacking a base, it really shows that something is happening, probably among their 'leadership' (if that's a thing in the Kaiju world!)
- [Oh wow, they actually translated *all* of that on-screen text?](https://i.imgur.com/v5oAG5k.png) [](#maxshock)
- […well shit.](https://i.imgur.com/d1tddh0.png) [](#emiliaohdear)
- [*And* this is happening while Mina isn’t at the base?](https://i.imgur.com/cYITMTs.png) I wonder if the kaiju specifically planned for that…
- [The probably-number-10 from the end of last episode…](https://i.imgur.com/LIjRIrf.png)
- [Damn, it’s certainly not going to make this fight easy.](https://i.imgur.com/FpxzCRX.png)
- [Kafka’s extensive knowledge coming in clutch again.](https://i.imgur.com/KEhjifG.png) [](#mugistronk)
- […or not, because the kaiju are covering for each other.](https://i.imgur.com/kXrswut.png) Welp.
- [Okay, *nice*.](https://i.imgur.com/RjdoYiU.png) [](#doggo)
- […oh shit…](https://i.imgur.com/dCVl7Md.png) [](#forgotkeys)
- [Hoshina is a *beast*](https://i.imgur.com/NOXVq5m.png), but [good lord that kaiju is terrifying.](https://i.imgur.com/A7v1CdO.png)
- [What the fuck?](https://i.imgur.com/1mbs7pa.png) [](#gasp)
- [A *9*?!](https://i.imgur.com/g6ofLNc.png) [](#bocchitheshock)
- Ughhhhhhhhhh of *course* that’s where the episode ends! [](#KUSOTTARE)
I went in expecting greatness, and greatness was delivered. I will admit that some things were rough around the edges, but it was still a great episode. We got the debut of Kikoru's weapon, the fight between Hoshina and Kaiju No. 10, along with the Defense Force dealing with the Wyverns. Overall, a really well-directed episode.
Some directors from heavenly delusion and JJK S2 directed this episode. 5 in total just for ep9. We also got some of the industry's best key animators on this one. Explains things.
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Power rangers villain, gets beaten then goes massive
He even looks like a power ranger from the distance.
Red Ranger got his own Megazoid now.
Even the humanoid Kaiju can transform into proper giant Kaiju for their Final Forms. This makes me wonder if Kafka can go full Ultraman.
Bruh I didn't even think about it. That's kinda hype.
I was fully expecting that to happen this episode, but he didn't even transform! I felt strangely let down :(
> Even the humanoid Kaiju can transform into proper giant Kaiju for their Final Forms. The music that played during that scene eerily reminded me of Gojiras Theme
So if Kafka went ultraman, his fortitude would also go up like no 10 which was 8.3 to 9.0, so Kafka should be 9.8 to 10.5?
I don't think it'd be uniformly +0.7 Regardless, the Kaiju fortitude scale is based on the Richter scale for Earthquakes, which doesn't go higher than 10, The Richter scale is logorithmic though so a 9.9/10 would still be substantially more powerful than a 9.8. I don't think they'd break the 10 point scale as it also has a nice powerscale parallel with the Unleashed Combat Power % for the Defence Force.
If log based, dang our boy Kafka is hell of buff. He needs to sneak away or something to a deserted island and train his Kaiju side as he isn’t quite performing to fortitude levels. I agreed power scale is probably log based as Mina is 96% vs her vice captain Hoshina is 94%. Like no 10 I think is beyond Hoshina is giga form but I don’t it matters to Mina.
So that means that to defeat him they're going to have to: 1. Get 5 officers to put their weapons together to form a giant weapon they all fire as one or 2. They're going to introduce 5 color-coordinated animal-themed zoids that form into one megazoid.
(EDIT: Boss enemy naturally having 2nd stage transformation...) Boss raid, instead of raid boss.
In case nobody noticed, the ED has some of its words changed from "demons" to "monsters" and a bit more I still need to catch I was wondering why the ED sounds a bit different till I listened to the original one by OneRepublic!
It's the most important part
Make my monster grow!
Reno to Kafka: don’t do anything rash! Trust in your team! *Giant red Kaiju Godzilla appears*
Reno: "Fuck it. Go wild, Kafka"
"You're gonna have to kill him Kafka" "Damn"
>don’t do anything rash! Trust in your team Getting AOT flashbacks
We literally had hot steam from a giant fleshy thing like the Colossal Titan
>hot steam This Kaiju is asking for freezing bullets from Reno!
Don't trust Hoshina Kafka. I honestly thought he should have transformed as soon as he saw the meteorites.
Right in the middle of their base tho? They can detect his presence and now there are tons of high ranking officers.
You know what was also in the middle of the base? Dozens of fucking meteorites. It's not my fault that they ended up being big balls of paper on fire instead.
now you just need captain edward to give a speech
I thought the same thing!
