Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.
Learn About Tokyo Ghoul MangaTokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida is a Japanese manga set in an alternate reality Tokyo, Japan. The original series ran from September 8, 2011 to September 18, 2014, and consists of 14 volumes. With its critical success, the prequel and sequel series were also added to the franchise. It was adapted into a light novel, anime television series, video games, and live-action film. If you've already watched the anime version of Tokyo Ghoul and want to consume more related content, Tokyo Ghoul manga is your best bet. Browse all 14 volumes of Tokyo Ghoul manga, special edition boxed sets, and more at Barnes & Noble.
Tokyo Ghoul (Japanese: 東京喰種トーキョーグール, Hepburn: Tōkyō Gūru) is a Japanese dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Sui Ishida. It was serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from September 2011 to September 2014, with its chapters collected in 14 tankōbon volumes. The story is set in an alternate version of Tokyo where humans coexist with ghouls, beings who look like humans but can only survive by eating human flesh. Ken Kaneki is a college student who is transformed into a half-ghoul after an encounter with one of them. He must navigate the complex social and political dynamics between humans and ghouls while struggling to maintain his humanity.
A half-ghoul can either be born naturally as a ghoul and a human's offspring, or artificially created by transplanting some ghoul organs into a human. In both cases, a half-ghoul is usually much stronger than a pure-blood ghoul. In the case of a half-ghoul, only one of the eyes undergoes the "red eye" transformation. Natural born half-ghouls are very rare, and creating half-ghouls artificially initially has a low success rate. There is also the case of half-humans, hybrids of ghouls and humans that can feed like normal humans and lack a Kagune while possessing enhanced abilities, like increased reaction speeds, but shortened lifespans. Naturally born half-ghouls can also eat like normal humans or full ghouls.
The story follows Ken Kaneki, a student who barely survives a deadly encounter with Rize Kamishiro (his date who reveals herself as a ghoul and tries to eat him) when she gets hit by falling construction girders. He is taken to the hospital in critical condition. After recovering, Kaneki discovers that he underwent a surgery that transformed him into a half-ghoul. This was accomplished because some of Rize's organs were transferred into his body, and now, like normal ghouls, he must consume human flesh to survive. Ghouls who run a coffee shop called "Anteiku" (あんていく) take him in and teach him to deal with his new life as a half-ghoul. Some of his daily struggles include fitting into the ghoul society, as well as keeping his identity hidden from his human companions, especially from his best friend, Hideyoshi Nagachika.
The prequel series Tokyo Ghoul [Jack] follows the youths of Kishō Arima and Taishi Fura, two characters from the main series who become acquainted when they join forces to investigate the death of Taishi's friend at the hands of a ghoul, leading to Taishi eventually following Arima's path and joining the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul), the federal agency tasked into dealing with crimes related to ghouls as well.
Tokyo Ghoul is written and illustrated by Sui Ishida. It began serialization in 2011's 41st issue of the seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump, published by Shueisha on September 8, 2011,[3] and the final chapter appeared in 2014's 42nd issue, released on September 18, 2014.[4][5] The series has been collected in fourteen tankōbon volumes, released under Shueisha's Young Jump Comics imprint between February 17, 2012,[6] and October 17, 2014.[7] The series has been licensed for an English release by Viz Media and the first volume was released on June 16, 2015.[8]
In 2013, a prequel spin-off manga titled Tokyo Ghoul [Jack] was released on Jump Live digital manga. The story spans 7 chapters and focuses on Arima Kishō and Taishi Fura 12 years before the events of Tokyo Ghoul. The manga features several characters from the main series including the above stated Kishō Arima, Taishi Fura, and future key characters Itsuki Marude and Yakumo "Yamori" Ōmori. It was compiled into a tankōbon volume published digitally by Shueisha on October 18, 2013.[9]
On October 17, 2014, a full-color illustration book known as Tokyo Ghoul Zakki was released along with the 14th and final volume of the manga. Zakki includes all promotional images, Volume covers and unreleased concept art with commentary by the creator Sui Ishida.
