Tokyo Ghoul

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Toukyou Kushu

Japanese: 東京喰種トーキョーグール

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 14

Chapters: 144

Status: Finished

Published: Sep 8, 2011 to Sep 18, 2014

Genres: Action, Fantasy, Horror

Themes: Gore, Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Young Jump

Authors: Ishida, Sui (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.52¹ (scored by 256,975 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #126²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #5

Members: 473,260

Favorites: 43,050

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8.52

Ranked #126Popularity #5Members 473,260

MangaYoung JumpIshida, Sui (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /14

Chapters: /144

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Synopsis

Lurking within the shadows of Tokyo are frightening beings known as "ghouls," who satisfy their hunger by feeding on humans once night falls. An organization known as the Commission of Counter Ghoul (CCG) has been established in response to the constant attacks on citizens and as a means of purging these creatures. However, the problem lies in identifying ghouls as they disguise themselves as humans, living amongst the masses so that hunting prey will be easier. Ken Kaneki, an unsuspecting university freshman, finds himself caught in a world between humans and ghouls when his date turns out to be a ghoul after his flesh.

Barely surviving this encounter after being taken to a hospital, he discovers that he has turned into a half-ghoul as a result of the surgery he received. Unable to satisfy his intense craving for human meat through conventional means, Kaneki is taken in by friendly ghouls who run a coffee shop in order to help him with his transition. As he begins what he thinks will be a peaceful new life, little does he know that he is about to find himself at the center of a war between his new comrades and the forces of the CCG, and that his new existence has caught the attention of ghouls all over Tokyo.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Tokyo Ghoul ranked 12th in the 2015 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! magazine in the male readers category. The manga was the 27th best-selling manga series in Japan in 2013 with 1,666,348 estimated sales; 4th in 2014 with 6,946,203 copies sold; and 13th in 2015 with an estimated sales of 3,576,177 copies sold. An artbook titled Tokyo Ghoul [zakki] was released on October 17, 2014.

The series was published in English by VIZ Media under the VIZ Signature imprint from June 16, 2015 to August 15, 2017, and in Spanish by Norma Editorial from March 20, 2015 to June 23, 2016. It has also been published in German by KAZÉ Manga since May 2, 2014; in Polish by Waneko since April 15, 2015; in Brazilian Portuguese by Panini Comics and Planet Manga since July 2015; in Czech by CREW since August 31, 2016; and in Spanish by Ivrea Argentina since December 12, 2016.

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Related Manga

Side story:	Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul: "Jack"
Alternative version:	Tokyo Ghoul
Sequel:	Tokyo Ghoul:re
Adaptation:	Tokyo Ghoul √A, Tokyo Ghoul

More characters
Characters

Kaneki, Ken

Main

Kirishima, Touka

Main

Suzuya, Juuzou

Supporting

Uta

Supporting

Tsukiyama, Shuu

Supporting

Nagachika, Hideyoshi

Supporting

Eto

Supporting

Kamishiro, Rize

Supporting

Kirishima, Ayato

Supporting

Arima, Kishou

Supporting

More reviewsReviews

Feb 14, 2015

Seryne299

Recommended

At first this manga might not have the most original concept or story. However, the way in which it is executed is excellent. There are no such things as 'black and white' in this manga.

Each important character has proper development and significance to the story, and none of them are there just for the sake of them being there, nor are they useless. The characters have realistic personalities, and none of them are just 'good' or 'bad'. Each character is well developed and continue to develop and none of them are completely innocent just like how it is in real life.

I appreciated the fact ...

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Dec 19, 2014

Anondesuu

Recommended

This is my first review on MAL and I'm pretty excited that it's about my probably favorite finished manga of 2014!

Let's start!

Story - 10

Ken Kaneki, your average shy and bookloving collegestudent gets plunged into the world of the creatures called ghouls - who feed on humans. He learns of the life as a ghoul and being the kind and righteous guy he is, he cannot ignore nor accept the fact that they kill humans to devour them. But little does he know what it feels like to be driven to insanity by your own hunger, and little does he know of what it ...

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Dec 22, 2014

Jest

Recommended

Despite the manga's popularity, it wasn't until the anime aired this year that Tokyo Ghoul exploded in sales and became one of the top five best-selling manga in Japan (beating Kuroko's Basketball, Naruto and Magi).

