kn8 literary analysis/meta: canon-informed/unbiased* ship & character study.
truth isn't defined by how many agree. norms/trends are driven by comfort = often go against the truth & lies are popular.
eng - not my 1st.
random pfp.
* in practice = correcting for biases. they're unavoidable in default but possible to control for actively.
(ch 3.1 or whatever, from "relax" by Watanabe aka not canon) Another translation I've seen back in the day, that I can't find now, had something like "I can't certify someone as a capable man without one more thing" or "there's one more thing a capable man has to be good at" etc there. And my mind immediately went: a blow job.
Wonder if Iharu knows Reno is gay (see). From Reno himself or from observation. But even if, he'd not be that direct ...perhaps. Tho maybe if this was sexual comedy instead, he would.
Oh, he'd hear him sing. Heav[enl]y metal, aka screaming in pleasure, when they're [redacted].
Reno's suit number. When a homosexuaI character/person doesn't come wrapped in rainbows; bc it'd not be allowed anyway; see. Just exists, so ordinarily others never notice or don't want to.
The one-two punch that can break down the sturdiest walls. (caption for them in ch 63). Art by Matsumoto. And damn, what a piece of art indeed. The eye thingies. Iharu tapping into his lion side. Reno accessing his inner Iharu. They're having a vibe, soul mates burning together and whatnot.
"Reno" in the Japanese original is: レノ. In terms of spelling, that's "Reno". Not "Leno". (Edit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Kana_%26_Romaji_Chart.svg/1280px-Kana_%26_Romaji_Chart.svg.png).
Pronunciation-wise, though, the Japanese ra, ri, ru, re, ro are produced with a light tap of the tongue against the ridge behind the teeth = it's closest to a flapped "r" (like the quick "t" sound in American English "butter"). So, something between "reh-no" and "leh-no" or almost-"deh-no" is the most accurate pronunciation. As one can hear in a Japanese text-to-speech, probably also the original dub of the anime but idr.
But in the English dub of the anime they use "reh-no". That's likely because a flapped "r" in the beginning of a word (like in this case) sounds unnatural to English speakers, English simply doesn't use that sound in that position. So the English dub went with the closest natural-sounding option: "reh-no".
They look so good together. They don't get much battle collab content in the manga (only the exam at the beginning & the final battle), so at least they got these.
What's interesting is Reno often has a bit more of a "backing him up" vibe, which seems to fit his combat style and how he fights by Kafka's side in the final battle. He's a reliable guy for his man.
(arts by Matsumoto)
Would be nice to get some more KafReno arts once the anime gets to ch 99-101 & 127-129. If Matsumoto went all out for one of these and indulged Reno's romantic chemistry with Kafka... The world is not that beautiful, but one can dream.
Does Kn8 have a true version, that we'll never see?
When under a publisher (which is the case for Matsumoto with Kn8), manga authors don't work alone — they have editors that collab with them. And those editors do influence the final product, more or less.
In Kn8 fandom, editorial influence is mostly only discussed in terms of pacing: fast pacing, "rushed ending", "the trust formed oddly fast", "the rivalry dissipated too quickly", training arcs were skipped, etc. Perhaps the — apparently fabricated (see: Is Kn8 actually done) — quote "If one day I can, I want to return to it calmly, without editorial rush, and tell everything I couldn't" is a big fuel. The aforementioned post covers pacing a bit. Here, in turn, (mid-way in) are two things [also] likely to have been influenced by the editor/s, that for some reason never seem brought up in fandom:
Reno's dynamic with Shinomiya.
Reno's dynamic with Kafka.
Background info: HOW MANGA INDUSTRY WORKS
At least what I've found so far. Let me know if you have more insight. (Only points 3 and 4 are strictly relevant to this post. But 1 and 2 give extra context, though were covered already in recent posts).
1. If we define canon as "by the original author, or at least personally approved by them" (here: Matsumoto), official content =/= canon.
Kn8 official content includes:
canon: the "Kaiju no. 8" manga + any other content by Matsumoto (e.g. character pages, extra arts in manga volumes or on his social media).
non-canon: the anime and associated content, "relax", the light novel, the game, b-side, etc. It's non-canon because as far as indicated by credits, Matsumoto's comments in the releases, and a lack of any "Matsumoto is involved in this" in interviews, official, or promotional statements: those releases are not by Matsumoto & his involvement in them is low to none. Which is normal for manga industry.
More on that here: What's canon in kn8 & what's true when canon is inconsistent.
2. "Okay, but even if the original author isn't really involved / doesn't direct how those releases do stuff, they still give approval. So, they see it and agree with it". That's apparently not true at all:
the original author (here: Matsumoto) isn't always legally required to approve of every release under the IP. Depends on contract.
even if the original author might see some of it before it's released, official approval and public approval =/= personal approval. Official stance tends to skew polite, to avoid invalidating a release = harming the franchise.
3. At the end of the day, it's business. And so publishers, and everybody else involved (e.g. editors), aren't just devoted to the manga author's personal vision but also to choosing what helps audience engagement.
That includes things like pacing — and Kn8, not unlike other mangas, has been stated to have been influenced by pacing requirements of Jump+ (see also: Is Kn8 actually done).
But also e.g. making characters more engaging, making social dynamics more engaging, reducing anything that might offend the majorities (e.g. same sex romance), restricting stuff unfitting for the genre, etc. So, they WILL push the author to follow those commercially beneficial directions.
And...
4. ...the original author — here: Matsumoto — owns the IP, but the publisher — here: Shueisha — is the one who ultimately controls how that IP is published: optimizes the delivery to make the series successful.
So, the publisher is the one who has a final say in how the IP is managed — including the right to cancel it if the author isn't business-friendly/collaborative — namely:
especially the extra content not by the original author (e.g. the anime adaptation, spin-offs, side stories, games, merch, etc).
but even the original manga isn't just "the author does whatever they want, we publish".
For the former: Contract defines what's allowed (how much canon can be messed with) or required (e.g. author's approval). Bigger authors (e.g. of Dragon Ball, Naruto) have more power and tend to be more involved. Matsumoto seems less involved, maybe also partly by choice (preference, workload/burnout, etc). And the "what's allowed" includes commercially favorable changes — even if they skew canon characterizations or dynamics enough that they're perceived completely differently than in canon — because it's all ultimately business.
For the latter: They have editors — who translate market & magazine constraints into story guidance — working closely with the author, influencing things like pacing, character portrayals, social dynamics, etc. Weekly Shonen Jump is apparently more restrictive, Jump+ (where Kn8 was serialized) gives more freedom in various aspects (as it doesn't rely on weekly ranking stats). But not absolute freedom. Bigger, more established manga authors have more of it. Matsumoto is somewhere in the middle in terms of how popular Kn8 is = he might have more power to deny e.g. editorial suggestions than a newcomer with a weak series that's trying to stay alive, but not enough to just refuse what he disagrees with.
Those editorial influences are apparently not usually publicly disclosed. But we know they're a thing, from the cases where they were disclosed, e.g. interviews — also with former authors or editors — or documentaries that follow manga production in general, or even from the mere fact that editors are a thing at all within the industry.
THE QUESTION IS THEN...
...for any particular manga, how faithful is the final, published product to the author's genuine intention/ideas? Not necessarily original, since creative vision can change, but: how much of the manga as we know it is Matsumoto's "I'd still write it this way if I had a chance to do it independently" vs "if I had complete freedom, this would have been written differently"? How canon is canon?
It's tricky to gauge. Also because different authors = different approaches, and Jump+ especially allows for unconventional ones. For Kn8, some things have been discussed in fandom as potentially altered in the final product, primarily things related to pacing (see also Is Kn8 actually done) — and there is actual official info mentioning decisions made in collaboration with the editor, about how to pace the manga for max engagement from the start. Here are two more potential things — not pacing but social dynamics.
RENO'S DYNAMIC WITH SHINOMIYA
This is the more likely one to have been editorially influenced. Because:
on one hand, in the manga we have multiple signs that Reno dislikes her (discussed in section "a specific aspect of his social dynamics" in Reno in the manga vs in other kn8 official content) — and it does also match his psychology (see section "Reno's psychological profile in attachment" in Understanding Reno & his bonds). The latter is relevant, since Matsumoto seems to follow psychological realism in characterizations and social dynamics (see e.g: Insecurity in kn8: Shinomiya, how Reno being close with Iharu and Kafka matches his personality (see e.g. Understanding Reno & his bonds or The psychology of Reno's social dynamics), Hoshina's insecurity (will have a post on that), Iharu's insecurity (will have a post on that), and so on).
on the other hand, while that never changes, there's at least one part of the manga that comes across weird: the collab in ch 26. Out of nowhere, emotionally flat unlike other Kn8 collabs, brings nothing to the plot or character development unlike other Kn8 collabs.
An entirely plausible scenario is that the editor went something along the lines of "how about we make that dynamic more engaging for readers and have them e.g. collab?".
