The third Story Arc of the Tokyo Ghoul series consisting of chapters 10 - 30 from the original manga, and episodes 6 - 8 of the first anime season. The arc revolves around Kaneki dealing with a threat from the Commission of Counter Ghoul agency (CCG), which sends out two investigators , Kureo Mado and Koutarou Amon, to the 20th Ward to kill two ghouls of the peaceful Fueguchi family, Ryouko and Hinami.
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Short Summary
A pair of dove investigators from CCG, Kureo Mado and Koutarou Amon, arrive in the 20th ward of Tokyo to hunt down the mother and daughter of the Fueguchi ghoul family. Due to the approaching threat of these investigators, Kaneki is brought to Uta's shop in order to have a ghoul-mask created that will help protect his identity.
The Fueguchi mother, Ryouko, seeks shelter at Anteiku in order to protect her daughter, Hinami. However, she eventually dies to the investigators as well; leaving the ghouls of Anteiku to look after the now orphaned Hinami. Touka seeks out Mado and Amon to get revenge, but fails to kill them, which later prompts Kaneki to ask her for ghoul-training in order to be more useful.
Later on, Touka and Kaneki disguise as school students, and arrive at the CCG Headquarters in order to spread a false rumor regarding Hinami's whereabouts. The plan buys a little time, but Hinami ends up running away from Anteiku. Touka is the first to find her, but are greeted on the scene by Mado. Kaneki meanwhile runs into Amon as the two battles ensue.
On Kaneki's side, he shows off the results of his ghoul-training with Touka and is able to break Amon's quinque. Kaneki is then able to make Amon retreat upon proving to the investigator with tearful begging that he is a ghoul that doesn't wish to kill him.
On Touka's side, Mado reveals that he had turned Ryouko into a quinque weapon for CCG, which forces Hinami to break emotionally. This enrages Touka to go all-out against Mado. However, Hinami intervenes, and shows off her duel-parent kagune that greatly injures the investigator. Touka then follows up, and finishes Mado off for good.
After the battles, Kaneki, Touka, and Hinami return to their life back at Anteiku. Amon also comes across Mado's corpse, which the CCG later hold a funeral for, and decide that further investigation in the 20th ward is required.
Long Summary
Two Ghoul investigators, revealed to be Kureo Mado and Koutarou Amon, are seen ambling through the 20th ward. Mado nostalgically exposes the detail of a case he experienced involving the One-Eyed Owl. It is also made known that they were searching for two ghouls; a woman and her child.
At Anteiku, Yoshimura teaches Kaneki how to brew his own coffee. Ken gets impatient, saying that his coffee is bland compared to Yoshimura’s. Yoshimura then leaves, but reminds Kaneki that Anteiku isn’t only a coffee shop, but a place where ghouls of the 20th ward gather and dwell. It is revealed that ghoul customers also come to Anteiku, but Kaneki contradicts by pushing the idea that ghouls are originally supposed to conceal themselves from society. Yoshimura tells him that humans are indeed likeable, but ghouls have to learn certain mannerisms; personalities, gestures and even how to eat things, for humans to ghouls are like living textbooks. Kaneki is also warned to inform Yoshimura if any human customers with large handbags or briefcases enter the shop, implying that he’d explain the reason as to why Kaneki is given that task.
Much to Kaneki’s surprise, Hide shows up, complimenting Ken’s uniform and job, then orders a Cappuccino to rejoice Ken’s work at Anteiku. Apparently, Hide was tricked into believing that he and Kaneki were involved in a car accident, and Touka nursed both of them back to health; but Nishio was badly injured. He thanked Touka, offering to treat her to lunch.
Touka warns Kaneki, telling him that he shouldn’t allow Hide to know he is a ghoul. She finds it impossible to keep a human at Anteiku, coming to the decision to kill Hide on the spot if he found out about them. Kaneki denies, but Touka insists that she’s merely compromising even though it sounds harsh. She’d kill Hide immediately, but the manager had stopped her, despite the fact that she doesn’t favor Hide involving himself to the point where he finds out about ghouls. Nishio’s whereabouts were currently unknown, but this didn’t mean that he couldn’t return to harm them. Even the customers at Anteiku would out Hide under scrutiny, so Kaneki is told to hold responsibility for his friend, but at the same time hide his secret as though it were a matter of life or death. Ken then decides to act like a human around Hide.
