Serialized in the Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ digital app since July 2020, Naoya Matsumoto's Kaiju No. 8 manga is the fastest title from the free service to reach 3 million copies in circulation. Of course, it most be noted that this feat pertains to the digital only Shone Jump+ app and not the main, (printed) Shonen Jump manga magazine. Still, this is an impressive feat and makes us wonder if an anime announcement is just around the corner.
Matsumoto is achieving such impressive numbers with only 3 volumes released to date, with the most recent volume being released on June 4. To celebrate this milestone, Matsumoto crafted the special poster below. Individual chapters of Kaiju No. 8 are released in English simultaneously by Shueisha on their Manga Plus app.
Back in February, VIZ Media announced that they've acquired the North American distribution license for the physical copies of the series and plan to release the first volume this fall. If the series proved to be just as popular stateside, an anime adaptation is all but guaranteed.
With Attack on Titan concluded, many predict that Kaiju No. 8 is rising to prominence at the perfect time and will easily inherit the bulk of the fandom Hajime Isayama carved out over 12 years as there's really no other popular kaiju series to offer competition.
Grotesque, Godzilla-like monsters called "kaijuu" have been appearing around Japan for many years. To combat these beasts, an elite military unit known as the Defense Corps risks their lives daily to protect civilians. Once a creature is killed, "sweepers"—working under the Professional Kaijuu Cleaner Corporation—are left to dispose of its remains.
Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old man, is unsatisfied with his job as a sweeper. From a young age, he has aspired to join the Defense Corps and kill kaijuus for a living. After a few failed attempts, however, he gave up on his dreams and resigned himself to the mediocrity that provided a decent paycheck. Nevertheless, when an ambitious, 18-year-old recruit named Leno Ichikawa joins his cleaning team, Kafka is once again reminded of his desire to join the military.
Following a chain of unfortunate events and an interaction with the junior sweeper, Kafka encounters a parasite-type kaijuu that forces its way in through his mouth—turning him into a humanoid monster. With his newfound powers, Kafka aims to give his lifelong dream a final try.