With its first season, Kaiju No. 8 has experienced groundbreaking success through its story that combines high-octane kaiju battles with warm moments and well-written characters.
The trailer for Season 2 has gotten fans excited, not just because their favorite series is returning, but because the studio fixed the design of a certain character after listening to the feedback from the fans. This commitment of the makers has impressed fans worldwide.
Gen Narumi’s anime debut was embarrassing
Japan’s Strongest Anti-Kaiju Combatant, Gen Narumi is an enigmatic leader on the battlefield who excels at leading large divisions and squads. Debuting in Season 1’s Episode 12 titled “Kafka Hibino”, he quickly established himself as a hardcore Kaju killer by getting ready to kill Kafka, the series protagonist.
Despite having a rude manner of speech, Narumi quickly became a popular character due to him falling under the classic “lazy but stronger than anyone else” trope.
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The character is beloved by manga fans and his appearance is one of the factors that makes him unique from the other characters. While everyone loves the manga design of the character, the same cannot be said about the anime.
When it was revealed that Narumi would be making his appearance in Episode 12, fans were excited to see how he would look in the Kaiju No. 8 anime, with several fans being particularly interested in how Narumi’s hair would be animated.
The anticipation was high and the disappointment was immense. Narumi’s anime design seemed, for the lack of better words, side-character-ish.
The makers of Kaiju No. 8 messed up the character’s signature hairstyle and made it seem as if a starfish was sitting on top of his head. The overall lack of aura just disappointed fans and to them, he wasn’t Narumi, the strongest anti-kaiju combatant. He was just some random one-off character.
“It’s not even that bad” BE FOR REAL💀 Anime vs Manga comparison of my boy Gen Narumi makes him look like a completely different person. Kaijuno8 S2 CONFIRMED HAS to have a change in character designer😭🙏🏻 #怪獣8号 #kaijuno8 pic.twitter.com/uafiDOWsS2
— Masked_saiyan101 (@DbsContents) June 29, 2024
This caused massive outrage among the fans who claimed that their favorite Kaiju No. 8 character had been ruined by the anime. Seeing these reactions, the studio announced that they would redesign his character for Season 2.
Kaiju No. 8’s fans have been heard
With the release of the trailer for Kaiju No. 8’s Season 2, fans all over the globe could finally see whether or not the studio stayed true to its promise, and they were pleasantly surprised.
The studio had indeed stayed true to its word, and Gen Narumi received a much-needed redesign, once again, making him worthy of the title of Japan’s Strongest Anti-Kaiju Combatant.
The new design was a far cry from the old one, with Narumi’s features being very well-defined this time. Extra attention was paid to the design of his eyes and jawline, making him reassemble his manga counterpart.
LFG they improved Narumi Gen’s CD, he looks so much better than what he did in season 1 pic.twitter.com/PvDb0SiI6q
— 𝙕𝝙𝗞𝝞🥷🏽 (@Zakiabjr) March 22, 2025
And most importantly, fans are in awe of his hair. In the trailer, Narumi can be seen running his hands through his hair and the way it falls on his face shortly after is just pure bliss to witness.
Fans have praised the studio and are thoroughly impressed with them for following up on their word. Gen Narumi will be playing a huge role in the upcoming season and fans are glad that his new design will be used in it.
The evolution of Narumi’s design is truly a testament to the impact that fans have on a studio’s creative decisions. It shows that to excel, one must be willing to adapt. By listening to their fans the studio behind Kaiju No. 8 has gained a new sense of appreciation for their commitment.
Kaiju No. 8 is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
