The third season of "Tokyo Ghoul:re" aired from April to June 2018. In this article, we will introduce the plot of each episode, as well as some content that was not mentioned in the anime and hints that could be considered foreshadowing.
Episode 1: The Hunters START
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Synopsis
Shortly after the formation of Quinx, incidents involving "Torso," a ghoul that targets only women and preys only on their torsos, occur frequently. As the CCG begins its investigation, Quinx member Uriue Hisao begins his own investigation, with fellow member Shirazu Ginshi joining in. The two are approached by a freelance photographer who calls herself Hori Chie, who claims to be an informant, but she demands something "unusual" as payment.
A person named Hori Chie
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Hori Chie (nicknamed Hori Chie), who first appeared in the OVA Tokyo Ghoul [PINTO], suddenly appeared in Part A of Tokyo Ghoul:re. Hori Chie, who has an elusive personality, must have a surprising number of fans. We can expect to see him continue to play an important role as an informant for the Quinx.
Is Hori-chie an unexpectedly important character?
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Hori-chie is a person who "sells photos and information," and in the second season of the anime, he was asked by Yoshimura to infiltrate Aogiri Tree and get information on the kidnapped Kaneki. However, the fact that Tsukiyama and Horichie are in the OVA shows just how important they are. So I think there's a good chance they'll be involved in future story developments.
The true identity of Sasaki Haise
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
It is unclear whether Kaneki = Sasaki, but if we consider that the name Haise is a combination of "coffee" and "Rize"... I wonder in which episode this mystery will be revealed? I'm really looking forward to it!
Is Hide missing?!
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
In the final episode of the second season, his whereabouts were unknown, but in the opening there was a poster with a missing person poster, and the face in the photo was Hide. It is unclear whether Hide was kidnapped by someone or disappeared on his own, but what we do know is that Hide was definitely alive right before this notice was posted.
Thoughts on Episode 1
"Tokyo Ghoul:re" is set two years after "Tokyo Ghoul √A", so we will soon find out what happened in those two years. Now, since this was the first episode, the focus was on introducing the personalities and abilities of the Quinx members, who are appearing for the first time, but among them, characters from previous works made unexpected appearances. The most surprising was Hinami. I'm sure many people found themselves asking, "Why? Why is she in the Aogiri Tree?"
Episode 2: Fragment
Synopsis
Quinx member Mutsuki Tohru's desperate pursuit leads Torso to Urie and Shirazu, who rush to the scene. However, a ghoul called "Orochi" appears and the situation is reversed. Haise comes to the rescue late and confronts Orochi alone, but Orochi, who has been designated a more dangerous "S~" rating, is strong. To protect his subordinates, Haise decides to fight with all his might, but...
Sasaki Haise = SS-rated ghoul
Even before entering ":re," Sasaki sensed a wonderful premonition, and when he entered the store, he realized it was a delicious coffee shop by the aroma. When he saw Touka's face, his expression changed, and he shed tears after tasting the coffee. These were surely the result of Kaneki's emotions inside Sasaki. The smell and taste of the coffee brewed by Touka (or Yomo) was the same as that in Anteiku, and it was the sensations of seeing Touka and the smell and taste of the coffee that evoked Kaneki's emotions. When I saw Kaneki drinking coffee in ":re" and tears flowing from his left eye (Kaneki's menacing eye, a symbol of his half-ghoul status), I was reminded that in the previous film "√A," the reason Kaneki wanted to go home was to the time when he was laughing with everyone at "Anteiku." It was a scene that made me feel that even now, the Kaneki inside Sasaki wants to go back to those days. This time, I've mainly talked about Sasaki and Touka, but I feel that this second episode also depicts the determination of the CCG (organization and investigators). These include Urie, who does not care about himself in order to strengthen his kagune, Akira and Arima's determination to exterminate Sasaki, who adores him, when the time comes, and Sasaki's determination to lose his life to his comrades, who he considers family, when he goes out of control. And perhaps the ghouls also have their own determination and thoughts. Urie, who is obsessed with getting promoted within the "CCG", fakes his superior Haise's permission to undergo a procedure to increase the operating level of his kagune in order to gain more power. Meanwhile, the Quinx Squad and Suzuya Squad, led by ace investigator Suzuya Juzo, are conducting a joint investigation into a ghoul known as the "Nutcracker." They learn that the Nutcracker is kidnapping young women to put up for auction in connection with the SS-rated ghoul "Big Madam"... The figure of Juzo visiting Shinohara, who is still unconscious, was drawn, but Juzo's achievements over the past two years, in other words, the reason he has continued to defeat ghouls, was probably to repay Shinohara, who risked his life to protect him in the battle against the One-Eyed Owl. Perhaps Juzo has a faint hope that if he is given the same rank (special agent) as Shinohara was back then, he might regain consciousness. This time, I picked up on Suzuya Juzo and introduced him. I also think that the theme of Episode 3 is "loss." I feel that it represents the fact that the thoughts of each of the characters, such as [coexistence of ghouls and humans], [Suzuya and Shinohara], and [Anteiku and Kaneki], do not overlap (do not come true). Will these thoughts come true in the future? I'm curious to see how the story develops. Episodes 1 to 3 clearly and easily depict the difference between the past and the present. As a side note, have you noticed that the English subtitles for Ghoul end with "re", like Episode 1 "RESTART", Episode 2 "remember", and Episode 3 "refresh"?