While upstairs with Yoshimura, Kaneki is taught how to eat sandwiches as a ghoul pretending to be human, and is surprised at how unaffected Yoshimura is by the nauseating taste. Ken makes an attempt but fails, realizing that there is indeed a trick to the sandwiches. Kaneki describes how awful the sandwiches were, which Yoshimura finds strange but interesting about him. Ghouls do not chew the food entirely, but swallow it whole instead, while putting up a pleasant face. If the food is digested instead of regurgitated, health deteriorates. This technique must be practiced in order for Kaneki to master it. Ken is given a sugar cube to use with coffee since he repelled the idea of eating humans. The cube is made of a special ingredient which would only curb his appetite, but not for him to live off of for satisfaction.
Ken meets two regular customers; a woman believed to be Ryouko Fueguchi and her daughter, Hinami Fueguchi. Kaneki perceives them to be normal humans, but is told by Touka that they are ghouls who can’t hunt for themselves. Hence, they’re there to eat human meat, and are sent to the second floor. Kaneki is surprised by the fact that there are indeed ghouls who can’t hunt.
A starved ghoul is seen wandering Rize’s feeding ground, where he comes across Mado. He charges at Mado but is instantly disembodied. Amon joins Mado at the scene, where the two are revealed to be associated with an organization that hunts ghouls, Commission of Counter Ghoul (CCG) - Mado being the Senior Police Investigator First Class, and Amon being a Police Investigator First Class. Mado and Amon decide to leave for the CCG Headquarters, but Amon feels he is being watched by someone, discovered to be Renji Yomo.
Yoshimura asks Touka to take Kaneki to get his mask done, as all ghouls are supposed to have one. Touka objects but Yoshimura reveals that two Ghoul Investigators are currently loitering around the 20th ward, concluding that Kaneki must get his mask done as soon as possible.
That Saturday, Kaneki and Touka set out to get the mask. Kaneki however, studies Touka’s antic s the entire time, and is amazed at how normal of a girl she looks throughout the day. He then asks where exactly they are going, but comes to a suspicious place deep down in the city.
They enter the Art Mask Studio, and Kaneki meets the owner, Uta, who is responsible for making the masks. Uta notes that he has heard of Kaneki through Yomo, and marks his scent as rather unusual. Through Uta’s words, Kaneki finds out that the 20th ward is by far the most docile district, but reeks of suspicion due to Rize’s influence. Since there is often a dispute over feeding grounds, the 13th ward is famed for its bloodshed , with wards 1 and 4 being uninhabited. Uta also decides to give Kaneki a half mask as a start.
Kaneki explains that his eye goes out of control whenever he’s hungry, which is the sole reason as to why he wears the medical eye patch. On the topic of girls, Ken is asked his impression of Touka, to which he responds she is very scary. Uta opposes, referring to her as a hard worker, in the sense that she’s crossing an incredible tightrope-being associated with both the ghoul and human worlds; with her job at Anteiku and the school she attends. Uta also mentions that he too likes humans for he gets excited when human customers enter his shop.
Kaneki grasps that despite Uta’s terrifying appearance, the way he talks and acts is very kind. Touka gives details about the motives of Ghoul Investigators, saying that ghouls are not allowed to reveal their faces, or else, the investigators would match the face with the identity, and kill them afterwards.
Ryouko is seen sitting with a sleeping Hinami in her lap. She holds a mask firmly in her hand, as a tear drips on her daughter’s face-indicating that Hinami’s father had died.
Kaneki makes yet another attempt at eating the sandwiches, but fails again despite all the advice he was given by Yoshimura. Instead, he decides to use the sugar cube in his coffee. He speaks with Hide, whom reassures him that he's been looking much better lately compared to when he looked as pale as a zombie; leading Kaneki to think that it is because of the sugar cube he consumed earlier. A girl believed to be Nishiki's girlfriend approaches them, handing over the DVD Nishiki had promised. In spite of Hide's efforts to find out where Nishiki is hospitalized at, his girlfriend doesn't covey the information, and walks away instead. The truth is Nishiki isn't hospitalized anywhere, but Kaneki still broods with suspicion, thinking that the girl only showed up to investigate the condition the two boys were in, and report it to Nishiki.
It seems the 20th ward becomes dangerous as of late, for there is word that deaths are occurring by the hands of Doves, rendering ghouls to be more cautious now than ever. Kaneki recognizes that in the ghoul world, information seems to be the most important thing; Anteiku being the place at which it is discussed. Ken is told that his mask is already formed, and that Touka has taken a break off of work due to upcoming exams. Kaneki is also asked a favor by Yoshimura, to go shopping for food supplies, being human meat. He is reluctant at first, but agrees to go once he finds out that Yomo will be going too.
