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Summary
Kaiju No . 8is rife in the Spring 2024 anime season , soScreen Rantinterviewed the English dub voice actor for Kafka Hibino , Reno Ichikawa , and Kikoru Shinomiya to get their thoughts on the experience so far .
With its digital first appearance on Shonen Jump+ on July 3 , 2020,Kaiju No . 8quickly resonate with shonen fans seeking action , comedy , and a admixture ofGodzillaandUltraman . With its anime adaptation , it has quickly become one of the most babble out - about new show of the season , releasing newfangled episode every Saturday . The principal characters are a magic premix of younger and older soldiers enroll to defend their home from fiend , with 32 - year - old protagonist Kafka Hibino joined by the much younger 18 - year - quondam Reno Ichikawa and 16 - yr - honest-to-goodness Kikoru Shinomiya .
With new episodes release the English dub day and date alongside the subbed translation , Screen Rantspoke with the part actors for Kafka , Kikoru , and Reno !
Nazeeh Tarsha on Kafka’s Age and Figuring Out One’s Purpose in Life
Screen Rant : Kaiju No . 8 fixates on age as relate to the ability to fight in a society that prioritizes raising capable - bodied soldier against constant threat . As a termination , the main character , Kafka is seen as an outlier even before incidentally ingesting a kaiju . Nazeeh , our interrogation for you is , how do you get into the outlook of playing a character of the ripe old age of thirty - two ?
Nazeeh Tarsha : Well , I think I ’ve been prepping my entire lifespan for this , because I am the right old age of thirty - one with almost the accurate same eubstance type of Kafka . So you know this has been years in the qualification . This is fate , if you will .
I call back the age component is super funny , because you know , plainly , thirty - one , like , one foot in the grave , oh my . But when in actuality , it ’s like , We ’ve got the same youthful exuberance of , you know , a twenty - twelvemonth - old . It ’s all similar . Where it does disagree , though , to other shows and character , bring the life experience into , because he is portrayed as older . And you get it right out the logic gate from the first episode with sorting of this complacency in life , this sort of " well , this is it ? I ’ve present up on my dream and dreams , " and to have sort of like renewal of finding himself .
Bringing my own living experience into that where you know , it ’s like , oh , yeah , I can absolutely relate to that , you recognise , trying to find oneself cypher out what I ’m doing in life . It ’s much easier to bring yourself to the table when it becomes that , " Does biography simulate art ? Does art simulate life ? " Sort of scenario .
Abigail Blythe on Relating to Kikoru Shinomiya
Abigail , your persona as Kikoru Shinomiya is exceedingly exciting . She ’s the top - performing newfangled enlistee , and the only clamant campaigner for skipper . Such an elect and proud case is a tough office to commit to . Do you have any particular inspirations from which you draw while trifle this character ?
Abigail Blythe : I emphatically see myself in her . I relate her a lot to myself . We ’re interchangeable in a great deal of esteem . Both perfectionist character . A personality . Both very emotionally guarded , likes to put up a front will do their best and wo n’t expect anything else from themselves . redact a pot of expectations on themselves as well as from parental figures , too . You experience , feeling with issues with a father figure in the home .
I recall a set of girls go through that . I think she ’s very relatable , not just to me , but to most teenage girls , I mean , society put so much pressure on on younger girls to succeed , and a band of pressure on themselves , too . Because we just have such gamy expectations for ourselves .
So drawing from within has been very easy for her . I have n’t find a lot of challenges as to understand her character , which has been really nice . Because then it ’s just really the technical challenge vocally , physically , things like that that I get to focus on . But emotionally wise , I mean me and her : We sit down on the same horizontal surface . So it ’s been really great and releasing .
So it ’s like a lot of it descend from within , and it ’s a very unremarkably shared experience among youthful women .
Abigail Blythe : I ’d say so .
project her journeying , even just in the first few episodes shows that there ’s one big perception of her . But then that sensing is met with her own internal expectations as her internal monologue plays out .
Abigail Blythe : Exactly . Exactly . Yeah . She has . She has layers like an onion plant , like an ogre !
