Tokyo Ghoul, at its core, is a plot and character-driven storyline with elements of morality and human psychology added to spice things up.

However, what we’re going to do now is to ignore the series’ central theme and focus on the power scaling. That’s right! Power scaling!

In a series like Tokyo Ghoul where situational advantages/disadvantages exist most of the time and the fights are based on narrative, it’s kind of difficult to pinpoint the exact rankings. So take this list with a pinch of salt. However, we’ve done our due diligence of brain-wrecking research so that we rank characters with some justifications.

Also, the information for this list will be based on the Manga and not from the Anime. Because you know what they say, whatever doesn’t make sense in the Anime, it probably does in the Manga.

Unlike other articles, I’ll focus on the characters’ powers and why he/she is placed in that position, instead of giving a general bio of the character. Also, we’re assuming the timeline to be at the end of the Tokyo Ghoul:re Manga & that everyone’s at their prime strength.

So without further ado, let’s get crackin’!

18. Uta

Rating: Unknown
Type: Kakuja (Unknown)
Features: Large arms

Starting off this list is Uta, Tokyo Ghoul’s mask maker. Until Re:, we had no clue that he’d be a member of the clowns and betray Yomo like that. But in the end, they make up with each other.

Being a natural-born Ghoul, he possesses enhanced superhuman abilities. Uta’s Kagune is shaped like a tail and can strike opponents from afar. He has the ability to release up to six of these tails at a time. He possesses an unknown Kakuja that sprouts giant arms from his shoulders and back, covering most of his face.

What is unique about Uta is that he can copy and replicate others’ physical appearances. He probably does this by first reading the target’s mind, learning his/her attachments and morphing his body with that image in mind.

He imitated the facial features of Kishou Arima, Yukinori Shinohara and Haise Sasaki to fool Suzuya and Mutsuki. In fact, he was able to dodge Suzuya’s 13 Jason effortlessly.

However, the reason for ranking him the 18th despite such advantages is that everyone who comes after him on this list can defeat him. Physically speaking, he doesn’t pose much of a threat where he does mentally and that’s pretty much it.

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17. Saiko Yonebayashi

Ranking: Investigator Rank 2 (in charge of the Quinx squad along with Urie)
Type/Quinques: Rinkaku (Kagune), Bokusatsu No. 2 (Koukaku, Rate B)
Features: reptilian tail like tentacles, hammer

Saiko Yonebayashi, the deputy leader of the Quinx squad in the TSC, maybe a little lazy; but don’t let her demeanor underestimate her strength and valor.

Saiko is believed to have the strongest explosive power in the Quinx Squad, and her Kagune appears strong enough to rip through concrete. She can shape it into multiple lashing tentacles or a massive form. Her Kagune subdued Koutarou Amon’s Kakuja form and later incapacitated him.

Saiko’s strength is in her freedom, said Ching-Li Hsiao. Urie teases her by saying she needs to train her flabby body but she is a natural-born talent. Hsiao also says Saiko has better Kagune manipulation abilities than Urie.

Her Kagune was able to briefly overpower Koutarou Amon and subsequently render his Kakuja form incapacitated.

The downside is that her Kagune requires a lot of stamina to use. Saiko is often seen panting on the floor after a single use, and each strike requires recovery time, leaving her exposed. However, she can manage her Kagune more efficiently and for longer times after the Tsukiyama Operation, but still leaves her only strong enough to rank at 17th in our list of strongest Tokyo ghoul characters.

16. Tsuneyoshi Washuu

Ranking: Chairman of the CCG (Former)
Type/Quinques: Unknown
Features: Natural born Kakuja

It’s pretty odd that this man is one of the most important characters in Tokyo Ghoul and the most mysterious. We hardly know anything about him. Otherwise, he’d be much higher in the rankings.

Tsuneyoshi Washuu was the chairman of the CCG, whose mission is to exterminate all Ghouls but later revealed to be a Ghoul himself. He’s the father of both Furuta and Rize Kamishiro.

It is said that the Washuus and V were using the organization and its investigators as pawns and they’d feed on the corpses of dead investigators. Being an experienced Ghoul and having a high kill rate, it’s likely that Tsuneyoshi would have a high RC cell count via cannibalization.

Like the rest of the Ghouls of the Washuu family, he has a natural-born Kakuja. However, the type is unknown.

But having learned how to control the Kakuja form right from birth, we think he’d be the strongest Ghoul in his time. Marude thinks the same as he once said that Tsuneyoshi is so strong, he could take on an SSS-rated Ghoul and kill him.

