Talk:Touka Kirishima/@comment-27143318-20151031170043/@comment-10733658-20151102011451

Hopefully I'm not retreading on anything already said, but tossing in my two cents on the idea that Touka no longer has a character or is a hypocrite.

What Kaneki did, that she later berated him for, is very different from what Touka has chosen to do concerning Sasaki. The issue she took with Kaneki's actions was that she wanted to go with him, and he actively denied her any part in his life. He did this because he decided it was what was best for her, and then spent months actively avoiding her and refusing to allow her to make her own decisions in concern to him. Then told her that it was "for her own good", which angered her.

In contrast, Touka reprimanded Tsukiyama for actively trying to force Sasaki back into their world regardless of what he might or might not want. She states that they would be there for him, should he need a place to go to. But she isn't going to push him, or insert what she wants into his life.

One is about taking away someone's choices and deciding for them. The other is entirely about letting go, and being there if needed while leaving the choice entirely to them.

Now, in terms of Touka's changes as a character, I disagree that she's less of a character now. She's matured and learned from the mistakes of her past. We haven't seen a lot of her to get the full picture yet, but from what we have seen she appears to be following Yoshimura's legacy. Near the end of the original series, she stated that she wanted to be a teacher and was starting to have a desire to help others. Even though she lost so much, she's trying to continue building on that foundation. We see that she intends to offer a safe haven for Sasaki if need be, and I have the feeling that :re is like Anteiku -- a haven for Ghouls in need.

Also, I personally feel that Touka's narrative has kind of run opposite of Kaneki's in a way. His was initially about becoming strong and learning to fight back. Her narrative has been about a street kid with a lot of anger, learning to let go of the lessons she learned on the streets and trying to build a better life for herself. It's been about realizing the mistakes of her anger and violence, and becoming someone that can help others and represent a better future for Ghouls.

In all honesty, I suspect that we'll see a switch come the mid-point of the series. More than likely, we'll see more of Touka then and start to get a greater sense of what she's been up to and who she has become over the last three years.