Kaneki starts to wonder what kind of person Yomo may be, but once they meet, he notes Yomo to be scary, as he wasn't a man of words. Kaneki gets agitated since Yomo ignores him multiple times. He then stumbles over a part of the cliff and falls to the forest floor, thankfully sustaining no injuries because of his durable ghoul characteristics. He becomes puzzled at the creepy appearance of the place they were to really shop at for food supplies.
Kaneki grows apprehensive, as his shoe accidentally thuds against a dead body, leading Yomo to assume that this was his first time. This is where Kaneki finds out that many people die of their own free will at this location. Yomo also informs him that although Anteiku feeds off suicide victims, the members also kill humans, which he seems to feel guilty about. He then asks Ken to put the body in the bag, but decides to do it instead due to Kaneki’s hesitancy. Yomo also shows remorse for taking the body, as shown when he puts his palms in the form of a prayer. Kaneki wonders about the meaning of this gesture, assuming that ghouls have feelings just as humans though.
On the way back to Anteiku, they escort Ryouko since she is not supposed to be on the streets walking by herself. Ryouko mentions that she went to her husband’s grave to bury his mask, but Yomo contradicts, saying that their stay at Anteiku is not only for Hinami’s sake. She reveals that the ghoul investigators didn’t come to the 20th ward searching for Rize, but to kill Ryouko instead. Ryouko is doing all she can to keep Hinami out of the situation, calling herself a spoiled child for relying on her husband so much. Kaneki notices that no matter what world it may be, a mother’s concern for her child is always strong.
At the CCG Headquarters, the investigators discuss several cases, particularly numbers 720 and 722. However, case 723 of the 20th ward draws the most attention-the suspect got off a train at the fifth station, then approached a stone monument, and after a few moments, was picked up by an accomplice via automobile, Amon berates his friend for not trying to achieve more information regarding the investigation, saying that the CCG’s morality is justice, and that they should do any possible thing in their power to restore order. Amon visits the gravesite, and digs up a ghoul mask. This suggests that case 723, Ryouko, is indeed a ghoul, since the item from the grave corresponds to case 696, which is Ryouko’s husband, Asaki Fueguchi.
Back at CCG Headquarters, Amon submits case 696’s ghoul mask to Mado. Mado praises him sarcastically, to which Amon says he only did what a ghoul investigator should do; advising that they make their move. Mado mentions that everything has already been planned.
At Anteiku, Kaneki is requested to get some coffee beans, but accidentally barges in on Hinami during her meal. Koma suggests that he take the opportunity to apologize, to which he takes her a cup of coffee as well. Hinami seems to have a strong sense of smell, as she points out that Kaneki isn’t fully a ghoul, for he smells different from afar. Kaneki explains his existence as a ghoul, and grows excited when he sees that Hinami reading one of his favorite books. Explaining which short story she liked best, Hinami misread one of the kanji terms, and this is where Kaneki begins teaching her to read more words. She becomes amazed at how smart Kaneki is. Hinami reveals that she doesn’t go to school, and instead takes notes.
Yoshimura and Ryouko are seen talking; she tells him that she needs to get her own food from now on, as she can’t always rely on Anteiku. Before they leave, Hinami thanks Kaneki for teaching her words. Whilst walking in the city, Hinami senses a strange scent, and notes that there are two adult men chasing them. Kureo explains to Amon that when it rains, it hinders him from doing his job, but hints that it also blocks out the screams of ghouls when he exterminates them, noting that Ryouko Fueguchi is somewhere near.
Raising Asaki’s mask in front of Ryouko, Mado requests her to spare them time so he could ask her questions. When people close in on them, Amon openly admits that he and Mado are Ghoul Investigators, and that the people should leave immediately. Scared, Hinami clutches to her mother, who then tells her to run. Ryouko unleashes her kagune.
Kaneki leaves Anteiku to go home, and while walking down the street, he overhears pedestrians talking about a ghoul they saw. Picking up a card from the ground, Hinami comes to Kaneki’s mind.
Mado realizes that Ryouko is not accustomed to fighting, nor can she use her kagune well. He also comments that he hates it when ghouls imitate humans; as Ryouko sacrifices for Hinami. Mado takes out his quinque, and orders Ryouko to express her hatred and despair.
