Age Difference; Kaneki Ken & Kirishima Touka. - Nonsense-Shit

I was browsing through a specific blog one morning and came across the idea that the age difference between Ken and Touka was a big deal when it is, in fact, not. In fact, it’s not even two years. However, before we get into the maths we’ll talk about the relationship between Ken and Touka. It was formed naturally. Ken wasn’t lurking around a high school, actively looking for high school girls like some creepy pervert and neither was Touka hanging around his university, actively looking for some college boys like some creepy pervert. The first time Kaneki saw Touka, he thought; ‘ cute waitress. ’ and the first time Touka saw Kaneki, she thought; ‘ planned meal. ’

The second time they meet, Kaneki thinks; ‘ cute waitress who is also a ghoul oh christ. ’

The third time they meet Touka thinks of him as a ‘ fail ghoul. ’

There is nothing about their ages there. They don’t worry nor think about them. In this frame, two years or less, it’s really not that much of a difference. Now, for the nitty gritty. If we were to look at Touka and Kaneki’s ages when Tokyo Ghoul starts; Touka: 17. Kaneki: 18. There’s not two years, there’s a year. However, Kaneki does turn 19 in Chapter 64 so this makes two years, right?

Wrong.

Let’s get really specific here.

If it were two years, Kaneki would be 19 already. Take me and my sister for example; my sister was born October 1997 and I was born in August 1998. Since I was born before October in 1998, there is not a year between us but ten months. For there to be a year between us, I would have to have been born after the day my sister was. For a whole year, Touka had been unborn but in the year where Kaneki’s second birthday was in December, Touka was born in July. Since Touka was born on July 1st before December 20th where Kaneki would have had his second birthday, this means there is only seven months between their birthdays.

However, a year did pass before she was born so she was born the day after Kaneki’s first birthday. However, she was born the day before Kaneki’s second birthday. Take me and my brother; there are two years between us because he was born July 1996 whereas I was born August 1998. Since I was born after my brother’s second birthday, there are two years between us. If I had been born before my brother’s second birthday, there would only be a year which is the case with Kaneki and Touka. Since Touka was born before Kaneki’s second birthday which was in seven months, there is only a year.

Please keep in mind, by the way, we do not want to go from July to December but from December to July which makes the seven months. Now, let’s get into the seven months; because Touka’s birthday is before Kaneki’s, it would have already passed in the time Tokyo Ghoul starts, making her 17. July is the seventh month of the year, which makes Touka age before Kaneki does. Kaneki has a winter birthday where he turns 19 in Chapter 64. December is the twelfth month of the year, which makes Kaneki age after Touka does.

Again, take me and my sister; since my birthday is before hers, I age before she does and we are the same age for a while until she celebrates her birthday after mine. However, there are only ten months between me and my sister and since there is a year between Kaneki and Touka, that is why they are not the same age.

Now, let’s take Kaneki and Touka’s birthdays along with their ages.

Kaneki: 18 - unitl Chapter 64. 19 - from Chapter 64; December 20th.

Touka: 17 - until Chapter 89 ( second year. ) 18 - from Chapter 89. ( third year. ); July 1st.

December - July; seven months.

The ages suggest only a year between Touka and Kaneki but it’s not only that as December to July holds signficance. If there were but a year between Kaneki and Touka, their ages would be slightly differing and Touka would already be in her third year of high school or Kaneki would still be in his third year of high school. My cousin and my brother; my cousin was born March 1997 and my brother July 1996. My cousin was born before my brother’s second birthday, so there is only a year between them but my cousin was born on a date that was also before my brother’s birthday. So there is a year, seven months and twenty-nine or thirty days between them. My cousin turns older before my brother turns older this year because her birthday is before his. When my cousin was in her first year of high school, my brother was in his third year because of the seven months and twenty-nine / thirty days between them. Like Touka turned 17 and was in her second year of high school where Kaneki was 18 and his first year of college because of the seven months between them.

I hope you can all understand this since I suck at both maths and explaining things but…

TL;DR: Since Touka was born before Kaneki’s second birthday, there is only a year between them but she was also born seven months before his second birthday meaning that there is not a year between them but a year, seven months and nineteen days.