Kaiju No. 8 – Season 1 Episode 10 Recap & Review

Secret Revealed

Episode 10 of Kaiju No. 8 begins with the sentient Kaiju named (Kaiju No. 10) continuing his battle with Hoshina. Hoshina reaches his maximum output, allowing Kaiju No. 10 to overwhelm him. Then, we enter a brief flashback. In it, a man tells Hoshina he should give up on joining the Defence Force. In the present, Hoshina informs his ally via a device that he can still fight. 

Internally, Hoshina knows he’s lost his maximum release and doesn’t know how to stop Kaiju No. 10. While Hoshina wanders somewhere, Okonogi updates Hoshina on the battlefield’s current activities. After that, Hoshina continues fighting Kaiju No. 10 despite his disadvantages. Then, we receive more flashbacks with Hoshina and this gentleman. In them, he continues telling Hoshina to give up. 

This gentleman keeps bringing up Hoshina’s incompatibility with guns and how Hoshina’s exceptional swordsman skills won’t do him any favors in this kaiju era. Some time passes. Hoshina’s prepared for Mina to tell him to give up like the others. This is set sometime before he’s properly recruited to the Defence Force. Mina asks Hoshina to join the Defence Force, much to his surprise. 

She tells Hoshina she’s not the best with swords, so Mina hopes she can count on Hoshina in the future. With this memory in mind, Hoshina gives Kaiju No. 10 his best effort in the present. Kaiju No. 10 overwhelms Hoshina further, encouraging Kafka to rush to Hoshina’s aid. Before he does, Mina arrives and combats Kaiju No. 10. During Mina’s battle, Okonogi tells Mina where Kaiju No. 10’s core is. 

Meanwhile, Hoshina tries lending Mina a hand in wounding Kaiju No. 10’s ligaments. Kikoru joins Hoshina seconds later to assist him in doing so. Unfortunately, Kikoru reaches her limit, yet others jump into the battle to support Mina and Hoshina. With their combined effort, Mina unleashes her 96% combat power attack on Kaiju No. 10 and claims victory for herself and her team. 

Everyone regroups after the battle. Okonogi suggests Mina and others head to the base and rest. Several other troops tell Mina they plan to exterminate the remaining Yoju. Before they commence with that strategy, Kafka and the others notice something strange hovering over them. Okonogi tells them that the Yoju are coming together to create a yoju-themed bomb. 

Left with no option, Kafka rushes in front of everyone and transforms into Kaiju No. 8. Before Kafka attacks the yoju bomb, he reflects on his current actions and is ready to face the consequences once he’s finished his current task. Kafka leaps into the air and pushes the yoju bomb into the sky. He plummets to the ground and Mina tells everyone to ready their shields. 

The yoju bomb explodes, eliminating a minuscule portion of the battlefield. After that, Kafka stands somewhere and Mina and her troops confront him. Mina points a gun at Kafka. The episode closes with Mina telling Kafka she’s taking him into custody. 

The Episode Review

This episode of Kaiju No. 8 will leave casual audiences entertained with its wonderful visuals and thrilling action sequences. From Hoshina’s athleticism to Kafka’s mighty kaiju punch, our heroes triumphed over Kaiju No. 10 and his yoju allies. However, it came at the cost of exhaustion and slight deceit on several folks’ part.

On that note, this Kafka dilemma will remind anime fans of Eren Jaegar’s situation from Attack On Titan.  Much like Eren, Kafka holds the perceived enemy’s powers. Unlike Eren, anime fans are unsure if Kafka will embark on the same journey as Eren. Essentially, some folks may wonder if Mina, Hoshina, and the others will accept Kafka as a teammate. Yet, based on this anime’s plot and the tone, it’s likely Kafka will make amends with the Defence Force and use his powers to thwart kaiju, much like Eren did with the Titans.

Speculation aside, Kafka’s transformation decision will leave fans mixed. On the one hand, fans knew his Kaiju No. 8 identity reveal was coming, however, others may not adore how this situation played out in this chapter. Nonetheless, the transformation and combat showcase we received from Kafka looked marvelous and carried weight. 

Simultaneously, this episode’s use of flashbacks was odd. It’d be better if Production I.G. drew out Hoshina’s backstory instead of swapping between the present and past timelines at swift intervals. The pacing during those scenarios felt off. However, fans and critics will love seeing Hoshina fight alongside his allies. It shows he has flaws much like the other Defence Force troops. All in all, this was an enjoyable chapter of Kaiju No. 8.