New images of the TV anime series Kaiju No. 8 has been released, focusing on Self-Defense Force Division 3 captain Mina Ashiro. The image shows Kafka Hibino’s childhood friend ready to take aim with his gun.
The anime is scheduled to premiere in Japan on April 13, 2024. It will be streamed outside Japan on Crunchyroll and X (formerly known as Twitter).
© J3D © NM/S
Shigeyuki Miya (Afterlost, The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior) and Tomomi Kamiya (A Good Librarian Like a Good Shepherd, Hikari: Kariya wo Tsunagu Monogatari) are directing the anime series, with Ichirou Ohkouchi (Mobile Suit: The Witch of Mercury, Code Geass) is the series’ scriptwriter, Tetsuya Nishio (Naruto, Vampire in the Garden) is the character designer, Mahiro Maeda (SSSS.GRIDMAN, Evangelion 3.0+1.0 co-director and art director concept artist and others) as kaiju designer and Yuuta Bandoh (co-composed with Belle) as composer.
Other staff include Studio Khara as kaiju supervisor (design and artwork), Izumi Hirose (Tengoku-Daimakyo) as color designer, Shinji Kimura (Children of the Sea, Blood Blockade Battlefront ) as art director and Shinji Kimura (Children of the Sea, Blood Blockade Battlefront) as art director. Production IG is handling the animation production for the series.
Meanwhile, the main voice cast for the anime includes:
• Masaya Fukunishi as Kafka Hibino • Asami Seto as Mina Ashiro • Wataru Katou as Reno Ichikawa • Fairouz Ai as Kikoru Shinomiya • Kengo Kawanishi as Soshiro Hoshina
Kaiju No. 8 is based on the action manga of the same name by Naoya Matsumoto, which premiered in Shueisha’s online magazine Shonen Jump+ on July 3, 2020. Eleven tankoubon volumes have been released as of December 2023 , with the 12th volume to premiere on April 4, 2024. A spin-off manga by Kentarou Hidano titled Kaiju No.8: B-Side began serialization on Shonen Jump+ on January 5, 2024, focuses on the side stories of some members of the Self-Defense Forces.
© J3D © NM/S
A four-chapter side story light novel written by Keiji Ando and illustrated by Matsumoto himself was released on November 4, 2022.
Viz Media released the Kaiju No.8 manga in English, with a brief description as follows:
Kafka hopes to one day keep his pact with his childhood friend Mina to join the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and fight alongside her. But while she’s neutralizing kaiju as Third Division captain, Kafka is stuck cleaning up the aftermath of her battles. When a sudden rule change makes Kafka eligible to join the Self-Defense Forces, he decides to try out for the team again. There’s just one problem—he’s landed on the Self-Defense Forces’ disabled list under the codename Kaiju No. 8.