#reno 8 series

[bluevelvetea]

KN8 x AO3

All tags found on @dear-ao3

[guardianlioness]

Watching Kafka and Reno’s interactions at the beginning of the Kaiju No.8 anime hits differently after catching up with the manga.

Reno protesting Kafka’s carelessness with his Kaiju form is a fun gag early on in the story, and his decision to stick with Kafka during the exam is endearing—but it’s amplified and almost sad in retrospect.

Manga spoilers from chapter 101 onward below the cut.

We learn in Ch. 101 that Reno has suffered a huge amount of loss in his life.

He lost his parents and brother. He lost the familiarity and daily routine of attending his existing school. He lost emotional security, witnessing his grandmother’s struggle with their mutual grief. He lost faith in the idea that someone might help.

Only for Kafka to trip headlong into correcting that belief.

Despite Reno’s disrespect, Kafka fully embodies his senpai title by teaching him the tricks of the trade. He looks out for and helps him without hesitation, and he brushes off any jabs or insults with a quick, internal wince.

And then Kafka absolutely shatters his core beliefs by shoving him out of a Kaiju’s path.

This guy—a guy Reno barely knows, a guy that he insulted seconds into their first meeting—is willing to die for him without hesitation.

Is it any surprise that Reno really would rather not lose him?

All of those reminders and all of that fussing is to keep Reno’s only hero from being scrapped for literal parts.

For the first time since the death of his family, someone steps between Reno and tragedy. Of course he’s going to do everything in his power to keep that savior alive.

[imthecosmicbasball]

I'm breaking AALLLL the news for my Hoshina Soshiro obsessed, bias, simper etc this gracious news so hold up bitches!!!!

@dailyhoshina @justwingingl1fe @soshirohoshinasimp

First IS THIS MOTHER FUCKING NEWS WHHYYY???? 😭😭😭😭😭 AAAAGGGGGHHHHH SO FRUSTRATED!!!!!!

Second...... THIS FUCKING THING!!!!

THE HOSHINA SOSHIRO FAN SERVICE HAS BEEN DONE!!!!!! AAKALXJFJJDDJSKAJSBS.

Also this

AAAGSKSKSJFFJSKSJHHSKAK!!!!!!

[totallybakedcake]

It needed to happen

Leno and you had been dating even before you both became defense force officers. He was the best boyfriend you could ask for. He wanted you to be happy and feel like you were loved.

You two were together, together in the third division, then the fourth, and even went on missions together. Leno felt happier when he was by your side. Even when everyone told him to decline the request for using Kaiju No. 6 in combat, you supported him in every single moment. He just loved you too much.

--------------------------------------------

You felt ecstatic after a Kaiju mission. You had improved your release force, evacuated more people by yourself, killed many small kaiju, and even helped kill the main honju. Leno, who was wearing the No. 6 suit, found you too adorable, ruffling your hair and saying you did a great job.

As everyone continued walking, a huge crowd of defense force members and civilians gathered around Leno, praising him for eliminating the kaiju and saving the civilians. His mind flashed back to when his suit was not drawing that much energy and a Kaiju attacked him from the back; it was you who killed it and saved him. He even could not rescue any people while it was you who saved them. He even almost killed two people, but again, it was you who saved them.

He did kill the Honju, but that too with the help of 3 other platoons and his captain. You deserved the praise rather than him. He even got out of the crowd and ran over to you, saying you did better, but still you denied him and told him, "Stupid, you did so well! Handling a honju and killing it. All I did was support. Relax" You did feel upset, but Leno's happiness was much better than praise.

That was the last time Leno ever needed help from you.

After that, almost everyone was talking about him and his achievements, praising him for every little thing he did. Even as far as to even give Kaiju a scratch was praise. It made you happy to see him getting recognized, as he did need you, right?

Wrong

Killing Kaijus was fine, but maybe you could give your love mentally.

Wait, Iharu already brought him back to reality and gave him mental love; maybe you could spend time with him and offer him some special time; almost everyone in the fourth and third divisions could do that with probably better words of encouragement, physical touch, and motivation than you could give Leno.

What was the need for him to be with you was the thing you thought about more than killing Kaiju and doing personal stuff.

Still, even after your love fluctuating, Leno still treated you too well, and it was alright for you but not for him.

Getting praise was a great thing, but seeing you just lower your head after being left alone for everyone to come to him, seeing you train your hardest only to be left to look at him and how he was progressing, spending more and more time without even texting or talking was getting common. The straw that broke the camel's back was to see you ready to burst into tears after every mission.

After this, he knew he had to take some of the hardest steps in his life.

----------------------------

It was the best feeling to see Leno finally text you to come meet him at the park. Was it so that he was planning a date before you would move back to the third division and he would stay in the fourth, so he was planning something special?

The thoughts were swirling as you finally reached the park, only to see him with a grim expression before he stopped you from hugging him and broke it down.

"Name, let's break up; we are just not meant to be."

It was a quiet moment as the wind blew in your faces, your mind was shut off, and no words threatened to spill out as your mind went into a state of hysteria.

"Leno, are you joking?" If this is a prank, then I am hating it. What do you even mean we are not meant to be? How can you even say something like, Are you?" Tears brimmed in your eyes as you clutched the 'promise locket' he gave you when he started dating you.

