SUMMARY

Kaiju No. 8, inspired by Shin Godzilla, explores monsters & disasters in a lighthearted shōnen manga.
Matsumoto’s personal struggles resonate in the protagonist Kafka, leading to the manga’s success.
The anime adaptation by Production I.G. and Studio Khara fulfills Matsumoto’s dream and inspires fans.

Kaiju No. 8 is the long-awaited work of Naoya Matsumoto, which achieved great success by being a groundbreaking story that subverts popular tropes while at the same time featuring themes that fans love about shōnen. Kaiju No. 8 is a story of perseveration that shares common elements with hit animes like Naruto but also with Attack on Titan, since its premise of the protagonist Kafka Hibino having the ability to transform into a kaiju, the same creature he’s seeking to fight, and wishing to fulfill his dream of protecting his country reminds fans of Eren Yeager’s very own tragedy story.

However, these stories couldn’t be more different, since Kaiju No. 8 is more lighthearted than AOT, and the protagonist isn’t a kid but a 32-year-old man who works for a company that cleans up kaijus. This unique setting that appeals to both shōnen and MonsterVerse fans has made viewers question the inspiration behind Kaiju No. 8.

Kaiju No. 8 Episode 8 Still

The answer came in a recent interview with Kaiju No. 8’s author, who revealed the biggest influence of the series: Shin Godzilla, the 2016 movie directed by Evangelion‘s creator Hideaki Anno.

Shin Godzilla Inspired Kaiju No. 8’s Author to Stand Out Kaijus Disasters

Hideaki Anno’s Movie Gave Kaiju No. 8′s Author the Idea of Linking Giant Monsters With Disasters.

Burning Godzilla in Shin Godzilla with destruction around him
 A side profile of Shin Godzilla-the Kaiju over a red background Kaiju No. 8's opening Kaiju No 8 Anime Kafka Shin Godzilla atomic raysBurning Godzilla in Shin Godzilla with destruction around him A side profile of Shin Godzilla-the Kaiju over a red background Kaiju No. 8's opening Kaiju No 8 Anime Kafka Shin Godzilla atomic rays

Naoya Matsumoto revealed in an interview for Weekly Bunshun the behind-the-scenes story of the writing and setting of his work, Kaiju No. 8, where he admitted that watching Shin Godzilla by the legendary directors of Evangelion, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, inspired him to create the manga.

After watching the movie “Shin Godzilla,” I was once again struck by the intriguing “disaster aspect” of monsters. From there, I expanded the setting to make it more interesting as a manga world.

This revelation shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans, since Kafka’s Kaiju form clearly reminds of Godzilla, the Kaiju by excellence and king of monsters. Additionally, Shin Godzilla is the most terrifying and dark but also the most compelling version of the monster and is the film in the franchise that delves more into the indomitable Japanese resolve and spirit to face disaster, using the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and the following nuclear accident of Fukushima Daiichi as inspiration.

Kaiju No. 8‘s author took a risk by wanting to explore the dynamics of monsters and disasters in a shōnen manga because it was a genre that had reaped few hits in that format, but what warranted the series to become a hit was basing the protagonist on himself. Matsumoto has transformed his own struggles and frustrations as a 30-year-old who hadn’t reached his dream into a work that resonates with a wide audience. The inspiration found in Shin Godzilla and the personal connection with its protagonist have been key to the creation of the story and its success.

Kaiju No. 8 has the Blessing of Hideaki Anno

Kaiju No. 8 Author’s Own Story is as Inspirational as Kafka Hibino’s

Kafka in episode 5 grinning kafka hibino pointing a weapon with kafka in his kaiju form in the background from kaiju no 8 Kaiju No. 8 Looking Up Kafka saving Reno Ichikawa from Kaiju No. 8 Episode 1 Kafka Hibino as Kaiju No. 8 with nipple urine sceneKafka in episode 5 grinning kafka hibino pointing a weapon with kafka in his kaiju form in the background from kaiju no 8 Kaiju No. 8 Looking Up Kafka saving Reno Ichikawa from Kaiju No. 8 Episode 1 Kafka Hibino as Kaiju No. 8 with nipple urine scene

Naoya Matsumoto wouldn’t have known that, after being inspired by Shin Godzilla, the same director would be in charge of bringing his own kaiju to life in an animated adaptation. Kaiju No. 8 adaptation is animated by Production I.G. in association with Studio Khara, Hideaki Anno’s own production house, with him being responsible for developing the kaiju artwork and character design supervision. The fact that Matsumoto’s favorite studio made his work into anime achieved another of his dreams; he once joked with a friend, saying:

If Production I.G. or Studio Khara made an anime version of my manga, I’d accept it even if I had to commit seppuku after watching a preview of the first episode!!

That shows how much Matsumoto admired the studio, with their influences being very clearly seen in the series. He conveyed those feelings in the story which led to the creation of this workteam. Kaiju No. 8‘s anime adaptation has already made history and not only Kafka Hibino’s story of perseverance deeply resonates with people, but its author’s own path to success, which led him to work with his very own inspiration, is motivational to fans and stirs them to keep pursuing their dreams.