by The manga Kaiju Hachigo, serialized in Shonen Jump+, will be broadcast as a TV anime in April 2024.
Kafka Hibino (Kafuka Hibino), who had given up on his dream of joining the Defense Force to subjugate monsters and started working as a cleaner, decides to aim once again to join the Defense Force to fulfill his promise to his childhood friend. However, a mysterious tiny monster turns Kafka himself into a beast, and the defense team he was aiming for is called “Monster No. 8” and is treated as an enemy.
In this article, we have summarized the profile and past manga works of Naoya Matsumoto, the creator of Kaiju No. 8.
Synopsis and work overview of “Kaiju No. 8”
Kafka Hibino, 32 years old, aimed to join the Japanese Defense Force to subjugate monsters. Still, he gave up on his dream and started working for a cleaning company called “Monster Sweeper,” which cleans up after the defense forces defeat the monsters. Reno Ichikawa, a recruit working with Kafka, aims to join the Defense Force, and Reno informs him that the recruitment age for the Defense Force has been raised, and Kafka can also take part in the exam.
Kafka decides to join the defense team again, but when a mysterious tiny monster enters his mouth, he gains the power to transform into a powerful monster. The beast that Kafka transformed into was called “Kaiju No. 8” and became an entity viewed as an enemy by the defense force he aimed for. Kafka will take the defense force exam while hiding that he is “Monster No. 8”.
This manga is being serialized on the web distribution service Shonen Jump+, distributed every other Friday. The TV anime will start broadcasting in April 2024. All episodes are broadcast in real-time worldwide on X (formerly Twitter).
Profile of “Kaiju No. 8” author Naoya Matsumoto!
Naoya Matsumoto, the author of Kaiju No. 8, is a graduate of Asagaya Art College. Akira Toriyama’s manga “DRAGON BALL” inspired him to become a manga artist. In 2005, he won the “Jump 12 Best Newcomer Manga Award” from Weekly Shonen Jump and received the 27th Twelve Excellence Award. The winning work, “Neko Romancer,” was published in the 2006 “Akamaru Jump” WINTER issue.
Mr. Matsumoto loves monsters and says he loved reading monster encyclopedias as a child. In an interview, he said he was influenced by various manga works, including “PSYREN” by his master, Toshiaki Iwashiro, and “Bobobobo Bobobo” by Yoshio Sawai. They say it’s big, and in terms of design, Tsutomu Nihei, the author of “BLAME!” and “Knights of Sidonia,” is a significant influence.
In the comic’s cover comment for volume 6, he revealed that he has a cat at work. He also says that headphones and earphones are his companions when drawing and are “the home appliances that work next to the refrigerator in my house.”
From 2020, “Kaiju No. 8″ will be serialized on Shonen Jump +.” Although “Kaiju No. 8” can be read for free on the app version “Shonen Jump +,” in the “Comic Volume 1 Sales Ranking” for new manga released in 2020, it is ranked as “[ It took first place, beating out “Oshi no Ko]” and “Fururen no Freeren.”
In January 2024, the spin-off manga Kaiju 8 Side B, which depicts episodes of defense personnel not described in the main story of Kaiju 8, will begin serialization on Shonen Jump+. Mr. Matsumoto is involved as the original author.
What are the past works of “Kaiju No. 8” author Naoya Matsumoto?
Mr. Matsumoto’s debut work was Nekoromancer, which won the 27th Jump 12 Best Newcomer Manga Award in 2005 and was published in Akamaru Jump in 2006.
After that, two one-shot works, “ROOM STRANGER” and “The Boy Who Became a Witch,” were published in “Akamaru Jump”. From 2009 to 2010, “Neko Wappa!” was serialized in “Weekly Shonen Jump”. “Nekowappa!” is a story about Tama, a human girl who was picked up and raised by a god and aims to become a full-fledged god.
