#Mission Recon Season 1 Anime Compilation Film for April 2025 Release

Crunchyroll has announced that it has acquired the North American theatrical rights for the Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon Season 1 anime compilation film. The company and Sony Pictures Entertainment will screen the film to theatres in the United States and Canada in 2025 on April 13, 14 and 16. It will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles and dubbed in English.

In addition to the first season recap, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon will include new OVA episode “Hoshina’s Day Off” and OneRepublic’s new ending theme “Invincible (from Kaiju No. 8).”

A compilation film of the series’ first season will premiere in Japanese theaters on March 28, 2025 in a limited 3-week, 32-theater release period. Production I.G is in charge of the animation production.   

The anime’s official English Twitter and website describes the “Hoshina’s Day Off” episode as:

A day off… a rare day of peace for the Defense Force. After spending so long training, Reno has forgotten what he’s supposed to do with free time. He sees that Hoshina is up to something with his own day off, and decides to go on a mission to tail him with Iharu! But then things go in an unexpected direction…

Season two of Kaiju No.8 is expected to begin airing in Japan sometime in July 2025. The first season was streamed weekly on Crunchyroll, Twitter/X , and iQIYI outside of Japan in select territories. Crunchyroll streamed new episodes of the anime live weekly in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, simultaneously with the Japanese broadcasts.

Naoya Matsumoto’s original action manga first debuted in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ online website on July 3, 2020. Fifteen tankobon volumes have been released as of March 2025. VIZ Media licensed the manga series for release in English for North America. 

The manga has also inspired spinoffs titles such as Kaiju No.8: B-Side and Kaiju No. 8 Relax. A four-chapter side-story light novel written by Keiji Ando was also released on November 4, 2022. 

VIZ Media describes the main synopsis of Kaiju No. 8 as: 

Kafka hopes to one day keep his pact with his childhood friend Mina to join the Japan Defense Force and fight by her side. But while she’s out neutralizing kaiju as Third Division captain, Kafka is stuck cleaning up the aftermath of her battles. When a sudden rule change makes Kafka eligible for the Defense Force, he decides to try out for the squad once more. There’s just one problem — he’s made the Defense Force’s neutralization list under the code name Kaiju No. 8.

Source: press release