Seidou Takizawa

Seidou Takizawa (滝澤 政道, Takizawa Seidō) is a former Rank 2 Ghoul Investigator.

A classmate of Akira Mado at the Academy, he was partnered with Kousuke Houji and assigned to the 20th Ward to investigate the Gourmet. Though a great admirer of outstanding investigators such as Koutarou Amon and Kishou Arima, he also suffers from a major inferiority complex that brought him into conflict with his peers. Though declared among the casualties of the Owl Suppression Operation, he is revealed to have survived as an artificial One-Eyed Ghoul. As a member of Aogiri Tree, he is known as Owl (オウル, Ouru).

Appearance
He had short brown hair with long parted bangs and brown eyes. Like most investigators, he wears professional attire while working and seems to have a preference for blue.

After the timeskip and his transformation into a Ghoul, his appearance is drastically altered. His hair has become white, messy and grown out past his chin. His nails and lips have turned black, with dark circles under his eyebrowless eyes that make him look tired and a left kakugan. Dressed entirely in black, he wears loose-fitting robes with wide, elbow-length sleeves and pants that are fitted below the knees. There are wraps around his feet that leave his toes exposed, and a white symbol on the hood of his robe.

Personality
Seidou has a very straight-forward and earnest personality, being a relatively normal young man. He has a strong admiration for his exceptional superiors, prone to fawning over them and admitting to collecting newspaper clippings of Arima's cases. However, he also has a deeply harbored desire to be respected and places considerable importance on seniority both in terms of Rank and age. This leads to conflicts among his coworkers when he does not earn the respect he feels is owed to him, and he is easily upset when out-shined by those he considers his peers or younger associates. He is shown to be very excitable, both in terms of stuttering in excitement or becoming high-strung when agitated. When disappointed or frustrated, he is prone to pouting or acting gloomy for long enough for others to comment on it.

In this manner, he is somewhat immature but not particularly malicious or mean-spirited. However, his rivalry with Akira Mado tends to bring out the worst in him and they are rarely able to interact without bickering. He is easily frustrated with her or the equally exceptional Juuzou Suzuya, but ultimately admits to their superior talents and does express concern for them when things are serious.

Though he talks himself up, in reality he harbors considerable doubts about his abilities when it comes to actual combat. He actively puts up a brave front, claiming to want to have more chances to fight Ghouls in the field and face stronger opponents. But when actually faced with the reality of going into combat and possibly dying, he breaks down and is overcome with feelings of fear. Even so, his commitment to his comrades is stronger than any fears or doubts he might harbor.

After his transformation into a half-Ghoul, his personality has changed drastically. Having fully embraced his nature as a Ghoul and the ideology of Aogiri Tree, he is a merciless killer with little regard for human life. He takes pleasure in killing, and expresses a belief in conquering fear through becoming the very monster one fears. While prone to erratic or deranged behavior, he also shows moments of complete lucidity and awareness of his actions. As such, his strange behavior hints at a thoroughly broken mind, with little concern for humanity or the social norms he once worried so much about.

Past
Takizwa's early life seems to have been very average, the eldest of two children in a normal family. At some point during his youth, a Ghoul killed their elderly neighbor Satou, an event that deeply shook his mother. Motivated by this, he decided to become an Investigator and enlisted in the Academy. undefined A year prior to the series, he graduated from the Academy second from the top of the class.undefined

Aogiri Arc
Takizawa is deployed to the 20th ward together with Kousuke Houji and Yukinori Shinohara 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.undefined When he is first introduced to Juuzou, he is immediately annoyed by the other Investigator completely disregarding proper behavior and disrespecting him as his senior. He snatches away Juuzou's snack and begins to berate him, but is silenced by a punch to the nose and spends the rest of the meeting sulking in his seat.undefined

He is later frustrated when he learns that Juuzou, lower ranked than him, has been assigned to the 11th Ward Special Countermeasures Unit. He complains about being forced to stay behind in the 20th Ward, noting that he is always second best.undefined

