It’s a bittersweet day for fans of Kaiju No. 8, as today marks the end of Naoya Matsumoto’s hit manga’s run in Shōnen Jump+. The series was revealed to be nearing its conclusion earlier in June, with the surprising announcement that the manga would end with its 129th chapter made following the release of chapter 127 in Japan.
The manga wrapping up comes on the heels of the anime’s second season, set to premiere on July 19. This, just a little over a year after the end of season 1.
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Kaiju No. 8’s Sudden End Surprised Many
Plenty of manga don’t make it close to 100 chapters, so Kaiju No. 8 going well over that is no small accomplishment. But that’s all the more reason why some fans are puzzled by this seemingly sudden development for the series.
With other shonen titles like Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, and the ongoing One Piece all lasting for hundreds of chapters, manga and anime fans have gotten used to extremely popular series stretching out their stories for as long as possible. But in recent years, mangaka like Matsumoto seem to be favoring shorter runs.
This Might Be The New Normal For Popular Shonen Manga
My Hero Academia ran for 430 chapters, and even then, some fans were surprised that the series didn’t last longer. Both Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer didn’t make it to 300 chapters, ending when both respective titles were at their peak popularity. Matsumoto hinted at the series nearing its end back in 2024, following the release of volume 13 of the manga.
The story is currently reaching its climax, but I will continue to give my all to draw Kaiju No. 8, so please continue to support me.
Matsumoto is no newcomer to the industry. In 2005, he won the 27th Jump Twelve Newcomer Manga Award and went on to pen a variety of one-shots and had two serialized series prior to Kaiju No. 8 taking off. As his breakout series, the veteran mangaka could’ve easily stretched it out to be longer, so it’s safe to say that he’s content with how the series has progressed and feels like this is a good place to stop. It’s always admirable to see a mangaka end their story when they feel it’s right, even if some fans are a little disappointed by the shorter run.
Kaiju No. 8 began serialization in July 2020 as part of Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ online platform. The series ran for just over 5 years, amassing 15 tankobon volumes and reaching over 18 million copies in circulation as of March 2025. The manga has been nominated for a variety of awards over the years, winning the 2021 Tokyo’s New Manga Award for best manga, the 7th Next Manga Award for best web manga, and was even nominated for an Eisner Award in 2021.
A light novel spin-off, Kaiju No. 8: Exclusive on the Third Division, was released in November 2022. A spin-off manga, Kaiju No. 8: B-Side, was serialized in Shonen Jump+ from January to July 2024. A second spin-off manga, Kaiju No. 8 Relax, began serialization in June 2024. The first season of the anime aired during the spring 2024 season with Production I.G at the helm. Season 2 is set to air on July 19 and will be available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Source: X
Kaiju No. 8
- Release Date
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2024 – 2023
- Directors
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Shigeyuki Miya, Tomomi Kamiya
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