Tokyo Ghoul Jack is a spin-off of the popular dark fantasy series written by Ishida Sui and serialized in Weekly Young Jump. The protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul Jack is the "undefeated investigator" Arima Kishou. This is a story about Arima Kishou, a high school student who possesses extraordinary strength and works as a ghoul investigator. In this article, we will explain the plot and spoilers of Tokyo Ghoul Jack, the meaning of "Jack," and the mysteries and unexpected secrets surrounding Arima Kishou.
What is Tokyo Ghoul Jack?
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Tokyo Ghoul JACK is a spin-off of Tokyo Ghoul drawn by Ishida Sui and available exclusively for streaming. The protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul JACK is Arima Kishou, who is said to be the strongest ghoul investigator, and it is a valuable work that depicts the story of Arima when he was younger. Arima's friend Fura Taishi also appears in the story, and the reason why the two became friends is also depicted.
Synopsis
12 years before the start of the main story. Fura Taishi, a delinquent boy attending high school in the 13th district, has his childhood friends killed by a person wearing a pumpkin mask, and he himself is nearly killed, but is saved by his classmate and transfer student, Arima Kishou. Fura vows to avenge his childhood friend, and learns from Arima that his enemy is a ghoul, and that ghouls wearing pumpkin masks are called "lanterns." He then tracks down Lanterns with Arima. While Fura and Arima are hunting ghouls, they discover Lantern's surprising true identity.
Characters
Kishou Arima
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Arima in Tokyo Ghoul JACK has black hair. Although he has a cool personality, compared to the main story of Tokyo Ghoul, his facial expressions are softer, and he seems a bit talkative and human. He has shown great physical ability since this time, but the secret to Arima's superhuman physical abilities lies in his hometown, Hakujitsutei. Arima received a special education at Hakujitsutei from a young age, and joined the CCG in his mid-teens, working as an investigator.
Fura Taishi
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Arima transferred to Seisei High School in Tokyo's 13th Ward as a transfer student for undercover investigation. He carries around a guitar case with him, which he uses to defeat ghouls. Seisei High School is also attended by Fura Taishi, who appears as a senior investigator in Tokyo Ghoul:re, and the two were in the same class and sat next to each other. During his high school days, Fura had light-dyed hair and didn't attend school seriously; he was a typical "yankee."
Minami Reika
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
When she was being attacked by a ghoul, Arima and Fura rushed to her rescue. Minami says she wants to help the two with their investigation, and they start investigating together. Minami is in charge of gathering information, and is active in gathering information such as information about a suspicious person being seen in a prefab at an unused construction site.
Masked Ghoul "Lantern"
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
A ghoul named "Lantern" wearing a pumpkin mask. A ghoul hiding in the 13th district, who Arima has pursued by infiltrating the school.
Spoilers and speculation
Detective Marute in his younger days
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
After the Lantern incident, Fura was questioned by Sai Marude, who appears as a special investigator in the main story of Tokyo Ghoul. It was Marude who recognized Arima's talent and recruited him into the CCG, and since his appearance in Tokyo Ghoul JACK, he has been a person who has a very good eye for seeing people's strengths.
Yamori in his younger days
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
When Yamori first appeared in Tokyo Ghoul JACK, he called himself "Jason" and was later captured by the CCG. After being captured by the CCG, he is tortured by an interrogator named Tokage, which causes him to change into a violent character. This is the Yamori that appears in the main story of Tokyo Ghoul, and it is said that when he was calling himself Jason, he seems calmer than in the main story of Tokyo Ghoul.
Minami's true identity
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
One day, Fura meets Minami on his way home from shopping. As the two of them are standing and talking, a large man passes by, and Minami says, "He looks like someone from the list of suspicious people that a kid in class said." The two follow the man and call Arima. When the three arrive at the scene, they split up to search for the man. Fura goes alone, while Arima and Minami go together.
