The nineth and final Story Arc of the Tokyo Ghoul series consisting of chapters 122 - 143 (plus an epilogue chapter) from the original manga and episodes 9-12 of the anime's second season, concluding the first series. The arc centers on the battle between Anteiku and the CCG after the café is discovered to be a haven for ghouls. As a result, Kaneki races to return to Anteiku in an attempt to save the ghouls there from certain death as the fragile peace of the 20th Ward is destroyed; throwing both sides of the story into a conflict that comes to a bloody and tragic conclusion.
Return to the main Tokyo Ghoul Recap Index
Short Summary
During a trip to the zoo, Suzuya thinks back to his time in slavery under the Big Madam ghoul, and remembers of the neverending torture he had to endure. He also remembers back to his time with the CCG of having been rescued, seen as a threat, and raised in the academy to the point of meeting Shinohara. Having been discharged from the hospital, Suzuya is greeted by a fully healed Shinohara, who informs his partner that they will be taking part in the Anteiku operation.
The rest of the chosen CCG Investigators prepare for the operation by having to write their final testament to their loved ones. Kuroiwa volunteers himself to join the operation while Seidou is picked to be one of the elected investigators. Despite accepting, Seidou hides from everyone (including his family) that he is certain he will die and completely terrified at the prospect. Hide is also chosen to take part, and agrees to join the operation after being informed by Marude that the raid will be on the location Kaneki had worked previously.
After receiving a new quinque from researcher Chigyou, Amon and Akira head over to Kureo's grave where Akira reveals the need to kill Owl for the sake of her dead parents. She tries to show her affection for Amon, but he ends up denying her kiss as the two return to the CCG afterward to join the Anteiku operation. Meanwhile, at a café, Kaneki overhears several off-duty Investigators mention the CCG's preparations to attack Owl in the 20th Ward, and decides to get moving as well.
While out walking, Yoshimura is greeted by members of the organization (known as V) that he used to work for during his time as Kuzen. The leader, Kaiko, asks Yoshimura to hand over his One-Eyed Owl child, and to swear loyalty again to V, but are turned away when Yoshimura refuses to submit. Kaiko leaves off stating to Yoshimura that his death is certain as he is still just a bird trapped in a birdcage. Elsewhere, Kaneki is able to get word to Yomo of the CCG's raid on Anteiku, who passes the information on to Yoshimura. He, Koma and Irimi share one last cup of coffee together as the three of them ready themselves for their final fight against the CCG.
The CCG raid team, led by Director Yoshitoki Washuu, are greeted at Anteiku's entrance by Koma and Irimi; having returned to their ghoul personas as the Devil Ape (Koma) and the Black Dog (Irimi). The battle between Anteiku, and the CCG, begins as ghoul reinforcements loyal to Anteiku arrive to back up Koma and Irimi. Yoshimura also appears on the battlefield as they begin to kill off the first waves of Investigators. Kaneki is seen elsewhere listening to the news that the 20th Ward has become a restricted warzone.
The battles at Anteiku continue as the Devil Ape ends up in a fight with Investigator Tanakamaru while the Black Dog is greeted by Investigator Hachikawa. Shinohara and Kuroiwa (backed up by Houji and Special Class Ui), having activated their Arata quinques, also stand before Yoshimura to finish the fight they started back at the Aogiri Tree Hideout.
Watching the battle from a far away rooftop, Kaneki says his goodbyes to his gang; having decided to join the fray to reach Anteiku. Nishiki, Banjou's group, and Hinami, have decided to take the opening they were given by Yoshimura to go into hiding, but Tsukiyama attempts to fight Kaneki to drag him away from a battle he believes that Kaneki won't survive. Kaneki wins, and despite a tearful Tsukiyama begging him not to go, Kaneki claims that he's sick of being useless.
Elsewhere, Yomo arrives at Touka's home, and informs her that they will be going into hiding to evade the CCG raid. Despite Touka wishing to go back, Yomo informs her that Yoshimura, Koma and Irimi are fighting so that she can live on, which has Touka coming to accept that her life at Anteiku is over.
Returning to the Anteiku fight, Suzuya enters the Owl duel as back-up against Yoshimura, and Hirako's squad arrives to help Hachikawa battle Black Dog. Irimi's fight eventually causes her to suffer an injury to the CCG as she uses her body to shield an old lady civilian from their attack. Hachikawa and Hirako's group take advantage of the injury, and are able to land a decisive blow upon Irimi, but before the Investigators can finish her off, Kaneki arrives on the scene to protect her.
Kaneki informs Irimi that he's already rescued Koma from death against Tanakamaru, and is given a rundown by Irimi of her current enemies. Thanks to the information, Kaneki is able to come out the winner over Hirako, and is able to retreat with Irimi to a safe location, who tells Kaneki of a sewer route, V14, that the ghouls can use to escape the 20th Ward. Kaneki next heads for Yoshimura's location, but ends up running into Amon's squad as they arrive. Kaneki's movements gets stalled by Amon as Yoshitoki and Marude get word that the Centipede ghoul has appeared, which catches Hide's attention as well.
Kaneki is forced into battling Amon to the point of breaking the Investigator's current quinque, but before Kaneki could continue on, Researcher Chigyou arrives to hand over two new quinques to Amon (one of which is a Kakujya type with Arata form), which he puts to use for another match against Kaneki.
Meanwhile, after taking a hit from Special Class Ui to the torso, an exhausted Yoshimura attempts to escape his fight for a brief moment of rest, but is caught off-guard by Suzuya who manages cut off one of the Owl ghoul's arms. In return, Yoshimura cuts off Suzuya's leg, which also takes the boy's ability to fight. Shinohara, who regrets what happened to Suzuya, gets ready to fight Owl with the rest of his CCG team once more.
The battle between Kaneki and Amon rages on, but ends with Kaneki cutting off Amon's right arm, which forces the Investigator to the ground. Amon throws his quinque in a last-ditch effort to stop Kaneki, which blows a hole in the ghoul's chest; leaving Kaneki to crawl as he attempts to continue towards Yoshimura.
The battle against Yoshimura also comes to a close as Kuroiwa provides an opening by cutting off the Owl's other arm, and Shinohara pulls out a secret quinque developed by Kureo that they use to land the final blow on Yoshimura. Before they could celebrate their victory however, the original One-Eyed ghoul child of Yoshimura appears to protect its father. The second One-Eyed ghoul knocks out Shinohara, Kuroiwa and Houji, which forces Ui to duel the second Owl solo, and calls for reinforcements. Akira, and all other ground Investigators with quinques are ordered to head for the location of the Owl fight to support Ui, but Seidou chooses to go against that order, and runs off to search for Amon.
Kaneki manages to evade his CCG pursuers falling into the 20th Ward sewers, but begins to lose his sanity again due to the injury he received from Amon. At this point, Hide manages to find him, and reveals that he already knows everything about Kaneki. Wishing to help his friend, Hide asks Kaneki to fight one last battle.
The battle against the second Owl continues as Ui is the next to be forced out of commission. Suzuya is left to watch the second Owl play around with his partner's body, and sees Shinohara's leg get cut off. This triggers Suzuya to remember all the times Shinohara had been a father figure to him, and realizes that he cares for his partner, and doesn't wish for Shinohara to die.
Kaneki, now fully healed, makes his way through the sewer, but is greeted by Arima at the V14 route entrance; standing amongst a pile of ghoul corpses. Kaneki prepares for a fight against Arima as the battle against the second Owl goes on. Suzuya attempts to fight Owl for the sake of saving Shinohara, but results in him falling from exhaustion. Support finally arrives at this point as Hirako, Hachikawa, Tanakamaru, and many other Investigators arrive to fight the second Owl.
Despite Kaneki's efforts in the fight, he continuously gets stabbed by Arima to the point that Kaneki begins to become unstable once more. Despite struggling to hold his sanity, Kaneki continues to fight in the hopes of getting in one attack that will defeat Arima, but fails to do so, and ends up being completely defeated. Kaneki's last moments have him entering a dimension within himself where he comes to the realization that he is no different from his mother who was only trying to protect herself from pain. He also apologizes to his younger self for becoming what he turned out to be down the line as the two decide that it's time that they take a rest. The very last moment has Kaneki remembering a clown ghoul that caused the steel beam incident.
