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Additionally, the series is likely getting a lot of first-time readers as well who are falling in love with all the characters in the JDF (or Japanese Defense Force) that function as the “good guys” in this story. But, out of all the Defense Force members seen so far, from Captains to Vice-Captains and even Recruits, which ones are the strongest?

Spoiler Warning: As the anime was just announced, readers should be careful as the entries below talk about both character and story spoilers.

9 Eiji Hasegawa

First up is Eiji Hasegawa, a character who didn’t appear in the manga until relatively recently, and one that fans haven’t quite seen the full extent of yet. Eiji is the Vice-Captain of the Defense Force’s First Division and also sort of functions as the Captain’s (Gen Narumi) babysitter. Compared to Gen, Eiji is a much more professional and by-the-books sort of DF Officer. And, in battle, Hasegawa basically functions as the First Division’s command center, giving out orders so that Narumi can run wild however he needs to.

As far as his equipment goes, Eiji has this massive metal battle suit with machine guns on the shoulders, but no one knows the full extent of this suit, what its capabilities are, or anything of the sort.

8 Jugo Ogata

Next up is another one of the old guards and Captain of the Fourth Division, Jugo Ogata. Now, as far as combat is concerned, readers of the Kaiju No 8 manga have not seen Jugo fight yet. But, he is the Captain of an entire Division and is shown respect by powerhouses like Mina Ashiro, so it’s safe to assume he meets a certain standard of strength.

Additionally, Jugo has revealed that, like Iharu Furuhashi, he is the type of soldier that has large spikes in the Force Output of his Combat suit depending on how “in the zone” he is, so it’s very likely that when he does fight, it’ll be for something he’s passionate about, and he’ll be quite powerful. Combine his experience in the field, intelligence, expertise in Numbers Weapons, and Force Output ability, and it’s safe to assume that Jugo is one of the stronger members of the JDF considering he’s lasted this long in a Kaiju-type world.

7 Leno Ichikawa

Leno Ichikawa basically functions as the secondary protagonist of Kaiju No 8 directly behind Kafka Hibino. He’s the one who convinced Kafka to try out for the JDF again, has supported him along the way, and has shown himself to be an exemplary soldier in no time flat. In comparison to other JDF members, Leno is likely much weaker, but, the speed of his growth is what puts him in this spot.

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At first, Leno comes off as cold and calculating, but that doesn’t last long. Mr. Ichikawa is actually one of the most caring, highly intelligent, and well-rounded characters in the series, outside of putting a bit too much responsibility on himself. Plus, now that he seems to be able to use the Kaiju No 6 Battle Suit to a certain degree, his overall strength has increased by leaps and bounds.

6 Kikoru Shinomiya

This next character is the truest example of a “prodigy” seen in Kaiju No 8 so far, Kikoru Shinomiya. As the daughter of the JDF’s Director General, Kikoru has been working since she was literally a child to become to greatest soldier possible to make her mom and dad proud. She went from Trainee to Officier, and then to Numbers Weapon holder the fastest out of any character in the entire series, and she deserves the praise.

Kikoru is simply better in all fields than any other recruit and also started off being able to release 45 percent of the Combat Suit’s force on her first try (with 5-12 percent being the norm). And, with people like Leno, Kafka, and Soshino around her to keep her on her toes, Kikoru is able to grow so much faster than she likely would have on her own.

5 Soshiro Hoshina

Ah, the weapons expert of the JDF, Soshino Hoshina, otherwise known as the Vice-Captain of the Third Division. While the Captain of this Division, Mina Ashiro, excels in using large firearms and taking down gigantic Kaiju, Soshino is a swordsmanship expert who is the best of the best in taking down small to mid-sized Kaiju.

After all, this is the man who took down Kaiju No 10 basically entirely on his own and even put Kafka in his place (unknowingly) while he was transformed. And, when the chips are down, Soshiro is able to expel an absurd amount of Force from his Combat Suit, capping out at 92 percent.

4 Kafka Hibino

Ah, and now it’s the actual main character of the series, Kafka Hibino. Kafka, otherwise known as Kaiju No 8, is probably one of the weakest Defense Force members by standard definitions such as physical fitness or Combat Suit Force Percentage. But, thanks to his Kaiju transformation abilities, he’s able to compensate for this weakness and then some.

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The story has yet to reveal all that Kaiju No 8 is capable of, he could even potentially be one of the strongest characters of all time. But, from what readers have seen so far, he’s just simply one of the strongest Kaiju in this setting. In this form, Kafka can literally punch Kaiju into atoms, regenerate his body to essentially come back from the dead, and all kinds of other wacky abilities.

3 Isao Shinomiya

It only makes sense that an organization with ranks based on how good its soldiers are at killing Kaiju would have an absurdly powerful person at the top. Isao Shinomiya is the Director General of the JDF, as well as Kikoru’s father. He’s a stern man, almost terrifying at first, but he makes it very clear very quickly that he’s all about protecting the people and using whatever means possible to make that happen. As such, Isao is intelligent, adaptable, strict, and insanely loyal to the cause.

And, as a soldier, there aren’t many who are stronger (literally, the guy can probably lift a mountain) thanks to his years of experience and his Numbers Weapon Gauntlets made from Kaiju No 2. The only thing holding Isao back, really, is time itself, and he knows this.

2 Mina Ashiro

Next up is the person that functions as the “goal” Kafka is working so hard to achieve, Mina Ashiro. Kafka’s biggest goal in the JDF is to one day become strong and trustworthy enough to stand by Mina’s side just as they promised when they were kids. Now, Mina has long since fulfilled her side of the promise, quickly rising through the ranks and becoming the Captain of the Third Division.

As a fighter, Mina is a long-range specialist thanks to her ability to release an absurd amount of Force from her Combat Suit with firearms, up to 96 percent so far. But, even outside of long-range, Mina has shown superhuman strength, dexterity, and leadership skills that prove she would do just fine in a close-range situation. Plus, she has a white tiger named Bakko who literally functions as a stabilizer while she fires her cannon, and there aren’t many anime cats cooler than that.

1 Gen Narumi

Last up, or more accurately in first place, there’s Gen Narumi. Gen is the Captain of the First Division and seemingly the strongest JDF soldier in the organization so far, which makes sense considering he leads the strongest Division. He’s known as “Japan’s Strongest Anti-Kaiju Combatant” and has proved this title to be true in multiple situations.

Because of his Bayonet weapon, Gen Narumi excels in both close and long-range combat, he is able to exert the most Force from his Combat Suit to date at 98 percent, and he also has a Numbers Weapon literally installed in his eyes. Now, compared to other soldiers such as Mina, Gen may seem childlike, but when it comes to Kaiju-slaying, there’s no one more qualified than him.

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