So this is like the second time the Third Division base has been attacked by kaiju. I think these guys have lousy luck or something. It does make for an exciting set piece, though. The base is the last place anyone would expect to deal with a kaiju assault so the stakes feel pretty high.
With Mina out on a meeting, Soshiro assumes command on the Third Division’s defense effort. Kafka identifies the flying kaiju to be Preondactyls, a wyvern-type monster. He notifies Soshiro that these guys usually attack alone so for them to band together, they must have been rallied by something even stronger than them. Soshiro immediately concurs as he runs into the humanoid daikaiju leading the attack. I must say, this guy’s character design is sick. The lizard-like appearance, the red color scheme, and the single blue eye. I dig it.
Seeing as Soshiro is the strongest fighter present, the humanoid proceeds to fight it. Unlike Kaiju No. 9, who had a very cold and analytical personality, the new guy simply revels for a good fight. The more trouble Soshiro gives it, the more it seems to enjoy trading blows with him. We’ve seen glimpses of Soshiro’s prowess before but this fight is probably the best demonstration of it. Unlike Kafka, the humanoid is more than willing to trade blows so there’s a better sense of how Soshiro performs defensively. The fight also shows some more of Soshiro’s tactical side, as demonstrated by him deliberately aiming for gaps in the daikaiju’s armor to create a diversion.
Using his encyclopedic knowledge, Kafka informs the division that the Preondactyls are generally weaker from the back. A neat detail here is that everyone, even the senior officers, just accept Kafka’s advice from the get go. It goes to show how much trust he’s developed with them. What complicate things is that the wyverns are operating in pairs. If one of them is targeted, the other has its back so the officers have trouble trying to exploit their weakness. Well, everyone except for Kikoru.
So sometime before Mina left, she and Soshiro gave Kikoru a special axe to use as her new personal weapon. Even though this privilege is usually reserved for higher ranked officers, Mina and Soshiro decide to make an exception in light of the growing kaiju threat and Kikoru’s combat power. At least for this fight, it’s strong enough to break through a Preondactyl’s skin regardless of where Kikoru hits it. I’ve joked before about Kikoru going through all the formalities of the recruitment process when really, her sheer power makes her overqualified to leave her at entry level. I can’t help but snicker then that even the two best fighters in the Third Division acknowledge Kikoru as #3 and they’ve provided her with a personal weapon to make her even stronger. Moments like this is why I’m not too annoyed with Kikoru’s attitude. She can be a brat but it’s hard to deny that she talks the talk and she looks pretty cool doing it.
While Kikoru is very strong with her axe, she is limited to close quarter combat. Against a flying wyvern, she’s a bit of a sitting duck. Fortunately, Reno provides her with support by using his Freeze rounds to incapacitate any incoming wyverns midflight. This is a smart way to get Kikoru to rely on someone other than herself, as well as allow Reno some of the spotlight. Plus, it’s nice to finally see these two fighting together. Even after eight episodes, that hasn’t happened before.
Eventually, reinforcements arrive and the Preondactyl’s numbers are gradually whittled down. Soshiro also attacks the humanoid at full strength and he manages to locate the humanoid’s core. All he needs to do now is land a finishing blow. For a second, it looks like the Third Division will win this battle. But as it turns out however, the humanoid has an ace up its sleeve: the good old anime villain transformation. In its new form, the humanoid is much larger and has a much higher fortitude level. With how large it is, it seems like Mina would be a better fit in taking it down. Considering that she’s still away from the battle, I expect her to show up in the next episode to fight the humanoid. That said, it’s worth noting that the humanoid’s current fortitude level is 9.0 and Kafka’s peak is 9.8. As risky as it is for Kafka to transform in the base, he may very well be one of the few things that can defeat the daikaiju.
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