Elsewhere, Seidou manages to find the injured Amon, but before he could get him medical attention, he is greeted by Aogiri Tree's Tatara, who attacks Seidou when the ghoul realizes that the boy is a subordinate of the Investigator Houji that destroyed Tatara's organization. The two skirmish as Seidou ends up getting the left side of his body bitten off by Aogiri Tree's Noro ghoul. Enraged at what happened to Seidou, the injured Amon charges forward to fight once more against Tatara.
The battle against the second Owl continues as Arima, and his squad, finally arrives to take over for the Investigators that have been fighting it. Arima battles with the second Owl to the point that the ghoul realizes the danger its in against Arima, and escapes with Yoshimura to a safe location. Here, the original Owl's true body comes out of its shell, and reveals the true identity of Yoshimura's child; Eto of Aogiri Tree, who is also the horror novelist, Sen Takatsuki.
With the operation finally over, having defeated 99% of the ghouls, Nishiki watches on, and warns a now catatonic Tsukiyama to eat something before he dies of starvation. At a CCG hospital, Shinohara has been left in a vegetative state, and will no longer wake up, which stuns Suzuya. Akira also confirms the deaths of Amon and Seidou, which causes her to break down in tears. Banjou's group and Hinami are seen searching for a new Hideout, and Investigators Hirako and Ui discuss how no one came out the real winner in the Anteiku operation.
Eto is shown working with Dr. Kanou, and have perserved Yoshimura in a test tube. A calmed Suzuya says his goodbye to Shinohara, and Yoshitoki and Arima inform Chairman Tsuneyoshi that they failed to defeat the One-Eyed Owl of Aogiri Tree. Having erased Kaneki's profile, Arima is given the boy's body to be made into his new quinque. At Itori's bar, she, Uta, Nico, Hoito and Souta laugh at Kaneki's demise, and reveal themselves to be the Clown Faction, Pierrot, that had been behind Kaneki's ghoul transformation. They are left deciding what to do next in order to have the last laugh. Yomo and Touka are last seen looking at the remnants of Anteiku as Touka states that she believes Kaneki will return to them one day.
Later on, Akira visits her father's grave to inform him that she had been promoted to being able to work alongside Arima, and is greeted by her new junior that she will be training: Haise Sasaki.
Long Summary
At the zoo, Suzuya is seen looking upon a giraffe, and drawing a picture of it on a piece of paper. He spots a dad walking along holding his son's hand and begins to have a flashback.
Suzuya remembers back to a time when he was a slave at the Ghoul Restaurant. Ghoul spectators watch as Suzuya provides the entertainment by dodging the knives thrown by a henchman of the ghoul known as Big Madam. The henchman mentions how Suzuya has incredible ability, which Big Madam happily agrees with. After the show, Big Madam greets Suzuya in his prison cell, where he asks Big Madam if he did well. Big Madam gives him 60 points for his effort, and begins to torture Suzuya with strings pulling on his skin in order to destroy his sense of feeling. Present day-Suzuya remembers how his torture at the hands of Big Madam started off feeling terrible, but as the days went by, he lost all sense of valuing himself, and became accustomed to — even comfortable with — the pain.
After the torture, Suzuya is left alone in his cell as he talks to himself; claiming that he is looking forward to tomorrow's job in order to get above 60 points to please his master. The next day, Suzuya is tasked to be the restaurant scrapper in order to chop up the next human meal for the Ghoul spectators. He catches the human, and begins to cut him apart as Suzuya only wishes to make the customers happy. The show ends, and Suzuya is next seen standing before Big Madam. Looking upon Suzuya, Big Madam appreciates the boy's girlish looks, but hates that puberty will someday make him look more masculine. Pulling out a hammer, Big Madam figures that the best solution is to smash Suzuya's private parts. Some time later, Ghoul Investigators raid the Ghoul Restaurant and bring Suzuya under the protection of the CCG.
Time goes by as Academy Investigators discuss over how incredible Suzuya's skills turned out to be, and has the potential to be an incredible Ghoul Investigator. However, one mentions that Suzuya has been destroyed mentally, and has too many problems that could prove to be dangerous. Shinohara, who was also a part of the discussion, mentions how Suzuya had no choice having to live under abuse, and that the CCG will accept him just like any other lost child.
One day, Suzuya is met by one of CCG Academy instructors, Uchino, who notices Suzuya stepping on some ants. Suzuya next strolls through the forest, and wonders to himself if his master Big Madam is doing well. However, he comes across Uchino having finished mutilating a cat. Uchino warns Suzuya that he will kill him if he tells anybody, and leaves Suzuya looking at the dead cat. At another time, the Investigators discuss how they should deal with Uchino, knowing that his sadistic tendency could bring trouble to the CCG Academy and the organisation. They decide that the best option would be to blame all of Uchino's problems on Suzuya.
Suzuya's information is brought before chairman Tsuneyoshi Washuu, who is told that the boy's skills are too great to ignore, and that his partner will be Special Investigator Shinohara. Suzuya is then greeted by Shinohara as the two introduce themselves to one another, and offers Suzuya a new pair of clothes.
Back to the present, Shinohara comes up behind Suzuya, who notes that the boy's crazy picture is a giraffe. Suzuya notices that Shinohara was discharged, who tells Suzuya that he's sorry for not being around. Sitting alongside Suzuya, Shinohara asks Suzuya if he likes animals, which Suzuya answers that he enjoys making diagrams of their inner parts.
Shinohara then informs his partner that they have been chosen to be part of a major operation to take down a certain ghoul, the SSS-rank known as Owl. Suzuya questions if Owl is strong, which Shinohara answers that it is. Shinohara then tells Suzuya the the operation could result in his death, which Suzuya states that it will make him happy. However, Shinohara replies that Suzuya dying during the operation would make him sad, which confuses Suzuya. Suzuya then states that he doesn't care if he lives or dies.
Elsewhere Seidou Takizawa is seen returning home, and is greeted by his mother, Michie Takizawa, who is surprised to find Seidou returning home. Seidou mentions that he's had a vacation forced upon him, and is next greeted by Lokki, his dog. Later on, Seidou is seen eating a meal with his mother, who asks how his work at the CCG is going, which he answers that he's been staying out of trouble. Michie mentions how the rest of the family is doing, but is ignored by Seidou, who just mentions that her food is delicious. Michie next bugs Seidou about Akira possibly being his girlfriend, but is told by her son to change the subject. She next asks if something is bothering Seidou due to his return home, which Seidou denies, but causes him to have a flashback.
Earlier at the CCG, Houji is seen informing Seidou that he will be a part of the upcoming Anteiku Operation to fight the SSS-ranked Owl ghoul. Despite Seidou showing fear, Houji reassures his partner that his position will most likely be nothing more than last resort. Seidou asks about the other 20th Ward Investigators, which Houji answers that due to Owl being in said location, the whole 20th Ward team will be participating. Seidou next asks about who will be watching over the 20th Ward HQ, which Houji answers once more that investigators from other Wards will act as substitutes. Houji next pulls out out a piece of paper to Seidou, which he realizes to be a last testament he has to write to his parents in case he dies during the operation. Back to the present, Seidou is now in his bedroom trying to think of what to write in the testament.
At a restaurant, Suzuya is seen eating a dessert as Shinohara explains to him the importance of writing a testament. Despite Suzuya stating that he has nothing to say, Shinohara informs him that saying thank you is more than enough for one. Suzuya chooses to just say thank you to Shinohara, which the Special-Class Investigator accepts.
At CCG, Special-Class Kuroiwa informs his fellow Investigators that he will be joining the operation. Nearby, a Ghoul Investigator, Kuramoto Itou, is seen walking with Take Hirako discussing how to write testaments to their loved ones. Itou asks who Arima wrote his testament to, which Hirako answers that Arima always turns in a blank paper since he's always thinking what he should write down. The scene then cuts to Arima looking down on a blank piece of paper. Hide next seen standing before Commander Marude and his assistant, Katsuya. Handing Hide a testament, Marude offers him an opportunity to join the operation, which Hide rejects; believing that him being there is no better than committing suicide. Marude reassures Hide that the risk of him dying is incredibly low being alongside the Commanders, and because of his high potential, he will surely learn a thing or two being there. Marude next reveals to Hide that their target is the location of his missing friend, Anteiku Café. Marude asks once more if he wants to write the testament, which Hide finally agrees to do so.