Raid of Kanou's Lab
After the operation and award ceremony, Takiwaza congratulations Amon on his promotion to First Class and praises him for achieving such a high rank at such a young age. He refuses to do the same for Juuzou, bitterly noting that they are now the same rank. At the meeting of the 20th Ward's Investigators, he is shocked to see that his former classmate, Akira, has transferred into the department. His mood immediately plummets, and when asked he clarifies that they graduated in the same class. Shinohara explains to Amon that Akira graduated 1st in their class, leaving Takizawa to graduate 2nd and this is a sensitive subject that should be avoided. When Takizawa is asked to give a report on the progress of the Gourmet Case, he is interrupted by Akira, who disagrees with his assessment and gives her own (accurate) assessment of the case. The others are impressed with her intuition and strong instincts, leaving Takizawa further annoyed with her presence.undefined

Following Juuzou's promotion and Akira being assigned to the same Ward, his mood becomes so poor that Shinohara and Houji express concern about him. Takizawa is seen sulking in the cafeteria, but quickly joined by an Intern wearing a hat. As they eat their lunches together, the intern presses Takizawa to discuss his troubles -- expressing particular interest in Akira because of her beauty. He advises against underestimating her, comparing his rival to a Ghoul in terms of her strength and ruthlessness in battle. When the pair finish lunch, he thanks the intern for listening to his worries and they part ways. At this point, the intern is revealed to be Hideyoshi Nagachika.undefined

Anteiku Raid Arc
After the raid on Dr. Kanou's lab, late one evening Takizawa and Amon discuss the findings from the operation. He complains that had they known the Gourmet would be there, he would have come with Houji instead of being stuck behind a desk. They discuss the appearance of Naki at the lab and the possibility of Aogiri's involvement. Their conversation is interrupted by Akira, and he takes the chance to mock her over the injury Naki inflicted on her during the battle. They begin to argue back and forth, accusing each other of pulling down their respective partners. Amon manages to stop them, berating them for their behavior and refocusing their attention on their cases. Noting the late hour, Amon and Takizawa prepare to head out to a nearby restaurant for dinner. To Takizawa's horror, Akira accepts the invitation to join them.

They end up at a small store, seated at the bar. They discuss Juuzou's unwillingness to visit Shinohara in the hospital, and Takizawa praises Houji as an Investigator of incredible skill. He discusses his partner's career, having spent time working to break up dangerous gangs in China before returning to Japan. He expresses his desire to be promoted quickly, only to be countered by Akira stating that promotion should not be an Investigator's goal. It quickly escalates into another round of arguments, with Amon struggling to keep the peace between them as they continue to exchange insults. Before too long, Amon realizes that both Takizawa and Akira have had too much to drink.

Now both highly intoxicated, their arguments become even more heated. Takizawa loses his temper, jumping from his seat and ranting about how Akira has always been the best. He states that he will get more achievements than anyone else, bragging that he will be quickly promoted. He tells her to mark his words, calling her a "cold-blooded woman" and boasting in his drunken state that he will beat anyone. His rant is interrupted by his phone ringing, and he answers without bothering to check the number. He lashes out at the caller, calling them a "bastard" and demanding to know who is interrupting his great "battle against Destiny". When Houji greets him and informs him that there is a problem at work, Takizawa immediately calms down and becomes horrified at his actions. Humiliated, he slinks away from the store to sober up and bemoans his situation.undefined

Takizawa next appears visiting his family, greeted by his mother and the family's dog. He has dinner while discussing work with his mother, who notes how unusual it is for him to visit home without calling. She tells him about how his sister has been having fun at college, and his father is always off playing golf during his vacation time. He interrupts her by complimenting her cooking, which she notes is strange and begins to bother him about not having a girlfriend to take care of him. She recalls Akira was his classmate, and notes that she is very beautiful -- in horror, he begs her to stop talking about that. His mother finally stops with the small talk, asking him directly what is wrong.

He recalls talking to Houji earlier, and being given the details on the up-coming operation. Though told he will be taking part in the combat operation this time, Takizawa is visibly distressed and not comforted by Houji's attempts to reassure him. He is shocked to learn that all Investigators in the Ward will be taking part in the operation, and even further upset when handed a letter and envelope. Because he will be taking part in the operation, he is expected to write a Last Testament in preparation for the possibility of being killed in action. Back in his room, he agonizes over what he should write. He starts by apologizing to his parents for moving on, but isn't satisfied by this since it sounds like he's going to commit suicide.

