Kaiju No. 8 episode 9: Ichikawa and Kikoru dominate the battlefield as Hoshina fights his toughest enemy yet

Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 excitingly continued the teased assault on Tachikawa base, spurning the Third Division into action in an exciting but perilous context. Officially released on Saturday, June 8, 2024, the installment largely focused on supporting characters while protagonist Kafka Hibino primarily took a backseat.

Likewise, Kaiju No. 8 episode 9’s main focus was on Soshiro Hoshina and Kikoru Shinomiya, who each proved to be valuable assets in repelling the attack on Tachikawa base. However, while Kikoru was dominating her opponents, Hoshina was struggling with his, with the Daikaiju leader he’s facing reaching new heights by the episode’s end.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 sets up Kafka’s transformation, Hoshina’s biggest feat in the series yet

Brief episode recap

Hoshina assumes command of Tachikawa base in Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 (Image via Production I.G)

Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 began with Soshiro Hoshina reading a report on No. 8 while replaying their battle in his head. He said No. 8 felt strangely human, whereas No. 9 could disguise itself as human, questioning what was happening to Kaiju considering this. Kafka was musing about his words with Hoshina on the Third Base’s rooftop, going back inside as he noticed something in the sky.

This was quickly revealed to be the flying Kaiju seen at the end of the last episode, who had now invaded Tachikawa base. The Kaiju also entered in a fiery fashion, taking out several buildings and causing explosions as they impacted. Konomi Okonogi then reported the situation as an aerial Kaiju assault, with each having a fortitude over 6.0, making them all Honju class.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 saw Hoshina assume command since Mina Ashiro was away, ordering the off-duty officers into action as well. Hoshina then realized that this was a targeted attack since there were no reports of damage outside the base. Kafka observed the situation from above, realizing that the wyvern-type Kaiju had lit the base on fire, but also realizing something was wrong there given they were all wyvern-type.

A Daikaiju makes itself Hoshina's opponent in Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 (Image via Production I.G)

He contacted Hoshina, saying only a dozen or so wyvern-type Kaiju are seen each year, but are always alone. Likewise, their group presence here means something is leading them, with the leader humanoid talking Kaiju in question approaching Hoshina as he said this. It asked Hoshina if he was the strongest human on the base, to which he agreed since Mina was absent.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 saw the Kaiju identified as a Daikaiju as it said Hoshina was now its prey. Hoshina then transferred command as the Daikaiju started rushing at him, clearly a powerful enemy. The Daikaiju then said it was time to begin his annihilation as it let out a sound which the wyvern-type Kaiju responded to.

Hoshina recognized this, but couldn’t dwell on it for too long as he realized the Daikaiju’s punches were strong enough to kill him. He recognized that its skin was tougher than No. 8’s, while the other soldiers struggled against the wyvern-types. However, Kafka shared his knowledge with the others and revealed the winning strategy against the wyverns.

Kafka's cleanup skills & knowledge once again prove invaluable in Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 (Image via Production I.G)

Kaiju No. 8 episode 8 saw the others have success with this initially, but the wyvern-types eventually started working together to neutralize this strategy. Kikoru Shinomiya entered the battlefield, saying there was another way as she rushed at a wyvern-type with her new custom axe weapon in hand. It likewise gave her the ability to smash through their armor, as a small flashback explaining how and why she got it from Mina and Hoshina played out.

This flashback also confirmed Kikoru as the third strongest officer on Tachikawa base behind the pair, further explaining why she received a custom weapon as a rank-and-file officer. She said such a brutish weapon didn’t suit her even if it was powerful before quickly focusing on the other wyvern-types in the area.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 then explained that Kikoru’s weapon has a trigger with two uses, the first being to generate a shock wave propelling the weapon forward during a swing. The second use was to pull the trigger at the moment of impact for a frontal shockwave with devastating power. Reno Ichikawa and Iharu Furuhashi, who were nearby, called the weapon perfect for her aggressive and overbearing personality.

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He then assisted her with a Kaiju preparing to attack her from the sky, paralyzing it with freeze rounds and setting her up for the kill. The two then decided to work together to pick off the other wyvern-types, while Aoi Kaguragi and Haruichi Izumo were shown to have killed the wyvern-type they were fighting. Meanwhile, Hoshina was having trouble with his Daikaiju enemy, with injuries visible on him as he continued to be cornered.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 saw Hoshina realize that the Daikaiju was enjoying the fight, prompting Hoshina to move it into a training area while contemplating the Daikaiju having this emotion. The Daikaiju then got behind Hoshina, commending his strength, which even surpassed other Kaiju, before landing a devastating hit on him. However, Hoshina cut its arm off in the process of this attack, leading the Daikaiju to commend his strength again.

Hoshina then raised his unleashed combat power to 92%, while the other officers struggled against the wyvern-type Kaiju. Kafka was doing what he could without fully transforming, but this mostly revolved around saving others rather than fighting the enemy. He and another were almost cornered, but Kikoru and Ichikawa saved them at the last second, telling Kafka to focus on the evacuation of the wounded. Reno even asked him not to take any risks.

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Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 saw Kafka amazed at everyone else’s cooperation, with reinforcements arriving at that moment. Kafka recognized that the entire Third Division was strong, as the focus shifted to Hoshina and the Daikaiju. The former promised victory to the latter as they rushed at each other, with Hoshina now targeting the gaps in the Kaiju’s exoskeleton. Hoshina then cut through the Daikaiju’s armor regularly, revealing aiming for the gaps to be a feint.

However, he couldn't locate and destroy the core at this moment, allowing the Daikaiju to regenerate. The duo’s fight continued as the Daikaiju’s excitement became more obvious, with Hoshina revealing the core slightly as this happened. He then used his sixth form, Eightfold Slasher, to seemingly defeat the Kaiju.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 then saw the Daikaiju begin assuming a new form, releasing high-temperature steam as it grew in size. Its fortitude also rose to 9.0 as a result of this transformation, with the episode ending as it roared at a worried Hoshina.

In review

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Episode 9’s main strength lies in hammering home the idea that Kafka and his powers are not the be-all and end-all of fighting in the context of the series. Both Kikoru and Hoshina serve as living testaments to this, even if the latter is struggling somewhat versus his opponent. Additional side characters also contribute here, such as Reno Ichikawa, Aoi Kaguragi, and Haruichi Izumo.

That being said, Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 does see Kafka get smart about using his powers, capitalizing on partial transformations to maintain a low profile while still helping out. Likewise, it’s nice to see that the series can remove focus from Kafka without pulling him from a battle.

In summation

Episode 9 sets up an exciting finish to the series’ first season, which is almost certain to be action packed and could even see the deaths of certain characters given the current situation. Likewise, it’s almost certain that a situation will arise that forces Kafka to transform, in turn choosing between saving everyone at Tachikawa base or preserving his dreams.