Shuu Tsukiyama

Shuu Tsukiyama (月山 習, Tsukiyama Shū) is the infamous Gourmet (美食家) ghoul. He is a fourth-year student studying Social Welfare at the Department of Human Sciences at Haruna Gakuin University.

He was a member of the Ghoul Restaurant, known as "MM" until he betrayed them.

He was also an acquaintance of Rize Kamishiro.

Afterwards, he joined Kaneki's group with the intention of eating him, obsessed with his flesh and blood.

Appearance
Tsukiyama normally dresses in European attire, though his sense of style is questionable. In his first appearance, Kaneki thinks to himself that he looks like a model with his height and well-kept hair. The other characters seem to find him as flamboyant and loud as he looks. His mask, shaped like a crescent moon, is a reference to his name.

Personality
An eccentric man with opulent taste, his act as a gentleman and an intellectual, serves as a facade to hide a disturbed and narcissistic nature. As a ghoul, he displays his arrogance as a strong predator that seeks to devour the finest meals he makes of his 'prey,' so as to proclaim himself the top carnivore of the food chain. His interest in European literature and language is shown in his gestures and mannerisms, often peppering his dialog with borrowed English, French, and Italian. He shows great anger towards others who disrespect his taste in food; shattering a teacup in front of Kaneki during their date at the coffee shop when he remembered his encounter with Rize. Rize, while working at his Gourmet Club, believed that his picky eating habits made him seem more like a human than a ghoul, the worst sort of insult he could have received, and therefore Shuu bears grudges over Rize, calling her a 'pig' for ridiculing his taste for food. He compares himself to a noble 'knight', especially later when in the service of Kaneki.

Gourmet Arc
After noticing the 'lovely gradation' in Misono Karube's eyes, Tsukiyama stalks her in her home and steals them by gouging them out, then he has them prepared at the Ghoul Restaurant.

Tsukiyama later makes an appearance at Anteiku, where he encounters Kaneki for the first time. After hearing about how Kaneki was able to confront the investigators, then noticing his enticing, unique scent, Tsukiyama takes an interest in him. Aware of his unsavory reputation, Touka demands that he leave. Though he complies, he promises Kaneki that they will meet again.



Tsukiyama enrolls at Kamii University to meet Kaneki and discusses books with him and tells him a little about himself, with an intent to befriend him. He asks Kaneki to accompany him to a coffee shop soon, and Kaneki hesitantly accepts his offer. Before they go to the coffee shop, Tsukiyama plays a game of squash with him, where he notices that Kaneki is not very athletic. He then assures him that the coffee will taste better if they work up a sweat first. At the coffee shop, Tsukiyama tells him about his ideals as a gourmet. As the topic shifts, Tsukiyama gives Kaneki a French Gourmet book as one of his recommendations. After Kaneki gets a paper cut, from one of the pages, Tsukiyama gives him his handkerchief to soak the blood from the wound. However, in the anime, the book is replaced with the teacup that Tsukiyama crushed in his hand in a fit of rage when thinking about Rize; Kaneki cut himself on one of its ceramic shards and Tsukiyama handed him his handkerchief. After acquiring the bloodied handkerchief, he excuses himself to the restroom where he indulges in the scent of Kaneki's blood.When they leave the coffee shop, Kaneki asks Tsukiyama what he does about food. Tsukiyama, seeing this as an opportunity to invite Kaneki to the Ghoul Restaurant, does so. At the Ghoul Restaurant, Kaneki, yet unaware of Tsukiyama's real intentions, is separated from him so that the staff can 'prepare' him; Kaneki is told to take a shower, dress in a tuxedo and stay in the waiting room.