Later on, his sister expresses surprise at him being home. Takizawa criticizes her bleached hair, calling her a Western and she becomes angry with him, storming out to go have dinner with her friends. Their mother apologizes for her behavior, but he shrugs it off and reassures her that it's fine. Back in his room, he again agonizes over writing his testament and the details of the upcoming operation. As he thinks about the known details about the One-Eyed Owl, he becomes more and more distressed. His testament discusses his childhood and the reason he became a Ghoul Investigator, something he considers a great accomplishment. He tries to reassure his parents that even if he dies and gets eaten, he probably won't taste very good. However, he breaks down and writes across the entire page that he doesn't want to die. Afterwards, he curls up in a corner and weeps with a crazed expression.

During the raid on Anteiku, he is assigned to Squad 1 under Akira's leadership. He fights alongside Akira and Misato Gori, keeping the members of Enji Koma's gang at bay with his Ukaku Quinque.undefined

As the battle seems to be winding down, he is surprised to receive news that Juuzou has been wounded in combat. Though clearly worried, he calls the boy stupid and criticizes his reckless behavior. He then notices Akira not paying attention, yelling at her to wake up because the operation isn't over yet. He is confused when she vaguely states that something is wrong, as she seems to realize something has happened to Amon elsewhere.undefined

When news about the appearance of a second Owl reaches their squad, Takizawa approaches Akira and requests permission to break formation and look for Amon. Before Misato or Akira can stop him, he takes off running and apologizes to them for disobeying their orders. As he runs, he recalls staring in awe at Akira while they were still at the Academy and staring at her as she walked away with Amon. He realizes he has only ever seen her "from the side", and curses himself as a fool.undefined

He eventually finds Amon, wounded and barely conscious. Takizawa is horrified when he sees the extent of the other man's wounds, and weeps while begging him not to die. Amon reassures him that he won't, because otherwise it will make him become a murderer. Mutsumi Chino and his squad happen upon them and begin to radio for medical assistance -- but they are ambushed by Tatara and several cloaked members of Aogiri. As Takizawa watches in growing horror, the members of Squad 4 are slaughtered. Realizing that he is the only one left, he begins to panic and freezes up completely, unable to move. Though missing an arm, Amon forces himself to his feet and orders Takizawa to escape while he holds the Ghouls off. He tries to protest, even as he becomes even more overwhelmed with fear -- crying hysterically and even wetting his pants in his terror. Even so, he finds the courage to fight and opens fire at the Ghouls, killing Tatara's escorts. Tatara recognizes his Quinque, Douhi -- referring to it as both "Fei's kagune" and "Houji's quinque". Enraged, he charges forward and hoists Takizawa up by his shirt, demanding to know if he is Houji's subordinate and whether he has someone named "Yan" in his custody. Confused and terrified, Takizawa screams to be let go. In response, the Ghoul agrees to do so and tosses him into the air while calling for Noro. He is caught in midair, with Noro's kagune tearing his left arm completely off as he stares in horror at the wound. Bleeding profusely, he quickly loses consciousness as Amon screams in horror and charges the Ghouls.undefined

In the aftermath of the battle, he is reported as having been killed in action. With the announcements of the deceased, Misato confronts Akira over her seemingly cold attitude over losing her partner and her classmate. Houji listens in with a pained expression, but says nothing as Akira admits to having loved them both. Though smiling, she begins to weep as the other woman looks on in shock. Koori Ui and Take Hirako discuss the discrepancies in the official reports, noting that many Investigators declared dead were never recovered. Meanwhile, Akihiro Kanou prepares to begin a new round of experiments using captured Investigators.undefined He is later confirmed to have been among the Investigators taken by Aogiri for experimentation.

Auction
Dr. Kanou and Eto observe the battles happening on the Auction ground, and decide to send "Owl" to take care of things for them. Takizawa is then revealed to have survived as one of Kanou's experiments, and claims that he is starving.

He is briefly glimpsed on the roof of the auction house, sniffing the air. Later on, he ambushes Daisuke Atou and his squad -- decapitating Associate Special Class Atou and comparing it to harvesting pineapples. While the squad looks on in horror, Takizawa spins the head around while explaining this to be a method to accumulate the blood, which he makes a show of dripping into his open mouth. One of the Investigators, Ryouta Sawaike, begins to panic and opens fire with an Ukaku Quinque -- this proves utterly ineffective, and Takizawa smiles cruelly before launching at attack against the surviving Investigators. He kills four people in quick succession, displaying inhuman strength and agility. The survivors attempt to retreat, fleeing down the hallway in hopes of finding reinforcements but Takizawa gives chase, catching their leader and breaking his arm with a kick as he demands their "brain jam".

