Kaiju No. 8: Types of Kaiju, Explained

Kaiju No. 8 is one of the hottest new anime airing right now in the Spring 2024 season, with its first episode already drawing in audiences around the world. It is being streamed simultaneously on Crunchyroll at the same time as it is released in Japan, and even releasing a same-day dub just a few hours after each episode airs. After just one episode, it even has a score of 8.21 according to MyAnimeList.

Kaiju No. 8 is based on a popular manga that has been published since 2020, but for many people, the anime is their first experience with the series. Of course, Kaiju No. 8 has plenty of kaiju in it. But did you know that there are different classifications for them based on factors such as their size? We are pulling information from the manga and the anime so far to help you understand the different classifications of kaiju so that when you are enjoying Kaiju No. 8, you are able to follow the story completely.

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What is a Kaiju?

Before we get into defining individual kinds of kaiju in the series, though, let’s take a step back and look at the Oxford English Dictionary‘s definition of the word “kaiju.” According to the OED, “kaiju” means

Any of various giant monsters featured in Japanese films and television programmes (or those in a similar style made elsewhere).

The first and best known of such creatures is Gojira, the very large dinosaur-like monster in Inoshiro Honda’s 1954 Japanese film Gojira, from which the 1956 U.S. film Godzilla, King of the Monsters was adapted.

That certainly does sound like the creatures that main character Kafka Hibino is facing in Kaiju No. 8, which is set in a parallel version of Japan that is constantly attacked by monsters known as “kaiju.” The kaiju attacks are so prevalent that the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force has to exist, and Kafka himself works in the kaiju clean-up crew to deal with the defeated corpses full time. That means there must be a pretty big problem with kaiju attacks.

What Types of Kaiju are in Kaiju No. 8?

The kaiju in Kaiju No. 8 have individual powers, making them each unique from one another. However, all of their power comes from their Uni-organ, which is a part of their body that stores the unique powers that they have.

Even though individual kaiju may vary from one another based on their power and appearance, there are three main classifications for kaiju that are used. All three are based mostly on the kaiju’s size and power, which are measured by its Fortitude Level.

Honju

“Honju” is the classification given to the biggest kaiju in Kaiju No. 8. They are considered to be the most powerful type of kaiju, and are usually assisted by several smaller kaiju called yoju. Usually, their foritude level is 6.0 or above to be classified as a honju. Honju take an entire platoon of the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force to bring down and cause destruction on a large scale until they can be stopped. One can be seen being fought by Kafka’s childhood friend Miho at the beginning of the first episode, where it attacks the city of Yokohama.

Yoju

“Yoju” are significantly smaller than honju, but of course, they are usually still much bigger than humans. Yoju are assistants to honju, and typically there are several yoju who assist one honju. Yoju can often be found following the path of honju, as seen in the first episode of Kaiju No. 8 when one such monster surprises Kafka and his coworker, Reno Ichikawa, while they are cleaning up a defeated honju. Yoju can also appear as parasites on larger honju, and are sometimes even created by honju.

Daikaiju

The last usual classification for kaiju in Kaiju No. 8 is “daikaiju.” The word “daikaiju” literally translates to “big kaiju,” but daikaiju are not necessarily big. What makes them daikaiju is their Fortitude Level – you guessed it, they are the most powerful of all kaiju. Daikaiju have a Fortitude Level of over 8.0, and are strong enough that they are often given numbers as well to help classify them from one another. The most obvious example of this in the series is Kafka himself, who transforms into the daikaiju known as “Kaiju No. 8,” with a Fortitude Level of 9.8.

These are the main types of kaiju that can be seen in Kaiju No. 8. Again, each individual kaiju is different, with varying abilities and degrees of power. But they typically can fit into one of these three categories based on their Fortitude Level, with just a little overlap between them depending on their individual abilities (for example, a very powerful yoju can also be considered a honju if its Fortitude Level is over 6.0 as long as all of its other traits are in line with a yoju). The next time you are watching Kaiju No. 8, keep your ears open for these terms and see if you can better understand what kind of kaiju you are seeing based on its classification.

You can watch Kaiju No. 8 now on Crunchyroll.

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