#tokyo ghoul analysis

[tg-pilled]

Let's discuss: Queerness in Tokyo Ghoul!

To start off, I just want to mention that these are things I have noticed. Nothing is necessarily canon (or non canon) but it's something I'm very interested in. I've been learning a lot in the queer horror club I'm in and it's been really fun dissecting Tokyo Ghoul in the same way!

This will go character to character. It's not going to be a complete list as there's SO much to cover but...

Kaneki: Not to state the obvious but his friendship with Hide surpasses a Lot of what heteronormativity usually allows. I don't think he's even fully aware of his attraction until after he meets Touka. Because Hide had been such a permanent fixture in his life growing up, they never really had ever been apart. Their bond is deep and strong and definitely can be looked at from an extremely queer perspective. (I'm not trying to say that all men who show affection to one another are queer because that is simply not true.) Once he becomes a ghoul and he has that separation from Hide, I think that is when his sexuality is fully recognized. Especially in the manga, his bond with Hide runs deeper than with almost every other character. I'd say the exception to that rule is Touka in :re. In the manga during the death kiss, he didn't even know if Hide was real or not. He was in such a state of disorientation and confusion but Hide was still the one that he saw. Of course, Hide was actually there with him. But because Kaneki was in such a delirious state, surely he could have hallucinated the death kiss to be with Touka? Or anyone else? Why specifically did Hide come to mind during that time? Again, he was in a moment of crisis and Hide had always been that stability for him but it's just curious to think about...

Hide: I've seen and read so many different rumours about how Sui Ishida intended for Hide to be canonically bisexual. However, I can't find that interview or confession ANYWHERE in a way that makes it clear that Sui Ishida actually said that so we will disregard that for now. Setting that aside, Hide has a very intriguing point of view of Kaneki. His insight on Kaneki's life is the closest we get to an outside perspective of Kaneki's behaviour from an intimate view. Obviously we see other ghouls, CCG members, etc. studying the way Kaneki behaves but we never see it in the same way that we do with Hide. That boy has been taking notes on Kaneki since he first started acting odd. He caught onto Kaneki being a ghoul with ease (ofc this depends on the version as well. We are ignoring the live action version because it screws up the source material.) No matter how hard Kaneki tried, he could not get Hide to stop caring and stop observing. Hide went undercover in both the CCG and ghoul world to make sure Kaneki was okay. His life centred around Kaneki. That in itself is a confession of love and not in the platonic way.

Uta: Setting aside the way he looks at Renji for a moment, his entire being breaks the norms which is what queerness and queer history has always been. Uta quite literally makes masks so ghouls can create a whole other identity surrounding their otherness. His entire presence screams queer-coded.

Tsukiyama: I don't think I need to explain this one much tbh but his obsession with Kaneki cannot be overlooked. It is obviously super creepy in a lot of way and he crosses a TON of boundaries. However, that level of obsession is definitely not in a "you're my guy pal, let's go lift weights at the gym" (idk what cishet men do I'm sorry). His fascination with both the male and female ghouls feels very queer to me even though it is to an extreme that needs to be observed and dissected with caution.

Nico: He is the embodiment of a gay stereotype. Obviously not all rep is good rep but he definitely fits the mold and he is definitely queer, no doubt about it.

Mutsuki: Without a doubt, he is trans. Many people argue "oh he only transitioned so he could become a Quinx Squad member and change his identity better blah blah blah." HOWEVER. I raise you: once Urie found out his assigned gender at birth, why did he feel so deeply uncomfortable? Obviously, he was worried that Urie would tell everyone and their mom but even after Urie kept that a secret, he was still nervous. It's almost like he didn't want to be treated differently because of his assigned gender at birth and transition... There is a lot about Mutsuki that could have been handled better but I also think that him keeping his preferred name, pronouns, etc. is so important. Not once did Urie question it, he just wanted Mutsuki to keep doing his job well. Mutsuki is a very complex character and you can dissect his storyline from a million povs but I think first and foremost that he is trans and that there isn't really a question as to whether or not he wants to be referred to as a man or not

Overall, all these characters are only a small part of an even LARGER queer analogy! Tokyo Ghoul is about a man learning to grapple with being both ghoul AND human. Taking this into account, a ton of queer people have to be worried about being 'found out' or 'outed' because we live in a world where it is dangerous for queer people to exist still (much like it is dangerous for ghouls to exist). Kaneki is coming to terms with the fact that he might not be fully human (or the societal norm). Learning to deal with that, especially when you feel like you're the first EVER because you have no prior experience or relationships with other members of the LGBTQ+ community is terrifying! That feeling of 'otherness' or 'monstrosity' is unfortunately something a lot of queer folks have to go through. The CCG has a very religious/governmental parallel to it and could even be used as a metaphor for the hate that queer people receive from institutions that benefit from our suffering. However, Akira AND Amon both empathize with Takizawa eventually and are subject to abuse and rejection because they love and care about someone in the 'other' community. Haise's transition and morphing with Kaneki is a beautiful metaphor for how many queer people will try to be 'normal' or conform to society for protection but you always kind of know your identity is there. As mentioned earlier, Uta makes masks for other ghouls so they can create a separate identity to protect themselves when trying to exist. That feeling of two separate identities, two separate worlds that you think cannot combine is SO common in the queer community. Kaneki feeling like he isn't enough of ghoul OR human to fit into the world at all is often how queer people are treated too. Being told you're not enough of something and being rejected by communities who allegedly were there to protect you. To conclude, I'd like to say thank you for reading all this (if you did) and also feel free to add on, debate, or include things I'm missing! Also I wrote this very very sleep deprived so I'm sorry about my grammar. Okay goodnight oomfies

[tokutaiseichan]

Holy shit. Someone on the JP tkdb fandom pointed out that the stigma names are the anagram of demons that appeared in Ars Goetia.

