Kaiju No. 8 is getting to a be a pretty popular anime here in NA. It’s not hard to see why either, especially if you’re a fan of the manga of the same name by Naoya Matsumoto. As it turns out, a military science fantasy story involving the not-JSDF fighting a forever war against kaiju trying to destroy Japan is a story that has a very wide appeal. Especially in the USA due to an extensive gun and military culture.

Thus, it’s also no surprise that Crunchyroll would want to acquire as much of that anime as possible. This now includes Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon. This is an upcoming anime film that’s mostly just a recap of everything that happened in the first season that premiered a while back on April 13, 2024. However, to make it more attractive to returning viewers, Crunchyroll is adding a brand new episode of the anime called “Hoshina’s Day Off” to the end. If you’re willing to stick around for the recap, then that bonus episode might be for you.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon will make its theatrical debut on April 13, 14 and 16, 2025. The debut will be in both Japanese audio with English subtitles and English dub. Said debut will also only be in the United States and Canada at the moment. Alas, tickets for it aren’t on sale yet. We will just have to wait for those at a later date. In the meantime though, you can watch the first season of the anime only on Crunchyroll.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon Making Its NA Theatrical Debut in April 2025

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon NA key art
You can even see Hoshina there in the bottom left.

Honestly, I’m rather confused about this trend of recap films containing new content just to attract viewers. This includes Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon. I mean, I understand the rationale behind it. I’m just unsure what it is they’re hoping to accomplish other than rake in a whole bunch of money? Huh…maybe that’s the whole point of these recap films.

What do you all think? Do you agree with me that this may be just a cash grab, with new content just as bait? Do you have any interest in watching Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon in theaters? Share your opinions below in the comments section.