Hideyoshi Nagachika

Hideyoshi Nagachika (永近 英良, Nagachika Hideyoshi), also known as Hide (ヒデ), is a normal human and the best friend of Ken Kaneki.

He attended Kamii University as a freshman and, later, sophomore. While there, he was studying Foreign Language Studies - majoring in English - at the Department of International Studies.

At a certain point, he started working part-time at the CCG, and soon became an investigation assistant helping both Koutarou Amon and Akira Mado.

He disappeared during the Owl Suppression Operation, and his whereabouts are currently unknown.

Appearance
Hideyoshi is a young man of average height that has short, messy, dirty blonde hair with dark roots and brown eyes. He tends to wear bright colored clothes that consist of a yellow varsity jacket and green shorts. Because of his love for music, he is usually seen  wearing a pair of headphones around his neck.

After the Aogiri arc, he lets his hair grow out, and most of the time he is seen wearing a red and white cap, and he no longer wears headphones. He's mostly seen in a light-blue jacket over a white dress-shirt with red collars. He also carries around a green bag, black pants and green shoes, aligned with yellow.

During Owl Suppression Operation  he was shown wearing military CCG uniform consisting of black long-sleeved shirt, gray vest and black trousers.

Personality
Most of the time, Hide has a carefree attitude, always joyful and friendly, which greatly annoyed Nishio. However, Hide is actually incredibly observant and can figure things out about people in an almost Sherlock-like manner. He also becomes interested in things and works hard on them until he finds something else that interests him. Hide claims to have a habit of pretending to be a detective by putting tracking devices on suspicious people and notifying the authority if his intuitions turn out to be right (however, the "hobby" part of it is most likely a lie he made up to hide his true motive from the CCG, which is to find clues about Kaneki's whereabouts).

Hide also has a very "determined" behavior. When he's set goals or decisions, he'll stick to them to the very end.

He looks out for his friend Kaneki, encouraging him about many things and worrying when he doesn't return his calls. In some ways, Hide is also the opposite of Kaneki, as he is the out-going type for festivals while Kaneki, more the introverted type, doesn't like these kinds of events.

Though he is loud and outspoken, Hide is usually found keeping most of his concerns to himself in order to not trouble those surrounding him.

Just like his best friend, Hide has a habit of placing his hand on his face when he is nervous or is lying.

Prologue
Hide appeared first with Kaneki at Anteiku in the 20th Ward listening to news about ghouls. He asked Kaneki about the girl he had been talking about and pointed if the waitress, Touka, is the one but Kaneki denied it. Then Rize Kamishiro, the one Ken got a liking to, entered the cafe. Hide left the cafe after seeing the girl he had come to see and went to work.

After Kaneki's incident with Rize, Hide invited his friend Kaneki to Big Girl Restaurant for dinner. There, Hide commented how nice Oohashi is. Hide soon talked about Prof. Akihiro Kanou's decision to save Kaneki with Rize's organs but then apologized thinking how it was tough for Kaneki to lose the girl he started going out with. While eating, Hide got surprised at his friend's vomiting the food.

After Kaneki had disappeared for a long time, Kaneki finally went back to Kamii University. Hide yelled at Kaneki for how long he had disappeared. Then, events made them end up visiting Nishiki Nishio in the university to get the DVD of last-year's college festival, they disturbed Nishiki and Kimi Nishino when they were making out. Kaneki discovered that Nishiki was the ghoul that attacked him shortly before. Nishiki told them to help him look for the material, but then claimed that he took the disk home. He proposed that they should go to his home. In reality, he deceived Kaneki and Hide, took Hide out and started fighting Kaneki.

He provoked Kaneki by standing on Hide's face with his foot, but Kaneki was no match for Nishiki with kagune. However, when Nishiki tried to kill Hide, Kaneki made his kagune come out. With his kagune, Kaneki heavily injured Nishiki. After that, Kaneki started to lose control over himself and was about to eat his own best friend Hide, but Touka appeared and decided to help him. Later, Kaneki found himself inside Anteiku, where Yoshimura lead him to his friend that was lying there, seemingly unconscious. Kaneki noticed blood inside his mouth and realized that he ate human meat, so he went and asked Yoshimura about what he has done and the manager replied that there is only one way to calm a hungry ghoul. Kaneki said he wanted to be with his friend but he couldn't. Kaneki cried out that he was neither a human nor a ghoul and there was no place for him, however Yoshimura replied that he was wrong and there are two worlds he belongs to. Yoshimura asked him to join working in Anteiku while he would teach him how to live as a ghoul. It was implied that Hide was conscious and listening to Kaneki's discussion with Yoshimura.

Doves' Emergence
Hide paid him a visit when he found out that Kaneki started working part-time in Anteiku. Hide spoke out that he also came to thank Touka for nursing Kaneki and him after a car accident, a story told to him by Anteiku's manager to cover up Kaneki and Nishio's fight. After they had left Hide, Touka told Kaneki to make sure that Hide won't find out about him being a ghoul because she would kill him if that were to happen, so that the ghouls' identities wouldn't be found out.