A live-action film based on the manga was released in Japan on July 29, 2017. Kentarō Hagiwara directed the film. The cast included Masataka Kubota for the role of protagonist Ken Kaneki and Fumika Shimizu for the role of Touka Kirishima.[36] Yū Aoi was cast as Rize Kamishiro, Nobuyuki Suzuki played Kotaro Amon and Yo Oizumi played Kureo Mado.[37] A sequel film titled Tokyo Ghoul S was released in Japan on July 19, 2019, with Maika Yamamoto replacing Fumika Shimizu as Touka Kirishima, and Shota Matsuda joining the cast as Shuu Tsukiyama.[38]
Tokyo Ghoul was nominated for the 38th Kodansha Manga Award in 2014.[39] Tokyo Ghoul was chosen as one of the Best Manga at the Comic-Con International Best & Worst Manga of 2016.[40] The Young Adult Library Services Association in the United States named the series one of its "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" and "Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults" in 2017.[41][42] In 2018, it was nominated for the 30th Harvey Award for Best Manga.[43] On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Tokyo Ghoul ranked 41st.[44]
Tokyo Ghoul was the 27th best-selling manga series in Japan in 2013, with over 1.6 million estimated sales.[45] By January 2014, the manga had sold around 2.6 million copies.[46][47][48] It was the fourth best-selling manga series in Japan in 2014, with 6.9 million copies sold.[49] The whole original series sold over 12 million copies.[50] The sequel series, Tokyo Ghoul:re sold over 3.7 million copies in Japan during its debut year in 2015,[51] and 4.3 million copies in 2016.[52] It was the fifth best-selling manga series in 2017 with sales of over 5.3 million copies.[53] It was the tenth best-selling manga series in 2018 with 3.2 million copies sold.[54] Both series combined for over 24 million copies in circulation by June 2017,[55] and they had 34 million copies in circulation worldwide by January 2018.[56] By July 2018, both manga had 37 million in circulation.[57] From December 2017 to December 2018, the franchise sold 2.3 billion yen, and was ranked at sixteenth place as one of the top-selling media franchises in Japan.[58] By March 2019, both manga had 44 million copies in circulation.[59] By January 2021, both manga had over 47 million copies in circulation.[60]
The manga, and especially anime industry by extension, has boomed outside of its native Japan to become part of the mainstream media to an extent in the west in the last several years. While still comparatively niche when compared to other forms of popular media in the west--like superhero films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in particular--it is still a much more popular medium now. However, with the most popular series typically being shonen, some more mature series might fly under the radar for some.
Sui Ishida's Tokyo Ghoul is one such series to some who aren't as well versed in manga or anime culture, but it deserves the attention it gets. It's a dark, enticing story in modern-day Japan that doesn't let up its pace and intrigue throughout. Here are 10 reasons why it's a must-read manga series.
As is important in western comic books as well, the art is among the first things that readers will notice. Thankfully, the Tokyo Ghoul manga is a visual feast in its own style. Everything from the characters (the most important factor in terms of the art) to the environment they find themselves in is drawn cleanly and with incredible care in the attention to detail.
Sure, the various fantasy worlds and settings in a lot of manga and anime can be very well done assuming the author's skills in world building are strong, but it is also interesting to see a world take place with a modern backdrop. Of course, the other half to it is to obviously have some kind of twist to make it interesting in some way.
The modern Japanese setting provides a great setting for introducing the various characters, particularly the ghouls themselves, and their various factions. Considering that constant air of danger in the air in this world, it gives the Japanese setting a feeling of an "urban jungle."
The action isn't like a shonen series; they're an even more violent, brutal, and gory mess, so as long as the reader can stomach that, these scenes are jaw-dropping and exhilarating. The powers that the ghouls have are a major aspect to making the action as exciting as it is.
This also has to be a given for most, if not every, series out there, manga or not. Especially given the context, a series like Tokyo Ghoul cannot coast off of constant, gory, and mindless action alone (not that the action is mindless, because of course it's not). As mentioned briefly before, this series also incorporates elements of mystery in particular to intrigue the reader.
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