Binaerus = Naberius (Jin)

Yagsal Olbalsa = Glasya-Labolas (Alan)

Here's the other ones I found:

Spurno = Purson (Sho)

Malab = Balam (Taiga)

Argeas = Agares (Tohma)

Ramsochisa = Marchosias (Lyca)

Haxs = Shax (Leo)

Acimo = Camio (Ritsu)

Raothtas = Astaroth (Ren)

Tiris = Sitri (Romeo)

Talnandio = Dantalion (Subaru)

Iggnaim = Gamigin (Lucas)

Agnihaet = Haagenti (Yuri)

Bahnti = Bathin (Haru)

[bingeeaterblog]

I hate the assumption and hcs that hide is "dumb". Especially in hidekane headcanons when they make him the reckless one?? Did we read the same manga?? That man got into kamii university and is a fucking GENIUS kaneki is the one doing stupid impulsive shit!! He has amazing detective skills and can bluff pretty much anyone. When u write him remember that! He is smart!! And also stupidly in love with kaneki and that's why he let him eat his face my self sacrificial oogly boogly

Sorry if this isn't coherent I'm Abt to go to bed

[harleyquilt]

Misreading Touka (Tokyo Ghoul Meta)

For some reason, I've been seeing more dung being thrown at Touka's characterisation in the series, and since I've been wanting to write a meta for a while now, I decided to do a short one addressing some of the criticism I've seen around. This won't go into everything, of course -- the series is far too dense with analytical potential and I am a busy bee. Just know that I do want to dive deeper into Touken/Kanetou at a later point.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Touka is not reduced to a simple, meaningless housewife, and I do not understand why this perspective is used to undermine her character so often in the fandom. For the sake of this argument, I will be mostly focusing on her characterisation in ;Re, as that is where this criticism is mostly rooted. Yes, she is less active in the first part of the second series, but between all the other characters, events, and plot points, it is bizarre to me that people see so little in Touka, despite all that she does. 

I could dive into how Touka as a whole symbolises key themes throughout both series, and how that relates to Kaneki’s development, but I think I will save that for a separate meta. For now, I just want to discuss how Touka is positioned in the second series, and how it does not weaken the characterisation Ishida set up in the first. 

Following the end of the first series, which set its tone as a tragedy, Touka opens the ;Re café to act as a refuge for ghouls, just as Yoshimura did beforehand. To clarify, Yoshimura saved Touka from her miserable life on the streets, giving her the chance to live with some semblance of normalcy following the tragic consequences of her childhood. And now, as an adult, and with Yoshimura gone, Touka strives to recreate that environment once more. There are those that think she has done this for Kaneki and Kaneki alone, but that is clearly not the case, even if she does hope for Kaneki’s return one day; she allows Nishiki to take refuge there while he tries to find Kimi, she saves Tsukiyama after the Rosewald operation, and before anyone argues that she was still not directly involved in either case, she actively takes part in Ayato’s mission to save Hinami. It is there that she then sees Kaneki and allows him a place to stay too, following his battle with Arima. She even provides Akira and Amon a place to stay, reconciling their differences in the process, (underrated chapters, I think).

Up until this point, Touka has been forced to ‘live while losing’, and whether she decides to fight or not, it is an unavoidable outcome when it comes to war. She is simply trying to do what she can without trying to kill herself in the process – a flawed sentiment she has seen in her father and Kaneki before, and even to some extent, Ayato and Hinami.

She fights when she can, runs if she has to. She is forced to make this choice again and again, especially when the underground ward is attacked, and for the sake of her unborn child and other weaker ghouls, she must retreat if she doesn’t want all of them to needlessly die. 

That said, it is not as if she leaves without trying to fight first, she just isn’t stupidly overpowered like her opponents, (and that isn’t a jab at Ishida, I’m simply clarifying that she can’t defeat these foes with just Hinami at her side). Even then, she manages to stand her ground for a long time, despite the pregnancy and her hunger. Moreover, her kagune has developed since the first series, and like Ayato, she’s able to create more advanced structures with her ukaku. You just have to read in between the lines to see that Touka has never allowed herself to grow soft in the years Kaneki was away, and that only now, during this battle, can you see more of her capabilities.

And when Kaneki is trapped within Dragon, she finally decides that she cannot lose him – she refuses to lose him, because to do so would bring on too much despair. Just as Kaneki has prioritised Touka, Touka, too, will prioritise him, and so, even with her exhaustion, she battles against Mutsuki, digs through the Dragon’s flesh until her fingers and nails break, and almost succumbs to grief at the thought that he was already lost to her. The chapter is overlooked far too often, her desperate determination conveying to the reader the importance of love as a driving force.

Again, we saw this with Kaneki, who pushed himself past his limits in hopes of reaching Touka. Whether you like it or not, love is a powerful thing, and that has been shown throughout the series with many, if not all the characters. And for Kaneki and Touka, their love is their hope, and to lose that love is to lose their hope. So they fight, again and again, for each other and the light they bring into each other’s lives. 

Now I can argue all day about how Touka is far more active in the series than people care to admit, but I do not think that is why Touka is labelled as a housewife. I’ve been in the fandom for a long time and this label has been around long before their relationship was canonised, and I think it’s to do with the fact that Touka is clearly more feminine in ;Re. 

I’ve already explained that in terms of action, Touka still has plenty of moments to speak of, and personality-wise, I really don’t think she’s as different as people claim her to be. Yes, she’s calmer, but that shouldn’t be seen as a bad development. She’s an adult now, and with adulthood comes maturity, (or it should, anyway). She doesn’t need to fight anyone and everyone to prove herself, that is simply a childish perspective to take. Besides that, she’s still curt in the way she talks, is sarcastic and blunt, though not as harsh as she was before, and she still carries herself with plenty of pride and dignity, which was what was so appealing about her in the first series. Ffs, she confronts the whole CCG and tells them to eat shit because their arguments were annoying her. It’s ridiculous to me that people think she is a shadow of her former self, when there’s plenty of great moments involving her. 

As for her more maternal depictions, that is also something that has always been present, if you take a moment to connect the two series together. She was forced to grow up quickly when she became responsible of Ayato, and she effortlessly took Hinami under her wing after the death of her parents. This is an attribute that she continues to exhibit throughout ;Re, watching over the children and trying to comfort them. It’s a touching image, one that circles back around to her pregnancy. And to deem this progression as detrimental is rather…strange to me. In a time when we see women as strong and powerful for everything we represent – our hardships, both physically and emotionally, as well as our strengths – why is it seen as weak when female characters are utilised to represent the strength of womanhood. Because she’s a woman married to a man? Don’t be so childish. If you respect her characterisation at all, you will acknowledge how she continues to exhibit her strengths as an adult, whether that be in battle or beyond it. 

After all, Ishida could have easily written it so that she is no longer involved in anything past the discovery of her pregnancy. Except he doesn't, and instead, she fights even more, even harder, in spite of her pregnancy. Because of her pregnancy. And yet, this is somehow weakens her character? She is quite literally going beyond her limits to fight for her future, I see nothing weak in that.

It might be that readers dislike how she changes aesthetically, and that’s fine, but from that comes arguments that excuse why they don’t like her character. I could argue against every little argument I’ve seen about her, but at the end of the day, I feel like most of these points are made just to excuse a personal preference. And that is not an effective use of critical reading. You can’t make the story something it isn’t, and you can’t assume Touka was going to be a character she wasn’t written to be. If you don’t like that or disagree, then maybe this series isn’t for you and it’s time to move on. For now, at least, please give her characterisation the respect she deserves. Her role is so much more than the shallow labelling this fandom tends to give her.

