Kaiju No 8 is in the middle of its endgame story when it comes to the war against Kaiju No. 9. Titled “The Last Wave,” Naoya Matsumoto latest story arc for Kaiju No 8 placed Mina Ashiro in serious danger after she defeated some of the most dangerous Kaiju. Luckily Kafka Hibino was able to step up to save his childhood friend and confront Kaiju No. 9. But now as the fight with Kaiju No. 9 has escalated we got a major moment between Kafka and Mina that this series has been building towards. Though that moment came with a major development that could change the trajectory of Kaiju No. 8.
KAFKA HIBINO & MINA ASHIRO TEAM-UP
From the very beginning of Kaiju No 8 Matsumoto has driven home how much Kafka is driven by his childhood promise to stand by Mina’s side. It was what made him constantly try to get into Japan’s Defense Force even in his early 30s. While their interactions have been far and in between Matsumoto has always made it a point to remind us of Kafka and Mina’s childhood promise. That is what made Kafka saving Mina such a big moment in Kaiju No 8 Chapter 105.
While Kafka was finally able to save Mina he was still left as the only one capable of taking on Kaiju No. 9. That battle proved more difficult as it went on. That difficulty level increased in Kaiju No. 8 Chapter 108 with Kaiju No. 9 revealing its new ability. That ability was to be able to split off and control Kaiju No. 2 from its body. That created a two-on-one scenario with Kafka being cornered to the point he almost had his Kaiju core by the villain.
With Kafka in such a dangerous moment we got the huge moment of a recovered Mina saving Kafka and ready to fight by his side. This proclamation by Mina in Kaiju No. 8 Chapter 108 was the big payoff to what Matsumoto has been building towards since the first chapter. We will finally get Mina and Kafka fight side-by-side as they promised.
This moment drives home how Matsumoto is treating “The Last Wave” arc as an Endgame-style story for the series. It’s a credit to the big time threat that Kaiju No. 9 has been built up to be. That build is what made the Kafka and Mina team-up as equals finally happen. It creates even more excitement to see the two childhood friends kick Kaiju No. 9’s ass once and for all.
KAFKA HIBINO DANGEROUS KAIJU NO 8 STATUS
For as big of a payoff Kafka and Mina ready to together fight as equals was not everything about Kaiju No 8 Chapter 108 was positive. Particular, we learned about the race against the clock that Kafka is under at the moment. That is because as of this latest chapter Kafka has been fighting in his Kaiju No. 8 form for thirty minutes and is in danger of making it permanent.
The time Kafka possibly being permanently stuck in his Kaiju form was revealed by Soshiro Hoshina. After being contacted by Konomi Okonogi about how long Kafka has been in his Kaiju form Soshiro is reminded of a conversation he had with the Defense Force doctors. The doctors revealed that if Kafka was to stay transformed into his Kaiju form for an extended period of time he wouldn’t be able to change back to his huma form.
The time limit Kafka is under was not specified. Matsumoto likely did this on purpose to create tension around this mysterious time limit Kafka is under. It certainly creates more pressure for Kafka and Mina to wrap up the battle sooner rather than later. Though that will be easier said than done given the surprises Kaiju No. 9 has constantly thrown at our heroes.
With this new found sense of urgency Matsumoto has laid the foundation for what may come after “The Last Wave.” For as Endgame this story has felt it does seem Matsumoto still has plenty of ideas for where he wants to take Kaiju No 8. With the anime helping grow its popularity this new development with Kafka could trigger what comes after the battle with Kaiju No. 9 is resolved. We will just have to wait and see with the next chapter of the series.
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