Back at Seidou's house, his younger sister, Seina Takizawa returns home, and notices her older brother stopping by. The two pick on one another as Michie asks Seina if she needs to eat something. Seina walks out stating that she will be eating with her friends, which disappoints Michie wishing for a rare meal together. Seidou states that its ok as he returns to his room. Returning to his testament, Seidou worries over the danger that the Owl ghoul poses, and decides to write in big letters that he doesn't wish to die. Curling up into a ball, and scared out of his mind, Seidou begins to cry heavily.
At CCG's lab, Amon and Akira are seen walking with the head researcher, Kouitsu Chigyou. He states that while Amon's new quinque is complete, he hopes to get feedback on its use for later adjustments. Chigyou also informs Amon of some bad news that repairing his old quinque given by Kureo seems to be impossible, but because of how incredible the material is, it can be used to repair, or even improve, other quinques. He also states to Amon how he has been paying close attention to Akira, and notes how lucky Amon is to have been blessed with such incredible partners since the beginning.
Walking away from the lab, Akira thinks over if Amon's new quinque is appropriate for him, but is interrupted by Amon, who asks to go to another location with him. Amon brings her back to the graveyard Kureo is resting at as they reminisce their first meeting. Amon asks Akira what she thinks about the upcoming operation against Owl, which she answers by telling him of a story.
Akira tells Amon a tale of how her parents, Kasuka and Kureo, had both worked on an investigation team for the 24th Ward. Their investigation eventually led them to come face-to-face with the Owl Ghoul who began slaughtering the group. The team leader, Special-Class Maru, ordered the retreat as Kureo was forced to watch Kasuka hold off the Owl Ghoul as the rest of the group retreated to safety. Kureo and company would later return to the location of the fight only to see that Kasuka had already been eaten.
Akira informs Amon that for the sake of her father's ideal, she will kill Owl if she comes across the ghoul one day. Having heard her story, Amon asks Akira to not have her need for revenge cloud her actions. Akira walks toward him, and orders Amon not to look down on her; pulling him in for a kiss. However, Amon covers Akira's mouth, which she realizes that its just like him to do such an action. Moments after, the two leave the graveyard to return to work.
At a café, Kaneki is seen reading a book, and drinking a cup of coffee. He thinks over his words of protecting everyone he cares about as he overhears two CCG investigators nearby talking about how Owl was discovered in the 20th Ward. Getting Kaneki's attention, they mention how subjugation team led by Arima is heading there to finish off the Owl ghoul once and for all.
At another location, Yoshimura is greeted by members of the organization led by Kaiko that he had worked with in the past. Greeting the shop manager, Kaiko calls Yoshimura by his old name, Kuzen. Yoshimura asks if the organization has come to finally dispose of him for his betrayal, which Kaiko denies wishing for Kuzen to return to them, but only after telling the organization where his brat is. Yoshimura attempts to deny it, but is informed by Kaiko that they know of his blood relation to the true One-Eyed Owl, and that his child going on to create Aogiri Tree has destroyed the equilibrium that their V organization was able to establish.
Threatening him with death, Kaiko gives Yoshimura a final warning to hand over the child, and return his loyalty to V. However, Yoshimura states once again that he knows nothing about the One-Eyed Owl. Kaiko gives in telling Yoshimura to die; warning him that there is no escape for him being nothing more than a bird trapped in a birdcage. Yoshimura watches the group from V leave his sight; admitting to himself that he already knows that.
At school, Touka is seen talking with her human friend, Yoriko, who wishes to go on a trip to the zoo together. Despite Yoriko worrying about Touka's need to study, Touka agrees; stating that she could rest for a day. Smiling, Yoriko adds that she will make meals for them as well, which puts Touka off-balance knowing what's in store for her later. Yoriko then states that she doesn't wish for things to change between them after they graduate from school, which Touka answers that they can still play with one another despite going separate ways.
Worrying about CCG's upcoming 20th Ward raid, Kaneki arrives at Yomo's shipping container home. He asks Yomo to evacuate everyone from Anteiku before the Investigators arrive, which Yomo accepts, and advices Kaneki to lie low until the threat is over. Kaneki then asks what will happen to Anteiku, and if he will be able to see Yomo again, which he answers that surviving the raid comes first, and that they will meet again once the café is rebuilt.
At Anteiku, Yoshimura is informed by Yomo of the approaching CCG raid. The manager not only instructing Yomo to take Touka and Nishiki under his protection, but to take Rize with him as well. Koma and Irimi then appear before Yoshimura to inform their boss that they cleaned the place up, and disposed of all documents that the CCG could get their hands on. Yoshimura thanks the two for their efforts as he makes the three of them coffee to sit down for one last discussion.
Drinking the coffee, Yoshimura looks before Koma and Irimi, and remembers back to when he first met them as hostile ghouls. He also remembers back to Yomo, Touka, Kaneki, Nishiki and Hoito working at Anteiku; stating to Koma and Irimi that its going to be lonely from here on out. The two of them inform Yoshimura that they will stand by him to the end as the manager looks down at a picture of Ukina; thinking to himself that he failed being able to make his wish come true.
At a later time outside Anteiku, Director Yoshitoki Washuu is seen ordering the forces of his CCG operation to commence the attack. Commander Marude watches over his television cameras as the first wave of Investigators slowly lead the way up to the café's entrance. However, they notice the door open as Koma and Irimi step outside with their ghoul masks on, and ready for combat. The two welcome the Investigators, and charge forward. Slicing through the Investigators, Marude orders the CCG unit to surround Koma and Irimi. The Investigators continue to fall as Yoshitoki watches on. One of the soldiers states not to panic as it's just two enemies, which Koma and Irimi point out that he's slow to notice his surroundings.
Looking towards a nearby rooftop, the Investigators notice a group of ghouls wearing masks similar to Koma and Irimi watching the start of the battle. The two ask the ghoul reinforcements to die for their sake as they join the battle against the Investigators. Continuing to watch the battle unfold, Yoshitoki orders for the first three CCG squads to follow command under Marude to deal with the ghouls that have appeared before them. He also orders the fourth squad to set up the café blockade, and to evacuate the nearby civilians. Yoshitoki also notices a clocked figure walking in the distance, and realizes it to be their main target, Yoshimura.
Standing before the Investigators, Yoshimura claims that taking the lives of others is evil, and that while he considers himself to be evil for doing such actions in the past, the Investigators are evil for doing the same to the ghouls. He orders the Investigators to come at him, and kills of a vast majority of them in the area. He then glares toward Yoshitoki, who states to Yoshimura that it's just business.
Elsewhere, Kaneki is seen standing by stunned in shock upon hearing a news broadcast that the 20th Ward has become a restricted area. Touka is also seen listening to the broadcast; hearing that the target is a café that the CCG has determined to be a den for ghouls.
The battle between Anteiku and the CCG continues as more Investigator squads continue to fall. At Koma's side, one Investigator points out that their enemy isn't just the Owl anymore, but are also fighting the famous Devil Ape ghoul. The Investigator explains how the Devil Ape ghoul (Koma) had used to run a ghoul gang that killed some of the best Investigators back in the day in the name of the Omi Yamada ghoul, and questions why he's now connected with Owl. The Investigators continue to try to contain the rampage of the ghouls surrounding the Devil Ape as an Investigator, Captain Tanakamaru, steps forward to fire a shot from his quinque towards Koma. The ghouls are blown away as Koma blocks the shot, and watches as Tanakamaru walks toward him.
At another location outside Anteiku, Irimi, and the ghouls loyal to her, continue to fight jumping around the roofs of the nearby structures. However, a barrage from Captain Hachikawa's quinque forces her group to the ground. Hachikawa calls her out as the famous Black Dog ghoul as the two prepare to battle one another. Yoshimura also continues to kill every Investigator he comes across until Shinohara and Kuroiwa enter the fight as his main opponents once more to stall the massacre. Houji also stands alongside the two as back up as Shinohara orders the surrounding Investigators to concentrate their fire at Owl's shoulder to keep Yoshimura from activating the trump cards in said location. Standing before Owl, Shinohara and Kuroiwa activate their perfected Arata forms; ready for their rematch.
