Last time on Kaiju No. 8
What's going on? What's happening out there?
We're picking up live signals from the Kaiju they already killed!
You did a great job, Kikoru!
Sorry. I'm running out of time here.
So I'm cleaning you up...
with one punch!
An unexpected incident occurred,
but Senpai's last exam came to an end.
And I have you to thank for encouraging me.
Thanks, Ichikawa.
After all he went through, Senpai looked even more like a man you could count on.
I can't take this!
Never mind.
I'm scared! I'm scared! I'm scared! I'm scared! I'm scared!
And it's all your fault!
I'm only suffering like this because you encouraged me!
You were thanking me for it at the hospital!
You were so cool then! What happened?
Kafka! Ichikawa!
You've both got mail.
Okay, we open it on three.
No matter how it turns out, this is my last shot.
Will the path I'm on take me all the way to her?
Time to find out!
One, two...
Examinee Number 2032.
Kafka Hibino.
Examination Results.
Episode 5 Joining Up!
Hey.
Well, I figured you'd pass.
Same to you.
I'm not seeing any big surprises here.
I don't see Shinomiya's groupie, though.
You wanted him to pass?
No, I...
Hey, it's Shinomiya!
Shinomiya-san!
I heard you were the top scorer!
Yeah, they asked me handle the oath.
I can't wait to work with you!
Thanks.
Before the test, I was sure I'd be number one.
But after what we saw...
I suppose we'll be competing for the number two slot.
I scored the highest on the fitness exam.
You can aim for number two.
I'll aim for number one.
Oh, sorry!
Hey, you were with the old dude!
Reno Ichikawa.
Sorry, I'm bad with names.
I'm Iharu Furuhashi.
A pleasure to meet you, Furuhashi-san.
Just call me Iharu, Reno.
Okay.
Where's the old dude? Didn't work out?
Senpai is...
Captain Mina Ashiro is entering the room.
Captain Ashiro...
It's finally time!
The induction ceremony will now begin.
Kikoru Shinomiya will speak on behalf of the incoming class!
Yes, ma'am!
The twenty-seven of you are, as of this moment,
officers in the Defense Force!
On behalf of all 27 of us, I swear that we will lay down our lives for the cause!
You helped a lot during the incident after the exam.
Thanks to you, there were no casualties.
Again, you have my thanks.
It wasn't me who defeated them.
Kafka Hibino, you should be the one hearing these words...
So why aren't you here?
You had the audacity to not only save my life,
but to worry about me like I was a little girl...
I'm glad you're safe!
This is humiliating!
I still want some answers from you about that Kaiju form, too!
I'm not gonna let you just up and disappear on me!
Excuse me!
Sorry to interrupt the ceremony!
The old dude!
Number 2032. Kafka Hibino. Failed.
He scored the lowest on the fitness exam
and a zero on his aptitude test, so there's not much to talk about.
Yeah, sounds about right to me.
I don't...
All righty, I'll take him, then.
Sure, his numbers are below average.
He doesn't have what it takes to be an officer.
But in actual combat during the last exam,
he was able to locate the enemy's weak points,
and he also aided the overall effort
by prioritizing helping others over his own kill count.
Not many people are capable of that.
And more than anything...
The dude was funny as hell.
Is that really all you care about?
I'm not sure if we'll ever promote him to a full officer,
but I'll bring him into my platoon as a cadet and give him some more training.
He's being enrolled as a cadet,
so I had him sit out the induction ceremony.
Glad to hear it, Kafka Hibino.
So I was right. He did pass.
As a cadet, though.
That's a surprise.
All right, now that we're all here, let's have a word from Captain Ashiro.
Everyone, I'm glad that you all decided to volunteer for the Defense Force,
enduring and passing that difficult exam.
I thank you.
These last few years,
we've seen far more Kaiju with far higher fortitudes than was typical before.
We've also now seen this strange incident where dead Kaiju came back to life.
These neutralization missions will be extremely dangerous.
Some of you may die on your very first one.
There's absolutely no guarantee that you'll survive.
But even so... No, that's exactly why...
I want you to entrust your lives to me.
I swear to be standing at the very front, acting as both your shield and spear!
I'll...
I'll be standing next to you soon, Mina!
Huh?
Awkward.
What the hell?!
He's gone crazy!
He's calling Captain Ashiro by her first name!
Oops.
Kaf...
Kafka Hibino.
You spoke out of turn and disrespected a superior officer.
You owe me one hundred push-ups.
I didn't mean to say that out loud!
He's already at it!
Captain Ashiro, I think you're going a little easy on the guy...
Huh?
Did I just see her smile?
He just got here. And he's already bringing the comedy?
I know, right? I told you.
This place can get pretty gloomy sometimes.
We need a guy like him.
Well, that's only half the story.
When those Kaiju started coming back from the dead,
we suddenly saw a 9.8 fortitude Kaiju signal.
I still think it was just a busted sensor,
but at the same time, somebody's vitals stopped coming in.
Kafka Hibino...
There's something strange about him,
and not just the fact that his suit aptitude was zero.
I'm going to keep him close and find out what that "something" is.
Ninety-nine...
One hundred!
You really hung in there, old dude!
Kafka Hibino.
Come with me. We need to talk.
What, we can't do it here?
But if we did it here...
Are you confessing your love?
It is not!
Senpai!
So it's one of those "meet me after school behind the gym" things?
Just come with me!
You ate a Kaiju and turned into one?
I can't believe it!
God, you're such a glutton.
I didn't mean to eat it!
You're both way too loud!
I think we could just tell the Defense Force, you know.
They might be able to cure me!
Not a chance.
Even if they don't kill you outright,
you'll spend every day being tested and doing experiments.
You'll never be a defense officer.