Side note
And they happen to be some of the more popular characters, which obviously increases that interest. But also, they're different sex.
Notice how Hoshina (and Narumi; wasn't there at the time but was there later on, e.g. in the final battle which is also the sole time when him and Hoshina have a collab), a same sex character who's far more popular, never collabs with Reno.
It seems Reno was supposed to only have collabs with the characters he's close with — Kafka, Iharu — not with the entire cast, but he ended up having a collab with Shinomiya as well, because the editor/publisher pushed for it ...but they seemingly never pushed for a collab with Hoshina or Narumi. Because the last two, while more popular, are also same sex as Reno = interactions between them would be less widely "omg"-ed about.
End of side note
Matsumoto might have had the power to negotiate but ultimately couldn't just refuse. And so, perhaps after discussing it with his editor (again: editors collab closely with the authors), he went for a compromise: obeying but only partly. As a result...
...we ended up with this:
a collab that does happen but has zero narrative relevance and no character growth moments — unlike other Kn8 collabs, especially, unlike Reno's other collabs — as if just there to be there. Empty content for fans: brings nothing to the table but increases audience engagement (commercial purpose).
and despite the hype beginning, falls apart quickly. Ending up as flat as one would expect if it just happened on the run, not with a whole scene to mark it. It makes it look weird. Like the author forgot it was supposed to be a thing ...or like the author was trying to balance obeying the request and staying as faithful to his vision as he could (Reno dislikes her, and so the collab falls apart).
The fact the anime adaptation makes the collab a bit longer — see below — further supports that scenario.
For contrast, e.g.
Hoshina's and Narumi's collab (starting in ch 115) is also kind of weird in that they basically don't interact at all throughout the manga, until that very moment which is towards the end of the manga. But the collab is more justified (e.g. Hoshina is too weak alone, Narumi is another close range combatant), emotionally substantial (Narumi's backstory with Hoshina, their biting interactions), and actually gets a lot of screen time. That kind of stuff looks more like Matsumoto's own incentive, not like something forced onto the page to appeal to the audience.
Reno's collab with Kafka in ch 100 gets a prolonged build-up with an almost whole manga's worth of background on Reno's side, and while the whole battle is big enough they don't get a lot of spotlight together, after the beginning there's a whole chapter dedicated to showing them collab, during which Reno talks about his past, how much Kafka means to him, and how he aspires to always be there for him so he doesn't have to face danger alone.
and of course, Iharu and Reno's collabs are full of emotional moments and character growth as well.
It's also interesting that just before the collab, Reno's dislike of Shinomiya is reinforced by his subtly disapproving comment on her personality — and that comment is referenced in one of the illustrations Matsumoto draws for the light novel.
Perhaps that comment would have been more directly disapproving; but the editor might have encouraged keeping it neutral enough — which would be for commercial purposes. Much like...
...the non-canon official Kn8 content (the anime, "relax", the light novel, etc) makes their dynamics friendlier than it is in canon:
the anime adaptation makes the aforementioned collab a bit more friendly and long — and as noted, the anime isn't by Matsumoto nor controlled by him, so, the publisher has freedom to mess with characterizations and social dynamics as they please (within the contract's boundaries. Which do often allow adjusting portrayals for commercial purposes). In the manga, the collab falls apart in ch 27, but the anime e.g. adds Reno there when Shinomya overheats in ch 30 and adds Shinomya in the frame when he's warning Kafka not to transform in ch 29. That suggests the publisher might have wanted the collab to be a bit more there in the manga as well.
see other examples in section "a specific aspect of his social dynamics" of Reno in the manga vs in other kn8 official content.
The fact non-canon official Kn8 releases make them seem more friendly than in canon supports the idea that the manga, too, has been subject to that pressure. The publisher quite clearly favors softening Reno's dislike in those non-canon releases — so also in the original manga itself.
RENO'S DYNAMIC WITH KAFKA
Most in the fandom describe it as "father-son" or describe Reno as a "mom friend", etc.
Meanwhile, there's a clear — even if subtle (enough that even to me it used to look more like a crush than proper romantic love, until I took a closer look) — romantic aspect to Reno's behavior that explains his dynamic with Kafka better than the aforementioned takes. See the details: Understanding Reno & his bonds + also Shinko Pier No. 8 and the alt cover for volume 2 (see below) (the "sir"/"senpai" doesn't exist in the Japanese original there, btw, it's been added in that translation, so I fixed it).
Obviously, same sex romance is still offensive to most. And manga industry is a business = choices are dictated by what increases audience engagement, what helps sell the manga [and the rest of the releases published for that IP]. So, while these days Jump+, for example, wouldn't just forbid it, it would discourage it or push the author to make it subtle enough that it has plausible deniability — especially if the genre isn't romance-centered (e.g. it's a shonen. And Kn8 is one) — to avoid offending the majority of the target audience and therefore harming the IP. (That's also the very way to keep homophobia strong. Business is prioritized over social health).
Further, Reno has been written as not just androphilic but homosexuaI. See An analysis of Reno's sexual orientation for a more detailed look at the framing. It's not explicit because it'd not be commercially favorable, so, the author would be forced to make it subtle anyway. The author not making it explicit =/= the character isn't supposed to be homosexuaI.
What makes Reno's romantic feelings for Kafka seem less likely to have been editorially influenced (here: shunned) than the previous thing, though, is that there's another character who also shows romantic feelings of some sort for Kafka and who's not a male: Shinomiya. Her feelings aren't much more blatant at all (ch 13 and 21). The reason to that is apparently unknown, but:
it might suggest Reno's romantic feelings for Kafka weren't toned down that much by the editor...
...or that Matsumoto himself, from the start, wrote them as low-key as they are in the published version, because he knew he'd have to tone them down anyway, was aware it could be commercially unfavorable.
And then, whichever of those was the case:
perhaps Shinomiya's crush on Kafka is similarly low-key to keep it all equally subtle.
but also this is shonen and not a romance-centered genre anyway, so, romance-heavy storytelling would be genre-inappropriate and therefore could also have been discouraged by the editor. That said, the anime makes Shinomiya's crush on Kafka as well as Iharu's, Aoi's, and Haruichi's crush on Ashiro, a bit more explicit, so, the publisher clearly wouldn't mind it if the manga itself had more romance too, it seems. Or at least, more of different sex romance.
On the other hand, what does support the idea that Reno's romantic feelings for Kafka might have still been toned down for commercial reasons is:
the non-canon official Kn8 releases usually don't acknowledge them at all (aside from the anime, a bit, e.g. adding the blush in s2e9, see below, which gives the scene a somewhat more pronounced romantic tone). Though they often do keep the vibe itself, just omit the canonical romantic undertone (e.g. the game exaggerates Reno's fussing at times but makes it seem like it's just his personality rather than his feelings for Kafka).
and "relax" explicitly rejects homosexuaIity: in the v-day chapter, it states "all the men have gathered to compete for Mina's heart". Now...
...the publisher might know if the manga author has intended for a character to be e.g. homosexuaI. But in non-canon official releases they usually have lots of freedom in how to handle that — and of course, respecting it is not commercially favorable. So:
while they might be willing to respect canon portrayal partly, that is, they don't encourage making it seem like that character is into the other sex (which could work if the character was supposed to be bisexuaI; but that's not the case with Reno: again, see An analysis of Reno's sexual orientation for more details and extra notes)...
...they won't let respect it fully. Won't let the character be explicitly homosexuaI — while they will let the other characters be explicitly into the other sex, see e.g. the v-day ch in "relax" — they'll choose the second most commercially beneficial route instead: portraying them as "uninterested". Iow, they erase the character's homosexuaIity; though at least it's the less hostile way to do that: pretend they're just not interested, instead of making them interested in the other sex.
WRAP-UP
So, Kn8 might indeed have an alternative, true version. Maybe with a bit of a different pacing in some parts (but again: Is kn8 actually done), but more so, there are strong clues that that true version doesn't include the Reno & Shinomiya collab, and perhaps would be more explicit on Reno's feelings for Kafka, maybe Shinomiya's feelings for Kafka, etc.
We'll likely never get to see that version though. Unless Matsumoto dedicates himself to retelling the story independently; which seems unlikely: statistically, he'll rather rest and move on.
So it's relevant to acknowledge the above, if one is interested in understanding the characters and their relationships.
Not that any of that = there's a whole different story that could have been told instead. Most of these speculative alternatives seem minor enough, not influential on the story and not influential much on its emotional tone. Still, it'd be interesting to see what Kn8 would be if there was zero "this is favored, this is not" involved. Likely not a different story, but it seems some of the social dynamics — especially, Reno's social dynamics, maybe also Shinomiya's crush on Kafka and some other romantic content that is present but short or subtle — could be clearer / have less hedging.