[gunkbaby]

Thinking about Shuu BPD headcanon again. He’s 21 in TG, and given his loneliness I think it’s fair to assume Kaneki was his first favourite person. Like I acted very similar to Shuu when I had my first favourite person - including when the ‘relationship’ (i wouldn’t call what i went through a relationship personally. It was an internet mutual lol) ended, it went on to affect me for several years, to today, mentally and physically.

I get sad when I think about it, because I don’t like thinking about Shuu going through or feeling what I have - that horrible moment where you look back on your experience with someone, and you can only feel guilt, because you can see now that all you acted so inappropriately. Being overly clingy - dependent - on someone you barely know - because Shuu doesn’t know Kaneki in TG. Not deeply. He’s still in the moment of only wanting to eat him, everything he learns is compartmentalised as knowledge to use as manipulation and such. So his breakdown when Kaneki is taken away from him is a shock to his system - because this is the point where maybe one realises that this is not just about wanting him to eat anymore. It’s indicative of Shuu feeling something more for someone, which he’s probably never had before, and one can imagine how it might feel to realise - oh. I really fucked this person I adore up, because I didn’t understand myself well enough. And that shit hurts man.

Whilst a neurotypical person might be able to look at this realisation and handle it better, for someone with BPD/neurodivergence, this can affect one’s mental and physical health for years afterwards. A known symptom of BPD is not being able to recover ‘typically’ from breakups (meeeeeeeeeeeeee), often leading to self-harm, depression, and such, as well as taking a much longer time to actually recover from the breakup (generally. Ofc not everyone has it like this).

This also explains why in :RE, Shuu is seemingly just as obsessed with Kaneki - because he can’t fucking let go of it. He goes out of his way to ‘get Kaneki back’ for his own benefit, and I wonder if maybe, Shuu wants that Kaneki back so he can right his past wrongs. His newer awareness of his past actions weighs on him, and he wants to show that version of Kaneki that he has changed, that he’s not like That anymore - but he is, in a way. He’s still ill, and this is never brought up. Shuu gets better throughout :re, but we never see how, and either man’s on Elvanse or something, or he’s actively making an effort to restrain the ‘BPD side’ of him. I compare having BPD to having a dog on a muzzle - controlling it is horrible and it’s difficult, but if you don’t, the muzzle comes off and your dog is going to maul someone. Having BPD can be really terrifying sometimes - note: people with BPD are not monsters and if I see one more person say Shuu’s feelings are ‘creepy’ istg—

In early :re, Shuu’s actions can be viewed an overcompensating - trying to fix the damage he feels he might’ve done to Kaneki. He wants Kaneki back for himself, but not to eat him, to show Kaneki that he’s not the person he was. That he’s changed - but he hasn’t. He’s become self-aware, but this isn’t enough to change someone. Shuu still doesn’t understand that. He’s like a beautiful butterfly in that stage where the chrysalis is clear and starting to shake, but the butterfly isn’t out yet, and when it is out, it still has to wait for its wings to dry. Shuu is impulsive, and fails to properly think things out especially in a social situation (another symptom of bpd is impulsivity, particularly in regards to self-destruction). So he’s bombastic in rushing in and trying to get that Kaneki back, even if he doesn’t exist, and we can argue that this brazenness, this impulsivity, goes on to foster more destruction.

Therefore, it becomes even more weird that Shuu seems to recover after Kanae’s death in particular, because I feel like Shuu was already grappling with some guilt in regards to his past self. Kaneki throwing Shuu from the rooftop is met with Shuu’s acceptance of it - it’s a passive kind of suicidality. What better repentance is there - what is the best way to say sorry - than letting the person you hurt kill you? I know I’ve attempted or hurt myself in attempt to repent and say sorry for the people I’ve hurt, (I even became Christian, briefly!) But Shuu isn’t killed. Kanae is, and directly because they save him. Shuu’s love for Kanae is evident by this point, so one has to question how someone who already seemed to be passively suicidal, who presumably held a quite a hefty amount of self-loathing - would be able to recover from someone they love dying specifically to save them. Shuu tells Kanae to save themself (in my translation), he seemed passive in the prospect of Kaneki killing him, so this turn of events should be absolutely fucking devastating to him.

His entire family, bar one person, were killed to protect him. People gave up their lives, for him - a person who was extremely mentally unwell. Shuu is egotistical, arrogant, and selfish, but too often I see people conflate this with narcissism or self-love - narcissists don’t even tend to love themselves, it seems the opposite (I am not well-versed in npd pls correct me). I don’t think Shuu likes himself, particularly in :re. I’m honestly surprised he survived through :re sometimes, because I feel like the events of the Tsukiyama extermination would eventually kill someone who was already mentally unstable.

But after the Tsukiyama arc, there is very little acknowledgement of Shuu’s mental state. It’s like, oh, he’s fine now. Kanae isn’t even mentioned again, (I think), and it’s really weird. One can argue Shuu is just pretending to be fine, maybe Kaneki being back is enough to shift his focus from those events back to his favourite person - but that’s not mentally healthy. That’s not recovery. You can argue that maybe he learnt to cope, did DBT or whatever, but I doubt he would’ve had time for that in :re? Iirc it was kind of busy, I mean…Man got fired from like 4 jobs after losing his family - self-worth must’ve been in the shitter fr

Shuu is supposedly better by :re and the end of :re, but I can’t fucking buy that. Maybe I’m projecting too much, but I still haven’t recovered from my favourite person and it’ been three fucking years, and I have a parent who is willing to literally die for me, and it feels like shit. These things don’t just go away. They condense, and they stay. It’s like the dog won’t die unless you do, and even then, the pain stays.

I’m off track - the point is. I don’t like it. I get narrative time and that - Shuu isn’t the main character, but still. TG has so much depth and nuance in its characters and I wish more work had been put into Shuu post-Tsukiyama arc. (I also wish Kanae hadn’t died but fuck my stupid Baka life i guess)

I can’t help but feel like Shuu was ill at the start of Tokyo Ghoul, got even iller. And by the end of :re, he’s still very much ill.

sorry if this doesn’t make sense I cried halfway through and im tired

[mchib]

not to bring shakespeare into this but the rize kamishiro and lady macbeth parallel in kanekis perception after the organ transplant is crazy, the way she's interpreted when he sees her in jason's slaughterhouse especially, making him believe he's so disillusioned

[pybownies]

"…It's said that people can never see their true faces. At best, they can see their reflection in the mirror, but there's no way for them to see their actual selves …. In the end, it may be the case that only other people have the right to evaluate us. …” (Nagyuun, an excerpt from ep.75)

I love how the author, Hwandaeng, shows this through the series:

Nagyuun assumes his twin's identity, who is perceived as more pragmatic and judgmental. However, Zius can see Nagyuun's true personality - he is caring and considerate. Zius knows Nagyuun is inherently good, a conclusion drawn from his careful observation. This understanding is why Zius repeatedly expresses his trust in Nagyuun. Luzian also understands Nagyuun's true nature, possibly from his actions (and maybe her intuition). As a result, she trusts him despite his seemingly unclear intentions.