At a high location, Kaneki is seen looking down at the buildings of the 20th Ward; questioning if he should enter the battlefield. He is greeted by Nishiki, who asks if he is actually stupid enough to run into danger. The two sit down to talk about the view from here as Nishiki tries to break the ice by pointing out how the CCG are going overboard on a single coffee house. He also mentions how the peaceful world they've been living in at Anteiku has suddenly come to an end. The two realize that Yoshimura, Koma, and Irimi, are sacrificing themselves, and destroying all possible leads of the rest of Anteiku being ghouls, in order to allow for Kaneki and company to go into hiding away from the eyes of the CCG. Nishiki adds that it leaves a bad aftertaste for those that were saved.
Nishiki informs Kaneki that Yomo is working behind the scenes to save who he can, and is most likely heading for Touka first. Kaneki asks what Nishiki plans to do, which he answers that he is obviously going to run since it would be disrespectful to Yoshimura for wasting the chance he's given them. He also adds that he wishes to honor the last words from his sister that no matter what, he will continue to live on, and that he will be stopping by Kimi's place to inform her that he will be disappearing from her life. Kaneki asks Nishiki if he truly wants to be gone from Kimi's life, which he answers that it would be a bother if she chooses to wait on him this whole time, and also states happily that he needs to be with such a fine woman one last time. Feeling bad, Kaneki apologizes for dragging Nishiki into Anteik, but Nishiki quickly rejects it, and states that he doesn't blame him.
Banjou, the gas mask siblings, and Hinami are shown to be nearby listening to their conversation. They ask Kaneki if he truly needs to go, and if he is not satisfied with just continuing to live in hiding. They also ask if he is someone that has people waiting on him in the hopes that he survives the raid, which Kaneki states that he's been wondering all that himself. Thinking of Yoshimura, Kaneki questions why someone who loves humanity so much is being forced to fight to the death against the CCG. He also points out to the gang how Yoshimura has kept a special cup antique safe in a cupboard at Anteiku, and figures that the manager has been waiting on someone for a long time (his child).
Kaneki decides that he needs to go out just one more time for the sake of everyone that he's befriended. Only this time, he is greeted by Tsukiyama, who orders Kaneki not to go. Reduced to tears, Tsukiyama complains that he will never be able to know what Kaneki truly tastes like if he dies to the CCG. He also states that he doesn't know how he will endure the pain if something happens to Kaneki. Kaneki admits that he knows he will be putting himself in danger, which causes Tsukiyama to charge.
Telling Kaneki to die, Tsukiyama begins to skirmish with him. Throwing kagune strikes toward Kaneki, Tsukiyama asks him if he is thinking properly knowing that the CCG numbers are massive, and that not even his many connections through the Tsukiyama family would be able to save him this time around. Tsukiyama orders Kaneki once more what he should do, and states that he won't forgive anyone that gets in the way of eating him; even if it was Kaneki himself. Kaneki gets a strike in that forces Tsukiyama to the ground, but is begged once more by a crying Tsukiyama not to go. Kaneki apologizes to Tsukiyama, and thanks him for everything that the Gourmet ghoul has done for him up to this point. Grabbing his ghoul mask, Kaneki states to the group that he is done with not being able to do anything.
Back to Anteiku, Hide stands by watching Marude's assistant, Mabuchi Katsuya, work the surveillance monitors by pointing out the strengths of each squad that requires immediate reinforcements. Nearby, the duel between Koma and Tanakamaru rages on as the two take the fight to an underground mall. The two continue to clash as Koma is left wondering if he will be able to see Irimi win her fight. At another location, Irimi is locked in a duel with Hachikawa, who is receiving help from his subordinate Investigator, Ayumu Hogi, to fight the Black Dog ghoul. Irimi also wonders if she will be able to see Koma fight as she begins to get serious. Irimi charges in, but has her attack blocked by the arrival of Hirako's squad.
All around Anteiku, the rest of the squads continue to fight. Amon shows off the power of his new quinque to kill off the ghouls for his assigned squad while Akira's group, which has Seidou as a member, continues to fight the ghouls as well. Shinohara, Kuroiwa and Houji also continue to take on Yoshimura in a 3-on-1 duel while Suzuya finally enters the fray riding on Marude's motorcycle to try to land a blow against the Owl ghoul. However, he quickly realizes that his sneak attack had no effect.
Meanwhile, Yomo arrives at Touka's house to inform her that Anteiku has become a battleground. Touka asks him what they're going to do about it, but Yomo tells her to just pack up, and get ready to leave, due to their life at Anteiku coming to an end. Unable to accept it, Touka asks if Yomo is going to abandon the manager, which he answers if she is someone that wants to go up against an army of Investigators that she has no hope of coming out alive against.
Touka is left shocked about what Yomo's referring to, and realizes that Yoshimura, Koma, and Irimi, have all accepted their deaths. Yomo explains to Touka that Koma and Irimi were dreaded ghouls that performed many heinous crimes prior to being taken under wing by Yoshimura, and that they've come to the conclusion that dying is the only real way to repay the world for performing such actions. Touka counters by stating that she is someone no different than them having also killed innocent people, and deserves to be punished just as much as them. However, Yomo orders her to grow up as the difference with her is that she's been given the chance to think about what her superiors taught her, and that Yoshimura, Koma and Irimi are fighting for her sake to live on.
About to break down, this causes Touka to think back to times she had conversations with Koma and Irimi. She also thinks of Yoshimura, and states that he was like a father to her. She next thinks of her real father Arata, and wonders why he had to just randomly die off. Thinking of Kaneki, Hinami and Yoriko, Touka tells Yomo that she wants to go out and rescue everyone, even though she knows that she doesn't have the strength to accomplish that. Touka begins to cry, and states that she's had enough of it all. She asks Yomo if there's a way to go back, but is informed that there isn't, and only death awaits at Anteiku. Comforting her, Yomo pats Touka on the head, and tells her that living on despite their complete loss will be her last job at Anteiku.
Back to Anteiku, the fighting continues as Irimi is forced to fight the newly arrived Hirako squad, which teamed up with the Hachikawa squad she had been fighting. During the fight, an old lady civilian appears before Irimi, who realizes that she could get caught up in their fight. The CCG order to fire upon Irimi anyway despite the appearance of the old lady, which causes the Black Dog ghoul to take the bullets her.
Getting up to fight once more, Irimi wonders to herself if the choices she had made until this point were the correct ones. Hachikawa and Hirako's units order the old lady to move as they also prepare to continue fighting. This time, Irimi finally activates her kagune as she charges toward the Investigators. The CCG assumes defensive position, and counters each of Irimi's attacks. Hirako counts down the moment of each attack looking for an opening as Irimi continues to think over her life. An opening is reached as Irimi is surrounded by the Investigators, and stabbed from all sides. Irimi admits to herself that she has committed sins in the past she has to pay for, and is left lying on the ground; figuring that she will die for the sake of who she befriended at Anteiku.
After the battle, Hirako calls out Hachikawa for putting the life of a civilian at risk for the sake of killing the Black Dog ghoul. However, Hachikawa answers that killing off the Black Dog compared to just the death of the old lady was too much of an opportunity to pass up. Hachikawa looks down at Irimi, and states that he is happy to finally be in this moment to kill off the Black Dog. Hirako states that it would be better off to arrest her knowing that she is the former leader of the 20th Ward's Black Dober's gang, but Hachikawa answers that she has to pay for her sin from ten years ago when he was the only survivor of a unit that went up against Irimi's ghoul gang, and that the CCG is better off just killing the ghouls on the spot.
Hachikawa lowers the shirt collar covering his mouth, and reveals to Hirako that his lips have been eaten off. He asks Hirako if he has anything else left to say, which Hirako quickly answers no. Hachikawa walks up to the dying Black Dog ghoul, and bids Irimi goodbye. Irimi gives her last words that she will see him in hell, which Hachikawa replies that ghouls head to a world much worse. However, before Hachikawa could finish her, Kaneki appears, and asks if such a world also exists for humans. Sending his kagune towards Hachikawa, Kaneki destroys the Investigator's quinque, and knocks Hachikawa out. Irimi lis left stating to Kaneki that he is a bad boy for returning.
Moments before the Irimi rescue, the Devil Ape's battle was going on. Koma was able to get the upper hand due to Tanakamaru becoming exhausted, and taunted the Investigator as a dead-weight. He orders Tanakamaru to die, and charges towards him. However, Tanakamaru activates a mode-change on his quinque to become better suited for a close range attack, which deals a devastating blow to the Devil Ape; causing Koma to fall to the ground. Tanakamaru taunts him back that a human has no right losing to a monkey, and gets word over his communicator from Investigator Fura that the CCG have already cleared the area around him. Tanakamaru moves to finish the Devil Ape off, but before he could, Kaneki arrives, and destroys Tanakamaru's quinque. Kaneki picks up Koma, and retreats from the area. He asks the Devil Ape if he's alright, which Koma answers that he can't believe that Kaneki, of all people, is the one to come to his rescue.
