Kaiju

The first kaiju shown in the series

**Kaiju** (怪 (かい) 獣 (じゅう) , *Kaijū*) are mysterious monsters that attack cities and people all over the world.

## Appearance

Kaiju are monstrous creatures that come in different sizes and shapes. All of them have different features, some more humanoid than others. Every kaiju posses a core, which is their vital organ and weakness, inside their body, and since every kaiju comes in a different type the location of the core changes accordingly.

## Powers and Abilities

All kaiju gain their powers from their **Uni-organ** (ユニ器官, *Yuni-kikan*), an organ containing their specific powers. Despite their common nature, each kaiju possesses different abilities and powers, so it's quite rare to find similar kaiju.

Some powers most kaiju have in common are super strength, proliferation abilities, and great fortitude levels. Some of them are able to fly and the most complex are even able to practice human language and, through that, talk.

## Classification

### Power

Every Honju, the strongest in a group of Kaiju, is given a **Fortitude** level (フォルティチュード, *Forutichūdo*) which is a way for the Defense Force to measure the kaiju's power and its potential threat to humanity. According to the Fortitude level, kaiju are then classified power-wise.

#### Yoju

A **Yoju** (余 (よ) 獣 (じゅう) , *Yojū*, lit. "*Other Beast"*) is a smaller kaiju who accompanies their Honju. There are usually numerous Yoju to assist a Honju. Some kind of Yoju can have proliferative organs like the Honju. Yoju can appear in many ways, by traveling routes made by the Honju, leeching onto the Honju, being created by the Honju, and more. Some Yoju can have a fortitude number above 6.0, thus being a Honju-level threat while still being a Yoju.

#### Honju

A **Honju** (本 (ホン) 獣 (じゅう) , *Honjū*, lit. "*Origin Beast"*) is usually the biggest kaiju, the most powerful, and the one who generates and guides all the other Yoju through their proliferative organs. Their fortitude level is usually above 6.0. A Honju with a fortitude level of 6.4 would require an entire Platoon of Defense Force soldiers to defeat it, and only a Captain or Vice-Captain could defeat one alone.

#### Daikaiju

**Daikaiju** (大 (だい) 怪 (かい) 獣 (じゅう) , *Daikaijū*, lit. "*Large Monster"*) is a special category of kaiju. It is the name given to particularly strong kaiju, whose fortitude level exceeds the number 8.0. Having appeared ever since the Meireki era, these kinds of kaiju are part of the strongest category, with their power not necessarily being linked to their size, since Kafka, who has a fortitude level of 9.8 in his kaiju form, the highest seen thus far in the series, defeated multiple kaiju much larger than him in size. Due to their incredible power, Daikaiju can also be Honju and guide their group of Yoju (like Kaiju No. 10 with the Wyvern kaiju). In spite of that, Daikaiju are not above operating individually on their own. According to Isao Shinomiya, the Defense Force presently has around two dozen elite officers who stand a chance at taking on a Daikaiju, less than ten in single-combat and when fighting a numbered Daikaiju, the number gets even lower.

#### Identified Kaiju

**Identified Kaiju** (識 (しき) 別 (べつ) 怪 (かい) 獣 (じゅう) , *Shikibetsu Kaijū*) are those daikaiju whose neutralization takes a long time, mostly but not always having a 9.0 level of Fortitude. For this reason, the Neutralization Bureau gives them numbered codenames in order to identify them. While daikaiju of this caliber have always appeared in history, their identification numbers were implemented only after the Fortitude observation system was established.

According to Keiji Itami, it would take multiple captain-level officers to defeat an Identified daikaiju.

When they are killed and weaponized, the corpses of Identified Kaiju become the core of Numbers Weapons. When wearing them, the user can have visions of the Identified Kaiju used as core, as well as access their memories of their past owners through Ghosts.

Up until know only fifteen Identified Daikaiju appeared in history:

### Size

Kaiju are also classified according to their size, with the largest being usually, but not always, the most resilient.

* **Supergiant-class Kaiju** (超大型怪 (かい) 獣 (じゅう) , *Chōgata Kaijū*):
* **Giant-class Kaiju** (大型怪 (かい) 獣 (じゅう) ,  *Ōgata Kaijū*).
* **Midsized Kaiju** (中型怪 (かい) 獣 (じゅう) , *Chūgata Kaijū*).
* **Miniature Kaiju** (小型怪 (かい) 獣 (じゅう) , *Kogata Kaijū*).

