Summary
Kaiju No. 8is an action-packed manga featuring interesting characters and monsters that wield special abilities. As the title implies, the manga is centered around Kaiju, with a special force entrusted with their extermination. The main character, Kafka Hibino, was originally designated as a sweeper, tasked with handling the remains of defeated Kaiju, but he dreamed ofjoining the Defense Forceever since he was a kid.
After receiving new power from ingesting a parasite-like kaiju, Kafka was finally able to pursue his dreams and join the Defense Force. The manga consists ofa host of tropescommon in popular shonen titles, as it has an extremely powerful main character, an organization tasked with defense, and eccentric yet fascinating team members. Here are some of the best manga with similar characteristics and more.
Updated August 03, 2025, by Emedo Destiny:WithKaiju No.8just beginning to pick up in its anime adaptation, the interest in the series is at an all-time high, and rightly so. However, the manga still maintains a steady pace of entertainment. For readers just getting into it, the series follows the central character, Kafka Hibino, a middle-aged man who became a Kaiju accidentally, and by gaining Kaiju powers, he is finally able to pursue his dreams of joining the Japanese Defense Force and fulfill a promise he made as a child.. In this regard, here are recommendations for readers who prefer the similar shonen tropes in the manga.
15Tokyo Ghoul
Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4 / 5
Tokyo Ghoulrevolves around the fiendish creatures lurking in the shadows of Japan, specifically Tokyo,known as Ghouls. However, the Counter Ghoul Commission (CCG) has been tasked with protecting and responding to the brazen attacks of the ghouls. The series focuses on the initially ordinary Ken Kaneki, a regular college student whose life is turned upside down after he survives a ghoul attack.
Barely surviving, Kaneki realizes that he has become a half-ghoul and struggles to adapt to his new reality, but he can only do so when a group of peaceful ghouls takes him in. However, unknown to Kaneki, the seemingly peaceful transition is only the beginning of an all-out war between ghouls and the CCG.
14Iron Knight
Anime-Planet Rating: 3.6 / 5
Iron Knightfollows the once-normal life of the central character, Teppei, an ordinary kid who loved his father, who was a policeman. Teppei’s life changed forever after the world changed. Suddenly, with no warning or sign, several people, primarily criminals, transformed intomonsters and demonsand proceeded to destroy humanity. In a matter of days, entire cities and nations were destroyed, and countless lives were lost.
Unable to find his father or anyone he knew, Teppei discovers he is also one of the newly awakened demons. However, instead of giving to his murderous impulses, Teppei resolves to protect humans and instead becomes a monster that preys on other monsters to save everyone.
13Ottoman
Anime-Planet Rating: 3.8 / 5
Ottomanfollows the tiresome employment life of the central character, Souya, who, to pursue his dreams of becoming a manga artist, slaves away at his tedious office job. Supported by none but his beloved wife, Yuuka, Souya’s life is suddenly thrown upside down when he is caught in an accident that sees his body taken over by an alien.
More than that, his beloved wife is at the risk of another alien who wants to kill Souya. Desperate to keep his wife out of harm’s way, Souya takes advantage of the superpowers given by his alien counterpart to protect her.
12Dandadan
Anime-Planet Rating: 4.2 / 5
Dandadancombinesthe occultic and supernatural elementsrather immaculately in this series. The story revolves around the central character, Momo Ayase, who stumbles across a boy being bullied on the back of being flatly rejected. Saved by Momo, the strange boy attempts to gain her attention by trying to share with her supernatural interests he thinks they are both interested in.
She rejects his attempts and affirms her belief in ghosts instead, which becomes an argument between the two over which is accurate. The two decide to separate and investigate locations associated with the occultic and the supernatural to disprove the other. The pair’s doubts are quickly cleared when they both realize that neither is wrong and both of their beliefs are, in fact, real.
11Hitogatana
Hitogatanapresents an action-packed sci-fi thriller exploring a world where human souls can be transferred or, even better, attached to objects. The ability to do this takes a dark turn when, through this soul attachment, manned combat androids called Katanas are used to perform dangerous and extreme criminal activities.
In response to the chaos brought by these androids, the government established the Anti-Katana Combat Division (AKCD), making them responsible for maintaining law and order against these ferocious criminals. The central character, Togusa, is a member of AKCD, who, in trying to come to terms with himself as a hybrid of both man and android, must keep fighting against humans and androids alike to unravel the true nature and history of the androids.
10Phantom Seer
Phantom Seerfollows the trend of manga protagonists possessing powers of the beings they are tasked with exterminating. The main protagonist, Iori Katanagi, is a shaman who, unlike Kafka, isn’t exactly thrilled about helping people get rid of their supernatural problems. Though he is useful and good at what he does, he’d rather not get involved and is not very nice to others either.
The phantom in his possession is known as the Shadow Demon Ongyoki, and it helps Iori in different ways. It can heal, destroy other phantoms, and immobilize others by stepping on their shadows.
9World Trigger
Anime-Planet Rating: 4.1 / 5
World Triggeralso features a protagonist with supernatural features, asYuuma Kuga is a teenage neighbor. Neighbors in the world ofWorld Triggerare interdimensional beings believed to be responsible for the attack and destruction of Mikado City. Before suffering even more loss, however, the Border Defense Agency appeared and halted the chaos.
Despite being a Neighbor, Yuuma joined the Border Defense Agency and is an extremely powerful asset. He is a skilled warrior capable of utilizing different resources in battle. There is a more intricate plot and system around the manga that addresses various mysteries, powers, and characters that will keep you engaged throughout.
8Fire Force
Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0 / 5
Kaiju No. 8andFire Forceare very similar in certain areas. They both feature powerful beings who pose a threat to human safety and are hunted down by an agency set up specifically to destroy them. The protagonists of both mangas are also very enthusiastic and had dreams of becoming heroes as children.
The plot ofFire Forcerevolves around fire soldiersresponsible for putting down Infernals—victims of Spontaneous Human Combustion. They are split into different groups called divisions and are trained in academies before being sent out to the field. The world also has a rich history with mysteries surrounding many significant events.
7Chainsaw Man
Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4 / /5
Chainsaw Manis a more graphic manga with a main character, Denji, whose motivation greatly differs from others on this list. Though he has often displayed heroic feats and characteristics, his main desires come from the fact that he had a painful upbringing. He was deprived of many necessities needed to live a normal life and found himself being exploited by the yakuza to kill devils and make money.
He possesseda small devil of his owncalled the Chainsaw Devil, and after his death, he merged with the devil and became the titular Chainsaw Man. Together, they were recruited into the Public Safety Devil Hunters and were given better conditions to live, work, and fight devils.
6Attack on Titan
Attack on Titanis another manga with graphic scenes, deep themes, and an intricate plot. The story is centered around the relationship between humans and titans, massive creatures that vary in size and have a sadistic taste for human flesh. Humans live in constant fear of them, and even though there was a period of prolonged peace and calm, it all collapsed on one fateful day when the creatures managed to break through their protective walls.
This ushered in a new era of distress and panic, withthe famous protagonist, Eren Yeager, determined to get revenge for his mother’s death during the attack. He begins training to be a titan killer and joins the Survey Corps, a military unit dedicated to curbing the titan threat.
