Chapter Summaries

Young Hansen confronted Old Hansen over his resentment toward aliens and his father’s years of absence, while Old Hansen reflected on the choices that had shaped their relationship. After dinner, Raleigh and Natsuki went with Mako Mori to watch the selection trials, where Natsuki sensed Raleigh and Mako might become partners.

• Young Hansen demanded to know why Old Hansen apologized to Natsuki and accused him of never showing love.
• Old Hansen recalled choosing to save Chuck during the monster attack, then becoming a Jaeger pilot at the cost of time with his son.
• Natsuki and Raleigh discussed the argument and agreed that Chuck needed someone to teach him a lesson.
• Mako Mori arrived to escort Raleigh to the selection trials, and Raleigh invited Xia to come along.
• Natsuki followed Raleigh and Mako Mori, sensing that the two would likely become partners.

Raleigh tested five candidates in staff sparring to find a Jaeger partner, while Natsuki learned that Marshal Stacker had excluded Mako Mori because she was not ready for battle. Raleigh challenged Mako to spar, but when Marshal Stacker hesitated, he turned and invited Natsuki instead.

• Marshal Stacker apologized to Natsuki for Chuck's behavior, and Natsuki said he had not taken it to heart.
• Mako Mori refereed Raleigh's sparring matches against five candidates, and Raleigh quickly defeated his first three opponents.
• Natsuki questioned Raleigh's reckless fighting style, and Mako Mori explained that she had studied his mission records to find a suitable partner.
• Marshal Stacker revealed that he had removed his adopted daughter Mako Mori from the candidate list because she was not ready for the battlefield.
• Raleigh called for Mako Mori to spar with him, but when Marshal Stacker hesitated, Raleigh challenged Natsuki instead.

Natsuki sparred with Raleigh, easily defeating him with his speed and Space Kenpo, then watched Mako Mori take on Raleigh for the Jaeger copilot selection. After Mako and Raleigh proved evenly matched, Marshal Stacker led Natsuki toward the laboratory to hear the plan for their last stand.

• Natsuki blocked Raleigh’s staff strikes and scored two points without being touched.
• Natsuki demonstrated Space Kenpo with a punch that stopped short of Raleigh but sent a powerful gust through the training hall, bringing the score to three to zero.
• Raleigh ended the spar and asked Natsuki about piloting a Jaeger, prompting Natsuki to ask whether the base had any idle ones.
• Raleigh urged Mako Mori to spar, and Marshal Stacker finally allowed her to enter the ring.
• Mako Mori and Raleigh fought evenly, while Marshal Stacker accepted that Mako was the likely partner for Gipsy Danger.
• Marshal Stacker led Natsuki toward the laboratory and said the doctors would explain their plan for a last stand to end the apocalypse.

Natsuki met the scientists Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb, whose chaotic shared laboratory and constant arguments revealed their contrasting approaches. Marshal Stacker prepared Hermann to brief Natsuki on the intelligence they had gathered, with Newton ordered to wait his turn.

• Natsuki and Marshal Stacker entered the scientists’ shared laboratory after hearing Newton and Hermann argue about their monster predictions.
• Marshal Stacker explained that the doctors shared a laboratory partly because the organization lacked funding.
• Newton and Hermann eagerly examined Natsuki and questioned him about his alien nature and ability to become a giant.
• Marshal Stacker interrupted their renewed argument and ordered Hermann to brief Natsuki first while Newton waited.

Hermann explained the Kaiju threat and proposed destroying the Breach with a nuclear bomb, while Newton and Kony Albert agreed the plan had to proceed. Albert revealed that a Jaeger would need to carry both a Kaiju and the bomb through the Breach, then asked Natsuki how long he could remain transformed.

• Hermann described the rising frequency of Kaiju attacks and proposed sending a nuclear bomb through the Breach.
• Newton showed that Kaiju tissue from different years had identical DNA and warned that stronger categories might appear.
• Newton accepted that Hermann's plan had to be carried out despite his reservations.
• Kony Albert explained that the Breach would only transport a nuclear bomb if a Kaiju accompanied it.
• Albert greeted Natsuki and asked how long he could stay active after transforming into a giant.

Natsuki revealed that he could fight on Earth for only three minutes, then warned Albert that the limit would not prevent him from destroying human civilization. Marshal Stacker confirmed the plan would begin the day after tomorrow.

