After five years of serialization,Naoya Matsumoto’sKaiju No. 8manga finally came to a close on July 31, 2025. Fans of this series can now witness firsthand what exactly happened to Kafka, Mina, Reno, Kikoru, and this entire cast of lovable characters at the very end of this epic story, and in most cases, it certainly didn’t disappoint.
While the ending ofKaiju No. 8got quite a mixed reception from readers, it can’t be denied that a fair share of its most iconic characters received very solid and satisfying well-written conclusions to their storylines, with the following being the best and most noteworthy examples.
1Kafka Hibino
Finally Got To Accomplish His Lifelong Dream And Become A Hero
The protagonist ofKaiju No. 8,Kafka Hibino, went through a lot of harsh stuff throughout the story. He started as a weak man who couldn’t fulfill his goal of fighting Kaiju alongside his childhood friend, Mina Ashiro,until he received incredible Kaiju powers from a mysterious creature. After that, he joined the Defense Force and kept his powers hidden until he was eventually forced to reveal them to save everyone.
Later, during the final fight against the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era,Kafka chose to sacrifice his humanity and replaced his heart with a Kaiju core, which unlocked a new powerful transformation that allowed him to defeat this legendary opponent once and for all. However, thanks to Isao Shinomiya’s involvement, he was given a second chance at being a human and woke up a few months after the battle. By the end of the manga, Kafka Hibino has pretty much accomplished every one of his personal goals and went on to live a great life. He’s still part of the Defense Force, where he’ll continue to fight kaiju alongside Mina and all of his other friends, he’s recognized as a hero around the entire country, and he can still transform into his Kaiju form whenever he needs to save people.
2Mina Ashiro
After So Many Years, Her Childhood Friend Is Finally By Her Side
When she was first introduced,Mina Ashiro, the legendary captain of the Third Division, seemed like a distant, ruthless, and cold woman. In reality, she was frustrated and disappointed by the fact that her childhood friend, Kafka, couldn’t keep his promise of fighting Kaiju right beside her, and this conflict made their relationship throughout the series quite interesting.
Kafka and Mina finally joined forces during the climactic final battle against the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era, which was both an extremely satisfying and endearing occasion. Fortunately, Mina survived this long and difficult fight and is now working in the Third Division of the Defense Force once again, with her good friend and fighting partner Kafka Hibino right by her side. Needless to say, seeing such a serious soldier finally break out of her shell and receive her friend with so much honesty was nothing short of fascinating.
3Kikoru Shinomiya
Lived Up To Her Parents’ Expectations
Kikoru Shinomiyais one of the most complex and interesting characters inKaiju No. 8, to the point that she feels like a second protagonist after Kafka. During her introduction, she came off as an egotistical and arrogant young girl, but she had a lot of turmoil hiding inside her, seeing as she’s the daughter of Isao Shinomiya, the Director General of the Defense Force, who had pressured her to become stronger throughout her entire life so she wouldn’t die at the hands of a Kaiju like her mother, Hikari.
To make things even worse, Isao was eventually killed by Kaiju No. 9, which meant Kikoru had to carry on his legacy.With the combined powers of Numbers Weapon 1 and Numbers Weapon 4, she played a key role during the final battle against the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era, and Kafka wouldn’t have been able to destroy the enemy’s core without her. In the final chapter, it is revealed that Kikoru received a promotion and that she’s set to become the Vice Commander of the First Division in the near future. Needless to say, Kikoru not only successfully met her parents’ expectations, but she even surpassed them.
4Isao Shinomiya
Was A Key Player In The Story, Even After His Death
Despite being introduced as a strict and serious man,Director GeneralIsao Shinomiyais infamous for being one of the very few named characters inKaiju No. 8to die on-screen, since he was killed and absorbed by Kaiju No. 9 during the Kaiju Weapon Arc. His sudden death was quite unexpected, and it had a huge impact on both Kafka and Kikoru.
However, just because Isao died, it doesn’t necessarily mean that his character had an unsatisfying ending. Not only did his daughter become much stronger and successfully carry on his legacy, but he is also the main reason Kafka was able to maintain his humanity: when their consciences met inside the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era, Isao gave Kafka his own heart and ordered him to keep protecting the others. On top of that, the final chapter even revealed that he forced the spirits of the samurai to stay inside Kafka’s heart so he could keep getting access to his transformation.
5Kaiju No. 9
A Formidable Villain, Until The Very End
The being known asKaiju No. 9was the main overarching antagonist of the series, and he was definitely a force to be reckoned with, both in terms of strength and personality. Throughout many chapters, readers could see this dangerous human-hating monster getting gradually stronger, to the point that he even killed and absorbed Isao Shinomiya to complete his mission.
Of course, Kaiju No. 9 was eventually replaced by the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era in the final story arc, but his tragic backstory revealed that he had been working toward resuscitating this legendary monster throughout his entire life. At the end of the day, Kaiju No. 9 was an excellent villain who played his role flawlessly, since he acted as a constant threat to the heroes and was also able to fulfill his goals, even after his defeat, and this is something that can’t be said about many other classic villains in the action shōnen genre.
6Mysterious Larva
Took Revenge On His Enemy And Can Now Rest Within Kafka
TheMysterious Larva, the little creature that gave Kafka his powers in the very first chapter of the manga, was a potent Kaiju core created by the combined power left by the souls of the samurai that died while fighting the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era. The Larva continued living for many centuries out of sheer hatred for its enemy, and kept searching for a suitable host that would help it take revenge, until it finally chose Kafka.
The main character not only eventually learned the truth about the origins of his powers, but he also unlocked a powerful new form that helped him defeat the infamous Daikaiju once and for all. In the final chapter, the Mysterious Larva can be seen resting peacefully inside Kafka’s body,because it finally managed to destroy the monster that killed all those warriors many years in the past, thus completing its lifelong mission. Of course, due to Isao Shinoniya’s assistance, the Larva and the samurai’s souls agreed to keep giving Kafka access to his powers so he can help others in their never-ending fight against the other Kaiju that are still threatening to destroy the world.