In the manga, there are those extra rings around the characters' pupils sometimes. And I remember reading somewhere somebody's speculation that it might be because combat suits enhance muscle power and the iris is a muscle/contains muscles.
But while it does seem that Kn8 combat suits enhance muscle power...
(ch 5) ...whether the suits also affect the muscles in the iris or not, those ring/s don't seem tied to that. Because they're not consistently there while the character is wearing a combat suit, nor are they exclusive to that. Examples:
Ch 59, Reno isn't wearing a combat suit; ring present.
Ch 15, Reno is wearing a combat suit; ring absent, then present and a double one at that.
Ch 16, Iharu is wearing a combat suit; ring absent, then present, then even as a double ring.
Ch 16, both are wearing combat suits, ring (and it's even a double one) only present in one moment, that's not even the moment of a heightened combat activity.
Ch 63, Iharu is wearing a combat suit; ring present.
Ch 63, Iharu is wearing a combat suit irl there but this is a symbolic visualization of sorts wherein he's not; ring present.
Ch 63, Iharu is wearing a combat suit; ring absent.
Ch 63, Reno is wearing a combat suit irl there but this is a symbolic visualization of sorts wherein he's not; ring present.
Ch 90, 91, Hoshina is wearing a combat suit; ring absent. Okonogi isn't; ring present.
Ch 93, Hoshina is wearing a combat suit, moreover releasing 100% combat power; ring absent.
And so on.
It doesn't correlate with the character wearing a combat suit or not.
Nor with how much combat power the character currently wearing a combat suit is releasing.
It's not influenced by how up-close or big the character's iris is either.
It seems Matsumoto might use that ring to represent something like a heightened emotional state instead. However inconsistent even that seems to be. It might be something like the droplet of sweat on the characters' face (is there almost all the time, when the character is having basically any emotion, but also isn't always there when the character is having a droplet-of-sweat -appropriate emotion), just used more sparingly.
If anything, Kn8 is more based on emotional relevance in its worldbuilding and character design logic than on e.g. biological realism. E.g. No. 8 chooses Kafka and not Hoshina, despite only the latter being a descendant of the meireki samurais, because Kafka's and not Hoshina's emotional baggage matches that which No. 8 is made out of; and Kafka's power as No. 8 is fueled by hatred etc (as e.g. No. 9 implies in ch 113). Reading Kn8 seems more accurate if emotional relevance is assumed as the primary rule, not the typical shonen patterns. So, the how the ring thing has been handled fits with how Kn8 does things overall. It's about as poetic, if you will, as it is technical.
Matsumoto's choices for them — in this and this art, lmk if there's more! — might have been:
random.
intuitive/subconscious ("I feel like this fits, but I can't tell you why" and the why is things like e.g. these below).
conscious (the author would be able to tell us why).
If we assume either of the last two: Starting with Reno...
He's a vampire. Funnily enough, his hair has garlic-like coloration, esp in that art. (Also his irises look more reddish purple than usually in colored arts, which is neat). But as for the more likely potential reasons...
...e.g. pale skin or hair rather aren't among them, because Reno's skin tone on the colored arts by Matsumoto is the same as others' and his hair is grey on them, not white. Moreover, Kn8 often seems to go by emotional relevance, not superficial factors.
Vibe-wise, esp these days, vampires are a quietly sexy type: distinguished and mysterious, far from loud or expressive. Reno does have a baseline private vibe & is on the calmer, more mature side (see e.g. how he reacts to the chaos in the mess hall in ch 22). There's also a sense of distance or mystery to him, also via his physical design: hair falling over his eyes. But he's not distinguished at all — he's just normal. Also sincere, low-drama, and at times awkward, (see e.g. ch 1 or 67). The opposite of vampires' modern-stereotypical seductive, charming presence. His charm is in his awkward earnestness breaking through the kind of "idgaf" surface (he doesn't seem to care about much more than what actually matters to him. But as seen in ch 6, he's not whatever about e.g. social reputation either: he does get embarrassed). So from that angle, the fit is moderate.
His social dynamics do make a neat dark parallel to the vampiric theme: feasting on life / sucking life force out of the living to sustain own immortality = a dark distortion of one of the most likely reasons he's grown close with Kafka and Iharu — the Kn8 embodiments of liveliness. Which is: to bring some lightness to his somewhat stiff-ish style & regain the lost warmth his family seems to has had (ch 101). As a vampire, though, based on what we know about him from the manga (see section "Reno's psychological profile in attachment" in Understanding Reno & his bonds), he'd likely feel uncomfortable with the idea of letting anything be anything close to predatory/etc, he'd likely want to keep it within basic respect. Which would be a struggle for him, at least if we assume a universe where vampires need mortals' blood to stay immortal.
On a more plain note, vampires represent the "other" or social nonconformity: those who don't follow cultural/social/religious/etc norms. Tmk, historically, vampires have represented fear of the "foreign" & have been used as metaphors for marginalized groups, because they look human but behave fundamentally differently = are like a "double"/a distorted reflection of humanity that challenges the common ideas on what it means to be a human or alive. That aspect of vampire symbolism fits with Reno being written as homosexuaI (see).
Contemporary vampires in particular supposedly often bridge the gap between monster and hero, and represent a longing for immortality or/and superhuman power, and a desire for redemption. That's less of a typical vampire symbolism, but would be apt for Reno's No. 6 arc: "If I was stronger, Kafka and Iharu wouldn't have gotten hurt. I have to do this" (his words in ch 62). An uncontrollable urge for more power, driven by guilt for letting his loved ones get hurt (however irrational that guilt is) and a desire to protect them (enhanced by his apparently heightened fear of loss).
Might also be a dark spin on: his heightened fear of losing others -> a desire to become immortal oneself. But that seems a shallow association compared to the rest.
Reno's zodiac sign fits, too: Reno = Aries (april 12th). Aries = blood. -> Reno = blood. Which classical monster is the most associated with blood? Vampire. Now, Matsumoto does seem to have ascribed zodiac signs with at least some awareness. And maybe even used further associations as inspo (see). Though this also seems too insignificant/shallow compared to the other reasons.
Among the deeper ones there's also the juicy side: repressed sexuality and desire; intense, taboo passion. Yet another part that matches him being homosexuaI. As well as his apparent passionate, quietly intense personality, emotional intensity (see). Even with the other Kn8 characters being more or less more intense than your average Joe, because this is shonen, Reno does stand out as particularly passionate and emotionally intense (Reno's passionate personality, How icy is Reno, actually), just under the somewhat composed surface (again: How icy is Reno, actually). The "dark romance" side though — with all the predatory type abuse and parasitic dependency — is, again, an example of a dark distortion, since Reno is the exact opposite of that (see above). Same...
...for the modern metaphorical association with toxic people: Reno is passionate and his childhood loss seems to amplify his reactivity around a threat of loss, but that just makes him intensely protective of those he does bond with. He's the opposite of toxic or dysfunctional. In fact, he's very repulsed by toxicity (he dislikes Shinomiya, see).
Another aspect of vampire symbolism that completely opposes Reno's character is the selfishness: putting own survival and desires above the well-being of others. Reno is the opposite of that (along with Kafka, and also Iharu with his rivalry thing he discards in ch 62): he's self-sacrificing — in a meaningful way, not mindlessly, and he does try to set boundaries (e.g. ch 3) — (ch 59, 62). His whole JAKDF-related motivation seems about being the hero to others that he didn't have himself (ch 101), and ultimately all about protecting Kafka (his romantic interest, see) and Iharu (his close friend, see). Which No. 6 pulls to the forefront during his trial, making him overdo, see above. His true nature/drive is: "I need to protect my people. I'll do anything to keep them safe", and he seems driven to such an extreme by his passionate personality amplifying the baggage of his childhood loss. So that'd be an example of a subversion / reversed match (one other example in Kn8 itself is: Ogata and Iharu are both flash adapters, which matches Iharu's personality but Ogata is basically the exact opposite of Iharu).
Back to the juicy side.
The act of vampiric feeding etc might bring sexual intimacy to a dirty mind. The bite itself - penetration, then there's also the exchange of blood - bodily fluids; which could be translated to meaningful bonding and selectivity, which do fit Reno. He isn't sociable much (unlike e.g. Kafka or Iharu): he's on the private side and seems to bond deeply with few rather than enjoying having many superficial bonds. There's also the state of submission under the vampire's hypnotic spell that can resemble erotic high/whatnot; except from what's shown in the manga (again: see section "Reno's psychological profile in attachment" in Understanding Reno & his bonds), Reno seems the type interested in power balance, the psychological ground for dom/sub kink etc is weak for him, unlike in the case of some other characters.