"Name, I know it will be hard; you deserve someone better than me. Someone who will make time for you, treat you better, and not make you foreshadowed by him. I can see the tears ready to fall after the mission. I know it will be hard, but trust me, it will be for your own good." What the hell had Leno said? He thought about how he could have framed it better—maybe taken you for a walk or given a last hug. How could he be so bad?

You fell to your knees; the park was deserted, and no one was here to comfort you.

Leno left you here for what to cry at your horrible fate? The feelings all became numb as your brain couldn't even think of anything or stop the tears that were soaking your dress.

It hurt; everything hurt. Your head, your heart, your feelings. A rock had crushed them so badly that it was tough to even open your eyes, covering your face. You wished this was a nightmare, something that was just trying to hurt you and wasn't real. At times like these, Leno would always pinch your cheeks in a teasing matter to say it was just a matter.

"Name see, it was just a nightmare; those are just to scare you sometimes; how about we cuddle to make this dream get over?"

"Leno, I don't feel it. Leno, why is this nightmare not ending? Where are you? Why are you not here to be with me?" You spoke these words to no one but the dark clouds that were forming in the sky.

"AAAHHH." A high-pitched scream left your throat as you gripped your hair from the pain.

Can this nightmare be over?

GOODNESS I am making this kaiju no. 8 angst series where it will just be these kn8 angst stuff. Do let me know if you guys would like you know fluff versions for these but in reality we need more Leno/Reno fics man

[sonicasura]

Late at night

* Ring Ring Ring*

Reno: Huhhh..... oh my phone whose calling at this hour * looks at Number* huh Kafka.

Picks up

Reno: Kafka why are you calling thi-

Kafka: RENO THE WELP FINALLY HATCHED

Reno:.....

Kikoru's Room

* BANG BANG BANG*

Kikoru: ALRIGHT, geez It the middle of the night, this better be good or el- * Opens door* Huh Reno? Why are you here???

Reno: The egg hatched.....

Kikoru:.........

Both of them going to Kafka's house

Lol

You don't know how fast those two ran to Kafka's house. They aren't going to miss out on seeing a baby Monstie that's for sure. Although their poor roommates or neighbors would be so confused upon seeing the two just run out somewhere in the middle of the night at mach speed.

[the-original-skipps]

|| Babe, peel my orange. || Kaiju No. 8 Reactions ||

more kaiju trio incoming! i swear they are so fun to write lol i also have an idea for a series but im worried i cant commit lol btw the white veins on the orange are called "pith" apparently hahaha

Orange Peel Theory: If your partner can perform small acts of service such as peeling an orange. Indicates your partner’s willingness to please and care for you. Theorized to be a sign of a healthy relationship.

: Ichikawa Reno. Narumi Gen. Hoshina Soshiro.

❥ Reno sees you walking over to him with an orange in your hand, he immediately knows what you are going to ask him. As you stood in front of him before you could even utter a word, Reno kindly asks you if he could take the orange. Stunned, you give him the orange only to see him masterfully peel it, even going as far to take out the pith. In only a matter of moments he hands you a cleanly peeled orange, which leaves you in awe. Your eyes turn soft as a bright smile graces your face, you peck him on the cheek as a thank you - offering to share the orange with him. Reno flushes red, trying to decline your offer but you already held an orange piece to his lips. He didn't know if he could blush any harder but now he can practically feel the heat coming from his cheeks.

"O-Oh umm, thank you... Is it o-okay if I feed you some too? It's o-okay if you don't want me to! You want me to? Umm, o-okay...!"

❥ Narumi sits on his futon, his eyes glued to the screen before him. He doesn't even notice you come in and sit beside him. Maybe he did but he's too busy with his game. The volume of the game is loud, slightly raising your voice you tell him that you felt like eating an orange but you didn't want to peel it. At first, he doesn’t hear you replying with a "huh" - so you scoot a little closer. You ask him again, he takes a while to think before responding that he's busy - eyes still fixed to the screen. You pout, disappointed at his lackluster response. So you leave his office, slamming the door with a loud bang which has Narumi grimacing. He puts down his controller with a sigh, he knows he's screwed up big time. You spent the rest of the day entirely ignoring him. Only to open the door to your office to be met with Narumi groveling on the floor with a plate of freshly peeled oranges in his hands, begging for your forgiveness.

"I fucked up, I'm sorry...I'll buy a whole crate of oranges and even peel em too, if that's what it takes for you to forgive me! N-No? P-Please, (Y/N)…! What am I supposed to do with all these oranges?!"

❥ Hoshina looks up from his paperwork to see you standing over him. You give him a shy smile as he patiently waits for you to speak. You tell him that you want to eat an orange but you don't want to peel it. Hoshina takes a moment to think then placing his pen down and standing up, gesturing you to follow him. You feel giddy at how easily your plan working as you trail behind him. He takes you to the break room. He then takes an orange from the bowl that sits on the counter, silently peeling it. You could see his nails slightly staining with juice but he pays no mind to it. The gesture brings a warm feeling to your heart. When he's done he hands you the orange but before you could reach out and take it, he takes a huge bite out of it. That feeling is quickly snuffed out.

"You should have seen the look on your face!! Hahaha, I'm just messing with ya! I'll peel you a new one. I'll even peel you three, what a steal!"

⋆˙⟡taglist: @stunies @maruflix @hayatoseyepatch @17020 if anyone wants to be added lemme know!