Back to the present, Kaneki informs Irimi that he had come straight here after hiding Koma in a safe place. Irimi warns him that he is entering a battle that there is no escaping from, and that her, Koma and Yoshimura, have made their decision to die here. However, Kaneki answers that his current actions are to protect those important to him, and that he doesn't wish for anyone at Anteiku to die. Confused, Irimi asks Kaneki if he truly understands the situation they're in, but is told by Kaneki that he is not playing around. Finally accepting his courage, Irimi gives Kaneki a run-down of the enemy Investigators she was fighting, and watches as Kaneki charges off to fight Hirako and company.
Watching the fight, Irimi realizes how much she pities Kaneki; constantly suffering in an attempt to get stronger for the sake of those he cares for, and that strong people are easy to pity since they are forced to fight for the sake of someone else. The fight continues as Hirako's group, and Kaneki, continue to clash constantly. Hirako soon realizes that his quinque is not strong enough, and watches as Kaneki breaks his quinque. Kaneki then uses this change to retreat, and escapes the area with the injured Irimi at hand.
Now at a safe location, Kaneki informs Irimi that he will be going to Yoshimura next, and that she should remain in hiding. Irimi tells him to do whatever he wants now that their plan has been ruined, and informs Kaneki of Route V14; an escape route through the sewers out of the 20th Ward that the CCG doesn't know about. Irimi leaves to Kaneki a warning that the Investigators currently fighting Yoshimura are the Special Class variant, and that they will be tough opponents. However, he states that he will be going anyway.
At Yoshimura's location, the fight between him and the CCG continues. Suzuya's attacks continue to fail against the Owl ghoul, which Shinohara deduces that the current fight is bad for what his partner usually excels at. Shinohara believes that a fight such as this one will require him to finally rely on strength. Shinohara looks over to the surrounding Investigators, and asks if they have the ability to hold out against Owl, which they admit that they will do so. Yoshitoki continues to watch the fight against Owl, and is informed of an emergency situation that a mysterious ghoul has arrived, and has broken through several of their units. Yoshitoki orders Amon's squad's to head off to the ghoul's location, and wonders who it could possibly be.
Kaneki jumps along the rooftops of the 20th Ward to reach Anteiku as the Investigators attempt to fire upon him. However, he is greeted by Amon's squad. Kaneki asks if Amon will let him by, which the Investigator answers that it's an obvious no. Kaneki tries to bypass Amon running along the building wall claiming that he doesn't want to fight him, but Amon throws his quinque towards him, and states that words will not be enough to stop him. Kaneki is forced to the ground as Amon's quinque returns to him. Amon then calls out to the Eye-patch ghoul about how Kaneki seems to always appear at important locations, and wonders if Eye-patch is a reaper that will always appear before him. Kaneki then asks if Amon will chase after him no matter what his next action is, and seeing Amon remain silent, Kaneki comes to understanding the situation, and prepares himself for battle. Kaneki states once more that he doesn't wish to kill Amon and asks for the Investigators name, to which Amon tells him his name. Amon then move in to duel Kaneki, and yells to the Eye-patch ghoul that he will be dying here, but thinks in his mind that he hopes that Kaneki will survive through the operation so that he'll one day hear the boy's entire story.
At Marude's command post, he gets word that Amon's squad has come into contact with the Centipede ghoul. Yoshitoki also gets word of the appearance of the Centipede, and sends word to Amon's squad that no matter what, he must keep the foe suppressed from reaching the Owl's location. Yoshitoki begins to worry if his plan is starting to show cracks, but ignores it for the time being. Hide is still on standby watching the ghoul battles with Marude, and asks the commander if the ghouls will make it to their location, which Marude answers that there's a possibility given that they've all had to write their last testaments. Hide states that the thought of the ghouls coming is scary, but is shown that he has made up his mind at his next course of action.
Back to Kaneki's side, the fight with Amon continues as he tries to continuously break the Investigator's quinque. Amon realizes that Kaneki is truly not attempting to kill him, and begins to fight more seriously knowing that the Eye-patch ghoul is strong enough to turn the operation on its head. However, Kaneki is eventually able to find an opening, and breaks his quinque. Falling to the ground, Amon is left in dismay knowing that he lost to the Eye-patch ghoul once more. However, Researcher Chigyou is suddenly seen driving his car down the street, and is able to reach Amon's location. Chigyou throws to Amon a pair of briefcases that he reveals to be two quinques that have been completed for his use. Kaneki stands in shock as he realizes that the fight with Amon isn't over yet. Wielding the two quinques, Amon now holds an upgraded version of his first quinque, as well as a prototype kakujya-type with an automated Arata form that becomes Amon's new armor.
Looking at Amon, Kaneki deduces that the two new quinque are a fixed version of the one he destroyed during the Hinami incident, and an armor type that's similar to the Investigator (Shinohara) that he fought as Kanou's facility. The two charge at one another to battle once more, as Kaneki figures that he will break the lance quinque once more. However, Kaneki underestimates the speed and power of the kakujya quinque in Arata form, and is pushed back.
The kakujya quinque begins to consume Amon as Chigyou is seen watching Amon wield the armor. The researcher states to himself how the burdon of using Arata is immense, and states that the real test starts now to see if Amon's high physical prowess is strong enough to bring out the full power of Arata form. Kaneki coughs up blood, and is shown to have been forced to enter his Centipede kakujya form after being hit by Amon's last strike. The two prepare themselves to continue their fight.
Back at Anteiku, the fight against Yoshimura continues as the Investigators are in high spirits forcing the Owl ghoul into exhaustion thanks to Investigator Ui getting a hit in on Yoshimura's torso. Yoshimura jumps up onto a nearby rooftop to catch his breath, but is met by Suzuya who's able to land a successful sneak attack that is able to cut off the Owl ghoul's left arm. However, Yoshimura calls out Suzuya for being too rash in his methods, and lands a crucial blow on the boy. Shinohara, who was catching up to the Owl ghoul's new location, is left horrified to see what happened to Suzuya, and heads over to the boy's location.
Lying on the ground, Suzuya states to Shinohara that he's fine, and to press the attack on the Owl ghoul since he was able to wound him, but Shinohara is left saddened at Suzuya's words seeing that the Owl ghoul had cut off Suzuya's right leg. Suzuya reminds him that the doesn't feel any pain, and asks Shinohara to stop crying, but Shinohara blames himself for what happened. Despite Suzuya continuing to say he's fine, Shinohara stops the bleeding and calls the CCG for medical aid. He then gets up to confront the Owl ghoul; leaving Suzuya confused as to why Shinohara cares about him.
Returning to Kaneki and Amon's fight, their battle continues on toward a location that even the CCG has lost sight of them. Amon thinks over his life, such as the people he has met, worked with, and lost, up to this point, and ends with him thinking about the people of the 20th Ward that he believes to have become his true home. He charges toward the Centipede ghoul in an effort to make sure that Kaneki will never pass him, but in the end, Kaneki gets passed him; cutting off Amon's right arm in the process. Akira's squad gets word that Suzuya has been injured in his fight against Owl, which leaves Seidou worrying about his colleague. He turns to Akira, and calls her out for remaining still, but is surprised to find Akira claiming that something about this situation is wrong.
With the duel over, Kaneki begins to move toward Yoshimura's location again. Amon's kakujya quinque wears off his body as he falls to the ground; admitting that Eye-patch is strong. He then thinks back to his family again, and attempts to call out to his father. In a last ditch effort to stop Kaneki, Amon throws his spear quinque, and is able to pierce the ghoul's abdomen from behind much to Kaneki's surprise. Kaneki falls to his knees in pain wondering why his injury wasn't healing, and realizes that he had been hit by a quinque made from the Bin Brothers, who had the ability to stop ghoul kagunes from healing. Reduced to a crawl, Kaneki yells out in immense pain knowing that he has to rescue Yoshimura no matter what; continuing to crawl towards the manager's location.
