A new key visual has been unveiled for the Kaiju No. 8 season one compilation special and an original episode titled “Hoshina’s Day Off.” The anime’s double feature will begin screening in Japan theatrically on March 28, 2025 within a limited 3-week, 32-theater release period.
The compilation and original episode were first announced in August 2024. A second season of Kaiju No. 8 is scheduled to premiere sometime in 2025.
The anime’s official English Twitter and website describes the “Hoshina’s Day Off” episode as:
A day off… a rare day of peace for the Defense Force. After spending so long training, Reno has forgotten what he’s supposed to do with free time. He sees that Hoshina is up to something with his own day off, and decides to go on a mission to tail him with Iharu! But then things go in an unexpected direction…
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 Ichiro Ohkouchi (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury, Code Geass) as series screenwriter, Tetsuya Nishio (Naruto, Vampire in the Garden) as character designer, Mahiro Maeda (SSSS.GRIDMAN, Evangelion 3.0+1.0 co-director and concept art director et al.) as kaiju designer, and Yuta Bandoh (Belle co-composer) as music composer.
Other staff include Studio Khara as kaiju supervisor (design and artwork), Izumi Hirose (Tengoku-Daimakyo) as color designer, and Shinji Kimura (Children of the Sea, Blood Blockade Battlefront) as art director. Production I.G is in charge of the animation production for the series.
Meanwhile, the anime’s main voice cast includes:
- • Masaya Fukunishi as Kafka Hibino
- • Asami Seto as Mina Ashiro
- • Wataru Kato as Reno Ichikawa
- • Fairouz Ai as Kikoru Shinomiya
- • Kengo Kawanishi as Soshiro Hoshina
The first season of Kaiju No. 8 was streamed weekly on Crunchyroll, X (formerly known as Twitter), and iQIYI outside of Japan in select territories. Crunchyroll streamed new episodes of the anime live weekly in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, simultaneously with the Japanese broadcasts.
Naoya Matsumoto’s original action manga began serialization in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ online website on July 3, 2020. Fourteen tankobon volumes have been released as of November 2024. VIZ Media licensed the manga series for release in English.
A spin-off manga by Kentaro Hidano titled Kaiju No.8: B-Side was launched in Shonen Jump+ on January 5, 2024 and has been released in English by Shueisha and VIZ. It follows the side stories of several Defense Force members from the main series. Another spinoff called Kaiju No. 8 Relax will be published in Saikyo Jump on June 4, 2024.
A four-chapter side-story light novel written by Keiji Ando and illustrated by Matsumoto was released on November 4, 2022. A printed version of the light novel will be released later in 2024.
VIZ describes the main synopsis of Kaiju No. 8 as:
Kafka hopes to one day keep his pact with his childhood friend Mina to join the Japan Defense Force and fight by her side. But while she’s out neutralizing kaiju as Third Division captain, Kafka is stuck cleaning up the aftermath of her battles. When a sudden rule change makes Kafka eligible for the Defense Force, he decides to try out for the squad once more. There’s just one problem — he’s made the Defense Force’s neutralization list under the code name Kaiju No. 8.
Source: Kaiju No. 8 Official English Twitter, Official Anime Website
