Spoilers ahead for Kaiju #8 Episodes 3-5

Summary

• Kafka's journey parallels Naruto's quest for Hokage, as both face crucial tests to their dreams.
• Both protagonists struggle with the initial exams due to a lack of essential skills – but pass due to unique characteristics.
• Kafka's caring nature in defeating Kaiju mirrors Naruto's bravery in overcoming challenges in the Chuunin Exams.

As the protagonist of Kaiju #8, Kafka Hibino is an oppressed character with limited abilities that everyone underestimates. He strives to achieve a dream that few believe he will achieve and moves forward with willpower and hope. At first glance, this is very similar to the iconic character and one of the greatest oppressed characters, Naruto Uzumaki. One in particular Kaiju #8 The episode adds another significant parallel between these two characters.

Like many shone anime, Kaiju #8 and Naruto have a series of official tests to challenge the main cast. The only way forward for the protagonist's journey is if he passes this test, and in true underdog fashion, both protagonists manage to get through by the skin of their teeth. While some underdog characters seem uninteresting because of how unrealistic their big chances are, Kafka and Naruto's biggest chance is a significant example of how to write underdog stories.

Kafka's journey to become a Kaiju soldier mirrors Naruto's quest to become Hokage.

Although there are some small differences between the two protagonists, the main details of Kafka and Naruto's stories are the same. Their main goals at the beginning of their respective series are to join a large organization tasked with protecting their society. For Kafka, that organization is the military group, the Defense Forces. For Naruto, it is the Ninjas of the Konoha Village. More than just joining, they wants to be one of the strongest members of these organizations.

Both Kafka and Naruto grew up wanting to be strong, which would lead them to strive for their highest goals. Kafka It is eventually revealed that he is working towards the position of Vice-Captain in the Defense Forces so that he can fight alongside his childhood friendMina — who is one of the strongest characters, if not the strongest, and is a symbol of hope for all of Japan. Naruto has his sights set on becoming Hokagethe leader of his village who is always the strongest and most inspiring person in Konoha.

Whether by coincidence or design, Kafka also shares Naruto's status as an underdog character. They are both consistently underrated because they never quite fit the role they want to play. Despite their hard work, neither of them is considered the strongest or the smartest, but in order to be recognized and achieve their dreams, they continue to persist on the chosen journey. Both protagonists face countless trials to take firm steps towards achieving their goals and, at a certain point, it seems like they have no chance of moving forward.

A test disrupts both of their dreams

In the simplest terms, the path to becoming a Kaiju Soldier or a Konoha Ninja requires individuals to take certain exams just to join and rise in rank. The classifications in Kaiju #8 There are no separate aptitude tests shown, but in Naruto, the Chuunin, Jonin, and Hokage ranks have specific challenges. Both Kafka and Naruto struggle with the first exam; arguably, Kafka struggles more than Naruto, as it takes him until he is 30 years old to pass the first phase of the entrance exam.

The Defense Forces Written Exam proves easy for Kafka, who is very familiar with Kaiju, but the second part of the entrance exam is where he falls short. Like Naruto, he struggles with chakra control—a basic and essential part of a Ninja’s arsenal—and his lack of attention in class serves as his downfall. He graduates from the Ninja Academy, dedicating himself to training, leading to a display of incredible natural talent that no one knew he had before. Both dreamers may differ in the time it took them to overcome the first step of their goals, but early on in their journeys, there is a challenge that nearly stops them both.

The second part of the defense strength test, explained

After passing the written test with ease, Kafka worries about the second part of the entrance exam. The entrance exam for the Defense Forces is a two-part test consisting of a physical test followed by an aptitude test. In episode 3 of Kaiju #8, exam participants are ranked based on their physical endurance, speed, and strength in a series of obstacle courses. Episode 4 pits the examinees against living Kaiju and dresses them in combat suits that protect them and project their power levels—another factor added to their ranking. They are given medium-sized weapons and other offensive equipment to attack the Kaiju.

These tests are intended to weed out individuals who are not physically fit to fight Kaiju. The job of Defense Forces soldiers is to be fast enough, strong enough and have some military strategy in mind to survive. There's also the age limit rule that only those under 33 can apply for the selection exam. Since Kafka is 32 at this point in the anime, this is no longer just the first step toward his goal—it's his last chance.

The Chuunin Exam, Explained

Naruto becomes a Ninja Genin in the first episode of the series, thus taking the first step on his journey before Kafka in more ways than one. That said, to become Hokage, the 12-year-old still needs to pass other exams and gain recognition. This leads him and his companions to the Chuunin Exams. As the name suggests, this test leads to the next Chuunin Ninja ranking. As shown in the second season, it is a three-part exam that invites Ninja from various neighboring countries to receive the highest ranking in their respective villages.

Because it is a test that creates links with other countries, the location changes each year in which the test is held; in the 2nd season of the series, it is held in Konoha. In the anime, the first part is a written exam. The second part is a survival test in Konoha's Forest of Death, and the final part is a combat tournament with a large audience to show who deserves to become Chuunin. This test challenges the examinees' knowledge gathering skills, survival skills, and fighting ability.

Before Naruto can show off his natural fighting ability, he must overcome a challenge from his worst enemy: a written test. In an unexpected turn of events, Team 7 comes close to failing the first part of the Chuunin exams and being forced to give up in being a Ninja. The written test inspector, Ibiki Morino designed the test to be a psychological challenge. On the test, there are nine questions that only those as intelligent as Sakura could answer on their own; even Sasuke admits that he cannot answer a single question. The tenth question is indicated on the document to be asked when the test timer runs out.

