Two years ago, I had no intention of ever watching Kaiju No. 8. It’s one of the few genres that I honestly have no interest in. But I watched a YouTube video where they put the show on their best of the year list, and they had a lot of good things to say about it. So I gave it a shot, and I was hooked by the end of the second episode. It quickly became one of my favorite action anime of all time, for so many reasons.
In a world where Kaiju constantly try to destroy Japan, childhood friends Kafka Hibino and Mina Ashiro promise to join the Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defense Force. She does, and becomes one of their strongest officers. But Kafka doesn’t have what it takes and joins the clean up crew. One day, a parasite merged with his body and he gains the ability to turn into a strong Kaiju. He’s then able to join the Defense Force, but he has to keep his identity as Kaiju No. 8 a secret.
Just as this is happening, stronger Kaiju begin appearing all across Japan. So Kafka is forced to grow stronger as both the Kaiju and as himself. The show has a lot of fun action sequences, especially in the second season. The original author and studio don’t pull any punches when showing mass destruction. But the characters and humor are really what makes Kaiju No. 8 stand out. Out of all the anime I’ve seen, this one has the most lovable characters.
Take Kafka for instance, he’s a very interesting character. He’s dealing with the struggles of his human body falling apart as he ages, he struggles to keep his Kaiju identity hidden, and he tries his best to grow and protect everyone around him. He’s a very good protagonist, and he has a bunch of funny moments, but if I had to rank all my favorite characters, he wouldn’t even be in the top 5.
Reno is a badass. He’s always cool and supportive of his friends, and his strength grows a lot throughout the series. Vice Captain Hoshina is even more of a badass. He’s one of the strongest characters in the series, and he’s incredibly cool. Then Narumi one ups both of them and is significantly more badass. When season 2 was airing, I heard someone say he’s the next Gojo, and I believe them. He’s a lazy goofball, but when he’s fighting, he’s the coolest, strongest, and most serious fighter in the room.
Then you have Mina and Kikoru. Mina is one of the strongest and Kikoru grows so much, not only as a fighter, but in her relationships with Kafka and the others. Plus there’s a bunch of other characters who either grow a lot throughout the series or are just interesting like Iharu. If you remove all the action and humor, there’s never a dull moment because the characters really being the show to life. There’s so much to enjoy about Kaiju No. 8.
10/10