Kara Dennison
July 19, 2025 
Season 2 of Kaiju No. 8 premiered today… just two days after the original manga came to an end. While we can still enjoy the anime adaptation of Kafka Hibino’s monstrous adventures, it’s sad to know there’s a kaiju-shaped gap in our manga reading list. Fortunately, we have just the thing to cover for it — three things, in fact!
Meet more monsters in unexpected places, check out epic battles for the fate of the world, and see what happens when the lines between monster and hero are blurred. Check out this trio of ongoing series to enjoy now that the story of the Defense Force has ended.
Snowball Earth
Kaiju No. 8 takes place in the midst of humanity’s battle against giant monsters. And then there’s Snowball Earth — which jumps forward in time to a period after humanity’s savior failed! Protagonist Tetsuo, who fought the interstellar monster threat with his giant robot Yukio, went into cold sleep for eight years. When he returned home, he discovered the “snowball earth” of the title: iced over and ravaged with monsters, but still populated.
Besides having epic giant monster battles, this series also has a lovable protagonist. Like Kafka, Tetsuo is awkward and determined… though mainly determined to make normal friends. Can he outgrow his rigorous training and make real connections? Find out in the ongoing manga… and in the upcoming anime!
GAEA-TIMA the Gigantis
Kaiju No. 8‘s inciting incident was a small-ish monster somewhere it shouldn’t be: Kafka’s face. If “tiny kaiju where they shouldn’t be” is your thing, try GAEA-TIMA the Gigantis. There is, of course, more this this stunning series than that. This story falls more in line with Godzilla Minus One and others of its stripe: narratives that use monsters as metaphors for war and destruction. And in this case, the complex emotions that come from rebuilding.
In GAEA-TIMA the Gigantis, a small seaside town is actually thriving on the tourism that comes from being a monster-invaded locale. The creature is a local mascot now, and fishing is abundant in the wake of the attack. But one young woman finds she has a strange link to the monster — which may become essential as further kaiju begin appearing in the area.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger!
While this title from The Quintessential Quintuplets creator Negi Haruba may be less kaiju-centric, it still shares similarities with Kaiju No. 8. Go! Go! Loser Ranger! once again shows us a world at war… this time with fighters straight out of Super Sentai. Fortunately, the colorful ranger teams of Super Sentai are also there — the Dragon Keepers! But is everything really as it seems?
As the series begins, one fighter has had enough and decides to get to the bottom of these weekly staged battles. Like Kafka, he’s a monster in among the heroes… but for very different reasons. And as the manga continues, bigger and stranger truths about the Dragon Keepers are revealed. When you’re done catching up to this ongoing series, you can also check out the anime!
Want more monstrous manga? Check out our review of Tower Dungeon Vol. 1!
