Who is Kafka in Honkai Star Rail? Origins and more explained

Honkai Star Rail features an exciting adventure world, with most of the factions in the game still with unclear goals. One of these factions includes the Stellaron Hunters, whose purpose remains unknown except for what they do, which is collecting Stellarons, also called Cancer of All Worlds. These mysterious objects called Stellarons are considered seeds of disaster that result in the appearance of Fragmentum, which usually causes massive changes even on a large planet.

Currently, we know that the Stellaron Hunters in Honkai Star Rail are composed of at least five members, including their leader Elio, who is said to be able to tell the exact future. Kafka, being someone who Elio trusts a lot, usually supervises their missions and makes sure that things are done according to Elio’s foresight and objectives.

Four of them are wanted by the Interastral Peace Corporation, dead or alive, while Destiny’s slave, Elio, is not to be hurt. They also said not to let them lose their ability of independent thinking.

Little is known about Kafka in Honkai Star Rail. Even on the IPC’s wanted list, Kafka’s entry only contains information regarding her love of collecting coats, and her appearances in-game are usually accompanied by a swift exit, making her a pretty mysterious character. The following article will tackle the current information that we know regarding Kafka.

Honkai Star Rail Guides: Kafka's origin

Kafka’s origin and associated lore

Honkai Star Rail - Kafka (Image via HoYoverse)

One important aspect to note about Kafka's character in Honkai Star Rail is that it is based on a real individual, similar to other characters in the HoYoverse games. Specifically, Kafka draws inspiration from Franz Kafka, a prominent figure in 20th-century literature known for blending reality and fantasy in his works.

Despite being based on a male figure, Kafka's character primarily embodies the qualities associated with Franz Kafka. This includes his widely recognized intelligence, sense of humor, and an austere yet attractive appearance. In the game, Kafka is undeniably beautiful, to the extent that fans have developed a fondness for her since the release of Honkai Star Rail.

Moreover, Franz Kafka's close friend, Max Brod, described him as a passionate orator who could express himself with a musical quality. Similarly, Kafka's voice actor in the game adeptly conveys this musicality in her speech. The character herself is closely associated with music, as depicted in the opening cutscene where she mimics the movements of a violin while Pachelbel's Canon plays.

Music references can also be found in other aspects of Kafka's character. For instance, a Light Cone featuring Kafka's image is named Fermata, a term from music that signifies a pause of indefinite duration on a note or rest. The description of this Light Cone implies that Kafka engages in some dreadful act that elicits hoarse shrieks until they cease, and she declares Mission accomplished.

Kafka’s appearances in the story

Kafka is the first character to appear in Honkai Star Rail through a cutscene and is also the first playable story character along with Silver Wolf, who is another Stellaron Hunter. Together, they sneaked into the Herta Space Station to steal the Stellaron that is currently in the station and put it inside a receptacle, which is the Trailblazer, the player character in the game. Kafka then leaves, and the Trailblazer was left in the scene, later on joining the Astral Express.

After the Astral Express crew’s adventure in Jarilo-VI, the first destination of the crew with the Trailblazer alongside them, Kafka once again appears as a hologram inside the train and tells them to make a destination alteration. She then tells them that just 45 system hours ago, a Stellaron burst occurred on the Luofu, a large ship that acts as a planet for its people.

The crew then has to go to Xianzhou Luofu or else the Stellaron will eventually contaminate the entire ship, and over half of the inhabitants will perish.

The crew makes a choice and eventually enters the Xianzhou Luofu where they encounter Kafka, seemingly getting caught by the crew on purpose. Fu Xuan, the Master Diviner of the Xianzhou Alliance’s Divination Commission, was the one who handled the criminal, while eventually using her abilities to find out Kafka’s true intentions. She then leaves, which allows the Trailblazer to talk to Kafka, still bound by chains.

Upon interrogation, she reveals that bringing the Astral Express crew to the Luofu was all part of a grand plan by their leader and that the Stellaron Hunters are actually there for the Trailblazer themself. The crew would then resolve the Stellaron crisis, and Luofu would be indebted to the Astral Express crew, and presumably help the crew in the future in a crucial moment. Probably when facing Nanook the Destruction, just like Kafka said, according to Elio’s foresight.

Suddenly, a distraction comes just when Kafka expects it, and escapes with the help of Blade, who was probably released by Jing Yuan, the general, after Fu Xuan tells him of the innocence of the Stellaron Hunters regarding their current situation.

Surely, Kafka plays a crucial role in Honkai Star Rail, especially with their unknown history before the Stellaron was put inside the Trailblazer’s body. This can also be apparent in the way how Kafka seems to always want to help the Trailblazer in any way she can while following Elio’s instructions. It is still unclear what their goal is, but the next progression in the main story should clear up some doubts regarding Kafka and her intentions.

Kafka is also projected to be an upcoming playable character in Honkai Star Rail, with the Version 1.2 Special Program stream confirming that she would arrive during the second phase of the update.

Her banner will debut on August 8, 2023, alongside 4-star characters that complement her kit, Luka, Sampo, and Serval.