The battle at Anteiku has moved to the roof that Yoshimura and Suzuya clashed as Shinohara, Kuroiwa and Houji continue to fight the Owl ghoul. Shinohara remembers back to words that Kureo had told him in the past about his bad fighting technique, which Shinohara realizes that he's thinking about it due to his desperate fight against Owl. The continued pressure against Owl allows for Kuroiwa to land another hit in that cuts off Yoshimura's right arm, which Shinohara realizes that the time to get the final strike in has come. Shinohara pulls out their secret weapon, a powerful quinque developed by Kureo, that he uses to land a devastating blow against Owl. In memory of Kureo, Shinohara thinks to himself that this strike against Owl is the CCG's farewell gift to him. Due to his injuries, Yoshimura is left falling to the ground. The Owl ghoul has been defeated. The surrounding Investigators get word that the battle against Owl has come to an end as they all begin to celebrate their victory. Seidou is left confused at the situation as Akira orders the Investigators to not get carried away until they've cleared the area of all ghouls. Shinohara's group take the moment to rest, believing their fight to be over. S Hinohara looks over to Suzuya, who gives his congratulations to his partner for a job well done.
However, before Shinohara and company can quite begun to celebrate the battle's end, Yoshimura's child, the original One-Eyed Owl Ghoul, appears on the scene. Covering Yoshimura, the One-Eyed Owl begins its attack on Shinohara's group. Moments beforehand, Kaneki is still seen crawling along the ground in an effort to reach Yoshimura. He looks up, and reaches out to an object that is heading towards his desired location.
The battle on the roof begins anew as Suzuya is forced to sit by and watch as Houji get knocked out by the One-Eyed Owl. Kuroiwa is the next to get hit as he's forced off the roof, and then Shinohara is pushed back into a wall; coughing up blood in the process. Special Class Ui, who had been fighting Owl alongside Shinohara and company, is the next to try to combat the One-Eyed Owl, but ends up having his quinque destroyed in the skirmish. Ui picks up the quinque of the unconscious Houji as the One-Eyed Owl moves toward him. The Investigator calls up Director Yoshitoki, and informs him that their true target has arrived. Ui informs Yoshitoki that he will buy time, and asks for the Director to send Arima to his location when he can as soon as possible.
On the ground, the other Investigators are shocked to hear of the appearance of a second Owl ghoul. Receiving orders from CCG headquarters, Akira states to all Investigators that anyone with a quinque will be heading to the Owl's location to provide back-up for the company currently in combat with the second Owl. Seidou, who is seen still fearing for his life, asks Akira for permission to search for Amon, who he believes to have been injured fighting the Centipede ghoul. Before Akira could answer, Seidou apologizes for disobeying orders, and runs off to search for Amon. He admits that Akira's intuition is usually always the correct one, and yells back to Akira that subordinates should always follow the orders of their superiors. Seidou thinks back, and realizes that he has only been able to see Akira from the side, and figures that he's been acting stupid up until now.
The Investigators continue to search for the Centipede ghoul where it's revealed that Kaneki had evaded their pursuit by dropping down a sewer manhole. Crawling through the sewer, Kaneki begins to lose his sanity wishing to eat meat to properly heal, and tries to organize his mind to continue moving forward to rescue the manager. He begins to have visions of Rize and Jason, and yells out that this body belongs to him. Bashing his body against the walls of the sewer, Kaneki continues to try to control himself as his kagune begins to become unstable. Kaneki deduces that he is on the verge of destroying himself, but before he could sink any further, Hide appears to greet him. Hide asks Kaneki what's with the getup he's wearing, which causes the unstable Kaneki to call out Hide's name. Mentioning how Kaneki has always been suffering until now, Hide walks towards Kaneki, and informs him that he doesn't need the mask anymore.
Still unstable, Kaneki believes that what he is seeing is just another of his illusions, and begins to worry that if Hide truly is here, it would mean that his best friend found out that he is a ghoul. However, Hide kneels down before his friend, and tells him that he already knew, and doesn't care. He also tells Kaneki that he wishes for the two of them to return home, which causes Kaneki to scream out in pain. Seeing Kaneki struggle, and begging Hide to get away from him, Hide states that he wishes to help him. Hide informs Kaneki that the CCG have made it an impossible task for any ghoul to escape the 20th Ward, and that there is only one true solution that will allow or Kaneki to keep living. Seeing Kaneki's wound, Hide apologizes, and asks his friend if he has the ability to fight one last time.
The battle between Ui and the second Owl ghoul continues as Ui struggles to hold out for much longer. Eventually, Ui takes a major blow, and is pushed back into a wall; getting knocked out in the process. Suzuya watches as the second Owl turns towards an unconscious Shinohara, and cuts off the leg of the Investigator. Forced awake, Shinohara cries out in pain as the second Owl turns toward Suzuya, and tells the boy that the two are now a perfect match. At this point, Suzuya begins to think back to his time with Shinohara. In the past, Suzuya receives a knife from Shinohara, and asks what it is. Shinohara informs him that its an anti-ghoul quinque that matches Suzuya's forte for knife usage. Shinohara then states to Suzuya that he should use his knife skill for others, which confuses the boy. His partner explains that he's referring to the people around him that don't have the ability to fight against the ghouls.
Another flashback occurs as Suzuya remembers to a time when Shinohara talked down to him about injuring a police officer. Suzuya tells Shinohara that he doesn't care what happens to the people that piss him off, and asks what his parter likes about the people. However, Shinohara informs him that its not the people he's worried about, but Suzuya himself. Suzuya is left annoyed by this as he tells Shinohara that the police officer had the same eyes as the people who treated him badly at the CCG Academy. Suzuya tells Shinohara that he will kill all people that look at him that way, which causes Shinohara to ask his partner to promise him one thing; that whenever Suzuya is angry at someone, he will attack Shinohara instead of the person Suzuya is angry at. Thinking it over, Suzuya accepts the promise, which shocks Shinohara.
Suzuya then remembers of a time when he was forced to memorize a bunch of ghoul counter-measure plans for a promotion exam that he doesn't find to be that useful. Shinohara, who notices Suzuya struggling, informs his partner that a much easier way for Suzuya to learn would be to come up with word-play for each subject, which Suzuya finds interesting. Helping Suzuya study, Shinohara asks if this is the first time his partner has ever studied for an exam, which Suzuya admits that it is, but finds the studying fun as if it was a puzzle that needed completion. The time of the exam comes, and Shinohara is happy to find that Suzuya passed the test.
Suzuya next remembers back to a time when Shinohara was showing him a picture of everyone that was a part of his old division, and how he had formed a bond with each of them. Shinohara tells Suzuya that one day, he wishes to go out drinking with his partner as well. In the present, Suzuya tries to get up to head towards Shinohara's location, who was still being toyed with by the second Owl. However Suzuya stumbles when he realizes that he was still without one of his legs. He looks toward Shinohara in horror, and yells out to his father not wishing for him to die.
With his injury healed, and able to walk again, Kaneki travels through the sewers trying to think over his current situation. Eventually, Kaneki reaches a large room, but is left in a shocked state when he realizes that he had run into the Investigator known as the reaper of the CCG, Kishou Arima. Kaneki remained stunned in utter fascination at the sight of Arima, and failed to realize that what surrounded him and Kaneki was a pile of ghoul corpses. Looking around, Kaneki saw the writing of V14 on one of the pillars, and begins to sink into despair upon realizing that all his efforts to save Koma and Irimi were for nothing. Arima begins to move toward Kaneki as the latter struggles to come up with a plan that could prove useful for him. Kaneki thinks back to the words Hide told him about fighting with everything he has, and is able to reestablish himself for the upcoming fight.
At Director Yoshitoki's post, he talks with a fellow Investigator about how the second Owl was able to so easily break through their containment net. The two think it over about how Squad 0, led by Arima, was given the task to ambush any ghouls that would flee the Anteiku battle through the only sewer escape tunnel, route V14, and to combat the second Owl if it tried to sneak in through said route. However, they deduce that the second Owl was able to sneak in from another underground location, which leaves the two of them confused as to where it came from.
At the roof battle against the original Owl ghoul, it continues to toy with Shinohara's body as Suzuya uses a rod to help himself stand properly, and throws a knife in the second Owl's direction. Suzuya begins to throw many other knives in the second Owl's direction, but is completely unaffected by them. The boy then charges forward on one leg, but is knocked back easily by the original Owl. Suzuya tries to charge, and fails once more, as the Owl ghoul taunts the boy for his pathetic attempts. Ui orders Suzuya that he's done enough, and to withdraw while he still can. Despite Suzuya refusing to give up, he falls unconscious due to exhaustion. Suzuya falls into the hands of Hirako as the rest of the CCG support finally arrive on the roof.