During the presentation of the night's dishes, Tsukiyama presents Kaneki as the main dish and explains the lengths and efforts he went through to make Kaneki taste his finest. However, after Kaneki reveals himself to be a one-eyed ghoul while defending himself against the scrapper, Taro-chan, Tsukiyama puts a halt to the night's proceedings, killing the scrapper, by himself. He offers Taro as the meal instead, determined to have Kaneki entirely to himself now that he is aware of his extreme rarity. Tsukiyama then asks for Kaneki to forget about the experience.

Later on, Tsukiyama captures Kimi Nishino, Nishiki Nishio's girlfriend, as another trump card to get his way with Kaneki. When Kaneki and Nishiki arrive at his 'altar' to rescue Kimi, whom he had tied up, Tsukiyama reveals that Kimi is the night's "Gourmet Spice;" he planned to eat Kaneki while Kaneki ate Kimi. When Nishiki tries to attack him, Tsukiyama effortlessly beats him down. Kaneki then tries to stand up for himself, but to no avail. When Touka steps in unexpectedly, Tsukiyama is unaffected by the slash she gives him across his eyes. However, as Tsukiyama and Touka battle, the latter loses, therefore coming to a conclusion to eat Kaneki's flesh to energize herself. Shuu becomes enraged by the fact that Touka bit Kaneki, even more so when he saw the scar on Kimi's shoulder. Touka eventually claims her victory, with Tsukiyama left to suffer from his injuries.

Aogiri Arc
It is revealed that Tsukiyama escaped his untimely demise, having to resort to auto-cannibalism in order to recover the wounds he sustained in his fight against Touka, to which he proclaimed that he tasted delicious. Yoshimura invites him to join Anteiku's expedition to save Kaneki, which he agrees but with the hidden intention of devouring him yet again. Although when Kaneki is saved and he offers his service to him as his "sword", Kaneki agrees but whispers that if he shows even the slightest bit of disloyalty, he would not hesitate to kill him. Tsukiyama is quite happy and thrilled that he didn't choose to eat Kaneki and loyally pledged to serve him.

Annihilation of Ghoul's Restaurant & Raid of Kanou's Lab
Kaneki, Tsukiyama, and Banjou formed alliance to search for Professor Kanou. Tsukiyama gave information on Madam A, who provided "experimentally modified humans" as scrappers for the ghoul restaurant and may have connections with Kanou. Kaneki and Banjou's group sneeked into the ghoul restaurant and annihilated all members with Tsukiyama's aid. However, their capture of Madam A failed when Nashiro and Kurona intervened. The group next visited Kanou General Hospital, and Tsukiyama pretended that he was having a stomach ache while other others tried to find out clues from Taguchi, the nurse who formerly took care of Kaneki after his transplant. The same night, while the trio were trying to capture Taguchi for interrogation, their plans were foiled by Shachi and Naki, who easily overpowered Kaneki's group. Thereafter, Kaneki endure further martial arts training with Tsukiyama as his sparring partner. Tsukiyama helped the group to track down Madam A, killing her scrappers, and threatened her to give information on Kanou's mansion and finally discovered his hidden lab. When Aogiri Tree appeared in Kanou's lab, Tsukiyama fought Naki and later teamed up with him when the CCG joined in. After the fight, Banjo's men tried to convince Tsukiyama to find Banjo with him, only to have him show no interest in that objective and was going to slaughter them for being a nuisance until Banjo showed up behind him.

Anteiku Raid
When Tsukiyama learned of Kaneki's intention of going back to Anteiku to help out Yoshimura, he stated those actions to be suicidal, as even Kaneki cannot achieve anything there with the whole main force of CCG being there. Enraged and conflicted by his decision, Tsukiyama tries to take Kaneki down and presumably eat him before he meets his inevitable end in the raid, but was easily subdued. He begins to cry and beg Kaneki not to go on the floor, defeated, as it would make his time dedicated to Kaneki completely meaningless otherwise. Kaneki thanks him for the concern, but sets off to his destination nevertheless. In the morning following the raid, Tsukiyama is still seen lying in the same spot crying and refusing to eat anything with Nishiki warning him that he'll die like that.

