Kaiju No. 8 chapter 80 released on Manga Plus and Viz Media’s Shonen Jump apps on Feb 16, 2023. And fans who read it, wasted no time in pointing out the similarities between the developments that took place in the chapter to that of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The article below contains some spoilers for both Kaiju no. 8 and Evangelion, proceed at your own risk!

In Kaiju No. 8 chapter 80, Kikoru Shinomiya, who was up against Kaiju no 15 in a fierce matchup, finds herself in a tricky position, wherein she is made to relive her traumatic memories by her opponent.

Fans piped in, saying that this was very similar to what happened with Asuka Langley Soryu in Neon Genesis Evangelion. The 15th Angel put Asuka through a similar trauma, making her relive her past.

It wasn’t just the developments of the battle that were similar, both Kaiju and the Angel had the same number.

The comments section in Manga Plus and also Shonen Jump+ were filled with readers pointing this out. Some of them can be seen below!

“Giving her the ol’ Asuka treatment.”

“She got Asuka’d.”

“OMG, this is so Asuka Langley Soryu.”

“This gave me Asuka vs 15th Angel vibe.”

While some fans were excited to see the similarities, there were also some who felt that it was a rip-off!

“Is it just me or this manga is giving over 94% Evangelion vibes? And I’m down for it. Let’s go,” a reader wrote.

“She is really the Asuka of this show. As long as she doesn’t end like her, I will be fine with it,” another reader commented.

Kaiju No. 8 is a manga series written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto. It has been serialized for free on Shueisha’s Shōnen Jump+ application and website since July 2020, with its chapters collected in eight tankobon volumes as of October 2022.

Viz Media has licensed the series for English release in North America, and describes the series as follows.

Kafka hopes to one day keep his pact with his childhood friend Mina to join the Japan Defense Force and fight by her side. But while she’s out neutralizing kaiju as Third Division captain, Kafka is stuck cleaning up the aftermath of her battles. When a sudden rule change makes Kafka eligible for the Defense Force, he decides to try out for the squad once more. There’s just one problem—he’s made the Defense Force’s neutralization list under the code name Kaiju No. 8.

As of December 2022, the manga had over 10 million copies in circulation.

The manga is getting an anime adaptation by Production I.G., with Studio Khara handling the monster design and art. Kaiju No. 8 anime is set to release sometime in 2024.

Source: Manga Plus