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Tokyo Ghoul: Who Turned Kaneki Into A Ghoul?

Kaneki was turned into a One eyed Ghoul, after Rize Kamishiro’s Kakuhou was transplanted into him following the Steel Beam incident. Having a ghoul organ transplanted into him brought about changes in his body, eventually making him an artificial part human- part ghoul.

Since ghoul and humans bodies are distinctly different, the doctor who carried out the organ transplant should have realized that Rize was a ghoul. And considering that he carried out the surgery without a glitch, he was certainly aware of what he was doing. So who is this person responsible for turning Kaneki into a ghoul?

Who turned Kaneki into a ghoul?

Kaneki was turned into a one eyed ghoul by Akihiro Kanou. He was the one responsible for transplanting Rize Kamishiro’s kakuhou into Kaneki and turning him into a half ghoul. The operation was carried out at the Kanou General Hospital where Kanou worked as a physician.

At one point, Kanou worked as a researcher at CCG. There he was involved in integrating the superior qualities of ghouls into humans. However, he was fired from the CCG after his research received criticism from the people. 

Akihiro Kanou | Tokyo Ghoul Wiki | Fandom
Akihiro Kanou in Tokyo Ghoul anime

This past experience with ghouls explains how he was able to handle the operation involving Kaneki and Rize. After all, normal human surgical instruments wont work on ghouls. The organ transplant operation however caused a huge uproar in the human society. The reason was because Kanou had apparently not asked permission from Rize’s parents for the surgery.

But the surgery was not a decision taken on the spot to save Kaneki’s life. Nor had Rize died, for the doctor to posthumously transfer her kakuhou to Kaneki. Then what exactly could have been Kanou’s reason to make Kaneki into a ghoul?

Why did Kanou turn Kaneki into a ghoul?

Kanou turned Kaneki into a ghoul as a part of his ghoulification program. Kaneki was the prototype for the ghoulification surgery (also known as kakuhou transplant surgery) that Kanou had pioneered. This surgery involved implanting a ghoul’s kakuhou into a human body, thus creating one-eyed ghouls. 

This is the same program that Kanou was working on, during his time as a researcher at CCG. 

According to Kanou, the world had warped into a birdcage and everyone was stuck in it. There was no freedom in it and humans were not strong enough to bring about a change. He created one eyed ghouls so that they could be a ray of hope in this warped world. He considered one-eyed ghouls as a way for humans to evolve and escape the cage that trapped them. 

god in a meat box — What is Kanou after?
Akihiro Kanou’s ideology in Tokyo Ghoul manga

Strongly believing in this ideology, Kanou began working on the Ghoulification idea once more. Thus happened years after he had parted ways with the CCG. However, in order to make this idea a reality, he needed a test subject and a ghoul donor.

This opportunity presented itself to him in the form of Kaneki and Rize. 

So Kanou goes on to perform the ghoulification surgery on Kaneki. Seeing that it was a success, he repeats the same thing on the Yasushina twins. He even goes on to call Kaneki his ultimate creation. All this time he kept Rize as a captive using her as the ghoul donor. Yes you read that right. Rize had not died in the steel beam accident. She was held captive at Kanou’s lab and was being used in the ghoulification surgery.

However, in the end Kanou’s cynical ideology does come to fruition. Kaneki becomes one of the key figures in bringing the ghoul and human societies together. 

What are your opinions on Kanou’s reason to convert Kaneki into a ghoul? Do you think his way of thinking can be justified? Let us know in the comments section!

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