Episode 12 of Kaiju No. 8, titled “Kafka Hibino“, opens with a poignant moment as Reno Ichikawa and Iharu Furuhashi are in the gym working out and discussing their concerns about Kafka Hibino.
Reno expresses his desire to transfer to another division, driven by his determination to become stronger and protect Kafka, who has consistently been their savior.
When Iharu tells him he could get stronger in the Third Division, Reno replies he knows that, but he needs to get stronger as fast as possible if he is going to be able to protect Kafka.
When Iharu asks him if he really believes the old dude is coming back, Reno says he has decided to believe it. And that, when he does come back, he doesn’t want to be upset because he is still weak.
Iharu becomes irritated and then tells Reno, fine, I want to be stronger too and proceeds to start working out.
This scene is one of the lovely ones Kaiju No. 8 keeps popping up, as it highlights the deep bonds and loyalty among the members of the Third Division.
The platoon leaders then arrive and remind them today is the day the decision about Kafka’s fate is made. They also tell them that Captain Mina has been summoned to HQ, so that may be a good sign.
The scene shifts to Kafka, who is now Kaiju No. 8 fully transformed, and General Shinomiya who are still fighting each other.
The fight continues for a while as Shinomiya holds his own, but is constantly getting pummeled by Kaiju No. 8.
Meanwhile, Kafka is trapped in the body of the kaiju and unable to weaken his attacks on the general, as the kaiju is now in full control.
General Shinomiya unleashes an attack that sends Kaiju No. 8 flying into the far wall, but he then notices as the kaiju’s body is lying there, its core is missing, and he realizes the kaiju has taken the core and regenerated its entire body, and that of Kafka, just from the core alone.
It then appears behind him, and begins to pummel him again.
RELATED: Which episode of Kaiju No. 8 does Kikoru first appear in?
As the technicians, Keiji Itami and Kikoru Shinomiya are watching the fight from the control booth, Itami comments it is odd that General Shinomiya has not yet killed Kaiju No. 8. And that he should have done it, if he meant to kill him, before Kafka was able to fully transform.
Instead, rather than wanting to kill him, it appears Shinomiya is testing Kafka/Kaiju No. 8, but he doesn’t understand why.
It is then Kikoru wonders if her father is trying to give Kafka a chance to live.
Back up on the roof of the Third Division, and Kaguragi is telling Izumo that he joined the Defense Force to save lives and, instead, Kafka Hibino saved his.
He then says he believes you should never judge someone from their background or what they say, but instead by what they do.
Back to the fight between Kafka and the General, and Kafka is still struggling to stop Kaiju No. 8 while it becomes stronger and stronger.
As Kaiju No. 8 slams the General into the wall again, Kafka looks up at the control booth, sees Kikoru looking horrified, and vows he is not going to kill her father while she stands watching.
Kikoru then screams at him not to give up but, as he manages to break free from inside Kaiju No. 8, he realizes the kaiju is about to bear down on him and consume him, and he remembers, no matter what he tries, nothing ever works out well for him.
And that’s because he always screws up.
As the kaiju lunges at Kafka, he begins to sink into the water in the kaiju’s stomach and is about to drown. But, as all appears lost, Mina suddenly appears in the water above him, grabs his hand and tells him she will always be waiting for him.
That hallucination gives him the strength to keep on fighting and, as Kaiju No. 8 is about to kill Shinomiya, Kafka is able to divert its fist away from the General and into his own body, ripping at its core as he does so.
He then tells the General he is not Kaiju No. 8, but is Kafka Hibino, before he collapses, and transforms back into Kafka.
At that we see a huge blade leveled at his neck, as General Shinomiya tells its bearer, Narumi, to put his blade away.
He then calls for the medics to come and take Kafka to the medical facility.
Later in the day, the Defense Force are debating Kafka’s fate, and it is then they ask Mina what she believes should be his fate.
Mina responds that she will leave it up to the experts to decide if Kafka is human or a kaiju, but she will tell them what he was like as a defense force officer.
She tells them about the Sagamihara Neutralization Operation, when Kafka was able to help his team by identifying where in their bodies the kaijus’ reproductive organs were, so the team could kill them easier.
She tells them how he has saved the lives of Defense Force officers many times, and how he saved the entire team from absolute annihilation during the battle with Kaiju No. 10.
One of the officials mentions that’s because he used his kaiju power, so that proves he is a kaiju.
Mina responds that that is true, but then explains he failed the Defense Force exam 12 times, he was the weakest candidate they had ever had, but he never gave up.
Even when his body turned into a kaiju, he still spent his life saving people.
She finishes by telling the Defense Force officials, out of everyone she has ever met, Kafka hates giving up, he cares for other people more than anyone else, and he has more humanity than anyone else.
In other words, what is the deciding factor as to whether Kafka should be trusted as a Defense Force officer?
It is his heart.
One official rebukes her, telling Mina they didn’t want her opinion, but General Shinomiya thanks her for her comments. He then asks her to return to her post.
After Mina has left, the Defense Force are about to make their decision when the scene shifts to Kafka lying in a hospital bed with Shinomiya sitting in a chair beside him.
As Kafka bolts upright in bed, the General tells him to calm down as he isn’t there to hurt him. But Kafka replies “Thank God”, and when the General questions it, he explains how thankful he is that Shinomiya is okay.
After all, he could never face Kikoru again if he had killed him.
He then realizes, as he is still alive, does that mean he has been accepted as human and a member of the Defense Force?
Shinomiya points to the ugly scar on his chest and says, if he was human, he would have died. And that means the council has decided he is a kaiju.
But… they will decide later if he is a threat, even though most people are opposed to him being allowed to live.
The scene then switches back to the General in front of the Defense Force council announcing Kaiju Ni. 8 will not be converted into weaponry but will, instead, be used as a living weapon by the force.
When most of the council complains that he is dangerous, the General responds he has decided Kafka can be controlled. Especially as he has been on missions with the Third Division for months.
Besides, he is probably stronger as a living weapon than any weapons they could make from him.
As the force expects to see even strong kaiju in the future, to have one as strong as Kafka on their side can only help. Otherwise, the nation could be destroyed.
Back in Kafka’s hospital room, the General calls him by his name, then tells him he must prove his worth if he wants to survive.
Kafka responds he still thinks of himself as a Defense Force officer, and he will work so hard they will be forced to agree with him.
It is then that the council’s decision about Kafka is messaged to every Third Division member’s phone, with the message “Kaiju No. 8’s disposal deferred“, and every team member begins to celebrate.
We then see Hoshina talking to Okonogi, telling her that, while it is good news Kafka has been spared, things will now become more difficult.
After all, they will have a kaiju on their team for the first time and, when the public finds out, which they will, it could be a problem.
That is why Kafka will have to prove himself to such an extent, nobody can refuse his help.
Kaiju No. 8, Episode 12 concludes the first season of the anime with a revelation that sets the stage for future conflicts as Kaiju No. 9 is shown working on a plan to bring Kafka over to the kaiju’s side.
This development, sets up the anime for its next installment (announced yesterday) as it suggests that the battle between Kafka and the Kaiju forces is far from over, and the stakes are higher than ever.
You can read recaps of every other episode of the anime here on Leo Sigh — Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10 and Episode 11.
You can also rewatch every episode of the anime on Crunchyroll.