Worried, Kaneki tries calling Yoshimura, but to no avail. He starts to question if he could do anything when he gets to the scene. He hears Hinami calling out to him, and they decide to run and help her mother. Witnessing Mado interrogate Ryouko, Kaneki doesn’t know what to do, and both he and Hinami are forced to watch helplessly as Ryouko is beheaded by Mado. Kaneki could’ve only done one thing; to cover Hinami’s eyes so that she didn’t see the sight in front of her.
Touka returns home from school, to see Anteiku closed. She enters the shop, meeting Yoshimura, whom requests she come upstairs. Seeing distraught facial expressions, Touka senses that something might be wrong, to which Yoshimura admits that Ryouko was killed by Ghoul Investigators. Touka becomes angry, and asks about Hinami, to which Yoshimura says he’ll be keeping her at Anteiku, but she will have to move to the 24th ward when the time is right. Touka objects, saying that she won’t be able to live alone, and that they should kill the investigators before they gather information on Hinami.
Yoshimura mentions that they shouldn’t, as the CCG will percieve the 20th ward to be filled with war like ghouls, and they might send in more investigators until the ghouls are all hunted down. Touka notes this idea to be pathetic, but Yoshimura points out that what’s truly pitiful is the notion of having a cycle of venegance to the point where one doesn’t live their own life. Touka starts to believe he is talking about her. The manager then warns Anteiku to be cautious, and thanks Kaneki for keeping Hinami safe. Kaneki blames himself, saying that if only he was as strong as Touka, he would’ve been able to do something. The stress takes it’s toll on him, thinking himself to be wrong and useless for not helping save Ryouko.
Touka is seen on the roof of a building, preparing to wipe out Ryouko’s enemies, as she sees two investigators walking on the street below her.
Mado announces that they try searching for case 748, which is Ryouko’s daugher, Hinami. He also mentions that soon, everyone in the CCG will be basking in the glory of victory. Amon, Kusaba and Nakajima go out to have dinner, where they talk about case 696 and the laws taught at the CCG academy. On the way out, they mention that case 723, Ryouko, was much similar to the ‘binge eater’, Rize, and how much they’re willing to investigate ‘the Gourmet.’ Kusaba also talks about his admiration for Amon. Suddenly, Kusaba’s face is slashed, and Nakajima notices a girl with a Rabbit mask.
When Touka attempts to attack Nakajima, Amon steps in front, reassuring that the opponent is in fact a ghoul from the way she carries herself. Touka lets out her Kagune, and Amon notes that she is an the Ukaku instantaneous type; saying that he’d be killed if he were to take a hit from the claws on her Kagune. Mado then intervenes, advising that Amon keep his composure, and decides to show him how to use a quinque. Mado is surprised at how well Touka dodges his moves, and relates her abilites to that of Asaki, Ryouko’s husband. Through Mado, it is made known that Ukaku ghouls characteristically have dull attacks when reliance on speed is cut off, as they lack stamina and can’t go on too long if the battle continues.
Touka becomes weak, and is beaten down by Mado, but as he gets ready to launch another attack, Touka escapes. Mado also mentions that CCG investigators have died because of these types of Ukaku ghouls, realizing Touka to be a Rabbit ghoul. As a result of the battle, Touka was left with a seriously injured arm.
While Touka takes care of her wound, Kaneki decides to go to the storeroom to get some roasted Espresso coffee beans. He bumps into Touka, asking her for the beans, but as she reaches for the jar, she drops the jar due to feeling a sharp pain in her arm, spilling the coffee beans. When he shows concern, Touka orders Kaneki to leave her alone, pushing him out of the room.
Yoshimura assumes that she's been involved with the doves (ghoul investigators). He then mentions that since she got involved, she should take all the responsibility, and whether she lives or dies is no one else's concern. Nevertheless, Kaneki decides to help her.
When he offers her treatment, Touka calls Kaneki irritating for a mere human. He insists that he's partially ghoul too, but Touka says he's only pretending to be an ally, calling him a weak coward after he couldn't bring himself to kill the doves in her place using Rize's kagune. Touka then mentions that she deserves to die, and although she knows there are good humans, ghouls like Ryouko and Hinami were killed arbitrarily though they couldn't fend for themselves.
Despite Touka being wrong for avenging them, Kaneki explains how he'd feel if someone close to him dies, especially Touka, he would grieve. He then requests that she teach him to control his kagune since doing nothing is worse than being able to stand up against ghoul investigators.
Kaneki and Touka go underground to train, and on the way, Kaneki learns that Hinami is staying at Anteiku; wondering if she sleeps well at nights. When Kaneki questions the appearance of the underground pathway, Touka mentions that the Tokyo ghouls built it a long time ago so as to isolate themselves from humans. It is also possible that one could get lost, since the pathway goes even deeper.