[dailyfoodlovers]

when i was 9 years old i got my first job washing pitchers and citrus squeezers at a small time juice shop franchise that some big city kid spun out of a series of Lemonade Stand Pop Up events he did across the lower east side of Las Vegas. turns out if your boss is younger than you then child labour laws dont apply in the state of nevada so this 8 year old from Reno was running dozens of these juice shops across the state run entirely on 9 - 14 year old drop outs like myself who said fuck school im gonna make it on my way the only lessons i ever needed come from the mean streets of the city and i the only teacher i need is my two fists and a pay check and the school bus would be the city bus.

[lumiambrose]

☆　MASTERLIST

matchup exchanges: open

♡ - fluff, ✰ - smut

✦ BLUE LOCK ✦

➳♡　let the fear you have fall away feat. rin itoshi

➳✰　against all odds feat. rin itoshi

➳♡　i've got my eye on you feat. sae itoshi

➳✰　i know how to drive you insane feat. sae itoshi

➳✰　i've fallen addicted to your love feat. sae itoshi

➳✰　dealers choice feat. sae itoshi

➳✰　open hand feat. sae itoshi + ryusei shidou

➳✰　hypnotic dreams feat. nagi seishirou

➳✰　tangled in silk feat. chigiri hyoma

➳✰　reflections of desire feat. michael kaiser

➳✰　masked intentions feat. tabito karasu

drabbles

➳♡　mornings feat. sae itoshi

➳♡　dancing feat. sae itoshi

➳✰　riding him feat. sae itoshi

➳✰　your neighbour kaiser

✦ KAIJU NO 8 ✦

➳✰　you know i want you feat. soshiro hoshina

➳✰　the sharp edge of passion feat. soshiro hoshina

➳✰　twisted fortune feat. soshiro hoshina + gen narumi

➳✰　one hell of a gamble feat. gen narumi

➳✰　chilling stakes feat. reno ichikawa

✦ HONKAI STAR RAIL ✦

➳✰　house rules feat. dr ratio

➳✰　the winning hand feat. aventurine

➳✰　double down feat. jiaoqiu + moze

➳✰　full house feat. jing yuan + blade + dan heng

✦ LOVE AND DEEPSPACE ✦

drabbles

➳♡　breakfast feat. xavier

✦ MULTIPLE ✦ explicit works only !

➳✰　big men

➳✰　mean men

➳✰　mean men pt. 2

➳✰　your rich boyfriend

➳✰　your sleep-deprived boyfriend

✦ EVENTS ✦

➳✰　lumis kinktober 24'

➳♡　romance trope series

➳✰　pixelcafe secret santa feat. Marius von Hagen

looking for something a little older? find my previous writings here.

[sanjipussyindulgence]

this keeps happening too. first with kikoru and then ALL of the third division rookies.

kafka is the opposite of a serial adopter he's a serial adoptee. every day he wakes up and suddenly has a new kid.

watching the kaiju no. 8 anime and the kafka + reno dynamic is so top-tier. contrasting reno, a sterotypical edgy anime teenager, with kafka, a pretty regular guy in his 30s, has such endless comedy to it.

they're father-son coded but reno did the adopting. he saw how lame and wet kafka was and fetched the adoption papers out himself.

[hanaeriin]

NOTE ,, welcome to hanae's first event; ethereal desire !! there will be 15 prompts, wind breaker centric...three kn8 ,, two hsr and one genshin drabbles/fics !! since this is clearly an au, please keep in mind that their characteristics might be slightly ooc (yokai + yandere) but I promise I'll try to stay in character as much as possible !! these characters are hand-picked by the lovely folks from the pixelcafe network and a few by me!! of course, as a gentle reminder...you must be at least 15+ and above + have an age on your blog to interact with me.

TO BE TAGGED ,, to sign up for the tag list, either leave a comment down below & mention which ones you would like to be tagged for or you can fill out this form. make sure to read the content/warning section before reading, okie? your mental wellbeing is more important to me than some notes!

IMPORTANT !! ,, this contains wind breaker ,, kaiju no.8 ,, genshin impact and honkai star rail. there are fifteen in total and undetermined date yet due to personal circumstances. However, this will run for a while until it's filled up so no worries !! and as a friendly reminder ;; this is purely a dark content (yandere) series and it will be my first attempt at such a big task and I suggested you leave now if that makes you uncomfortable, whatever makes you happy!

LONGING FOR THE HOLY NIGHT

GOD! SUO HAYATO X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノwriting submission for pixelcafe network's spooktober!! ノsynopsis. “you returned to your hometown with news of your engagement with your long-term fiancé; it was the happiest day of your life. However, everything changes when you encounter a small shrine dedicated to the god who seemed to be infatuated with you, and he seems to have known you ever since childhood...”

CLOSE TO YOU

ZENKO KITSUNE! SAKO KOTA X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “When you moved into your grandma's house, you didn't expect to see a furry little fox waiting in front of your doorstep and caring for that said fox the next day. He was hostile at first but soon grew closer and when you found yourself under an unfamiliar young man, your fate was doomed from the moment you let him in the house...”

TWISTED WEDDING

NINE-TAILED KITSUNE! HOSHINA SOSHIRO X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “when you were returning home one day, a little kitsune fox was following not far behind. You took pity on it and decided to raise your newly furry companion but when you went on to clean it up; the fox transformed into a handsome young man...”