Minami is a ghoul
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
When Minami is left alone with Arima, he thanks him again for helping him. The next moment, a kagune attacks Arima, and its true identity is Minami. To his surprise, Minami is a ghoul. Meanwhile, Fura bumps into the large man he saw earlier. In fact, this large man is "Yamori" who appears in the main story of Tokyo Ghoul. Fura manages to dodge Yamori's attack, but without a Quinque, Fura has no choice and is cornered by Yamori.
Arima's guess
Arima and Minami engage in combat. Arima has suspected that Minami is a ghoul, and from Minami's foot size of 22 cm, he deduces that the school's designated 22 cm loafers that were found at the scene of the predation incident in the hotel district belong to Minami. He also deduces that Minami is wary of him and that the ghoul in the prefab hut was sacrificed by Minami.
Arima's attack
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Arima and Minami continued fighting, but Minami fell with Arima's attack. Arima then stabbed Yamori on the floor below and saved Fura. Yamori ran away, and Arima told Fura to come upstairs, saying, "Lantern is here." When Fura arrived, he found Minami lying there bleeding and weak.
Minami's true identity is "Lantern"
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Fura is flustered, unable to believe that Minami's true identity is Lantern. Minami longs to live like a normal human being. For this reason, he says he was disgusted by Ryo and the others' actions that caused trouble for others despite being born into a privileged environment, and so he killed them. "I don't care if they die. They're trash that society doesn't need," Fura says, as he bursts into tears, saying, "But they're important to me."
Fura's future
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Fura decides to become a ghoul investigator after the Lantern incident in Tokyo Ghoul JACK. He married his childhood friend Aki, who lost his right eye that day, and in Tokyo Ghoul:re, we see Fura grow into a fine senior investigator, active in S1 squad led by Arima's subordinate Ui-gun, and even speaking kind words to a troubled junior colleague at one point.
Fura's Quinque
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
And the Quinque that Fura has is made from the kagune of the lantern that he killed with his own hands, and is used in the main story of Tokyo Ghoul. In Tokyo Ghoul:re, there is a scene where he talks about how he had a hard time using the Quinques of the ghouls he had exterminated, so it is said that every time he saw a Quinque he remembered Minami, which is why he hesitated to use it at first.
The meaning of "Jack" in Tokyo Ghoul JACK
One is the Jack from the "Jack-o'-Lantern" lantern that appears in the story of Tokyo Ghoul JACK, and the nickname of the main character Arima Kishou, "Jack," so it seems that this is a play on two "Jacks."
Tie pin
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
In fact, it is said that Arima's nickname "Jack" is an important foreshadowing in Tokyo Ghoul:re. The scene is at the Christmas party at the chateau in Tokyo Ghoul:re episode 31.5, where Sasaki Haise gives Arima a tie pin as a Christmas present. The design is a horse chess piece. The horse is a "knight," or "jack."
From Knight to King
Sasaki later returns to Kaneki Ken and inherits the throne of the One-Eyed King from Arima. In other words, Sasaki is the "King," and it is said that this is a foreshadowing of Haise Sasaki giving Arima Kishou a "present from the King to the Knight."
Where does the tie pin go?
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
This is a spoiler, but the tie pin with the knight (Jack) motif returns to Kaneki after Arima dies. It is said that this is meant to show that Arima is "still trying to fulfill his role as Jack, protecting Kaneki (King) even after he is dead." In fact, Arima entrusted the role of Jack to Hirako and the rest of the 0th Division, telling them to protect Kaneki.
Another past of Arima that is not depicted in Tokyo Ghoul JACK
In episode 71 of Tokyo Ghoul:re, in a flashback from Shikata when Arima and Shikata were fighting at Cochlea, it was revealed that high school student Arima had exterminated Shikata's sister Hikari. Hikari is the mother of the heroine Kirishima Touka, and Shikata is the uncle of Touka and her brother Ayato. The scene where Arima attacked the Kirishima family was not depicted in Tokyo Ghoul JACK, but Arima's Quinque "Narkami" was made from Hikari.
Summary
Since Arima has already passed away, he will not appear in the story of Tokyo Ghoul from now on, but he continues to live on in the hearts of many investigators and Kaneki Ken, giving them courage, and it is said that Arima Kishou is a great person for being able to do such a thing.