Torso Investigation
While he has yet to appear in person, Kanae worries over what has become of him and is seen bringing a massive suitcase to an apartment. Chie likewise mentions that her "model", presumably Tsukiyama, has become boring as a result of his depression. To this end, she contacts Kuki Urie and Ginshi Shirazu, arranging to give them information about Torso in exchange for some belonging that carries Haise Sasaki's "scent". She states she intends it as a present, in hopes of cheering him up.

Powers and Abilities
The 'Gourmet' is a name feared in the 20th ward, not only for his selective taste in prey, but because he is very difficult to catch. An avid reader like Kaneki, he is also deeply invested in martial arts and fights gracefully with deadly efficiency.


 * Koukaku Kagune: Using a Koukaku kagune is known to be difficult, as the weight of the kagune is unwieldy and its hardened cells make it hard to manipulate. Tsukiyama displays mastery of his koukaku, able to shape it into various forms at will. He can form a linear metal ribbon that can wrap into a flexible spiral that doubles as armor to shield his upper body, as well as a spinning drill that can cause devastating damage. To extend his reach, he can form it into a large, sword-like blade that is suited to thrusting and stabbing. However, despite his kagune's diverse nature, its weight and size restricts his range and movement to close quarters. While he almost never dodges, his kagune is sturdy enough to block most attacks.

Ken Kaneki
Kaneki is the object of Tsukiyama's obsessions. Tsukiyama first meets Kaneki in Anteiku and becomes fascinated with his scent. After Kaneki reveals his half-ghoul nature in the Ghoul Restaurant, Tsukiyama becomes completely obsessed with eating him, seeing him as an exotic, one-of-a-kind dish that only he deserves to consume. As a result, he is always trying to find a way to devour Kaneki, which is why he joins the efforts to rescue Kaneki from Aogiri's hideout. After the Aogiri arc, he joins Kaneki's Anti-Aogiri band as his 'sword' and mentor. Because of his obsession, Tsukiyama is extremely protective of Kaneki, though it is implied that a part of him may have truly seen Kaneki as a potential friend. He cries and begs Kaneki not to join in the fray just before the Anteiku raid, even going as far as attacking him to stop his actions. He questions what's the point of him waiting so long by Kaneki's side patiently (to devour him) if Kaneki is just going to sacrifice his life in vain as Tsukiyama sees the actions as plain suicidal and unable to change anything. The following morning, Tsukiyama is still seen crying on the rooftop, refusing to eat or drink.

In the novel (kuhaku ), it was mentioned that Tsukiyama provided generous financial support for Kaneki's group.

Chie Hori
Described in "Tokyo Ghoul-Days" novel, Tsukiyama has been friends with her since they met in Seinan Gakuin University’s attached high school. She was Tsukiyama's first and only human friend who discovered his ghoul identity and captured such evidence on camera. Their mutual obsession with perfecting their chosen interests and unusual morality made them unlikely friends, with Chie showing little concern over his predatory nature. She also seemed totally resistant to Tsukiyama's manipulative tactics, and even threatened to leak his ghoulish photos on internet should he tries to kill her. While she was too small and slender for him to be interested in her as a meal, he still finds her interesting because of her sly, fearless and sneaky nature, he refers to her as his "pet" or "little mouse". Despite this, Tsukiyama trusts Chie to such an extent that he is willing to share with her about his personal life including obsessions with Kaneki, but often end up getting mocked.

It was mentioned in Tokyo Ghoul manga and novel (Kuhaku) that over the years, they have stayed in contact and Kaneki must call on her through Tsukiyama to act as an informant for the group. This way, Chie was able to use her skills to help Tsukiyama win Kaneki's trust, and at the same time grant herself enough influence to make even the arrogant and egoistic Tsukiyama listen to any of her requests.

