The episode just previous to Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju” showed us just how terrifying and horrific kaiju are. Now though, this episode shows us just how silly a kaiju can be. Especially when the kaiju was just very recently a man named Kafka Hibino, and doesn’t quite know how to kaiju.

Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju”: Details

Kaiju No. 8 NA key visual.
Who knew something this terrifying could be so ridiculous?

Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju” is the second episode (you can read a review for Ep. 1 here) of this first (and hopefully not the only) season of this anime series. Said anime is the anime adaptation of the military science fantasy adventure manga of the same name by Naoya Matsumoto. Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass, Haikyu!!) is the studio behind this anime. Crunchyroll is licensing this anime for its NA debut.

Takayuki Inagaki is the director behind Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju”, with Ichirō Ōkouchi as the writer, and Kazuya Nomura doing the storyboard. As for the Kaiju No. 8 anime as a whole, Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya are co-directing this anime. Ichirō Ōkouchi is the overall writer of the anime, while Yuta Bando composed the music for the same.

Speaking of music, this anime’s opening theme is “Abyss” by Yungblud (AKA Dominic Richard Harrison). Meanwhile, the ending theme is “Nobody” by OneRepublic.

Voice Cast

Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju” features the voices of Masaya Fukunishi (Nazeeh Tarsha in English dub) as Kafka Hibino, Asami Seto (Katelyn Barr in English dub) as Mina Ashiro, Wataru Kato (Adam McArthur in English dub) as Reno Ichikawa, and Fairouz Ai (Abigail Blythe in English dub) as Kikoru Shinomiya.

When and Where to Watch

Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju” made its airing and streaming (aka. simulcast) debut on April 20, 2024. You can watch this episode only on Crunchyroll. In fact, you can watch this anime as a whole only on Crunchyroll at the moment.

Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju”: Synopsis

I will never get over how hilariously disturbing this scene is.

Alas, Kaiju No. 8 is an ongoing anime series. In fact, Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju” only just premiered three days ago as of this writing. Thus,  you will all get the official synopsis of this episode from Crunchyroll instead of a spoiler-filled plot summary. You can check that out below:

After turning into a Kaiju, Kafka is forced to flee. His escape is interrupted, however, by the arrival of another Kaiju…

Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju”: The Good

Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 "The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju" screenshot showing Kafka in his kaiju form soaked with kaiju blood.
Would you believe that this is a good guy?

There’s a lot going on in Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju” that makes it even better than the previous episode. The most obvious part of why is the story. The incredible writing from Naoya Matsumoto is just as present in this episode as it was in the manga. I just love that combination of action and ridiculous comedy that shows up especially in this episode. And truly, the comedy is ridiculous to a kaiju-sized degree.

A large part of that comedy comes from our main character himself: Kafka Hibino. He’s quite possibly one of the most ridiculous main characters in any media. He has the kind of personality that comedians wish they could have. His over-the-top performances in this episode is a large part of why I love it. All with Masaya Fukunishi’s voice adding to his lines in a hilarious almost-falsetto squeal for that added comedy value.

Next, the animation is the final part of Ep. 2’s greatness. Production I.G. really took it pretty far in animation quality. As you can see above, that quality is pretty high, with shadows and reflections making things like blood rivulets and splatters look pretty realistic. It’s not quite anime film or Black Butler levels of good, but it’s still pretty high up there on the list.

Last but not least, the music of this episode also deserves a mention. Yuta Bando has some great timing there with the riffs and beats. They all serve to emphasize the most appropriate moments in each scene. Of particular note: the action scenes. The scatting seems to perfectly complement that action in ways that I struggle to describe. It just fits it somehow.

Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju”: The Bad

Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 "The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju" screenshot showing Kafka in his kaiju form peeing from his "nipples".
Bad news for our main character, but great hilarity for us.

Admittedly, the comedy in Kaiju No. 8 Ep. 2 “The Kaiju Who Defeats Kaiju” might not be for everyone. As you can see above, some of Naoya Matsumoto’s comedy can get a little…weird. For me, this is a plus. For others, it might be a turn-off. Regardless though, even if you’re not into the comedy, then perhaps the other parts of this episode might carry the day for you?