Third Division

The **Third Division** (第3部隊, *Dai San-butai*) is one of the Eastern Divisions in the Defense Force, located in Tachikawa Base.

## Overview

The Third Division of the Defense Force gained the fame of being an excellent squad of kaiju killers, guided by Captain Mina Ashiro, whose fame make her one of the most popular Division Captain's currently active, making her a candidate for future Defense Force Commander. The Vice-Captain himself, Soshiro Hoshina, is an extremely skilled swordsman and a powerful Defense Force member.

The Third Division counts in its ranks multiple platoons and officers.

## Arsenal

* **T-25101985**: Captain Mina Ashiro's personal weapon, a big cannon able to annihilate massive building-size kaiju.
* **Anti-Giant-Class Kaiju Rail Gun** (対大型怪 (かい) 獣 (じゅう) 固 (レ) 定 (ー) 電 (ル) 磁 (ガ) 砲 (ン) , *Tai Ōgata-Kaijū Rēru Gan*): A new weapon dedicated for Captain Ashiro, a giant cannon enabling her to shoot rounds able to instantly kill Daikaiju from a distance of 20 kilometers.
* **SW-2033** ***(formerly; destroyed)***: Vice-Captain Soshiro Hoshina's personal weapons, two blades best suited for his swordsmanship skills. They are able to tear through particularly resistant kaiju.
* **SW-1083**: Vice-Captain Hoshina's new personal weapon, a long katana.
* **Numbers Weapon 10** (識別怪獣兵器 (ナンバーズ) 10号 (ごう) , *Nanbāzu Jū-gō*): Vice-Captain Soshiro Hoshina's personal Numbers weapon is a special combat suit made from the body of Kaiju No. 10.
* **AX-0112** ***(formerly)***: Kikoru Shinomiya's personal weapon, an axe given to her for her remarkable fighting skills. It is equipped with a trigger which releases a shockwave through an electrical current. It's made by Izumo Tech out of the uni-organ of a Honju that was subjugated two years ago in Shinagawa.

## Plot

### The Man Who Became a Kaiju Arc

The Third Division was present to eliminate a massive Kaiju who attacked Yokohama City. After defeating the kaiju, they were praised by the press and the public for their service. The day after, Captain Mina Ashiro and other troops intervened to save Monster Sweeper Inc. workers Kafka Hibino and Leno Ichikawa from a stranded Yoju. Later, Mina and the rest of her Unit were informed of the sudden appearance of a humanoid kaiju, named by the press Kaiju No. 8.

In Tachikawa Base, headquarters of the Third Division, was later held the Aptitude Test exam. With Captain Ashiro and Vice-Captain Soshiro Hoshina as part of the screening exam's committee, the trainees who succeeded in joining the Third Division were Kafka Hibino, Leno Ichikawa, Kikoru Shinomiya, Haruichi Izumo, Aoi Kaguragi, Iharu Furuhashi and many others.

### Sagamihara Neutralization Operation at Daybreak Arc

The Third Division took action when, in the night, a massive fungus-type Honju appeared in Sagamihara. After dividing the various platoons in different zones and putting up a temporary base in the parking lot of a mall, Vice-Captain Soshiro conducted the operation to dispose of the multiple Yoju in the area, while Captain Ashiro appeared with her cannon to shoot the Honju and defeat him. With the help of Kafka Hibino, who found the core of the fungal-types, the Third Division proceeded to neutralize every kaiju in its path.

During the mission, two members of the Ikaruga Platoon, Iharu Furuhashi and Leno Ichikawa, were lost and engaged in combat against the same Humanoid Kaiju who attacked the exam venue. After Kaiju No. 8's sudden arrival (and his subsequent fight against Soshiro), Iharu and Leno were taken to safety.

### Raid on Tachikawa Base Arc

One night, Tachikawa Base was attacked by a flock of Wyvern-type kaiju guided by Kaiju No. 10. While Soshiro fought against the kaiju, Ikaruga guided the newbies and his platoon against the wyverns. Eventually the senior officers came back to the base to defend it and Captain Ashiro herself (forced to leave due to Kaiju No. 8 and No. 9's cases) return to aide her comrades against the massive new humanoid. In the climax, Captain Ashiro, Vice-Captain Hoshina and Officer Shinomiya succeeded in taking down the enormous kaiju but a bomb made out of Wyvern kaiju appeared in the sky to destroy Tachikawa Base once and for all. As Captain Ashiro dispatched the members of the Third Division, Officer Hibino rushed towards the bomb before revealing his form as Kaiju No. 8. In the climax, Hibino saved everyone by punching the bomb away but was secured moments later by Mina and Soshiro. After these events, the Third Division was forced to hand Kafka to the headquarters from the Chief of the Defense Force himself Isao Shinomiya.

### Kaiju No. 8 Captured Arc

After the attack on Tachikawa Base, most of the base was damaged and, for this reason, Mina was forced to transfer the newbies in another division.

### Kaiju Weapon Arc

At Tachikawa Base, a dormant Kaiju No. 10 woke up and asked to talk to Soshiro. At the cost of being willingly weaponized to be used by Soshiro himself, No. 10 revealed information about Kaiju No. 9 and its goal. Soshiro, with the rest of the Third Division, later revealed all the information he gathered from No. 10 and the Anti-No. 9 Eastern Divisional Conference.

Months later, the Third Division kept having joint training exercise with the First Division.

### Cataclysms Arc

Both the Third and the First Divisions took action in Tokyo during the repeated kaiju cataclysms.

## Known Members

### Mentioned-only members

* Platoon Leader **Agatsuma** (我 (あが) 妻 (つま) , *Agatsuma*).
* Platoon Leader **Matsura** (松 (まつ) 浦 (うら) , *Matsūra*).
* **Takaragi** (宝 (たから) 木 (き) , *Takaragi*).

## Trivia

* Due to being both based in Tokyo, the Third and the First Division share a rivarly since people constantly compared them.
* Some members of the Third Division share the characteristic of being related to higher-ranking Defense Force members in other divisions:
	+ Vice-Captain Soshiro Hoshina is the younger brother of Sixth Division Captain Soichiro Hoshina
	+ Officer Hakua Igarashi is the younger sister of Second Division Captain Jura Igarashi
	+ Officer Kikoru Shinomiya is the daughter of former Director General and First Division Captain Isao Shinomiya and former Second Division Captain and First Division Vice-Captain Hikari Shinomiya.
	+ Additionally, Haruichi Izumo is the scion of Izumo Tech, the company that provides equipment and weapons to the whole Defense Force.
* The Third Division's logo was designed with Japanese themes in mind, like some sort of family crest.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 13
2. ↑ Chapter 75
3. ↑ Chapter 89
4. ↑ Chapter 72
5. ↑ Chapter 25
6. ↑ Chapter 27
7. ↑ Chapter 2 (B-side)
8. ↑ Chapter 1
9. ↑ Chapter 57
10. ↑ Third Division symbol info.