Ranking The Defense Force Members In Kaiju No. 8 In Terms Of Strength

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers from Kaiju No. 8 manga. Read ahead at your own discretion!

Since its inception, the Defense Force has successfully neutralized every kaiju that has posed a threat to humanity.

A decade ago, the Defense Force faced a series of catastrophic events involving Kaiju No. 6, resulting in the loss of 200 officers, three Captains, and the wife of Director General Shinomiya. Since then, the Force has been diligently preparing its ranks for the next potential disaster.

Aspiring members of the Defense Force must first complete the First-Stage Examination, which involves submitting the necessary documents.

The second stage of the exam is divided into two parts: a physical test and an aptitude test. The physical test follows standard military training routines, while the aptitude test, which varies each year, assesses a candidate’s inherent abilities. This test can involve either Kaiju Disposal or Kaiju Neutralization.

Successful candidates receive their results a few days later and participate in the Presentation of Enlistment Certificate ceremony, where they are officially inducted into the Force and pledge their dedication to its mission.

Now, currently in the manga, there are 10 key members of the Defense Force. Sure you might have some personal favorites (I simp for Mina Ashiro personally) but we’re going to put all those biases aside and rank all these characters in terms of who’s the strongest. Yes, this is an action shonen after all.

Without further ado, let’s get to it!

10. Eiji Hasegawa

First up is Eiji Hasegawa, a character who has only recently made his return in the manga, leaving fans eager to see more of his capabilities. Eiji serves as the Vice-Captain of the Defense Force’s First Division, often doubling as the caretaker for the Division Captain, Gen Narumi. In stark contrast to the more unrestrained and impulsive Gen, Eiji is the epitome of professionalism and adherence to protocol within the Defense Force.

On the battlefield, Hasegawa acts as the strategic nerve center of the First Division, efficiently coordinating operations and issuing commands, allowing Narumi the freedom to unleash his full combat potential.

When it comes to equipment, Eiji dons an imposing metal battle suit equipped with machine guns mounted on the shoulders. The full range of this suit’s capabilities remains shrouded in mystery, leaving fans to speculate about its true power. However, given the formidable reputation of the First Division, it is reasonable to infer that Eiji is an incredibly powerful force on the battlefield.

9. Jugo Ogata

As this old timer was actually a rival to Kikoru Shinomiya’s mother, Hikari!

Who was one of the STRONGEST defense members ever with a released power of 93% which is just…outrageous.

I mean she was the Mina Ashiro of her time.

However, because Jugo lost himself after Hikari’s death, he became a very cautious person thinking multiple times before sending himself or anyone of his subordinates into danger, in fact we haven’t really seen him performing in battle but we can get an idea of how strong he truly was when we look at Iharu.

Because, as he states, they both have changeable spikes in their released force meaning, at one point they can access a high % of released power given certain conditions are met. Infact, utilizing this, Jugo became the Captain of the Fourth Division, with an insane pedigree of use with his rifle during battle.

But what makes Jugo exceptional is his expert knowledge of the numbered weapons, to the point being in charge of Ichikawa assimilation of Kaiju 6.

8. Iharu Furuhashi

Whilst his power is similar to Jugo’s, he DOES have a unique ability no one else has. This ability allows his released power to reach the levels of CAPTAINS momentarily.

At first, Iharu was one of the strongest of the new recruits, but started falling behind since his growth wasn’t nearly as exponential as others. As Shinomiya and even Ichikawa blew him out of the waters in no time. But Jugo recognized in chapter 62 that Iharu released power of 24% couldn’t have been right…because he was WAY too strong.

(Chapter 62)

After tracking his power they released that he was completely unstable, but this almost DOUBLED at certain instances, reaching 42%!

So Jugo takes on the responsibility of training him and making sure Iharu can utilize this unique power, making him the third known case of what is called a ‘Flash Adapter’. This is when a unique brain structure doesn’t allow their release force to be maintained for long. Instead they have a rapid, explosive fighting style used to overwhelm their opponent.

Iharu was taught combat methods that forced him into a short trance, Where according to Jugo, if he were to master it, Iharu would likely surpass Ichikawa, as he would be able to put out an INSANE % of power.

This was proven in chapter 102, with Iharu reaching the same heights as Ichikawa with an 88% release, making him CAPTAIN LEVEL!

(Chapter 102)

7. Kikoru Shinomiya

She is the biggest prodigy in defense force HISTORY with a released power of 46% ON HER FIRST TRY!

To put this into perspective, Soshiro says that the average trained officer has a released percentage of only 20%.

Meaning she was already in the same class as a platoon leader! But when you look at her parents…you begin to understand how Kikoru became ‘the greatest talent in human history’

She’s a total master of close quarters combat, with insane levels of speed, but she also has power that transcends almost anyone. In chapter 30, she was helping Soshiro and Mina defeat Kaiju, playing a major part in number 10’s defeat despite only having a released state of 55%!

(Chapter 30)

However, despite her immense talent…she wasn’t strong enough to stop Kaiju no.9 from killing her father, Isao, leaving her feeling completely helpless, unable to help either Gen Narumi or Kafka. This makes her more committed than ever to grow in strength, asking Narumi to train her to be the STRONGEST, making her a force to be reckoned with.