If Reno was a vampire but fully retained his canon (manga) personality, with his apparent selectivity, depth-based bonding, etc, he wouldn't just fall from afar. But once he finds the right man, he's all in. He'd get awkward as shit, trying to hide the pull and failing because he's a sincere type, can't pretend. He'd probably be blunt at times, trying to be chill/respectful about it, bc he's smooth and seductive not (ch 1). His heart would likely break a bunch of times, because the reality of being homosexuaI. Maybe his vampire powers could somehow fix it tho, altering the relevant coding in his "victim's" brain. If he's desperate enough. And when he finally finds his man and bonds with him — and gets over the potential initial awkwardness of wanting to bite him forever, the fear of hurting him, and whatever else a vampire in love might struggle with — tender intensity prevails, and screen fades to black bc vampires like the intimate embrace of darkness and Reno is a private guy too.
What's sweet for Reno as a vampire is: vampires don't age and are harder to kill in a lot of ways, tmk, so, once he transforms his man into a vampire (or he could fall for another monster, e.g. with his psychology (see above) perhaps a werewolf or sth, which could complicate things), his trauma-enhanced protectiveness wouldn't be triggered as often. Perhaps. But then vampires do have some very specific, fatal weaknesses — sunlight being the most tricky one to avoid — so if the guy isn't cautious enough around that... <///////3 times billion and so Reno would become a necromancer.
Kafka is just depicted as his No. 8 form. Wonder what traditional monster he would be.
Maybe a mummy, since a few characters call/ed him old.
Or — deeper/more serious — a ghost, or whatever similar stuff might exist maybe in Japanese culture specifically. To reflect how high-key stuck in his past he is:
the guilt he carries (ch 120), also likely the reason No. 8 chose him.
the childhood promise he keeps going on about all throughout the manga. Take a shot each time and you'll be k.o. by the end of ch 3.
Going off of his No. 8 connection: Satan. He represents things like enlightenment or liberation, and especially the latter fits with the role Kafka plays for the samurais from the meireki era and essentially Japan and stuff (see towards the end of the manga). Funnily enough, his No. 8 form does already look something like that. And in ch 17 Iharu calls upon "devil himself", whatever the original text is. So, we're covered.
We never got Iharu in Halloween arts, did we? At least not that I've seen. Bummer then. So, for him, out of the classic monsters, ig werewolf might be the best fit. Or maybe more so lycan.
One reason is: kind of going off of the fluffy side of how sociable etc dogs (dogs <- wolves <- werewolves/lycans) generally are, much like Iharu. So, not quite a direct fit in that sense.
Lycan or werewolf is also sth one transforms into and can go all wild, just like Iharu ramps up his power thanks to his flash adapter ability and goes wild on the battlefield (ch 102). He's not plain chaos but controlled chaos — perhaps hence also electricity as his theme (precise strike, not a wildfire type destruction) — and that's why lycan and not werewolf.
Although werewolf fits with the idea of "bottled emotions / trauma eventually transforming someone into something dangerous they can't control", as an exaggerated fit for Iharu's kaiju-related insecurities driving his rivalry with Reno. Except he does ultimately control it: in ch 60 he scolds himself for it, in ch 62 he throws it aside and risks his life to help Reno get a permission to use No. 6.
Lycan or werewolf is also close-ish to the fact Iharu's look is lion-like (sharp teeth, wild hair when loose), esp in the panel below (ch 104). Or in other words, he's I think the only Kn8 character who has some sort of animalistic type physical traits. So, an animalistic side (obvsly humans are animals too). Which both lycan and werewolf are the most prominent monster symbols of.
And then there's the inherited curse aspect, which might serve as a parallel to Iharu's flash adapter quirk. Both werewolf and lycan would fit for that: werewolf for before he's learned to control it, lycan for after.
Then we have...
Hoshina as a kyonshī (or jiangshi) (aka "chinese hopping vampire"), as far as I've gathered. Maybe a reference to his ancestors from the meireki era: jiangshi supposedly symbolizes e.g. improper burial, a body reanimated by pent-up rage/etc & embody being stuck in a state of decay, literally "stiff corpse". Which is kind of the samurais' situation, with No. 8.
Could also be that Hoshina is one of the more traditional Japan vibe characters, so Matsumoto wanted to do something more local for him. Except that monster is chinese. I'm not a japanologist; maybe there are some japanese monsters that fit Hoshina.
Jiangshi could also fit Kafka, as he's emotionally connected with No. 8 = the samurais from the meireki era.
Out of more typical Halloween stuff, Hoshina would work very well as a demon/devil/Satan/etc type creature, because: fun (Hoshina's core drive, see ch 92) + the red No. 10 with a tail = kind of a stereotypical light-hearted devil/demon/Satan vibe. Kafka as the serious Satan, Hoshina as the playful, shallow-ized Satan.
Shinomiya as a black cat. Not even a monster. But makes a cute match for Ashiro, who's a witch; although doesn't match their canon dynamic.
Stereotypical feline haughtiness and defensiveness when attacked checks off for her though, big time.
It's also a pretty funny fit with her interpersonal repulsiveness. Many people in some parts of the world avoid black cats because they think they bring bad luck. Similarly, Shinomiya's haughty, high-handed behavior is the kind of stuff most find more or less repulsive. Especially Reno shows a dislike of her (see).
From actual monsters:
a good fit might be something past-related, like for Kafka, due to her toxic guilt and all, related to her mother's death and then also her father's.
on another Halloween art, she's a frankenstein-y thing, see below.
Ashiro as a witch might be cause she used to have a cat (ch 1).
But it's also funny: broom = flying, and that's basically the opposite of her combat style (which fits Kn8's style: it sometimes subverts stuff like that).
Could also be cause she's so charming and irresistible and all (the tv presenter in ch 1 + the fact that Iharu, Aoi, and Haruichi low-key pant for her in ch 11), though that's more a modern witch vibe.
There're probably some deeper references that can be drawn, but I'm blanking.
It's interesting she's the only character who has that mask on. So dedicated to killing kaiju, or what. Or maybe it's just cause it looks cool.
Narumi as a vampire. Though there's frankenstein stuff there too. A vampire-frankenstein / franken-pire / vampi-stein / whatever. The frankenstein part could reference how Narumi is a bit of a "frankenstein" (or "franken-human") in terms of having No. 1's retina in his eye (ch 47).
Shinomiya being a frankenstein type sth in that art might reference that same thing (which happens towards the very end of the manga). Potentially also how she was "created" (shaped) by her father to be this perfect, overpowering tool almost (ch 7).
Frankenstein also brings to mind social rejection, which might be Narumi's context (especially if we treat his b-side backstory as canon, see also an upcoming post I'll have on that).
Then vampire matches Narumi's sort of charming vibe. There's also his emotional reserve of sorts, and his eyes are often hidden by his bangs. Might also be a playful "he'd sell his soul to become immortal, just so he can continue playing and ranking up" — which the very art itself seems to be referencing, too.
Fun fact: it seems "defence" is originally always misspelled, but this is one of the few arts where the word is visible. So anyway. We just need Iharu as a lycan, and we have the full squad of classic western monsters.
Might come up with more of possible explanations — then I'll add them in.
Reno's fast progress: talent or hard work? + A word on Iharu's progress & Hoshina's motivation
(ch 58) Reno's extraordinary progress in JAKDF is a prominent thing about him, mentioned almost all throughout the manga (e.g. ch 11, 16, 58, 60). He might owe it to:
just hard work, due to his strong motivation (to keep Kafka and Iharu safe, ch 62).
or talent.
It seems both.
1. HARD WORK & MOTIVATION
It's rather blatant Reno is very deeply driven by his desire to protect his loved ones: Kafka and Iharu. As he states in ch 62:
It's likely enhanced by:
a heightened fear of loss, caused by his childhood loss (ch 101) still not healed up fully.
Kafka being his romantic interest (see) (Reno has been written as homosexuaI, see).
but also, Reno himself seems a more driven, passionate type, so, see section 3 below.
Motivation — especially if highly personal, which Reno's very much seems to be: rooted in:
meaning (seemingly: to be the hero for others that he couldn't count on, himself; ch 101. Since his family died to a kaiju catastrophe, ch 101. There's likely also some kind of a revenge type drive. But no guilt/self-blame is implied *).
attachment (protecting Kafka, and Iharu; ch 62).
identity ("this is who I am, what I do". Ch 1 shows something that could be identity fusion or could simply be a strong attachment to the issue; or both).
(There's also a more direct motivation from finding something rewarding in itself. E.g. it matches our temperament, we actually have some talent for it in a way that translates to enjoying the thing (see below), etc. In Kn8, an example is Hoshina; see below).
...can give one a sharp edge:
burnout takes longer.
practice is more deliberate/they're more engaged in it, less automatic.
their drive facilitates engaging in self-improvement outside of formal practice.
they seek feedback, even relentlessly, and integrate it eagerly.
frustration is more bearable, failure is easier integrated as lessons than treated as e.g. "I should give up"/"I'm a failure"/etc (the apparent fact he doesn't have any related insecurity and is earned-secure also helps: reduces the risk of taking setbacks personally).
motivation doesn't fluctuate with mood or external validation.
etc.
