For a second there, I was worried Leno would die. Even though his death could have served a purpose to drive the story, I have grown really fond of his character so I am glad the direction the manga is heading involves Leno being alive and developing alongside Kafka, Kikoru and the other Defense Force members. Further, I wasn’t expecting Iharu to get such focus in this moment. I suspected Leno would send him away to get help but to have Iharu wrestle with his own past and doubt in himself, that was a welcome addition to the developments in this arc. It helped create a defining moment for Iharu. Even though the Humanoid Kaiju was too overwhelming for both Leno and Iharu, they managed to delay it long enough for help in the form of Kaiju No.8 to arrive. With Kafka and the Humanoid Kaiju having now encountered each other, I am fascinated to learn what the Humanoid Kaiju has to say about Kaiju No.8.
Though Leno was overpowered by the Humanoid Kaiju and riddled with holes, the fight and spirit he displayed conveys the massive potential he has to enhance himself going forward. Both Leno and Iharu managed to put the information they had available to use when combating the Humanoid Kaiju and only when met with an unexpected scenario did they find themselves completely overpowered. With the Kaiju faction becoming more aggressive, more information on their intentions, movements and powers will come to light which will enable members like Leno and Iharu to prepare themselves before engaging powerful enemies like this Humanoid Kaiju. With more information available, the members of the Defense Force will have more options available when combating the Kaiju. Rather than be subject to inaction caused by the uncertainty on the situation such as was the case with Kikoru and this one, the Defense Force members can develop countermeasures beforehand if they have an idea of what they will be up against. Leno in particular will evolve his abilities now that he knows there exist other Humanoid Kaiju beside Kafka. As it becomes more dangerous for Kafka to transform, Leno will become someone able to be relied upon for those moments when Kafka transforming is not an option.
How will Leno and Iharu explain the events to the Defense Force and will the Defense Force have known about the existence of Humanoid Kaiju. It seems doubtful that the Defense Force wouldn’t have known which would bring into question why such knowledge wasn’t disclosed to the whole of the Defense Force let alone the public. Are the Defense Force trying to hide something or do they believe that revealing such information would cause a panic? As the story heads deeper into the history of the Kaiju, how connected will humanity and the Kaiju become? Or were their origins based on a shared point? Whatever the case, it seems both the Kaiju and Humans are able to integrate with the others DNA.
The Humanoid Kaiju was interested in bringing a living human sample back with him which seems to imply that the Kaiju themselves are engaging in research on human beings. Are the humanoid forms they take a result of they research on humans? Are the Kaiju combining their DNA with that of humans? How many others Humanoid Kaiju are present within human society and have we already been introduced to other Humanoid Kaiju that we have yet to be made aware of? The Humanoid Kaiju introduced so far was imperfect in his integration but it seems likely there may be other Humanoid Kaiju that take their role as undercover agents within human society more seriously and are able to maintain their appearance for prolonged period or even indefinitely until willfully cancelled. And as for humanity, are they experimenting on living Kaiju? Is this how the creature that entered Kafka was developed?
Going forward, what other types of Human/Kaiju hybrids will be seen and will they be an additional friendly Humanoid Kaiju introduced? I still believe the Kaiju are separated into different factions with some being aggressive to humanity and others being neutral to friendly. It seems the only way to combat an army of Humanoid Kaiju would to enlist the aid of other Humanoid Kaiju to fight alongside the Defense Force. I am very much looking to the story of the Kaiju being further explored. Can’t wait for the next chapter where we may get some information on what the Kaiju know about Kafka and his Kaiju form.
12Dimension 