Some time later, he has cornered two survivors who watch in horror as he devours one of their comrades. When command contacts the squad to give them new orders, he uses a stolen radio to respond to them -- creating the illusion that all is well. He begins to talk to the two survivors, explaining to them the reason for their fear and his significantly altered mindset. One of the Investigators, Hina Tougi, recognizes him from having given a lecture to her class at the Academy and desperately attempts to get him to remember her. He recalls her having talked during the lecture he gave on Quinque, and she agrees with a hopeful expression. However, Takizawa immediately turns on her and kills her by shoving his arm through her chest and tears off her head -- scolding her for her rude behavior.

He is ordered to relocate from the building entrance, taking several severed heads with him and making his way towards the Administrative building. There, he spots Haise Sasaki, Ginshi Shirazu, and Saiko Yonebayashi -- reporting that he's spotted "three delicious things".

Akira Mado
They were classmates at the Academy, and he feels uneasy with her. He greatly resented her natural talent and cold demeanor, referring to her as a "cold-blooded woman" and comparing her to the Ghouls they fought. As coworkers, their rivalry continued to the extent that they would argue whenever they were in a room together. Both his mother and Hide tease him about her, though he protests the idea of dating his rival. However, after their final conversation he recalls staring at her in awe when they were younger and calls himself an idiot for having "only seen her from the side". As such, it's possible that his feelings towards her are more complicated than a simple case of jealousy.

Koutarou Amon
He deeply admired Amon, and seems to have been quite the fan of him prior to being assigned to the 20th Ward. They seemed to have a good relationship, frequently having dinner together after working late. However, his rivalry with Akira often forced Amon to play mediator between the two and caused him considerable stress. When he heard Amon had been wounded in battle, Seidou disobeyed orders and went to find him. He ended up sacrificing himself trying to protect Amon, showing great loyalty to his friend.

Kousuke Houji
He looked up to Houji as his partner, and had great admiration for his past exploits. Houji seemed keenly aware of his many doubts and insecurities, offering advice or reassurance to him.

Juuzou Suzuya
His relationship with Juuzou was rocky from the very beginning, and remained as such throughout the story. He deeply resented Juuzou for not treating him respectfully as a senior, but became depressed when the younger Investigator was quickly promoted.

Hideyoshi Nagachika
The two became friends while Hide was an intern, and would have lunch together in the cafeteria. He would complain about his frustrations and doubts, but Hide's attempts to gain confidential information from him failed.

Akihiro Kanou
Dr. Kanou is the man responsible for Takizwa's transformation, and seems satisfied with the results of his experiment.

Eto
Eto refers to him in a friendly manner, and gives him orders over the radio. Otherwise, their relationship remains unrevealed.

Tatara
In their first encounter, Takizawa was terrified of the powerful Ghoul to the point of nearly breaking down. His position as Houji's subordinate and partner made him the focus of Tatara's hatred, leading to his near-fatal maiming by Noro. Their current relationship has not yet been revealed.

Yoshimura
The elderly Ghoul was the donor Dr. Kanou used to transform Takizawa into a Ghoul, saving his life. It's unlikely that they have ever met, or have any further relationship.

Power and Abilities
His abilities as an Investigator were never shown, as he was frequently stuck working in the office instead of the field. However, he possessed enough talent to graduate 2nd in his class from the Academy just behind Akira Mado.

Quinque

 * Douhi: An Ukaku quinque, formerly belonging to his partner, Houji. It has a shape similar to a crossbow, and sufficient strength to kill two unnamed members of Aogiri with single shots to the head. It seems to be an average weapon, with no special attributes displayed.

Kagune
As an artificial One-Eyed Ghoul, he has gained greatly enhanced physical abilities and possesses strength sufficient to earn him an SS (or greater) rating upon first being encountered. His regenerative abilities have regrown the arm once torn off by Noro while he was still human, and allow him to almost instantly recover from serious damage. He displays a high level of speed and agility, as well as incredible strength sufficient to shatter concrete or rend human bodies apart with minimal effort. Another enhanced trait he displays is his resistance to harm, shrugging off a barrage from an Ukaku Quinque and later noting that he is desensitized to pain.
 * Ukaku Kagune: He has inherited Yoshimura's Kakuhou, and gained an Ukaku kagune as a result. This kagune takes the form of a massive blade formed over the shoulder and extending down parallel to his arm, which can shred through other kagune or flesh with little effort. The kagune also features the Owl's distinctive "plumage" of spikes along his shoulder blade, which can presumably fire the same high-impact shards once used by Yoshimura. It is currently unknown whether he possesses the secondary blade or Kakuja that Yoshimura possessed.

