Kaiju No. 8 episode 6: Kafka impresses Hoshina as the humanoid Kaiju reappears

Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 was officially released on Saturday, May 18, 2024, bringing with it the exciting continuation of Kafka Hibino’s first mission as a Kaiju Defense Force cadet. The episode likewise saw Kafka make some key revelations regarding who childhood friend Mina Ashiro has become, as well as what it’ll take to stand by her side.

However, Kaiju No.8 episode 6 also saw Kafka take those first steps to standing by her side by impressing Soshiro Hoshina with his intelligence gathering skills. Unfortunately, it seems Kafka’s next transformation is near once again as the episode ends with the mysterious talking humanoid Kaiju reappearing once more.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 sets up an action-packed conclusion to Kafka and co’s first mission

Brief episode recap

Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 begins with Mina Ashiro commanding the Third Division (Image via Production I.G)

Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 opened with Mina Ashiro taking command of the current Kaiju emergence situation, which was already wreaking havoc in Sagamihara. Evacuations were already underway, thankfully, and the JSDF were collaborating with the Kaiju Defense Force in these endeavors.

It was then confirmed that a Honju had appeared, breaching the surface due to entering a breeding phase. Likewise, it’s surrounded by a large number of Yoju.Mina said that she will handle the Honju, finalizing the plan with her officers before heading out. Soshiro Hoshina then headed out with the rookies, where Kikoru Shinomiya commented on how crazy it's that Kafka is Kaiju No. 8.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 then saw the operation officially begin, with Hoshina explaining that they’ll handle the Yoju while Mina will handle the Honju. He asserted that while the new recruits were placed at the rear, it also means they’re the last line of defense.

Everyone seemed accepting of their role, while Hoshina told them not to confuse their training scores with actual battlefield performance.

Ichikawa and Kafka are separated from each other in Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 (Image via Production I.G)

Kafka then told Ichikawa that while he’s incredibly nervous, he’s also super excited, with Ichikawa saying they need to make sure their first mission is a big success.

The Yoju arrived at that moment, prompting everyone to begin heading out. At that moment, Mina arrived at her sniper point, beginning the plan to lure the Honju into position.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 then saw Kafka try to fight a Yoju, but his combat power was still only 1%, making him effectively useless in human form. Kikoru then began showing out after taking offense from a superior’s words, clearing out all of the Yoju in sight almost immediately.

In the other platoons, Iharu Furuhashi and Reno Ichikawa were also seen having success, with Reno even experimenting with different rounds to play to his strengths.

He was also shown as being primarily motivated by not letting Kafka transform again, wanting to be as strong as possible for this cause. The other recruits were also shown to be impressing, earning praise from platoon leads and seniors.

It was also said that the average unleashed combat power across all recruits is higher than most years and that the competition at the top is creating a healthy push for improvement.

Hoshina makes it clear to Kafka what he'll need to do to stand by Mina's side (Image via Production I.G)

Meanwhile, Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 showed the weakest recruit, Kafka, thinking of a way he can contribute too. Calling on his monster cleaner skills again, he began digging through the corpses of the dead Yoju, realizing the core is in a unique place. In addition to locating it and detailing how to best combat the Yoju, he also revealed that they have reproductive organs which, if not destroyed, could birth new Yoju.

Hoshina commended Kafka for his work in discovering this news, ordering Okonogi to share this info with everyone else. Excited by the fact that he was commended, he became inspired and began racing towards the next batch of corpses.

At that moment, the Honju was lured into position, prompting Mina Ashiro to launch her shot while thinking about and telling Kafka that this is who she is right now.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 saw her follow this up with an incredible display of strength, hitting 96% unleashed combat power. Hoshina told Kafka to watch closely as she fired her shot, which completely obliterated the Honju in a single shot.

Hoshina told him that this is the power of the person he’s trying to stand beside, while Mina fired a second shot which took out the Honju’s core.

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Not satisfied, Mina then fired a third shot, seemingly killing the Honju completely. However, Mina wasn’t done, wanting to fire a fourth round seemingly for Kafka’s sake.

Likewise, Hoshina then met up with Kafka in person, asking him if he wants to give up yet considering what standing by Mina means given her strength. Kafka asked the same of Hoshina, who revealed that his expertise lies in swordplay as he instantly sliced up a Yoju that appeared behind him.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 saw Hoshina explain his family comes from a line of ancient Kaiju slayers, hence his skills. He then told Kafka that the show is about to begin, with the Yoju inside the Honju’s corpse about to burst out and swarm, as it’s now dead. Hoshina then offered words of “encouragement” to the other recruits, as it was revealed their endurance and unleashed combat power were falling.

Hoshina then explained that most officers will hit a wall at 20 to 30% unleashed combat power and retire at that number. However, he furthers that a small few will break that wall and become a captain, sharing his suspicions that Reno Ichikawa may also break that wall apart from Kikoru Shinomiya.

At that point, focus shifted to Furuhashi and Ichikawa, who were returning to the front lines. However, on the way, they ran into someone from Monster Sweeper inspecting a Kaiju corpse, saying it was “no good either.”

Additional dialogue made it clear that this was the humanoid Kaiju from prior episodes, as did a look at his transforming face in the installment’s final moments.

In review

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Like Kafka, fans were also in need of a reminder of who Mina is, and why she is held in such high regard within the series’ world. Kaiju No. 8 episode 6’s greatest achievement is this reminder, showing that she’s unmatched in power against the most dangerous type of Kaiju, which humanity can possibly stand against.

Likewise, it emphasizes why Kafka replacing Hoshina to stand by her side will be such a difficult task, this difficulty being readily pointed out by the latter during the episode.

While this episode does many things well, its single greatest achievement is emphasizing the scope of Kafka’s core goal, and teasing just how long the journey to that destination will be (much to fans’ joy).

In summation

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While somewhat of a slow episode, Kaiju No. 8 episode 6 teases a great set of installments to follow, which are all but guaranteed to see Kafka transform into the titular monster once more.

It also sets up Reno Ichikawa and Iharu Furuhashi to get some exciting moments of their own, hopefully dealing damage to this enigmatic Kaiju before Kafka comes around.