Upon watching this episode, you might immediately notice that this episode is titled “Kaiju No. 9”. That’s right, we’re already moving onto the sequel! Joking aside, this is likely the name of the enemy humanoid kaiju or the name it will eventually receive from the Defense Force. The name makes sense given its similarities to Kafka such as the humanoid appearance and overwhelming power level. I still don’t really get the whole numbered aspect but given that the Defense Force wants numbered kaiju to create specialized equipment, I’m guessing the number designates kaiju that are of particular note.
Episode 7 jumps right into the action with Kaiju No. 9 attacking Reno and Iharu, injuring the latter. Reno tries to call for backup but learns from No. 9 that it has formed a “mimetic space” that blocks communications and renders area invisible. Reno then convinces Iharu to flee and make contact with the Third Division though Iharu ends up returning to help Reno. That felt like a dumb decision for a second but it actually ends up being the right call as the mimetic space would’ve prevented Iharu from leaving anyway.
I figured Reno would put up a respectable fight against Kaiju No. 9 and that does end up being the case in this episode. Thanks to a tidbit from Kikoru, Reno is able to figure out the direction at which No. 9 fires its projectiles so he’s able to hold his ground and fire some rounds at the kaiju. Iharu also provides some solid support for Reno by firing conductor rounds that stun No. 9 into place, giving Reno a clear opening. Despite the solid efforts however, the humanoid kaiju is simply a lot more powerful than them and it has more tricks up its sleeves than it let on during its fight against Kikoru.
Something that I really appreciate about this fight is that it expands on Iharu’s character. With his attitude and character design, I honestly did expect him to be a one-sided rival character who gets annoyed at the increasing gap in power between him and Reno. It’s a very pleasant surprise then that Iharu flat out admits to himself that Reno is the better officer and he willingly provides backup during the fight. Even though his pride is wounded, he genuinely admires Reno. As risky as it is for Iharu to come back to help Reno, it is a nice callback to when Reno did the same for Kafka back in Episode 1, one that illustrates Iharu’s heroism and how much he cares about Reno. It really sucks then that Kaiju No. 8 isn’t throwing him a bone in terms of power. Reno has been steadily getting a boost in power but poor Iharu isn’t allowed that luxury. At least for this fight, it sells Iharu’s desperation to save Reno from No. 9 but I do hope that he gets some sort of boost in the future.
Right as No. 9 attempts to kill Reno, Kafka arrives in his kaiju form to fend it off. This is easily Kafka’s most entertaining fight so far. For one, No. 9 doesn’t go down in one punch like the honju Kafka has defeated before. As cool as it was seeing Kafka make short work of honju, it’s refreshing to see an opponent last longer than that. I do admit that the fight is still a bit one-sided. Like, No. 9 is more versatile, being able to manipulate kaiju flesh for both offensive and defensive purposes, but that’s rendered moot by the sheer power Kafka seems to possess. To be fair, this does give us a much clearer picture of how strong Kafka as No. 8. After seeing No. 9 toy with the other characters, seeing it struggle puts some serious perspective on Kafka’s powers. One last thing that I really dig is Kafka deducing from No. 9’s defense that its core lies in its torso. Kafka putting his kaiju knowledge to good use has so far been a fun part of his character so seeing him incorporate it in a fight is really cool.
Kafka manages to defeat No. 9 but he fails to destroy its core due to a pair of officers arriving at the scene, thereby allowing No. 9 to escape. Kafka retreats to an alleyway but this results in him getting found and attacked by Soshiro, who assumes that he’s the one who attacked Reno and Iharu. I’m pretty excited to see this fight in greater detail next episode. Given Soshiro’s suspicions towards Kafka and Kafka’s desire to become the vice captain, pitting these two against each other is a great idea. Plus, we haven’t seen Kafka fight against a human before. With how freakishly powerful he is, it’ll be interesting to see how an experienced officer such as Soshiro stands against him.
Watch Kaiju No. 8 on Crunchyroll
Xenodude Scribbles 