Later, Kaneki and Hide were seen sitting together at the university. Kimi approached them to give Hide the materials of the previous year's festival. Hide asked Kimi where Nishiki was hospitalized, but she didn't answer. Then, Hide made a remark about Kaneki's scary face, who was wondering whether Kimi was a ghoul or not.

After Mado's death, Kaneki went to his university. In a class, Hide started talking about the news of the death of two ghoul investigators. Kaneki asked Hide why he was interested in such things, then Hide showed Kaneki Hisashi Ogura's newest book and said it was "super interesting". Hide talked about joining the investigation, but Kaneki told him not to do so because it was dangerous. After that, Hide drinks a can of coffee and comments on its bitterness.

Aogiri Arc
Shortly after Kaneki was kidnapped, he sent many e-mails to him in worry while watching news about changing statuses in Tokyo and the 11th Ward.

Hide appeared once again watching news about the 11th Ward Special Countermeasures Unit attacking the Aogiri hideout while he was taking some notes.

Raid of Kanou's Lab
After the invasion on Aogiri Tree, it was revealed that Hide was the one who notified the CCG 6 months prior to the event by coincidentally tracking Yamori while performing his detective hobby. After applying as an office assistant at CCG, Marude questions him about whether he was the one to notify them of Aogiri Tree's base location and how he knew about it. Finding him promising, Marude then orders Amon and Mado's daughter, Akira, to take him away as a new investigator assistant. It's revealed that he joined the CCG in order to find clues about Kaneki's whereabouts.

Owl Suppression Operation
Hide appeared in front of Kaneki who had fled into the sewers after he had been badly wounded in his fight against Amon. Hide revealed that he knew about Kaneki being a ghoul, and asked him to come home. As Kaneki began losing control, Hide told him that he wanted to help him. While Kaneki was begging him to run away or else he might harm him, Hide asserted that there was almost no chance for a ghoul to escape from the way the blockade felt and the route had been blocked, and then apologized. Finally, as Kaneki was about to black out, Hide asked him to fight at full force once more as there would be no other way.

Later, Kaneki recalled the event as follows: After stating that he wanted to help him, Hide told Kaneki to eat him. However, Kaneki hesitated, disbelieving his ears. Hide explained that some dangerous guy was further ahead, and asserted that it would be impossible to escape and he would lose there, maybe even die. For this reason, Hide intended to show to Arima that there would be value in letting Kaneki live. Finally, he asked Kaneki to fight at full force once more.

When Kaneki regained his senses, Hide was gone and Kaneki tasted blood in his mouth.

Since his encounter with Kaneki in the sewers, Hide's fate is unknown.

Root A (Anime)
Hide biked to the perimeter of the 11th Ward Battle to observe the events with a pair of binoculars. Unable to do anything, he could only watch. Later, he worked as a part-timer at the CCG, and was noted as an outstanding worker. He claimed to be Takizawa's grunt.

By chance, Hide encountered Touka while she toured Kamii University. She was staring at a missing poster of Kaneki when he cheeefully took it down to replace it with a school related poster. They sat down for coffee and Touka asked about what kind of person Kaneki was in the past. Hide explained that he was a person who spent all his time reading and became distant after his mother died. However, he was in a school play once and was surprisingly good. Hide figured that Kaneki was the type to play a part in real life to hide his problems and that perhaps he lefft because it became too much. Hide appeared saddened and Touka noticed the collection of missing posters in his backpack. Touka attempted to cheer him up, saying that Kaneki is probably reading a book somewhere. Hide smiled and agreed. Before leaving, he told Touka about Kaneki's habit of touching his chin when hiding something. Despite appearing in a better mood, once he left he looked depressed once again.

At the CCG Hide made a delivery to Takizawa and took an interest in his work. Hide asked about the eyepatch ghoul, Cochlea, Aogiri, and other sensative questions that Takizawa freely answered until Akira intervened. Akira noted his peculiar interest in ghouls and Hide tried to pass it off as them being a popular subject on the news before rushing off. When Hide was home alone he looked at one Kaneki's missing posters. He smiled sadly at it and commented that he should not make a nice girl like Touka worry.

While Hide ran errands in the CCG, he bumped into Amon and caused him to drop all his documents. He helped Amon pick them up, and noticed one on Eyepatch. He stared at it in silence until Amon asked if he was okay. Hide said that he had been hearing about Eyepatch a lot lately and that it was scarey. He gave Amon his documents back and hurried off to continue working.

While Shinohara and other investigators prepared for the attack on Anteiku, Hide watched curiously from afar. He stopped Takizawa who was on the way to the meeting to ask what was happening. Takizawa appeared nervous and said that he was not told anything despite being involved in the affair. Hide brushed Takizawa's behavior off, but looked determined after he left.