In practice that means that two people might both practice x hours a day, but one is mentally present/focused, curious and experimenting, refining their approach, while the other is doing what needs to be done asap. After a few years, they might end up far apart in qualifications.
Now, if this is any clue, in ch 62 Iharu describes Reno as hardworking. And that's not something you'd necessarily highlight in somebody in an environment where it's expected (e.g. military). Which might mean Reno is even more hardworking than the rest.
* In ch 101, when talking about his past loss, he doesn't self-blame. Instead he goes "nobody came to help". So he understood he wouldn't be strong enough to have prevented it. His excess self-reliance (as noted by Iharu in ch 63) comes from "heroes don't exist" (ch 101), not from some toxic sense of responsibility for his loss — he doesn't show signs of the latter.
2. TALENT
But Reno does also seem to have some talent (so, a genetic predisposition) — and even realistically, he'd probably need some in order to progress as fast as he does.
In ch 5, Reno draws out 8% combat power on first try. According to Hoshina, that's impressive. And it seems he has no prior special education (Hoshina's words in ch 58), unlike the other rookies who scored within the "that on first try? Damn" threshold (Iharu, Haruichi, Aoi, Shinomya). That implies he has an innate ability for the whatever exactly drives RCP.
Which might allow rapid progress. But...
...Shinomiya is in the manga described as a great talent, likely explaining the high initial RCP, and yet doesn't progress nearly as fast (ch 60) despite having a seemingly pretty strong ground for motivation (essentially: making up for Hikari's death, later on also for Isao's, plus the pressure from Isao to be perfect. See also: Insecurity in kn8: Shinomiya). And then...
...Hoshina doesn't seem very talented at swordsmanship (ch 89, 90). But he says he finds it fun (ch 92). Humans tend to find the most fun in activities challenging enough to feel engaging but not so much that it feels hopeless. Which might be Hoshina's situation:
since talent apparently runs in his family one could assume he has at least some. At least that seems to be Matsumoto's premise (Hoshina's family, Shinomiya's family, etc) — and realistically it would be true, as many of the things that might be involved here (e.g. motor coordination) are highly heritable/familial.
but perhaps not enough to just find it borderline effortless. So even just from that angle, it makes sense he'd find swords fun...
...especially if he also enjoys a challenge or has a low boredom threshold (more likely to get bored than an average person if something is easy), though as far as I've gathered so far, that's not really implied.
But also:
there's the fact sword is his only strength.
and his brother mocked him about being weaker than him.
Resulting in an insecurity around it (attaching his worth to his performance with sword). So, Hoshina's progress might stem largely from that insecurity-driven drive, ultimately surpassing his apparently more talented family members: he'd never give up even despite being somewhat mediocre at it, because he found it fun + seems to have quickly attached his worth to it. And so he soon caught up to his older brother (ch 92, 94). Although once he reconnected with the fun part, he seems to have improved further (ch 92-93) — which is realistic: pressure gone = stress lessens = e.g. openness to experimentation increases, etc.
So there's that.
It matches how it works irl: talent helps progress faster but doesn't guarantee surpassing everybody. A lack of a talent doesn't doom to slow progress either. Because while talent = progress is easier and the limit is higher, it's just one factor that facilitates rapid progress:
you might love something but progress slowly at it because you indeed do lack innate predispositions and the activity highly relies on those (a good example is e.g. body building or athletic performance).
you might have a talent for something but dislike it and thus progress slower with it than those less talented but more motivated.
you might have moderate talent but outmatch those more talented because you enjoy or feel urged to practicing more than them.
but talent still makes a meaningful difference. Two people with literally equal motivation but different talent levels will not progress equally fast: the more talented one will progress faster and achieve a higher skill.
(ch 60)
(ch 90, 94)
(ch 92)
So, the difference might be in motivation ...or for talent for hard word (see section 3 below).
It might also be that their talent pertains to different domains. E.g. Reno might have a talent not just of the kind that allows him to draw a high initial RCP or that pertains strictly to the factors that translate to RCP (let's say, athleticism, perhaps), but also a talent for some collateral/indirect things that facilitate rapid progress. As noted above, with his progress being so significant he outmatches everybody and quickly...
(ch 11) ...the latter might be necessary, pure motivation might be unlikely to produce such performance. So, realistically, he would likely have a talent for at least some of the following:
learning fast.
more efficient error correction (which is influenced by a bunch of things, e.g. memory).
stress regulation under pressure (which he, much like many other Kn8 fighters, does seem to have, see e.g. ch 15 which obviously shows more extreme conditions than training, but might be a reliable indicator of his stress regulation ability in general).
superior physical and neurological recovery/adaptation rate.
etc.
(ch 15)
3. THERE'S ALSO...
...a talent for working hard and for high motivation.
Motivation — a drive to do something — isn't about just one thing. Instead it relies on a whole bunch of things, including, a whole bunch of traits, e.g (also depending what task/goal we're talking):
baseline curiosity (corresponds strongly with trait openness to experience).
tolerance for cognitive discomfort (same goes).
reward sensitivity.
persistence.
boredom threshold.
identity fusion ("this is part of who I am") with stuff (interests, ideas, things, people, etc).
attachment depth ("I care about this") with stuff (interests, ideas, things, people, etc).
etc.
They're basically what makes up a passionate personality.
Each of those traits is said to be about 30-50% genetic (pretty much everything in the organic world is genetically influenced, more or less directly). It's not 100% — so, upbringing, culture (e.g. Japanese culture apparently enhances a lot of those), life experiences, also influence those to a big extent.
If a bunch of whether genetic or environmental factors that enhance those traits compile in one person, that makes a personality predisposed to enjoying the grind, even, to finding relief in it (not doing it feels worse than doing it. Humans generally seem the happiest while being productive, especially in a way aligned with their interests. But some derive more pleasure from progress itself, rather than e.g. from social validation/engagement etc that might be associated with the task, and enjoy a challenge more than others). As a result, even if others work just as hard, the person still has an edge because of how resilient they are in that grind that produces progress.
Some of those do apply to Reno quite explicitly:
he seems to attach very strongly, perhaps partly due to his likely loss-derived wisdom which increases depth-orientation, partly due to temperament (innate).
his response in ch 1 suggests identity fusion with or strong attachment to interests/goals/etc.
he shows a high curiosity: experimenting with bullet types on his first mission, in ch 13. Iharu being the only other one to do that + he also displays curiosity in ch 61: "I was pumped to see how strong I could get".
he also seems persistent/stubborn, as stated by Ogata in ch 64, but also extrapolating from his passion seen in e.g. ch 62 (see also Reno's passionate personality) and potentially hinted at in the way he expresses determination ("I won't give up") in ch 1 while Kafka seems okay with giving up even though both have very personal reasons to join JAKDF (for Kafka it's not just the promise, though it's over-highlighted: it's also something very similar to Reno, see Kafka's memories in ch 120). Him being an aries might be another hint from Matsumoto, too, since if you compare zodiac meanings to the characters' personalities, they often fit really well.
maybe some other things I've missed.
He might also have other of the relevant traits.
So, Reno likely has a talent both for the whatever translates to high initial RCP & for high motivation.
Side notes:
things like childhood loss don't make one passionate. They interact with temperament (innate traits), giving one's passion its focus — but temperament is what gives one's passion its intensity and style/how it expresses itself. In ch 62, Ogata's words in combo with Reno's loss of control over himself during the trial with No. 6, support the idea that Reno has a more passionate personality: the user's response to a numbers weapon (or, specifically No. 6, given its unrivaled strength among numbers weapons) depends on their personality, and for Reno, the impulse becomes so intense he loses control.
this predisposition creates the illusion of pure willpower, because to others it looks like discipline, sacrifice, even obsession ...while for the person it feels invigorating/energizing, fascinating, etc. (Whether it's unhealthy is not about how it looks or whether others appreciate it or not, but what it actually does, how it influences their life. Including: are they able to pull away from it without feeling irrational guilt etc). Not everybody gets the same neurochemical reward from the same activity, so, "just try to self-discipline harder" in many cases will actually simply not work.
IHARU'S PROGRESS
What's interesting is Iharu's max RCP — achieved via his flash adapter ability — initially (ch 62/63) matches Reno's (Iharu's 42% in ch 63 to Reno's 43% in ch 61) & eventually (ch 102) seemingly surpasses Reno's ("seemingly" because Reno's RCP at that time isn't stated. Iharu's is 88%).