## Known Kaiju

### Known Types

* **Anatomy**: They have a violet human-like body with a long spiked tail and hoofs at the end of their fingers and feet. Their head features a large mouth with jagged square teeth and no eyes. While the Honju has two bull-like horns, the various Yoju sport an elongated cranium. These kind of kaiju have a hyperdeveloped sense of hearing, compensating for their poor vision, which makes them vulnerable to stunning attacks. Furthermore, their skin is thinner on the underbelly than the rest of their body. The Honju's original Fortitude level remains unknown, but it was increased to 6.4 when it was resurrected by Kaiju No. 9.
 * Honju
* Yoju
1/2 | **Fungal-type** (菌類系, *Kinrui-kei*):* **Anatomy**: Fungal-types are kaiju with a round and stocky quadrupedal body and a peculiar no-eyed head shaped like a mushroom cap. While the Yoju are four times taller than a human, the Honju stands 150 tall. Located in their near end, even the Yoju have reproductive organs, allowing them to spawn others of their kind from their own corpses. Their core is located in the neck, under the hard-fiber muscles that act like a spine, although Kafka Hibino noted that such spot isn't the place where the core is usually located. It was then revealed that the core's unusual position was a modification made by Kaiju No. 9.
 * Regular Wyvern-type
* Wyvern-type Yoju bomb
1/2 | **Wyvern-type** (翼竜系, *Yokuryū-kei*):* **Anatomy**: Wyvern-types, as the name suggests, have the shape of dark orange pterosaur/dragon-like reptilians, possessing big wings, a long tail, a horn on their head and six red eyes, as well as the ability to spit flames and to fly up until 8000 metres above the ground. On the frontal part of their body, they tend to have tougher skin to act as a shield while they are flying, whereas the skin of their back has a minimal coating to decrease the weight, making it their weak spot. Wyvern-types have shown the ability to fuse with one another to create a massive flying Yoju-bomb out of the bodies of all the Yoju, able to detonate when touching the ground. Each of these kaiju had a Fortitude level superior to 6.0, making them all Honju-level threats.
* **Behavior**: As noted by Kafka Hibino, due to their immense sense of pride, all Wyvern-types share the habit of acting alone, meaning that seeing them as a pack is quite rare, although they seem to respond to sonar waves. For these reasons a kaiju as strong as Kaiju No. 10 can easily command them.
 * Regular Ant-type
* Ant-type fused with Kaiju No. 9
1/2 | **Ant-type** (蟻 (あり) 型, *Ari-gata*):* **Anatomy**: Ant-type kaiju are massive ant-shaped kaiju with a light-colored spotted body and massive abdomen. They have the power to secrete an acid liquid from their mouth and antennas.
* **Behavior**: They usually travel in packs. According to First Division Captain Gen Narumi, there are rare occasions to encounter Ant-types in tunnel construction work and it's even rarer to see them appearing on the surface, especially in great numbers. This kind of kaiju would also follow the orders of a leader strong enough to command them, like Kaiju No. 9.
 * Honju
* Yoju
1/2 | **Mole Type 67** (土竜67型, *Mogura Rokujūshichi-gata*):* **Anatomy**: This specific kind of Mole-type kaiju presents a stocky quadrupedal shape, with its face shaped like that of a talpidae with sharp teeth and two sets of vertical narrow long eyes. The Honju has a Fortitude level of 6.4 and, unlike the Yoju, is much bigger than the others and possess a large spiky collar.It can also spawn spikes on his body and can shoot energy beams from his mouth.
* **Behavior**: This kind of kaiju appears to be rather aggressive in its own territory, as well as holding on to the same habit for a long period and with a systematic rhythm over time.
* **Behavior**: Members of the Third Wave appear silent and thoughtless. Responding to their creator, this kind of kaiju seems innocuous until ordered to attack. In that case, they obey immediately and simultaneously.
 * Honju
* Mature Yoju
* Juvenile Yoju
1/3 | **Lizard-type** (爬虫類型, *Hachūrui-gata*):* **Anatomy**: Lizard-type kaiju look like massive corytophanidae lizards, with long sharp fingers and a noticeable lack of teeth. While juvenile Yojus are almost the size of a house, more mature specimens tower over most houses and sport developed collar organs. The latter kind stores acidic saliva in their collars, to melt what they eat into a mush for digestion. They can also shoot the saliva out of their mouth, with a range of 20 to 40 metres. The Lizard-type Honju is a humongous upright standing lizard, with two sharp veritcal horns above its eyes. As noted by the Ebina Platoon, the core of these kaiju is in the pharynx.
* **Behavior**: These kaiju are particularly ravenous and aggressive towards other life forms, attacking in groups and with great ferocity.
* **Plot**: A group of Lizard-type kaiju emerged from the mountain region of Ome City when the Third Division took action to neutralize them.

## Trivia

* According to Nogizaka, an unnamed country is experimenting kaiju-to-human tissue transplants.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Chapter 1
2. ↑ Defense Force equipment extra
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chapter 6
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 23
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chapter 20
6. ↑ Kaiju Info.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Chapter 7
8. ↑ Chapter 66
9. ↑ Chapter 8
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 Chapter 24
11. ↑ Chapter 38
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Daikaiju Info
13. ↑ Kaiju Info
14. ↑ Chapter 77
15. ↑ Chapter 35
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Chapter 59
17. ↑ Chapter 73
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Chapter 79
19. ↑ Chapter 87
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Chapter 76
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Chapter 4
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Chapter 5
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Chapter 13
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Chapter 12
25. ↑ Chapter 15
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Chapter 25
27. ↑ Chapter 31
28. ↑ Chapter 32
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 Chapter 42
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Chapter 41
31. ↑ Chapter 48
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 32.6 Chapter 60
33. ↑ Chapter 62
34. ↑ Chapter 63
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 Chapter 97
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Chapter 68
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 Chapter 2 (B-side)
38. ↑ Chapter 83
39. ↑ Chapter 28
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Chapter 49
41. ↑ Chapter 56
42. ↑ Chapter 33