Although he initially appeared as a supporting character, Takizawa Masamichi has now become a hugely popular main character. And he's quite strong! In the original Tokyo Ghoul, he was a young man with a strong sense of justice who pursued ghouls as a human, but in :re, Takizawa's life changes completely once he begins living as a ghoul. This time, we'll focus on him as he is at the mercy of fate while cursing his own misfortune, and review the changes in Takizawa!
Masamichi Takizawa was still very innocent when he first appeared.
Following the death of Kureo Mado in the line of duty, Takizawa was transferred to serve under Houji.
He deeply respects Kishou Arima and Amon, who continue to achieve great things despite their young age, and has a cute side to him, as he becomes nervous and struggles to speak well when confronted by Amon. However, he harbors a strong inferiority complex towards Mado Akira, who was always top of his class during his time at the academy (Takizawa was second), and Juzo, who was admitted as an exception, and is always harsh towards them.
Akira and Juzo are just different, while Takizawa is also an elite in his own right... At the core of Takizawa is the pain of not being able to become "number one" no matter how hard he tries.
The Night Before Masamichi Takizawa's Mission to Defeat the Owls
A suicide note written by an investigator before a mission. The night before the mission, Takizawa returns to his parents' house, eats dinner, and writes his suicide note in his room. In it, he wrote about how an acquaintance of his who lived nearby had been killed by a ghoul, how his mother had become mentally unstable as a result, and how seeing her example had inspired him to become a ghoul investigator. After writing that he would leave his assets to his mother, he scribbled "I don't want to die" all over the paper, clutched his head, and burst into tears.
Takizawa is a person with normal sensibilities, even among investigators.
As for Arima, he submitted a blank will after much thought, and Hirako apparently wrote that he would leave his savings to his grandparents. Juzo also initially refused to write anything, saying he had nothing left to say. (In the end, Shinohara-san pushed him to do so.) Everyone, aren't these wills a bit too dry...?
And the Battle Begins
Takizawa was a member of the same First Division as Akira. Since Akira, an assistant squad leader, was unable to leave the scene, Takizawa, knowing it was a violation of orders, went to search for Amon, who may have been injured in his confrontation with Kaneki. At that moment, Takizawa remembers how he always stared at Akira's profile. He must have thought about Akira for a long time.
While searching for Amon, Takizawa finds Amon collapsed, bleeding profusely. Takizawa despairs at the amount of blood loss, but Amon, in his dying state, asks Takizawa about the battle situation. He lives to prevent Kaneki from becoming a murderer.
At that moment, the captain of the 4th division, Special Class Senno, appears. As Senno instructs Takizawa to call for a medical team, Tatara of the Aogiri Tree appears before him. Senno prepares for battle, but Tatara cuts off his right arm, killing him. Takizawa thinks, "I have to fight too," but his body is shaking and unable to move. Amon tries to protect Takizawa and let him escape, but Takizawa readies his Quinque and charges at him. Tatara easily dodges Takizawa's attacks, but his expression changes when he sees Takizawa's Quinque. He then asks if Houji has Yen. (Incidentally, Yen is Tatara's older brother, and is now Houji's quinque, Chisha.)
Takizawa says, "Let go," and Tatara replies, "Yes, let go," and throws Takizawa at Noro. Takizawa's left arm is eaten by Noro. Seeing this, Amon attacks Tatara, and Tatara looks at Amon with red eyes.
After this, the One-Eyed Owl escapes, and the names of those who contributed to the Owl's extermination are announced. At the same time, obituaries are also announced, with Amon and Takizawa's names listed.
Takizawa is alive?! However...
Time passes, and in Volume 3 of :re, the Auction Arc begins. While Kanou and Eto monitor the battle on a monitor, the ghoul Owl is deployed onto the battlefield. It's Takizawa Masamichi, artificially transformed into a half-ghoul by Kanou. His hairstyle is the only remaining trace of his human form, his speech is rougher, and his appearance is rougher—he's changed dramatically. Like Kaneki, he was awakened through numerous experiments and torture by Kano, and his hair is white. He was kidnapped by Aogiri Tree during the Owl subjugation battle and had Yoshimura's kakuhou implanted into him, becoming the only successfully transformed half-ghoul, the SS-rated ghoul Owl.
Owl kills and preys on CCG investigators one after another during the auction battle. He fights Haise (Kaneki), Kano's masterpiece, in an attempt to prove he is number one. The inferiority complex he harbored as a human remains even after becoming a ghoul. However, it leaves him when Akira sees him in his ghoul form. Akira and Takizawa's former boss, Houji, realizes that Owl is Takizawa.
What is the strength of Ghoul Owl?
The final battle on Ru Island, Aogiri's stronghold. While Tatara was fighting Takizawa's former boss, Houji, Takizawa, also known as Owl, bursts in.
Owl, in his half-kagune form, defeated Tatara, who had taken on the form of a kagune, using the investigator's Quinque and his own kagune. Tatara had been harboring resentment for being kidnapped by Aogiri during the Owl subjugation battle, turned into a ghoul, and tortured to the point of awakening. For Owl, a half-kagune, to be able to defeat Tatara, a kagune, shows just how powerful Owl must be...!
Owl was celebrating with Houji and the others that Aogiri was on the verge of destruction after defeating the Aogiri Tree's executives, but Houji gave the order to exterminate Owl, an SSS-rated ghoul.
Ever since his time as "Takizawa," Owl had felt inferior for not being able to become number one, but it seems he dreamed of becoming a hero of the CCG after defeating Tatara, an Aogiri Tree executive. Just when he thought he could finally become number one, his former boss gave him the order to exterminate is truly painful for the reader! As a result, Owl cuts off Houji's head. The depiction of Houji's murder is quite short, just one panel, but it is detailed with scenes of the boss crying as he gives the order to exterminate Owl, and the subordinate regretting having become a ghoul. I recommend rereading the series from the episode in which Takizawa Masamichi first appears before moving on to the Rujima arc!
Summary of Masamichi Takizawa
What did you think? When Masamichi Takizawa first appeared, it was hard to imagine him becoming such a major character. While Owl is currently invisible, we can expect him to appear again at an important moment. We'll be keeping a close eye on his exploits as the ghoul Owl!