Zius is usually stoic (likely because he spends much time lost in thought and planning). Even Nagyuun, our resident master empath, struggles to read him, leading to some mistrust. Despite this, most knights trust Zius due to his leadership skills and honorable qualities, believing they would be lost without him. The only person who views Zius objectively is Waron. She understands that just as the knights depend on him, Zius also heavily relies on them. While Zius places honor secondarily, Waron grasps this truth that other knights, who usually prioritize honor, might overlook.

Lastly, there's Waron (she’s the hardest one to crack; thank God for the occasional flashbacks and her monologues). She presents a challenging enigma, concealing herself beneath the identity and helmet of a deceased friend. Her motivations remain hidden; the only evident traits are her love for combat and potential enjoyment in defeating/killing (as rumoured) other knights. Only Nagyuun and Zius have some insight into her true nature, yet even their understanding is limited. Nagyuun perceives Waron as predictably unpredictable. Zius, on the other hand, believes she doesn't act without good reason. (This may suggest a future backstory that justifies her trustworthiness, as current events don't provide enough evidence to support what made Zius trust her in the first place. Furthermore, for him to promise his overwhelming power to Waron, wouldn't it require a great deal of trust that she won't use it for ill purposes? After all, he is a rational person. )

In short, everyone wears a mask, and those who are observant can see through them. As Ram stated in the Gilgamesh prequel, "observation is the key to winning a fight". However, in the TEK case, observation is not just crucial to winning fights but also to winning over people.

[amoneki-ramblings]

do you think Kaneki might ever pray with Amon despite not being catholic himself? just sitting next to him mumbling the words as Amon says it because he likes to be with him

speaking of religion, what kind of faith do you think Kaneki would follow? I hc him as an atheist :) but I think you know more about religions than me lol

Ooooh I like that idea a lot actually I have So Many Thoughts (rubs my hands together evilly)

also this is just a sidenote but i know some people may be uncomfortable with religious discussion, so if you are lmk and i'll start tagging it :thumbsup:

I feel like Amon hasn't prayed often in a while because of his past, but he may still on occasion (habit), and may get back into it properly after actually resolving his feelings with the past. At some point Kaneki starts to join him. He doesn't really know How to pray, especially since a lot of it is in silence, he probably just kneels there and silently wishes for safety for his friends, for strength and resolve, etc. etc. But when Amon starts saying the actual prayers out loud he just sits there and listens to him quietly saying them.

At some point Kaneki might start mumbling along with them, he vaguely knows some of the prayers and has heard Amon say them enough times to kind of know them. Amon is surprised when Kaneki starts doing that and it just kind of becomes a Thing; maybe Kaneki even asks Amon to tell him how to pray the rosary since he sees him doing that often as well (when the rosary is prayed in a group there's one person leading that says the first half of most of the prayers and the rest say the other half, and I think it would be interesting with them alternating like that)

While Kaneki isn't catholic himself he finds it reassuring, while it's unlikely to him that there's someone out there that'll actually grant his prayers it's a nice thought, y'know? It's also just very relaxing there, even if it was kind of awkward at first

I think he also finds the sound of Amon praying very relaxing *cough*

I also think Kaneki would be atheist, while he wouldn't completely deny the possibility of there being a god of some sort he also isn't really a follower of any particular belief system (note: ive actually been informed that there is a better term for this, agnostic, which is essentially being neutral lol). I think Amon would know this, and therefore doesn't really know why Kaneki chooses to pray with him despite this, but he figures that Kaneki does have a lot of things he would want to pray for, things he would want to seek forgiveness for, too, and he appreciates that Kaneki is willing to spend time with him like this anyway.

[thealiveshadow]

Looking at all of the takes this chapter, and I thought about this Tokyo Ghoul quote that Eto Yoshimura wrote in her book “Dear Kafka”

"That time, so that no one (not even Father) would notice, I secretly rewrote the summary.

What cannot change can only be broken. 

This is so to me, who left behind everything necessary inside the womb."

(There’s also this translation, which I think fits better into what AFO’s character, even if there are only a few words that were changed: “Then I, hidden from everyone (particularly father), stealthily rewrote the outline. Things that cannot be changed, can only be broken. From the view of I, who left all needed things in the womb.”)

And how this quote in a way truly summarizes, especially the last line, the way All for One thinks of himself and a way we, the audience, can view the way he thinks of himself. For example, the first line can be used in reference to how he changed the summary of the comic books him and Yoichi read together, in order to better fit his own wishes and desires. He doesn't accept the fact that Hero had defeated the Villain in the end, and decides to simply stop reading when the villain had won and become the Demon King, hereby rewriting the summary of the book to fit his own needs and desires. (So in that context, it should be "(not even Brother) would notice", but we'll let it slide this time for the sake of coherence) He then tries to LARP that twisted idea and that's how you end up with the current AFO, a man who thinks of himself to be the Demon King of comic books, and does what ever he possibly can to bring that reality of the summary of the comic books he rewrote.

I think the second line of the quote also is an indication of the way AFO thinks. To the core he doesn't believe that people cannot change, evidenced by the way he reacts when Lady Nagant is now fighting on the side of the heroes and when he starts losing to what he defines as a ''bunch of extras". He does not anticipate people to step outside of the lines that he drew around them and when they do go outside of those ideas and change (you know how people do) he throws tantrums and and refuses to acknowledge the fact that each person has their own autonomy and character, far beyond any neat little box he has put them into. And what he cannot change he wants to break. He wanted to break Yoichi by forcefully bestowing a quirk onto him, he wanted to break Tomura by grooming and manipulating him for the majority of his life into believing that he was simply born evil, and he wants to break all of the "extras" such as Stain, Jiro, Hawks, and Bakugou who go against the stereotypes he has placed them into, because to him these people can not change their so called "true nature", and therefore can only be broken.

