Ken Kaneki Tokyo Ghoul - Figures

The Tokyo Ghoul franchise is a dark fantasy manga series that was created by Sui Ishida in 2011 and was serialized in Weekly Young Jump until 2014. The series is well-known for its dark tone, gruesome action scenes, and twisted characters. There is no character as tortured as its protagonist, Ken Kaneki, who goes from a regular human to a human-ghoul hybrid that is thrust into living a second life as a man-eating predator. As the Tokyo Ghoul series rose in popularity, fans’ desire for merchandise inspired by the series rose as well, leading to a variety of different figures being produced, with figures of Ken Kaneki being some of the most desirable. A few of the most popular figures of Ken Kaneki include the “Pop Up Parade Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki”, the “ArtFX J Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki: Awakened Ver.”, and the “Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki Half-Kakuja Ver. Non-Scale Resin Figure”.

Pop Up Parade Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki Figure

This figure from Good Smile Company’s Pop Up Parade features Ken Kaneki just after he accepts his ghoul side. His originally black hair is now completely white and his nails have turned jet black. He also wears broken shackles on both of his arms and legs, showing that he has just broken out of Jason’s torture restraints. He is also posed standing calmly as he cracks his ring finger, which shows off his newfound confidence.

Product Name: Pop Up Parade Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki
Series: Tokyo Ghoul
Product Line: Pop Up Parade
Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Sculptor: Yuuki Ishiyama
Specifications: Painted, non-articulated, non-scale ABS and PVC figure with stand
Height (Approx.): 170 mm

ArtFX J Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki: Awakened Ver. Figure

This figure also shows Ken Kaneki after being tortured by Jason and Aogiri Tree. This particular figure shows off his kagune, which takes the shape of four scaled tentacles that are generated from his lower back. Ken is also posed standing on a base that is sculpted to look like a pile of rubble as he prepares to launch an attack on an unseen enemy. He also wears his iconic black mask and tattered black shirt and white shorts.

Product Name: ArtFX J Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki: Awakened Ver.
Series: Tokyo Ghoul
Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
Sculptor: Shin Tanabe
Specifications: Painted, non-articulated, 1/8 scale ABS and non-phthalate PVC figure with base
Height (Approx.): 225 mm

Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki Half-Kakuja Ver. Non-Scale Resin Figure

This intricately detailed figure from Di Molto Bene Co. features Ken Kaneki after he gains his half-kakuja form, which replaces his tentacle-like kagune with a pair of long, purple centipede-shaped kakuja that twists around his body and lifts him into the air. This form also has a mask that covers most of Ken’s face, but a warped, twisted smile can still be seen underneath it. The half-kakuja also acts as a base that supports the rest of the figure, adding both flair and functionality to the rest of the figure.

Product Name: Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki Half-Kakuja Ver. Non-Scale Resin Figure
Series: Tokyo Ghoul
Product Line: Statue Legend Premium
Manufacturer: Di Molto Bene Co., Ltd.
Sculptor: Progress, Keiji Iwakura
Specifications: Painted, non-articulated, non-scale resin figure
Height (Approx.): 280 mm

About Ken Kaneki

Ken Kaneki is a human-ghoul hybrid and acts as the main protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul and its sequel, Tokyo Ghoul: re. The following is a short summary of his character.

Background

At the beginning of the series, Ken Kaneki was a shy, reserved college student that had few friends aside from Hideyoshi Nagachika. Despite his timid nature, he feared being alone and had a burning desire to protect those close to him. After getting caught in an accident with a ghoul named Rize, Ken had to go through an organ transplant using the ghoul’s body in order to survive. The result of the operation caused him to turn into a hybrid and being unable to eat food that humans would normally eat. That said, he still manages to have a reserved, yet positive attitude. After being captured and tortured by Aogiri Tree, Ken accepts his ghoul side and adopts a vastly different personality. His timid, kind nature and desire to not hurt others is replaced by a ruthless desire for power that would devour any enemy that stood in his way. That said, he still shows sympathy and compassion toward his allies.

Special Abilities

Like most ghouls, Ken Kaneki has a kagune, an organ unique to ghouls that is often used as a weapon. His type of kagune is a rinkaku kagune, which are flexible, tentacle-like appendages that are great for bludgeoning opponents. Those with rinkaku kagune also have a higher regeneration speed than most other ghouls. Aside from mastering the use of his kagune, Ken has also shown incredible physical abilities, like incredible pain tolerance, strength, and regeneration. These abilities were likely strengthened while he was tortured by Aogiri Tree, as his body was put under incredible stress and pain for ten days.

Other Important Tokyo Ghoul Characters

Two characters that have an important relationship with Ken Kaneki are Hideyoshi Nagachika and Touka Kirishima.

Hideyoshi Nagachika

Hideyoshi, who often goes by Hide, is a long-time friend of Ken and is much more sociable than him. He would often voice Ken’s opinions for him, as Ken would be too shy to speak for himself. Hide is Ken’s main reason for refraining from eating human meat, even when he was starving after being turned into a ghoul. After Ken revealed that he was a ghoul, Hide would never hesitate to give him a helping hand.

Touka Kirishima

Touka is a ghoul that worked as a waitress at Anteiku, a café run by ghouls that served both humans and ghouls alike. After Ken was turned into a ghoul, he came to Anteiku in search of help and was hired as a waiter under Touka’s guidance. At first, she was quite harsh against Ken, as she did not understand his hesitation to eat humans. Eventually, however, the two could grow to become quite close, as she would teach Ken how to live as a ghoul and eventually put her life on the line to protect him.

Links

Pop Up Parade Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki
ArtFX J Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki: Awakened Ver.
Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki Half-Kakuja Ver. Non-Scale Resin Figure
Tokyo Ghoul Figures
Tokyo Ghoul Label
Ken Kaneki Label