Highlights
- Numbers Weapons play a crucial role in battling kaiju, each with unique abilities and histories tied to past monsters.
- Characters like Isao Shinomiya and Gen Narumi showcase the power and versatility of Numbers Weapons in combat.
- As seen with Soshiro Hoshina and Kaiju No. 10, wielding a Numbers Weapon can level the playing field and lead to character growth.
In the dangerous world of Kaiju No. 8, any character who wants to engage in battle against one of the many gigantic kaijus and come out victorious has better chances if they wield one of the few Numbers Weapons that are available to them, with the only exception being the series’ protagonist, Kafka Hibino.
This was truly one of the most brilliant ideas by the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force: Taking the remains of Identified Kaiju and turning them into powerful weapons that can replicate their specific abilities. However, wielding the Numbers Weapons is no easy task, as it was shown several times throughout the story. But, how do these tools of kaiju combat stack up against each other?
5 Numbers Weapon 4
Wielded By Kikoru Shinomiya
This is actually a family heirloom, as the weapon that was created with the body of Kaiju No. 4 was originally wielded by Hikari Shinomiya, only to be later inherited by her own daughter, Kikoru Shinomiya. Numbers Weapon 4 even holds some of the memories of its previous user, which manifest in the form of Hikari’s ghost.
This weapon functions as a suit that gives its user great speed and even the ability to fly with 2 bug-like wings. This is quite impressive and practical, and Numbers Weapon 4 was a key element in Kikoru’s fight against Kaiju No. 15. Nevertheless, it hasn’t been featured all that much and its power set – while useful – is not as creative or interesting as the other Numbers Weapons in the series.
4 Numbers Weapon 2
Wielded By Isao Shinomiya
Kaiju No. 2 was allegedly one of the strongest and most fearsome monsters that ever attacked Japan, so only the strongest of soldiers could wield the weapon that was made with its remains. And this was none other than the Director of the Defense Force, Isao Shinomiya. The combat suit and the two gauntlets that made up Numbers Weapon 2 were his signature equipment.
Thanks to Numbers Weapon 2, Isao not only could use advanced combat power, but he could also unleash incredible sonic attacks and massive energy emissions. This was more than enough to deal with Kaiju No. 8 in its strongest form, and it’s one of the reasons as to why Kaiju No. 9 targeted Isao in order to absorb his powers. And when he did that, the antagonist even told No. 2 that it would finally “return to the Kaiju side”. It’s a shame that humanity lost this weapon.
3 Numbers Weapon 6
Wielded By Leno Ichikawa
Leno Ichikawa has been by Kafka’s side since the very beginning, and he proved to be an efficient soldier from day one. But, as the story progressed, Leno was slowly left behind in terms of power, so he needed something that could make him truly useful in battle. The answer was the legendary Numbers Weapon 6, which was created with the remains of Kaiju No. 6, the so-called “King of Kaiju”. This pseudonym, alongside the monster’s design, led fans to realize that this is a blatant Godzilla reference.
Numbers Weapon 6 is a battle suit that gives Leno the ability to summon walls of ice that can instantly freeze Kaiju. And considering that cold temperatures have always been an important strategy to deal with these gigantic monsters, this means that Leno is now a key player in the Defense Force’s army. Mastering Numbers Weapon 6 took some time but, in the most recent arc of the manga, Leno could finally show Kafka and the others how powerful he had become.
2 Numbers Weapon 1
Wielded By Gen Narumi
As the seventh captain of the First Division, Gen Narumi is considered to be one of the strongest combatants in all of Japan. So, naturally, he holds the honor of wielding Numbers Weapon 1: a combo of a battle suit and a pair of monster retinas. As expected, this is quite different from the other weapons, since it doesn’t have any battle abilities.
Instead, it lets Narumi pinpoint his enemies’ weak points and even predict some of their movements by reading electrical signs in the air. To make things even better, he even managed to evolve these abilities in order to read electrons moving and terrain changes, which gave him true foresight. At the end of the day, Numbers Weapon 1 is an invaluable asset that perfectly complements Narumi’s inherent fighting abilities.
1 Numbers Weapon 10
Wielded By Soshiro Hoshina
Most of the Numbers Weapons in Kaiju No. 8were created before the start of the story, so they were all made with the remains of different kaijus that the readers were only told about, but never actually saw before their demise. The only exception to this rule so far has been Numbers Weapon 10, which was created with the remains of one of the series’ previous antagonists, Kaiju No. 10.
No. 10 was an extremely imposing opponent, so it only makes sense that it would result in a really powerful weapon. It was turned into a battle suit with a long tail-like appendage that was wielded by none other than the vice-captain of the Third Division, Soshiro Hoshina. Numbers Weapon 10 was a valuable asset in the intense fight against Kaiju No. 12 which, in turn, was supposed to be a finalized and improved version of Kaiju No. 10.
Hoshina was seen as inferior through most of his career in the Defense Force because he specialized in bladed weapons and could barely use firearms. Even though he showed how skilled he truly was many times, Numbers Weapon 10 finally evened the playing field for him. With the help of No. 10’s powers – combined with his own relentless talent – Hoshina became a force to be reckoned with. What’s even better is that this weapon kept some of Kaiju No. 10’s personality, which gave both it and its new owner a fun dynamic and a lot of heartwarming character development.
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