Tokyo Ghoul is hailed as one of the best manga ever, and part of that is the incredible and realistic art style that Sui Ishida demonstrates in every chapter. His colored illustrations are vibrant and colorful, especially his visually appealing and eye-catching volume covers that are almost always a hit, breathing life into a manga collector’s shelf with their beauty.
This dark and gritty series has it all: a gripping story, an excellent main and side cast, turbulent action, and heavy emotional moments. With 44 million copies in circulation, Tokyo Ghoul has undoubtedly left its impact on the manga industry many years after its conclusion. Fortunately for fans of the series, Ishida is currently releasing a new manga that bears a lot of resemblance to his masterpiece.
Related
Tokyo Ghoul Creator Treads Old Ground With Flair in New Series, Choujin X
Volume one of Sui Ishida (Tokyo Ghoul)’s new manga Choujin X is coming soon, and the correlations between both series are incredibly satisfying.
10
Volume 5 Gives Rize Her Shine
Chapters 40-48
The female ghoul who was the catalyst for Kaneki’s suffering, Rize Kamishiro’s beauty was perfectly encapsulated in the fifth volume of the story. Her long and purple luscious hair is made much more interesting by Ishida’s messy painting style that doesn’t bother blending the colors together, and it works well. Her red eyes were also made more prominent, showing that there’s a dark and gruesome personality behind Rize’s pretty face.
Volume 5, although exciting, was very introspective and opened Kaneki’s eyes to the fine line between human and ghoul, and the two can truly coexist and even find friendship within each other. The violent Nishio’s desperation to save his human girlfriend made Tokyo Ghoul that much more complex, making it a callback to the real world filled with discrimination, and the ray of hope of two people of different backgrounds finding companionship within each other.
9
Volume 3’s Tragic Cover Put Hinami In The Limelight
Chapters 20-29
Volume 3’s cover features the young and tragic Hinami Fueguchi, a 13-year-old Ghoul who lost everything yet still lives and is as kind as ever. The illustration shows her standing and a closer look shows her eyes filled with tears. Her lower and upper half’s contrast hints that she would tap into her Ghoul powers, and indeed she did, showing her incredible power that overwhelmed one of the series’ most deranged and strongest characters, Kuro Mado.
To say that volume 3 was heartbreaking is truly an understatement, as it showed that there are Ghouls who were simply trying to survive, but are brutally cut down by the humans because of their label as demons. Hinami saw her mother killed in front of her by two CCG Investigators, and she was then hunted down by them. Seeing Kureo overwhelm Touka, who was trying to protect her, pushed her over the edge, and her Kagune awakened, landing a fatal blow on the investigator.
8
Volume 4 Shows Tsukishima’s Unique Personality
Chapters 30-39
The sadistic and cruel personality of The Goumet is perfectly visualized in this image, showing Tsukishima sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, which demonstrates his better-than-thou attitude toward almost anyone he deems boring. His dedication to fashion and attire is also displayed in the striped suit he is wearing. Tsukishima is proof of the evil side of Ghouls, killing humans for fun and likewise finding enjoyment in brutalizing other ghouls who pique his interest.
Tsukishima was featured on the cover as he was finally introduced in the series and meets with Kaneki, who flipped his world upside down. He deceived Kaneki and almost had him killed, but he discovered that he was a One-Eyed Ghoul, an incredibly rare form of Ghoul, and from then on, he was solely devoted to eating Kaneki, whose scent and taste gave him incredible euphoria.
7
Volume 10’s Vibrant Orange Symbolizes Naki
Chapters 90-100
Volume 10 features the S-Class Ghoul, Naki, who is shedding tears and cracking his finger. Crying because he found out that his idol Yamori was killed, he is doing the signature move of finger cracking that he observed from his mentor, showing that he was the same as the twisted and despicable Yamori.
Marking the appearance of the ghouls freed from the Cochlea prison by Aogiri Tree, Kaneki’s pursuit of any information or person linked to Dr. Kano was hindered by the escapees who now joined the ghoul organization, and his powerlessness was shown to him after taking on the martial arts master, Shachi. Volume 10 was one of the series’ best and most exciting, as the mysteries of Rize, Dr. Kano’s experiments, and Aogiri Tree’s formation were finally being unraveled gradually.
6
Volume 14 Was A Tragic End To Kaneki’s Suffering
Chapters 133-143
The concluding volume of the first part of Tokyo Ghoul ended in a manner that was both ominous and gripping. The cover of the volume featured the central character of the series, Ken Kaneki, with his face tilted and a somber black backdrop. This haunting imagery was a clear indication that the story was about to take a dark and foreboding turn as the series approached its final arc.