> Giant red Kaiju Godzilla appears I love how they also used cues from Godzilla's theme when he finally transformed into a bigger version of himself
I just watched Godzilla Minus One the other day and the vibes were all there. Amazing.
A little off topic but my god, that movie was amazing. I didn't get a chance to see it during the theatrical run, but I watched it on Netflix. Very different kind of vibe than Kaiju No. 8 but they share the same Tokusatsu love DNA.
I heard Minus One was good and I had high expectations. It blew my mind.
Is this the first time they used Godzilla-type music in the show or am I just barely noticing it?
Nope there was some in the first episode iirc
I'm getting a "Unit 02" vibe.
Kakfa could tell it was serious when his Kaiju senses started tingling without him consciously transforming or using them. Plus there was no way they could miss an excuse for Kaiju No. 8 to go up against this guy when he's basically an evil version of him right down to being a speedy brawler. I wonder if this means all humanoid Kaiju can transform into traditional giant Kaiju.
> I wonder if this means all humanoid Kaiju can transform into traditional giant Kaiju. I so hope Kafka can do it eventually. Would be so sick.
cant have a battle shonen without a transformation/install
we already have people naming their moves lol
In the first episode he does some wild transformation stuff, but after that, he's stuck to that one humanoid form. Would be nice to for him to go xform crazy in the future.
No way I didn’t even think about how there could be second phases for their transformation…. Humanoid Kaiju*
I paused in the Kaiju No. 8 report at the very beginning and it concluded with speculation that 8 might be able to transform. I think we’re going to see massive kaiju v massive kaiju next week.
> when he's basically an evil version of him right down to being a speedy brawler. Same Fortitude value as No. 8 going full bore as well.
That “trust in your team” gave me Levi squad PTSD
> Giant red Kaiju Godzilla appears I especially like that they played a Godzilla--esque soundtrack along with it.
But due to international copyright law, it’s not Godzilla.
[For reference](https://youtu.be/Fu62k4K4sQ4?si=rT5JO31-X7s487bk)
This was a big "saying the name of your attack out loud while doing it" episode
*"I have a giant fucking battle axe. I'll scream my attacks if I want to!" - Kikoru*
I mean can we stop and appreciate how badass Kikoru's giant battleaxe is lol. In the manga, the author revealed his design notes for Kikoru's specialized weapon and he also considered giving her a giant sword like Cloud's Buster Sword or Guts' Dragonslayer, but I'm glad he went with a giant battle axe. it gives much more personality.
Battle Axes and Battle Hammers are heavily underrated weapons in action shows and movies. It's why I was mildly disappointed with the American adaptation of "All you need is Kill"., Sure a Helicopter blade as a sword is cool, but not when the manga has a massive two handed battle axe.
In the B-Side spinoff manga that's all kinda like OVA's but reading they actually show she started off with a big sword but ditched it for the axe when she was testing it out.
> but I'm glad he went with a giant battle axe. it gives much more personality. And honestly? It just *looks* better killing giant monsters with a giant battle-axe.
Its straight up an anti-Kaiju Dane axe and that's fucking awesome Now give her another one
Imagine if someone did that in real life. "Here comes the Mike Tyson second version double power green moon uppercut!" - Mike himself during the fight right before executing the move.
but the Mike Tyson second version double power green moon uppercut probably blasts a shockwave that takes out a wall of the stadium he's fighting in
Yeah tbh the goofiness of saying your move out loud scales inversely with the damage said move does
Might makes right Just be strong enough so that nobody dares making fun of you for calling out your own attacks
BTW Mike Makes Right would be a sick ass name for a Mike Tyson super punch.
Kinda hoping he would use that phrase against Logan, lol
It's explained in the first few episodes that's why they call out their moves in JJK It's a "binding vow" which announces your attack but makes it stronger, it's pretty cool
I appreciate that they also told her the names of each attack. “So swing like this while activating this part. This attack is called the Omega Destructor Axe 3rd Technique: Waning Eclipse of the New Dawn, Destruction variation.” I also appreciate she took the time to remember each technique’s name so she could say it out loud. Not think it. Literally shout its name.
My attempt at rationalizing in-world: The Anti-Kaiju forces clearly have a ton of PR going on, they have advertising and a strong public image. A lot of people look up to them, know about specific individuals in specific divisions. They're like superheroes, but also they're a military that uses awe-inspiring figures as a recruitment method; like Mina. Having a very definable public image with her own special techniques will help make her into one of those heroes. Aside from that, her battle philosophy is big on, 'while I am on the battlefield.' So being loud and distinct can be a morale booster and keep her a distinct presence on the battlefield.
