In the last few years, fans have seen a spike in new anime series hitting Crunchyroll. Some of these anime include the likes of Solo Leveling, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, and The Apothecary Diaries, among many others. Of course, fans can't forget the sensation that was released two years ago, which goes by the name of Kaiju No. 8. The first season of the series aired in 2024, and since then, it has gone on to receive a second season in 2025.
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Sadly, now, the series is officially ending with its next season, and this was revealed to the fans at the end of last year. Fans are definitely shocked to see this anime go so soon since it almost feels like it just started. Fans of the series are definitely disappointed, but the studio can only work with what the manga has provided. Kafka’s adventures are soon coming to an official end in the anime.
Kaiju No. 8 Was One Of Crunchyroll's Biggest Hits
Crunchyroll is the biggest anime platform outside of Japan. On Crunchyroll, fans can find most anime series, but not all of them stand out equally. Due to the vacuum left by big series like Jujutsu Kaisen, fans got to see many new anime rise in the time, especially around 2024. One such anime series was none other than Kaiju No. 8, a popular Shonen Jump+ manga with the same name. So far, it has received two anime seasons.
Season 1 of Kaiju No. 8 immediately caught the attention of many fans, and with just 12 episodes, it definitely became a fan favorite. In fact, the quality that the series delivered was such that it was nominated for many categories at the Crunchyroll Awards of 2025.
“Pursuing a dream means constantly losing to someone every minute, every second on what’s most non-negotiable and important.” — Kafka Hibino
Kaiju No. 8 also received a second season in 2025, which also aired on Crunchyroll. This season definitely went under the radar, but it was still an enjoyable experience for fans, who watched it nevertheless. Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 was 11 episodes long and while it didn't hit the same heights as the debut season, it definitely left fans excited to learn more about the beloved characters, and the lore behind the world. But sadly, this adventure might be coming to an end far sooner than fans expected.
Kaiju No. 8 Is Officially Coming To An End On Crunchyroll
Kaiju No. 8 had a successful run with both its first and second seasons. But now, sadly, it seems that this hit anime is soon coming to an end. Indeed, in December 2025, it was announced that Kaiju Number 8's next season would also be the last one. This next season is referred to as Kaiju No. 8: The Final Chapter. This means that Kaiju No. 8 Season 3 will conclude the franchise for good. This was quite shocking to many fans as three seasons in the span of just around three years is not enough time for one to fully immerse themselves in a story.
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At the moment, Kaiju No. 8 Season 3 does not have a confirmed release date. However, since the news was revealed in 2025, many anticipate a late 2026 release date for the story. At the latest, this final season could be pushed back to early 2027, and then, fans will have to say goodbye to the series. Either way, fans will lose out on a major Shonen anime soon, which is definitely unfortunate as many believed Kaiju No. 8 to be one of the faces of modern shonen for years to come.
Why is Kaiju No. 8 Ending So Soon?
It's not exactly uncommon for anime series to wrap up with three seasons. But still, there is quite a lot to explore and uncover in the Kaiju No. 8 world, especially as the first two seasons of the series were way too short, featuring a combined 23 episodes. The reason why the story in the anime is ending so soon is due to the manga.
As some fans of the franchise might have heard, Kaiju No. 8's manga concluded in a rather sudden manner. When fans were reading Kaiju No. 8 chapter 127, it was shockingly revealed that the manga would end two chapters later. Many fans were baffled by this announcement as it felt way too early for this story to conclude this story. Nevertheless, Kaiju No. 8 ended on Shonen Jump+ with Chapter 129.
"Enough is enough, I can’t just keep running away from the truth forever. For the record, I don’t think giving up is always wrong. But I am pretty sure it’s never okay to lie to yourself." — Kafka Hibino
It's not completely clear why the creator of Kaiju No. 8, Naoya Matsumoto, ended his series so suddenly. There have been no official reports on the matter, but fans have some theories. Firstly, some believed that Kaiju No. 8's creator could have been dealing with some health issues and wanted to finish his series as fast as possible. This would not be the first time that this has happened at Jump. Instead of his series taking him years to conclude with hiatuses, he could've decided to finish it in one go.
Some also believe that the sudden ending of Kaiju No. 8 was not due to the creator, but due to Shueisha cancelling his work. This, however, is untrue. Kaiju No. 8 was not axed, and the decision did not come from the magazine itself. Kaiju No. 8 was actually quite successful for a Shonen Jump+ series, and there was no reason to axe it. Over just 16 volumes, Kaiju No. 8 sold over 19 million copies. This gives it an average of 1.2 million copies per volume, which is a great number for the average series.
Another possibility is that Kaiju Number 8's creator just wanted to be done with it. As many know, the work of a mangaka is far from easy and it puts a lot of pressure on them. In fact, the burden is such that most do not aspire to have a series as long as the likes of One Piece or Naruto. Most authors these days, like the Demon Slayer creator, want to end their series quickly where they see fit.
Sadly, unlike Demon Slayer, Kaiju No. 8 definitely had a rushed ending. Fans would have wished, at the very least, for a couple more chapters to properly conclude the final boss battle. Some fans hope that the anime will add some unique content. At the moment, it's unknown if that will happen, and it's likely that the anime will simply follow the original creator's manga.
Either way, Kaiju No. 8 is a peak example of wasted potential, especially as many mysteries of the world remain uncovered, including the very origin of the Kaiju.