Warning: contains spoilers for Kaiju No. 8 chapter 61!
While it is a manga featuring giant monsters wreaking havoc on society, Kaiju No. 8’s latest chapter is hinting that its human protagonists may be the real monsters of the series. Its main character Kafka can already transform into the powerful Kaiju No. 8, but surprisingly mangaka Naoya Matsumoto doesn’t seem to be casting aspersions on him. Instead, the story is hinting that his closest allies might eventually turn to the dark side.
Kafka is part of the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force, a military organization that eradicates kaiju when they appear. The main leadership of the organization has recently been demolished by the insidious Kaiju No. 9, who took control of the body of the director general of that organization, Isao Shinomiya. In doing so, Kaiju No. 9 also stole Shinomiya’s incredibly strong kaiju weapon. The kaiju weapons are a series of powerful weapons made out of the corpses of dead kaiju. Each one has a unique ability that can have a devastating effect in battle. The Defense Force is attempting to defeat Kaiju No. 9 by outfitting their newest recruits with these weapons. It’s a risky gamble on the part of the Defense Force, as there is a chance the greener soldiers might not be able to adapt well to the weapons before the next big fight with Kaiju No. 9. Or even worse - that these weapons could irreparably damage them. The latest chapter of the series raises another horrifying possibility for how this plan could backfire.
In chapter 61, Reno Ichikawa, one of the new recruits given a kaiju weapon, is training by fighting a pack of kaiju. The fight pushes him to his limits, forcing him to unleash higher and higher percentages of his weapon’s power. As he does, his eyes become more shrouded in darkness and his personality starts to shift. Whereas normally Reno is level-headed, here he starts behaving frantically. He even ominously states that his "head has never been clearer" when questioned on his behavior. This phrase is often a harbinger of characters traveling down a villainous path, and it being used here suggests dark things to come.
Reno is the soldier in the Defense Force with the highest level of potential growth. Another soldier, Furuhashi, even called him the real monster among the new recruits. Given that Kafka, a man who can literally turn into a monster, is a member of that group, this is a bold statement, but one that Reno’s behavior in this chapter validates. If he becomes corrupted by his kaiju weapon, he could potentially become a threat on the level of Kaiju No. 9. Even more worrying, it has previously been hinted that this sort of corruption could happen to another character with a new kaiju weapon, Soshiro Hoshina. If all the new Kaiju weapon wielders can be corrupted in this way, then they may be an even bigger threat than the kaiju that they fight.
If the kaiju weapon users become more monstrous the more they exert themselves, then it would be natural for their ultimate corruption to come after defeating Kaiju No. 9. Kaiju No. 9 is insanely powerful, and the upcoming fight with them is sure to push the Defense Force to its limits. If this exertion causes the kaiju weapon users to turn evil, it would be an exciting direction for Kaiju No. 8 to go in, with Kafka and the rest of the Defense Force having to defeat their former allies.
Kaiju No. 8 chapter 61 can currently be read for free from Viz Media.