Lastly, the third line, which I have been waiting impatiently to get to. I think this last line, truly shows the way AFO thinks of himself. In the chapter, All For One is shown to have cannibalized his mother as soon as he was born, and has been described as someone who simply took from others, without any regard, because he thought that anyone who could not give him *something* was useless. One could say that this is an indication of how All For One was evil from his birth, and therefore has no redeeming qualities. BUT this is My Hero Academia, good sir, where everyone is human. While framed in a horror like and grim way, it important to look past that and see the AFO/Yoichi backstory through the lens of BNHA's themes, which are all about humanizing villains and are against dehumanization in general. Imagine being newborn with a dead mother with no source of nutrition, and you have to eat her. You grow up with no one to protect your child self, no name, no sense of identity, no social security net, no one to help you differentiate between right and wrong, you are constantly being hunted for simply existing, and you are responsible for someone who is far weaker than you and have to find ways to protect yourself and him as well. So, of course you are going to grow up twisted, with disturbing ideals and cruel habits. But AFO and a lot of the MHA fandom doesn't see those factors, or refuse to acknowledge them. That's why I think this third line really displays AFO's mindset how he thinks he was evil from the womb. All things necessary to interact and engage with the world in a healthy way, such as the ability to show affection, to be caring, to be understanding, to have the methods of socialization, and have a acceptance of the autonomy of other individuals, and to be able to face and understand you own feelings in general, are abilities that have to be learned, they don't simply come to you in dream at night. But All for One does not think that, rather he refuses to humanize himself, and continues to play the role of the Demon King in the story he is trying to write, forever convinced that he was born like that from his mother's womb.

In summary, I think this quote from Eto Yoshimura really provides insight into the character AFO is and what he thinks of himself. He rewrote the summary of the comic books him and Yoichi read together, he doesn't believe that people can be changed, only be broken into what he wants them to be, and that he truly believes he has been evil from the very beginning, and any kind of "humanlike" trait he could have, was all left behind in his mother's womb.

[ipsen]

This might sound confusing but am i the only one who gets the feeling the deeper eto's and ken's connection get the more likely is Eto to reject him?

au contraire, anon, it makes perfect sense. eto is the type who is stuck in the dichotomy of wanting to be loved but hating the idea of vulnerability, as vulnerability has repeatedly cost her multiple times over her life. putting this under the cut

one example is noroi, her foster father. her loss of him was the catalyst for her mass cannibalization and her path to later attack the ccg and then form aogiri (with some arima complication tied into there). the idea is that she believes if she had been stronger, she would not have lost him. this is further supplemented by what she says to hinami, who is one of her parallels/foils:

(re 69)

eto is one of many characters who project onto other, "weaker" characters, and the appearance of shironeki and ryouko in this panel, characters who disappeared from hinami's life when she was very young, helps emphasize that she is essentially talking down to her younger self through hinami. she does this again with kanae:

(re 43)

just so we have a pattern going on here. now, to build on what she says to kanae, hirako says this about arima:

(re 101)

putting these two pieces of dialogue side by side is rather interesting, don't you think? it implies a lot about the true nature of the relationship between eto and arima, which itself is not very clear. such is the nature of subtext. but i'm getting off track here; you can read more about that here. this person puts it into a much better context than i ever could.

point being, eto equates "vulnerability" with "weakness", and is constantly fighting against showing it in order to not be hurt anymore. however, she also contends with the emptiness of constantly being left behind by others-- namely noroi and shiono-- and wanting to fill it. this issue is pretty obvious when you realize noro is just her zombified foster dad, probably the first person in the world who showed her any affection.

in short, the people she who love her are always leaving her. so in being loved, people get hurt and die. for her. if that's the case, it's better not to be loved at all, right?

but one quick thing: how do we know eto values life? how do we know she cares?

one need only look at the first thing she says in tokyo ghoul:

(tg 78)

---

thanks for the ask! this was fun :]

[javaghoul]

Heeey sooo... Could you elaborate on that Uta thing pls ?👀👀👀

Yes 🥹

1. There will never be a dull moment

Uta is... Entertaining. Obviously, some of his ideas of entertainment may not be what the average person likes to do for fun, but in general he's someone that is great to be around. If you want to go out, he's up for that, and if you want to go out-out for drinks he will rarely say no.

Even if you wanted to stay in and hang out, he's a great person to just be around; he's smart, so guaranteed you'll learn something new whenever you have a conversation. The thing you get educated in has a strong chance of being weird/macabre, but that's to be expected 🤷‍♀️

If you're in a quiet mood or not much of a chatty Cathy to begin with, you'll still struggle to be bored around him. He's constantly doing something. Uta also seems like he has some niche quirks iykwim? When he relaxes, you may notice some of them when he gets really involved with something creative.

Seriously, he's just a very interesting person.

2. He has a great sense of humour

He's friends with Itori and Yomo, so that says it all; you need to see the humour in things to spend so much time with both of them and remain sane.

Dry sense of humour, and quite witty. He's perfected the balance of being able to tease people and it's still funny for all involved without being mean which is a skill.

3. It's unlikely you'll ever offend or embarrass him

I think it'd be impossible to offend Uta. I think someone could say the literal worst thing in the world to him, and rather than him getting upset he'd try and see where they're coming from.

Don't get me wrong though: I think if he had a partner who was deliberately going out of their way to be a dick, he would end things swiftly, but if it's one of them not thinking moments, or panicking afterwards incase he took it the wrong way, you'd be ok. He'd likely find that funny... And maybe play on it a little.

In terms of embarrassing him, I think he may get a little annoyed if he had an especially clingy ott partner that liked to smother him when he's around other people. I can't imagine him with someone like that in the first place, but he'd tire of it quickly.

4. Supportive

You wanna quit your job and try a completely new career?

You wanna go no-contact with every one of your relatives?

Get face tattoos?

Speak an unpopular opinion to a bunch of people?

Uta 👏 has 👏 your 👏 back.

I think he would like a partner that doesn't necessarily go with flow and likes to rebel (in whatever form that takes) from time to time. His support may be the quiet kind - he isn't going to cheerlead for you - but will give honest feedback when asked.

BUT - with that in mind, depending on what you're doing and how close you are, Uta is someone that has a tendency to let people potentially make BIG mistakes and watch them from the sidelines. If he's in a serious relationship, he may say something if he thinks it's going to go majorly wrong.

Key word being MAY.

It's like he can be a little TOO supportive.

5. Down for whatever

If you read this how I meant it to be implied, you wanna know about the "physical" aspects to being in a relationship with him, right?

Uta's very open minded; there isn't much that he considers to be off-limits. If his partner wants to experiment, he would absolutely love it, but if they're more vanilla, he's good with that too...Or rather, he'd see that as more of an experiment to see if he can change that just a tiny bit.

If his s/o has any kinks he'll accommodate, and if they don't, he'll create some.

6. He'll make you feel like a vip

He isn't the type to write sonnets, or do staged (fake) performances declaring his love, but uta is not afraid of PDA - something that doesn't really happen in Japan. He's a tactile dude, always touching or being near his s/o , regardless of where he is or who else is around.

Will think nothing of cancelling plans with other people to do something with his s/o, especially at the start of the relationship.

I also think that with the right person, he would go above and beyond to make them happy (most of the time).

7. Isn't afraid of investing in a relationship & 8. Or can keep things casual

Uta isn't someone that has a particular relationship in mind. If he meets someone and realises he has VERY strong feelings for them, he isn't the type to get scared off immediately, if that makes sense?

