Ken Kaneki

The story unfolds in Tokyo, where society is threatened by ghouls – beings who feed exclusively on human flesh while appearing indistinguishable from ordinary people. They hide within society, managing to infiltrate and blend in right up to its highest echelons without detection. This forces the Japanese government to take countermeasures by establishing the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul Measures). Among the ghouls is Rize Kamishiro, a powerful ghoul known to the CCG as gluttonous. She arranges a meeting with the university student Ken Kaneki with the intention to feed on him. The encounter goes terribly wrong, leaving Kaneki gravely injured. To save his life, he is transplanted with Rize's organs, transforming him into the first-ever half-ghoul. Kaneki soon discovers that he can no longer consume ordinary food and is forced to battle with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. However, he is taken in by the proprietors of Anteiku Café, a haven managed by peaceful ghouls who teach him how to integrate into ghoul society and survive without killing humans. At one point, Kaneki becomes embroiled in the conflict between various ghoul factions and the CCG. After being tortured by a powerful ghoul named Yamori, Kaneki undergoes a drastic physical transformation – his black hair turns white – and a psychological shift, marked by tics like snapping his fingers in the manner of his torturer. Ultimately, by embracing his ghoul nature, he manages to kill Yamori. Later, he joins the Aogiri Tree, forming his own autonomous group dedicated to training and fighting against rival ghouls and CCG investigators, often acting as a spy to protect his loved ones.

Updated September 23, 2026