WEB OF TEMPTATION

JORŌGUMO! NARUMI GEN X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “You were just one of the many unfortunate souls to stumble upon the predator who preyed on young and beautiful women looking for love, he lures you into his home to kill but to his surprise and your horror, soon fell in love with what is supposedly to be his prey...”

THE WEIGHT OF HIS LOVE

TSURARA ONNA! ICHIKAWA RENO X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “It was the coldest season of the year when you found yourself gazing longingly at a strong, beautiful icicle hanging from the roof, reflecting upon your loneliness. However, a beautiful young man appears before you, claiming to be your husband...”

A KISS ACROSS TIME

TENGU! SUO HAYATO X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “You were a normal university student on a research study on the great legend of the Tengu clan, the villagers are welcoming and nice towards your group but you cannot help having a bad feeling behind those kind eyes and warm smiles. However, you weren't given that privilege to question it any further when you suddenly found yourself being taken off the ground by a gentleman with wings...”

THORNS IN THE BOUQUET

UWABAMI! ENDO YAMATO X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “One spring is all it took, a handsome young man who was watching you all by yourself under the cherry trees; you found him irresistible as you two became acquainted and soon fell in love. However, your father is against your relationship with the great snake...”

BEHOLDEN LOVE

MIZUCHI DRAGON! TOGAME JO X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “You, a struggling writer return to your small hometown and only to find an unconscious strange man near the train station upon your arrival. The man soon reveals himself to be more than he appears, with a connection and claims to be waiting for his bride to take ...”

NEVER FAR FROM YOU

BYAKKO KITSUNE! CHILDE/TARTAGLIA X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “Traveling through a snowstorm was a bad idea when you tripped and fell down a cliff before losing consciousness upon the impact. Hours later, when you finally wake up...only to see you have been sleeping on a huge white fox who soon transformed into a stunning young man with ginger hair and blue eyes...”

SMOOTH LINE

KAPPA! NIREI AKIHIKO X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “When you nearly drowned in the river, you thought the next time you opened your eyes would be the breathtaking views of the heavens above. However, that didn't happen when you found yourself being saved by a cute little kappa who can't stop trembling over his words and seems very smitten with you when he starts leaving little things like flowers and seashells at your doorstep from that day on...”

WISHFUL THINKING

BAKENEKO! JING YUAN X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “With the passing of your grandmother, you inherited the house and her lazy cat but what you didn't know was that cat just recently turned into a yokai, who can take the form of a young man as he pleases. However, you didn't expect to fall in love with a yokai, let alone your grandmother's cat on top of that...”

A LOVE, PURE AS SNOW

YUKI-ONNA! KAJI REN X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “Breaking up with your stalker ex wasn't easy for any woman who is unfortunately enough to be put in your shoes and just when you are about to call for help, a cold breeze brushed against your skin and a mysterious man appears before your eyes. When you looked into his eyes, you realized it was the same man that you met at the sweet shop a while back...”

THE SOUND OF HIS HEART

NEKOMATA! BLADE X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “When you stumble upon a stray black cat with two tails in the woods, you didn't throw him away when your friends warned you about the dangers of having a nekomata lingering around your house. The next day, you expected him to destroy the place by the time you got back from work but oddly enough, he is surprisingly obedient...”

LUCK IN LOVE

ZASHIKI-WARASHI! UMEMIYA HAJIME X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “The handsome young head priest of your village's shrine is a popular figure among the townsfolk, you weren't interested in superficial stuff like that but the more you visited him the more you saw his smile. You soon realized that you had fallen for this man and are unaware of how long he has been protecting you from afar...”

DROWNING IN YOUR KISSES

ONI! SAKURA HARUKA X FEM! HUMAN!READER ノ synopsis. “The boy you met was under a rainstorm, he was your first love; he always kept his distance from you but you always found him no matter how much he tried to hide, and will eventually parted away as you grew up. One night, a red moon appears, painting the night sky bloody red and before you know it, he appears before you once more...”

by boosting this event, you will be helping me reaching out to other fellow fans so reblogs are always appreciated and happy october!!

RESOURCES,, divider.

[usafphantom2]

Buz Carpenter sent me this email. This email is for Habu’s the people who flew the SR-71 or worked on the airplane members of the Blackbird Association

To All Habus - Pilots, RSOs, Maintenance, wing Support, Tankers crews,

contractors, Government civilians, & Families now that we have concluded

with a spectacular 25th and final reunion in Reno

What a fitting salute to our legacy and our life long friends. At the

reunion you were introduced to the important role our Blackbird symposia

play in the out reach programs of museums that possess any type of

Blackbird. There has been an out pouring of requests from museums to come and

provide them a Blackbird symposia. This is not a final commitment but

an assessment of interest and possible commitment so that we can judge our

capabilities to support these museums with our classic excellence we are

known for.

It’s about upcoming events in the Habu world in the next two years if you have questions or concerns and you don’t have Buz’s email send them to me and I will forward it to him. My email is sheffieldmiller@comcast.net. In 2025 we will start out with our Father's Day Weekend in McMinnville

at the Evergreen Air Museum. 13 -15 June 2025. This will be our normal

format with Friday Youth outreach day, Saturday & Sunday a series of panels,

the 360 degree cockpit demonstration, engaging guests around the aircraft,

possibly open cockpit viewing, and some type of Saturday night activities to

be determined. August 8-10 We'll be at the SAC Museum for our normal

format among the brand new RECON display area. A hotel has been already

determined. There has not been any Blackbird activities here for over 10

years. If you remember the SAC Museum gave a wonderful presentation at the reunion.

