Tokyo Ghoul has been a long running series for a while now. The popularity of the series has grown exponentially both in Japan and in North America. In particular, the anime has grown a huge fan following for the series, and many people would like to see the return of our favorite ghouls in yet another season. For fans of the manga, however, Tokyo Ghoul is not even close to complete. Just before the manga officially ended in September, a prequel titled Tokyo Ghoul: JACK was released. Even after the series finished, a month later Tokyo Ghoul: RE came out and we were once more engrossed in the world of ghouls.
Unlike our friends in Japan, folks in North America had to wait a lot longer to get their hands on Tokyo Ghoul: RE. Because of that, there were a lot of fine details that got lost in translation. Many of the characters of the original cast disappeared, and although many of these characters returned, it was getting difficult to keep track of everyone. After all, there are a whole lot of ghouls and doves to keep track of, and one can't be expected to remember some of the more obscure characters. It's with this in mind that I decided to put together this rundown of Tokyo Ghoul. For those of you who only watched the anime I strongly recommend reading the manga before continuing with this article as they do deviate from one another significantly. If you are not currently caught up in Tokyo Ghoul: RE be forewarned: SPOILER ALERT!
In order to understand what is currently going on in Tokyo Ghoul: RE we first have to revisit the characters and situations from the original series. Why? Because a lot of the minor characters get changes, and new characters show up en mass over the course of this new serialization. By looking at these factors, you'll be able to get a better understanding of the ghouls and the doves as they appear.
Probably the most memorable thing about Tokyo Ghoul was it's ending. When Kaneki Ken fights Kishou Arima, we all knew that he was going to get his ass handed to him. There were a couple of people that were anticipating Ken's use of Friendship to overwhelm Arima, but this is not a shonen manga. After getting stabbed, and a two year time skip, Kaneki now works as a Ghoul Investigator under the name Haise Sasaki. Sasaki no longer has his memories of his life as Ken, but he is slowly starting to realize his past.
The Quinx Squad is a new group of doves that possess the ability to use kagune. Unlike, ghouls however they have a significantly lesser RC cell count, and as such are able to sustain a better appetite for human food. Since they are possessed of some ghoul traits, this also allows the squad to overcome threats that would leave normal humans mangled.
During the Torso investigation at the very beginning of Tokyo Ghoul: RE, it's a pleasant surprise to see the return of Nishiki Nishio. Back in Tokyo Ghoul, Nishiki was the first antagonist to harass both Kaneki and Hide. Since the events of Tokyo Ghoul, Nishiki has grown into a far more fearsome ghoul than he was before. Currently, he holds the moniker of Serpent, and is one of the first returning characters outside of Kaneki and the Ghoul Investigators.
Another main character reintroduced during the Torso investigation was Hinami Fueguchi. Many of you may remember her as the little ghoul girl whose parents were both killed by Jason and the Doves respectively. Following Tokyo Ghoul, Hinami is much more powerful then she was before and showcases incredible hearing. After the Ghoul Auction, Hinami is taken in by Sasaki and she reveals to him aspects of his past identity.
In the final act of Tokyo Ghoul two Owls show up, and lay waste to a bunch of Ghoul Investigators. Over the course of these proceedings Seidou Takizawa, a Ghoul Investigator, plays a minor role in trying to fight off Aogiri Tree. We know a little bit about Takizawa in that he saw Akira Mado as his rival, and often bickered with both her and Juuzou "the 13th's Jason" Suzuya. All that really matters is that he was a shifty little weakling, and didn't have a lot of worth as a Ghoul Investigator. However, in Tokyo Ghoul: RE, he returns as the bad ass, psychotic, brand-new One Eyed Owl.
Shuu Tsukiyama also makes a return in Tokyo Ghoul: RE, and unlike just about everyone else he has not gotten better with time. The loss of Kaneki back in Tokyo Ghoul has since caused him to become extremely withdrawn. The depression that the Gourmet suffers is serious enough to leave him in bedridden, and this in turn allows for the introduction of some side characters to help him out. Chie Hori is a human who helped Kaneki's group back in Tokyo Ghoul, and she continues to assist Tsukiyama despite his lack of interest in the world around him. Kanae von Rosewald is a new character who shares a slight resemblance to Naki, one of Jason's subordinates from Tokyo Ghoul. Kanae works as a servant for Tsukiyama, and is currently helping him get over the loss of Kaneki by bringing something that will once more appeal to Shuu's gourmet pallet.
As of yet, events have unfolded thus far in Tokyo Ghoul: RE. The Torso incident introduced readers to the Quinx Squad, half ghouls who have a limited number of RC cell within their bodies that surpass those of humans but are still significantly less than a ghouls. Following this is the Nutcracker investigation, where a female ghoul goes around cracking the nuts of human men. This investigation then overlaps with the events of the Auction, and ultimately leads to the capture of Hinami. Right now, the investigators are in the middle of busting open the Rosewald case, relating back to Kanae von Rosewald.
At this point it should be fairly clear that there are still a lot of characters that I haven't even touched on. The reason for this is simple: there are a whole shit ton of side characters that begin to appear in Tokyo Ghoul: RE, and keeping track of each one is next to impossible. While many of these characters may become relevant over the course of the oncoming Rosewald investigation, it's unlikely that there will be to much fluctuation in their current standings. For now, it might be best to leave the minor characters alone until a better grasp of the current situation can be had.
