'Tokyo Ghoul' Season 3 Introduces Ken's Most Terrifying Persona Yet

Tokyo Ghoul just wrapped season 3 (aka the first installment of Tokyo Ghoul:re) with a bloody showdown between the CCG, the Tsukiyama family, as well as Eto and her Aogiri Tree faction. As a result of that traumatic battle that was the “Tsukiyama Gamily Extermination Operation,” Quinx Squad leader Haise Sasaki was finally forced to reconcile with his true identity, Ken Kaneki.

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However, when deeper aspects of Kaneki’s troubled past bubbled to the surface, the result isn’t Haise morphing back into Ken Kaneki, like many fans would expect: instead, what resulted was the rise of a new personality – one that seems to be more powerful than Ken Kaneki / Haise Sasaki ever was. Meet “Black Reaper” in the image below:

“Black Reaper” is the first time we’ve seen Ken Kaneki truly embrace his power and ruthlessness as a one-eyed ghoul, and let it fly. “Ken” was a shy, sensitive, downtrodden boy, who we learn has been taking abuse ever since his days as a child, when his mom would beat him. Haise Sasaki, by contrast, was extremely composed and chipper, acting as a calm and wise fatherly figure for his Quinx Squad family. It’s significant that the Black Reaper persona rose out of a moment where Haise (in his mind) is strangling the child version of Kaneki – an implication that’s hammered home when Reaper later chastises Urie over the death of Shirazu. Kaneki calls Urie weak for letting his friend die, much the same way he expresses disdain for the weakness of the young Kaneki.

From what we’ve seen so far in the anime, “Black Reaper” still has Haise’s control, but is more like Ken, with a raging fire now lit in his soul, and the bad attitude to match. The return of the iconic black hair will be a thrill for longtime fans of the series – but Black Reaper’s arrival in Tokyo Ghoul was not without sacrifice: Ken/Haise/Reaper loses an arm battling the Owl’s pawn, Kanae. It will be interesting to see if and how it heals.

WARNING – SPOILERS FOLLOW!

In the manga, Ken’s Black Reaper persona evolves into that of the “One-Eyed King,” a one-eyed ghoul that could be a symbol of hope for all ghouls. He forms his own group, Goat, and marries his love Touka Kirishima, who eventually gets pregnant with his child. Kichimura Washuu and his Oggai Squads nearly kill Kaneki – until the famed one-eye ghoul once again undergoes a radical evolution…

Tokyo Ghoul:re will return for season 2 (aka Tokyo Ghoul season 4) later this year.