2026 will be a very special year celebrating many firsts at three museums.

The National Museum of the USAF in Dayton will hold a three day gathering in

March celebrating 50 years since setting the bicentennial aircraft records

which are still the standing aircraft records today. Activities will include

panels, presentations, cockpit viewing most likely, and some type of

Saturday night activity TBD.

The Royal Air Force Museum at Duxford, The American Pavilion , will host

a 50th anniversary of the first SR-71 recon mission flown out of Mildenhall

in 1976. They plan to dovetail this with the major air show at Farnborough

towards the end of July 2026. They want to market this as the largest HABU gathering

in Europe since our detachment shut down in 1990. This is in the early stages

of discussion and they are looking at ways to support us as the airfare will be

high during that time of year. These supports are yet to be determined.

There maybe a limit here as to supported participants but not attendees.

Rounding out the year will be a special symposia at Robins Air Museum

featuring aircraft 958 that Al Joersz set the Current Absolute Speed Record

in for our bicentennial in July 1976. They put on quite the celebration

for our 45th anniversary. Exact date to be determined

2027 The Air Zoo is looking to host again one of their great SR-71

symposias but this time they are entertaining the idea of expanding this

into a full weekend Blackbird Midwest gathering with multiple activities to

be determined.

Jerry & I are particularly interested in your feedback to understand

what we might be able to support as a group. Your response will show us

interest and support.

Buz Carpenter

I can forward any concerns or questions that anyone might have about the upcoming events. Linda Sheffield.

@Habubrats71 via X

[mechazushi]

Do NOT be sorry!!! DON'T EVER BE SORRY!!!!!

These give me so much sustenance....

I made more and I'm sorry

(again, all tags found on @dear-ao3)

[talesofsonicasura]

I'm Still Me

Sorry for not responding to this blog for awhile! Life has been nuts and I been getting asks on my main blog so there's that. Currently suffering writer's block hence the lack of stories or character scenarios too.

Doesn't mean AUs and worldbuilding headcanons are affected. I got a new one from an series that has finally gotten some attention, Kaiju No 8. You can tell it was about time we gotten a Shonen which doesn't follow the standard rules. And this AU involves are lovely 32 year old himbo main character Kafka so please enjoy!

The premise of Kaiju No 8 is when a cleaner with a dream to standby his best friend gains the power to become the very monster said companion faces: a Kaiju. Now in canon, Kafka becomes human again after his first fight and has to maintain a double identity. What if he didn't change back?

Kafka is now forced to navigate life stuck in the body of a Kaiju. Trying to understand his new physiology, instincts and abilities with the (slim) hope he can become human again. Luckily Kafka isn't alone in this new struggle.

He has Reno and his fellow Monster Sweepers to help him. The latter group find out the truth after Kafka doesn't show up to work for multiple shifts. All of them were obviously shocked to see their long time friend/coworker had become a kaiju but still have his back. (The himbo absolutely cried from the support.)

Reno shoulders Kafka's dream on his back as the group knows the Defense Force might never accept a Kaiju into their ranks. To him, it wasn't fair for his friend to be denied this last chance by fate and the young man will do something about it. Luckily Kafka is willing to help train Reno whenever possible.

He tries to get his life back together while his younger friend aims for the Defense Force. The Monster Sweepers help Kafka acquire new clothes and necessities needed to live with a kaiju body. Looking for ways that can allow their friend to still be apart of society without jeopardizing his life.

It doesn't mean the human turned monster was safe from the events to come. A certain Kaiju interfering with the Defense Force leads Kafka no choice but to get involved as his friends are caught in the crossfire. The man soon becomes a target for both sides.

Defense Force who wishes to learn the truth about Kaiju No 8's mysterious nature and the Kaiju that want to tear apart the traitor against their kind. Meanwhile Kafka struggles to hold onto his identity as he tries to understand his new powers. They call him Kaiju No 8. He knows he is Kafka Hibino.

Yet is the man really either? Is he still human? Has Kafka really become a kaiju? Or is he something completely different? It is up to Kafka to decide that he is still himself. Hopefully the conclusion leads the human turned kaiju one step closer to the humanity he once had.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

The Orbitron

The Orbitron is a custom car built by Ed Roth and feared lost until its rediscovery in Mexico in 2007

A second generation to Roth's original Beatnik Bandit, which was built in 1960, the Beatnik Bandit II features a one-of-a-kind fiberglass body with PPG lemon meringue pie paint, stylized Rat Fink designs on the sides, and chrome by Metal Masters of Salt Lake City, UT. 

Beatnik Bandit II includes many unique design features, including an electronic console which operates the digital instrument panel and other features such as a digital readout of the car's latitude and longitude. 

The lack of a rearview mirror is not a problem on this car. A "TV mirror" video monitor is mounted on the console with the actual camera mounted in the rear panel. The bubble top is also lifted electronically. 

Beatnik Bandit II was built entirely by Roth, who credits "Revelations from Father in Heaven" for his achievement. The car has been shown in major U. S. cities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, as well as in Yokohama, Japan.