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Haise, a half-ghoul,CCG's Determination
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
It seems very inhumane, but there is a sense of urgency on the part of the CCG, who have no decisive countermeasure against ghouls, who have superior combat abilities to humans, and a determination to exterminate ghouls at all costs.Reunion with Touka
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production CommitteeCoffee of Memories
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production CommitteeTouka's Circumstances
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
I think Touka heard from Nishiki that Sasaki is Kaneki. In other words, she also knows that Kaneki has forgotten about them and is hunting ghouls on the human side. I'm sure Touka was extremely distressed when she found out that Kaneki, whom she had always wanted to meet, had forgotten about her and was threatening her life.The meaning of Touka's smile
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
They live in different places and have different positions, so they can't treat each other the same way they used to. But still, I'm happy to have met Sasaki (Kaneki). That's why I couldn't say anything and could only smile sadly and in a troubled way. When I think about the future of Touka and Sasaki, I can only imagine dark and painful developments.Thoughts on Episode 2
Episode 3 - Eve of the Festival Fresh
Synopsis
Changes in Suzuya Juuzou
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
In the past, he was running alone without any awareness of being part of an organization or group, but now he is a squad leader with four subordinates, so I think he has some sense of being part of a group. We also see her growing as an investigator, as she voices useful opinions for the operation during a meeting about the auction sweep operation.Speed promotion
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
CCG ranks go from third-class investigator to second-class, first-class, superior, semi-special class, and special class, but Juuzou has been promoted three ranks in two years, which is an unusual speed. It is clear that he has achieved great things.What are Suzuya Juzo's thoughts?
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production CommitteeThe biggest change
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
I think the biggest change from the past is that Juuzou, who lacked humanity, is now able to have human emotions, such as "I want to do something for someone (Shinohara)." Ghoul investigators are supposed to write a will before a mission, and in √A, Juzo turned the will into a blank paper airplane and flew it away, but this time it seems he placed the paper airplane next to Shinohara. In √A, Shinohara said something like "You can put your thanks in the will," so Juzo's paper airplane might be filled with his thanks to Shinohara.Important! The meaning of hairpins
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Juuzou's appearance has changed a lot. There have been many changes, such as his hairstyle, hair color, clothes, body stitching patterns, and hairpin shape, but here we will talk about hairpins. The relationship between Tokyo Ghoul and Tarot is well known, and the shape of Juuzou's hairpin is "ⅩⅢ" in √A and "ⅩⅩ" in :re, so here we would like to introduce the meaning of each.The shape of the hairpin in the √A era is "XIII"
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
"XIII" 13 is the "DEATH" card, which means upright position [collapse, new beginning] and reversed position [regeneration, recovery, redoing]. In both upright and reversed positions, it represents Juuzou in √A, who changed from a pet to a ghoul investigator, started a new life, and regained his humanity by spending time with Shinohara.The hairpin shape in :re is "ⅩⅩ"
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Overlapping words
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
This time, Haise said, "If you don't want it to be taken away, you have no choice but to take it. That's how this world is made," but √A But then I remembered Kaneki saying something similar, and I felt the weight of Orochi (Nishiki)'s words, "No matter how far you go, you will never be saved."The meaning of words
Source: Tokyo Ghoul © Ishida Sui / Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
In other words, whether Haise (Kaneki) is on the human or ghoul side, the reality is that he has no choice but to fight, steal from and hurt others in order to protect the things he doesn't want to be taken away and the things he holds dear. Is peaceful coexistence between humans and ghouls impossible after all? It feels like the gap is too deep for any compromise to be made...Thoughts on Episode 3
Summary
