Tokyo Ghoul is a gem and is definitely a must-watch anime. It has a superb plot and storyline, beautiful character designs, and exciting perspectives from opposing worlds.
Tokyo Ghoul is one of those animes that leave viewers enraptured as they watch the protagonist’s life go from normal to hellish all because of a romantic date.
The narrative takes place in a world where savage species known as ghouls—creatures who resemble regular people but can only survive by consuming human flesh—live secretly among the normal populace.
If you are into the genres of dark fantasy and supernatural thrillers, then Tokyo Ghoul is your match. The franchise’s dark fantasy genre really encapsulates the violent and dark nature of the show’s antagonists, the ghouls, and the people in power in CCG.
Tokyo Ghoul is violent, not shying away from featuring blood, gore, and death. If you are not into such things, then this anime is not for you.
But aside from the violence, Tokyo Ghoul gives great insights about perspectives and allows viewers to sympathize and challenge their morals and values.
Tokyo Ghoul also showcases some of the most heart-wrenching deaths in the anime world. So be careful when choosing your favorites or getting attached if you don’t want your heart to get split into two.
Also, for viewers who don’t like adult content, the anime has some sexual element to it, so be warned.
Tokyo Ghoul Watch Order By Release Order
The best way to stream the Tokyo Ghoul franchise is by watching it by release date. The anime is linear in its plot.
The release dates also serve as the chronological order of events of the series.
Moreover, there are only 2 OVAs in the entire franchise, which doesn’t require much streaming time.
| Watch Order | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo Ghoul (2014) |
| 2 | Tokyo Ghoul √A (2015) |
| 3 | Tokyo Ghoul: “Jack” (2015) |
| 4 | Tokyo Ghoul: “Pinto” (2015) |
| 5 | Tokyo Ghoul: re (2018) |
| 6 | Tokyo Ghoul: re 2nd Season (2018) |
Where to Watch Tokyo Ghoul (November 2022)
| US | Crunchyroll, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Funimation |
| Canada | Crunchyroll Funimation, Hulu |
| UK | Crunchyroll, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu |
| Australia | Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation |
If you cannot seem to find the series or it is unavailable to watch in your country, then a VPN is needed to watch it.
Complete Summary of Tokyo Ghoul Anime
| # of Episodes | 48 |
| Runtime | Approximately 24 minutes per episode |
| Manga Canon Episodes | 1-12, 25-48 |
| Mixed Canon/ Filler Episodes | 13-24 |
| Anime Canon Episodes | None |
| Special Episodes (OVA) | 2 |
| Movies | None |
Sui Ishida is the author and illustrator of the dark fantasy manga series.
Between September 2011 and September 2014, it was published in Shueisha’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump and compiled in fourteen tankobon volumes.
Tokyo Ghoul [Jack], a prequel, was published in a single tankobon book and broadcast online on Jump Live in 2013.
A follow-up, Tokyo Ghoul:re, was published in sixteen tankobon volumes after running as a serial in Weekly Young Jump from October 2014 to July 2018.
From July to September 2014, a 12-episode anime television adaption series created by Pierrot premiered on Tokyo MX.
From January to March 2015, Tokyo Ghoul A, a second season with 12 episodes that follows an original storyline, aired on television. In Japan, a live-action movie based on the manga was released in July 2017. A follow-up was published in July 2019.
Tokyo Ghoul:re, has two seasons that aired from April to June 2018 and from October to December 2018.
While Funimation holds the rights to the anime series for streaming and home video distribution in North America, Viz Media has the rights to the manga for English language publication.
As of now, after becoming one of the most popular manga series of all time, Tokyo Ghoul has over 47 million copies in print as of January 2021.
Tokyo Ghoul Complete Anime Synopsis
1. Tokyo Ghoul (2014)
| Media | Series |
| # of Episodes | 12 |
| Original Release | July 4 – September 19, 2014 |
| Runtime | Approximately 24 minutes per episode |
| IMDb Rating | 7.8/10 |
A terrible danger known as “ghouls” have been lurking on the streets of Tokyo. Since they resemble humans, they have no problem blending with society. Much of the normal populace cannot seem to comprehend the severity of how dangerous ghouls are, and that includes the main protagonist.
Ken Kaneki is a naive college student. He opts to ignore reality by reading books instead of paying attention to the news of the surging conflict.
His first encounter with ghouls will be with his first love, the stunning Rize Kamishiro. Rize approaches him and formally asks him for a date after seeing their common penchant for books. However, vigilance for Kaneki will come a second too late.
His first date went horribly wrong when Rize revealed herself to be a ghoul. She only looked at him as her next meal. But a freak accident spared his life when a pile of metal beams fell on the ghoul woman.
Kaneki awoke at the hospital the next day. A doctor informs him that in order to save his life, the deceased Rize’s organs were transplanted into his body in a rush. That’s where Kaneki’s life will spiral for the worse.
After his nonconsensual operation, Kaneki’s body begins to mutate, transforming him into a human-ghoul hybrid.
He has no choice but to embark on his new existence as a human-ghoul hybrid. Moreover, the escalating deadly warfare between society’s concealed adversaries and the federal agents who strive to eradicate them is reaching its limits.