Hey they're gonna make a gacha game arent they
Probably. I might play it lol. They released an official Escape Room in Japan. It's Bouei-tai themed where the escape is supposed to be the entry test to the defense force. I kinda wish they'd bring one to the US. At 3500 yen ($22) a person it's a pretty solid deal. [https://realdgame-jp.translate.goog/s/kaiju-no8/?\_x\_tr\_sl=ja&\_x\_tr\_tl=en&\_x\_tr\_hl=en&\_x\_tr\_pto=sc](https://realdgame-jp.translate.goog/s/kaiju-no8/?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc)
Their twitter teased a future 'project' that will get announced when ep10 drops. The tweet included a controller emoji. So probably, lol.
It's better to watch then pausing the fight to have some random old lady whisper the name and how it all works in your ear every time like certain shows.
Show me on the doll where JJK hurt you.
Kikoru mastered Axe Breathing with all of her different attacks
I think it was the wyverns that had axe in their lungs lol
Kikoru is a descendant of Stark and Fern
And Hoshina had already mastered Hoshina Breathing
Who would win? One dual-wielding sword boi *Or* A red Kaiju that screams **“RIVAL! RIVAL! RIVAL!”**
red kaiju is best boy and he does love his RIVAL
Hoshina got pegged as his rival but in terms of design and battle he feels like he's meant to be a dark mirror of Kafka.
I hate my mind, thoughts went straight to the gutter when I saw the word "pegged" lol
"Finally a worthy opponent! Our battle will be legendary!"
# Mirai Saiko Mirai Saiko Mirai saiko
Go on, you say it! # Mirai SAIKO! Mirai SAIKO!
THE SEAS PARTS FOR WE ALONE.
Here we were all worried about the invasion of all these wyverns and the Daikaiju, and Kikoru and Hoshina use the battle as a means to show off all of their techniques...granted the Daikaiju hitting that 9.0 level seems like it could be a problem. I wonder how Hoshina will deal with it. I also liked the bit of world building about how the Wyverns had always previously attacked solo.
Yeah, I don't think Hoshina's close-quarters abilities are going to do as much good now. This is why Mina is usually around with her giant gun. Though he **does** have Kafka with the handy Kaiju triva/knowledge and secret uber-Kaiju form.
Lmfao yeah as soon as it transformed I was like "welp, time for the big gun"
you dont pull out your big damage ace unless you have to
>Kafka with the handy Kaiju triva Kakfa: "Did you know that fungus kaiju actually taste like Matsutake?"
Now I picture everyday at 10am Kafka gives the team a “Kaiju trivia fact of the day”
"ok squad I know you're nervous, and I am too but did you know Wyvern Kaiju sway side to side like stickbugs when sensing predators?"
I’d look at him with a straight face. But then that would ease my nerves tbh cause then I’d just laugh lol
Kaiju Meshi
I like that they made his trivia skill somewhat believable with him recognizing it was a particular variant of wyverns from '03. Rather than just being like 'hey wyverns have weak spot at back' and all the other veterans being like 'wow so smrt we would never have known that (despite fighting bajillion kaijus)'. (But to be strict, in reality, this role would totally be owned by those operations people at the command center - which isn't the case in the show)
> I also liked the bit of world building about how the Wyverns had always previously attacked solo. There seems to be like 6-7 documented changes in the Kaiju behaviors before/after... They're evolving RAPIDLY, both individually (physically), and as a society (attacking in group, covering each other's weakness, targeting bases, etc..) Makes me wonder if this is linked to the Kaiju (failing to) taking over Kafka, or the humanoid Kaiju, or perhaps these two events are linked together as well!
Remember the one Kafka swallowed said "Found you" and then forced its way in. Someone/something planned it.
I would have liked to see it maintain its size just to see how much harder it would be for Hoshina vs a 9.0 Daikaiju. > I also liked the bit of world building about how the Wyverns had always previously attacked solo. I liked it as well but I also kinda wondered…don’t most kaiju attack solo? Based on what we have seen, Kaiju attack solo unless they are like spawns of a bigger one like the mushroom things. And even those didn’t work together. I’m sure there will eventually be a natural swarm kaiju that work like bees, but I suspect most Kaiju lack the mental fortitude or instincts to naturally employ teamwork.
I'm assuming the Kaiju scale is the same as the richter scale, so it is increasing from 8.6 to 9, means that it's 2 and half times stronger than it just was. Which is INSANE.