At the same time, if he met someone and from the start they made it clear it was "just" dating/sex, I think he'd be able to compartmentalize himself well enough to not catch any feelings and get himself in trouble.

Basically: he isn't terrified of a long-term, commited relationship, nor is he turned off by a fling.

9. * Done in a separate post *

10. He's sensitive, he'll know when something is up

Yeah, don't bother texting him back saying "Nothing." When he asks you what's up. He'll know.

Guy's telepathic.

If something is bothering you, he will know straight away, and likely have a good guess at what's bothering you too.

This could be a potential problem area, because if his partner is somebody that wants their privacy, or maybe drags things out for attention - because sometimes people do that - I think uta could get very irritated, very quickly.

Uta with an s/o who is upset about something will act in the same way regardless of what the issue is: you either tell him and let him help, or don't and get over it. He isn't going to chase someone, and the silent treatment won't work.

But if you're upset and not playing games, you'll literally not have to say a word lol he'll be able to tell from the pauses between texting. He is THAT good 👌

[tg-pilled]

Analyzing Tokyo Ghoul from a trans perspective

This is from my perspective as a transmasc person (gendaflooid specifically)

So there's the obvious perspective: Kaneki has to pick between embracing his ghoul side (transgender side) and his human side (cis side). He can either be accepted by society or sacrifice that for his own pursuit of happiness. He's worried about losing Hide, the one person he knows loves and accepts him how is as a human. The fear of losing the one person in his life that he knows For Sure loves him due to him being different. Hide who loves Kaneki unconditionally even after he suspects Kaneki of being a ghoul (trans) and confirming it in Anteiku. The way Kaneki was introduced to a world that would protect him in Anteiku (trans pride groups, etc.) and he could explore what it meant to be a ghoul and embrace that side of him. His entire arc revolves around learning to accept Both sides. Then in :re he loses his memory as Haise and it can be interpreted as going back in the closet for the sake of staying safe, family, etc. Haise still hears Kaneki though and Knows that there's something there that he can't forget no matter how hard he tries. Then when Haise reunites w Hinami and all the other Anteiku ppl he is reminded of what it means to be truly loved by people. Don't even get me started on how important that final scene w Hide is bc I think that's when Kaneki/Haise would finally come back and realize what a beautiful thing it is to be a ghoul (trans). Anyways sorry for being unwell it WILL happen again ‼️ I feel like I'm missing stuff idk if I am feel free to add on

[imgabysama]

I've been thinking about the angst part of the AmonAki relationship, there's a lot to explore and I usually like to stay on the sidelines everything's fine and we're happy.

But come on, I spent the day thinking only about that, I don't like to think that Amon died an early death or anything like that because that would destroy me.

The main part is that both are still stuck in step cycles, especially Akira, she lived her parents' lives, felt her father's feelings, her whole life was written, either because of the high expectations generated by the mother, or the resentment of the father, or all the pressure she suffered from the CCG.

Akira was a pure-blooded investigator, she never had an identity other than the cold prodigy or the lonely woman who gets attached to people and is left behind.

Even when she changes her perspective and starts fighting alongside the ghouls she keeps constantly mentioning her father, using his quinques, his methods.

Amon is completely chained to the past, he can't leave it behind, he doesn't understand Donato, he doesn't accept under any circumstances that he lived for some kind of love or affection from Donato towards him, Amon lives with survivor's guilt.

The crucifix he wears is the biggest chain he can wear, so there's Mado, filling a mentor role for him, Amon judges Donato for plotting and killing all those children, but admires and repeats Kureo's cruel methods.

When he meets Akira he projects her as Mado's daughter and later as Harima, he thinks that the problems between them are solely because she is Mado's daughter, not that he is wrong, and later she reminds Harima, he turns her into the only person who can absolve him, even when they get closer, Mado is still between them at all times, including when she tries to kiss him.

Akira despite not fully understanding him, the phrase "that's just like you" evidence that she is aware that he is stuck in the past, the way he pushes her away, how he doesn't say anything, is exactly like him, someone who needs to be driven by external motivations, constantly in conflict, always on the go, Amon doesn't just think of Akira as Akira, so he is not able to clearly process his feelings for her.

In :re, Amon is more proactive, but for me many of his actions are inconsistent, he chases Kurona for years, but we don't even see them interact, he says he wants to save Seidou, but apparently he and Akira left him behind.

He goes back to Akira, I think he understands her better, I have the hc that he attached himself to her to keep himself sane, and secretly watched her during the time he lived in hiding.

He misses Akira, how simpler life was, but at that point, Amon had more awareness, enough for him to know that he couldn't fix or change anything.

He offers to help Akira fill the void she feels, I don't think he's gotten over his own emptiness completely, but little by little, in the conversation with Kaneki for example, Amon was slowly getting rid of the bonds, when he gives the crucifix to Seidou and later when he kills Donato and finally accepts that he loved him.

One of my favorite parts is that their reconciliation takes place when they are alone, with no cemeteries, just them, it's a huge step up by their standards.

Thinking about all this, I think Akira also tried to get rid of the emptiness, but it took her longer, she can start to become less of a father, she gets rid of the quinques, no longer frequents cemeteries, Amon understands what she is doing, part of what he does with her is watching her.

After they move out, Akira can fully bury her father and then try to build an identity for herself, she can face severe challenges with herself, realize that her emptiness came from herself, from the twelve-year-old girl who was filled with hate, resentment and cruelty.

In a darker perspective, I don't think they are capable of fully recovering, Akira could be Amon's new obsession, take care of her, make her happy, love her, this could be the surrender he wants so much.

Well, I'm not very good with character studies and I don't really enjoy exploring the darker part of their relationship, although I have many hcs about Amon and his feelings for Akira, I hope I can gather and organize my hcs better.

[bingeeaterblog]

// small warning big re touken hate it's a post on why I hate it and how I think it could've been done better BUT I encourage you to keep reading if you do like them and to give me your thoughts whether to tell me why you like them or why you think im wrong in some regards i love a good debate its why i joined Tumblr

I'm gonna start this off by talking about why I loved the original mangas touken.

They start off as strangers, them only having a REAL meeting when she saves his ass from nishio. Initially she was cold and rude, for every reason he was very disrespectful(also for good reason he was scared and all he knew about ghouls is that they are monsters who hurt people, one literally just had him in a choke hold) but I digress. Kaneki starts working at anteiku and he's shadowing touka much to her dismay she feels he can't do anything right and is just a know it all human.

Right off the bat they have a very interesting dynamic, touka learning to care for kaneki him starting to see her(and ghouls as a whole) as a person and not something he should be afraid of.

