Summary
Kaiju No. 8is the Spring 2024 anime season’s top-rated science fiction anime according to MyAnimeList, with viewers around the world enjoying its same-day dubs that are released onCrunchyroll. With nearly non-stop action, cool monster designs, and hilariously memorable characters, its no wonder thatKaiju No. 8has been popular from its manga debut and through its first anime season. The level of science in the anime is also not hard to grasp, making the story and its lore remain accessible for most viewers.
One aspect of the world inKaiju No. 8that just debuted in the anime in Episode 11, “Kaiju No. 8 Captured,” are Numbers Weapons. It is only a matter of time before they debut in the anime, though, because they are important in the manga. These weapons are some of the most powerful ones in the story, even stronger than the personal weapons that the captains and vice-captains of the different divisions wield. Plus, their origins and abilities are very cool, and more interesting than any average weapon. So what exactly are Numbers Weapons, and why are they so powerful?
The Dark Origin of Numbers Weapons
There Is A Darkness Associated With The Numbers Weapons
Numbers Weapons go way beyond the power and scope of average weapons, and that is because of where they come from. They come in the form of a battle suit, and give the wearer enough power to damage and even kill daikaiju. This is becauseNumbers Weapons are actually made from the body parts and cells of the dead Identified Kaiju, which are turned into these powerful weapons by Izumo Tech. Identified Kaiju are set apart from normal kaiju by their incredibly high fortitude level and intelligence, and are given a number to identify them from other kaiju.Famous identified kaiju inKaiju No. 8so far have been Kaiju No. 9, Kaiju No. 10, and of course, Kafka himself.
These battle suits are able to keep some of the strength and even the abilities that the dead kaiju had when they were still alive, making it easy to imagine why they are so formidable. Only the strongest kaiju are Identified Kaiju, and thus their powers are above and beyond even the amazing strength of normal kaiju. Chapter 29 of theKaiju No. 8manga first revealed that users of Numbers Weapons can often feel thepresence of the dead kaijuwhile wearing the suit, showing that the kaiju is not entirely gone as long as the Numbers Weapon remains intact. They can also sometimes see the “Ghost” of a previous user, which is speculated to be actually the Identified Kaiju’s memory of that person using the weapon.
The Most Powerful Type of Weapon
Numbers Weapons Hold Tremendous Strength
As stated above, Numbers Weapons are the strongest weapons in the world ofKaiju No. 8. They can be created from various parts of an Identified Kaiju’s body, depending on what Izumo Tech is able to use and what they are trying to make. The Numbers Weapons always maintain some aspect from the original kaiju, like color or shape, making them easy to identify. Some of the current Numbers Weaponsin theKaiju No. 8manga(without giving too many spoilers) include spectacles made from a kaiju’s retina, and the powerful gauntlets worn by Director General Shinomiya made from the infamous Kaiju No. 2. This is in addition to the combat suit itself, which is made from the kaiju’s corpse.
Like Combat Suits(which are also made by Izumo Tech), Numbers Weapons take the abilities of a user and exemplify them to make them even stronger. They also give that user access to the abilities and strength that the Identified Kaiju had in life, including their often hard exteriors. However, not just anyone can wield a Numbers Weapon. They must prove to be compatible with the user in order to actually be worn and used, even more so than a normal Combat Suit. Typically, only the most powerful members of the Defense Force are able to synchronize with, and effectively wield, a Numbers Weapon.
No Risk, No Reward
These Weapons Are A Mighty Force But Come With Their Downsides
If Numbers Weapons carried no risk, then Defense Force members that were compatible with them would use them all the time. After all, they are incredibly strong, and sometimes the only thing that can stop the most powerful kaiju. However, they do pose a great risk for the user, and these risks multiply with overuse. Just as spending too long with ahigh Unleashed Combat Powerwearing a Combat Suit causes it to overheat and harm the wearer, Numbers Weapons can also cause physical harm to users if worn for too long. Chapter 44 even reveals that using one can shave years off of a user’s life.
This is because when operating a Numbers Weapon, the fusion of the wearer’s own cells with that of a daikaiju’s sends the user into a kind of “berserk” state. Their most basic, almost animal instincts and desires rise to the surface and can overpower the voice of reason. They will risk severe injury to their bodies in pursuit of these desires and while acting on these instincts, with little sense of self-preservation. It is part of what makes them so strong, but the risk of overuse is also very real.
More than half of the Identified Kaiju so far inKaiju No. 8have been made into Numbers Weapons, including for some of the most popularcharacters from the anime, like Kikoru Shinomiya, Reno Ichikawa, and Soshiro Hoshina. Director General Shinomiya has already known how powerful Numbers Weapons can be in Episode 11, and that was in less than five minutes of screen time thus far. If you already think the personal weapons that these character wield are powerful, just wait until you see what is coming next.
You can watchKaiju No. 8now onCrunchyroll.
Kaiju No. 8
Production I.G’s Kaiju No. 8 is a Spring 2024 anime based on Naoya Matsumoto’s Shonen Jump+ manga. Set in an alternate version of Japan, the story follows the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force as they try to protect the nation from monster attacks.
