In Kaiju No. 8, Hibino Kafka transforms into the titular kaiju that can take down giant monsters with a single punch. Now—imagine wielding that power in your D&D game!
DM V helps players create and play a new character using a D&D subclass inspired by Kaiju No 8. He uses that character to explore some of Kafka’s iconic abilities and showcases how you can use them at your table.
He also gives some role-play ideas to help you create your own Kaiju-transforming character!
What D&D class is Hibino Kafka?
So what subclass fits Kafka the most? There are many possible takes here, like using a druid’s wild shape to represent his transformation. Using a monk can portray his speed and ferocity. The fine mallards over at DM V’s YouTube community posts even suggested paladin or bard, given Kafka’s personality rather than abilities. Channel friends at The Game Masters Guide also created a barbarian homebrew of Kaiju No. 8.
While all those ideas are great, DM V really latched on to this thing. Or more accurately, it latched on to Kafka. This relationship feels silently contractual, doesn’t it?
This power seemingly comes with strings attached. There’s also a possibility of his monstrous patron taking control of him when kaiju push comes to kaiju shove. So given all that, which subclass fits Kafka the best?
The Monster Otherworldy Patron
DM V thinks warlock seems to fit Kafka best—so he created the D&D 5e homebrew patron: The Monster! This subclass slightly outpaces most warlocks in terms of damage, but it lacks in range due to its melee focus. What it lacks in range though is made up for in versatility and defenses, especially in the later levels.
Now, maybe you don’t find Kafka to be all that charismatic, but maybe DM V can convince you otherwise.
Reasons for the rizz
Kafka’s been shown to have enough Charisma to bumble into embarrassing situations only for his peers to find it endearing. He’s also mouthed off to commanding officers while only getting a smile and a few push-ups. DM V himself has a very slight military background, and he’ll be the first to tell you that getting away with just that for mouthing off makes Kafka either incredibly charming or incredibly lucky. He even garnered the support of his much younger peers when he was imprisoned for his powers.
But even with AAAALLL THAT, DM V has two pieces of very unquestionable proof that Kafka’s got rizz: one – he won over the tsundere. And two – he won over the tsundere’s DAD.
If that isn’t charisma, what is?
As to why he favors intelligence over wisdom, well, Kafka’s been lacking in the self-confidence department so much that he quit his dream. He’s also shown to give in to fear first before he gets the will to fight, at least in the early days. The biggest tell may be his struggle to attune to the anti-kaiju battle suit. Now, that might just be because of his kaiju powers, but it might also be tied to internal control like breathing, heart rate, and such.
DM V also favored intelligence to stick with the character’s theme. This is because Kafka’s got a more studious background as a former kaiju cleanup crew.
Want to play as Hibino Kafka in D&D?
You can find the rest of the features in the shop. There’s also a link there that shows features and options for levels 1 to 6 for free.
Meanwhile, the higher-level features let you do other crazy stuff like an HP regen or catching a blade with your mouth that mutated from your ribs. And hey, if you’re seeing DM V’s work for the first time, send him a duck emoji in the comments!
