The defeat of Kaiju No. 9 has had massive ramifications for the Kaiju No 8 series. What should’ve been a cause for celebration has turned into an even greater horror. That is because immediately after Kaiju No. 9’s defeat at the hands of Kafka Hibino and Mina Ashiro they unintentionally created an even greater Kaiju threat. This threat came from all that kaiju that Kaiju No. 9 absorbed going out of control and creating a Daikaiju at the level seen in the Meireki Era. With a Daikaiju that is reminiscent of the ancient past it opened the door for the most recent chapter deep diving into several major plots with Soshiro Hoshina and Kafka at the center of them. Let’s take a look at what was revealed in Kaiju No 8 Chapter 117.
MEIREKI ERA REVEALS REASON FOR BIRTH OF KAIJU NO 8
In Kaiju No 8 Chapter 117, while in his near-death state Kafka Hibino was still connected to Kaiju No. 9 after delivering the final blow to the villain. This caused Kafka’s mind to be transported to the Meireki Era and experience a massive battle that took place against a Daikaiju level Kaiju. This Daikaiju was shown to be so overwhelming it killed a massive Japan samurai army and destroying many nearby towns with very little effort.
Kafka experienced this for a very specific reason. That reason was to reveal that the mysterious larva-like kaiju that turned Kafka into Kaiju No 8 was amalgamation of the shame felt by the fallen Meireki era samurai upon their deaths. As the amalgamation of all that was left of these fallen samurai it could explain why when the larva-like kaiju that infected Kafka had more sentience than the normal mindless kaiju. Even when the larva-like kaiju first appeared it specifically said “I found you” to Kafka showing that it wasn’t aligned with Kaiju No 9 or other kaiju.
This revelation in turn gave more weight to the three words spoken by the larve-like kaiju said to Kafka. With this kaiju having existed for hundreds of years it could be said that what remained of the deceased samurais in the larva kaiju were looking for a specific. That specific host turned out to be Kafka. Adding to its sentient nature is how we saw the larva kaiju “help” Kafka when he almost died fighting Director General Isao Shinomiya during the “Kaiju No. 8 Captured” story arc.
The reason for this happening in the first chapter could be as simple as the traditional shonen protagonist angle that Kafka was not special. Similar to My Hero Academia’s Izuku Midoriya, because Kafka failed his Defense Force Entrance Exam many times it meant he lacked the power to join. Because he is a normal person Kafka made for the perfect host for the larva kaiju to infect.
DEFENSE FORCE ELITES POWER LEVEL TIED TO ANCESTORS
Something that added to explaining why Kafka may have been chosen to become Kaiju No 8 also ties back into what we see in the Meireki era flashback. While experiencing the battle against the Daikaiju, Kafka noticed both the weapons and armor used by the samurai were crafted using parts of kaijus. Because these weapons and armor were created by blacksmiths it caused all the samurai to be bonded to the kaiju in a parasitic way.
Because of the visible way we see the bonding to these samurai happen it made the appearance of Soshiro Hoshina’s ancestor as general stand out even more. It could be that the kaiju became part of the DNA of these warriors. It would go on to explain a possible reason for how after their deaths the collective shame they felt when dying part of their souls that bonded with the kaiju became a form of negative energy to fuse into the larva kaiju. With how much attention to detail Naoya Matsumoto has with his artwork pointing out the parasitic way of bonding adds to this possibility.
This could also explain why certain members of the Defense Force like Soshiro Hoshina have can draw out so much of the full potential of the Combat Suits. Since the Combat Suits utilized kaiju cells in their creation it means the user has to have more than just physical strength to utilize their suits full potential.
The key to the stronger connection can be that Soshiro through his family’s long-time usage of kaiju enhanced weapons and armor made it easier to unleash more of the Combat Suits power than others. This is something else we see with Kikoru Shinomiya, a prodigy in her own right, is able to wield even higher combat power then her mom, who was a Captain-level Kaiju Weapon wielder.
Having a family history with kaiju weapons and armor might mean many humans could be born with traces kaiju DNA. It would certainly explain the why the mostly Captains and Kaiju Weapon users in their late teens and 20s can wield power greater than their predecessors. Which also could mean that Kafka’s family possibly not having a history as using kaiju weapons made him the perfect host to become Kaiju No 8.
There is a lot to learn and process. Matsumoto certainly has many more cards to play as he further develops the world of Kaiju No 8. Now that we are getting deeper into the history of this universe the revelations could come fast and we just need to be ready to experience it.
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