Hide snuck into the Owl Suppression Operation disguised as a regular soldier. He stayed hidden until there was news that the operation was over. Like everyone else in the operation, he was caught off guard by the arrival of a second Owl and Aogiri. He was caught in the ambush and witnessed Noro attack Takizawa. Noro caught sight of him, though Hide escaped from the battle alive. Later on, he found a wounded Kaneki outside of Anteiku and bought him inside the café. He attempted to make coffee for them both, and greets his old friend as though nothing has happened. Hide apologized for the unpleasant taste of the coffee and talked about the past and revealed that he knew Kaneki was a ghoul. He reassured him that it did not matter, and they began to relax. Hide was able to cheer Kaneki up, but soon after began to collapse. He had sustained a severe stomach wound from earlier which he attempted to joke about. Bleeding out, he clinged to Kaneki and asked that they go home. Anteiku began to burn around them, and after a brief time Kaneki carried his lifeless body to the CCG ‘s base camp. The troops watched on in shock, and Kaneki laid Hide down in the snow before going to face Kishou Arima.

Third Cochlea Raid
Critically injured in his battle with Arima, Sasaki decides that he has done enough and experiences a surreal vision of a dark river. As he begins to wade into the water, Hide appears and wonders whether he is trying to mimic the suicide by drowning of a certain famous individual. He teases his friend to put on some clothing, and the two sit down together to discuss the current situation. Hide points out that Sasaki is lying to himself, and he knows something has gone wrong elsewhere in Cochlea. Calling the wish to die an excuse, Hide tells his friend that he will find his reason to go on living soon enough. He explains that his wish at that time, in the sewers, was to go on living together. As he begins to walk away, Hide promises that he will tell his friend to go on living as many times as necessary.

After Itsuke Marude found out that his longtime colleague and friend, Yoshitoki Washuu was a ghoul this whole time, he thought to himself that everything that he knew was a lie and that Hide was right all along.

Ken Kaneki
Kaneki calls Hideyoshi by the nickname "Hide". Kaneki and Hideyoshi have been best friends since childhood. Hide seems to care greatly about Kaneki and had been watching him carefully after the incident with Rize. If Kaneki was in trouble or danger, he would do his best to support him. He cares for Kaneki immensely, and did not falter to help him even after finding out about Kaneki's transformation into a ghoul. It is speculated that Hide was eaten by Kaneki during the Owl Suppression Operation, however, this has not been confirmed.

In the anime, Hide was injured before meeting Kaneki during the Owl Suppression Operation, likely by Noro, and ended up ultimately succumbing to his wounds. Kaneki was later seen carrying his body, covered by a white sheet, as he walked through a crowd of Investigators.

Nishiki Nishio
He seems have Student-teacher relationship with Nishio but stated himself that he most likely hates Nishio, saying that he is poisonous to be around whilst Nishio is equally cautious of him due to his very keen intuition and sees him as being dangerous to be around as he explained to Kaneki regarding his ghoul identity being a secret.

Touka Kirishima
Although they don't know each other well, Hide is on friendly terms with Touka, and believes she's cute. At Kamii, he spoke briefly about his and Kaneki's past, and gave her a tip on how to tell when Kaneki was hiding something.

Koutarou Amon
Hide worked under Amon and Akira when he joined the CCG.

Akira Mado
Hide worked under Amon and Akira when he joined the CCG. Akira seemed to have been suspicious of Hide, as she noted that he was strangely perceptive when asked about the mother and daughter ghouls' relationship to the Rabbit ghoul.

Seidou Takizawa
Hide had a friendly relationship with Seidou, occasionally eating lunch together in the CCG building.

Itsuki Marude
Hide was assigned as inspector assistant under Amon and Akira by Marude, who found out about him being the informant for the Aogiri Tree base location. He jokes around Marude sometimes, such as when he mentioned that committing suicide is bad when given an empty will before the Owl Suppression Operation.

Powers and Abilities
Keen Intellect: Hide has proved to be very perceptive and observant, being able to distinguish the difference between the two rabbit ghouls. While also being able to notice the changes and habits of people.

Trivia

 * Hide was ranked 4th in the latest character popularity poll.
 * In Chapter 83, the number "1" is on Hide's hat. This is a reference to the tarot card The Magician (I).
 * Hide likes western music, interesting things, cute girls and steak.
 * Hide's voice actor Toshiyuki Toyanga had auditioned for the role of Kaneki. Towards the end when there was three minutes left, he was surprised when the staff asked him to "act like you're suffering". He didn't get the role, however the staff asked if he wanted to play Hide instead.
 * In Tokyo Ghoul Trump, he's featured as the "Ace of Spades".
 * Hide has a poster for Red Dragon in his room, the prequel in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy.

Quotes

 * To Ken: "I already knew man! ...Who cares about that, let's just go home already."
 * To Ken: "Dude. You eating properly? You don't look so hot. You better eat right or you won't hold up."
 * To Investigators: "I know that university student... I mean... Kaneki is.... my close friend"
 * To Ken: "...Sorry. Can you fight for me at full power just one more time?"