Praising Suzuya for his efforts, Hirako stands alongside Hachikawa, Tanakamaru, and many other support Investigators as they stand ready to fight the original Owl ghoul. Ui is surprised to find that they've all lost their original quinques, which Hachikawa answers that they lost them to a ghoul (Kaneki) that was trying to play hero. He also explains that the orders they were given were simple; to hold off the original Owl until Arima's squad can arrive on the scene.
Meanwhile on Kaneki's side, he takes a major blow from Arima, which confuses Kaneki due to believing that he had found an opening. Kaneki tries to attack once more, but is quickly stabbed through the left eye, which causes him to scream out in pain. Kaneki falls to the ground, and loses his ability to speak knowing that he had been stabbed through the brain. Kaneki's kagune begins to go unstable, and pulls out Arima's quinque from his eye socket. He then launches his kagune in all directions, which destroys the surrounding pillars of the V14 sewer area. Arima dodges each of the kagune attacks as he listens to the crazed Kaneki saying lines from when he was growing up with his mother. Kaneki also begins to recite lines from books he has read over the years as Arima just looks at him in silence at the pathetic state that Kaneki has been left in. Kaneki claims that the area around him is pretty as if it was autumn, which Arima notices that he's referring to the corpses around him looking like the fall season. Arima informs Kaneki that he can tell that it's also raining outside the sewers due to hearing the sound of water flowing, and tells Kaneki that it will all be over soon. Activating his second quinque, Arima reminds Kaneki that they are in V14, an area that is established to have no ghoul allowed to bypass him.
Arima fires a shot form his quinque towards Kaneki, who realizes that his only option was to run. Kaneki continously dodges each attack from Arima in the hopes that because the Investigator is still just a human, he can hold out until getting in just one attack that will finish the human. Believing to have found an opening, Kaneki launches the full power of his ghoul kagune towards Arima, but fails to land any damage on the Investigator. Arima praises Kaneki for at least being able to damage his quinque as he sends a counterattack that stabs through Kaneki's chest. Walking up to the defeated Kaneki, Arima stabs his quinque through the boy's other eye, and claims that he will be needing a new quinque.
As Kaneki wallows in his defeat, his subconscious enters a nostalgic dimension; the street where he and his mother lived when he was a child. Kaneki’s mother welcomes him home, and although exhausted, she is still seen working. He begs her to stop overworking herself, which was something he never got the chance to do as a child. Kaneki then goes on to explain that his mother always wanted to do everything for those she loved, and as a result, she drove herself into a corner. He starts to evaluate this ideology, along with the options of living, being saved, going back to Anteiku, and staying where he was; all suggested by Hinami, Banjou, and Tsukiyama, even though he hesitated to do any. He comes to an inference; that he and his mother were no different, and realizes that they pretended to care about others, but in the end, it was all about themselves.
Kaneki finally understands why his mother worked so hard for her sister. For the same reason as his father’s death, Kaneki's mother was afraid of losing someone close to her. He mentions that his mother wasn’t a kind person, but a coward afraid of solitude, and so is he. Kaneki never truly wanted to protect everyone, only himself from experiencing loss. Kaneki describes what his childhood reading books in his father’s room alone, and even played in the sandbox alone. Loneliness was something he never wanted, and admits that Touka was right for calling him a selfish coward.
Kaneki sees a figure of his younger self in a sandbox and approaches him, suggesting that they go home. All the while in his internal monologue, he mentions how he held himself by the hand, trying to fill the empty void in his memories. Though they had no destination, they kept walking aimlessly, and Kaneki asks his younger self if he liked their mother. The boy says yes; his ambition is to become just like her when he reaches adulthood, for she was always doing her best for people until night. He realizes that his fate had changed immensely by the time he was an adult, because he became a ghoul, and hadn't manage to keep the promises he made to his mother to carry on her ideologies. Kaneki enters an emotional breakdown. In tears, he blames himself, apologizing for the person he had become. His younger self comforts him, and thanks him, saying that Kaneki fought in place of his weak side. The child suggests that they rest for a while, and both forms subsequently fade away in the form of ashes.
As his consciousness blurs out, Kaneki finally remembers the night he and Rize were injured via the steel beam incident. At the end of Rize’s gaze was a clown laughing. Counting backwards in intervals of seven, Kaneki remarks that he'll never know what meaning that held, for he's already falling unconscious, laying limp at Arima’s feet. Arima notices that he had received a cut on his face as he looks down at Kaneki, now with two epmty sockets in the place of his eyes.
Going through the 20th Ward, Seidou is able to find the defeated Amon, and runs to his side. Seidou is horrified by Amon's injuries; Amon asks Seidou how the fighting around him is going. Seidou begins to cry, and begs for Amon not to die. Amon tells him not to be absurd: his death would mean that Eye-Patch would be a murderer.
A group of Investigators comes across Amon and Seidou; the latter begs them to call for a medic for Amon. However, Tatara and several other ghouls from Aogiri Tree appear before them, claiming that that won't be necessary for those who die right here and now. Tatara begins to kill off the surrounding Investigators as a frightened Seidou realizes that he is going to have to fight in order to survive. Almost paralysed with fear, Seidou struggles to take his quinque out. However, Amon stands up in order to protect him from Aogiri Tree. Seidou calls out to Amon that he is in no condition to fight due to the loss of his arm, but Amon ignores him.
Amon then orders Seidou to withdraw, but Seidou cries out that he's an Investigator as well. He manages to pull out his quinque, and begins firing shots at Tatara, who becomes enraged upon noticing that Seidou's quinque is related to Houji. Grabbing Seidou by the collar, Tatara deduces that the boy is the subordinate of the Investigator Houji that destroyed his Chi She Lian organization. Seidou is left begging the ghoul to let him go, which Tatara does — by throwing him to Noro, who takes a bite out of the left portion of Seidou's body. Amon watches in horror and becomes enraged, and charges toward Tatara with his last remaining energy.
On the roof, the battle against the original Owl goes on as it kills every Investigator it comes across. Ui manages to throw the quinque he had been using to Hirako, who activates it for use against the second Owl. He clashes with Owl as Tanakamaru and Hachikawa continue to provide support. Hirako ends up getting pushed back, but is thankful to know that they had been able to stall for just long enough. A ranged quinque attack strikes the second Owl as Ui reports to headquarters that Arima and his squad have arrived to take over the fight. The second Owl sends its kagune up from below the roof it stands on as Arima dodges the attack. Arima fires back with his ranged kagune as Hachikawa orders the rest of the Investigators not to get involved, as they would just get in Arima's way.
The reaper Investigator changes the mode of his quinque, and changes his combat method to go in for close combat. Arima manages to land a major blow on the Owl, and dodges the next major attack that was meant to be the second Owl's counter. The two stand opposite one another once more, but before Arima could make his next move, the original Owl goes for Yoshimura. Picking the manager up, the second Owl swallows Yoshimura whole as the surrounding Investigators watch in disgust. Its then goes towards the edge of the roof and jumps off. Arima attempts to chase after the original Owl, and fires his quinque once more. However, his quinque could not reach far enough, and only strikes the side of the building. The original Owl is able to land safely on the ground and is able to escape to an unknown location.
At said unknown location, the original Owl ghoul spits out Yoshimura, and is left exhausted, and surprised, that the CCG has someone powerful enough to push it so far. Looking down on Yoshimura, his child pops out of the original Owl's skin revealing Eto of Aogiri Tree, who is also without her costume, which also reveals that Eto had been disguised as the horror novelist Sen Takatsuki. With a huge loving smile on her face, Eto (Takatsuki) greets her father.
Following the aftermath of the battle between the CCG and the ghouls, as well as the fall of Kaneki, Tsukiyama’s grief over losing Kaneki sends him into a catatonic condition where he even refuses to eat. However, Nishiki warns him that he’ll die if he continued like this; admitting that he himself never had such a hard time in a long while. The CCG documented the extermination rate of ghouls as ninety-nine percent, bringing closure to the operation.