This is because Kikoru was given the permission to use the number weapon 4. Along with the suit, they make her combat power go to 84%, impressing even Soshiro.

(Chapter 77)

Which is known to be the FASTEST weapon in the defense force, and we talkin lightning FAST. In fact, we can scale number 4’s speed to Mach 17, where if we ballpark the time Kikoru took to cross an 18 Km Distance, it only took her 3 seconds. This is almost 21,000 kilometers per hour.

Which makes a lot of sense since her mother was also said to be this fast!

But unlike her, Kikoru has incredible brute force inherited from her Father, with her unique weapon being a huge axe that she fully utilizes alongside her speed due to her mastery over the Squadron Style Axe Techniques.

She was stated to have the potential to surpass both her parents, her teacher Narumi and that someday, she’ll become the core of the defense force. She was so built different that Kaiju No.9 purposefully created a Daikaju built to KILL Kikoru!

Yet, despite being a rookie still, her drive to surpass her mother pushed Kikoru to unlock more and more of her potential, with her released power reaching 94%! If anything, her being the biggest genius in Defense Force History is looking like an UNDERSTATEMENT!

We see why this is the case though as despite Kaiju.15 using a psychological attack, Kikoru still manages to push through with immense willpower alone, killing the Daikaiju completely SOLO, surpassing her parents.

6. Leno Ichikawa

He started off with a relatively unimpressive released power of 8% but his growth surpassed everyone, including Kikoru!

He went to 18% with training and later to 43% whilst wearing his new numbered weapon suit. This suit is what really puts him on this list, because Number 6 was known to be the ‘King of Kaiju’ that was able to take on the entire defense force, including a prime Isao and Hikari Shinomiya.

Its fortitude level was the second highest in history, reaching 9.6!

This Kaiju’s main power was ‘cryokinesis’ and you’d think that someone would already be using it as a weapon but no one was compatible for YEARS…that was until Leno appeared, showing growth that was unmatched in the entire force.

So They allowed him to try and use the suits’ power which was so strong that before even releasing it…Iharu could feel the freezing cold energy just by standing next to it.

The true power of Leno’s use of this suit comes full display in chapter 99, when he helps Kafka who was stuck in battling fodders that prevented him from leaving to save his pookie!

Leno completely froze everything around, wiping out many Kaiju including the Giant CLASS like it was nothing.

Not just that but he stopped a Daikaiju in its tracks instantly, in fact he’s so strong here that he becomes kafka’s partner and this is only with a released power of 51%!

I mean think of when he eventually starts to hit captain levels like his fellow cadets.

All of this easily makes Leno easily become the strongest in existence!

5. Mina Ashiro

The future star of the defense force, Mina Ashiro, who was recruited to be a trump card for the defense force!

She’s is now known as the ‘Strongest Super Giant-Class Killer’. A cringe name yes but it’s very accurate.

No other member of the defense force is capable of annihilating giant kaiju like Mina, I mean Isao’s eyes lit up when he saw her power for the first time.

She was quickly able to do this as well since she’s a prodigy who now possesses the most brute force in the entire WORLD, shredding through enemies that even Kafka, Soshiro and Gen Narumi would’ve struggled with.

Mina’s full released power is 96% one of the HIGHEST in history thus, both Kafka and Soshiro see her as a goal they need to reach.

In fact, she is so talented that when faced against Kaiju 14, which #9 created specifically to counter her sniper via instant teleportation, she overcame the challenge and defeated it.

She’s so powerful that even Kaiju 9 saw her as the final key to his plan. Upon gaining her power his goals will be attainable & without her…humanity will fall.

But it goes without saying that Mina does have her weaknesses, where currently without a numbered suit she is vulnerable when it comes to close quarter combat and more miniature Kaiju, where she needs to depend on her Tiger or vice captain Hoshino to complete her.

4. Isao Shinomiya

Isao is obviously in this list cause, duh! He’s the captain of Defense Force who was once regarded as the strongest soldier (eventhough he’s kinda ded lol)!

He was more than an equal to his wife as they used to stand side by side against the Kaiju.

Nonetheless, since Gen Narumi always saw him as someone to surpass and his release limit was 98% it won’t be a surprise that Isao limit would be high as 99 or even 100, but what’s for sure is that Isao used Full Release with Weapons number 2, being labeled as a Daikaju in human form.

Isao has NO weaknesses and he can fully utilize his insane power, using combat skills and martial art techniques that surpass anyone in battle.

He was shown to match our boy Kafka whilst he was going berserk, despite holding back to begin with since he wanted to give Kafka a chance to prove his humanity.

And even though he was absorbed and defeated by Kaiju 9, we saw him put up one hell of a fight.

He used one of the most INSANE attacks we’ve ever seen in the series, using number 2’s main attack to send a humongous beam through the Kaiju that ANNIHILATED skyscrapers and anything else in its path.

Kaiju 2 could destroy entire cities and was compared to GODZILLA so imagine that combined with Isao Shinomiya’s talent and combat skill.