15. Kurona Yasuhisa

Rating: SS
Type: Rinkaku (Kakuja)
Features: Arms (Incomplete)

Kurona Yasuhisa was a promising candidate for the CCG before Kanou showed up and ruined her dreams. Even though she and her sister lost against Suzuya, Kurona was determined to take revenge and made Nashiro fuse with her.

Kurona has a unique healing ability, Rinkaku Kagune and later Kakuja, and heightened physical power since inheriting Rize Kamishiro’s Kakuhou. Her abilities are said to be more powerful than those of a natural-born Ghoul due to the hybrid vigor.

In her rematch against Suzuya, Kurona was able to pierce through his chest, breaking his 13’s Jason and even take down two of his squad members, despite undergoing mental agony. However, she is no match for Suzuya’s Arata Joker, which sliced her limbs into pieces and that makes her rank at number 15 in the list of strongest Tokyo Ghoul characters.

She seems to be formidable only when she teams up with someone (perhaps a side-effect of relying on her sister too much). She was able to restrain Amon only with Takizawa’s help. However, one should note that she has good regenerative abilities (she recovered from being sliced in half by Suzuya).

14. Donato Porpora

Rating: SS
Type: Koukaku (Kagune)
Features: Tentacles

Donato is a nasty and cruel man who is well-known among Ghouls for his sadistic demeanor. He enjoys inflicting pain on others, whether physical or psychological, as seen by Donato ripping off Touma Higemaru’s arm, toying with Kuki Urie’s psyche and his heinous crimes of mercilessly murdering children.

His Koukaku Kagune is capable of long-ranged attacks and allowed him to spear foes from afar. Despite the type’s heavier weight, he could wield it with remarkable speed, attacking faster than the human eye can follow.

Donato’s unique ability is to create clones of himself. Initially, he was able to make up to 4, but as he fought more fearsome opponents like Amon, he could summon a maximum of 10 from his real body. However, when he dies, they all vanish.

Many fans deem him as really strong. Strong enough to be in the top 10 but we disagree. His real tactic is not brute strength but mentally attacking his opponent. He was only able to defeat Urie due to circumstantial advantages and getting into his head, thus breaking him. Or else, he’d have lost.

In other words, we feel fans overestimate his power and would lose out to the characters we have included in the top ten of our strongest characters in Tokyo Ghoul list.

13. Tatara

Rating: SS-
Type: Kakuja type unknown (Koukaku?)
Features: Armor

Tatara is a trusted leader of the Aogiri Tree and Eto’s direct subordinate. This means the one-eyed owl placed a lot of trust in Tatara’s leadership and combat skills.

He can best be summed up as a tank with superior defensive abilities, thereby gaining a place amongst the top 15 Tokyo Ghoul characters.

He could take out a bunch of investigators, including special classes like Houji. The Aogiri Tree leader could have killed him if it wasn’t for Takizawa’s interference. Even though his defenses are formidable, the huge armor slows him down, making it easier for Takizawa to aim and strike his abdomen and finally end his life by stabbing his head.

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12. Kuki Urie

Ranking: Associate Special Class Investigator
Type/Quinques: Koukaku (Kagune), Ginkui (Bikaku, Rate SS), Tsunagi (Bikaku, Rate C)
Features: Armored structure on his shoulder along with a blade, sword

Urie is currently one of the strongest investigators, a TSC assistant special class peace officer and serves as the young captain of the Quinx Squad.

He was having big issues with his Kagune, which made him go crazy but he managed to control it and the surge of RC cells that follows its manifestation.

His Kagune has an armored shoulder and upper arm, with a long blade. This weapon is nearly as long as his leg and easily slices through hostile ghouls.

Urie is definitely amongst the top 15 strongest characters in Tokyo Ghoul because his potential to grow is one of the biggest in the series, as recognized by Matsuri Washuu.

As a leader, he’s able to bravely stand in front and fight one-on-one with some of the most fearsome Ghouls like Roma, Donata, Noro and Amon.

11. Roma Hoito

Rating: SSS
Type: Rinkaku Kagune, Kakuja type unknown
Features: Behemoth-sized Armor

Roma surprisingly isn’t very strong, despite being the founder of the clowns but, she does have amazing regenerative abilities.

Abandoned as a child, she’s been cannibalizing and eating fresh meat since the age of seven. So she has a great number of RC cell count.

Talking about her Kakuja form, her modified Kagune was capable of generating a huge form that resembled a multi-limbed beast with a gaping mouth similar to the Lamprey fish. Her true body was lodged into the creature’s forehead in this shape, with extra limbs protruding from the creature’s face and sides.