Kaneki becomes nervous when Touka says she’s about to teach him by demonstrating, adding that he might die in the process. She lunges toward him, hitting him in the gut, and then begins to swing her fists, to which Kaneki successfully dodges. She sends him crashing into the ground, and pulls off his eye patch. Noticing that Kaneki didn’t seem violated by any of her actions, she uses her boot to bend his index finger all the way back; breaking it in the process.
She gives him another warning; telling him that he might die again as she signals a more intense move to come his way. In defense, Kaneki is forced to bring out his kagune, but Touka delays her attack, saying that the kagune he used on Nishiki was way more powerful. Noting his kagune shape to be different, Touka remarks that Kaneki is a Rinkaku type ghoul just as Rize. Rinkaku ghouls are strong, heal quickly, and are superior to all others in tenacity. If Kaneki combines this with Rize’s superhuman strength, he would be able to fight both on the defensive and offensive sides of combat. Since there are times where he can’t take out his kagune during close combat, Touka advises him to therefore train by doing athletic exercises, and a lot of physical activities.
Seeing his repulsion to the advice, Touka tugs on Kaneki’s shirt, and insults his physique. Suddenly Uta interrupts, saying that he just stopped by to drop off Kaneki’s mask. Uta mentions that he placed the eye patch style on the right style instead, for he wanted to see the eye that’s normally covered.
After another failed attempt at training Kaneki, Touka remarks that he’s merely relying on sugar cubes for his sustenance. They decide to train the following day after work, but Touka suggests that Kaneki follow her to some place after her school dismisses.
Kaneki waits for Touka at her school, and she soon approaches with two bags containing disguise clothing which she had borrowed. She orders Kaneki to change into the male school uniform, to which he compares it to cosplaying. She shuffles his hair to mess it up, and emits his eye patch from the outfit.
They arrive at the CCG Headquarters where Touka reveals that they’d be going into the building. When Kaneki hesitates to invade the enemy’s base, Touka forcefully drags him in and shows him a screen board-showcasing numerous posters of wanted ghouls, such as Tsukiyama, Rize and Hinami. Since the CCG takes tips from ordinary people, Touka decides that they’ll enter the building as students of Shuuyuu High school. They go to the reception desk where they are asked to fill up a form. As they sit and wait, they overhear one of the investigators talking about the case of the Gourmet.
Kaneki inquires about the mysterious gate on the platform above them, and Touka notes it to be the Rc Scan Gate; whereby a ghoul can instantly be detected if its Rc cell readings are scanned. However, it is made known that the gate is incomplete, due to insufficient money being put towards its engineering. Should these machines spread throughout the world, ghouls will be forced to retreat back into the underground tunnels.
A woman named Ruisawa, the information head, approaches them. Kaneki notes her to be especially cheerful, for a member of the enemy’s crowd. Touka begins to describe where she saw the ghoul; on the riverside next to Kasahara Elementary School which is on the border of the 20th ward. When she describes the clothing style, Kaneki suspects that she is talking about Hinami, by spreading false information, which could be very risky.
Touka asks Ruisawa if Ghoul Investigators ever use handguns, to which Ruisawa says it is supposed to be kept secret. Ruisawa adds that two investigators have currently been working on the 20th ward, but she also seems to have an infatuation toward Koutarou Amon. Ruisawa reveals the murder of Ryouko Fueguchi by the hands of these two, adding that they’re also on the search for Hinami as well.
Touka notes that killing such an innocent child is considered heart breaking, to which Ruisawa counters that ghouls aren’t humans, and that it is normal to destroy them since they cause harm to the human race. On the way to the exit, Touka accidentally bumps into Mado, hurting her shoulder. He abruptly grows suspicious, and upon finding out that they are High school students who just came to share some information, Mado instantly calls them out, requesting that Touka share her story with him.
Mado suggests that they talk in a private room further into the building; promising not to take up much of their time. Touka tries to make excuses, fearing that she and Kaneki would have to pass through the Rc Scan Gate in order to enter the building. Mado however, ignores Touka and drags Kaneki along. Kaneki grows anxious, for the machine might detect the Rc type of his transplanted ghoul organs. Mado smirks mischievously, forcing Kaneki through the gate, only to gain no response from it.
