Tokyo Ghoul's hero is Ken Kaneki, a bookish college student who was thrust into the grisly world of ghouls when the ravenous Rize Kamishiro bit him on their disastrous first date. Not long after that, Rize's organs were transplanted into Ken, transforming him into a half-ghoul with an appetite for human flesh. But he never asked for any of this.
Ken had to learn the ropes quickly to survive in the ghoul underworld, but he had a rough time and went through unspeakable trauma before finally embracing his ghoul nature. In contrast, there are many other anime characters who would have been much more comfortable in Ken's shoes or would have been even more compelling in his place.
10 Jotaro Kujo, The Fearless Stand User (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Jotaro Kujo was the hero of the Stardust Crusaders story arc, and what an impression he made. Jotaro is a classic antihero: while he fought bravely to save his mother's life and restore peace, he was also grouchy and unforgiving, especially to DIO's minions.
Jotaro will always do the right thing, and he can do it with uncanny wit and insight. He also has some serious street smarts and intuition. All this would have served Jotaro well if he had become a half-ghoul instead of Ken. Aogori Tree is attacking again? Yare yare daze.
9 Naofumi Iwatani, The Lone Adventurer (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
Naofumi Iwatani is indeed the shield hero, but that's not the only thing that defines him. Naofumi is an isekai protagonist with a resourceful and practical mindset, setting him apart from the hapless Kazuma Sato, to name one example. Naofumi's mental fortitude is remarkable.
Just like Jotaro Kujo, Naofumi is tough on his enemies and gruffly kind to his allies. This kind of attitude would get him far in the world of Tokyo Ghoul. If he can survive the Waves in the Melromarc kingdom, he can handle Tokyo's ghoulish streets, too.
8 Avatar Korra, The Tough Peacemaker (The Legend Of Korra)
Avatar Korra is no ordinary Waterbender. She was born with the destiny to become the world's peacemaker and guardian, and Korra has a tough but kind attitude to match. She is brave and compassionate as a hero, and no troublemakers are safe when she's around.
Korra would be in for a rude awakening if she got Rize Kamishiro's organs, but even as a ghoul, Korra would not give up hope. Like Ken, she would strive to achieve balance between the human and ghoul worlds, and with much more conviction and courage. She's like a gutsier Ken.
7 Yuji Itadori, Bearer Of Sukuna's Spirit (Jujutsu Kaisen)
In some ways, Yuji Itadori is a lot like Ken. He was an ordinary guy until he had dark, supernatural powers thrust upon him, and now he must try to balance his human and monster sides while continually ingesting Sukuna's powers via those fingers. Yuji, like Ken, is determined to wield gruesome powers without being defined by them.
Yuji is somewhat more likable than the meek and bookish Ken Kaneki, and his gung-ho attitude and aptitude for martial arts would make him a more thrilling half-ghoul hero than Ken during Tokyo Ghoul's early episodes/chapters.
6 Yasutora "Chad" Sado, Ichigo's Brawny Friend (Bleach)
Ichigo's good friend Chad has a tough and powerful body, but in his youth, Chad was a boorish bully, tossing people around to vent his frustration. Then he learned the true meaning of strength and used his body to shield others from harm without hitting back. He became a pacifist of sorts, though he is willing to take the fight to the Arrancars with his bare fists anytime.
Chad is a gentle giant who truly appreciates and understands strength. If he were in Ken Kaneki's place, he too would try to reconcile the ghoul and human worlds. Chad is much tougher than Ken, and he's more likable because of his wise philosophy of strength and responsibility. He makes "strong and silent" look good.
5 Erza Scarlet, The S-Ranked Wizard (Fairy Tail)
An ideal Tokyo Ghoul protagonist is someone who's tough, brave, and kind. They would need to be to survive the ghoul world while trying to restore peace to the streets. Erza Scarlet also fits the bill, though she'd rather use her swords than a kagune (ghoulish appendage).
Erza would immediately take responsibility if she awoke with Rize's powers and strive to bring peace to Tokyo's bloody streets while being a compassionate big sister figure to meek ghouls such as Hinami. Erza isn't afraid of a fight. She'd even stand up to Kisho Arima, the ultimate CCG investigator, if she had to.
4 Nezuko Kamado, The Friendly Demon (Demon Slayer)
Nezuko Kamado is Tanjiro's younger sister and has already proven that even with dark and supernatural strength, she will not allow herself to become a monster. Nezuko was transformed at the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji and resolved to never harm a human, even if she's starving for flesh. Now that's commendable.
It's likely that if Nezuko was born in the modern era and was in Ken Kaneki's shoes, her story arc would be similar. She would refuse to harm humans even to sate her ghoulish appetite. Instead, she would fight to protect the innocent. Like Erza, she can be Hinami's sister in spirit.
3 Itsuka Kendo, Class 1-B's Rep (My Hero Academia)
If Erza Scarlet could wield Rize Kamishiro's ghoul powers responsibly as a big-sister peacemaker, then so could Itsuka Kendo, the class rep of U.A.'s class 1-B. Itsuka is the Erza of her world, a tough but kind young lady who will never hesitate to shield her allies from extreme danger. There's a reason everyone looks up to her.
Itsuka would definitely use Rize's ghoul powers responsibly and resolve to become a vigilante ghoul who destroys the most savage ghouls while shielding innocent ones such as Hinami and her mother. In fact, she would probably form a whole vigilante team of ghouls and bring peace to the streets by any means necessary.
2 Edward Elric, Who Has Seen Humanity's Darkest Side (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Edward Elric has seen both the best and worst sides of humanity, and that's including his own experience with attempting the forbidden art of human transmutation. Now, Edward and his brother Alphonse are on a quest to restore their bodies and then, to make the world a better place. He can be trusted to never abuse power of any kind.
If Edward had awoken with Rize Kamishiro's kagune, he would resolve to find a way to restore his humanity via Dr. Kano, and in the process, fight to protect the innocent and serve as a vigilante, just as he did as a state alchemist. Also, Edward's personality is much more fun than Ken's.
1 Naruto Uzumaki, The Leaf Village Hero (Naruto)
Naruto Uzumaki, like Ken and Yuji, ended up with dark and monstrous powers inside of him. Unlike them, however, he was born with that power, the spirit of the nine-tailed fox. Naruto suffered greatly as a widely-feared pariah, but that isolation never brought out the worst in him. Instead, it brought out the best in him.
Naruto trained hard and never gave up on his dream, and he slowly but surely mastered the nine-tailed fox's power and harnessed it for heroic deeds. If Naruto was in Ken Kaneki's position, he'd do something similar, and become Tokyo's greatest hero against his own kind. No one should have to suffer like he did.