Like Noro, her regenerative abilities are the highlight but she’s outside of the top 10 strongest characters in Tokyo Ghoul because that and the high RC cell count is all she has to offer. In the offense department, she barely had enough skills to take out Urie comfortably.

After Urie stabbed her multiple times and pierced through her head, she comes back and transforms into her Kakuja form. She could have killed Urie if it wasn’t for Koraiwa’s interference and buying time for the young Quinx to recover.

10. Amon Koutarou

Ranking: Special Class Investigator (pre-Ghoulification)
Type: Ukaku (Kakuja)
Features: Behemoth-sized Armor, Blades and Armor

When he employed his Kakuja form after obtaining Yoshimura’s Kakuhou, the exponential growth of RC cells left him mentally unstable and he went wild. However, due to his hybrid origin, we believe Amon’s abilities are more potent than those of a natural-born Ghoul.

Amon appears to be capable of bursting any Kagune by direct physical contact (as he did with Takizawa’s blade), pushing back and disrupting any RC cells, causing the Kagune to explode entirely after being upgraded at the CCG Labs.

The former Investigator is in the top 10 because of his physical strength, high RC cell count and Kakuja being similar to Yoshimura’s. If he’s able to control his form with full vigor, he’d be one of Kaneki’s right-hand men right about now.

Apart from his strength, Amon is one of the bravest persons in the series.

9. Noro

Rating: SS-
Type: Bikaku (Kakuja)
Features: Mouths

Noro, along with Shachi, is one of the strongest Aogiri Tree members but a few rugs below Shachi as stated by Shinji Michibata. He possesses an aura of eeriness around him as he communicates only by actions and not words.

Instead of an armor, Noro’s Kakuja turned into a massive Kagune covered with numerous mouths. During this state, Noro was unable to move and yet he was able to withstand a large amount of firepower.

The highlight of Noro’s power is his unparalleled regeneration abilities. And that’s why we rank him this high, despite an early death.

Shinji Michibata blew Noro’s body into 4 separate pieces, along with his head. However, the Ghoul’s lower half resurrected, triggering his Kakuja and killing all investigators on the scene except Shirazu and Saiko. Urie and the rest of the Quinx squad joined but his regenerative abilities were too much for them.

He only died because he wanted to buy time for Eto and sacrificed himself for her sake. Or else, he’d be one of the G.O.A.Ts defense mechanisms right about now.

8. Juuzou Suzuya

Ranking: Dragon General
Type/Quinques: Scorpion 1/56 (Bikaku, Rate B), 13’s Jason (Rinkaku, Rate S+), Arata Joker (Koukaku)
Features: flat-headed switchblade, scythe, armor

Being kidnapped and raised by Big Madam, Juuzou Suzuya shows no mercy to his enemies, even against his former classmates Kurona and Nashiro. Equipped with 3 of the 4 Kagune type Quinques, the prodigal investigator is a formidable opponent for any Ghoul.

He may not able to regenerate, but his pain tolerance is unmatched, as seen in the fights against Kurona and One-eyed Owl.

Not only he’s a formidable short-range combatant but the gimmick of his 13’s Jason could hurdle some serious long-range attacks. The Manga states that Juuzou’s Arata claws can bisect or split the body of an SS-rated Ghoul.

One must be wondering why we ranked Suzuya this low despite his positives. He may be a high-ranking investigator at such a young age, a feat Arima previously accomplished, but the boy is far from Arima’s equal in terms of power.

He required Hanbee’s help to defeat a mentally broken-down Kaneki. Despite being one of the strongest investigators, his lack of regenerative abilities still puts him below highly rated Ghouls like Eto & Kuzen.

He may be a fan favorite but that doesn’t stop us from saying his strength is overrated (proceeds to go hide in a box).

7. Takizawa

Rating: SS+
Type: Ukaku (Kakuja)
Features: Blades (Incomplete), Blades & Armor

Started off as a Ghoul Investigator, but tragically ended up being turned into a Ghoul by Kanou.

Forcing Takizawa to accommodate Yoshimura’s Kakuhou caused him to lose control of his Kakuja form and his member. As a result, he constantly babbled and injured himself. However, Fighting Tatara and Amon made him stronger as he gained control of his Kakuja form.

He is calmer and more methodical while maintaining his frenzied fighting style. In his full Kakuja form, he can generate two massive scimitar blades from his shoulders, as well as several smaller ones projecting from his back.

Takizawa has considerable endurance and tolerance levels. His regenerative abilities helped him to grow his severed arm within seconds. After gaining control over his senses in his Kakuja form, he was able to overpower Tatara (in his Kakuja form) and Tomoe. He was able to pin down an explosively uncontrolled Kakuja Amon.