The Beatnik Bandit

Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth was an artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder who created the hot-rod icon Rat Fink and other characters. Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot-rod movement of the late 1950s and 1960s The Beatnik Bandit was one of his first creations from the early 1960s. It was built from a 1949 Oldsmobile, the chassis was shortened 5 feet, the Olds engine was given the classic hotrod look with GMC blower and twin carbys, everything was chromed except the blower belt. The white interior featured single joystick, that operated turning, throttle and braking. The bubble top was created using compressed air to inflate a sheet of plastic into a dome in a pizza oven. On display at the National Automobile Museum in Reno

Mysterion

Ed Roth built the Mysterion in 1963, he got the idea from the multi engine dragsters he had seen at the dragstrips. He combined two Ford engines, two transmissions, plus two welded rear ends for the foundation. It featured an offset headlight and the typical Ed Roth bubble top. On display at Galpin Auto Sports.

The Road Agent by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

Mysterion

Custom builder and artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth completed the Mysterion in 1963. The bubbletopped custom featured a completely original fiberglass body and twin Ford big-block engines. The weight of the engines was too much for the frame to bear, and the Mysterion fell apart. Tribute versions have been built, including this precise replica from Galpin Auto Sports.

The Surfink

The Surfink, created by Mark Glaz as a tribute to Ed Roth and Ratfink, features a large Ratfink figure atop a surfboard complete with a blown V-8 engine.

The Orbitron

Built in 1964, the vehicle was powered by a 1955 or 1956 Chevrolet V8 and was backed by a Powerglide automatic transmission. The body was hand-laid fiberglass, hiding Roth's extensive chrome work to the chassis. The cockpit, set at the extreme rear of the vehicle in the manner of a dragster, was lined with fake fur and featured an 11-inch General Electric "1-Touch" portable television inserted in the console. Topping the cockpit was a custom-made, hydraulically operated Plexiglas bubble top. One of a series of ordinary doorbell push-button switches atop the hood activated the top from the outside.

Other mechanical features included a 1956 Chevrolet rear end, dropped Ford front axle beam, Buickbrake drums and early Ford brakes. The frame was handmade of rectangular 2x4 inch steel tubing. The engine was a leftover from one of Roth's 1955 Chevrolets, having been removed to make way for a then-new Mark IV big-block given to him by General Motors. It was one of the very few completed cars Roth deemed to be a "mistake" because he felt the car did not show well since the heavily chromed engine and most of the chassis were hidden. The Orbitron was, in fact, one of his few customs to have a hood. Reportedly, the hydraulically operated hood did not fit well due to rushed fiberglass work.

The vehicle's most distinctive feature was its asymmetrical front end with red, green and blue tinted headlamps. It was thought that the three beams when combined would produce an intense white light; the idea came from the then-new medium of color television.

By Jerry Thompson - originally posted to Flickr as 2C7O4069, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5973582

By Jerry Thompson - originally posted to Flickr as 2C7O4066, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5973591

The Baja Bandeeto

Custom car builder and renowned painter Fritz ‘Spritz By Fritz‘ Schenck recreated with his bubble top roadster; the Baja Bandeeto.

[sonicasura]

Ok, but I like to imagine that once Kafka in his Kaiju form and the Skylander Giants are videotaped fighting against other kaiju they become like celebrities. Like they're called the Heroic Fighting Monsters and in a few weeks there'd be merch of them and like popularity polls

LOL This is around the 3 month period before our himbo takes the Entrance Exam. Also it's definitely the mother of the kid Kafka saved in the second episode behind the merch. The manga gives solid evidence that she would do it too. Minor spoiler warning just in case for the the link.

Kafka just trying to find all the missing Giants unaware that someone is trying to make merch outta them. None of the group noticed at all as 'Heroic Fighting Monsters' definitely didn't click in anyone's minds. Then Swarm mentions he is a Skylander and that's when the whole entire thing takes off.

Reno's annoyed face as he shows his companions a toy commercial with their faces plastered all over it. Or the interview video involving the Defense Force about the Skylanders alongside Kaiju No. 8. Kafka is definitely embarrassed and smittened about it.

Reno feels like he's reigning in a circus at this point.

[bltngames]

A Better Late Than Never Look at "Knuckles"

Note: I get pretty casual with spoilers as I go.

So after consuming 5 out of 6 episodes of the Knuckles show when it was new, and then waiting two weeks (I was busy with other things!) to watch the finale, I think I'm finally in a place where I can talk about how I felt about it.

From the earliest adopters, I'd heard that this show was trash. Some went so far as to call it one of the worst things in the Sonic franchise, period. 

It's not the worst thing in the Sonic franchise. I don't even necessarily think it's bad. But I would also struggle to call it good. It's... a little more nuanced than that.

The story brings us back to Knuckles the Echidna in the weeks following the end of the second Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Having helped in the defeat of Doctor Robotnik, Knuckles finds himself restless. He's a big mish-mash of different barbarian, viking, and warrior stereotypes, and he can no longer quench his thirst for combat, something that's starting to drive his friends crazy.

Knuckles convenes with the spirits of his ancestors (Pachacamac, played by Christopher Lloyd) and learns he must take on an understudy and train them in the ways of the warrior, much like his father did with him. However, we also learn that Knuckles is now the last of his kind (something the movies never elaborated on, I don't think) and thus his understudy has to be someone from outside his species. 

Pachacamac tells Knuckles to seek out Wade Whipple, the dopey deputy of Green Hills, Montana, and educate him in the ways of the ancient Echidna warriors. Wade recently lost a bowling tournament to a particularly snarky 8 year old girl scout, and so Knuckles and Wade go on a road trip to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada so that Wade can reclaim his title, conquer his battleground, and become a true warrior.