Touka and Kaneki manage to get out of the headquarters safely, and Kaneki starts to wonder why the gate didn’t detect him. He considers the reason was due to still being part human. When Amon approaches, Mado immediately implies that he sensed Touka and Kaneki to be ghouls, but couldn’t get a response from the gate once he pulled Kaneki through it. Though Ippei Kusaba’s funeral was being held, Amon and Mado refrained from attending it, just to work on a minute extra. Mado predicts that Kusaba’s death is partly related to the parent-child ghoul case.
Nakajima and Amon go out for dinner where Nakajima pities and shows great sympathy for Kusaba’s death, and reminded Amon of how much Kusaba respected him. Amon becomes optimistic, saying that Nakajima should treat him to dinner next time in Kusaba’s place. In his apartment complex, Amon is seen exercising vigorously, declaring a promise to avenge those who had lost their lives while fending to protect others.
At Anteiku, Hinami has a hard time sleeping. Kaneki reads the newspaper and notices the case about Kusaba’s death. Kaneki starts to suspect Touka for Kusaba’s death, to which she wittily admits, calling herself a murderer. Touka swears to not stop her killing spree until all the investigators are dead. Kaneki perceives Touka, who was born as a ghoul, to have a completely different value towards people’s lives than he ever did. It is revealed that Hinami hasn’t been eating or sleeping since her mother’s death. Touka discloses the fact that she indeed wanted to take revenge for Hinami, which is why she and Kaneki visited the CCG in the first place. Touka then visits Hinami and comforts her, reassuring her that she’ll take care of everything. Hinami is given a newspaper with lots of kanji to read, to which she says she’ll ask Kaneki to teach her some words. Touka seems to be jealous about Hinami’s admiration for Kaneki’s intelligence.
Mado and Amon are seen investigating a location. Mado quickly comes to the conclusion that Kaneki’s and Touka’s identities were made up; as well as the information they conveyed to the CCG. They leave the location, but Mado decides to stay and investigate a little further.
While reading the newspaper, Hinami comes across an article of Kusaba’s death, and Touka’s promise comes to her head right away. Kaneki warns Touka about Hinami’s frequent oversleeping and the constant silence in her room. Worried, Touka checks her room, only to find that Hinami is missing, and the two are shocked to see her window open, considering that she had escaped through it.
Touka and Kaneki race through the streets in search for Hinami. Kaneki decides to make a phone call to Yoshimura, to tell him of Hinami’s disappearance. Touka assumes that the newspaper she gave Hinami is the reason why she ran away. She is then reminded of what her younger brother, Ayato, said to her the night he left to join Aogiri Tree; that she must learn to take responsibility for her own deeds.
Close to Kusahara Elementary School, Touka finds Hinami via her scent. When offered to go home, Hinami refuses, implying that no matter where she hides, she’d be killed by the doves too. Hinami also confronts Touka about her killing Kusaba. Touka notices that Hinami is clutching to the disembodied hand of her mother’s corpse, questioning the notion that it is wrong for ghouls to live. Touka reassures her that the CCG holds no genuine information, except for those who saw her during Ryouko’s execution.
Touka swears to protect Hinami, and calls Kaneki to inform him about Hinami’s whereabouts. Suddenly Kureo Mado intervenes. Kaneki contemplates on meeting them at Anteiku, but upon seeing Amon speaking on the phone, implying the emergence of ghouls nearby, Kaneki puts on his mask and decides to stall Amon.
As they stand face to face, Amon inquires what kind of being Kaneki really is, ordering him to move out of the way. Deciding to buy some time, Kaneki charges towards him, reminiscing over Touka’s teachings to hit his opponent with one blow; for the physiques of humans and ghouls are so different. Kaneki fails to make his attack on Amon, and is instead thrown to the ground. Amon perceives him to be human, insulting his taste in masks. Kaneki kicks Amon, and manages to slip away from his grasp.
Both Amon and Kaneki enter their respective internal monologues, where Amon mentions that experienced ghoul investigators are not like humans and that he shouldn’t slack off on this fight. Kaneki decides to charge with his full power, activating his kagune, which Amon seems surprised by, thinking he was human all this time. Amon quickly pulls out his quinque and swings it at Kaneki, giving him a scratch on the cheek.
Meanwhile, Mado confronts Hinami, and points out that Touka’s identity was fake, desiring to call her by her alias, Rabbit. Mado also mentions that the reason why Touka entered the CCG was to stir up the investigators with false rumors, inferring that it was for Hinami’s sake. He also admits that the CCG doesn’t even hold enough information about Hinami, and therefore should kill her once her face is revealed in an instant. As Touka’s anger builds up, Mado proceeds to discriminate the existence of ghouls by exposing the fact that Ryouko’s kagune is now a quinque, and that ghouls should not live in peace since they are considered monsters by society.