Trivia

 * He enjoys watching sports and police dramas, and likes dogs.
 * His Quinque is recognized by Tatara, both as having once been used by Houji and having been created from a Ghoul named Fei.
 * On a deleted Twitter post, Sui Ishida mentioned that Seidou has pineapple patterned boxers. (The English translation of the post reads: "Seidou Takizawa tends to wear the underwear of pineapple print.") Ishida quickly deleted the Twitter post, as he wanted this to be revealed in a later chapter.
 * In Chapter 123, his tears form the number "15". This is a reference to the Tarot Card The Devil (XV).
 * In :Re Chapter 24, the numbers "3" and "7" appear in blood on his face. These reference the Tarot Cards The Empress (III) and The Chariot (VII).
 * While the original Owls (Yoshimura and Eto) are referred to using the Japanese word "Fukurō", Takizawa is referred to using the English word "Owl" instead.
 * In the manga, Seidou was with Amon before he got his left side ripped off by Noro's kagune, which enrages Amon. In the 11th episode of Tokyo Ghoul Root A, Seidou was alone when he had his left side ripped off by Noro's kagune. Though, Hide watched it happen, Amon was not there as he was defeated by Ken Kaneki somewhere else.
 * While Kaneki offered insight into what human food tastes like to Ghouls, Takizawa's commentary sheds light on how humans taste to Ghouls.
 * His transformation into a Ghoul is foreshadowed in the original series, through several subtle hints.
 * In Chapter 56, shadows cause his left eye to appear black while angry.
 * His Tarot Card, The Devil, is associated with Corruption and Destructive Urges. The traditional imagery is that of a man partially transformed into a demon as a result of surrendering to temptation.

Quotes

 * "I am...always second best." - Chapter 56.
 * (Describing Akira to Hide) "She's an asexual weapons fanatic. She's more like a Ghoul than the Ghouls are." - Chapter 83.
 * (To Akira) "I want to get promoted and be useful to everyone! Is there something wrong with that?" - Chapter 109.
 * (To Akira) "It's your fault I was always 2nd place. You were always ahead of me in practical skills, classroom learning, and assignments....but I'm going to achieve more than anyone else and climb to the top! You just watch me, you cold-hearted bitch! More than anyone else, yo-..." - Chapter 110.
 * "Now that I think about it...it was only ever from the side that I saw her. Fuck...I'm such a clown." - Chapter 136.
 * "Hurry up. I'm starving!" - :Re Chapter 20.
 * "You're like a freshly picked pineapple!" - :Re Chapter 21.
 * "Jam jam jam jam o/~ Give me your brain jam!" - :Re Chapter 22.
 * "Rooooger, so good, it's so good!" - :Re Chapter 23.
 * "You've grown up being told to clean the food off your plate, right? Don't be picky, they say. I don't like carrots, but now everything that I can eat tastes awesome. You're shaking a lot. I get it. You're scared. Because the fear you feel is different. Like big and small, men and women, young and old. What you two are afraid of is....what is different from yourselves. So if you become the same, it's not scary. Killers, monsters, .....ghouls. If you become what you're afraid of, fear will fade. What you two are afraid of, is the Door of Death in front of you. So I'll have you become that. Once you're Death, death is no longer scary. You're scared because you're a living person. Got that?" - Re: Chapter 24.
 * Dear Mother and Father, Long ago there was a period of time when Mother began to feel insecure after a Ghoul killed Satou-obasan, who lived in the neighborhood. When I saw that, I felt that I wanted to protect Mother and made the decision to become a Ghoul Investigator. Even now, the determination I held then is strong. I am very proud of this job where I must put my life on the line for the sake of other people. This time, I was included as a member of a large suppression operation. If I do not make it back, please do not be too sad. As always (blurred). The meals I was able to eat we- (blurred) delicious. (Blurred) of Seina and Rocky. I DON'T WANT TO DIE. - Takizawa's Will, Chapter 123.