The main character, Kafka Hibino, once again pursues his dream of becoming a defense force member, which he once gave up on. However, just then, a small monster suddenly appears, turns him into a monster, calls him “Monster No. 8,” and ends up being chased by the defense forces.
In this article, we will summarize Kafka Hibino’s personality and personality, how he became Kaiju No. 8, his abilities, and his relationship with Mina Abyaku.
*This article contains spoilers.
Age: 32 years old
Birthday: August 5th
Height: 181cm
Likes: Defense Forces, curry, hamburgers, alcohol, cigarettes (I have refrained from this since I started aiming for the Defense Forces again)
A 32-year-old man who works at Monster Sweeper, a cleaning company specializing in monsters. Having given up on his dream of becoming a member of the Defense Force, he spends his days in agony while watching his childhood friend Mina Abyaku, who is in the spotlight as the commander of the 3rd unit of the Defense Force, but when he meets Reno Ichikawa, who has joined the company as a part-time worker, He decides to challenge his dream again.
Kafka is tasked with cleaning up the corpses of monsters killed by the defense forces. Many of the monsters that appear are large, and dismantling them is dangerous and hard work. Kafka, who is said to be a veteran of the company, never runs away from the task and completes it, even if it’s something that everyone else hates.
His strong sense of responsibility and ability to carry out the tasks he was assigned, even though he hated it, is what makes him a good member of society and a fine adult. He’s not just 32 years old.
Even when Ichikawa, his junior, acts in a cocky manner, he does not treat her coldly, and he has the kindness and tolerance to be concerned about him as a newcomer. Also, when Ichikawa is attacked by a monster, he is brave enough to stand up to it despite being unarmed, but he is also dangerous and doesn’t care for himself.
Kafka is naturally the oldest of the new members of the Defense Force, but his bright and friendly personality allows him to get along with his younger classmates without any problems.
After meeting Ichikawa, Kafka decides to once again aim to become a member of the defense force, when a small monster suddenly appears in front of him. When the small monster says “Mitsuketa”, it jumps into Kafka’s mouth.
Then Kafka transforms into a monster. Not only does it look like a monster, but its power is also that of a monster, and even a slight poke can completely destroy a building. A resident who saw Kafka transformed into a monster reported it, and although Kafka was confused, he fled with Ichikawa, who knew Kafka’s true identity, and for the time being succeeded in escaping from the defense forces.
Kafka’s incident was the first to be subjugated since the Defense Force was established, and he was chased as “Monster No. 8.” However, Kafka cannot give up on his dream of becoming a member of the Defense Force. In order to be able to return to human form on his own, he decides to hide his identity as Monster No. 8 and take the Defense Force selection exam.
The reason why Kafka aims to join the Defense Force is because of his promise to Mina Abyaku, the commander of the 3rd unit of the Defense Force. The two, who have been childhood friends since elementary school, share the sadness of seeing their town destroyed by monsters and promise to become defense members together.
Although they swore to each other to annihilate all monsters together, Mina became the captain at a young age, while Kafka gave up on his dream.
Kafka, who had been living in agony over Mina’s activities in the limelight, regained his passion for his dreams after meeting Ichikawa, and decided to become a member of the Defense Force to stand next to Mina as promised.
Although he failed the selection test, he caught the attention of Hoshina, the vice commander of the 3rd unit, and decided to join the army as a cadet. It’s a position that doesn’t give me peace of mind, as I will be fired if I am not recognized as a full-time member within three months, but I am seizing my last chance.
Although Kafka is inferior to the young recruits in terms of physical strength and attack skills, he has the knowledge and experience of disposing of many monsters as a demolition worker.
During the selection exam, the task was to subdue a monster that had experience in dismantling it, so they provided support by informing the attackers of the monster’s weaknesses. Furthermore, in his first mission after joining the army, he dismantles a defeated monster and uncovers the location and characteristics of its core. Kafka knows more about the monster than anyone else in the defense force.
Kafka’s work on his first mission was recognized and he was successfully promoted to full-time member! He was officially accepted as a member of the 3rd Division of the Defense Force.
As a human, Kafka is still not strong enough to subjugate monsters, but as mentioned above, when he transforms into Kaiju No. 8, he has the power to reduce even large monsters to smithereens with a single blow. It also has the ability to detect other monsters, and can notify its allies of surprise attacks by monsters.
The fortitude (energy index value) of Kaiju No. 8 observed by the Defense Forces is 9.8. Anything above 8.0 is classified as a large monster, and Kaiju No. 8’s 9.8 is the value of a large monster that will go down in history.
防衛隊選抜試験の最中に討伐リストにない正体不明の人型怪獣（のちに怪獣９号と命名）が出現。受験者の中でトップの実力を誇る四ノ宮キコルが奇襲され、重傷を負います。さらに、怪獣９号はキコルが倒したはずの怪獣たちを蘇らせてその場から姿を消します。
キコルは他の受験者たちが避難する時間を稼ぐため、ボロボロの身体で蘇った怪獣と応戦。ついに力尽き、とどめを刺されそうになったところに、怪獣８号に変身したカフカが到着。怪獣を討伐し、キコルを救出します。
防衛隊のお膝下であっても、仲間のためなら迷いなく怪獣化し戦うカフカ。まだ入隊していなくても、その心は立派な防衛隊員です。
防衛隊入隊後の初任務の最中、再び怪獣９号が姿を現し、カフカの同期である市川と古橋が襲われます。９号によって通信も遮断された中でカフカは怪獣８号の姿となり、他の怪獣を感知する力で市川らのもとに駆け付けます。
カフカは９号の強烈な攻撃を受け傷を負いますが、怯むどころか「お前はこんなもんをアイツらの体に何発も撃ち込んだんだな」と激昂。畳みかけるように９号に攻撃を浴びせ、圧倒します。
あと一撃で完全に仕留められる、というところで防衛隊に見つかり銃を向けられたカフカ。その隙に９号には逃げられてしまいます。しかし、カフカの奮闘により市川・古橋は一命をとりとめたのでした。
多数の翼竜系怪獣により襲撃を受けた立川基地。基地にいる第3部隊は激しい戦闘を強いられるも、なんとか怪獣を討伐し、立川基地を守り切ります。
難を逃れたと思った矢先、上空から巨大な怪獣の塊が基地目掛けて落下してきます。先の戦闘で隊員は隊長・副隊長含め全員が満身創痍で戦える状態ではありません。しかし、このままだと基地はおろか、ほぼ全ての隊員が命を落とすだろう危機的状況です。
カフカは全隊員が見ている目の前で怪獣８号に変身し、巨大な怪獣の塊を破壊します。無事立川基地とそこにいる全隊員の命を守ったものの、攻撃の反動を受けてカフカの身はボロボロに。さらに、正体が明らかになった怪獣８号、もといカフカはミナによって身柄を拘束されてしまうのでした。
日比野カフカを演じるのは福西勝也さん。2月24日生まれ、奈良県出身。『東京リベンジャーズ』の龍宮寺堅役をはじめ、『KING OF PRISM』の天下左京役など、人気作品のキャラクターを多く演じています。
一度は夢を諦めたものの、再び情熱を思い出し防衛隊を志した日比野カフカ。怪獣８号になるというハプニングに見舞われても、諦めることなく夢を追い続ける姿に胸が熱くなります。果たして彼はミナとの約束通り、彼女の隣に立つことができるのでしょうか。彼の活躍と奮闘を見守りましょう！
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