The Biggest Lingering Questions After The End Of The Kaiju No. 8 Manga

Table of Contents

Summary

The manga’s sudden conclusion left fans with unanswered questions about the Kaiju’s origins and their potential eradication in the near future.
Fans really wanted to see how other countries handle the Kaiju threat apart from Japan, in order to add depth to the story.
Kafka Hibino’s potential unexplored abilities, along with the three missing Numbers Weapons, offer opportunities for future exploration.

Kaiju No. 8, Naoya Matsumoto’s famous manga about a man who can transform into a kaiju to fight other giant monsters like him, recently came to a close, just around the time the second season of the anime began airing. While this is definitely a great time for fans of this series, it’s worth pointing out that its ending left readers with a lot of unanswered questions.

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While the conclusion to this long story was surprisingly satisfying, it also left many plot threads open, and fans are not sure if they’ll remain this way forever or if they’ll be answered in a future sequel series and/or spin-off. There are still many burning questions about the world and plot of Kaiju No. 8 that fans want to see answered soon, but the following eight are the absolute biggest ones.

Spoilers Ahead for the Conclusion of the Kaiju No. 8 manga.

8

Where Do Kaiju Come From?

Unveiling The Origins Of The Series’ Titular Threat

As its title implies, Kaiju No. 8’s story is centered on humanity’s war against the Kaiju, giant, powerful monsters that destroy everything in their path. Fans spent years wondering where exactly the Kaiju came from, eagerly awaiting the manga to answer this question someday, but it never did.

The only thing fans know about the origins of the Kaiju is that they have something to do with the Earth, as the manga repeatedly implies that these monsters are born from massive spikes of energy produced by underground faults. However, it was never fully confirmed or explained exactly how this process works. Why is there so much energy down there? Why and how does it create kaiju? Oddly enough, this wasn’t properly explained by the time the story came to a close in chapter 129.

7

How Are Other Countries Dealing With The Kaiju?

This Can’t Just Be A Problem In Japan

Kaiju No 8 - Jugo Ogata On The Phone With Mina Ashino

Similar to many other monster-hunting manga series, Kaiju No. 8 is a very Japan-centric story, meaning that readers barely ever get to see what’s going on in other countries. It is repeatedly stated that, while Japan is the region with the largest number of constant Kaiju attacks, its Anti-Kaiju fighters are famous around the world, meaning that this threat must be a global issue.

Unfortunately, as promising as this concept is, the manga never showed readers how other countries deal with the Kaiju, leaving them with many questions in the process. Do other countries have a Defense Force? Have they developed similar Anti-Kaiju weapons? Do they also have their own famous combatants? If this series were to receive a follow-up in the future, it would be fascinating to see Anti-Kaiju fighters from other nations in action.

6

Will Humanity Ever Eradicate The Kaiju Threat?

That Was A Very Open-Ended Conclusion

A Kaiju attacks the city while Kafka is shopping - Kaiju No. 8

In the final chapters of Kaiju No. 8, Kafka Hibino and his friends finally manage to kill the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era and go on to live happy lives while working together in the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force. That’s right, by the end of the story, Kaiju continue to exist and are still attacking Japan regularly. Only now, Kafka and company are strong enough to take on any challenge after defeating such a powerful monster.

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For a story that focused so much on a bunch of invading monsters, this open-ended conclusion is unusual. The world of Kaiju No. 8 seems like a terrible place to live in and, no matter how strange the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force gets, these beasts will keep terrorizing and destroying it over and over. It is entirely unknown whether they (or someone else in this intriguing world) will ever discover a proper way to eliminate this threat to humanity once and for all.

5

Where Did The Daikaiju Of The Meireki Era Come From?

The Mysterious Origins Of One Of The Series’ Main Antagonists

Kafka meets the Great Daikaiju of the Meireki Era - Kaiju No. 8

Kaiju No. 9 was the main overarching antagonist of this story for a long time, and, in one of the final chapters, his backstory was finally revealed to readers. It turns out he was chosen and guided by an even bigger threat, the infamous Daikaiju of the Meireki Era, a gigantic and all-powerful beast who almost destroyed the entire Kanto region many years ago.