Right away, there's a lot wrong with the Knuckles series, and most of it happens in the first three episodes.

Though we should be used to it by now, how fast and loose the movies play with Sonic game lore is pretty annoying. In the years since that second Sonic movie, we've seen the release of the Super Mario Bros. movie, and while that's not exactly a perfect movie in itself, it is maybe one of the most faithful and respectful game adaptations ever released. 

The Knuckles series building a twisted Frankenstein of Sonic game lore now feels increasingly frustrating by comparison, especially as it rewrites the movie's own history in order to borrow from the more story-heavy games. The first Sonic movie shows us a whole tribe of Echidna warriors trying to capture a young toddler Sonic for unknown reasons. Though it's been almost two years since the last time I saw it, when Knuckles is introduced in the second movie, I don't think it's ever mentioned he's the last of his kind. We just know he's looking for Sonic for the same nebulous reasons the rest of his tribe were hunting him down in the first movie. The "Last Echidna" stuff comes from the games, and now it eventually gets mentioned in this series.

As a sidebar: I'm aware there's an off-hand piece of dialog in the Sonic 2 Movie Prequel comic that mentions Knuckles is the last Echidna, but that's a flimsy promo comic and none of it feels canon to me. That comic also has a cameo by the Chaotix and features way more Sonic environments than the movies ever will, making it feel disconnected to the actual movies.

Like it's fun, don't get me wrong, but it's also like when the Spider-man games based on the Sam Raimi movies would bring in characters from the comics, like Shocker or Mysterio. You KNEW if the movies ever dealt with those characters for real, they'd be completely different from what was in the games. The promo comic casually mentioning Knuckles is the last Echidna may as well have been nothing more than fluff for all anyone knew. 

In fact, it gets mentioned in the Knuckles series that The Owl Tribe -- the same creatures who we saw protecting Sonic in the first movie -- have apparently exterminated the entire Echidna race. It's only been, what, seven years? Eight years? So what's going on there? Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys?  The Echidnas apparently wanted to kill Sonic, and the Owls were willing to commit genocide to protect him, and this all seems like some pretty heavy stuff for a series that still refuses to define what this "power" everybody has actually is.

It feels extra obnoxious considering the proximity to the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, which is openly an adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2. There's more than a little Echidna lore that needs to be set up in order for parts of that game to make sense (if it ever did), and it's obvious they have little interest in carrying that forward in the movies, content instead to make up their own lore. And what we've seen of that so far doesn't necessarily seem to be better, it just seems to be different. Like they dug themselves into a hole and now have to dig back out in a different direction -- more damage control to cover for that first movie twisting up the source material.

Ultimately it ties back around to the fact that I don't think this is what Sonic fans were hoping for. There were a lot of directions to take a Knuckles solo project, and they made it into a road trip buddy comedy between two of the weakest characters. Movie Knuckles is a one-note Klingon stereotype and it feels like Idris Elba is sleepwalking through a lot of this chest thumping "heart of the warrior" stuff.

And Adam Pally as Wade Whipple was okay in small doses, but he wasn't exactly breaking new ground as the bumbling small town deputy. Putting these two guys in a box together is kind of a bad idea.

And for the first three episodes, it is. Wade and Knuckles have absolutely zero chemistry together. Most shows would have a little hint that these two guys like each other, but it's more that Knuckles wants to train Wade for selfish reasons (satisfying his ancestors) and Wade is kind of a dumb puppy who does what everyone else tells him to, sight unseen. 

We also get new B-tier villains for our B-tier show, who swagger in like they missed the audition for their gig on Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (no shade meant towards my sentai fans in the audience). They're GUN Agents, either current or former, and have apparently been selling weapons tech to a genuinely dangerous killer only known as "The Buyer."

Actually, another small sidebar: it was kind of strange to see Knuckles rated "PG" (for some mild swearing), but Paramount+ constantly inundate me with advertisements for Dora the Explorer, Minecraft, and The Loud House. This is actually my first, real, honest exposure to The Loud House, both in its cartoon and live action form. It feels like a show made for the whitest children on earth and if I have to see that little girl with the shrimp bowl fart again I'm going to throw my TV into the street.

Anyway, Knuckles: for the most part, the villains only really exist to remind us that this ties to the Sonic the Hedgehog movie universe while also providing goons for our heroes to fight. 

If I'm being real, I was actually a little confused by the presence of the GUN Agents. The Knuckles show is kind of bad at establishing whether they still work for GUN or not. We do get a scene where they go rogue, but it's never clear if they're just overachievers who get results, or if they are actual card-carrying bad guys who are breaking off for a solo career. I just figured they were here as a flimsy setup for the third Sonic movie.

Mostly, though, it's a lot of fluff. Knuckles or Wade gets into trouble, and they accidentally stumble out of one bad situation into another, over and over, for a good 90 minutes. Very few jokes land, it doesn't feel very funny, it's a confusing mixture of new lore and stuff borrowed from the games, and it feels like the show is a mess that's constantly spinning its wheels. 

