Back in June, we learned that Production I.G's monster-hunting anime Kaiju No. 8 was getting a second season, although no release date was announced at the time.
In celebration of "No. 8" day and Kafka's birthday today, the official website and social accounts for the anime series confirmed that Kaiju No. 8 will officially return in 2025 — which feels sooner than expected.
In addition to the series return, it was confirmed that a new original episode, titled "Hoshina's Day Off," and a compilation film consisting of scenes from Season 1 will be shown in Japanese theaters sometime next year. Furthermore, a live event with the anime's voice actors will be held at Kannai Hall on June 1, 2025.
Crunchyroll has already confirmed it will stream the highly anticipated second season when it return, so we can probably assume the new original episode will also be hosted on Crunchyroll. We don't know if the film will make its way to North American theaters, though.
An adaptation of the Japanese manga written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto, the Kaiju No. 8 anime aired from April to June 2024. The series was produced by Production I.G and directed by Shigeyuki Miya with Tetsuya Nishio serving as chief animation director and character designer. Ichiro Okouchi provided series composition with Mahiro Maeda on kaiju designs, Shinji Kimura as art director, and Yua Bandoh on music.
Kaiju No. 8 received glowing reviews for its first season, with many praising the anime's tone, art style, action sequences, and compelling characters. The series has drawn comparisons to other popular manga and animes such as One-Punch Man and Attack on Titan, but does enough to distinguish itself from them that even the borrowed elements feel fresh.
The story revolves around Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old longing to join The Defense Force and make good on his promise to a childhood friend, Mina Ashiro. He befriends Reno Ichikawa, a new coworker, while cleaning up Kaiju remains. Reno’s determination to join The Defense Force inspires Kafka to fulfill his childhood promise to pass the entrance exam and join Mina to protect humanity. When a small Kaiju burrows itself inside Kafka, he gains superhuman strength and powers fit for fighting Kaiju. He works to earn the trust of his human teammates, defeat increasingly powerful Kaiju, and keep the world safe. Part human and part Kaiju, Kafka recognizes the creature beginning to take over more frequently, and he must fight to hold on to what makes him human.
The entire first season of Kaiju No. 8 can be streamed on Crunchyroll. Meanwhile, the manga is serialized in Shueisha's Shonen Jump+ manga magazine with VIZ Media publishing the English language version.