Kaiju No. 8 anime confirms April 2024 release with first PV at Jump Festa 2024

Jump Festa 2024 stage Red surprised fans with an exciting announcement regarding the upcoming Kaiju No. 8 anime. According to the panelists, the anime is scheduled for an April 2024 release. Additionally, not only will it be coming to Crunchyroll but to X as well, on their official account.

At the event, a new trailer was shown, which was met with a roar of applause and cheers from the crowd. A new key visual was also released to create further hype for the much-awaited series.

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Kaiju No. 8: PV, April 2024 release, and more at Jump Festa 2024

The Kaiju No. 8 stage at Jump Festa 2024 delighted fans with a breathtaking trailer of the upcoming series. This is the third one so far, and showcased the Defense Force, who have come together to take down the Kaiju threat and create the future.

The anime is slated for an April 2024 release, with more details promised to be divulged later on. As usual, it will begin airing on Crunchyroll. But this time the panel also revealed that the official X account of Kaiju No. 8 will stream the same alongside its Japanese release.

This is the first time an anime will officially be streamed on the platform for free. However, at least for now, there is no confirmation whether this stream will feature English subtitles or not.

The Jump Festa 2024 Kaiju No. 8 panel went on to reveal new character visuals featuring Kikoru Shinomiya (Fairouz Ai) and Soshiro Hoshina (Kengo Kawanishi). The pair shared messages for fans via the official X account with respect to their upcoming roles.

Fairouz Ali expressed how honored she was to be given the opportunity to voice Kikoru Shinomiya. She stated that she was taken up by the character's confidence and work ethic.

Kengo Kawanishi, meanwhile, was surprised when her manager informed her of her involvement in the show. She had been an ardent follower of the series on Jump+ and was looking forward to the anime.

Key visual for Kaiju No. 8 (Image via X)

Production I.G. is the animation studio tasked with bringing the anime to life. Naoya Matsumoto's manga will be directed by Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya, with Ichiro Okouchi in charge of the series composition and screenplay.

The character design is being handled by Tetsuya Nishio. Kaiju design, a major part of the show, will be under Mahiro Maeda. Yuta Bandoh and Fumiyuki Goh will look after Music and Sound Direction respectively.

Cast members include Masaya Fukunishi as Kafka Hibino / Kaiju No. 8, Asami Seto as Mina Ashiro, Wataru Katoh as Reno Ichikawa, Fairouz Ali as Kikoru Shinomiya and Kengo Kawanishi as Soshiro Hoshina who were also the panelists.

Finally, the panelists revealed that the first official spin-off manga “Kaiju 8 Side B” will begin serialization on Jump+ from January 5, 2024. Not seen before in the main story, it will focus on each defense member.

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Kaiju No. 8 plot

After Kaiju destroys their town, childhood friends Kafka Hibino and Mina Ashiro both vow to join the Defense Force to battle kaiju together. Fast forward a few years, Mina now captains the Defense Force's Third Division.

But Kafka, unlike his friend, was unable to clear the examination numerous times and thus works as part of a clean-up crew that disposed of kaiju remains after battle.

Kafka's fate changes when he injests a tiny kaiju and gains the ability to transform into one. Managing to escape the Defense Force, he gets the code name "Kaiju No. 8" and attempts to rejoin afresh. Thus begins the tale of Kafka navigating his powers while maintaining its secrecy and fighting as a Defense Force member.