Surrounded by a mass of Konoha Jonin, examinees who are caught cheating five times are immediately failed and asked to leave. On the surface, it seems that only the smartest can pass, but the real challenge is stealing information as a true Ninja would be able to do. While most examinees realize this, Naruto is clueless; since the test is graded based on the total score of each three-man team, he pins his hopes on the mysterious tenth question. Before the tenth question is asked, the proctor, Ibiki, states that If anyone fails to answer the tenth question, they will be barred from taking the Chuunin Exams again.

The examinees are given the option to leave, but if one of them leaves, the entire team forfeits, thus increasing the psychological challenge. Naruto and his companions have to decide on the spot whether they want to gamble or wait for the next chance.

Neither Kafka nor Naruto should have passed, but they did because of a critical technicality.

Likewise, Kafka and Naruto's dreams and potential are threatened by a specific challenge. For Kafka, it is the physical fitness challenge of the Defense Forces. For Naruto, it is the intelligence gathering challenge of the Chuunin Exams. Faced with both tests, none of them managed to reach a single point.

Kafka failed to damage a single Kaiju, and his physical scores during the obstacle course were disappointing. Naruto failed to answer any of the nine questions on the written test; he also failed to figure out that secretly cheating was, in fact, the purpose of the test. What this means is that Kafka would probably not be able to survive a Kaiju attack and would just be a liability for the Defense Force. As a Ninja, Naruto shows that he lacks essential intelligence gathering skills that could save lives. With these arguments in mind, neither should have been approved.

Aside from the fact that these two are the protagonists of their series, there is a reasonable explanation as to why they overcame these challenges and went on to achieve their goals. It has to do with a specific responsible character who sees significant value in a trait that each character displays during the ordeal.

Kafka brings a new source of strength to the Defense Forces

During the final part of the Defense Forces Exam, the examinees are basically pitted against each other to prove who is the best at killing Kaiju. Kafka shows that he has few skills to even scratch one of the monsters, but at various points provides life-saving advice to his competitors. His vast knowledge of Kaiju and his ability to work as a team shine through in these brief moments. This is something that Vice-Captain Soshiro Hoshina notices, along with another detail.

At first, the Vice-Captain finds Kafka amusing, asking if he can be overtaken just to give him a good laugh every now and then. During the association's evaluation of Kafka, Vice-Captain Hoshina vouches for Kafka and his support of others, arguing that teamwork is a valuable quality The Defense Force could use more. On the vice-captain's recommendation, Kafka is not approved as a full member of the Defense Forces. Instead, he is brought in as Hoshina's cadet—just one step below a private. Although Kafka is essentially recognized for his greatest trait, Hoshina's secret reason for keeping him around is that he suspects something is wrong with the man.

Naruto proves to have the greatest talent of a ninja

To move on to the next part of the Chuunin Exams, Naruto and the rest of the examinees must overcome Ibiki Morino's psychological challenge. The master interrogator does an expert job of discouraging the Genin from advancing with his final gamble of risking everything or temporarily giving up. Despite Naruto's strong sense of self up to this point, even he nearly succumbs to the stress of this part of the Chuunin exam. In a bold display of his confidence, Naruto shouts that he will not give up on his dream no matter what happens and accepts the challenge of the final tenth question.

After Naruto's bravado, no other examinees leave the room, leading Ibiki to reveal the tenth question, which never existed. The challenge of facing an unknown challenge was the big test because, in Ibiki's experience, being brave and not giving up is a Ninja's greatest asset and the true sign of a Chuunin. When Ibiki sees that Naruto failed to answer a single written question, he laughs in humorous disbelief that he got past someone who technically did so poorly.

In both exams in these two animes, the protagonists realistically should have failed. The reason they didn't do it is because they were recognized by a more important characteristic. Kafka may not have the most impressive physical abilities, but his talent for support is valuable to the Defense Force – which is proven in episode six. In Naruto’s case, the boy may not be qualified when it comes to traditional types of intelligence, but his bravery can still make a huge difference in missions where knowledge and assurance of success are impossible to acquire. Realistically, there should be a balance between these military-level associations – the Defense Forces and the Ninja – but the reason it works in these stories is because of the characters Hoshina and Ibiki, who show support for the protagonist.

Kafka Hibino and Naruto Uzumaki may not be the most identical in character, but their stories have strong parallels. In one of the most recent episodes of Kaiju #8, this is made clear by the results of the Defense Forces Selection Exam. Just like Naruto facing the Chuunin Written Exam, Kafka should have failed the second part of the Defense Forces Entrance Exam. The main characteristics that these tests challenged are not shown in either protagonist, but in reasonable twists of development, these two dreamers have qualities that go beyond the norm. The protagonists are also lucky enough to be recognized by the right character who had enough mastery to surpass them on the technicality.

• 

  Kaiju #8 (2024)

  Kafka Hibino merges with a kaiju and gains powers, leading him to fulfill his childhood dream in Kaiju #8.

  Release date

  00/04/2024

  Cast

  Fairouz Ai, Wataru Katou, Masaya Fukunishi

• 

  Naruto

  Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous teenage ninja, struggles as he seeks recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the village leader and strongest ninja.

  Release date

  September 10, 2002

  Cast

  Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Kate Higgins