Summary
- Vice-Captain Hoshina's deadly sword skills make him one of the most talented fighters in Defense Force.
- Hoshina's unique Hoshina Style fighting technique can break through even the strongest kaiju defenses.
- Alone, Hoshina struggles against Kaiju No. 10, but paired with other members, his sword abilities turn the tide.
The science fiction anime Kaiju No. 8 has no shortage of powerful characters, both in the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force and among their enemies. In order to face the incredible power and strength of the seemingly never-ending stream of kaiju bent on destroying humanity, the members of the Defense Force have to be even stronger. The most skilled can reach the rank of Vice-Captain or Captain, in charge of a division of other soldiers in the war against the kaiju.
As this season of Kaiju No. 8 has gone on, we have seen more and more glimpses of just how strong Vice-Captain Soshiro Hoshina actually is. This past week, in the anime's tenth episode, "Secret Revealed," we saw Hoshina face his most challenging foe yet, Kaiju No. 10. Behind his quirky, friendly exterior, Hoshina is actually deadly with his twin blades, and efficient at dispatching smaller-sized kaiju. In the battle against Kaiju No. 10, Hoshina was alone for most of the fight, which gave him the chance to showcase all of his special abilities. It all happened so fast, though, so let's break them down into more detail.
Kaiju No. 8: Combat Suits, Explained
The combat suits worn by the Defense Force in Kaiju No. 8 are way more than just uniforms. What do they actually do?
Vice-Captain Hoshina's Fighting Style
While most of the other members of the Defense Force prefer to use firearms, which are efficient at dispatching large kaiju while staying at a safe distance, Soshiro Hoshina prefers to use blades. In fact, his unleashed combat power with firearms is extremely low, but he can achieve 80 or even 90% when using his swords. While many people told him as a cadet that he would never make it in the Defense Force as a swordsman, especially with the average size of kaiju becoming larger, Mina Ashiro saw potential in him and let him become her Vice-Captain.
Ashiro was right, because while his skill may be different from other members of the Defense Force, Hoshina is arguably one of the most talented fighters. In Episode 6, he shows his skills to Kafka by neutralizing a kaiju behind him without Kafka even being able to see him move at all because of how fast Hoshina can fight. He also is able to stand up to Kafka in his kaiju form in episode 8, something only the powerful Kaiju No. 9 has also been able to do. According to Chapter 26 of the Kaiju No. 8 manga, Hoshina's fighting style is actually called "Hoshina Style," and is a skill set passed down through his family line since the Muromachi Period (1336-1392). They have been a clan of kaiju killers as long as kaiju have been appearing.
Kaiju No. 8: Shinomiya's Rivalry With Kafka, Explained
Shinomiya and Kafka's dynamic seems partially one-sided before certain events. Afterwards, these two have a mutual respect that grows into a rivalry.
Hoshina Style Sword Abilities
While typically attacks with blades are not effective against large honju or daikaiju, the Hoshina Style is able to break through their defenses and actually damage even the most powerful kaiju. Hoshina does struggle in his fight against Kaiju No. 10 when he is fighting on his own, because the daikaiju is able to heal faster than Hoshina can damage him, but when paired with attacks from other members of the Defense Force like Kikoru Shinomiya and Captain Ashiro herself, his sword-fighting techniques help to turn the tide of the battle.
Hoshina Style fighting uses both Dual-Blade Form and Single-Blade Form, and has two different styles of fighting. The first is the Sword-Slay Technique, which originally consisted of 6 distinct forms. Hoshina goes through all of them in Episode 10 in his fight against Kaiju No. 10, and shows he can switch between them quickly and smoothly to pummel the enemy with attack after attack in an attempt to overwhelm him. The Kaiju No. 8 Wiki describes the six forms as follows:
- Number One: Air Slicer: A clean swing so fast that it gives the victim the idea of being slashed by an invisible sword.
- Number Two: Cross Slasher: A crossed dual attack able to target and penetrate the small gaps on[sic] the opponent's body.
- Number Three: Return Slasher: While running, the user throws a twisting crossed attack.
- Number Four: Wild Slasher: An attack consisting in[sic] multiple sword slashes from various angles.
- Number Five: Mist Slasher: This attack is disguised as a dual x-shaped slash attack but is actually made of a third surprise low attack from the side.
- Number Six: Eightfold Slasher: Presumably the strongest attack, meant as a finisher. An eight-pointed slash attack.
Additionally, in a later fight in the manga, Soshiro Hoshina proves to be one of the most powerful members of the Hoshina Clan yet by creating a seventh form called 12-Layered Strike, which uses 3 blades, in the middle of a battle. Additionally, Hoshina can use a second type of attack called The Quick-Slash Technique, which also has six forms. These forms are Haze Draw, Wind Hole, Reverse Clap, a so-far unnamed fourth form, Mist Strike, and Strata Strike. The Quick-Slash Technique has not been showcased in the anime yet and has been explored only a little in the manga in Chapters 89 and 90, so it has fewer details available at the time of publishing.
Vice-Captain Soshiro Hoshina is a personable, friendly guy who has a soft spot for Kafka even when no one else believes in him. He is loyal to Captain Ashiro to a fault, and will stop at nothing to defend Tachikawa Base when she leaves it under his protection. He has a smile for everyone, and can make jokes even in stressful situations. And he is also an incredibly powerful soldier, armed with a set of skills that his family has been using for nearly 600 years. Beneath that seemingly soft exterior is a deadly soldier, and his ability to neutralize kaiju is one of the best showcased in Kaiju No. 8 thus far.
You can watch Kaiju No. 8 now on Crunchyroll.
Kaiju No. 8
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- 2024 - 2025-00-00
Production I.G's Kaiju No. 8 is a Spring 2024 anime based on Naoya Matsumoto's Shonen Jump+ manga. Set in an alternate version of Japan, the story follows the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force as they try to protect the nation from monster attacks.
