Naoya
Matsumoto's popular Kaiju No. 8 manga is about to conclude. As confirmed by
Shueisha's official Shonen Jump+ website, the story will conclude with chapter
129, scheduled for release on July 4 (date already converted to Spanish time,
UTC+2). Chapter 128 will be released on June 20, marking the conclusion of this
exciting story.
Originally
launched in July 2020, the manga quickly became an international phenomenon
thanks to its fresh take on the kaiju genre and its intense narrative. To date,
Shueisha has compiled 15 volumes of the manga, the most recent published on
March 4.
A Story of
Monsters, Dreams, and Redemption
Also known
as Monster #8 in its international publication, the manga tells the story of a
man who works in a job far removed from his childhood dreams, until an
unexpected turn turns him into a kaiju. With this new identity, he decides to
return to his lifelong goal: becoming a member of the Defense Forces.
The manga
is available in English through Viz Media and also digitally through Shueisha's
MANGA Plus platform.
An
Expanding Franchise
The
universe of Kaiju No. 8 has made the leap to anime with a 12-episode adaptation
that premiered in April 2024 on TV Tokyo. The series was simultaneously
streamed globally on the X platform (formerly Twitter) and also on Crunchyroll,
which offered both Spanish subtitles and an English dub.
In
addition, the second season of the anime has already been confirmed to premiere
in July 2025 and will also be available on Crunchyroll.
Beyond the
manga and anime
The
franchise continues to expand with more projects. Last April, Crunchyroll and
Sony Pictures Entertainment hosted a cinema event in theaters across the United
States and Canada to screen the compilation film Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon,
based on the first season of the anime. The screenings took place on April 13,
14, and 16, available in Japanese with English subtitles and also with dubbing.
As if that
weren't enough, the video game Kaiju No. 8 the Game is already in development,
coming to iOS, Android, and PC devices via Steam. According to the App Store,
its release date is August 31.
With its
imminent end, Kaiju No. 8 cements itself as one of the most impactful stories
in recent manga, closing an important chapter in the history of contemporary
shonen.
