Kousuke Houji

Kousuke Houji (法寺 項介, Hōji Kōsuke) is a Special Class Ghoul Investigator.

He is a former partner of Kureo Mado, prior to a major assignment in China. He was previously assigned to the 20th Ward as the partner of Seidou Takizawa and worked on the Gourmet case.

Currently, he serves as a member of the illustrious S3 Squad.

Appearance
Houji is a tall man with short, neatly combed black hair. He has very narrow eyes.

Personality
Houji is usually calm, his attitude is polite towards others, and speaks in a smooth tone.

Background
Houji was Kureo Mado's partner in the past. Afterwards he took part in the battle with the Clowns along with Arima and Take Hirako. Following this he was selected to join China's Investigation Team and fought Chi She Lian.

Doves' Emergence
He first appeared as a mourner at Kureo Mado's funeral service.

Aogiri Arc
Kousuke Houji was deployed to the 20th ward together with Yukinori Shinohara and Seidou Takizawa by headquarters. This was a measure to deal with the dangerous stand-alone ghouls in the 20th ward. Additionally, CCG's 11th ward branch had become powerless, so the deployment was also meant to prevent the destruction of CCG's 20th ward branch. Otherwise, a pincer attack on the wards between the 11th ward and the 20th ward could not be avoided.

Anteiku Raid
Before the raid in the 20th ward, Houji hands Takizawa a letter and envelope to write a Last Testament, as required by CCG rules due to the possibility of being killed in action. Houji asked to make sure he knew how to write one, and further assured him that he would be fine as he will just be a backup in the operation.

During the Raid, he is assigned to the squad directly facing the Owl. He provides support to the close-combat fighters with his Quinque, before eventually bringing out a new one in the closing moments of the battle. Using this massive Koukaku Quinque, he strikes the final blow to bring down the Owl.

The celebration is short-lived, however. They are ambushed by the real One-Eyed Owl, and Houji is knocked unconscious in the ensuing battle. Koori Ui uses his Quinque to fight on alone, noting how heavy the weapon turns out to be.

In the aftermath of the battle, he is seen alongside Akira Mado as the survivors come to grips with their losses. He wears a pained expression at the mention of his partner's death, but remains silent during the confrontation between Akira and Misato Gori.

Auction
He is promoted to Special Class during the time-skip and is part of S3.

Houji arrives near the end of the Raid after having taken part in the defence of the Quinque Steel Transport and is seen giving orders to the CCG's Vanguard.

Seidou Takizawa
Seidou was Kousuke's partner up until the end of the Anteiku Raid. While they remained a professional relationship based on their ranks, Houji has demonstrated an understanding side to Seidou, as he notices his feelings of insecurity and inferiority. Houji assured Takizawa of his safety before the Anteiku Raid, while Takizawa respects him both as a superior and for his achievements.

It is currently unknown what Kousuke now thinks of Seidou, now that they are currently enemies.

Tatara
In the past, Houji spent some time in China exterminating the ghoul organization Chi She Lian, a group Tatara belonged to before joining Aogiri. It is implied that Houji has killed Tatara's acquaintances and used their kagune for his quinques, thus Tatara holds anger towards him.

Power and Abilities
Houji is known for his past achievements in China exterminating ghouls.

Houji seems to be a very skilled investigator, since he was scouted by the Chinese authorities in the past and now participates in operations of the S3 squad. He is strong enough to wield the large and heavy blade quinque Chi She.


 * Hollow: An Ukaku quinque that wraps itself around the user's arm, allowing them to fire projectiles. These barbs embed themselves into the target, and build up energy until they explode causing massive damage. Additionally, said explosions cause a large smokescreen to be deployed in the aftermath.
 * Chi She: A Koukaku quinque that has a large straight blade and a curved guard over the handle.

Trivia

 * In Tokyo Ghoul Trump, he appears as the "Ten of Clubs".