Mado pulls out his quinque, and begins his battle with Touka. Through his words, it is made known that the One-Eyed Owl of the 20th ward is a troublesome ghoul, and Hinami might become just like this if she didn’t die at the moment. Mado then blocks Touka’s attack with yet another quinque, revealed to be that of Hinami’s mother.
Hinami goes into an emotional breakdown, and Touka loses her temper, charging towards Mado. He blocks Touka with his quinque, remarking that she is just acting on a foolish impulse and will surrender her life for it. He stabs her in the side and starts to provoke her further; hinting at how much pleasure he felt while beheading Ryouko, and making her kagune into a quinque combination with her husband, Asaki. Touka threatens to kill him, to which he insults her for being a ghoul. Touka questions why it is wrong for ghouls to live, though they’re just like humans, but only carry a different diet. Touka admits that she wants to live like humans, but Mado dismisses her statement, preparing for his final fatal blow.
Amon battles Kaneki, but notices that his quinque is no match, even though both of them are using kagune materials. Koutarou then points out that ghouls murder innocent people calmly just for the sake of satisfying their hunger, and asks Kaneki how it feels to commit such a crime. Much to Kaneki’s surprise, Amon began to shed tears over his Kusaba’s death, coming to the conclusion that the world is wrong because ghouls are causing it corruption.
Kaneki agrees with him, but contradicts that ghouls, just like humans, have feelings too. Kaneki decides to make Amon understand that he is the only one that can understand both the worlds of ghouls and humans. He then tries to explain that there are ghouls who followed the wrong path, and at the same time, all ghouls shouldn’t have to face prejudice. Instead, he implies that the two existences should learn more about each other. When Amon didn’t even give a budge of understanding to what Kaneki had to say, he immediately grew impatient and declared to make Amon understand via a fight.
Amon refuses to listen to Kaneki, and the two proceed to fight. Kaneki, by comparing Amon’s kick to Nishiki’s, notices that his movements have gotten better, as he was able to dodge them. Kaneki then decides to provoke Amon further, thinking that his abilities would solidify by doing so.
Amon takes out his quinque once again; making it harder for Kaneki to avoid his attacks. Kaneki suddenly bites Amon, and goes into an internal monologue, where he conveys the fact that ghouls are overwhelmed by hunger, concluding that it feels pleasurable to satisfy their appetite, but it is a trait that is only natural for ghouls.
Kaneki unleashes his kagune and charges toward Amon, promising not to lose sight of himself. Amon is surprised to see that Kaneki broke his quinque, shocked at the fact that there is such a ghoul that resides at the 20th ward. However, Kaneki begins to cry and begs Amon to run away, warning him that he’d be killed if he were to stay. Amon rejects at first, but upon seeing Kaneki’s tears, he is taken aback.
Mado battles Hinami, costing him his right hand, only to see the source of his injury to be Hinami’s activated dual kagune. Hinami orders Mado to stop and not harm Touka any further, but he comes to the realization that Hinami, like her mother and father, was able to take off his hand even from a distance. He also implies that Hinami’s kagune surpassed that of both her parents. He then demands to have her kagune made into his own quinque. He throws away his weapon he had in his possession and reached out to attack Hinami, but she quickly resists.
Amon questions the fact that Kaneki let him go, and doubts that such a ghoul would even cry. Amon brushes off Kaneki’s plea as a ghoul’s lie and decides to head over to Mado’s location. Kaneki finds it difficult to control his kagune, and starts to go back and forth within his hunger instincts. Yomo approaches and Kaneki absentmindedly attacks him, piercing him through the torso. After Kaneki realizes what he had done, Yomo gives him a package of human meat to help calm him down.
Hinami had put Mado in critical condition via her attack. Mado declares to make Hinami his quinque once again, but Touka advises her to finish him, for he was her parents’ enemy. Hinami implies that she never cared about revenge, and was merely sad that her parents left her feeling lonely. Mado however, entails Hinami’s reason to be disgusting, and tries to launch yet another attack. Touka had slit Mado’s throat before he could go any further.