Whew that's a lot to dump on people who may or may not have understood all of that information. In order to help make it easier to recall faces I've created a small slideshow at the bottom that shows each character that I talked about here. Hopefully this should make the transition from Tokyo Ghoul to Tokyo Ghoul: RE a lot easier for those of us that have forgotten a lot of what went down. All of the remaining questions can only be answered by continuing to read Tokyo Ghoul!
Unlike our friends in Japan, folks in North America had to wait a lot longer to get their hands on Tokyo Ghoul: RE. Because of that, there were a lot of fine details that got lost in translation. Many of the characters of the original cast disappeared, and although many of these characters returned, it was getting difficult to keep track of everyone. After all, there are a whole lot of ghouls and doves to keep track of, and one can't be expected to remember some of the more obscure characters. It's with this in mind that I decided to put together this rundown of Tokyo Ghoul. For those of you who only watched the anime I strongly recommend reading the manga before continuing with this article as they do deviate from one another significantly. If you are not currently caught up in Tokyo Ghoul: RE be forewarned: SPOILER ALERT!
In order to understand what is currently going on in Tokyo Ghoul: RE we first have to revisit the characters and situations from the original series. Why? Because a lot of the minor characters get changes, and new characters show up en mass over the course of this new serialization. By looking at these factors, you'll be able to get a better understanding of the ghouls and the doves as they appear.
Probably the most memorable thing about Tokyo Ghoul was it's ending. When Kaneki Ken fights Kishou Arima, we all knew that he was going to get his ass handed to him. There were a couple of people that were anticipating Ken's use of Friendship to overwhelm Arima, but this is not a shonen manga. After getting stabbed, and a two year time skip, Kaneki now works as a Ghoul Investigator under the name Haise Sasaki. Sasaki no longer has his memories of his life as Ken, but he is slowly starting to realize his past.
The Quinx Squad is a new group of doves that possess the ability to use kagune. Unlike, ghouls however they have a significantly lesser RC cell count, and as such are able to sustain a better appetite for human food. Since they are possessed of some ghoul traits, this also allows the squad to overcome threats that would leave normal humans mangled.
During the Torso investigation at the very beginning of Tokyo Ghoul: RE, it's a pleasant surprise to see the return of Nishiki Nishio. Back in Tokyo Ghoul, Nishiki was the first antagonist to harass both Kaneki and Hide. Since the events of Tokyo Ghoul, Nishiki has grown into a far more fearsome ghoul than he was before. Currently, he holds the moniker of Serpent, and is one of the first returning characters outside of Kaneki and the Ghoul Investigators.
Another main character reintroduced during the Torso investigation was Hinami Fueguchi. Many of you may remember her as the little ghoul girl whose parents were both killed by Jason and the Doves respectively. Following Tokyo Ghoul, Hinami is much more powerful then she was before and showcases incredible hearing. After the Ghoul Auction, Hinami is taken in by Sasaki and she reveals to him aspects of his past identity.
In the final act of Tokyo Ghoul two Owls show up, and lay waste to a bunch of Ghoul Investigators. Over the course of these proceedings Seidou Takizawa, a Ghoul Investigator, plays a minor role in trying to fight off Aogiri Tree. We know a little bit about Takizawa in that he saw Akira Mado as his rival, and often bickered with both her and Juuzou "the 13th's Jason" Suzuya. All that really matters is that he was a shifty little weakling, and didn't have a lot of worth as a Ghoul Investigator. However, in Tokyo Ghoul: RE, he returns as the bad ass, psychotic, brand-new One Eyed Owl.
Shuu Tsukiyama also makes a return in Tokyo Ghoul: RE, and unlike just about everyone else he has not gotten better with time. The loss of Kaneki back in Tokyo Ghoul has since caused him to become extremely withdrawn. The depression that the Gourmet suffers is serious enough to leave him in bedridden, and this in turn allows for the introduction of some side characters to help him out. Chie Hori is a human who helped Kaneki's group back in Tokyo Ghoul, and she continues to assist Tsukiyama despite his lack of interest in the world around him. Kanae von Rosewald is a new character who shares a slight resemblance to Naki, one of Jason's subordinates from Tokyo Ghoul. Kanae works as a servant for Tsukiyama, and is currently helping him get over the loss of Kaneki by bringing something that will once more appeal to Shuu's gourmet pallet.
As of yet, events have unfolded thus far in Tokyo Ghoul: RE. The Torso incident introduced readers to the Quinx Squad, half ghouls who have a limited number of RC cell within their bodies that surpass those of humans but are still significantly less than a ghouls. Following this is the Nutcracker investigation, where a female ghoul goes around cracking the nuts of human men. This investigation then overlaps with the events of the Auction, and ultimately leads to the capture of Hinami. Right now, the investigators are in the middle of busting open the Rosewald case, relating back to Kanae von Rosewald.
At this point it should be fairly clear that there are still a lot of characters that I haven't even touched on. The reason for this is simple: there are a whole shit ton of side characters that begin to appear in Tokyo Ghoul: RE, and keeping track of each one is next to impossible. While many of these characters may become relevant over the course of the oncoming Rosewald investigation, it's unlikely that there will be to much fluctuation in their current standings. For now, it might be best to leave the minor characters alone until a better grasp of the current situation can be had.
Whew that's a lot to dump on people who may or may not have understood all of that information. In order to help make it easier to recall faces I've created a small slideshow at the bottom that shows each character that I talked about here. Hopefully this should make the transition from Tokyo Ghoul to Tokyo Ghoul: RE a lot easier for those of us that have forgotten a lot of what went down. All of the remaining questions can only be answered by continuing to read Tokyo Ghoul!