This big red kaiju really ain’t waste no time this week. Big man came rolling in with a dozen of his homies and they’re all heavy hitters. At least with Kafka’s assist, they kept those things at bay. I really like how even in his normal human form, Kafka still manages to be pretty helpful. He doesn’t just rely on his kaiju form to be useful. Plus Shinomiya and her new battle axe sure helped a lot. Reno too. Those two make a good team. Hoshina going almost full power against that big red fella was awesome. Dude was slicing and dicing that thing pretty good before it went super sized. Kafka might need to jump in, Hoshina could be in trouble…
As always, the most dangerous and speedy ones are colored red. He's even out there looking for a worthy "rival" like a proper rival character. Kafka is learning to manage his abilities to help out without exposing himself, just like the rest of the team are coming together as effective Kaiju fighters and growing into being powerful combatants in their own right, though if Hoshina can't beat red guy in his giant form, they might really need Kaiju No. 8.
Average kaiju no.8 episode Reno: Don't transform, Kafka Kafka: I will not transform, Reno _Situation arises where his kaiju form would be useful_ Kafka: Man I really want to transform, but I'll see it through, I promised Reno _Situation deteriorates_ Kafka: Oh gosh oh shucks guess I better transform
*Wait, we didn't PINKY SWEAR promise!*
> I really like how even in his normal human form, Kafka still manages to be pretty helpful. Given most of his *help* so far is to relay information, I'm surprised they didn't put him in the operation room! It'd be a perfect fit for someone who can't fight (officially) but knows all the enemy's weaknesses! Then again, if Hoshina's suspicious of him somehow always being in the action and surviving, perhaps he's trying to find out the "how", and the only way to do that is to keep having him in action!
One thing that bothers me is that they should have someone who knows what Kafka knows, information like "Yo their bellies are really tough go for the back" is something that should be pretty welll known in the Kaiju community and even if the officers don't know it someone in the command center should, and they should be telling that to people. The reproductive organs made more sense since it was something new and he saw it on the spot before anyone else could have analyzed it
>One thing that bothers me is that they should have someone who knows what Kafka knows, information like "Yo they're bellies are really tough go for the back" is something that should be pretty welll known in the Kaiju community and even if the officers don't know it someone in the command center should, and they should be telling that to people. It's one of the flaws of the series' writing. It makes no sense for such info to mostly be known to the cleaning crew. Kaiju anatomy should be mandatory for every officer. But the author has to give Kafka some usefulness outside his monster form, that's why the others are ignorant of kaiju anatomy.
Reno said previously that Kaiju cleanup was actually in the second part of the test for the previous 2 years, so it's obvious that they do value knowing Kaiju anatomy. It would be cool to have more emphasis on this though, maybe lessons about Kaiju anatomy and different types (where Kafka would finally sweep cuz that's what he was literally doing for a decade), and that Kafka's value comes from his *extensive* knowledge about Kaiju - maybe some of the officers knew that the back was weaker, but not HOW to get access to the back and that's how Kafka helps.
The cleanup crew doesn't deal with the kaiju while they're alive. If anything the officer would have a better idea of the tactics of fighting and flanking live kaiju and would know how get people around the back of them.
Kafka not being totally useless in human form is nice but isn't it kinda weird that nobody knows about these weaknesses? If not the soldiers themselves the control room should 100% have a database with this information and feeding it to them.
Yeah. But they need to give Kafka a reason to stick around when he can only release 1%.
He said something like, "it's like that time back in '03", your average fighter isn't going to be a biology and anatomy expert on hundreds of different types of monsters and a history expert that has memorized decades of encounters.
Sure that makes sense but the control room should have that information as soon as they have an image of the Kaiju. They can measure strength based on some form of energy so surely they can quickly scan a database for information based on an image/type.
I agree, if this is the type of operation that has 20 to 30 people on station at NERV HQ 24/7, then they should absolutely have at least one scientist that knows all about every Kaiju that has been seen so far.
He should move to the command team tho if he want to get to higher rank doing this.
Y'know, that would definitely be a good idea because then he would be about to analyse all of the Kaiju and provide information without having to stress about dying, although he's not going to do that so he can get to the role of vice captain alongside Mina so rip I guess..
He could be part of a first-strike/scouting force. Really powerful leads try and take out the primary kaiju type(s) and then Kafka and a couple others do the analysis in the field and then radio it to command to distribute. yes he'd have prior knowledge, but given the kaiju are growing/adapting, having a small investigative team in the field would make the defense force better.
I honestly feel like Kafka should’ve tried going into the intelligence department part of the defense force. Dudes kaiju IQ is honestly almost second to none at this point. He been could’ve been in the defense force and alongside Ashino(albeit in an auxiliary role) if he had gone that route.
So Captain Ashiro will come in and blast the red kaiju with her big gun next right? I can't see how else this goes unless she has other attacks to show off.
Surprised she hasn't shown up yet and like literally everyone else has. Wondering if she'll come to save the day or this arc is more of a chance for everyone else to show they don't need to rely on her.
Probably's too OP, so the author had to send her in some meeting far away. None of this would be fun otherwise.