• Natsuki told Albert that his transformed fighting time on Earth was limited to three minutes.
• Natsuki explained that he trusted Marshal Stacker and asked Albert what someone could accomplish in three minutes.
• Natsuki asked how long it would take him to destroy human civilization, then made a globe explode to demonstrate his power.
• Natsuki warned Albert against being too clever, leaving Albert pale and unable to respond.
• Marshal Stacker reassured Natsuki that he wanted cooperation, and Natsuki asked when the plan would begin.
• Marshal Stacker said they would take action the day after tomorrow.

Natsuki agreed to join the operation and asked to pilot a Jaeger, while Kony Albert realized that Natsuki was an Ultraman who had appeared outside the events he remembered. Albert feared the Jaeger he had prepared for himself might not be able to fight him.

• Natsuki agreed to cooperate with Marshal Stacker's plan and asked to borrow a Jaeger.
• Stacker offered Natsuki a defective Jaeger that could be switched to simulated controls, and Natsuki said he would pilot it alone.
• Dr. Newton checked on Kony Albert, who recovered his composure and returned to his laboratory.
• Albert reread his notes about the Pacific Rim timeline and angrily realized that an Ultraman had appeared in this world.
• Albert wondered whether the Jaeger he had prepared could stand against Natsuki.

Natsuki visited Shaolin Rogue’s repair warehouse and learned about the Jaeger’s malfunctioning neural interface, while Marshal Stacker prepared him to pilot the machine. Stacker explained Mako Mori’s painful past and his own terminal illness, but Natsuki reassured him that the activation test would go well.

• Natsuki and Marshal Stacker arrived at the repair warehouse, where Shaolin Rogue was being restored and its neural interface was being replaced with a single-pilot system.
• Marshal Stacker told Natsuki the system should be ready that afternoon and offered him a pilot’s manual and a chance to join the Jaeger activation test.
• Natsuki asked about Raleigh’s partner, and Marshal Stacker worried that Mako Mori’s unresolved grief could affect both pilots in the Drift.
• Marshal Stacker recounted how Knifehead killed Mako Mori’s parents and his partner Tamsin Sevier before he killed the kaiju and adopted Mako.
• Marshal Stacker revealed that radiation exposure from piloting Tango Wolf had left him with incurable cancer, then admitted he feared the activation test might go wrong.
• Natsuki assured Marshal Stacker that nothing would go wrong because he was there.

Newton suspected that Kony had Drifted with a kaiju and decided to search for the equipment that could prove it. Hermann doubted Kony's account and warned that linking a human brain to a kaiju's would be fatal.

• Newton asked Hermann whether Kony had been acting strangely, but Hermann dismissed the behavior as a mood fluctuation.
• Newton suggested that Kony's knowledge of kaiju came from Drifting with a kaiju brain and proposed trying it himself.
• Hermann argued that the kaiju's secondary brain was far larger than a human brain and that a Drift would likely kill Newton.
• Hermann admitted he could not explain Kony's knowledge but suspected it came from an unknown source rather than a Drift.
• Newton decided to search for the equipment Kony had used, while Hermann insisted that no such equipment existed.

Marshal Stacker confronted Kony Albert about questioning Natsuki and letting him pilot an unfinished Jaeger, then urged him to trust Natsuki. Natsuki prepared to test-pilot Shaolin Rogue while, in the Breach, Quake and Yochi planned for the humans’ attack and Yochi boasted he could defeat Ultraman.

• Albert explained that he had questioned Natsuki to protect their plans, and Marshal Stacker reminded him that Natsuki had saved lives and was an opportunity for the base.
• Albert promised to watch his words, and he and Marshal Stacker agreed they would face the apocalypse together.
• Natsuki told Raleigh he had studied the piloting manual and planned to test-pilot Shaolin Rogue after Gipsy Danger’s test.
• Quake told Yochi he had prepared contingencies for the humans’ attack and for the possibility of losing the Colonial Space.
• Yochi claimed he could defeat Ultraman in five rounds, and Quake said he looked forward to seeing him fight.

Raleigh and Mako Mori successfully Drifted and activated Gipsy Danger, but memories of Yancy Beckett’s death and the destruction of Tokyo disrupted their connection. Mako remained trapped in her childhood trauma as Gipsy Danger began charging its Plasma Cannon.