As time goes on, touka falls for him, it's what makes everything so hard when he abandons her. She feels betrayed he left just like ayato and her dad did no one ever stays for her? How could they? She makes herself so hard to love shutting everyone out. She blames herself partly, not being able to protect him from whatever happened at the aoigiri base.

When she does see him again she's angry! How dare he come back after all this! Why can't he just make up his mind! So she lashes out, she misses him so dearly but she can't tell him that? Let him know she cares? She hits him and tells him to never come back to anteiku (to her).

You can see why it's so appealing!! The angst!! The drama!!! They have it all! Toukas longing and kanekis isolation are what makes them so GOOD.

To explain why I don't like re touken we have to talk about why I don't like re touka.

Touka before was a very well rounded character, she was brash and a little impulsive, she loves the people around her even if its hard for her to show it in a healthy way. She'll do whatever it takes even if it means risking her own life.

Re touka, doesn't really have that. She's very... Water downed. I like to call it house house wife-ification. She's lost any semblance of her old personality. While I do like the idea of touka calming down and becoming more docile it's not done right, we meet her again and she's just... Like that? There's no character development of her changing it just happens! She's shaved down so she can be the perfect love interest for kaneki, it's even shown in her design! Her eyes are softer and she doesn't hold any of the same energy as old touka(this happens with a lot of female characters ishida just ended up giving them all the same face besides eto).

Kaneki is? Fine? I loved haise as a character and him and touka were sorta cute if u kinda ignore that fact touka isn't touka. Kaneki was fine and re and that's it, he's just okay. His Savior complex is removed and it's just "I wanna save people!!" The whole reason his savior complex is important is BECAUSE it ends up hurting more people he should've been developed to learn how to manage that and be the hero he could be.

Now for their actual relationship.

It's very.... Rushed? There's no tension no build up just "are you a virgin?" Which in my opinion is something touka would never say she'd stumble around it. they made her bold at the wrong times she's an awkward lil freak. And then boom! Sex yeah! And it's? Okay? It's not my favorite I felt like a sex scene between them should've been more desperate!! That's when the marriage bite should've happened! It should've bites and messy kisses and promises to never leave again! There was no passion! There was the "why are you crying" but that didn't really do anything for me!!

I do like the end scene where she was petting his hair that was very soft which is what he needs.

Then toukas pregnant!(Which is something I'll get into good another time) And it kinda feels like they only rush into the marriage because she is... Like I feel like they should've atleast had a dating stage y'know!! Everything just felt so fast with them and nothing like the original:(

The end credits scene feels nothing like touka, she looks dead that's not the character I used to know :( kaneki too only the scene with hide felt real

And yeah! I like ichika! But how cool would it have been if touka got pregnant AFTER re and in the end credit thing she was revealed! Another natural born one eyed ghoul!! Idk...

This is very messy sorry I had to get this out. if you like them? That's fine!! That's super duper cool its just not my favorite. Tell me why you think I'm wrong! Id love to hear your opinions

[harleyquilt]

Some appreciation for Ishida's character writing...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I like that Rize never let go of her hatred. She began her journey wanting to bite the hands of those that tried to hold her down.

And despite knowing that her actions led her towards greater suffering, she continues to resent Kaneki, who, in turn, decides to accept his failures and moves forward in hopes of becoming a better person.

She even goes as far as to try to 'drown' him herself when he fails to drown the first time.

It is an attitude that can be seen with multiple characters as they face their respective downfalls; Urie with his need for strength, Shiro with her vengeance, Mutsuki with his obsessive jealousy, and particularly Furuta, who cannot accept and move on from his disillusioned dream for a domestic life. What connects all these characters, including Rize, is their inability to move on, fixating on the wrongs they've experienced to justify their destructive behaviour. Kaneki also fell into this downward spiral in the first series, hence why it is a tragedy that ends with this 'death'.

But he learns, painfully, the fault in this way of thinking, and though others are forced to do the same during a pivotal moment in their development, (which can even include their deaths), Rize holds onto her hatred until the very end. Does she die resentful? Angry? Disappointed? Either way, it's a great moment of character writing, paralleling Kaneki's growth with Rize's refusal to change, working cyclically with the series -- just as her actions led to her demise in the first chapter, she dies bitterly a second time, at the hands of the man she deemed responsible for her suffering. It's cruelly ironic.

It's not perfect, but it does bring Touka some solace, being able to move on instead of fixating on a destructive sentimentality, like revenge. She can heal, she can grow, and she does, epitomised with her relationship with Kaneki and the conception of their child.

And what helps Kaneki move on in this way? Well, in contrast to Rize's refusal to develop, Touka stands as the antithesis of her characterisation. Touka is initially driven by the same violent rage that drives many others in the series, as touched on before. She kills the investigators hunting Hinami, as well as investigator Mado, but it doesn't bring her peace, especially when considering how she witnessed her father going down the same path, and then Ayato. And then Kaneki. After seeing the fruitlessness of exerting this rage, she refuses to be the same, instead focusing on the pacifism that Yoshimura tried to teach her.

The same pacifism Kaneki tries to reject before killing Yamori, notably following his acceptance of his ghoul side, as visualised with his figurative consumption of Rize.

And Kaneki, in turn, learns from her, abandoning his idealisation of Rize as a pinnacle of strength, and understanding, finally, that following her shadow will only ever result in his death. Instead, he'll follow the light that Touka brings into his life, her faith, her love, and her stability creating a home he can return to. And with a home, he can believe that this meandering journey has a destination he can strive towards. Of course, this home goes on to encapsulate all those he loves, but Touka remains the foundation within his mind.

There's beauty in acceptance, in seeing a purpose in one's bad experiences. It's something I can certainly relate to, refusing nihilism by accepting that, in the end, the world just is.

[gunkbaby]

rambling abt how i used to feel abt shuu in TG’s ending and why i think i was wrong (+ part of what he means 2 me)

I remember back in 2021, i was into this idea that Shuu didn’t get a happy ending at the end of tg:re, because the characters that got ‘happy’ endings were shown to be in heteronormative relationships - married, with a child or multiple - whilst characters like Shuu didn’t have that.

I think at the time, myself - maybe other ppl - took this as being kind of queerphobic, or at least unsatisfactory to the queer characters. The ‘Shuu Tsukiyama deserved better’ of it all.

And whilst yes, Shuu Tsukiyama did indeed deserve better; in hindsight I do so strongly disagree with this idea I had. I think it relies on a particular interpretation of the story, which I don’t think I agree with. I think maybe, some of this idea did come from people who maybe didn’t like TouKen being canon - and whilst I don’t necessarily like how TouKen became canon, I think maybe I got swept up in this interpretation too.