Which suggests he might be similarly talented as Reno. We also know:
he does have strong motivation, seemingly as a byproduct of the fact Ashiro saved his life back in middle school and so there's, realistically, life debt + the probable "I don't want to be helpless like that ever again" from that day + him having built his identity around being another hero (ch 61). See ch 16. It would make sense to be about as strong as Reno's; maybe slightly less, given his seemingly less stubborn, passionate personality.
he's hardworking (top of the year in school, ch 61); seemingly has some talent there (as noted above: e.g. high baseline curiosity). Much like Reno (again: Iharu's words in ch 62), perhaps a bit less so since Iharu expresses jealousy when mentioning that (ch 62).
and it seems his initial RCP being as high as it was (14%) (ch 5) does point to some talent as well. He did have prior education in subjugation, but then not everybody in that same boat had such a high initial RCP.
(ch 16, 61)
What muddles the picture is: Iharu's max RCP is mediated by his flash adapter quirk. But then he still did have to work for it (42% in ch 62/63 all the way to 88% in ch 102). So, maybe his max RCP facilitated by his flash adapter ability is what he would have without being a flash adapter; in which case it'd probably mean he's indeed about as talented as Reno seems to be.
(ch 63)
Basically loose thoughts. If I find out sth is missing/inaccurate, I'll fix it, and you're also welcome to let me know.
(art by Matsumoto) Out of all the numbers suits, Hoshina's seems the most matched with his zodiac stuff...
...intentionally or not. Even with how generic astrological meanings can be, they often fit the characters well. And with how poetic, mythical, symbolic Kn8 is in many ways, seemingly doing a lot of things based on the emotional relevance, the zodiac signs might not be random either. (Though they say the sun sign is only the core part of one's personality/etc. Wonder if Matsumoto heard of that).
Hoshina = Scorpio = Mars (or Pluto, these days). No. 10 is a red (like Mars) kaiju with a tail (Scorpio theme) that kind of peeks out of the suit (resembling the hidden or deeper stuff associated with Scorpio). Might be completely unrelated tho.
What's funny is they look so menacing (though red is supposedly a good fortune color in Japan; but in manga etc it's also used to represent power or danger, violence; idk), but Hoshina's true drive is fun (ch 92), much like No. 10 & No. 12. No. 9 basically made Hoshina a friend (or technically, two) who gets him. And who helped him improve.
(ch 6) Kn8 has at least four characters who seem to actually have some kind of insecurity: Shinomiya and Narumi being the two most broad and severe, then Iharu and Hoshina with far narrower insecurity. This is a look at Shinomiya's.
WHAT IS INSECURITY
Insecurity = fragile self-worth, therefore, fear of inadequacy & needing reassurance about one's value.
And so e.g:
while a loss like that in the past of Reno (ch 101), Kafka (ch 1), or Ashiro (ch 1) can produce strong reactivity around the topic...
...it's not insecurity but a trauma. Can coexist, and trauma (e.g. loss) can cause or contribute to insecurity, but they're separate.
WHAT KIND OF INSECURITY
As we see in ch 7...
...where Shinomiya saw others being praised for their achievements and expected/wanted that too, only to get dismissal and an up in standards...
...and then even more clearly in ch 80...
...where that desire for recognition is explicitly expressed...
...and then even more clearly when said desire is mocked/reflected by No. 15 in ch 84-85...
...Shinomiya's core issue is a broad one: "I'm never good enough, so I need to be even better — and then I'll earn their love".
WHY
It seems to have arisen after Hikari's death:
the event itself was already processed in an unhealthy way: "I promised to protect you, and I failed. I'm a liar" (ch 44). That...
...is not insecurity but a trauma, but a few words on it: Loss already hurts on its own — but if one ties such promises and guilt to it, it makes the loss feel like a personal responsibility ("it's my fault they died: I was supposed to protect them and failed").
It's a unique situation among kn8 characters. Though some characters do experience something similar during their JAKDF career — especially Kafka, who also explicitly struggles with something similar: "if I was strong back then, i could have prevented it", ch 120.
In contrast, Reno has processed his loss as a "nobody came to help" (ch 101) instead; so his baggage doesn't involve self-blame at all. His responsibility that we see in the manga is instead tied to his current loved ones (Kafka, Iharu), not to his childhood loss.
Back to the list:
but the actual insecurity seems to stem from Isao's steel heart strategy (ch 125, 7). Resulting in the haughty overachiever we see currently.
that strat also didn't allow Shinomiya to process the grief and stabilize emotionally after the loss, instead it further destabilized her and likely deepened her self-driven guilt (ch 44).
Now, pressure of the type Isao put isn't as damaging as: that pressure + a lack of unconditional emotional security. After Hikari's death, the latter IS Shinomiya's case. Hence the result is deep insecurity and, from that, deeply ingrained haughty, high-handed behavior.
What's interesting is: as shown in ch 125, Shinomiya was aware from the very beginning that her father was intending to do the steel-heart strat to push her to grow, so as to help her achieve the ambition she herself expressed (in ch 44) (see ch 50). That it was out of care, not out of genuine disappointment etc. Which did likely do something: reduced resentment, increased compassion, etc towards her father.
But what it couldn't do is buffer against Isao's toxic lectures. Because:
a kid's nervous system is all about preserving their relationship with those who provide them what they need (safety, food and all, emotional regulation, models for how to be in the world, etc). A kid won't go "my caregivers are abusive; ok, time to leave", because they're quite dependent on others taking care of them for the first ~decade of their life. So instead, they go "my caregivers are abusive — because I am in some way bad, I deserve it, they're showing me what I am and what I should and shouldn't be". As a result, a kid might know the why of e.g. their caregiver/s doing this and that, and yet that'll not protect them at all from internalizing the what that treatment teaches (here: that love is earned via achievements, that perfection is the only thing that has a chance to earn it).
but also, humans in general, but especially when young, are bad at compartmentalizing anyway. Since that primarily requires the prefrontal cortex, and it's one of the brain regions that take the longest to fully develop (~25 yo) (and stressors, such as a loss, if not buffered or processed, hinder it). And even then engaging it is not the default mode: the default mode is emotional reactivity, not rational assessment.
So it makes perfect sense Matsumoto wrote that awareness as completely overshadowed by an internalization of Isao's words.
(ch 125)
HOW IT'S BEEN MANAGED
The "therapy session" with No. 15 wasn't completely useless. But a lot of it was just useless pain. Because all Shinomiya realized is...
(ch 80) ...that her parents are gone, praise won't ever again have a chance of coming from them. None of the actually healing stuff (see below) happens. So the underlying insecurities are intact. And so now...
(ch 84) (kind of funny how she's talking about the 3rd Division, but ends up staying in the 1st (ch 129))
...she looks for praise/recognition in other people in her social circle instead: JAKDF members. It is a bit of an upgrade: not looking for praise from those unable to give it anymore. But that's it. The insecurity itself remains untouched...
...and so does her haughty, rude behavior. That said, with the kindness she has received from some of JAKDF members (primarily: Kafka), she has developed some appreciation, softening the haughtiness and rudeness a bit. See e.g. the fond look (rather than in any way arrogant) she gives Kafka when he breaks into tears, in ch 129, the fact she then helps him get up, or even just how she rushes to help Kafka up already in ch 21.
That kindness might also be why she's friends with Minase (she seems similar to Kafka in terms of emotional expressiveness and kindness). And a big reason behind her crush on Kafka: Kafka was probably the first person ever — at least of her preferred sex — to have given her genuine praise, that she couldn't get from her mother and later on couldn't get from her father either (at least until ch 48, where she does get it).
(ch 13) That reaction is also one of the clearest, most direct, classic signs of the type of insecurity she has. A lack of an insecurity around something = feedback about it, whether positive or negative, doesn't trigger strong reactions. One would be able to accept praise without feeling deeply moved by it (like in ch 48), because the insecurity-driving belief (e.g. "I am only lovable when I prove myself as worthy to others") wouldn't be present [anymore] (instead it'd be e.g. "I'm lovable and loved even when I fail, disappoint, rest, am ordinary, etc").
There're also...
(ch 46) ...signs of avoidant-dismissive attachment style (trust = intimacy. And here, Shinomiya is pulling away from that, even despite the relationship being far from new, so, "we're strangers -> it's awkward" is not the case anymore).
WHAT SHE NEEDS
an update from the "I depend on my caregivers = I want them to value me" framework of self-worth, so, decoupling others' approval from own safety ("I'm safe even without others' approval"). + Realizing the need for belonging seems a natural thing & some level of responsiveness to praise or criticism/hate is natural too. So as to avoid the other end of that same insecurity: about own need for belonging or own responsiveness to feedback.
realizing that achievement/being the best =/= lovability & failure/being bad or criticism =/= threat nor rejection. That would enable her to tolerate being ordinary, feel loved when ordinary, fail without feeling like a failure.
processing the likely shame and guilt caused by Isao's steel-heart strat (the ground for that is there: the awareness of what was behind it; ch 125) + metabolizing the associated emotions (naming them, sitting with them).
But internalization happens best when the piece of information isn't just provided but also experienced. They highly benefit from corrective experiences (ones that demonstrate the above): whether recalling prior ones or exposure to new ones.