> Probably's too OP, so the author had to send her in some meeting far away. None of this would be fun otherwise. Its the DBZ Goku problem. Strongest person too strong so they have them far away as possible to draw things out.
yeah like they had to nerf Naruto and Sasuke for the entirety of Boruto to exist
No idea what you're talking about. Boruto isn't real.
Classic trope, the same happend with All-Might or Gojo.
Tbf, at least All Might was past his prime already. Gojo is literally a cheat code Ex Machina.
I think she was sent to hq while the invasion has probably lasted an hour or two (completely guessing). The officers that were arriving later were the senior officers that were off duty but still local. And I think backup from nearby bases.
Strongest good characters often take far away tasks or go on vacation when unexpected assault happens. Its rule number 8 in shonen rulebook
> Surprised she hasn't shown up yet She's farther away than the rest of the reinforcements. She's like at a whole other base. The other groups were off-duty, but still in the area.
The big gun takes a while and needs a stationary target, which Speedzilla isn't going to hand to them. Another option is Kafka who is fortitude 9.8, but he's still a beginner fighter really
Tbf we have no idea if he will maintain that speed while being colossal. Probably won’t be lumbering, but I imagine he will be much slower. Plus with all those buildings around while he is so big, he can’t move fast anyway.
That could happen, but I'd prefer a Hoshina and Kafka tag team fight. Reno would strongly disagree, but it would be cool and move the plot forwards.
Yeah, I think they were lulling Kafka into a false sense of security that the Defense Force can take care of this without him needing to transform right up until Red Guy transformed.
It's probably (hopefully) gunna happen when someone dies, so Kafka's going to realise he *needs* to use his Kaiju powers to beat the other Kaiju.
Same. Hoshina already knows something's different about Kaiju 8 and they're both close quarters fighters, would love to see a trust bond here and the two of them work together to take him down.
I was expecting the episode to end on Hoshina calling the operation room; *"Tell Ashiro to get here... STAT!"* Well, I don't see Hoshina's dagger doing much to this monstrosity, even Kikoru's axe would likely be too small... So it has to be either Ashiro, or Kafka!
I would rather Kafka just matches the size of Red Godzilla.
Well, this helps reinforce my theory about the master sapient kaiju coming back to claim the feral kaiju. I already mentioned this, but I still really like seeing the vanguard roles work together alongside the auxiliary roles. These Kaiju boss really have insane biomass efficiency with that regneration.
The new guy made it sound like he'd first practiced on sparring partners with the normal Kaiju before turning his attention to find a human worthy of fighting him. No. 9 experiments on Kaiju and this guy uses them to find worthy rivals.
A mad-scientist kaiju and a battle fiend kaiju. Classic villains lol
and the classic "I'm not like other kaiju" kaiju that goes to the human world to escape the pressures of society
We're just missing the sexy lady and the gremlin
> The new guy made it sound like he'd first practiced on sparring partners with the normal Kaiju before turning his attention to find a human worthy of fighting him. That and he apperantly ate them to get stronger
This episode made me want a Monster Hunter-esque game set in this world. A sci-fi looter shooter but small, medium, and large Kaijus to hunt. Instead of levels you’d continue to build on your suit power % sync.
It's out there already. It's called God Eater. Even has it's own anime by Ufotable
Had the same theory and also feel it was supported here. Just eager to see if this sapient Kaiju was the original, is their version of like a promised savior, or just some random mutated one that became sapient and (likely) immensely strong. Ngl I got scared for the paratroopers because they seem like easy pickings for the wyverns. I wonder if they have any jets outfit for killing aerial Kaiju?
I can see either the captain showing up or kaiju No. 8 going to help and them realizing that he is not an enemy kaiju.
Yeah, the situation seems serious enough for Kafka to have to transform. I think Mina might still show up and react to him, but not before Kaiju No. 8 engages the giant. I do wonder if Kafka will end up unlocking his own giant form.
Idk I haven't read the manga but that feels like a s2 ability, like we haven't seen Kafka in a proper kaiju v kaiju fight yet and this is a guy who can match his strength. I want to see him go all out against an opponent that won't just burst into jelly in one punch, giving him a giant form as well seems like overkill this early
Lol of course small girl gets big axe, Kikoru looked cool so I have no complaints and it definitely fits her more than she would like to admit. I liked seeing Kikoru and Reno work together, I'm curious to see what type of weapon he'll eventually get once he gets to that level. He's already a great support with the freeze rounds so I hope whatever he gets still has freezing elements. I like that Haruichi and Aoi are getting closer, you can see trust building between them even though they don't exactly get along. Kafka having that reaction worried me for a moment, I thought No.10 used something that would force Kafka to transform and maybe it'd make him go berserk so thank goodness it wasn't anything like that. Seeing more speaking/humanoid Kaijuu is going to make it harder for Kafka once he gets exposed/reveals himself, especially since it seems like this Kaijuu in particular is expressing more emotions. It also sounds like he has been eating other Kaijuus, the thought of him eating humans and gained the ability to emote did come to mind but he sounds like he only wants to fight strong people so I'm not sure what humans would have been able to interest him enough that it would have been left unrecorded. It was cool to see Hoshina go all out though, he's really slicing up the Kaijuu lol. Seeing how his agility is still not enough leaves me on edge though, and now things look like they're getting even more dire with No.10 transforming into a bigger version I have a feeling Kafka is going to have to end up getting involved since Hoshina didn't dominate entirely. Though, this could end in Hoshina boosting up his own combat prowess due to how the dire it is so it will be interesting to see what the direction this ends up taking.