Well, when Kafka faced Kaiju No.9 in chapter 108 after he tapped into No.2’s power, he completely overpowered Kafka and exposed his core, causing him to mention how each strike felt like he was facing off against Isao!

Some of the powers the director can use with this weapon include: Sonic booms which expand the range of his attacks, Electrical Attacks which allow Isao to become Miles Morales and unleash electricity from his gauntlets and so on.

Which is how Isao almost KILLED Kaiju 9 and ended the series early! Nonetheless, there was ONE thing limiting him and that was his own human body.

3. Gen Narumi

Gen Narumi is heralded as Japan’s strongest Anti-Kaiju combatant, a title he undoubtedly deserves. Isao Shinomiya, a notable figure, believed that Narumi and Kaiju No. 8 (Kafka) could revolutionize the defense force, placing Narumi on par with a full-fledged Dai-Kaiju.

From the outset, Narumi’s power reached an astounding 98%, the highest in history, and this was without any symbiosis with a Kaiju consciousness. This immense strength allowed Narumi to comfortably test Kaiju No. 8’s limits, a task entrusted to him by his mentor, Isao, who had personally trained him. Although Isao never witnessed Narumi surpass him, Narumi evolved into a prodigy capable of battling all types of Kaiju with minimal weaknesses.

Narumi’s speed was so extraordinary that he could even outpace Kafka’s Kaiju No. 8 in his encounters with Kaiju No. 9. With Kaiju No. 8 boasting a fortitude of 9.8, Narumi’s capabilities were truly remarkable, making him more formidable than most Dai-Kaiju threats.

But Narumi’s abilities didn’t stop at speed. He possessed the foresight granted by the eyes of the first Kaiju, enabling him to predict his opponents’ moves by reading their electrical signals—a skill known as ‘Pseudo Foresight.’ This power, however, was limited to biological entities.

Kaiju No. 11, designed to neutralize Narumi, exploited this limitation by attacking with non-living elements like water, which lack electrical signals. Moreover, it tapped into the memories of Isao to counter Narumi’s tactics.

Yet, Narumi adapted. By enhancing his focus with his favorite Gamersupps flavor, he amplified his sensory perception, detecting even the slightest environmental changes. This enhanced his foresight, allowing him to predict movements with unprecedented accuracy and essentially see the future.

This unique ability, developed independently by Narumi, became his ‘ace in the hole,’ impressing Isao Shinomiya. With this power, Narumi effortlessly defeated Kaiju No. 11, securing his position as an unparalleled Anti-Kaiju warrior.

Now, speaking of Narumi’s rival…

2. Soshiro Hoshina

Soshiro has recently proven himself to be one of the strongest members of the defense force. From the start, he impressed everyone by releasing 92% of his power, surpassing captain level and excelling against miniature class Kaiju. Kafka was astounded by his inhuman speed and ability to cut through Kaiju 8’s tough body.

However, it was his battle with Kaiju 10, a Daikaiju with a fortitude level of 8.3, that truly showcased Soshiro’s strength. His unparalleled swordsmanship, inherited from his renowned clan, allowed him to outmatch the Daikaiju. Soshiro later taught one of his clan’s secret styles to Kafka.

Despite his prowess, Soshiro struggled against giant Class Kaiju. When Kaiju 10 transformed, raising its fortitude to 9, Soshiro faced a tough challenge but still played a crucial role in its defeat. This experience led to significant growth for Soshiro.

He formed an unprecedented bond with Kaiju 10, entering a unique partnership that granted him a special suit. Initially, their power decreased due to mental synchronization issues. Yet, even at 77%, Soshiro’s power matched his previous 92%.

As their minds synchronized, Soshiro’s unleashed power soared to 100%, the highest in the series. This power, magnified by their synergy, enabled them to defeat Kaiju 12, which had a fortitude level of 9.0. Remarkably, Soshiro’s suit allows him to fight with two consciousnesses simultaneously, making him a formidable opponent.

1. Kafka Hibino

There’s absolutely no doubt that Kafka is the strongest in the Defense Force team. He has shown that he knows more than the most seasoned warriors like Soshiro in this field, who was extremely impressed by his knowledge & abilities.

But… Leaving aside Kafka’s big brain, what sets him apart is ofc his unique symbiotic bond with Kaiju 8, the STRONGEST Kaiju in history with a fortitude of 9.8.

But Kafka has also recently started to evolve himself allowing him to use Kaiju 8’s power to its full potential.

He begins by mastering the Squandron Style combat technique which was mastered by none other than Isao, but to surpass it, he learns Soshiro’s Secret Hoshina Style and mixes the two together, creating his own unique attack ‘modified twin blast’

Making Kafka have a greater mastery of the technique than its strongest practitioner as he slammed Kaiju 9 into the floor.

(Chapter 107)

He’s the only one left to stop Kaiju 9 right now and everyone is relying on him. And though Kafka’s premature use of Kaiju 8 had initially put him on par with the likes of Narumi, Soshiro, Mina but now.. He is on a completely different Level.

Well, that’s it for now! Look forward to more chapters of Kaiju No. 8. Maybe the actual strongest Defense Force member is still yet to be revealed.

Until then, Ja Ne!