Despite an Ukaku user being stronger than a Bikaku, Shachi still stomps Takizawa in power and experience. However, number 7 is his lucky number as his regenerative and Kakuja wielding abilities can outshine investigators like Suzuya and Urie and defensive Ghouls like Noro and Roma.

6. Matasaka Kamishiro (Shachi)

Rating: SS
Type: Bikaku (Kagune)
Features: Orca Tail

Being well versed in Martial Arts and having plenty of combat experience, he is one of the most respected Ghouls in the Aogiri Tree. However, Tatara seems to think he’s too soft-hearted to kill.

He fought Kaneki twice (the 2nd time with Kaneki’s Kakuja form (incomplete)) and defeated him pretty easily. However, it wasn’t until several months later, during the Tsukiyama Family Extermination Operation, that V gave direct orders to CCG’s Reaper Kishou Arima and two other investigators to track and kill Shachi.

He was able to overpower the two investigators but the same cannot be said in the case of Arima. The White Reaper’s Narukami (Ukaku), which is a Bikaku user’s weak point, sent Shachi to his grave.

Ranking Shachi this high must be confusing to some. But one must remember that Shachi is a martial-arts master and has a sturdy body. The Aogiri Tree deemed him & Noro as the strongest Ghouls, aside from its founder and her father. In fact, he was so dangerous that nobody other than Arima among the investigators could take him down.

5. Yoshimura/Kuzen

Rating: SSS
Type: Ukaku (Kakuja)
Features: Blades & Armor

Yoshimura is the oldest and most experienced Ghoul in the Tokyo Ghoul universe. His knowledge of Ghoul psychology, anatomy and Kagune types is one of the best around. Despite his advanced age, Yoshimura can still beat numerous high-rank Investigators, taking on the likes of Shinohara, Koroiwa, Kousuke Houji, Suzuya, Koori UI all of them simultaneously during the Anteiku raid arc.

Ukaku Ghouls are known to specialize in long-range assaults and can be easily outmatched at close range. Yoshimura has honed and developed his Kagune to generate two huge scimitar blades from his shoulders to offset this vulnerability after cannibalizing Ghouls.

Yoshimura is in the top 5 because those who come below him either don’t have a Kakuja or they’re inexperienced. In the youthful days of his prime, he was arguably the strongest Ghoul in existence and like Eto, he received his SSS rating quickly. Kuzen was a danger to anyone who crossed his path.

But marrying a human and getting older made him weaker, softer and kindhearted. Despite all of that, he was still able to defend himself from top investigators all at once. A feat not even Shachi or Takizawa would be able to do. His fast and long & short-range attacks can end battles quickly enough before his stamina runs out.

4. Furuta/Kichimura Washuu

Ranking: Bureau Director
Type/Quinques: Rinkaku (Kakuja), Tsunagi (Bikaku, Rate C), Rotten Follow (Rinkaku, Rate S)
Features: Armor

Furuta is the final antagonist of the entire series. Being a defective half-Ghoul, he had enhanced physical powers but with a reduced life span.

Futura is more of a tactician and plays dirty than actual fighting opponents head-on like a man. However, he does have some impressive skills and Quinques at his disposal.

The majority of Nimura’s fights were won with the assistance of others or by chance. He only fought Kaneki one-on-one and yet lost pretty quickly. Furuta’s RC cell count must be high, though, considering the Washuu’s have been cannibalizing dead investigators for years in hiding. This is in addition to the benefits of his half-Ghoul status.

Furuta, with his cunning tactics, great data analytics skills, and ability to understand his opponents, can easily defeat high-ranking Ghouls like Takizawa, Shachi, Roma, Donata, and others, as well as inexperienced investigators like Suzuya. He lost against Kaneki and can lose to Arima, therefore he’s perfect in 4th place.

Because the Rinkaku type can easily defeat the slow-paced Ukaku users, Furuta could pin the experienced Yoshimura himself.

3. Eto Yoshimura/Sen Takatsuki

Rating: SSS (as the One-Eyed Owl)
Type: Ukaku (Kakuja)
Features: Blades and Armor, Behemoth-sized Armor

Eto is Yoshimura and Ukina’s illegitimate child. With her Half-Ghoul vigor, Eto gained enhanced abilities and inherited her Ghoul father’s talents.

Unlike Eto, who has a harsh personality & constantly exhibits joy at the expense of others’ agony, Yoshimura is kind-hearted and willing to aid other Ghouls. She enjoys slaughtering people and Ghouls without guilt.