However, by the end of the manga, Shinomiya gets almost none of that = her insecurities remain untouched.
But resolving the insecurity is not all she needs in order to become relationally and emotionally functional. It wouldn't remove her haughty, high-handed behavior.
That behavior can to some extent be reduced without healing the insecurity — via behavioral practice (e.g. manners, empathy skills, emotional regulation, etc) & increasing awareness of how her behavior makes others feel. But:
it'd be like cutting weed instead of uprooting it: it'll keep growing back.
and all that learning to manage the expression of the insecurity would collapse under pressure anyway. She might become less arrogant baseline, but would still get as defensive (e.g. prone to superiority displays) when triggered.
Because the psychological need driving the behavior is still there. So, resolving the insecurity IS a necessary step — but just the first one. Would reduce the urge, but not do much beyond that.
Because while that behavior stems from the insecurity, in itself it actually becomes a habit = a bit of a separate thing. Reinforced by the insecurity, ultimately stemming from it, but not solely sustained by it. Thus, for her behavior to improve, she'd need:
to practice behavioral adjustment: noticing the impulse in-real-time & consciously choosing more considerate alternative behavior. She has already done it in ch 39 (towards Narumi), so, while the principle used wasn't quite it, the potential for such adjustment also in personal or casual interactions seems to be there, there's enough prefrontal cortex online.
having a model of that alt behavior — so, of genuine, healthy (e.g. non-submissive) kindness — would be hugely helpful.
the aforementioned behavioral practice & increased awareness do always help as well. But only once the insecurities are resolved will they actually sink in and start being available under pressure.
The second point makes somebody like e.g. Kafka, with his:
generous warmth.
easy-going, comfortable personality.
low ego + high tolerance for rudeness (perhaps mild people-pleasing tendencies, too. Not ideal for either of them, but far from disqualifying) = he doesn't prefer to keep difficult people at a distance — unlike e.g. Reno. He does get offended (e.g. ch 1, 6 above, etc), but he doesn't stay away from the person.
...a very healing person for her. Matsumoto writing Shinomiya crush on Kafka and growing fond of him is good, realistic writing: Kafka is exactly the type of person she needs for personal growth.
Side note: Despite growing up in an affluent, somewhat stiff household, in the manga we don't see anything that suggests it has hindered her ability to form bonds or sustain them.
The sole problem seems the insecurities that arose after Hikari's death, due to Isao's steel-heart strat — that's what caused the haughtiness and high handedness we see currently. Prior to that, Shinomiya seems a loving, sociable kid (see e.g. how she interacts with her mother in ch 44).
So, it seems in order to be functional in relationships, she doesn't have to learn anything ...other than how to fix that haughty, high-handed behavior.
EFFECT ON JAKDF MOTIVATION
While having characters never resolve their issues is fully realistic (most people carry their issues their whole lives, even if they could resolve them alone, because it's painful + schools don't teach how to heal)...
...on the other hand, having them resolve probably wouldn't sabotage her motivation to keep on in JAKDF. Could change it, maybe weaken it a bit, but it'd likely remain strong; just less urgent. Because:
• the ambition to be the best (that's still there in the very last ch) would be gone. And humans don't do what they do out of nowhere.
• but there's more to Shinomiya's motivation for joining & being a JAKDF officer than that insecurity-driven desire to prove her worth, make others proud.
Originally, the desire to join JAKDF was her own: about protecting her mother (ch 44). But when Hikari died, it turned into guilt for "failing" at that & a promise to "in return become the strongest and save everyone for Hikari" (again: ch 44) + grief. Later on, after Isao's death, was joined by grief over him.
She's seemingly still yet to properly process her mother's death (given the harsh emotional environment Isao seems to have created afterwards) and then her father's death. Though in ch 84 we do see her express the sadness about it = the grief has been metabolized a little bit.
Even if she asp would process that grief and guilt, though — also potentially let go of that internal pressure to make up for Hikari's death and perhaps also Isao's — there are...
• ...potentially other things still. E.g. the meaning rooted in the loss of her parents, or, especially, the fact there are people in JAKDF she now personally cares about (e.g. Kafka), or even the job matching her temperament so she finds it intrinsically fun, etc.
So, no guarantee she'd still want to stay in JAKDF, but it does seem that in the end, both the insecurities and the grief and the toxic guilt could resolve and her drive to keep on in JAKDF could still remain strong anyway: rooted purely in e.g. care and protectiveness towards Kafka and others, a sense of meaning, personal fulfillment, etc, rather than in an insecurity, toxic guilt. But...
...that doesn't happen. Which, again, is realistic.
If I find out sth is missing/inaccurate, I'll fix it, and you're also welcome to let me know.
SIDE NOTE
As mentioned, Reno prefers to keep difficult people at a distance — has been written as disliking Shinomiya. E.g: his subtly disapproving comment on her high-handed personality in ch 26 (so, past ch 21 when she shows softening towards Kafka) + this extra panel by Matsumoto from the light novel. More details: section "a specific aspect of his social dynamics" in Reno in the manga vs in other kn8 official content — which also addresses why he might seem more friendly towards Shinomiya in the anime, "relax", the light novel, and other non-canon Kn8 releases than he does in the original manga.
Now, knowing what we know about Shinomiya's background, it might seem like some kind of unfairness, excess pickiness, overly high standards, coldness, etc. But it's not. Readers are reacting to Shinomiya's backstory & are somewhat distanced from her behavior, because they know the former and aren't exposed to the latter. But Kn8 characters don't know the former, and even if they did, they're exposed to the latter. And others' behavior itself — and not what's behind it — is what makes us want them in our life or not.
We saw that little journey Shinomiya took to the source of her struggles...
...and we saw her as a cute, smiling kid who just wants love and broke into tears when brutal reality hit…
...and that might evoke compassion, sympathy, protectiveness, etc = our perception of her would be softer than Kn8 characters'. It's reader's bias (know more, aren't exposed to the character's behavior). Irl, you don't want somebody in your life because e.g. they were a cute, loving kid who had it tough and so their obnoxiousness is from insecurities (so, they could change), whether you're aware of that background or not. Instead, you want somebody in your life because they make you feel supported, understood, accepted, wanted, inspired in personally meaningful matters, etc, and don't make you feel judged, tested, used, don't make you have to manage them, etc (people with dysfunctional attachment go for other things on top of that, though the aforementioned make up the actual foundation. Reno doesn't have dysfunctional attachment though, see: Understanding Reno & his bonds).
So, Reno's dislike of her is not him being unfair, picky, overly high standards, cold, etc, but a normal, realistic, healthy response — enhanced by his loss-derived wisdom *. Matsumoto writes from the characters' perspective, not from the reader's perspective. Realism vs reader's bias.
* Which basically means: made a bit healthier. He doesn't just reject people who have flaws. Kafka has flaws, Iharu has flaws, yet Reno is close friends with them (and does try to oppose those flaws, doesn't just let them exist, see e.g. ch 10). That's because those flaws are localized (Kafka loses it a bit when under stress, ch 10; Iharu's abrasiveness centers specifically around combat performance, see), not generalized, and, at least/especially in Iharu's case, are managed. Whereas Shinomiya doesn't just have some localized flaws, instead...
...her entire behavior is defensive. Low-grade hostile in that sense. Reno's past shaped his no-bullshit, selective, low-drama attitude we see in the manga (see also the upcoming post Reno is so real). People who introduce drama, who have to be managed instead of allowing others to relax with them, are highly repulsive to most people, especially people like Reno.
Healing the loss would not lower those standards either. Nor would it be a therapeutic goal: it's a healthy standard, not an unrealistic, maladaptive one.
(ch 4) The way her 🎈 are emphasised when she's interacting with Kafka is so unnecessarily obscene it looks comical. Same for the Ashiro in a bath in ch 2. Shonen manga being what it is even when it's otherwise good. Wonder why the anime removed that and fanserviced the guys instead (e.g. that bath frame in the bit with "Scream").
And then this moment:
(ch 3) That suggestive panel doesn't even try to make it look like she has a combat suit on (no collar line). Funny how Ashiro doesn't get an equivalent scene. The author likes 'em young. He's not alone either: how many are around Kafka's age themselves while simping for Reno, Iharu, Haruichi, Aoi, Shinomya, whoever else is ~20.
But it seems Shinomya likes 'em old, so.
(ch 4) Or who knows what kinks she has, given her upbringing. Either way:
(ch 13, 21)
Shinomya has a crush on Kafka... Iharu, Haruichi, and Aoi are into Ashiro (e.g. ch 11)... Reno is in love with Kafka (see or even just Shinko Pier No. 8)... About nobody in this manga has romantic feelings of some sort for people their age. Way more a thing irl than most will admit, too. 💕
Reno's icy combat theme does seem the best match, see below. But it's only the best match; the full picture of who he is is more nuanced. Similar to how e.g. at first glance, Iharu's behavior might make it look like he's generally insecure but that's not the case (see), Reno's combat theme being ice might make it seem like his whole vibe is ice but that's not the case either. Especially if ice is taken to just mean basically stoicism.
