WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul :re.
In Tokyo Ghoul, the most powerful of the man-eating ghouls receive unique code names: Ken Kaneki is known as “Eyepatch,” and Touka Kirishima is “Rabbit, ” but several characters throughout the series have the code name “Owl,” which is incredibly confusing.
The name begins as a title for the infamous One-Eyed Owl, one of the most dangerous ghouls in the series. It’s then revealed there is a second Owl impersonating the One-Eyed Owl. When this character is used to manufacture artificial ghouls, that creates two more. Here’s a guide to Tokyo Ghoul‘s four Owls.
Yoshimura Is the Non-Killing Owl
Yoshimura is the manager and owner of Anteiku, the cafe in which Kaneki works in Tokyo Ghoul. In the past, he was a lonely ghoul named “Kuzen” who fell in love with a human named Ukina. He is initially called the One-Eyed Owl, but, in reality, that title belongs to his half-ghoul daughter. Yoshimura posed as the One-Eyed Owl to cover up her horrific behavior, for which he felt responsible, having abandoned her as a child. In his old age, Yoshimura is a pacifist, fostering a community of non-killing ghouls within Anteiku’s walls.
After the CCG defeat him in the Owl Suppression Operation and realize there were two Owls all along, Yoshimura is renamed the Non-Killing Owl. He is also the source of the “Owl” Quinque, which was made from part of his body torn out by Kishou Arima. Owl is the only Quinque to receive an SSS rating.
Harvested for his kakuhou and used to create artificial One-Eyed Ghouls, Yoshimura is probably still alive in some abstract, vegetative state. It’s one of the many plot points left unresolved in the series, which unfortunately ended a little prematurely.
Eto Yoshimura Is the Notorious One-Eyed Owl
Eto Yoshimura is the most infamous “Owl” character in Tokyo Ghoul. One of the most powerful ghouls ever, Eto is the miraculous daughter of Yoshimura and Ukina, conceived against all odds, abandoned by her parents and then growing up hating the world. She founds and commands the Aogiri Tree terrorist group, an antagonistic force throughout the series. Her criminal activity and immense strength grant her an SSS rating under the “One-Eyed Owl” title, which originated from her owl-like kagune and singular kakugan (ghoul eye).
Eto is also a famous novelist under the name Sen Takatsuki. While she is hedonistic and sadistic, Eto has a noble goal in creating a ghoul-friendly future, occasionally assisting Ken Kaneki in the process. Unfortunately, she is defeated by Furuta Nimura and left to die. Due to her striking design and charismatic personality, Eto is a fan-favorite character.
Despite her “death,” Eto reappears, returning as the Taxidermied Owl at the end of the series. In this state, her zombified body is controlled by Donato Porpora. She eventually breaks free, but it’s unclear what became of her after the final fight.
Seidou Takizawa Is T-OWL/Owl
Known as T-OWL, Seidou Takizawa was initially a low-ranking CCG investigator with a close relationship to Amon Koutarou and Akira Mado. Along with Amon, he is defeated in Owl Suppression Operation and presumed dead by the CCG. In reality, he was captured by Aogiri and experimented on by Kanou, who seeks to make a “new Kaneki” using Yoshimura’s kakuhou. That means torturing the young, ghoulified investigator until his hair turns white. Most of his fellow test subjects are failures, but Takizawa becomes the first successful One-Eyed Ghoul using Yoshimura’s kakuhou, which grants him an ukaku kagune. As a member of Aogiri, he is known simply (and confusingly) as “Owl.” Takizawa goes on bloodthirsty murder sprees under the organization’s command, completely insane after being tortured. He eventually rebels against Aogiri and regains his relationship with Amon and Akira. Reformed, Takizawa also joins Ken Kaneki’s Goat organization.
The final chapter reveals that Takizawa disappeared after the Dragon War, but there are rumors that he now acts as a vigilante fighting troublesome ghouls. Sadly, unlike Kaneki, Takizawa never overcame his trauma.
Amon Koutarou Is A-OWL/Floppy
Known as A-OWL, Amon Koutarou is an important character in Tokyo Ghoul. His black-and-white, anti-ghoul view of the world matures alongside Ken Kaneki’s own philosophy and, after a climactic duel with the Tokyo Ghoul protagonist, Amon’s half-dead body is snatched by Aogiri during the Ghoul Suppression Operation. Unlike Takizawa, Amon is a failed specimen known as “Floppy.” That being said, he is still capable of creating a formidable owl-like kakuja. After saving Takizawa and Mado, Amon is defeated by the Quinx squad and winds up in a CCG laboratory. He goes berserk upon running into Kaneki and other members of Goat, but Takizawa is able to save him. Amon coordinates with Hide, Goat and the CCG to save Kaneki at the end of the series, eventually killing Donato Porpora, the ghoul who fathered him. This frees Eto, the One-Eyed Owl, from her Taxidermied Owl state.
In the final chapter, Amon and Akira’s silhouettes are shown side-by-side, implying that the two now live together.
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