Kaneki’s human side, which he desperately clings to, will be put to the test.
2. Tokyo Ghoul √A (2015)
| Media | Series |
| # of Episodes | 12 |
| Original Release | January 9 – March 27, 2015 |
| Runtime | Approximately 24 minutes per episode |
| IMDb Rating | 7.6/10 |
Ken Kaneki, who has long dreaded and detested the horrible, flesh-craving aspect of himself, has now come to terms with the fact that his quiet leisure life as a college student was stripped away from him after one night’s mistake.
After escaping from imprisonment and torture by a notorious ghoul named Jason, Kaneki joins Aogiri Tree—the militant ghoul group that had kidnapped him. Hence, it caused his companions to doubt his sincerity and allegiance.
The government’s specialist anti-ghoul agency, the Commission of Counter Ghoul aka CCG, has increased its attempts to totally rid Tokyo of ghouls.
Furthermore, the hostility between the government and these “monsters” continues to grow. The ghouls at the Anteiku coffee shop, Kaneki’s companions and erstwhile allies, are in danger of losing their momentary tranquility.
Despite being aware of the risk, Kaneki finds himself in the middle of conflicts—man vs. ghoul—that endanger his fragile humanity.
3. Tokyo Ghoul: “Jack” (2015)
| Media | OVA |
| Original Release | September 30, 2015 |
| Runtime | 30 minutes |
| IMDb Rating | 7.3/10 |
A teenage Kishou Arima was once given the responsibility of attending a high school in order to investigate a string of deaths. They were likely the work of a ghoul with voracious hunger.
This was before Arima became the notorious “Reaper” of the Commission of Counter Ghoul.
The young genius’s intended solitary goal suddenly changed when he became entangled with his troublesome classmate Taishi Fura. Fura fears he may suffer a similar fate after seeing his closest friend’s violent murder by a masked ghoul called “Lantern.”
Arima saves him just in time, offering Fura an insight into the life of a ghoul investigator. Fura resolves to work with his savior and classmate in order to pursue Lantern and give justice to the lives stolen from this monster.
4. Tokyo Ghoul: “Pinto” (2015)
| Media | OVA |
| Original Release | December 25, 2015 |
| Runtime | 24 minutes |
| IMDb Rating | 6.9/10 |
Shuu Tsukiyama is a “ghoul,” a monster who consumes human flesh. He takes great pleasure in making his meals into luxurious gourmets.
One night, while Shuu was enjoying the calculated slaughter of his meal, a bright flash of light interrupted his eagerly awaited first bite.
The flash turns out to be coming from high schooler Chie Hori’s camera, giving Shuu a pristine picture of himself, capturing his ghoul nature. Because of the exceptionally clear image of a gory body and Shuu, an overly ecstatic Chie threatens to reveal his ghoul identity. Shuu must swiftly resolve this issue.
Shuu’s focus shifts from self-preservation to a much more sadistic curiosity after learning that Chie goes to the same high school as him and is even in the same class.
Shuu encourages them both to learn more about each other’s opposing worlds as he gets to know the forgetful and incredibly weird photographer.
He assures Chie that she will leave this experience with a picture that is better than the one she already possesses.
5. Tokyo Ghoul: re (2018)
| Media | Series |
| # of Episodes | 12 |
| Original Release | April 3, 2018 – June 19, 2018 |
| Runtime | Approximately 24 minutes per episode |
| IMDb Rating | 7.2/10 |
The CCG’s assault on Anteiku occurred two years ago. Even though the CCG’s expanding power has significantly altered Tokyo’s environment, ghouls continue to be a problem because they have started acting cautiously.
The terrorist group Aogiri Tree, recognizes the CCG’s growing danger to its own existence.
The formation of a special squad known as the Quinx Squad might provide the CCG the motivation they require to annihilate Tokyo’s undesirable inhabitants.
They take part in operations to exterminate the deadly monsters. They are humans who have undergone surgery to utilize the unique characteristics of ghouls.
Half-ghoul, half-human Haise Sasaki, the group’s leader, has received training from renowned special class investigator Kishou Arima.
But this young man is more complex than he may first appear. Moreover, his repressed memories progressively bring back the person he once was before he worked for the Quinx Squad.
6. Tokyo Ghoul: re 2nd Season (2018)
| Media | Series |
| # of Episodes | 12 |
| Original Release | October 9 – December 25, 2018 |
| Runtime | Approximately 24 minutes per episode |
| IMDb Rating | 7.2/10 |
The members of the Commission of Counter Ghouls (CCG) have drastically increased in power since the completion of the Tsukiyama Family Extermination Operation.
They are still working toward their objective of eradicating all ghouls in Japan.
Haise Sasaki, who now appears dispassionate after leaving Quinx Squad, starts accepting increasingly more challenging jobs from the CCG.
Haise is experiencing internal struggle as Ken Kaneki’s memories return despite his empty expressions. His cold change of behavior is also having an impact on others around him.
Without the assistance of their old instructor, Quinx Squad is left in ruins as they attempt to deal with the death of one of its members.
Quinx Squad and Haise must carry out their obligations to the CCG despite the upheaval they are experiencing. Haise has learned that a shadowy organization operates behind the CCG, and the Quinx Squad has also heard rumors of its corruption.