Kaiju No. 8 episode 1: Release date and time, countdown, what to expect, and more

Modified Mar 26, 2024 17:51 GMT

Kaiju No. 8 episode 1: Release date and time, countdown, what to expect, and more (Image via Production I.G)

Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 is set to release on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at 11 pm Japanese Standard Time, according to the anime’s official website. As one of the most highly anticipated anime of the Spring 2024 season, fans are incredibly excited to see the series debut and are desperate to know what the first episode will cover.

However, there is no verifiable spoiler information for Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 as of this article’s writing. This trend is likely to continue throughout the first season, and while fans can look to the manga for spoilers, there’s no guarantee that every episode will match directly with the manga.

Thankfully, fans have official release information for the upcoming episode.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 release date and time

Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 will introduce viewers to Mina Ashiro and protagonist Kafka Hibino (Image via Production I.G)

Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 is set to release at 11 pm JST on Saturday, April 13, 2024. However, for international fans, the exact time of release varies by region and timezone.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 is set to release at the following times in the corresponding time zones:

Time zones	Local date and time
Pacific Daylight Time	7 am, Saturday, April 13, 2024
Eastern Daylight Time	10 am, Saturday, April 13, 2024
British Summer Time	3 pm, Saturday, April 13, 2024
Central European Summer Time	4 pm, Saturday, April 13, 2024
Indian Standard Time	7:30 pm, Saturday, April 13, 2024
Philippine Standard Time	10 pm, Saturday, April 13, 2024
Japanese Standard Time	11 pm, Saturday, April 13, 2024
Australia Central Standard Time	11:30 pm, Saturday, April 13, 2024

Kaiju No. 8 episode 1: Where to watch

Fans will also meet Reno Ichikawa in Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 (Image via Production I.G)

International fans can stream the episode on Crunchyroll roughly 30 minutes after it airs in Japan, according to the series’ official website. Crunchyroll will stream the original Japanese language format with English subtitles and an English dubbed version as well.

The series will also stream on X worldwide in real-time as it airs on TV in Japan. However, it’s unclear if this X stream will be subtitled or not.

Kaiju No. 8 series plot

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Kaiju No. 8 is set in a world where giant monsters known as kaiju regularly cause disasters. While the affliction is worldwide, Japan experiences the highest rate of kaiju attacks, prompting the establishment of the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force, which is the series’ main setting. Defense Force officers and soldiers wear power suits made with kaiju remains, which grant them increased speed, strength, and durability. The powerful “numbered” kaiju are also turned into elite weapons known as Numbers.

The series focuses on childhood friends Kafka Hibino and Mina Ashiro, who both vow to become Defense Force members and fight kaiju together after their town is destroyed. Several decades later, 27-year-old Mina Ashiro is the captain of the Defense Force’s Third Division, while 32-year-old Kafka has failed the entrance exam several times and works in a kaiju cleanup crew. Here, he meets aspiring Defense Force member Reno Ichikawa, who reignites his drive.

However, while the pair is spending the night in a hospital after a cleanup gone wrong, a small kaiju speaks to Kafka before entering his body through his mouth. Reno wakes up to the subsequent racket, discovering Kafka transformed into a kaiju and giving off the same readings as a numbered kaiju.

Likewise, he’s dubbed Kaiju No. 8 by the Defense Force after escaping them and decides to reapply and use his new powers (in secret) to pass the entrance exam.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 1: What to expect (speculative)

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For the most part, fans will essentially see Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 play out with the events described above, introducing viewers to the series’ central cast and conflicts. One likely addition/change to the anime is an extended focus on Kafka and Mina’s childhood relationship, further developing their bond and explaining why entering the Defense Force means so much to Kafka.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 shouldn’t deviate much from the original source material of Naoya Matsumoto’s original manga series of the same name. Likewise, fans can expect the first episode to get most of the build out of the way, setting up a majority of the series’ first season to focus on the exciting action the manga series is known for.