Hinami Fueguchi
While a part of Kaneki's group, Tsukiyama sees Hinami as a potential key to gaining Kaneki's trust. He seems to believe that endearing himself to her will fool Kaneki into believing that his intentions to eat him are in the past. Although he uses her, Tsukiyama doesn't seem to dislike her, as he seems to treat her with real respect and care. In exchange, Hinami is quite fond of him and even defends him against Touka and Nishiki.

Touka Kirishima
He originally met Touka in the 20th ward when he had to fight with her and Ayato over territorial rights. He even stated that he liked her cold side when she was fourteen and said he was "head over heels" for her back then. Tsukiyama acts friendly towards Touka, despite her low opinion of him. Touka is quite wary of him when he decides to participate in rescuing Kaneki from Aogiri Tree's Hideout.

Nishiki Nishio
Nishiki hates Tsukiyama for kidnapping Kimi, his girlfriend, and using her in his plot to eat Kaneki. After the Gourmet Arc, he does not appear to be happy to see that Tsukiyama survived. However, while Tsukiyama lays motionless and emotionally drained on the rooftop, he seems to show concern, offering him coffee so that he won't starve.

Kanae
Their exact relationship is unknown, though Kanae refers to him as "Shuu-sama" and bears a striking resemblance to him. They have very similar personalities, prone to melodramatic behavior and uttering words in foreign languages. Kanae expresses great distress over what has become of Tsukiyama, and is mocked for his behavior by Chie.

Trivia

 * Tsukiyama was ranked third in the character popularity poll.
 * Tsukiyama （月山） means "moon mountain" and Shuu（習) means "practice, study, collection".


 * Tsukiyama likes self-discipline, humans that are tempting (irrespective of age and gender) and new stimuli.
 * Tsukiyama's hobbies are sports, martial arts, playing musical instruments and evaluating prey.
 * Tsukiyama wears a size 7 shoe.
 * When asked about Kaneki's battle suit, Ishida Sui suggested that Tsukiyama made it for him.
 * In the artbook Zakki, Ishida Sui revealed that Tsukiyama was originally intended to be the main character of an entirely different series. However, he ended up using the character in Tokyo Ghoul instead.
 * It is a strange coincidence that Tsukiyama's alias at the ghoul restaurant, MM, also happens to be his seiyuu's, Mamoru Miyano's initials.
 * In the official "omakes", Hinami calls Tsukiyama "flower man" or "fireworks man".

Quotes

 * To Hinami: "Let's work together to return Kaneki to the "dolce" young man he used to be!!"
 * To himself (about his interest in Ken Kaneki): “Kaneki of ‘Anteiku,’ huh? I have a strong interest in that scent.”
 * To Kaneki: “Isn’t it arrogant to put a price on whether life is ‘higher’ or ‘lower,’ Kaneki? We are just bags of meat. The weak bow down and the strong devour them. Rather, if you compared them to all living things, it’s humans who have shaved away the most lives. We are different than them.”
 * To Kaneki (when he fails to stop him from going to save Yoshimura): "For dear life, Kaneki-kun... would you please not go?"
 * To Anteiku group (about his recovery by means of self-cannibalism): "I taste pretty delicious".
 * To Kaneki: "You don't need to blame yourself just because you've hurt someone, just like when you're walking you can't really blame yourself to crush some ants...that's what being stronger ones means."
 * To Kaneki: "I'm not going to protect you by being your shield or armor, but I'll be the dagger hidden below your pillow".
 * To Hori Chie (In novel "Tokyo Ghoul - days"):  “I was wondering why I could not find you appetizing in the least, but it makes sense if it’s just like a human keeping a pet!  Little mouse, from today on I will make you my pet!”
 * To Hori Chie (In novel "Tokyo Ghoul - kuhaku "): "Oh Chie! Your words are sweet, smooth and delicate as rare cheesecake, but also perturbing that they pierce my heart...well, I've never tasted cheesecake before".