While still less divisive than the Tokyo Ghoul anime, the manga’s ending also sparked its fair bit of discussion. By far the saddest volume in the series, fan-favorite characters were dying left and right, with many others suffering grave injuries. Kaneki had the worst of it, being injured by Amon and then having to face Arima, who stabbed both his eyes, killed him and then proceeded to make a Quinque out of him.
5
Juuzo’s Bubbly Personality Was on Display On Volume 6’s Cover
Chapters 49-58
Juuzo Suzuya took center stage in volume 6, and it showed his unusual self, having him jump excitedly and his hands in the air. Juuzo is one of Tokyo Ghoul‘s most interesting characters, as he works in a profession to protect humans but is far from a hero of justice. He revels in killing ghouls without mind, and this is evident with the blood spots on his face, providing a nice contrast with his cheerful smile.
Everything changes for Kaneki, as he is ambushed by Aogiri Tree, who seeks Rize, or anyone who smells like her. The CCG is also ramping up its investigation into the increased killings in the 20th Ward, making Kaneki’s home and Anteiku much more dangerous. With two sides cornering him, the start of his tragedy is marked by Juuzo Suzuya’s appearance on the series cover.
4
Brother-Sister Duo Grace Volume 8’s Cover
Chapters 69-79
The separated siblings, Touka and Ayato Kirishima were on the cover of Tokyo Ghoul volume 8, which made sense since they had an epic and emotional battle that shed light on their heartbreaking past. Ayato is at the front with an angry expression, which is fitting for him given how he is plagued by hatred and rage, and his beloved older sister wasn’t spared either. Although he does treat his sister terribly, it is revealed that he cares about her deeply, despite his actions showing the opposite.
On their way to rescue Kaneki amid a CCG raid on Aogiri Tree’s hideout, Touka and Nishio are ambushed by Ayato and his men, and the two are no match for one of the organization’s commanding officers. Touka faces off against Ayato, and she is defeated. As Ayato is about to cannibalize his sister, she is rescued by Kaneki who has now awakened his powers. He decides not to kill Ayato as Touka would be sad, but breaks half the bones in his body so that he can taste the pain he inflicted on his sister.
3
Kaneki’s Insanity Is On Full Display In Volume 11
Chapters 101-111
A fitting illustration for the developments of volume 11, Kaneki can be seen screaming in agony, with blood-like streaks covering half his face to show that he is losing control of himself. There is a clear difference in the expression of his eyes, with his ghoul eye looking menacing and his human eye screaming for help, symbolizing that Kaneki was holding on to his human side and fighting off being consumed by his other half.
To quench his hunger, Kaneki devoured many ghouls and avoided his natural prey of humans. This changed him forever, as cannibalism among ghouls increases their strength immensely, and is known as a Kakuja. Kaneki almost lost himself and killed a human, but he was fortunately stopped by CCG Investigator Amon, who knew that Kaneki was not an evil ghoul.
2
The Strongest Man Is Seen In Action In Volume 13
Chapters 122-132
The cover of Volume 13 was adorned with a haunting illustration of Kisho Arima, which perfectly captured his ominous aura and formidable power. The image depicted his signature glasses, which were spattered with blood, serving as a grim reminder that wherever he went, death and destruction were sure to follow. It was a chilling sight to behold and left a lasting impression on all those who laid eyes on it.
Throughout the series, the name Kisho Arima was mentioned multiple times, and he was regarded as the CCG’s strongest man. He killed the strongest ghouls effortlessly, and his appearance was anticipated. He was seen in action for the first time in the Owl Suppression Arc, killing hordes of ghouls, and unfortunately, Kaneki’s luck couldn’t get any worse when he ran into him.
1
Volume 7 Features Kaneki’s New Look
Chapters 59-68
The seventh volume depicted a whole new look of the beloved main character, and he looked like a completely different person. If it weren’t for the fact that only one of his eyes was red and the other normal, it would be hard to tell that this was the same One-Eyed Ghoul called Ken Kaneki. The illustration also shows him pulling up his mask, which meant only one thing: a fierce battle was about to ensue.
After being brutally tortured by Yamori, more commonly known as Jason, Kaneki was forced to accept the fact that he is a ghoul, leading him to awaken and master his Kagune. Although he struggled at first, he returned the favor to Jason and ended up eating him, making him even more powerful. This was the start of Kaneki’s spiral into despair, and the scale of his humanity and ghoul side was unbalanced from then on.