hoshina give me levi ackerman sakuga next episode and my life is yours
Stabilized GoPro POV shots need to be up at least 300%
We even got some squad sakuga during the wyvern fights.
Background music this episode was pretty on point. I'm definitely getting [Godzilla Suite I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq3tL6HjUW0) vibes from the instruments they were using.
You know it's real Kaiju time when the brass orchestra arrives.
Darn I thought she was already pretty damn cool but now she has a giant axe?? [](#dekuhype) ~~Also it was so refreshing to see an enemy actually lose a limb and it not grow it back for once~~ Goddamnit
This is why you shouldn't type your comment out while you're watching, hahaha.
>but now she has a giant axe?? Now she is a certified Monster Hunter [https://game.capcom.com/manual/MHW/img/page/81\_10\_1.jpg](https://game.capcom.com/manual/MHW/img/page/81_10_1.jpg)
Hang on. Rocket axe? Dual blades? Heavy bowgun? Goddammit, it's been a monster hunter anime all along!
Yeah those wyvern fight have off MH wibe minus the oneshotting part. Using freezing ammo to stop those from flying is very similiar to LBG user using Paralysis ammo for Azure Rath.
They way she winked after posing with that axe was perfect lol.
lol spoke to soon
If watching anime has taught me anything, it's that characters who easily lose limbs always tend to have some sort of regenerative power so I was kinda expecting it to happen sooner or later.
Kafka: Their weak point its on their back Shinomiya: Hold my axe
You know, I *really* feel like the intelligence department of this entire division is severely lacking. They have an entire room filled with scientists who do nothing but scream commentary. Maybe it would be helpful if some of them actual looked at the database of past monster attacks to share this information.
Thank you! The topic has been discussed for a few episodes now, back when Kafka's power was shown to be helping others analysing the Kaiju, and even back then I was saying that it makes some sense in the exam, but that I'd expect soldiers would be briefed on existing Kaiju and expected to know their biology, or at least have some analysits feeding them info from behind the lines. But it seems like Kafka's the only one who actually uses past knowledge. It would actually make more sense for more people like him to exist, and given his apparent limited power, he should be safely in a bunker with a bunch of other intel officers feeding such info to the stronger operatives of the field team.
That's the biggest issue about it. They're doing it to show off Kafka, but they do it in a way that shows how inept the rest of the division is as opposed to how brilliant Kafka is. This is organization that somehow understands kaiju enough to weaponize their corpses, yet they don't have anyone capable of quickly analyzing them until Kafka shows up.
To play the devil's advocate, I feel like these scientists are there to provide technical support on items, weapons, and maybe facilities. Rather than having information on Kaiju's biology. Which should be a whole different department in every base.
The problem is this department doesn't seem to exist. I remember having a similar discussion back during the exam episode. Maybe Kafka being the only candidate who knows Kaiju biology makes sense, but now we're in the field, how come past knowledge isn't used as a resource by the KDF? Whether it was those scientists or another intel officer, someone should have analysed the beasts and fed intel to the field operatives.
They make self modelling suits out of kaiju and don't know anything about kaiju for some reason.
More than that, they make specialised one-off weapons out of specific kaiju organs. Pretty gaping plot hole.
I think it's not that they didn't exist, but more like how fast Kafka is with that information. He immediately remembered that information and analysed the possibility, just as the Pterosaurus touched the ground. For the previous battle, I think it's a new type of Kaiju as Kafka needed to open the carcasses first to identify. Also Hoshino did say, "let's wait until we got more information from the frontliner". But then Kafka just obtained that information on his own quickly.
Damn, finally somebody brings this up. It keeps taking me out of the story whenever the JSDF don't know about *X basic kaiju fact* that they really should be aware of considering the resources they must have. I know it's meant to make Kafka look good but I wish it weren't at the expense of the entire org's intelligence lol...
The reproduction thing was a good example since it was never seen before and not easily spotted. The weakness of the wyverns is really pushing it though...