Like her father, she overcame the weakness of “only long-range attacks” of her Kagune by creating blades on her Owl form shoulders. Having cannibalized plenty of Ghoul since birth, she has one of the highest RC Cells count in the series.

With her blood lust, brute strength and cunning nature, the founder of Aogiri Tree can clear most Investigators (Shinohara and Iwao Kuroiwa both with Arata forms) and the best of Ghouls.

“But didn’t Eto lose to Furuta?”

She lost the fight because she didn’t realize he was a Ghoul and underestimated him. Eto’s Kakuja has a weakness in the nape of her neck, which Furuta targeted after reading Haise’s report. She was also tired from the RC suppressants and fighting so many people before Furuta. On top of that, Furuta could have revealed his Kakuja form during the battle.

If these situational benefits weren’t there, Eto would have defeated Furuta.

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2. Kishio Arima

Ranking: Special Class Investigator
Type/Quinques: Yukimura 1/3 (Koukaku, Rate B), IXA (Koukaku, Rate S+), Narukami (Ukaku, Rate S+), Owl (Ukaku, Rate SSS)
Features: Sword, Lance, satellite electric panels, elongated large blade with a hilt

Just like Furuta, Arima is a defective half-Ghoul, had enhanced physical powers but with a reduced life span.

However, unlike the main antagonist, Arima is a prodigal combatant and is considered a genius by other investigators.

At the tender age of 16, he killed more than 30 Ghouls single-handedly. He was promoted to Rank 2 in less than a year due to his exceptional talent.

By using many Quinques, he was able to face and defeat a disguised Yoshimura, Eto (at her shrine) and Shachi in battle.

Arima has a formidable set of toys to kill Ghouls. Amongst them, the most prominent are the Narukami and Owl.

Narukami is an Ukaku-styled Quinque with four satellite panels and a rapier handle. The Quinque can shoot condensed Rc cells like lightning at Arima’s choice. It can also merge the panels into a single rapier blade sharp enough to slash through the One-Eyed Owl.

Finally the Owl. An Ukaku Quinque that can fire concentrated RC cell projectiles of various diameters. The Owl’s sword can also be released and manifested remotely to attack a target from an unexpected area.

Kishou Arima is the strongest Investigator. Even against Ghouls, with his speed, skills, stamina and experience, he would definitely give beings like Furuta a run for his money.

Plus, he was able to not only keep up but injure a rejuvenated Kakuja Kaneki, despite with the motive to die and partial blindness.

1. Ken Kaneki

Rating: SSSSS (as the Dragon)
Type: Rinkaku (Kakuja)
Features: Tails (Incomplete), Arm (Incomplete), Blades and Armor (Incomplete), Blade (Incomplete), Behemoth-sized Armor, Wings

As you guys would have guessed, the main protagonist of the series, Ken Kaneki, is ranked the strongest character in Tokyo Ghoul. No surprise for a Shounen/Seinen series to have the lead character as the strongest huh?

A half-Ghoul and having a Kagune (Rinkaku) which, according to Koori Ui, he uses better than most Ghouls, Kaneki outperforms everyone in a one-on-one battle. He has incredible control of his Kagune and can shape it into more complex shapes. With all of the cannibalization he’s done, his RC Cell count is likely to be equal to or greater than Eto’s.

He was fast enough to dodge Arima’s Narukami’s condensed projectiles and Eto’s attacks. His regeneration skills are unmatched by a normal Rinkaku user, which he proved against Arima and Furuta. His dragon form is impervious to artillery fire and can conjure Golems from his flesh to fight for him.

But why Kaneki over Arima though? Comparing their Kagune types, Rinkaku beats Koukaku and Ukaku (Arima’s Quinque types). But Arima’s main weapon is the Owl Quinque. With his skills and speed (in his prime), he’s definitely a tough cookie for the main protagonist.

It’s debatable if Arima could have beaten Dragon Kaneki in his peak, but we still decide to go with Kaneki at number 1. One major reason is that if Kaneki delivers a critical hit on Arima, it will be difficult for Arima to recover in comparison to Kaneki, who can regenerate with ease.

The longer the battle prolongs, the more chances Kaneki gets in delivering crucial strikes and finally landing the finishing blow.

Bye

Well, that was a rather long (and maybe a pointless) list isn’t it? As I said before, the fights in Tokyo Ghoul are largely narrative-driven and raking characters by imagining a one-on-one matchup is pretty difficult.

If you have any qualms with our ranking (which I’m sure you’d have) or by chance want to point out a compelling argument we raised in this article, do drop in your thoughts in the comment section! Until then, Sayonara!