Back in 2014 when Tokyo Ghoul’s first episode aired, everybody went crazy over this dark and deep show about the dichotomy between good and evil in a morally gray world.
However, much of this praise was based on superficial elements. This show, while extremely entertaining, had several issues within its narrative. Even suspension of belief stopped being an option within the first episode of the anime. Does this mean that Tokyo Ghoul is a bad series? Certainly not, it simply means that its logic is flawed. Fans can still love this imperfect masterpiece while appreciating that it doesn't always make sense.
10 Kaneki’s Doctor And His Illogical Decision
It doesn't make sense to operate on an individual, take their organs out, and then transplant them into someone else’s body without getting consent from all parties involved. Nobody performed any compatibility tests between the two patients., either. If they had, they would have known that one of those two patients wasn’t exactly a human.
9 The Terrible World Building
So many things are laid out in front of us, but none of them are ever explained. How do ghouls turn humans into ghouls? How did Kaneki turn into a half-ghoul? Why can ghouls drink and enjoy only coffee? And these problems are just from the first episode. The deeper fans go into the series, the more they realize what a mess this show is.
8 The Ghouls And Their Powers
Fans are told that some ghouls are stronger than others. The series progresses in a manner that hints Kaneki will become stronger by the end of his journey. However, what basis this strength is chosen and classified by is unclear. The series doesn’t answer some of the most basic questions, like how a child ghoul is stronger than most of the adult ghouls out there? Their strength is not based on their appearance, age, or genes and sadly, the fans never get an adequate explanation for the source of a ghoul's power.
7 Kaneki’s Confusing Powers
When Kaneki is with Yamori and undergoes torture, he’s seen shackled to a chair. This is fine since maybe those are anti-ghoul shackles. However, when the torture is complete and Yamori moves forward to devour Kaneki, the latter is magically able to break free, lift the chair and attack Yamori.
Assuming that torture did not in some way make Kaneki stronger , why didn’t he use his ghoul strength to escape before he was tortured? The manga makes more sense, showing that he bit Yamori’s finger and broke his assailant's focus, but the anime’s abridged storyline doesn’t make much sense.
6 Inconsistent Ghoul Powers
The Tokyo Ghoul anime is rife with inconsistencies that are most apparent when plot points are given more importance than logic. It is the same when it comes to the powers the ghouls possess, which appear and disappear whenever convenient. Mutsuki’s blades had RC suppressants but Kaneki was unable to smell them. Hinami is an extremely powerful ghoul but no one knows why, yet she was unable to smell Eto’s ghoul smell. Kichimura was able to stand his ground even after being shot with 100 doses of the RC suppressants.
5 Humans Living Their Normal Lives
In a real-world scenario, if there were reports of a wild animal loose on the streets, most people would be terrified and stay inside their homes or avoid going out at night. In Tokyo Ghoul, it’s no secret that ghouls exist as a part of society and that they look just like humans. Still, people go about living their normal lives as if it’s nothing, even though anyone could end up as a midnight snack for a ghoul.
4 Rest Of The World
In movies or television shows, whenever there is any supernatural or extraterrestrial threat the entire world stands together to fight it.
Here, however, the viewers don’t get to know what is happening outside of Japan. Whether the ghouls have spread that far, how other nations are responding to this threat, and what sort of containment measures might be in place. Although there are few references indicating ghoul activity and awareness of their existence outside of Japan, it isn’t enough to satisfy the curious fans.
3 Skipped Content
When a storyline from a book series is adapted for the screen, some content is cut out. Not everything that works well on the page is viable in a different medium. If that had been the case with Tokyo Ghoul, fans who have read the manga wouldn’t have been too disappointed, but cutting off crucial parts of the story (nearly an entire arc) in the final season of the anime was too much. As a result, fans unfamiliar with the manga were unable to connect things properly and had a lot of unanswered questions spoiling their experience.
2 Fake Deaths
Bringing a character back from death works well in some stories, but only when the character is a fan favorite or brings a major plot twist with them. Tokyo Ghoul keeps on bringing characters back like they were Sam and Dean from The CW’s Supernatural. Kaya and Koma returned to prove that Kaneki chose the right path and his efforts were not in vain, and Rize was shown to be alive all the while as well. These miraculous returns might sit well with fans, but if the story gets to a point where viewers expect a resurrection any time a character dies, it can lead to questions about the show's storytelling.
1 Too Much Emphasis On CCG
Tokyo Ghoul falls into the category of Shounen anime. The progression of Kaneki’s character from normal human being to badass ghoul in the anime was something that the creators could have exploited in the last season. Instead, the story revolved around the CCG and its members, most of whom were hard to remember for a majority of fans. Fans have complained that they skipped the storylines that focused on the CCG. This, in return, results in a disconnect between what fans want versus what they get from the story.