This infamous ancient Daikaiju became the series’ “big bad,” and seeing it fighting Kafka, Mina, Kikoru, and all the other characters was as epic as it was satisfying. Nevertheless, most fans still can’t help but wonder: where exactly did this monster come from? Why was it so powerful? How was it able to manipulate No. 9? As imposing and terrifying as this Daikaiju was, its backstory and motivations were never fully explained, which may have been disappointing to some readers.

4

Why Did The Mysterious Larva Choose Kafka?

He May Have Some Connection To The Ancient Warriors

It was eventually revealed that the Mysterious Larva that gave Kafka Hibino his incredible powers was actually a small kaiju core created by the combined grief of all the samurai whom the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era killed. This was undoubtedly a fascinating revelation, but one specific thing about it was left unanswered: Why did it choose Kafka Hibino of all people?

This question is made even more intriguing by the fact that the Mysterious Larva said “I found you!” to Kafka back in Chapter 1, but it was never explained why it was looking for the main character in the first place. It’s subtly implied that Kafka may have been a descendant of one of the samurai who fought against the Daikaiju, but Soshiro Hoshina’s ancestor was also there, so why didn’t the creature choose him instead? It may be because the Mysterious Larva and Kafka shared a burning desire to fight Kaiju, but this was never confirmed either.

3

Does Kafka’s Kaiju Form Have Other Abilities?

Kaiju No. 8 May Be Much Stronger Than He Seems

Kafka's shapeshifting from CHapter 2 - Kaiju No. 8

Throughout the series, Kafka showcased a lot of interesting and powerful abilities whenever he turned into the titular Kaiju No. 8. He was incredibly strong, agile, and resilient, while also being able to unleash destructive energy attacks. On top of that, during the final battle, he unlocked an even stronger second form when he chose to sacrifice his own human heart.

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However, it was repeatedly hinted that both of Kafka’s Kaiju forms have even more useful abilities, but, unfortunately, the story was cut short before he could explore them. For example, there’s the mystery of his shapeshifting. While he occasionally generated jaws throughout his body that assisted him in battle, back in the early chapters (when he couldn’t control his newfound powers), this ability was so versatile that Kafka was able to completely alter his physical body and even spawn a bunch of tentacles. This exact version of shapeshifting was sadly never seen again, so it’d be interesting to see the main character explore it further in a hypothetical follow-up.

2

Where Are The Other Numbers Weapons?

The Weapons Made From Kaiju No. 3, Kaiju No. 5, And Kaiju No. 7 Were Never Seen In Action

Kaiju No 8 - Gen Narumi Showing His Numbers Weapon Eyes As He Jumps From A Helicopter

The Numbers Weapons were undoubtedly one of the coolest and most exciting parts of Kaiju No. 8’s’ Kaiju-centric power system. They are a collection of weapons made from the corpses of some of the most powerful monsters that have attacked Japan. Many of them were showcased throughout the story, and they certainly didn’t disappoint, like Gen Narumi’s Numbers Weapon 1, Isao Shinomiya’s Numbers Weapon 2, Reno Ichikawa’s Numbers Weapon 6, etc.

However, there are three confirmed numbered Kaiju who were turned into Numbers Weapons, yet they were never seen at any point in the story: Kaiju No. 3, Kaiju No. 5, and Kaiju No. 7. It is unknown what happened to them and who currently has them in their possession, so it’d be amazing to finally see them in action someday, whether it’s in original anime-only scenes or in a sequel manga.

1

Are Kafka And Mina Going To End Up Together?

The Main Romance Of The Series Never Materialized

Kafka is greeted by the Defense Force (including Mina) - Kaiju No. 8

The close relationship between childhood friends Kafka Hibino and Mina Ashiro was one of the most important character dynamics in Kaiju No. 8, as they constantly inspired each other to keep getting stronger to fight dangerous Kaiju. However, the manga never really seemed to decide whether they were romantically interested in each other or not.

Due to the ambiguous nature of Kafka and Mina’s relationship, many fans believe they should have ended up together. In contrast, others appreciate that they remained close friends until the very end, with nothing more happening between them to complicate things. However, the final chapter didn’t provide a concrete answer on this topic, as they can be seen continuing to work together at the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force. It seems this was left open to the reader’s interpretation. Still, author Naoya Matsumoto may eventually develop this romantic subplot if he decides to return to this series in the future.