Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 Trailer Reveals New Cast and Opening Theme

# 'Kaiju No. 8' Season 2: New Cast, Opening Theme, and Release Details

The official website for the anime adaptation of Naoya Matsumoto's *Kaiju No. 8* has unveiled exciting updates for its upcoming second season.

## New Cast Members

The latest trailer introduces two new characters:

- **Eiji Hasegawa**: Voiced by [Hiroki Yasumoto](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=30785)
- **Rin Shinonome**: Voiced by [Kana Hanazawa](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=53741)

## Opening Theme Song

The second season's opening theme, "You Can't Run From Yourself," is performed by Norwegian singer-songwriter [Aurora](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86pUz-brRJQ). Aurora, a longtime anime fan, brings a unique sound to the series.

## Release Schedule

- **Side Story Episode**: "Hoshina's Day Off" will air on Japanese TV on July 5 at 11:00 p.m. JST (10:00 a.m. EDT). It will also stream worldwide in real time on X (formerly Twitter).
- **Season 2 Premiere**: The second season is set to debut on TV Tokyo and affiliated channels on July 19. It will also stream worldwide in real time on X.

## Additional Cast Announcement

[**Kōki Uchiyama**](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=56091) will join the cast as Gen Harumi in the second season.

## Compilation Film

A compilation film titled *Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon* was screened in 32 theaters across Japan for three weeks starting March 28. This film includes the new original episode "Hoshina's Day Off."

## Ending Theme Song

The American band [OneRepublic](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=262169) performs the ending theme song "Invincible (from Kaiju No. 8)" for the "Hoshina's Day Off" segment of the film.

## Returning Staff

Key staff members from the first season are returning for the new episode:

- **Writer**: [Yūto Tsukuda](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=126497)
- **Scriptwriter**: [Yuichiro Kido](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=135888)

The story follows Reno on a day off, who senses something unusual with Hoshina, who is also on his day off, and follows him along with Iharu.

## First Season Details

The anime's first season premiered on TV Tokyo in April 2024 and aired for 12 episodes. [Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/) streamed the anime with English subtitles and also offered an English dub. The anime streamed on X (formerly Twitter) worldwide in real time as it aired on TV in Japan.

## Production Team

- **Directors**: [Shigeyuki Miya](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=17245) and [Tomomi Kamiya](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=72262)
- **Series Composition and Screenplay**: [Ichirō Ōkouchi](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=4048)
- **Character Designer and Chief Animation Director**: [Tetsuya Nishio](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=420)
- **Kaiju Designer**: [Mahiro Maeda](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=1652)
- **Art Director**: [Shinji Kimura](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=78)
- **Music Composer**: [Yuta Bando](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=197080)

**Animation Production**: [Production I.G](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=337)

**Kaiju Designs and Artworks**: [Studio Khara](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=6686)

## Manga Availability

[Viz Media](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=4552) is releasing the manga in English digitally and physically. [Shueisha](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=909) also publishes the manga digitally on its [MANGA Plus](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=17930) service under the title "Monster #8."

## About the Manga

Matsumoto launched the ongoing manga in July 2020 on Shueisha's [Shonen Jump+](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=20219) website.

*Sources: [Kaiju No. 8 anime's website](https://kaiju-no8.net/news/detail_250619_01.html), [Comic Natalie](https://natalie.mu/comic/news/628653)*