Kafka (Chinese: 卡芙卡; pinyin: Kǎfúkǎ) is a character in the video game Honkai: Star Rail, developed by miHoYo. She is a member of the in-game fictional organization known as the Stellaron Hunters. She was first seen in version 1.0 of the game in April 2023 and was released as a playable character in version 1.2. Kafka is the first character players play as in the game. She is second-in-command of the Stellaron Hunters, a group of wanted intergalactic criminals that plays a major role in the game's plot. She works to achieve a future envisioned by Elio, her superior, who uses "scripts" to guide people. She has been positively received by players and critics for her highly attractive design, which was generally seen as sexy.
Design and voice acting In the game, Kafka is a member of the Stellaron Hunters, a faction that walks the Path of Finality, and one of the most trusted followers of Elio, the organization's leader. She possesses powerful mental manipulation abilities and is skilled at mind control. In terms of character design, she resembles an earlier version of Kafka that first appeared in Guns Girl Z. Her name is derived from the 20th-century novelist Franz Kafka. Kafka is voiced in Chinese by Xu Hui, in English by Cheryl Texiera, in Japanese by Shizuka Itō, and in Korean by Sa Moon-young.
Appearances Kafka comes from a planet called Pteruges-V, a planet heavily affected by a Stellaron. Stellarons are mysterious entities spread across the universe that are considered "seeds of disaster" and can cause massive changes to civilizations. On Pteruges-V, people cannot feel fear and are driven instead by pleasure and desire, eventually turning into what Kafka calls "devils." The game does not specify if she means this figuratively or literally. Kafka once worked as a Devil Hunter, but she was dissatisfied with the status quo there and sought change. After encountering Elio on Pteruges-V, she accepted his invitation to join the Stellaron Hunters. Kafka is one of the group's first members, other than Elio himself. Following Elio's instructions, she recruited others, such as Firefly, to join the Stellaron Hunters as well. Kafka possesses a powerful mind control ability known as Spirit Whisper. When activating this power, she uses the words "Listen to me." In the Trailblaze Mission "Today Is Yesterday's Tomorrow", which takes place at the beginning of the game, she and fellow Stellaron Hunter Silver Wolf infiltrate a space station, steal a Stellaron, and implant it into a vessel (the game's protagonist, the Trailblazer) before leaving. In the lore, the vessel's name and gender are also chosen by Kafka, but in reality, these are chosen by the player. Before Kafka implants the Stellaron inside the Trailblazer, players play as Kafka. Later, Kafka contacts the Astral Express crew (the Trailblazer and their friends) and tells them that there is a Stellaron crisis unfolding on the starship called the Xianzhou Luofu, asking them to investigate it for her. It is revealed that one of Kafka's accomplices, Blade, is currently aboard the Luofu and is a fugitive from justice there. Kafka is also deemed a threat, and an arrest warrant is issued for her. A search party is formed for Kafka, and eventually it is revealed that she intentionally placed clues on the Luofu to lead the Trailblazer to herself, after which she fights the Trailblazer and allies, and loses. During the fight, she tells them that she believes the Stellaron Hunters are merely slaves to destiny. Fu Xuan arrives to take her prisoner and interrogates her. Fu Xuan clarifies that Kafka has nothing to do with the Stellaron crisis, and leaves the Trailblazer alone with her. Kafka tells the Trailblazer that, among other things, the Stellaron Hunters' sole purpose in arriving on the Luofu was to lure the Astral Express there so that the Trailblazer could help them, and that eventually the Trailblazer would fight the Aeon of Destruction, Nanook, and that they would need all the help they could get. She frees herself from Fu Xuan's shackles, and is aided in her escape by Blade. In Kafka's Companion Mission, she plays a "truth game" with the Trailblazer and reveals several previously-unknown truths about both herself and the Trailblazer, including that the latter is an artificial being created to contain a Stellaron.
Gameplay Kafka is a 5-star Lightning character who follows the Path of Nihility. Her skill set is built around damage over time (DoT) and follow-up attacks. Kafka's Basic Attack deals Lightning damage to a single targeted enemy. Her Skill deals Lightning damage to a selected enemy and adjacent targets, while also triggering an additional instance of damage based on existing DoT effects on those enemies. Her ultimate deals Lightning damage to all enemies and has a high chance of inflicting a status of Shock, causing additional damage over time. Kafka's Talent allows her to launch a follow-up attack whenever one of her teammates performs a Basic Attack against an enemy. This follow-up attack deals Lightning damage to that target and has a high chance to apply Shock. In version 3.4 of the game, Kafka received additional buffs that allowed her to grant an ATK increase to her allies. Additionally, her Skill, follow-up attacks, and ultimate can all immediately trigger existing DoT effects, further increasing her synergy with certain teams.
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