Wade, now branded as a fugitive for being seen fighting GUN Agents (again: current or former?), accidentally and conveniently finds himself at his mother's doorstep seeking asylum. On the jewish holiday of Shabbat. Now, I'm not jewish, but it seems like Shabbat can happen on literally any Friday, yet the Knuckles series treats it like an annual holiday like Christmas or Halloween. Regardless, it seems like Wade happens to catch his mother on a Shabbat where she's already preparing a big meal, since Wade's older sister, an FBI agent, also happens to be in town. Which is also weirdly convenient. Wade, feeling like he can't disappoint his mom, sits down and they have a meal together, only to be assaulted by bounty hunters looking to claim the price on Wade's head.

This episode starts a kind of turning point for the Knuckles series. Over an hour into this three hour ordeal, and it finally provides some threads of character development for Wade Whipple. We learn his estranged father is a legendary bowling champion, who will also just so happen to be at the big bowling tournament Knuckles is ushering him towards. Knuckles has a cozy moment with Wade's mother, and we learn more about how much she hates Wade's father for breaking up their family.

The fourth episode finds Wade facing down yet another bounty hunter. Earlier I mentioned Wade lost a bowling tournament to an 8 year old girl -- specifically, he lost a placement match for a bowling team known as The Renegades. The captain of The Renegades is a man known as Jack Sinclair, and when he rejects Wade's entry into the team, he casually mentions a bounty hunter gig he runs on the side. Now, Jack's back to claim the $100k bounty, and Knuckles has decided that it's time for Wade to solve this problem on his own.

Ultimately, this means Wade is forced to convene with Knuckles' ancient ancestors for himself, leading to, of all things, a rock opera in a spectral bowling alley where we learn more of Knuckles' origin. If the Shabbat dinner episode finally budged the needle a little bit, this rock opera episode is the kick in the pants this series should have opened with.

We get Wade in a Knuckles costume, a puppet of Knuckles' dying father that's definitely a reference to Archie's controversial Sonic writer Ken Penders, dancers in owl costumes, and a genuinely impressive prop of a "Fire Demon" (Iblis from Sonic 2006) operated by an entire squad of bodysuit actors. It's a lot of fun and I even found myself starting to laugh at the jokes! It only took, what, two hours?

As the rock opera explains, after Knuckles watched all of his friends and family get slaughtered by the owl tribe, Knuckles wandered the galaxy, hopeless. Knowing he was the only one who could protect the master emerald, he challenged this fire demon to claim the power of The Flames of Disaster. The demon nearly killed Knuckles, but by keeping the warrior's spirit in his heart, he summoned the strength to defeat Iblis once and for all and claim The Flames of Disaster as his own. Thus, Wade learns that a warrior's true strength comes from within, giving him the push needed to have a final showdown with Jack Sinclair. 

And then something else weird happens: the final two episodes of the show turn into something completely different. 

In my opinion, the more the Knuckles show gets away from Knuckles himself, the better it gets. Even though I thought the rock opera origin story was great, the less we have to worry about their jumbled up lore, the better. And these last two episodes of Knuckles get about as far away from the Echidna as they can get, turning into a late 2000's sports comedy in the vein of something like "Balls of Fury", "Hot Rod" or "Blades of Glory." Except here, the stand-in sport of choice is bowling.  

It's actually pretty funny how much the previous four episodes just stop mattering entirely. Like, the bounty on Wade vanishes. Being a wanted criminal (former or current) has no bearing on his ability to attend the bowling tournament despite apparently being national news not even 48 hours earlier. It's never mentioned or brought up again. 

Knuckles almost exits the show entirely. He spends most of the final two episodes relaxing in a hotel room, leaving Wade to carry almost literally everything else by himself. We get introduced to Cary Elwes as Wade's father Pistol Pete, who summons the same level of ham and cheese we last got from him in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. 

And... It works. It's not the greatest thing on earth, but compared to where this show started, once the bowling tournament kicks off, it's literally the best part of the whole series. The jokes get even funnier. We get all these different themed bowling teams, everybody in special costumes, with dumb names like "Ball Busters" and "Split for Brains." The editing gets really energetic and creative, too, with lots of flashy split screen cuts set to music. 

It feels like somebody had been sitting on a decade-old bowling comedy script and dusted it off for these last two episodes. It stops being the Knuckles show and starts being the Wade Whipple show, and is surprisingly better for it. 

But then, that's not entirely true. It's still the Knuckles show, and almost begrudgingly, they have to make up a reason for Knuckles to have a big fight at the end. It's almost funny how blatant it is -- there's so much focus on Wade's showdown with his Dad that when they cut back to Knuckles it feels kind of forced. Like they realized Wade is getting all of the pathos and character development but they still needed to show Knuckles doing something, anything, so here's a big robot that needs punching. 

It's not terrible, and Wade eventually joins him, tying into his overall journey of believing in himself and becoming "a warrior", but it does feel kind of tacked on regardless. There's this general vibe of the show getting lost in the bowling tournament and then going "Oh, right. That guy."

Listen, I'm not here to evangelize this show. It's kind of an inconsistent mess. It's jammed full of obnoxious needle drop musical interludes, there's tons of REALLY blatant product placement, and just like with the previous two Sonic movies, whenever it makes direct references to game lore, it feels more pandering (and increasingly sloppy) than anything else. It takes its sweet time expanding on both its title character and his poorly chosen side kick. A lot of it made me cringe more than laugh. 

But it does eventually hit a stride and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the back half of it. You can really see the show start to find its footing once you hit that Shabbat episode, and by the end of the rock opera, Knuckles had finally won me over... by getting further and further away from Knuckles himself. 

And... that's not really a great endorsement, now is it.