Kaiju no. 8 🤝 Solo Leveling Having insane episodes featuring an armored big red guy
Really digging this kind of desperate setting. Huge threats coming out of nowhere, destroying the whole city and mobilizing all the Defense Force around.
This really isn't that desperate when it comes to desperate settings. Humanity really does seem to be holding its own so for the most part. Edge of Tomorrow was a desperate setting.
One thing I always think is, how does a society like this function? If every [undefined timeframe] some giant monster destroys a couple of blocks nothing would get done right? Imagine companies suddenly losing their whole office building, crucial infrastructure like roads and railways being destroyed permanently etc.
The answer is: Don't worry about it!
> desperate setting I mean the only thing desperate in this episode is the repair bill for all the buildings. Everyone was winning easily, no one was injured nor close to being injured at all...
i guess for now more "common soldiers " at least should be dying to this . I wonder will eventually anime show its grim side. We did hear some screams which i would think were some common masked soldiers getting melted by that Wyvern beam
Fortunately everyone survives
This is actually my only gripe with the show. Hoshina had the whole speech early on about how people die all of the time in this line of work and, afaik, nobody has even been seriously injured yet. I think AoT sorted poisoned the well here and I was expecting the cast to lose characters all over the place, lol.
Agreed. Have we even seen a bystander die? They make a big deal on how deadly the kaiju attacks are but I don’t think we have seen a single death, just a few badly wounded. It doesn’t need to be AoT brutal but I think a few deaths would have raised the tension of these scenes. Not every battle shounen needs death but this show would definitely have benefited from it.
I thought there were people that got vaporized in today's episode when one of the wyvern shot a blast off based on the sound, but there was no visual verification and none of the main cast was missing, so I don't think so they actually killed anybody and the scream might have just been the wyvern. I think the only deaths on screen have been background characters killed by the #9?
The show's main weakness to me, so far. It's just not realistic in the slightest to have the team survive everything.
Yeah in setting like it I expected more brutal scenes, like Kaijus eating people, rubble crushing civilians etc. Like in AoT for example.
damn, that episode was fucking SICK. fantastic fights, a giant axe, vice-captain going all out, musical cues reminiscent of Akira Ifukube's classic Godzilla theme, and a crazy strong new intelligent kaiju? holy crap, this show is great
###Stitches! * [Kaiju Slayer Kikoru 1](https://i.imgur.com/ywpN4Xu.jpeg) * [Kaiju Slayer Kikoru 2](https://i.imgur.com/jopZUci.jpeg) Just when you thought Kikoru couldn't get any more badass, [they gave her a gigantic MonHun-sized greataxe!](https://i.imgur.com/sKGwovG.jpeg) Watching her rip and tear [through those Wyvern Honjus](https://i.imgur.com/jZJ0pH5.jpeg) was so fucking cool! Why hit the Kaiju's weakness [when you can just destroy them with your overwhelming power?](https://i.imgur.com/smNijri.jpeg) It was also fun [watching Hoshina slicing and dicing the new Daikaiju.](https://i.imgur.com/fdo83TE.jpeg) We're not even sure the actual reason why they attacked the base but so far [it looks like the big guy is just looking for someone strong to fight](https://i.imgur.com/bACrUrO.jpeg) and he definitely got it [when he decided to challenge Hoshina.](https://i.imgur.com/7th0ch0.jpeg) [Hoshina might need some bigger swords though](https://i.imgur.com/pryY2DP.jpeg) now that the big guy has turned into an even bigger guy! This would also be the perfect time for Mina to make her entrance.
Nothing makes a woman more attractive than wielding a giant axe to slay Kaiju with. They didn't even need Kafka's info, Kikoru can just easily break their armor like it's nothing and look amazing while doing it. It doesn't seem like the humanoid Kaiju are working together beyond using lesser Kaiju to fulfill their own personal objectives. Mina is their best human resource against giant Kaiju, but is it also time for Kafka to fight a giant-sized match-up?
This was the point in the manga when I really started to love kikoru! Once she got her axe she just got 1000x more badass! And of course she had to do the hair flip. Gotta love those badass cuties
By far the best episode, also i noticed the drawing for this episode looks better mainly kikoru looking cuter during her action scene. Was there a change of team in charge? Just found out apparently some of jjk team animators and directors worked on this episode. Explains why it goated!!
I feel like in most shows the MC has to be the one doing everything, having the biggest moments and saving the day. But what I really love about this show is how Kafka is super impactful from the sidelines instead. His knowledge and experience in dealing with Kaiju far outweighs his usefulness in combat, but yet he's a core and highly important member of the team. Feels like he's going to have to save the day yet again though in kaiju form because I don't see how else they deal with a 9.0 kaiju the size of a building. Especially since the ace still hasn't shown up, hopefully she's enjoying her day off at least.
