Summary

• Kaiju No. 8 loses its unique edge by focusing on standard Shonen battles.
• The series should leverage its strengths and originality to stand out in a crowded market.
• Despite being entertaining, Kaiju No. 8 risks fading away by not being revolutionary like Chainsaw Man.

The groundbreaking manga Kaiju No. 8 is ruining what made it so unique with an arc that turned the series far more into standard shonen. This doesn’t make the manga by Naoya Matsumoto boring or uninteresting to read, but it does squander the potential it had to be something truly special. Especially since this arc promised to focus on something so rarely seen in these sorts of stories.

Chapter 77 continued the ongoing arc of the series with Kaiju attacking various parts of Japan simultaneously at the command of the evil Kaiju No. 9. Various of the Defense Force had been deployed to destroy these Kaiju and help evacuate citizens and the chapters immediately preceding this one have focused on their new upgraded abilities.

Unfortunately, chapter 77 introduced a shift in focus, introducing five new incredibly powerful Kaiju that want to fight the various Defense Force one-on-one. This is a very standard Shonen set up in this sort of war arc, reducing the chaos of the fighting down to easily digestible individual clashes. But Kaiju No. 8 had the chance to do something truly innovative here instead of just devolving into overused tropes.

Kaiju No. 8's Focus on Standard Shonen Battles Undermines the Series' Uniqueness

The Series Should Play More to its Strengths

Kaiju No. 8 first became popular due to its innovative take on many Shonen concepts. Instead of focusing on a young boy as its main character, the manga focused on Kafka, a middle-aged man. Instead of him relying on his flashy powers, Kafka initially had to hide his Kaiju nature from the Defense Force and fight largely with his own meager abilities except in extreme cases.

After revealing his double nature, the manga has become a lot more standard, but the Second Wave Arc Chapter 77 belongs to promised to be something unique, focusing on how the Defense Force could fight overwhelming numbers while also protecting the citizens coming under attack. The development in Chapter 77 dropped that promise entirely, however.

Kaiju No. 8 is Missing its Chance to Stand Out in a Crowded Shonen Market

The Series Defied So Many Classic Shonen Tropes for so Long

The focus on individual battles also retroactively reduces the manga's subversive nature. For instance, the series cleverly justified the presence of its inexperienced main characters (which other manga like My Hero Academia have been criticized for) by using them as a secret weapon against Kaiju No. 9. But this twist reveals that that justification was pointless as Kaiju No. 9 knew about them and prepared special Kaiju specifically to defeat them. This coupled with how Kafka has recently been acting like a standard Shonen protagonist despite his age is blunting the subversive edge the manga once had.

Some of Kaiju No. 8's Fights Lack the True Epic Scale That They Should Have

Shonen and Kaiju Don't Mix All that Often

Given the series' title and the early focus on giant monsters, Kaiju No. 8 was set up to be a true fusion of the kaiju and shonen genres. While the two had briefly mixed before in Naruto, fights of truly legendary scale were more of a rare treat to supplement that series' strong basis in mystical and martial arts. In contrast, Kaiju No. 8's premise establishes that large-scale battles between giant monsters will be the norm as opposed to the exception.

However, subsequent chapters of Kaiju No. 8 after chapter #77 would show a greater focus on battles between two opponents who are far more human, both in stature and in mind. The battle between Kikoru and Kaiju No. 15 is a great example. Though the art in the fight is as strong as anything else drawn by series creator Naoya Matsumoto, the actual battle itself feels like something that could have come from many other manga in Shonen Jump's repertoire.

It's important to note that Kikoru and Kaiju No. 15's fight is still solid. The many emotional moments throughout the battle as Kikoru re her childhood are all well-implemented and hit like they're supposed to. However, there's nothing about the brawl that particularly feels like it's taking place in a manga that is ostensibly about battles either involving or between kaiju.

Kaiju No. 8 is in the Spotlight Now More Than Ever

Kaiju No. 8's anime adaptation has already made history several times over, thrusting the series into a big spotlight. Given that the anime is already blowing up, it's entirely likely that the manga will gain more readers than ever. With this in mind, it would make sense for the manga to shift focus slightly back to the unique elements that made the series stand out when it first premiered in 2020.

If Kaiju No 8. wants to maintain a long-lasting legacy that can survive for decades after both the manga and the anime end, then it should play to its strengths and what makes it unique.

Right now, Shonen Jump is in a transitional phase. Many of its traditional battle shonen series like One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia are ending soon. In contrast, manga like Kaiju No. 8 and Chainsaw Man laid out a bold new vision for shonen in general and Shonen Jump in particular. If Kaiju No 8. wants to maintain a long-lasting legacy that can survive for decades after both the manga and the anime end, then it should play to its strengths and what makes it unique.

Despite all of this, Kaiju No. 8 is still an entertaining story overall, filled with action-packed fights and cool set pieces. But it can no longer claim to be doing something revolutionary like its much more exciting and innovative Shonen Jump contemporary Chainsaw Man. If Kaiju No. 8 continues to hew closer to standard Shonen tropes it may fade away as an unforgettable series instead of living up to its initial groundbreaking potential.

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