Warning: Contains spoilers for Kaiju No. 8.

Summary

• Mina and Kafka reunite after 69 chapters, showcasing a bond that transcends time and expectations in Kaiju No. 8.
• Mina's unexpected praise for Kafka buries past failures and highlights their unbreakable promise from childhood.
• Kafka and Mina's relationship in Kaiju No. 8 is stronger than ever, leading to potential future developments as official partners.

The highly anticipated moment that Kaiju No. 8 had built up to since Kafka Hibino transformed into the series' eponymous monster in chapter one and ed the Defense Force soon afterward has already happened in the manga series. After 69 chapters, Kafka finally spoke with his childhood friend Mina Ashiro in private, and that's a bigger deal than it might initially seem.

Kafka and Mina made a pact long ago as children that they would grow up to rid the world of kaiju plaguing humanity side by side, but by the start of Kaiju No. 8, Mina is a captain in the Defense Force while Kafka has failed the entrance exams numerous times and is stuck on a Kaiju clean-up crew.

Kafka later s the Defense Force, but just barely and only because he has a boost from being a kaiju, unbeknownst to the Defense Force and Mina at the time.

How Kafka & Mina Reunited In Kaiju No. 8

After random meetings in public and her learning of Kafka's identity, the two finally had lunch alone together in chapter #69. The highly anticipated reunion begins with Kafka trying to sneak away without her noticing, but that fails when she quickly calls him over to reminisce. Then Mina gets to the point. Mina references when Kafka saved the Defense Force from destruction and says that she has gotten stronger so that he won't have to bear the weight alone, and so they can fulfill the promise they made as children.

Since the beginning of Kaiju No. 8, Mina has always felt untouchable. Her stern demeanor, while undoubtedly something that someone of her rank is expected to adopt, created the impression that she was disappointed in her friend's failures. However, there are instances after Kafka is accepted into the Defense Force where she breaks formalities in private by appearing amused by Kafka's antics. But readers have never actually known how she feels about her childhood friend's early failures or about him finally getting accepted into the Defense Force so late after her.

This dynamic worsens once Kafka's identity as Kaiju No. 8 becomes common knowledge, leaving Mina's feelings ambiguous in a way that invites speculation. Kaiju No. 8 therefore needed a reunion like this one to bring all these questions into the open for the first time. Mina not only completely ignores Kafka's previous failures, but she praises his successes, proving she approves of his performance both as a human and a kaiju. More surprisingly, she actually strongly implies that she once considered Kafka stronger or more capable than her.

Mina's remarks completely erase all of Kafka's many failures that once led him to drink and eat excessively in squalor before his acceptance into the Defense Force, while justifying his transformation into the very monsters they both want to destroy. They also prove that Kafka hasn't missed out on achieving his dream or fulfilling the promise he made with his childhood friend so long ago. More importantly, they show that Kafka hasn't prevented Mina from living up to that promise in future chapters of Kaiju No. 8.

How Has Kafka & Mina's Relationship Developed Since Kaiju No. 8 Chapter 69?

Where are Kafka & Mina at now?

Kaiju No. 8 chapter #69 was a pivotal moment for Kafka and Mina's relationship, and that invited the question of how it's changed in the years since then. Chapter #69 was the start of the current arc of Kaiju No. 8 that saw Kaiju No. 9's new Kaiju battling of the Defense Force who have mastered their Kaiju-infused weapons, and as such, Kafka was gone for most of the story to give the side characters a chance to shine. Because of that, on the whole, Kafka and Mina's relationship has not advanced that much since Kaiju No. 8 chapter #69.

That being said, the series hasn't completely abandoned their relationship in the slightest. Kafka nearly flew into a blind rage when he saw that Kaiju No. 9 was trying to absorb Mina, and the only thing that kept Mina alive was her ing her bond with Kafka and how much she's looked up to him. It all culminates in Kafka triumphantly saving Mina from Kaiju No. 9, so with all of that taken into , the most recent chapters of Kaiju No. 8 at least put more emphasis on Kafka and Mina's relationship than any previous chapters have.

Where Will Kafka & Mina's Relationship Go In Kaiju No. 8?

What's in store for Kafka & Mina?

Kafka and Mina's relationship in Kaiju No. 8 has never been stronger, and that could lead to a lot of interesting developments for them. With how much the two of them have been reminded of how important their relationship is to them, neither one will be okay with being separated from each other again, so Kafka and Mina are likely to become official partners in the Defense Force, going forward. Having that happen would be an excellent payoff to Kafka's arc, and as such, it would make a lot of sense for the series to go in that direction.

Everything that Kafka's done in recent chapters would especially give credence to the idea. Thanks to all the good he's done as Kaiju No. 8, Kafka is being treated as a national hero, so there's no way he'll be treated as a regular soldier after the current arc. Having Kafka be an official team with Mina would perfectly play into his rise in stardom, and if Kaiju No. 8 goes in that sort of direction, it would be the perfect way for the series to fully capitalize on how strong Kafka and Mina's relationship has become over the past arc.

All chapters of Kaiju No. 8 are available on Manga Plus!

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