• Raleigh and Mako Mori entered Gipsy Danger’s cockpit and connected through the Drift.
• The pilots completed their neural calibrations, activated Gipsy Danger, and began testing its movements.
• Raleigh and Mako shared thoughts and discovered Mako had watched him at the Jaeger Academy years earlier.
• Raleigh’s memory of Yancy Beckett’s death surfaced and broke both pilots’ Drift connection.
• Mako relived the destruction of Tokyo and raised her hand, triggering Gipsy Danger’s Plasma Cannon to charge.

Mako Mori lost control of Gipsy Danger during a test, but Natsuki used psychokinesis to move Shaolin Rogue and prevent the Plasma Cannon from firing. Mako and Raleigh were ordered out of the Jaeger, facing the consequences of the accident.

• Mako Mori's neural connection to Gipsy Danger could not be severed as its Plasma Cannon charged, so Marshal Stacker ordered the base evacuated and the Jaeger's power cut.
• A technician reported that Shaolin Rogue had activated, with Natsuki inside, despite having no power supply connected.
• Natsuki moved Shaolin Rogue, grabbed Gipsy Danger's cannon, and dispersed its charged energy before the blast could cause a disaster.
• Natsuki told Raleigh that he had used his piloting techniques and telepathy, while the narration revealed he had controlled Shaolin Rogue with psychokinesis.
• Mako Mori blamed herself for losing control, but Raleigh comforted her and said his own memories had affected her.
• The command center ordered Mako Mori and Raleigh to leave Gipsy Danger.

After a failed Drift test, Mako Mori withdrew from the Jaeger program and Marshal Stacker barred Raleigh from acting without orders. Stacker assigned Natsuki to pilot Shaolin Rogue in Gipsy Danger’s place for the operation planned for the next morning.

• Marshal Stacker told Raleigh and Mako Mori that the other Jaeger pilots refused to take part in a mission with them after their failed test.
• Mako Mori asked to withdraw from the program, and Marshal Stacker granted her request.
• Raleigh challenged Marshal Stacker for not giving Mako another chance, but Stacker ordered him not to act without permission and sent him away.
• Marshal Stacker thanked Natsuki for preventing further accidents and asked him to pilot Shaolin Rogue in Gipsy Danger’s place.
• Marshal Stacker said assignments would be finalized that night and the operation would begin the next morning.

After Raleigh faced the other pilots’ anger over Gipsy Danger’s mistake, Natsuki comforted him as they discussed the coming mission against the Precursors. Natsuki refused the Bracelet’s training prompt, while Albert later approached Natsuki’s lounge, convinced that Ultraman’s arrival was connected to his own group’s presence.

• Raleigh saw the other pilots staring at him in the cafeteria, and Natsuki invited him to eat outside.
• Raleigh learned that Shaolin Rogue would replace Gipsy Danger and wished Natsuki luck before the battle to end the apocalypse.
• Natsuki read the Bracelet’s prompt to begin eight hours of hell-level mind-space training and defiantly stayed awake to resist Hikari.
• Albert left his laboratory and went to Natsuki’s lounge, reasoning that Ultraman had appeared because Albert and his group came to this world.

Natsuki questioned Albert, who offered to help investigate the abnormal spacetime fluctuations and revealed that he was one of a group of dead humans sent between worlds to steal spacetime source energy. Albert disclosed what he could about the group's missions and left Natsuki facing a much larger threat than he had expected.

• Albert visited Natsuki late at night and offered to help find the cause of the abnormal spacetime fluctuations.
• Natsuki demanded to know why he should trust Albert, and Albert promised to share everything he was allowed to reveal.
• Albert explained that outsiders changed a world's destiny and created opportunities to steal spacetime source energy.
• Albert admitted he was one of the outsiders, recruited after dying in another world and sent to complete missions or risk elimination.
• Albert explained that these travelers knew worlds such as Earth and the Land of Light through stories in their home worlds, giving them an advantage in changing destiny.

Albert revealed that he was a transmigrator whose mission was to save people destined to die, and he agreed to spy for Natsuki in exchange for his life and a share of the mission’s rewards. As dawn approached, a Kaiju alarm sounded, signaling that the Precursor-aligned outsider had begun acting ahead of schedule.

