This was truly one of the most brilliant ideas by the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force: Taking the remains of Identified Kaiju and turning them into powerful weapons that can replicate their specific abilities. However, wielding the Numbers Weapons is no easy task, as it was shown several times throughout the story. But, how do these tools of kaiju combat stack up against each other?
Updated on September 3rd, 2025, by Julián Fernández Loyarte: Two major developments related to the Kaiju No. 8 franchise have taken place since the original publication of this list: the original manga concluded on July 18, 2025, and the second season of the anime began airing, in which most of these Numbers Weapons made their long-awaited animated debut. As a result, this ranking has been updated to add any new abilities or displays of power that these wielders showcased during the final manga arc and to include screenshots from the anime adaptation. Furthermore, an additional entry has been added at the end to explain what happened to the other three unseen Numbers Weapons.
5
Numbers Weapon 4
Wielded By Hikari And Kikoru Shinomiya
Debut: Chapter 44 (Manga), Episode 15 (Anime)
Numbers Weapon 4 is actually a family heirloom, as this battle suit was created with the body of Kaiju No. 4 and was originally wielded by Hikari Shinomiya, only to be later inherited by her daughter, Kikoru Shinomiya. Curiously enough, it even holds some of the memories of its previous user, which manifest in the form of Hikari’s ghost.
This weapon functions as a suit that gives its user great speed and even the ability to fly on two bug-like wings. Needless to say, this is quite impressive and practical, and Numbers Weapon 4 was a key weapon in Kikoru’s fight against Kaiju No. 15 and in the final battle against the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era. While its abilities are nowhere near as creative or interesting as other Numbers Weapons in the series, Numbers Weapon 4 still is a force to be reckoned with, and Kikoru has been able to live up to both of her parents’ expectations by wielding it effectively.
4
Numbers Weapon 2
Wielded By Isao Shinomiya
Debut: Chapter 35 (Manga), Episode 11 (Anime)
The very first Numbers Weapon introduced in the series, Kaiju No. 2, was one of the strongest and most fearsome monsters to ever attack Japan, so only the strongest of soldiers could wield the weapon that was made with its remains. This was none other than the Director of the Defense Force, Isao Shinomiya. The combat suit and the two gauntlets that made up Numbers Weapon 2 were his signature equipment.
The Defense Force in Kaiju No. 8 has quite a lot of Soldiers in it. But, which of them stands among the best of the best in Kaiju combat?
Thanks to Numbers Weapon 2, Isao could not only use advanced combat powers, but he could also unleash incredible sonic attacks and massive energy emissions. This was more than enough to deal with Kaiju No. 8 in its strongest form, and it’s one of the reasons why Kaiju No. 9 targeted Isao to absorb his powers. When he did that, the antagonist even told No. 2 that it would finally “return to the Kaiju side.” It’s a real shame that humanity lost this weapon, but at least Kafka was able to put No. 2 to rest when he defeated No. 9 and its master, the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era.
3
Numbers Weapon 6
Wielded By Reno Ichikawa
Debut: Chapter 59 (Manga), Episode 18 (Anime)
Reno Ichikawa has been by Kafka’s side since the very beginning, and he proved to be an efficient soldier from day one. However, as the story progressed, he was slowly left behind in terms of power, so he needed something that could make him valuable in battle. The answer was the legendary Numbers Weapon 6, which was created with the remains of Kaiju No. 6, the so-called “King of Kaiju.” This pseudonym, alongside the monster’s design, led fans to realize that this is a blatant Godzilla reference.
Numbers Weapon 6 is a battle suit that gives Reno the ability to summon walls of ice that can instantly freeze Kaiju. Considering that cold temperatures have always been an important strategy to deal with these gigantic monsters, this means that Leno became a key player in the Defense Force army. Mastering Numbers Weapon 6 took some time, but Reno finally showed Kafka and the others how powerful he had become by stopping the Third Wave Kaijus so his friend could focus on fighting No. 9. On top of that, he helped Kafka deal the decisive final blow to the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era by stopping the monster’s attacks with his durable ice.
2
Numbers Weapon 1
Wielded By Gen Narumi And Kikoru Shinomiya
Debut: Chapter 38 (Manga), Episode 12 (Anime)
As the captain of the First Division, Gen Narumi is considered to be one of the strongest combatants in all of Japan. So, naturally, he holds the honor of wielding Numbers Weapon 1 (AKA RT-0001), a combo of a battle suit and a pair of monster retinas. As expected, this is quite different from the other weapons, since it doesn’t seem to have any direct offensive abilities.
Instead, these retinas allow Narumi to pinpoint his enemies’ weak points and even predict some of their movements by reading electrical signs in the air. To make things even better, he managed to evolve these abilities so that they allowed him to read electron movements and terrain changes, which gave him true foresight. At the end of the day, Numbers Weapon 1 is an invaluable asset that perfectly complements Narumi’s inherent fighting abilities. On top of that, one of these retinas was also given to Kikoru during the final battle, and she used its foresight power to pinpoint and expose the core of the Daikaiju of the Meireki Era.
1
Numbers Weapon 10
Wielded By Soshiro Hoshina
Debut: Chapter 72 (Manga)
Most of the Numbers Weapons in Kaiju No. 8were created before the start of the story, so they were all made with the remains of different kaiju that the readers only hear about in retellings, but never actually saw before their demise. The only exception to this rule was Numbers Weapon 10, which was created with the remains ofone of the series’ previous antagonists, Kaiju No. 10. After all, this was an extremely strong and imposing opponent, so it only makes sense that it would result in the creation of a very powerful weapon.
No. 10 was turned into a battle suit with a long tail-like appendage that was wielded by none other than the vice-captain of the Third Division, Soshiro Hoshina. Numbers Weapon 10 was a valuable asset in the intense fight against Kaiju No. 12, which, in turn, was supposed to be a finalized and improved version of Kaiju No. 10. Hoshina was seen as inferior throughout most of his career in the Defense Force because he specialized in bladed weapons and could barely use firearms. Even though he showed how skilled he was many times, Numbers Weapon 10 finally evened the playing field for him. With the help of No. 10’s powers—combined with his own innate talent—Hoshina became a true force to be reckoned with. What’s even better is that this weapon kept some of Kaiju No. 10’s personality, which gave both it and its new owner a fun dynamic and a lot of heartwarming character development.
Honorable Mentions
Numbers Weapons 3, 5, and 7
As previously mentioned, the original Kaiju No. 8 manga has already come to an end and, naturally, it has left fans with many burning questions. One of the biggest ones is the fate of the missing Numbers Weapons, specifically those that were made with the remains of Kaiju No. 3, Kaiju No. 5, and Kaiju No. 7. Where are they? What do they do? Who’s currently wielding them?
Fans were expecting Numbers Weapon 3, Numbers Weapon 5, and Numbers Weapon 7 to appear at some point in the story, but sadly (and strangely), this never came about, thus leaving a lot of missed potential on the table. Nevertheless, it is still possible that the three missing Numbers Weapons may be revealed in supplemental material at some point in the future, like in a sequel manga, a spin-off manga, or an anime-original episode.