After the one-shot version of “Pochikuro” was published in “Shonen Jump NEXT! 2013 AUTUMN” in 2013, the serialized version was published on the web manga distribution service “Shonen Jump +” from 2014 to 2015. Pochikuro depicts cross-cultural communication between a demon and a human girl who cannot speak the same language in the demon world, where humans are treated as luxury food ingredients.
“Kaiju No. 8” has been serialized in “Shonen Jump+” since 2020. Until the serialization of “Kaiju No. 8” began, all four volumes of “Pochikuro” were Mr. Matsumoto’s most extended serial series, but “Kaiju No. 8” is a long-term serial with 11 volumes to be released as of March 2024. It has become.
Is there one author of “Kaiju No. 8”?
Mr. Matsumoto is the sole author of the manga “Kaiju No. 8,” but other people are listed on the comic’s cover as production collaborators.
Volumes 1 to 9 of the comics are credited with Osamu Koiwai (Osa Productions) names for the background art, Jiro Sakura for the finishing touches, and Binta Mantobahi for the firearm design. From volume 10 onwards, Deco’s name has been added to the finishing touches.
Mantobahi Binta, a gun designer, is a manga artist who serializes the vertically readable “MQ.” Mr. Koiwa, the background artist, has posted a video of the background creation process for “Kaiju No. 8” on YouTube.
What is the gender of the author? Are you showing your face?
As far as I’ve investigated, Mr. Matsumoto, the author of “Kaiju No. 8”, doesn’t seem to have shown his face.
The name sounds like a man, but Daisuke Higuchi, the author of the manga “Whistle!” and Hiromu Arakawa, the author of “Fullmetal Alchemist,” have masculine names. It’s a pen name, but I’m a female manga artist. Because of such cases, it is difficult to determine gender by name.
Does the author use SNS such as X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram?
Mr. Matsumoto has opened an X account and posts announcements and illustrations of serialized works. When he won first place in the “Next Coming Manga Award 2021” web manga category, he wrote a message thanking the fans who voted, saying, “Thanks to all the readers who voted.” I posted an illustration.
Who authorizes the spin-off manga and novel version of “Kaiju No. 8”?
JUMP J BOOKS has released the novel Kaiju No. 8. The title is “Monster No. 8 Close-up! 3rd Unit,” which contains four stories that can only be read as novels. Monster No. 8 Close Contact! The author of “Third Unit” is Mr. Keiji Ando. In addition to the “Kaiju No. 8” novel, Mr. Ando has also written the novelization of the TV anime “Kotobuki Squadron in the Wilderness.”
The official spin-off manga of “Kaiju No. 8”, “Kaiju No. 8 side B”, is based on the original author Naoya Matsumoto and the novel “Kaiju No. 8 Close Contact!” Mr. Ando, the author of “Third Unit,” worked on the original work, and Kentaro Hidano drew the manga. Mr. Hidano was in charge of the illustrations for “ZIGA” (original story: Rokuro Sano) and “Sugoi Smartphone” (original story: Hiroshi Tomizawa), which were serialized in “Weekly Shonen Jump.”
Mr. Matsumoto, the original author, said about Mr. Hidano in his X, “I love Hidano-sensei’s drawings and manga, so I’m honored to be accepted!! All the characters are drawn attractively, but especially Mr. Hidano. The version of Kikoru is so cute!”
The author of the manga “Kaiju No. 8” is Naoya Matsumoto. Mr. Matsumoto debuted as a manga artist by winning the “27th Jump 12 Best Newcomer Manga Award” for his “Neko Romancer.” Serialized works other than “Kaiju No. 8” include “Nekowappa!”, which was serialized in “Weekly Shonen Jump,” and “Pochikuro,” which was serialized in “Shonen Jump +.”
The official spin-off manga of “Kaiju 8-go”, “Kaiju 8-go side B”, is based on the original work by Mr. Matsumoto and Keiji Ando, and Kentaro Hidano illustrates the manga.
