Some may consider the manga Kaiju No. 8 to be a rip-off of Attack On Titan, although it does a better job of retelling the same plot than Attack On Titan. Despite the apparent homage to the Godzilla franchise, Kaiju No. 8 has a lot in common with Attack On Titan, particularly that both heroes – Kafka Hibino and Eren Yeager, respectively – can change into their world’s invading monsters.
When their secret is known, they are both subjected to tribunals, and they both wish to use their abilities to protect the survival of humanity. Kafka, on the other hand, differs from Eren in several crucial aspects.
Unlike Eren Yeager, who is renowned for his mastery of omni-directional mobility gear in the face of Titans, Kafka is practically useless in human form. Kaiju No. 8 takes advantage of these setbacks by putting him in situations that make it impossible for him to morph. Kafka is able to conceal his identity as a Kaiju for several chapters, whereas Eren is caught nearly immediately, causing Attack On Titan to skip through critical scenes that Kaiju No. 8 ends up examining, all so Eren may face trial sooner.
Meanwhile, before Kafka can receive his own sentence, he must go through additional character-defining experiences. As a result, in battle, Kafka must rely on his human powers, and he can only morph when he is out of sight.
While both Eren and Kafka desire to safeguard humanity from the invading animals in their world, Kafka is particularly eager to demonstrate his worth. He’s been a failure for most of his life, having been repeatedly rejected by the Defense Force before abandoning his dream of working as a Kaiju cleanup crew.
After gaining his Kaiju ability, Kafka only applies to the Defense Force once more, and he is only admitted because he is suspected of being the series’ eponymous numerated monster.
Kafka may have finally become a soldier, but his peculiar circumstances keep him from receiving the respect that his Kaiju change may provide.
For various reasons, Kafka and Eren both struggle with transformation at first. Eren initially fails whenever he is forced to face a former friend who has gone traitor (which isn’t a Titans-only dread) or his desire to achieve his objectives isn’t strong enough. In Kafka’s situation, however, he is afraid of losing control because he could harm his friends, so he prevents himself from morphing subconsciously in Chapter 45, a fear he eventually overcomes when he sees his fellow troops’ capabilities.
Eren loses control early on and strikes Mikasa, but the fear of this happening again strangely never stops him from shifting. During his trial, Kafka has only been overcome by his inner Kaiju once.
Kafka would be destroyed if he ever assaulted or harmed any of his pals, and he would gladly surrender to the Defense Force to be executed.
While Kaiju No. 8 is clearly influenced by and borrows heavily from Attack On Titan, the latter improves on many areas of the former that were overlooked. Because Kafka is a less-than-stellar soldier with more fears and shortcomings than Eren Yeager, readers are more likely to root for him.
Extenuating circumstances prevent Kafka from genuinely coming into his own, denying readers the delight of seeing their hero receive the accolades he deserves. The difficulties that first prevent Eren from transforming into a Titan are either not mutually exclusive to his bizarre situation – which makes the story less fascinating – or aren’t as relatable as Kafka’s dread of harming others. This concern only adds to Kaiju No. 8 readers’ admiration for Kafka, especially in light of the divisive revelation that damaged fans’ perceptions of Eren Yeager at the conclusion of Attack On Titan.