Soshiro Hoshina

Soshiro Hoshina is the vice-captain of the Defense Force's Third Division, and a member of the Hoshina family, a renowned clan of swordsmen from the Muromachi period. He is also the younger brother of Soichiro Hoshina.

Soshiro is one of the main protagonists of Kaiju No. 8: B-Side, a spin-off series of the Kaiju No. 8 manga.

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Appearance

Soshiro is an athletic young man of average height with a small but muscular build and short dark purple hair styled in a bob cut. His red eyes (purple in the anime) are closed most of the time, and he always carries a jovial expression on his face, except when serious scenarios cause him to display a commanding expression with his eyes open.

On duty, Soshiro wears the standard Defense Force uniform. He also wears the normal combat suit used by Defense Force members on the battlefield. When wielding Numbers Weapon 10, Soshiro wears a combat suit with light purple scale-like armor with green outlines, a long mechanical tail, and the signature eye of Kaiju No. 10 in the middle of the chest plate.

As a child, Soshiro was largely identical to his current appearance, mostly wearing traditional training attire.

Personality

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Soshiro is quite laid-back, always smiling; it is very rare to see him feeling down. He seems to enjoy mocking others, especially Kafka Hibino, whom he considers a comedic element. However, he has serious moments where he speaks firmly and opens his eyes to emphasize the gravity of his words. Soshiro also likes to tease Captain Gen Narumi of the First Division. Despite Soshiro's relaxed and friendly appearance, he is very intelligent and intuitive. He was the only one to correctly suspect Kafka's identity as Kaiju No. 8, which was one of the primary reasons he accepted him into the Third Division despite his exam failure—to keep an eye on him.

Soshiro has a great, though hidden, sense of loyalty toward the Defense Force and feels very grateful to his captain Mina Ashiro for letting him join her division. His sense of loyalty to his role in the force is so strong that he deep down sees it as his only reason for living. Soshiro is also very appreciative, as seen when he spoke to Kafka two months after he was proven to be Kaiju No. 8 and thanked him for saving his life and the lives of his subordinates, showing he held no grudge against him.

Soshiro is also deeply connected to his family and their swordsmanship tradition. His father's skepticism about his abilities and his sense of inferiority toward his older brother Soichiro Hoshina led Soshiro to perfect his swordsmanship and identify his entire being with the art of the blade. He has also been seen training alone late at night, replaying in his mind the fight he had against Kaiju No. 8. This further proves that Soshiro is very hardworking and determined to be strong enough to defeat any Kaiju. However, during his fight against Kaiju No. 12, No. 10 delved into Soshiro's psyche and made him realize he still enjoys wielding a sword, with Soshiro finally accepting his simple-mindedness as his main resolution to fight and improve.

Soshiro is aware that times have changed, that the era of swords is long gone, and that most Defense Force members look down on him because of his fighting style. Despite this, he feels it is his duty to wield his sword because he has spent most of his life training and improving his swordsmanship, and it is the only way he knows how to fight Kaiju. In combat, Soshiro is perceptive enough to notice his opponent's mental state and the atmosphere of the skirmish itself, alerting him whenever a fight is going in his favor or not and adapting on the spot.

Powers and Abilities

Overall Abilities: Soshiro is the vice-captain of the Defense Force's Third Division and a powerful combatant, capable of fighting on equal terms with Kaiju No. 10. While his skills put him at a disadvantage against large-scale Kaiju, Soshiro's proficiency in defeating small and medium-sized Kaiju in combat surpasses even that of the First Division captain, "Japan's strongest anti-Kaiju combatant," Gen Narumi.

Since wearing Numbers Weapon 10, Soshiro's physical attributes were initially tempered due to the fact that the weapon is the first Kaiju weapon in Defense Force history to have its own mind. However, when reaching a temporary state of synchronization, Soshiro is able to easily overpower minor Kaiju, with the potential to use his Numbers Weapon to its maximum capacity.

Against Kaiju No. 12, the enhanced and final version of Kaiju No. 10, Soshiro is initially overwhelmed by the monster due to its far superior speed, strength, and combat ability. But after revealing his secret weapon, Soshiro is able to gain the upper hand over No. 12 for a short period before the monster adapts to his fighting style. Finally, after a very difficult battle, Soshiro is able to defeat No. 12 with a new technique he develops during their fight.

Powers

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High Combat Power: As a Defense Force vice-captain, Soshiro is capable of utilizing a large portion of his combat suit's power. His maximum unleashed combat power in a normal Defense Force suit is 92%, though abusing the suit's power will cause it to overheat. When wearing Numbers Weapon 10, he is capable of using 100% of the suit's power. Enhanced Strength: Soshiro has incredible physical strength, capable of easily slicing through Kaiju No. 8's incredibly tough skin. He is also able to slice through Kaiju No. 10's hard skin despite severe damage, something even Kikoru Shinomiya could not do with her own personal weapon. During his training session with Kafka without wearing a combat suit, Soshiro is able to overwhelm the latter with just a few punches and sends him flying a great distance with a single punch while holding a reinforced training bag. Immense Speed and Reflexes: Soshiro is an extremely fast fighter with extraordinary reflexes. He is shown killing a Kaiju without any noticeable movement. Kafka (in his Kaiju form) is shocked by how fast he moves and states his speed is on a whole other level compared to Kikoru's. His speed is so great that he even impressed Kaiju No. 10. He is also capable of dodging extremely fast attacks from Kaiju No. 10, as well as Kaiju No. 12, at point-blank range. Enhanced Durability: Soshiro is an incredibly resilient fighter, as shown when he emerges completely unscathed after Kaiju No. 10 sends him flying through a building. Enhanced Endurance: Soshiro possesses enormous levels of physical endurance. Despite being severely injured after a powerful blow from Kaiju No. 10, he is able to keep fighting even after his suit overheats. After far exceeding his suit's limit, he is still able to push beyond and use 63% of his suit's power despite extreme fatigue.

Master Swordsman Skills: Soshiro is an extremely skilled swordsman from the Hoshina family, a family of Kaiju slayers dating back to the Muromachi period, and is one of the Defense Force's strongest blade specialists. Using his custom-made twin swords or his katana, Soshiro can quickly cut down opponents with extreme speed and precision. According to his father, even at a very young age, Soshiro would have been considered a prodigy in the Edo period due to his extraordinary mastery of swordsmanship. Soshiro further demonstrated his mastery by inventing a new form mid-battle against Kaiju No. 12. His older brother and Sixth Division captain, Soichiro Hoshina, states that when it comes to the blade, Soshiro stands above all Hoshina family members past or present. Martial Arts Mastery: While specializing in swordsmanship, Soshiro is a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant. He is capable of using Isao Shinomiya's fighting style with great proficiency and easily defeated Kafka Hibino during their training session. His close-quarters combat ability is considered the strongest in the entire Defense Force. He was even able to evolve Isao's combat techniques. Leadership Skills: As vice-captain, Soshiro has shown excellent leadership skills, capable of guiding an entire platoon and multiple officers on the battlefield during major battles. Sharp Intelligence: Soshiro is a very intelligent man. He is shown explaining in detail the disasters caused by Kaiju No. 9 and its abilities to the Eastern Division of the Defense Force and is able to deduce No. 9's location. He also likes to plan for the future, as shown when he asked Konomi Okonogi to develop a new secret weapon in case Kaiju No. 9 was observing his battle with Kaiju No. 10.