• Albert explained that another outsider intended to conquer humanity and destroy life on Earth, while his own mission was to save people such as Stacker, Raleigh, Newton, Chuck, Mako, and the Jaeger pilots.
• Albert admitted that he had modified a Jaeger so only he could pilot it, but Natsuki had taken it and disrupted his plan.
• Albert asked to join future operations and offered to provide intelligence, and Natsuki agreed to cooperate while keeping him under suspicion.
• Albert told Natsuki that four outsiders, including himself, were in the world and that the organization behind them functioned like a program with no known mastermind.
• As dawn neared, the base alarm announced a Kaiju appearance, and Albert realized the outsider among the Precursors had acted ahead of schedule.

Three Category IV Kaiju—Otachi, Leatherback, and Raijin—launched a surprise attack on Shatterdome Base, and Natsuki persuaded Marshal Stacker to deploy Shaolin Rogue. Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon intercepted the Kaiju in the western Pacific, where Otachi and Leatherback surfaced and attacked.

• A technician warned Cai Tiantong and Marshal Stacker that three Category IV Kaiju were approaching Shatterdome Base.
• Albert urged Marshal Stacker to send Natsuki into battle, but Stacker initially wanted to save him for the mission through the Breach.
• Natsuki offered to pilot Shaolin Rogue, and Marshal Stacker agreed to send him out early.
• Sasha and Cherno Alpha entered the combat zone off X Port, China, followed by Tang Wei Hu and Crimson Typhoon.
• Otachi and Leatherback burst from the sea and attacked the two Jaegers.

Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha fought Otachi, Leatherback, and Raijin but were overwhelmed and called for support. Natsuki arrived in Shaolin Rogue, killed Otachi with a single falling punch, and advanced on the remaining Kaiju.

• Crimson Typhoon held Otachi and blasted its abdomen with the Plasma Cannon, but Otachi recovered and took to the air.
• Cherno Alpha traded punches with Leatherback until Raijin ambushed it and tore off one of its arms.
• The three Kaiju pressed their attacks while the damaged Jaegers struggled to hold out for reinforcements.
• Natsuki descended in Shaolin Rogue and smashed Otachi's skull with a falling punch.
• Natsuki advanced on Leatherback and Raijin as thunder and a flash of white light filled the sky.

Natsuki arrived in Shaolin Rogue and rescued the pilots of Cherno Alpha, then prepared to face Leatherback and Raijin. At the Breach, Yochi and the Precursors revealed their plan to unleash more Kaiju and destroy all life on Earth.

• Natsuki used Shaolin Rogue to destroy Otachi with a powerful punch, astonishing Tang Wei Hu and Tang Wei Long.
• Shaolin Rogue pulled Leatherback and Raijin off Cherno Alpha, saving Sasha and Alexis as the Jaeger neared destruction.
• Alexis warned Natsuki that the Kaiju were difficult to injure, but Natsuki said his attacks were not ordinary.
• Marshal Stacker learned that Shaolin Rogue was functioning normally despite its damaged hand, while Natsuki's synchronization rate could not be measured.
• Natsuki assumed a Space Kenpo stance as Leatherback and Raijin faced him on the battlefield.
• At the Breach, an Archbishop-Class Precursor told Yochi that more Kaiju were coming, and Yochi trusted Quake's preparations to defeat humanity and Ultraman.

Zachary Lyman told Taylor that his mass-produced unmanned Jaegers would soon be deployed worldwide, while Natsuki’s battle reports reassured the Shatterdome command. When a Knifehead-like Kaiju approached the base, Marshal Stacker gave Raleigh and Mako Mori one final chance to deploy in Gipsy Danger.

• Zachary Lyman told Taylor that Stacker’s plan to destroy the Breach would fail and described his plan to deploy mass-produced unmanned Jaegers.
• Cai Tiantong reported that Natsuki had killed Otachi and was preparing to fight Leatherback and Raijin.
• Cai Tiantong detected a Kaiju approaching the base, and Raleigh identified its resemblance to Knifehead.
• Old Hansen asked to deploy Eureka Striker, but Marshal Stacker refused because the nuclear bomb was not yet installed.
• Marshal Stacker recalled Natsuki’s faith in Raleigh and Mako Mori, then ordered them to deploy in Gipsy Danger and eliminate the approaching Kaiju.