Kaiju No. 8 is one of the rare animes that instantly became a hit due to its unique concept and mind-blowing action sequences. It climbed up the ranking charts in a jiffy and seemed like an overall good anime adaptation…until the final episode aired.
Episode 12 of Kaiju No. 8 aired on June 29, 2024, and brought with it a disaster that no one had anticipated. Forget the action scenes, the intimidating kaiju and the flustered protagonist, the appearance of one anticipated character sent every fan into a temporary coma.
The Appearance of Gen Narumi Devastated Fans
While each of the captains and vice captains were slowly being introduced to the Kaiju No.8 anime, fans patiently waited for the debut of of Gen Narumi, the captain of the First Division of the Defense Force. Not only is Narumi one of the strongest combatants of mankind, but he is also terribly handsome with sharp features adorning his face.
Naturally, Gen has acquired a large fanbase over the years. So when the anime finally debuted Narumi in episode 12, people expected him to be as dashing as represented in the manga. Unfortunately for them, Production I.G. made a blunder with Narumi’s character design.
The once knockout Captain Narumi has been reduced to looking like a sad character with white and black hair. The sharpness in the eyes, and his fierce and intimidating aura are replaced by a dazed and sleep-deprived face. While being sleep-deprived is also on-brand for the character due to his habit of playing video games till late at night, fans expected a bit more oomph with his reference.
Even Narumi’s eyes which are red with a white cross in between, have been changed to simple red eyes, making fans lament the character’s design.
Fan Reactions to Gen Narumi’s Butchered Anime Character Design
The obvious reaction of fans to Gen Narumi’s debut in the Kaiju No. 8 anime was immediate disappointment. The first appearance of the Defense Force First Division Captain in the manga was mesmerizing, to say the least with slick backbrushed hair and a sharp look in his eyes.
The end result in the anime was a geeky-looking tired guy with a confused expression on his face. It is no surprise that fans have flooded social media websites calling for justice towards Gen Narumi.
However, no one is giving up hope for season 2 of Kaiju No. 8. Fans have suggested that the studio should re-animate the character for its sequel. Nonetheless, if you are here just for the meme content then don’t mind scrolling through all the Gen Narumi memes that have surfaced in the last 24 hours since the episode’s release.
You can read Kaiju No. 8 on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
