An indisputable fact surrounding Tokyo Ghoul is that there are some pretty extreme differences between the manga and the anime. Manga fans know too well of the bizarre plot changes, missed events, and overlooked character development that the anime adaption presented.
On the whole, the manga was far more detailed and explored important information that might have left anime-only fans scratching their heads and trying to make sense of what was going on if it had been included.
Although it is argued that the anime didn’t give the original storyline the justice it truly deserved, there are still many fans who enjoyed watching the series. Though the differences are not something that one can easily ignore.
10 Touka Is The One To Train Kaneki In Combat
The Tokyo Ghoul anime showed viewers that Renji Yomo was the one to train Kaneki so that he could learn to use his Kagune properly in combat. However, in the original story, Touka Kirishima was the one to train him.
The training was consistent throughout the manga and played a massive part in how it helped nurture their relationship. It also explains why they were able to fight so in sync during their battle with Shuu Tsukiyama.
9 Washū Matsuri’s Obsession with Kuki Urie Was Left Out
Anime-only fans were never given a full insight into the dynamic between Washū Matsuri and Kuki Urie in Tokyo Ghoul:re. The dialogue between the pair in the anime showed nothing more than a relationship between superior and subordinate, whereas, in the manga, it is shown that Matsuri actually has a romantic obsession with Urie.
After a conversation between them, Urie claims he is Matsuri’s “dog” and will bark if he tells him to bark and will heel if he tells him to heel, in order to manipulate Matsuri for his own agenda. However, upon Urie leaving the office, Matsuri is overwhelmed by the submission and praise to his orders, strips naked, and confesses “Urie, I might love you”.
8 Juuzou Suzuya Loses His Leg During The Owl’s Suppression Operation
The Owl suppression operation was a pinnacle moment in Tokyo Ghoul. During the brutal battle between the CCG and the Owl, the manga showed fans that as Juuzou landed several consecutive hits on the most wanted and dangerous ghoul, though it cost his right leg.
Years after the mission, Juuzou is seen with a prosthetic leg as a replacement for the one that he lost, something that anime-only fans would never know.
7 Kaneki Leaves Ayato Half-Dead
The anime adaption barely touched upon how violent the fight was between Kaneki and Ayato. During the mission to save Kaneki from Aogiri, Ayato and Touka battle on the rooftop of the Aogiri hideout, and Touka is left severely beaten.
In the manga, before Ayato is able to land any final blows, she is saved by Kaneki who upon seeing her vows to “half-kill” Ayato for treating Touka like this. This resulted in Kaneki breaking one hundred and three of Ayato’s bones.
6 Tooru Mutsuki’s Backstory Is Not Properly Explored In The Anime
The Tokyo Ghoul:re anime never fully revealed the full extent of Mutsuki’s backstory. In fact, anime-only fans didn’t discover that she was a woman until the end. The manga, however, told readers of this truth very early on.
On top of this, the manga shows that Mutsuki suffered from black-out episodes, which leads them to become violent and aggressive. This creates gaps in Mutsuki’s memories and later down the line it is shown that they begin to have hallucinations of what happens during a black-out, leaving Mutsuki reacting in horror and disgust at their actions.
5 Touka And Kaneki Infiltrate The CCG Disguised As Students
Touka and Kaneki visiting the CCG was entirely removed from the anime. After the death of Hinami’s mother, the CCG is on the hunt to find her, and in an attempt to stop them, both Touka and Kaneki disguise themselves as students and provide false information to the CCG in order to throw them off.
First-class investigator Kureo Mado grows suspicious of these visitors and decides to throw Kaneki through an RC scanner, which luckily didn’t identify him as a ghoul.
4 Kaneki Escapes Aogiri’s Base
In the manga, Kaneki attempts to escape the Aogiri base after he is captured by Yamori. Joined by Banjo and his friends, they wait until the superiors of Aogiri leave for their missions to break out. During this, they are stopped by the Bin Brothers and a fight breaks out. However, Yamori appears and proceeds to captures them all.
Kaneki agrees to go back with Yamori as long as he lets the others go. Although initially agreeing to the terms, it is shown later that Yamori breaks his promise and brings in a mother and child and kills them in front of Kaneki.
3 Kaneki’s Experience At The Ghoul Restaurant Was Altered For The Anime
In the anime, when Kaneki is lured into the Ghoul Restaurant by a persuasive Tsukiyama, he is shown to enter the secret society’s base alone. However, in the manga, he is joined by two human visitors. He is also shown to drink the drugged coffee in the anime adaption, whereas this was not the case in the original plot.
Although the fight between Kaneki and the scrapper was featured in the anime, it doesn’t show that the two humans who joined him beforehand in the waiting room were killed first.
2 Kaneki And Arima’s First Fight Was Truly Brutal
Anime fans were left wondering the fate of Kaneki after he carried a seemingly dead Hide, out of Anteiku and faced Kishou Arima before the scene cut. But the manga revealed that Kaneki and Arima fought so aggressively that Kaneki almost died.
Arima hailed as a godlike genius, dealt extreme blows to Kaneki without giving him any chance to recover, eventually destroying his left eye by piercing his skull.
1 Kaneki Doesn’t Join Aogiri In The Manga
Probably the biggest plot change that left manga readers disappointed and confused was Kaneki’s choice to join Aogiri in the anime. This decision completely deviates from the manga, where instead, he actually creates a separate group in order to take down Aogiri. The group members included the likes of Hinami, Tsukiyama, and Banjo.
Why the anime chose to change this story to this extent remains unclear to manga fans, leading many to ignore the second season.
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