Tmk, in Japanese culture, similar to many Western cultures, ice often symbolizes e.g:
emotional distance/reserve, restraint.
but also quiet depth, emotional depth (the Zen idea of unseen movement, e.g. beneath frozen surfaces).
in character design, it also represents e.g. optimization and patience, precision.
(I'm not a Japanologist, so the above might be wrong. If you know better, do correct me. But if the above is accurate...).
...it fits with Reno's character design very well. Here are 4 things that demonstrate that:
1. Matsumoto's (the author of the original manga) very words. In the message that can be found e.g. here: https://x.com/KaijuNo8_O_EN/status/1736208208895815987?lang=en, he describes Reno: "Mr. Kato captures the warmth and kindness that lies within Reno's coolness in his voice".
2. Reno's physical design (here I mean especially his grey hair with the delicate pink tips) to those familiar with Japanese color associations apparently (at least as far as I've gathered; again, not a Japanologist) pretty clearly signals a composed, aloof character (the grey) with hidden emotional warmth (the very subtle pink). See also Reno's and Iharu's characterizations & design overview + analysis.
(part of an art by Matsumoto)
3. In the manga (so, canon), Reno very much isn't expressive, sociable, etc. But he's not just distant, reserved either. His type of emotional and social expression, his care and passion are: selective / context-dependent. Which also fits the icy theme: optimization, patience, waiting for the right thing instead of just charging through life, when something matters to us we zero in on it ardently, etc.
The 3rd point is a common thing: humans normally aren't equally expressive all the time, and don't care about everything equally. But some are even more selective with where they show emotion or what triggers it. For Reno...
...as we see in the manga, he's not walking around talking about his emotions, but we do see him express emotions:
especially anger. Quite openly; it's the most comfortable emotion to express, so duh. E.g. ch 3, 8, 10, 63, 67, 100, etc. He's not quiet about it, he's very much expressive there.
but also more vulnerable emotions: embarrassment (ch 6), fear (e.g. tearing up when he thinks Kafka is about to get killed, in ch 19), worry (ch 25, 29, 67), etc.
(ch 3)
(ch 8)
(ch 10)
(ch 63)
(ch 67)
(ch 100)
(ch 6)
(ch 19)
(ch 25)
(ch 29)
He's not shy either; see e.g. how blunt and a bit rude (not as in haughty/etc, but as in "Kafka's words touched a sensitive point and so he got a bit defensive") he is towards Kafka in ch 1. He doesn't self-control: his baseline is private but he expresses himself where it matters to him (even if he'll come off as rude. He seems a sincere, no-bullshit type).
All those moments show fieriness: passion/drive (to the point of stubbornness, or one could even call it borderline obsessive. See also Reno's passionate personality), warmth and care, assertiveness, intensity. It's just gated: fire blazing underneath the ice.
That decidedly fiery side also matches with the fact his western zodiac sign (and Matsumoto might have indeed ascribed them to at least the more main characters based on how well they fit) is aries — a fire sign. It's an imperfect match — much like e.g. Kafka is not quite an exemplary leo (unlike Iharu) — because Reno is not hot-headed, for all we know his baseline is low-key instead of e.g. assertive, and so on; but it does represent some key aspects of him, e.g. his ardent, stubborn passion. He's a quiet aries. Aries with an icy shell. Again: fire underneath the ice.
But then...
...4. while Reno isn't a stoic ("icy", in that sense) type at all — he's quite expressive and can be reactive (around fear of loss; due to his past loss, see ch 101) and awkward (around romantic vulnerability, e.g. ch 1, 67, 100); again: selective/context-dependent expressiveness, not absolute emotional composure/self-control — he still IS on the composed, level-headed side, and he is baseline low-key, private, reserved. Icy, in that sense.
One somewhat funny example of that is the chaos in ch 22: he's the sole person (among recruits) who doesn't get pulled into fighting/arguing.
Other examples are:
he bickers a bit with Iharu in ch 11, when Iharu boasts to him about muscles, but he's not arguing/fighting. Instead he confronts Iharu's boasting with evidence.
he snickers at Iharu's joke in ch 11, but also is telling him off for being rude.
in ch 34, his response to Iharu's competitive remark is "please keep the fighting to kaiju".
and again, even his aforementioned rudeness to Kafka in ch 1 isn't plain rudeness/entitled behavior but a "how can you insinuate I'd give up on something so important to me". He does get defensive though, since it's a sensitive topic for him, and so it's also, as mentioned above, another example of his fieriness.
He's not "nothing touches him" — he very much does have triggers, and does have ego. But his baseline is low-key; and even when he does get triggered in one way or another, he's still on the composed side of your normal responses (though most Kn8 characters aren't drama-prone either anyway. Except for e.g. Narumi or Shinomya, who show insecurity. Also Kafka a bit, in that he's stress-prone and self-blames a lot; so it's a different type of drama: more self-directed):
he doesn't tend to explode — unless it's more serious stuff e.g. the safety of somebody he cares about (see how reactive he is about that in e.g. ch 3, 8, 63, etc), romantic vulnerability (at times), or something like Kafka's inconsistent, misplaced blame in ch 10.
he tends to regain composure quickly.
AS A RESULT...
...Reno's personality seems best symbolized by fire underneath ice:
his baseline is low-key...
...but if he cares, he becomes deeply driven, as well as expressive about it (especially with his anger; it's the most comfortable emotion, thus, how people usually express the more vulnerable emotion lying underneath, e.g. fear, shame, disappointment, etc) and even quite reactive around certain things (risk of loss).
So could he have gotten fire theme instead? Not really. It could match in some aspects:
his passionate side (tmk it is part of fire symbolism in Japan).
how his drive to kill kaiju is very personal — originally stemming from his childhood loss, then centering around keeping his loved ones (Kafka whom he's in love with (see), and Iharu) safe — instead of e.g. about proving oneself.
and all about protecting (which fire is also associated with, in a way, in Japan).
However, Matsumoto seems to use the typical symbolic associations. And for fire, those don't fit Reno at all:
hot-bloodedness.
expressiveness, loud presence, etc.
impulsiveness, recklessness.
more intense, overwhelming.
etc.
Reno is none of that. E.g. Iharu isn't either; electric theme seems to fit him better.
Ice does represent Reno probably the best among different possible themes — unless one just narrows it down to stoicism or emotional coldness, since that's not at all who Reno is. He is more ice-like than fire-like — at least as his baseline. But again...
...over-relying on ice as a shortcut to represent who he is — especially if we take just "emotionally cold"/etc — will mislead. Because in terms of more broadly understood symbolism, there's fire underneath that ice (in the form of gated care, passion, intensity). Ice fits better overall, it seems, hence Matsumoto chose it for Reno, but in the end, neither ice nor fire make the full picture of his personality.
SIDE NOTE
It does seem relevant to look at character designs via symbolism etc, because a lot of Kn8 world-building and character design seems to be about the emotional relevance. E.g:
Kafka's emotional baggage matches No. 8's (ch 117), which might be why No. 8 chose him and not e.g. Hoshina (a descendant of the samurais from that era).
Shinomya's brutal axe matches her haughty, high-handed personality (Reno's comment in ch 26; a reason he dislikes her).
Iharu's combat theme is also full of references to his personality: as Matsumoto notes about Iharu's custom-made weapon here: "A shotgun seemed like the perfect match for Iharu's personality", likely referencing how Iharu is very direct, blunt, rather loud/expressive (see e.g. his loud joy in ch 64), and high-impact — like a shotgun — as well as impulsive, not subtle or precise, calculated. His preference for shock/electric bullets might reference e.g. his expressiveness (matching his affinity for rock stated on his character page) and hype/excited vibe, perhaps how intelligently somewhat-chaotic he is, etc, and throughout the manga he does indeed constantly shock everybody with how blunt yet accurate he is, how observant, etc (see). It's not his whole personality either, e.g. he doesn't seem restless; but it does capture a big part of what he's like. Something similar might apply to his flash adapter thing, especially with his "not precise but not purely chaotic" social vibe (then, funnily enough, Ogata is another flash adapter despite being entirely different to Iharu in personality. Kn8 sometimes subverts things like that). (I'll prbly move that to a more dedicated post later on; for now it'll stay here).
etc.
If I find out sth is missing/inaccurate, I'll fix it, and you're also welcome to let me know.
(ch 12) Reno gawking at a giant mushroom kaiju while helping Kafka stabilize himself after his stomach threw a party had protested. Their peak "married couple" vibe gotta be the phone call in ch 67, but this, while more subtle/ambiguous, is also very sweet.
(ch 59) Iharu is that friend who'll never leave your bedside while your body is doing its best to get its shit together. He'll make your very cells remember they're not alone in it.