Heavy blood loss and severe brain damage has left Shinohara in a vegetative, comatose state; rendering him extremely unlikely to ever regain consciousness. Iba, a former Special Class Investigator, and old comrade of Shinohara, comes to visit him with praise for his dedication to the CCG. It is made known that Koutarou Amon died during the war, and while Misato expresses her anguish over his death, Akira reservedly holds it in; mentioning that causalities are a consequence of war. Misato reprimands Akira for her apathy since Amon was both a classmate and a friend to her. Akira breaks down and begins to weep, admitting that she cared for both Amon and Seidou.
Kaneki’s group is in distress, and has partially disbanded — Banjou, Hinami and the others set out to search for hideouts deeper down in the city. Hirako and Ui are seen discussing the outcome of the war: the location of dead investigators is unknown, as ghouls were preying around during the operation. It seems that the CCG is also clueless as to the whereabouts and states of both the Centipede and the One-Eyed Owl. Dr. Kanou is shown in a new laboratory, where he is able to acquire as many research subjects as possible, such as the Owls that are kept within numerous tanks. Tatara mentions that ghoul investigators have a more durable body compared to those of the ordinary humans. Kanou says Kaneki has proven to be a superb speciman for mere test subject intended solely to trial the operation transplanting ghoul Kakuhou into Nashiro and Kurona. Eto advises that they remake Kaneki, and it is revealed that Yoshimura is being preserved in a glass chamber within the lab.
Ken Kaneki, in the form of an internal monologue, keeps revisiting his notion that the world is purely corrupted and wrong. Though ghouls like himself must eat to survive, he associates eating with concepts such as stealing, sacrificing, protecting and making mistakes to highlight the struggles ghouls face, as well as what the CCG and other humans perceive these ghouls to be. Kaneki then goes on to say that his salvation is to sleep and have a happy dream, his only way to disengage and save himself from the harm, loneliness, peril, hopelessness and despair he experienced in the world.
Shinohara’s wife visits Juuzou Suzuya, whom lost a leg during combat, and she seems rather calm and composed for having essentially lost her husband. Suzuya blames himself, apologizing to her, adding that Shinohara would’ve been well and better off if Suzuya had been more competent. She comforts Suzuya, telling him Shinohara thought of him as his own child. Suzuya resolves to work hard especially on Shinohara’s behalf, wishing him a long rest. The chairman of CCG, Tsuneyoshi Washuu, compliments Arima for the good results on the number of ghoul exterminations — though the crucial target, the One-Eyed Owl, was not captured. He then declares that they focus on eliminating the One-Eyed King of Aogiri Tree. As the chairman gives Arima the ownership and identity rights of the new quinque, Kaneki’s suspect profile is shown to have been erased.
At the Ghoul Restaurant, the ghouls who were once Kaneki’s trusted allies reveal a dark, startling twist. Itori seems to be fascinated by Kaneki’s defeat, saying how he wasted his life by trying to save the shop manager, and now that the CCG has announced full annihilation, the prisoners at Cochlea are marked for death. Uta demands to see a much more interesting, depressing picture than Kaneki’s defeat; adding that tragedies nowadays are never popular. He then proclaims that they have more fun, implying that they should search for another victim to fall under their trap, so as to get the last laugh. The group is revealed to be the Clown Faction called Pierrot.
Back at Anteiku, Touka has lost her home, and starts to recall memories she had when she first started working at the café; asking about the meaning of the word, Anteiku. She remembers it to have a wonderful meaning. The construction workers, currently demolishing the building, detested it, saying that the café was run by ghouls who’d eat a human if they were to carelessly stumble across Anteiku. Yomo reminds Touka that they must get going. He then reminisces over Kaneki’s promise to Anteiku; saying that he inevitably went astray while going back to Anteiku, which is why he basically lost his place of return. However, Touka is worried, and agonized by the fact that Kaneki is still missing. She comes to a definite conclusion, optimistically stating that she has faith in Kaneki, and that he will return to Anteiku soon.
Some time after, Akira is seen visiting her father's grave. She tells him of how she is now a First Class Investigator and how because of her chimera quinque wielding skills, she will be a part of the Anti-Aogiri team commanded by Special Class Investigator, Kishou Arima. She asserts that though time has passed since the Owl battle, she will still believe her intuition about the ghouls before noting that Arima has left the education of a certain junior up to her.
According to the stories she heard, he is somehow different from the other investigators. Just then, the young man in question approaches, and greets her before introducing himself as Rank 3 Investigator Haise Sasaki. The startled Akira then greets him in return.
Anteiku Café Invasion Arc Tropes:
- Ambiguous Situation: When Hide meets Kaneki in the sewers and tells him he needs to fight one more time, the panel cuts away. When it cuts back in, Kaneki's more serious injuries have healed and he mentions that Hide is "gone". He can also taste human blood in his mouth. So, did Kaneki kill and eat his old friend or not? His mental state has deteriorated enough that his account can't quite be trusted either way.
- Arc Villain:
- The primary villains could technically be the One-Eyed Owl and Kishou Arima.
- The CCG as a whole serves as this for Kaneki here.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Aogiri comes out victorious, having played the other sides of the conflict against each other. The CCG loses many of their members, Anteiku is destroyed and the survivors scattered, Hide is missing, Kaneki has been "erased", and Amon is labeled killed in action.
- The Cameo: Kurona and Nashiro have a brief cameo during Suzuya's flashback.
- A Day in the Limelight: Several, leading up to the finale.
- Juuzou's past is finally revealed, in all its horrifying detail.
- Takizawa spends time with his family, and struggles to come to grips with his own mortality.
- Irimi's focal chapter deals with her guilt over the past. Could possibly double as A Death in the Limelight as well for Koma and Irimi who finally get a chance to shine as their former ghoul selves (Devil Ape and Black Dog) after being background characters in the café until this arc.
- Downer Ending: While the story continues on in the sequel series, Tokyo Ghoul: Re, this can still be seen as such for the original series due to the destruction of Anteiku Café, Kaneki losing to Arima, and the villains of the series still being out and about.
- Faceless Mooks: The Apes, The Black Dobers, and the nameless CCG troops.
- Hope Spot: Kaneki's rescue operation is a success at first being able to get Koma and Irimi out of danger, which allows them to escape through a sewer passage out of the 20th Ward...only to discover that Arima had been stationed on the route to kill off ghouls trying to flee the 20th Ward, which also results in Kaneki's swift and extraordinarily brutal defeat at Arima's hands.
- Killed Off for Real: Many Mook soldiers amongst the ghouls and CCG die here.
- Amongst the named characters, it's debatable if Irimi and Koma escaped Arima's slaughter in the sewer escape route.
- Kaneki technically died here, but was recreated as Haise Sasaki in the sequel series.
- Shinohara also technically lives but is rendered comatose, likely for the remainder of his life.
- Mook Horror Show: Kaneki and Yoshimura both terrify CCG mooks to the extent the poor souls wet themselves.
- The Reveal: Several revelations occur in this arc.
- That there is an organization called "V" that works in the shadows to keep Tokyo trapped within a birdcage.
- The horror novelist, Sen Takatsuki, is Yoshimura's child, the One-Eyed Owl, and Eto of Aogiri Tree.
- The Clown faction is what caused the steel beam incident that turned Kaneki into a ghoul, and that Uta, Itori and Hoito are members.
- Hide knew all along that Kaneki had been changed into a half-ghoul and didn't mind.
- Retired Badass: Yoshimura, Koma, and Irimi all come out of their decade-long retirement.
- Ship Tease:
- Amon x Akira to the point of the latter attempting to kiss the former.
- There's also a bit of Kaneki x Touka.
- Switching P.O.V.: The story switches between characters and sides, framing the familiar characters battling Faceless Mooks from the other side. This is especially striking in the battle between Yoshimura and Shinohara, Kuroiwa, Houji, Ui, and Juuzou.
- What Happened to the Mouse?:
- Several of the characters that disappeared in this arc, such as Amon, Hide and Seidou, finally have their fates revealed at certain points in the sequel series.
- What happens to Koma and Irimi after Kaneki rescues them is also left ambiguous.
- Wham Episode: A major one on several fronts.
- Anteiku gets invaded by the CCG, which results in the café's destruction, and Yoshimura getting captured by Aogiri Tree.
- Kaneki loses to Arima, and has his body taken by the CCG.note
- Uta, Itori and Hoito are members of the Clown faction that are actually behind the events that caused Kaneki's story to unfold.
