SNOWBALL EARTH (スノウボールアース)

In the year 2025 A.D...

...the first intergalactic kaiju

attacked Earth.

Soon, more followed.

An unceasing horde

bent on humanity's extermination.

In response to the unprecedented threat,

each nation gathered their best and brightest,

and their most advanced technology

to establish the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force,

E-RDE.

These elite operatives from all over the globe

had some limited success,

but the damage was significant,

and the conclusion of the war drew no closer.

Until the emergence of a young boy

who would come to be known as the savior.

Watch out! Incoming, intergalactic kaiju.

-All right, E-RDE, mobilize! - Roger!

[boys laughing, mimicking gunfire]

Uh...

I, uh...

We're gonna play our game again today, right?

You know it.

I just gotta go find Hiroto first.

'Kay.

-Oh. -Mm.

-Hmm? -

Tetsuo?

Do you wanna play too?

Huh?

- -Huh?

Come on, hurry up!

Hey, wait for me!

Robot rights, now!

-I deserve recognition! -

I will not be ignored!

NO TO SELF-DESTRUCTION ROBOTS ARE ALIVE, TOO

Good humans, hear my plea!

Say no to self-destruction!

Kojika Yabusame cannot get away with this!

AUTONOMOUS BOMB SNOWMAN (PROTOTYPE)

What's going on here? What's all the ruckus?

There you are, Doctor.

The robot won't let us go inside!

Speaking of Kojika Yabusame.

Everyone, this doctor expects me to sacrifice my life

by charging into the kaiju and self-destructing!

That's right.

Groundbreaking, isn't it?

And this one's only a prototype.

An autonomous bomb that only detonates

once it's drawn the kaiju away.

Zero human casualties with a high kaiju body count.

Mass-produced robots like this one

could be a real game changer!

Not to mention, I'll be rich!

I hear the prototype alone

has put him under a mountain of debt.

No surprise with how obsessed he is with his research.

But doesn't anyone care that I don't want to die?

- Mm. -

Intergalactic kaiju!

- They're coming! - Evacuate!

Who are you?

This is perfect.

I couldn't ask for a better chance

to test Snowman.

-Prepare for launch! - Yes, sir!

Doctor, we have a problem!

Someone just saw your son

climb inside the manual control cockpit of the Snowman!

Huh? Wait, stop!

What are you doing?

It's too dangerous. You can't do this!

Nothing to be concerned about.

That cockpit's only for training purposes.

And it's practically impossible to control.

Only a genius can figure it out.

I'm frightened! Stop moving me.

I'm designed to explode. You have to get out!

It's not safe!

No. Don't worry, Yukio.

It's okay.

I'll do whatever it takes

to make sure you don't have to die!

Hmm? Huh?

What?!

It's taking off!

Tetsuo!

He's... a genius?

Something incredible happened today.

A robotic prototype

single-handedly stopped a kaiju attack.

And believe it or not,

the pilot of the robot is a nine-year-old boy.

That's right.

My son was controlling it manually.

It was designed as a new type of bomb,

and was actually supposed to explode.

People are referring to him as the savior

all over social media.

-He's going viral. -What?

Is he going to continue fighting against the kaiju?

Uh... Well, yes, of course he will!

This isn't just a one-and-done bomb.

-I mean, come on. -

Thank you so much.

Who would've guessed that I could defeat a kaiju?

We can make the robot stronger.

Why is-- Why is everyone staring?

- What? -

The young Tetsuo Yabusame

has done it again!

There he goes! That's our savior.

E-RDE has announced plans for the final battle.

Whatever that entails,

I'm sure our savior will bring peace to the human race.

10 YEARS LATER

INTERGALACTIC CRUISER E-RDE

IF YOU TRULY WISH TO GAIN FRIENDS,

YOU MUST COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING 777 STEPS.

The first condition is--

- -

Attention, all hands.

Approximately 40 minutes to the final battle.

40 minutes until the final battle.

Tetsuo Yabusame, please board Snowman now.

Hey, there goes our savior.

We made sure Snowman's in tip-top shape for you.

All set for the final battle.

Everybody's counting on you, Savior.

I'll do my good.

Uh... Huh?

Yukio!

Let me in, quick, Yukio!

Tetsuo.

EARTH DEFENSE ROBO SNOWMAN (FINAL FORM)

Don't tell me, you're running away

from human interaction again.

Oh, shut it!

I messed up.

I was trying so hard to be normal.

I didn't even think about the words

that were coming out of my mouth before I said them!

All they were doing was being supportive

and trying to wish me luck on the mission.

Thank you so much.

I've got this.

That's it. That was all I had to say.

But instead...

Good luck out there.

...my good.

Why don't I know how to be a person?!

Just because I spent all my time in my formative years

fighting kaiju?

You needn't dwell on your many failures, Tetsuo.

I'm certain you'll make friends someday.

Don't give up.

As long as I have you, I'm good.

You've been saying that for 10 years now.

Yeah, well, it's not easy, Yukio.

For your information, you have to meet 777 conditions

in order to be worthy of a true friend.

At least according to Lonely Iwaki's

How Even a Kaiju Can Make Friends,

published by Shogakukan in 2025.

Yeah, I know.

That bar's too high for someone like me.

You can't let yourself be controlled by how-to books

lacking any sense of emotion or objectivity.

-Oh. -Hiya, Tetsuo!

Captain Mist here.

Ready to get the show on the road?

- -We'll reach the kaiju soon.

I wanted to go over the battle plan with you.

I know you know it, but just to be safe.

When we engage, you'll break away from the ship.

We'll be heading for the heart of the swarm,

at which point, you'll draw the kaiju's attention.

As soon as we're in,

we'll fire the omnidirectional infinity laser,

wiping out every kaiju in a 100-kilometer radius.

Easy as that.

INFINITY LASER

Hmm.

The infinity laser.

The challenge is the time it takes

to reach our firing position.

-That's why-- - Right!

Just leave it to us, ma'am!