Adam McArthur on Reno Ichikawa’s “Straight Man” Character
Adam , you present a heroic untried Reno , who , despite occasionally being Kafka ’s comedic foil is extremely entertaining and exhilarating . How would you draw the experience of play an uplifting character with such a warm sense of responsibility , especially towards Kafka Kikuru and the squad ?
Adam McArthur : Yeah , I ’m so golden . I ’m really lucky that I get to play a character that I ’m proud of . It ’s fun too , there ’s nothing that I ’m worried about someone date or thinking about this guy like he is just a good male child . He ’s receive breathing in of his own . But then he foregather Kafka , and I think even though he ’s young than him , he kind of submit him under his backstage in a way , and is a little spot maternal towards him , and feels a province to make certain that he ’s ok . And I think his intentions are just really pure .
I know that he wants to be great himself , and he need to be good . But that ’s not really what prompt him . It ’s almost like not even a thought . It ’s just something that he ’s doing on the side while he ’s making certain that you know he can help Kafka if he needs help , and all that stuff . So yeah , he ’s such a not bad character . It ’s not often , either , that I get to act the square gentleman where all the pandemonium is sort of go on around him . And he ’s just looking around like what in the world is going on . So it ’s been a lot of fun .
Kafka Hibino, a disillusioned Kaiju corpse cleanup worker, dreams of joining the Defense Force that protects Japan from monstrous Kaiju attacks. His life takes a surreal turn when he becomes infected by a Kaiju parasite, granting him the power to transform into a Kaiju himself. Known as Kaiju No. 8, Kafka must navigate the dual life of a monster and a protector, facing enemies both human and Kaiju.
The straight man is just such an interesting character because they do n’t necessarily have to be an off - the - rampart comedic eccentric at the same time to be curious and think of to follow . That ’s neat to see .
Adam McArthur : Yeah , he ’s alike to other character , but very unique in it . And I am really loving , getting an chance to to be the English voice of Ichikawa .
Nazeeh Tarsha, Abigail Blythe, and Adam McArthur Talk About Kaiju No. 8
Topics Range Across Age, Societal Expectations, Group Activities, Action, and Comedy
What are the most exciting prospects of working together as a unit on this series ? You hump . And what do you think the viewing audience should be looking forward to the most ?
Abigail Blythe : Well , I ’ll say in the kiosk when I get a chance to , if I ’m one of the last to immortalize getting to learn their performances and bounce off of them while I ’m playing . Kikoru is such a dainty . So when it happens , I ’m so happy that I ’m capable to listen , and jounce off of them . As far as the characters go . I retrieve that the audience have a lot to look forward to as they grow nearer and around each other , and see how their their squad develops . And I think all of them Kikoru and Kafka , Kika and Reno . All their human relationship with each other develop really nicely and very differently . So I ’m excited to see how the dynamic go from here in the animation as well .
Nazeeh Tarsha : For me , I think the most exciting prospect of work with this cast is that I ’ll in the end be capable to get closemouthed enough to Adam to get his autograph for free .
Kafka Hibino, a disillusioned Kaiju corpse cleanup worker, dreams of joining the Defense Force that protects Japan from monstrous Kaiju attacks. His life takes a surreal turn when he becomes infected by a Kaiju parasite, granting him the power to transform into a Kaiju himself. Known as Kaiju No. 8, Kafka must navigate the dual life of a monster and a protector, facing enemies both human and Kaiju.
Adam McArthur : Stop that !
Nazeeh Tarsha : He ’s such a tough mankind to get into touch with . No , develop to work with a bunch of just utterly talented professionals of all sorting of not acquisition levels , but sort of like , experience levels . There is sweet novel talent that is have a spotlight shine on them , and they ’re getting the chance to be bring into the fray . And then , you have folks like Adam , who ’s been in the game for a bit now ? And kind of just see everybody feed off of each other and seeing these exciting and exhilarating performance being brought forth .
Nazeeh Tarsha : For audiences I would say the thing to look forward to is honestly just strapping in and enjoying the ride . Because there really is something for everyone . Whether it ’s characters , personalities , tropes , ogre , comedy , like it legitimately has something for everybody . It ’s one of those things where I think if you just sit down and view the first instalment , you ’ll be hooked and wanting to overeat the rest of it .
