Kaiju No. 8 is one of the most anticipated anime of 2024. The manga became pretty popular due to its unique plot. Mangaka Naoya Matsumoto has created one of the best manga of the modern generation, with the possibility of becoming one of the best anime in the upcoming days. The anime is scheduled to air on April 13, 2024.
Fans loved the trailer and have high expectations from the anime. Kafka’s journey is quite interesting compared to other Shonen protagonists. During an interview, the editor-in-chief mentioned that Kaiju No. 8 was created from the mangaka’s desire to do something different. He is a massive fan of superhero stories, and it is reflected in his magnum opus.
Kaiju No. 8’s Weird Origin
Kaiju No. 8 follows the story of Kafka Hibino, who aspires to join the Defense Force, which prevents Kaiju from rampaging. His childhood friend Mina Ashiro became a captain, but Kafka failed to clear the exams multiple times. After a tiny kaiju entered Kafka through his mouth, he gained the ability to turn into one. Keeping his kaiju identity a secret, Kafka Hibino embarks on a journey to prevent the other kaiju from destroying the town.
But Kaiju No. 8 was not something that took a lot of time to create. Naoya Matsumoto’s obsession with superhero stories led him to create them. During an interview, he said,
“It was very unexpected since he had previously done more fantasy works. I think he always wanted to draw a superhero story, but the biggest reason was that his emotions were well reflected in the main character, Kafka. Matsumoto is the kind of person who starts drawing only after he has completely formulated the worldview in his mind, so in that sense, too, I think it was a really good fit.”
Everyone has their way of getting motivated and inspired. My Hero Academia creator, Kohei Horikoshi, once got inspired by a showerhead. Matsumoto sensei’s obsession with superhero stories seems viable since he loves tokusatsu, which means Japanese live-action films and TV series characterized by extensive use of practical effects, typically featuring superheroes and monster stories.
Seijiro Nakaji Spilled All Of Naoya Matsumoto’s Secrets
Seijiro Nakaji is the editor-in-chief of Kaiju No. 8 and has several notable works under his belt, like Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma and Boukyaku Battery. He spilled the beans on the mangaka. Fans were amused to know that Matsumoto sensei is a tokusatsu lover. Moreover, he also incurred the right kind of feelings into his magnum opus to connect with the fans.
Kaiju No. 8 is scheduled for April 13, 2024, and will be released weekly. It is an ongoing manga, and the story will further unfold in the future. With anime like Solo Leveling, Frieren, Viral Hit, etc., making their debut in 2024, Kaiju No. 8 will have a tough competition. But everybody is hopeful it will live up to its hype, especially after knowing the mangaka is just like us.