It wasn’t so much that I wanted Shuuneki to be canon or anything - it was much the opposite. I thought that Shuu should not have been so unwillingly faithful to Kaneki after the Tsukiyama Extermination, that he had earned a moment of scorn, he had earned the right to ‘split’, you could say. This isn’t necessarily an idea I wholly disagree with, but I was going about it in the wrongly. I thought about the ending in a very black and white way - Shuu not having that moment, to me, meant the ending was void. He was living in false happiness - forced to watch the man he loved be happy whilst he was still a glorified dog. I thought he needed to be away from Kaneki to be truly happy, and I think that was the issue with my idea.

I think the reason I so strongly resonated with this interpretation of the ending as being subpar and Shuu not getting his flowers was also very much my projection onto Shuu. I think my anger was still very much aimed at how the ending came, but I misplaced it.

At the time, I myself was experiencing my first ’BPD moment’ I suppose? I’d come online and actively engaged with a fandom for the first time in my life outside of Wattpad. I didn’t know what I was doing or what was happening, my social skills were (and are) nonexistent - I left school at 13 and the only person I’d really interacted with since was my abuser and doctors. I was awful at it all. When I started to get mutuals and the like, I was really quite inappropriate - clingy and unaware, unstable and nuclear. I fucked up a lot of myself because of it, and I still have to recover from it even now. So, with that in mind, as someone with BPD, who was that inappropriately co-dependant person - and who is now aware of that fact - nowadays, I look at Shuu’s ending with less comtempt, and a lot more optimism.

I think now that Shuu’s happy ending would never have been to be with Kaneki - only in an ideal world that serves our illnesses. Him learning to grow past this limerence, to see Kaneki in a way that isn’t so ride or die, and to maintain a healthy, platonic relationship with him, feels perfect. It gives me hope as someone with BPD, that I might not be doomed to always be quite a toxic person in regards to having any kind of relationship. You can argue that I’m arguing abt the ‘single is better’ trope or whatever terminally online thing it is now, but I don’t see it like that.

When I think about it now, I think Shuu’s ending was perfect for him. Now, I look at him through my ‘BPD gaze’ (eurgh) and see this ending as something very hopeful. The idea of being able to exist with this person you’ve been so obsessed with, in a way that does not create a detriment to yourself, and to exist and have a seemingly normal, healthy friendship with that person - it’s kind of the dream. For me, at least - personally I dream to have relationships that don’t lead to me embarrassing myself on the internet and in public and ending up relapsed and on a ward. Just me, maybe.

I take his ending nowadays as something quite hopeful.

Shuu’s arc in :re, to me, has always been symbolic of recovery. When I first read it, I was in therapy, specifically in an eating disorder clinic - Shuu’s own recovery from anorexia meant I could do it too. His softening of his depression meant I stood a chance too. His seeming abandonment of his ‘Gourmet’ persona I compared to myself, in learning to let go of my idea of myself as an anorexic. Him learning to possess and lean into his own empathy, to embrace feelings and ideas of himself that contradicted this idea of a civilised, ferocious man-eating predator, to love with less shame - to me it appeared as a story of learning to embrace that possessing humanity is not a weakness. To be human is so confusing, but it can be so ethereally freeing.

Shuu’s story has felt like a lot of things to me. It’s learning to abandon the adoration one possesses for the idea of the self, understanding that to continue living in such a way leads to self-destruction. But also, that to self-destruct is to rebirth. We are constantly self-annihilating and rebuilding ourselves from our ashes.

I’m reminded of the Fire lily - a flower that exists in fire-prone areas of the cape of South Africa. The lily is unique, lying dormant for many, many years, and particularly difficult to cultivate; as it relies on smoke from surrounding wildfires to bloom. So it requires a level of destruction and ravage to bloom, and it is so, so beautiful. In the process, the lily becomes the only source of pollen in the area, so it becomes crucial for the other species in the area. As the other plants in the area return, the lily dies, and returns underground, until the next fire.

To me, Shuu’s story feels like a cycle of nature and destruction. He goes from this idea of the apex predator, through an annihilation, to a rebirth.

His story - his character - despite itself, has felt painfully human. The fear of aligning yourself with humanity, the pain of existing within a species that has become little but an arrogant pest. Which feels so ironic. It’s hard to speak on this, maybe I’m not smart enough, and though I don’t feel like one, I have only ever lived as a human, and that is my only perspective. So maybe him feeling so human is major projection, and I’m wrong, but I see it in Shuu. How he denies things like friendship and kinship with humans, how he tries to put himself on a pedestal - I read this as a side-effect of alienation and loneliness. He doesn’t quite fit in with ghouls where he should, but to accept that you do not fit in because you are strange - there is something wrong with you - is very painful, so it’s much easier to become arrogant. He feels so in denial of his loneliness, of a need for companionship; and that, to me, feels very human. He wants to fit in, maybe he wants to be something other than othered, but he’s in denial of this, and he’s in denial of his flaws - the flaws that alienate him - so he remains stagnant, waiting for the inevitably of self-destruction. Shuu was never going to stay as he was, if Kaneki hadn’t threw him off course, he would’ve fallen anyway.

Living things need to experience a pain or discomfort to grow back stronger. Winter is a necessary season of life that none are spared. Shuu’s story feels like that - a season cycle.

There’s a lot more I could say about him, his story and what it means to me, but I am rambling and getting all purple prose-y.

Again, I stress that I do still feel dissatisfied by Shuu’s arc in re - he did indeed, ‘deserve better’. Much like myself at 17, I do wish this journey of limerence to a healthy, platonic relationship had been better expanded upon. Shuu questioning Kaneki, experiencing a moment of scorn - I do think of that idea often, just not like I used to. His ‘deserved better’ isn’t the ending, but the progression to it. My problem with Shuu’s writing is post-Tsukiyama extermination arc - so it links into my problem with most of the Tsukiyama Family characters, and Chiehori - there is very little attention given to Shuu post this arc. When there is, it’s good on paper, but this aspect of his arc is not shown consistently strongly enough. We don’t see this sort of ‘journey of self-improvement’. Shuu kind of comes back and he’s just, better. Personally, I think there should have been more nuance to this arc - and I think I thought that back in 2021 too, but I was angry at the wrong thing.

I think Tokyo Ghoul’s flaws often come from the fact that the idea behind it is so huge - there is so much stuff you can do with it. For worldbuilding and character ideas alone. The plot it considers sometimes feels too small to be satisfying for the world it exists in. The characters are so often written too richly, and there are too many of them - this is both a highlight and a hinderence of it. It has too much stuff, implied and not. I do believe a lot of the dissatisfaction I was experiencing with TG in 2021 was because I didn’t quite understand that fact. I think I kind of resented the series, and Ishida, for it. Nowadays, I don’t really care. I’ll just pose my own ideas and write what I would’ve - fanfiction is wonderful in that. Maybe I understood what my issue with TG truly was, finally, or maybe I’m just not 17 anymore.