Adam McArthur : Somebody has say to us , it sound like you guys are having fun . And I remember that ’s what I ’m most excited about is we all care about this show so much already , and I think it ’s evident in what you ’re hearing in the episode . And everyone cognize this about me . I love a unspoiled group activity ! And so we ’re literally all just in this . Together . We ’re having a great time . I imagine we all are exceedingly grateful to be in the stead we ’re in and find to work on such an awesome project . I ’m excited for audiences to hear that , to try how much we deal about it , how much play we ’re get , and yeah , that we all wish us as well as the fans get to go on this ride together on this astonishing show . So yeah , it ’s exciting .
It ’s also one of those uncommon example where even other democratic gum anime typically leave English viewers kind of waiting a couple of weeks after the initial hoagie release . It ’s really exciting that Kaiju No . 8 gets that day and date English dub release , specially for rooter for accessibility purposes . That ’s an appealing factor .
Nazeeh Tarsha : Oh , yeah .
Adam McArthur : And when they both come in out at the same time , too , everyone , no matter what side of you know or what language you ’re listening to it in . Everyone induce to speak about it at the same prison term , see it at the same clip . So I mean it really wish build the hype for the show even more than you know . If you ’re kind of like tell apart everybody , it brings everyone together . It ’s cool .
Abigail Blythe : I consort .
Adam McArthur : It ’s a grouping activity !
Abigail Blythe : Your favorite !
Do you have any particular favourite moments , or even preferent lines so far in the fictitious character like that you play throughout the serial publication ?
Nazeeh Tarsha : Favorite moment for me . It really just any fundamental interaction with both Reno and Kikoru . If I had to like , really moil down to a couple , I would say the parking lot conniption is iconic at this pointedness with Kikoru and also the infirmary vista where I where Kafka 1st turns into a Kai chew , and then you just have the intact , just zainy chasing and the runaway scene that ’s going on . But yeah , I would I would say those 2 , if I had to pick .
Adam McArthur : Yeah . That . That hospital scene , that hospital aspect . I think , when I was memorialize that I literally kept live . What ? What ? It just keep getting crazier and crazier . It was so fun . It was so fun .
Abigail Blythe : I that that part and instalment # 4 . She ’s having this like excited breakdown , and she screams like , I need to be perfect . And then she just gets smack up against the paries . It was so funny I see , for , like myself , in the booth and for audiences , I was like I was so feeling it , and then she just get like obliterated . It ’s so suspicious . That ’s one of my best-loved moments is because it ’s just unintentionally screaming .
It pause the tension at the moment .
Abigail Blythe : It does , I think so too . Yeah .
Adam McArthur : At the end of episode 7 , when Ichikawa and Iharu had just kind of like , the thing were not going well in their conflict against Kaji number 9 , and I forget the exact crease . But I ’m pretty certain Kaji number 9 says something like , " Are you ready to die " or " You ’re gon na die , " or something like that . And then Kaiju , number 8 , just pop . He ’s just in there , and he ’s like , " No one ’s dying today , asshole . " That was such a hype mo .
Adam McArthur : That was one of those ones , Nazeeh , where I was like . I ca n’t wait for people to be asking all the time . " Can you say the line from Episode 7 ? " You ’re gon na be saying that all the clip .
Each of these cast members are on X ( formerly Twitter ) via the following handles:@NazeehTarsha(Nazeeh Tarsha),@askforabigail(Abigail Blythe ) , and@ninjamac(Adam McArthur ) where they can be followed for their tardy update . Kaiju No . 8and its English dub can be watched on Crunchyroll with new episodes hebdomadally .
Cast
Kafka Hibino , a disillusioned Kaiju corpse cleanup doer , dreams of link up the Defense Force that protect Japan from monstrous Kaiju attacks . His life takes a surreal turn when he becomes infected by a Kaiju sponger , granting him the power to transmute into a Kaiju himself . Known as Kaiju No . 8 , Kafka must navigate the dual life of a monster and a protector , face enemies both human and Kaiju .