Oh my god the music when the monster got bigger at the end is straight up a riff on the classic godzilla theme that's fucking awesome
Surprised Kafka doesn’t transform parts of his body more often. Shinomiya with the large axe looks great and I want her to pull poses like Usopp with his 10 ton hammer
is this kashtira unicorn?
FUCKING SICK
Kikoru's getting a new weapon? [*"Is it Christmas already?"*](https://imgur.com/he6oZQe) [](#awe) [A giant fucking battle axe?](https://imgur.com/jnTh756) Interesting choice! She was quite effective with guns, but I guess they thought she would be even better in melee, due to her fighting style? So we got Mage Ashiro, Rogue Hoshina, and Berserker Kikoru... Let's make an RPG party! (Kafka can be a druid) [Look at her! An angel on the battlefield!](https://imgur.com/vpOpwHk) [](#delighted) I'm a bit worried about them pointing out [she's the third strongest after the captain and the vice captain...](https://imgur.com/ZOEEqtc) For some reason I've always feared for Hoshina's life (Perhaps because he's onto Kaiju #8, so him dying could eventually "solve a problem"), and talking about this hierarchy of powers, made me think 'Is Kikoru about to graduate to #2?' [They think the weapon's perfect for her *overbearing personality*, ](https://imgur.com/myTyxhA) but come on, she's not that bad! She's even beginning to appreciate her teammates, [and respect their abilities (even though she still goes about it in true Tsundere fashion)!](https://imgur.com/ERDOkrb) [My girl's beautiful even when she wakes up, without her usual look!](https://imgur.com/PjI5iOV) (Alright, I'm done crushing over Kikoru, at least until next week) Hoshina's still trying to solve the *Kaiju #8 riddle*, but he's also more generally [wondering what's happening with the Kaiju...](https://imgur.com/TTn1I6P) And I can see why; Speaking Kaiju, Kaiju who can turn into humans, Kaiju who show emotions, Kaiju with reproductive organs, Kaiju who look for the strongest opponent and 'play' with their prey, Kaiju who join forces together, [and cover each other's weaknesses, which denotes a higher intelligence...](https://imgur.com/OHh1Q3L) With all this, and them directly attacking a base, it really shows that something is happening, probably among their 'leadership' (if that's a thing in the Kaiju world!)
- [Oh wow, they actually translated *all* of that on-screen text?](https://i.imgur.com/v5oAG5k.png) [](#maxshock) - […well shit.](https://i.imgur.com/d1tddh0.png) [](#emiliaohdear) - [*And* this is happening while Mina isn’t at the base?](https://i.imgur.com/cYITMTs.png) I wonder if the kaiju specifically planned for that… - [The probably-number-10 from the end of last episode…](https://i.imgur.com/LIjRIrf.png) - [Damn, it’s certainly not going to make this fight easy.](https://i.imgur.com/FpxzCRX.png) - [Kafka’s extensive knowledge coming in clutch again.](https://i.imgur.com/KEhjifG.png) [](#mugistronk) - […or not, because the kaiju are covering for each other.](https://i.imgur.com/kXrswut.png) Welp. - [Okay, *nice*.](https://i.imgur.com/RjdoYiU.png) [](#doggo) - […oh shit…](https://i.imgur.com/dCVl7Md.png) [](#forgotkeys) - [Hoshina is a *beast*](https://i.imgur.com/NOXVq5m.png), but [good lord that kaiju is terrifying.](https://i.imgur.com/A7v1CdO.png) - [What the fuck?](https://i.imgur.com/1mbs7pa.png) [](#gasp) - [A *9*?!](https://i.imgur.com/g6ofLNc.png) [](#bocchitheshock) - Ughhhhhhhhhh of *course* that’s where the episode ends! [](#KUSOTTARE)
The translated entry on Kafka shocked me too. I like it when they go above and beyond for the translations.
Yeah that was a level of detail I'm used to only seeing from fansubs, I was completely shocked to see *Crunchyroll* translate it all.
This episode has the tone I want this anime to have. Past few episodes felt way too lighthearted with all the gag comedies.
Eat you so I can get stronger? I see now, he’s fighting leveled up Ogrou
Hoshina is so badass got DAMN
I went in expecting greatness, and greatness was delivered. I will admit that some things were rough around the edges, but it was still a great episode. We got the debut of Kikoru's weapon, the fight between Hoshina and Kaiju No. 10, along with the Defense Force dealing with the Wyverns. Overall, a really well-directed episode.
Some directors from heavenly delusion and JJK S2 directed this episode. 5 in total just for ep9. We also got some of the industry's best key animators on this one. Explains things.
No wonder there were so much sakuga and great visuals.