Really?!
And when a Kaiju's powerful enough to get a number,
I've heard they use its body as parts for a special weapon after they defeat it.
It's possible that'll happen to you.
Kikoru, please! Please keep this our little secret!
Save an old man's life!
You're too close! Way too close!
Please, please, please!
Fine.
You did save my life, so I'll keep quiet about it for now.
In exchange,
if I find out that you're a Kaiju that's going to harm mankind,
I'll kill you.
Yeah.
If that happens, I'm counting on you!
Arms tight against your sides, wrists slack.
Let your instincts take over when you aim the reticle,
and don't pull the trigger...
Squeeze it!
Squeeze!
Reno Ichikawa, fire training exercise complete.
Time, 2:35.
Estimated unleashed combat power, 18%.
Haruichi-kun, I've got a question!
I'm impressed. He's grown a lot in a very short time.
Reno set another personal best!
Come on!
I won't let him beat me!
Iharu Furuhashi, 2:15.
Estimated unleashed combat power, 20%.
Hell yeah!
I win!
Don't get cocky, Reno.
I won't.
Kikoru Shinomiya, 1:16.
Estimated unleashed combat power, 55%.
Play nice, kids.
Both of your scores combined are still worse than mine.
Sheesh.
The more I train, the more she makes me realize just how average I am.
You've got time to worry about people better than you?
My combat power's as good as yours now.
I've got to worry about those above me and those below me, huh?
I'll set a new best when it's my turn, Aoi.
Kafka Hibino, 6:39.
Estimated combat power, 1%.
Yes!
Did you see that, Kikoru?
I finally turned that zero into a one!
Stay away from me!
Well? Tell me how awesome I am.
Why are you acting so happy when you're 1% and I'm 55%?
Kafka!
Yes, Vice-Captain Hoshina?
You're never gonna be a full officer at this rate.
You'll be fired in three months.
What?
Old dude...
Okay, ten laps around the perimeter and we call it a day.
What?
You complained, so now it's fifteen.
Get going!
Yes, sir!
The new recruits have quite a few rivalries between them already, huh?
Yeah.
Looks like, even when I'm not around,
they're competing with each other and making each other better.
I'm so tired!
We had to do laps at the end, too... The vice-captain is a monster.
Looks like you need to build up some more muscle, Reno.
No, yours aren't that much different than mine.
Our fitness eval scores are always the same.
Are you serious? Look at these biceps!
They look like they're just for show to me.
Reno's more stubborn than I thought.
Quit bickering over stupid stuff, kids.
Behold the muscles of a hard-working grown-up!
Wow, you're getting some bulk...
Exhale.
Bounce.
Aww, so close!
You can't be in the Defense Force with a spare tire!
That's very rude, Iharu-kun.
It'll happen to you too when you hit 28 or so!
I've actually lost a ton of weight!
Forget the stomach.
I challenge you all to arm wrestling!
Yer on!
All right.
Okay, let me just set a towel down here...
Huh. It's awful noisy tonight.
What's wrong?
We were just talking about how scrawny we all were.
Just what you'd expect from a former military officer.
What matters isn't your muscles! Right, Reno?
You know, it's been a while since I've done anything like this.
Yes, what matters is your results!
I'll outdo you in training tomorrow!
You won't beat me!
But did you expect any less?
That's right.
Excuse us!
It's fine.
It's about time for me to head out.
Thank you!
Are you feeling all better?
Yes. I'm fine now, thank you.
Wow...
She's got good muscles, and just the right amount too.
But that's not enough to explain her combat power.
What?
I was wondering how you got those muscles...
I mean, what kind of training you did.
Stand next to me.
I'll show you the basics.
Here?
Th-Thank you!
So why'd you guys all decide to join up?
If you want to ask other people, you should start by giving your own reasons.
For me, it's definitely Captain Ashiro.
She saved me when I was in middle school, and I've always wanted to be like her!
What about you guys?
Part of it's my family,
but something similar, I think.
My goal is Captain Ashiro.
Same here.
That poster of Captain Ashiro was so cool.
And she was so awesome in that documentary!
Mina's really inspired a lot of people, huh?
She's our generation's superhero.
So what's your story, old dude?
Well, I...
What?!
Captain A-Ashiro is...
...your childhood friend?
Y-Yeah.
And you both promised to join the Defense Force?
Like a "childhood promise" kinda thing?
Well, I think I've had enough...
Wait.
Let's hear the rest of that story.
Oh, well, she was born on a very sunny day...
She's always liked squid.
That's surprising!
She took care of the class pets in elementary school...
Give us more.
And then... and then...
Hours.
Women's Bath.
That was a great bath.
Hmm?
Did a serial killer come through here?
Oh, Kikorun.
They ended up talking so much they stayed in the bath too long.
They were talking about Captain Ashiro, they said.
Stupid boys.
I don't have a lot of time.
I'll have to work twice as hard as everybody.
Working hard, huh?
Vice-Captain Hoshina!
Getting your Zs is part of the job too.
I can't let myself get fired.
For Captain Ashiro?
How did you know?!
You were telling everyone in the bath, right?
Assume every word you say in this dorm will be recorded.
Scary!
I promised I'd fight by her side!
Oh, you know I could interpret that as saying you're going to steal my vice-captain spot.
I didn't mean it like that...
No.
I do mean it. I'll do my best to make it happen.
Hmph.
Fine.
You've got two more hours.
Turn off the lights when you leave and lock the door.
I'm not letting you have my spot next to Captain Ashiro.
Thank you...
And...
You shouldn't get too close to the rest of the officers.
In this line of work, something could happen to any one of them at any time.
A Kaiju?
This isn't a training exercise, is it?
See what I just said?
Let's go. It's time for your first mission.