Kaiju No. 8 Creator Unpacks Kafka's Inspiration

Naoya Matsumoto reveals why Kafka is a 32-year-old anime protagonist in Kaiju No. 8.

By Evan Valentine

Kaiju No. 8's anime adaptation is one of the biggest new anime arrivals in 2024. Focusing on a world that is besieged by kaiju attacks, the series is led by an unlikely protagonist in Kafka, a man in his early thirties who wants nothing more than to join the premiere organization for fighting kaiju. Unable to gain entry into the Japan Defense Force on his first try, the protagonist is aiming to be a part of the collective thanks to his newfound powers and in a new interview, creator Naoya Matsumoto fleshes out the character's origins.

To start the interview with the outlet Bunshun, Matsumoto detailed how Hibino Kafka is a reflection of himself, "There is a large part where I projected myself into the story. At the time, I couldn't make a living from my manga either, so I was earning a living in a place that was close to my dream but far away. Every time I saw my manga friend doing well in magazines, I had mixed feelings and wondered, "Why am I on this side?' I think that Hibino Kafka was born naturally from within me."

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(Photo: Production IG)

Kafka No. 8: An Origin Story

Naoya then went into detail regarding how he learned of his own work's popularity, "I found out about the reaction from my editor and friends. From my experience with the previous work, I knew it was important to grab as many readers as possible in the first chapter, so I put in a lot of effort to make it happen, but as I said before, both my editor and I were under the impression that "this might not be the type of manga that sells," so I was surprised that it got such a big reaction."

If you have yet to watch the first episodes of Kaiju No. 8, the series is streaming on Crunchyroll and X. Here's how the streaming services describes the story of Kafka, "With the highest kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with the neutralization of kaiju. Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corpse cleanup man, has always dreamed of joining the force. But when he gets another shot at achieving his childhood dream, he undergoes an unexpected transformation. How can he fight kaiju now that he's become one himself?!"

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Want to stay updates on Kafka and his kaiju journey? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates on Kaiju No. 8. 

Via Bunshun

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