Kaiju No. 8: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Grotesque, Godzilla-like monsters called "kaijuu" have been appearing around Japan for many years. To combat these beasts, an elite military unit known as the Defense Corps risks their lives daily to protect civilians. Once a creature is killed, "sweepers"—working under the Professional Kaijuu Cleaner Corporation—are left to dispose of its remains.

Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old man, is unsatisfied with his job as a sweeper. From a young age, he has aspired to join the Defense Corps and kill kaijuus for a living. After a few failed attempts, however, he gave up on his dreams and resigned himself to the mediocrity that provided a decent paycheck. Nevertheless, when an ambitious, 18-year-old recruit named Leno Ichikawa joins his cleaning team, Kafka is once again reminded of his desire to join the military.

Following a chain of unfortunate events and an interaction with the junior sweeper, Kafka encounters a parasite-type kaijuu that forces its way in through his mouth—turning him into a humanoid monster. With his newfound powers, Kafka aims to give his lifelong dream a final try.

Series details

• Title: Kaiju No. 8
• Format: Animation
• Language: Japanese
• Genres: Action, Anime, Fantasy, Science-Fiction
• Premiere date: 2024-04-13
• Status in TVmaze: Running
• Network listed by TVmaze: TV Tokyo
• Web channel listed by TVmaze: Crunchyroll
• Network country: Japan
• Typical episode runtime: 29 minutes
• TVmaze community rating: 7.3/10
• TVMaze ID: 73362
• IMDb ID: tt21975436
• TVDB ID: 423075

Cast and credited roles

• Masaya Fukunishi — Kafka Hibino / Kaiju No.8
• Ai Fairouz — Kikoru Shinomiya
• Asami Seto — Mina Ashiro
• Wataru Katō — Reno Ichikawa
• Kengo Kawanishi — Soshiro Hoshina

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2024-04-13; final listed air date 2024-06-29.
• Season 2: premiered 2025-07-19; final listed air date 2025-09-27.

Source and licence

Adapted from Kaiju No. 8 on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.