Lying on the ground, with his last breaths, Mado begins to insult the existence of ghouls once more and repeats his vow to kill and bury the One-Eyed Owl with his remaining hand. After his death, Touka takes his glove off his hand, and is shocked to see a wedding ring on his finger, indicating that he too had a family. Yomo and Kaneki arrive at the scene, where Yomo suggests that they leave immediately before someone finds them. Amon finally locates Mado, but is deeply disheartened to see the corpse of his mentor. When Hinami asks if it is okay for her to go on living, Kaneki concludes that her mother had wanted her to live ever since she was saying her last words. It is made known that Ghoul Investigators are still swarming the 20th ward in search of the targets; Touka and Hinami. Kaneki insists to help Touka, whom refuses. Kaneki then reminisces over his fight with Amon, managing to recall the most important thing Amon has said to him, that this world is wrong.
Mado’s funeral takes place at the CCG Headquarters of the 1st ward. Marude berates Mado, saying that he was merely a quinque fanatic, but Arima reprimands him for disrespecting the dead. Taishi suddenly alerts them that a ghoul suspect has started moving, and that they should move out right away, indicating that there is no time to mourn.
Amon has a flashback of when he first met Mado; most people have said that he was a maniac for quinques, and a very odd old man. He first sets eyes on Mado, and noted that his sunken cheeks reminded him of a dead man. On their first assignment, Amon and Mado go to visit Muramatsu, an old-aged female ghoul. According to a medical certificate, Mado quickly distinguished whether or not Muramatsu was a ghoul. After it turned out that she may not have been once, Mado apologizes for suspecting her. When they left, Mado suggested that they set a trap for Muramatsu, for he still suspected her. Amon doubted this, but Mado implied that he was merely inexperienced.
Amon storms away, and upon walking on his way to the stakeout, he meets Muramatsu, pushing some really heavy luggage. He notices blood seeping out of the suitcase afterwards, and when he confronts her, she attacks him. Mado unexpectedly intervenes; defeating Muramatsu and suggests that she be made into a quinque.
Back to present day, Shinohara approaches Amon and teases him about weeping over Mado’s death, but mentioned that Mado was also proud of him. In the afterlife, Mado admits that he too, just like Amon, was inexperienced, and advised Amon to move on. He roams the afterlife, and upon finding evidence of ghouls around his area, he acknowledges the fact that he still has a job even in death.
News of Mado’s death hits the media, and it is made known that the CCG investigators are making plans to advance their investigation on the Rabbit. Kaneki visits doctor Kanou for a checkup, whereby Kanou mentions that Kaneki is doing just well. However, he doesn’t seem to have realized that he turned into a ghoul upon receiving Rize’s organs. Kaneki suspects that Kanou may know everything, but is just hiding the truth, and begins to wonder if his Rc level is the same as any human though he may be a ghoul now. Dr. Kanou also mentioned that Rize had a family.
In class, Kaneki and Hide discuss the Rabbit and Daughter ghoul investigations with reference to a news article. Kaneki however, grows deeply frightened at how well Hide perceives Hinami’s situation and how she came about to murder Mado, but he decides to hide his anxiety. Kaneki also questions Hide on such an inference, to which Hide immediately pulls out a novel he had been reading, noting it to be really interesting; about Ghoul psychology, Biology, examples of Ghoul Investigations and many other things. Hide even suggests that he start investigating the Daughter ghoul himself.
At Anteiku, Kaneki has become very famous for taking on Amon, with many ghoul customers praising him. Kaneki apologizes to Yoshimura for all the trouble he had caused for the 20th ward, but Yoshimura dismisses it and thanks him. Kaneki also finds out that Hinami has moved to Touka’s house. Elsewhere, Hide buys a can of coffee from a nearby vendor, but finds the taste to be bitter.
Doves' Emergence Arc Tropes
- A Day in the Limelight: For Hinami Fueguchi, who the arc centers around.
- Arc Villain: Amon and Mado serve as this for Kaneki and company, even if their cause is just. At the very least, it's quite clear that Mado has lost most his sanity over the years.
- Hero Antagonist: The CCG investigators seen so far are protectors of the people that happen to fight ghouls.
- Killed Off for Real: For the ghouls, Hinami's parents (Asaki and Ryouko Fueguchi). For the humans, investigators Ippei Kusaba and Kureo Mado.
- Pragmatic Adaptation: For the anime adaptation:
- Apart from Mado and Amon still being introduced, Doves' Emergence was switched to occur after the Gourmet arc.
- Touka and Kaneki's attempt to spread a rumor at the CCG HQ regarding Hinami's whereabouts did not make the cut. Instead, Touka calls the CCG and gives a false report on Hinami's location offscreen.
- Red Shirt: Ippei Kusaba never had a chance.