So what is it about this series that attracted such popularity? It’s by no means a perfect series, that's for sure; but it gets a lot of things right.

The story begins by introducing readers to the timid protagonist; Kaneki Ken. Kaneki is an average college student that is forced to come to terms with living as a ghoul after a freak accident results in a ghoul's organs being transplanted into his ... body. Whilst not exactly the most subtle premise, the manga wisely focuses on the duality of Kaneki's life, as he attempts to maintain his normal, human life whilst having to deal with the problems that his ghoul identity incorporates into his lifestyle. The author attempts to question the morality of the world he has created, and encourages the reader to do so as well. As ghouls are required to consume human meat to survive, Kaneki is forced to confront the prospect that he may have to kill humans if he wishes to live. Usually I prefer to avoid elaborating on the story so much, but the moral dilemmas that this manga presents are one of the most interesting aspects of the series, and are one of the driving forces that keep readers engaged in the events that unfold. Unfortunately they tend to lose their significance as the story progresses, and around halfway through the series is an event that drastically alters the story and feels far too ham-fisted compared to the rest of the series, but I'll elaborate on that in the character paragraph. Added to that, the story also ends on a highly unsatisfying note. Regardless of what information is revealed in the sequel manga, this is a review of the 144 chapters that the story spans across, so any information provided externally means naught. As I read the final few chapters, my faith in the series having a gratifying conclusion eroded further and further. As the manga ends, readers are left with the story tying itself together within the last few chapters. Having to process what had happened was jarring when the series had handled its pacing so well throughout the rest of the story, and the author definitely should have reconsidered how he chose to conclude it. With the amount of literary influence in the story, it felt as though the mangaka was trying to structure his story as a classic tale of tragedy, and if that were his intention then it was well-done indeed.

The art for the series is pretty decent overall, but there's not much to praise. His character designs are done well, and the inky panels help maintain the dark atmosphere of the series. The art is fairly standard but it definitely has its moments where it shines. That said, the fight scenes can be quite hit or miss; especially in the early parts of the story. The way the mangaka draws the fights occasionally lead me to be confused with what actions were performed in each panel. It’s a very minor issue as it only happened a few times, but it was something that was highly noticeable when the rest of the art flowed relatively smoothly.

The characters in the series are a strong point as well. Kaneki is a particularly strong protagonist in the sense that the ghoul’s violent lifestyle being inflicted on such a mild-mannered person is intriguing to watch. The supporting characters are also written well, and unlike a lot of other stories, they actually continue to serve a purpose after their initial introductions. With a story that raises a variety of moral dilemmas, readers can often question whether the antagonists are truly the 'evil' ones and vice versa for the protagonists. But the characters aren't always handled well. Kaneki in particular undergoes a period of rapid growth about halfway through the story, and it feels far too convenient. Almost as if the event was used as an excuse to fast-track Kaneki's development to allow him to play a more integral role in the story. Whilst this isn't a huge detraction, it’s something that irked me long after I'd finished reading the series.

Tokyo Ghoul has a lot to offer, and its popularity is well-deserved. Those that tend to avoid dark stories would be wise to avoid this too. It’s terrific, but it’s not the series that'll change your mind. Not once was I ever bored while reading, and I often looked forward to doing so to see how the story would develop.

This manga is great, and those interested in a dark, strong story would do well to give the series a try. If some of the characters were developed more subtly, and the ending hadn't raised more questions than it answered, then this manga would definitely be bordering masterpiece territory. As it stands, Tokyo Ghoul is an undoubtedly solid manga that deserves your time.

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Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 9 Discussion Stark700 - Feb 17, 2013	19 replies	by APThunder »» May 16, 12:41 PM
Poll: Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 144 Discussion (Volume 5, Side Story) Mana - Feb 8, 2017	8 replies	by Oxygen-Stealer »» May 15, 9:40 AM
Should I immediatly start re: after the original? Plavuus - May 4	1 replies	by Alexioos95 »» May 4, 9:27 PM
Poll: Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 118 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 22, 2014	23 replies	by Torrible »» Apr 17, 10:27 AM
Poll: Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 116 Discussion ShanaFlame - Aug 8, 2014	27 replies	by Torrible »» Apr 17, 8:17 AM

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