Uta

Uta (ウタ, Uta) is a ghoul and an old friend of Renji Yomo and Itori. He owns the HySy ArtMask Studio, where he sells masks, whilst also being a member of the Clowns. He is known as No Face (ノーフェイス, Nō Feisu) to the CCG investigators.

Appearance
Uta is a tall, lanky man with black hair, styled into an undercut. Various tattoos cover his arms, and a sun tattoo covers his entire left pectoral region. At first glance, his kakugan is always activated, but in response to Haise Sasaki's inquiry, he claims that these are scleral tattoos, i.e., black ink was injected into his eyes. Uta typically wears a gray tank top underneath a black wrap sweater, along with harem pants and black sandals. He also wears a black necklace with round, white gems hanging from it. Kaneki describes his appearance as being a little scary. During the auction, he wore an open-collared zebra-striped dress shirt with matching pants, a light colored striped suit buttoned up, and a pair of white gloves. Despite being in the Clown group, he is yet to be seen wearing a clown mask of any kind.

As a teen, his hair color was much lighter, swept back, and at times kept down with a hairband. He did not have any of his tattoos during his younger days. His ghoul mask was an expressionless face with a stitching design similar to a voodoo doll, covering the eyes and the white surface. During the auction after the time skip, Uta wore a mask resembling a bird with a wide beak and four small holes on the side.

The tattoo on his neck is a Latin quote written in Greek letters which read, "I can live neither with you, nor without you."


 * Νεχ ποσσυμ τεχυμ ωιωερε, νεχ σινε τε. Nec possum tecum vivere, nec sine te. —Martial, Epigrams XII, 46

Personality
He has a very nice way of speaking and seems to be friendly. Although his expression almost never changes, he has an amusing way of teasing people. Uta seems to be unfazed by most things, and will even go as far as letting someone he respects die in order to respect their will, acting as if nothing major happened afterward.

As an artist, Uta holds exotic aesthetics and is often noted as having ill yet masterful tastes; he holds respect for fellow artists. Uta entertains himself through the search for inspiration and crafting masks based on said ideas.

Uta was sadistic and savage from his youth and appears to have left those ways behind as time passed. However, he has not changed completely yet after his affiliation with the Clowns becomes apparent, and even saw Kaneki's demise as "fun." Like all members of his organization, he may revel in creating chaos and destruction. However, his personal motives are still unclear other than his adherence to hedonism.

Despite the hedonistic and sadistic side of his, Uta has on numerous occasions shown genuine concern for others. As the former leader of the 4th ward and a renowned mask maker, his reputation leads others to respect and consult him for advice. He also tends to introduce his fellow acquaintances to each other for their own benefits (e.g. Kaneki, Asa).

Past
Uta used to be the leader of the 4th ward in the past, as he was the strongest ghoul there. Sometime during his reign, he was informed of a strong ghoul roaming in his territory. After fighting this ghoul numerous times and feeling their strengths were on par, he later learned he was named Renji Yomo and they formed a friendship.

At an unspecified time period after Renji began living with Uta's gang, ghoul investigators, led by Kishou Arima, entered the area on an extermination mission. With his gang, they surrounded a group of investigators, including Take Hirako. The two groups fought to the ghouls' advantage until Arima appeared. Watching Yomo being enraged and easily overpowered by the CCG's Reaper, Uta instructed his gang to retreat after Yoshimura appeared to save Yomo.

Doves' Emergence
Ken Kaneki and Touka Kirishima went to his shop, the HySy ArtMask Studio, to get a mask for Kaneki. While taking Kaneki's measurements, he talked with Kaneki about Touka and the risk factor of the varying wards ghouls inhabit.

By chance, Uta brought Kaneki's newly-made mask to Anteiku just when Touka and Kaneki had stopped training. He made Kaneki wear his new mask. He remarked that he placed the eyepatch on the right side since he wanted to see Kaneki's left eye, the eye less seen.

Gourmet Arc
When Kaneki was taken to Helter Skelter, the bar the Itori owns, Uta was there as well. The two of them shocked Kaneki when Itori wore one of Uta's masks to scare him. They were then shown having a pleasant conversation together at the bar, discussing his and Renji's past, how the 4th ward was dangerous because of them, and when Kaneki first heard about other one-eyed ghouls.

Aogiri Arc
Uta was a part of the team that went to save Kaneki when he was kidnapped by Aogiri Tree. He accompanied Yomo, Touka, Nishiki, and Tsukiyama in the endeavor. Some time later, Tsukiyama remarked that Uta, though having his kakugan active, was not actually using his full power. Uta answered by telling him he did not think he needed to be serious right now and was only there for Kaneki and so he would not become lazy.

Despite not being at full power, he was able to keep up with Yomo and Tsukiyama. When they finally found Kaneki, Uta along with Yomo tried to comfort him after what he has been through.

Owl Suppression Operation
Uta gave Kaneki information about the CCG's Reaper, mentioning how strong and invincible he was. He also told him bits about his relationship with Yomo and Itori.

Post-Owl Suppression Operation
After the Owl Suppression Operation ends, Uta along with the other Clowns began celebrating.

Auction
At the Auction, Uta made a grand entrance and served as the auctioneer of the event. He oversaw the sales of Yoshiki Ookura, a famous actor, as well as several insignificant "items." When Tooru Mutsuki was brought onto the stage, he declared that the asking price would normally be 1 million, but quickly noted Mutsuki's unusual scent. Yanking off Mutsuki's eyepatch, he announced that the item for sale is a rare one-eyed ghoul and started the bidding at 10 million.

The crowd was whipped into a frenzy, and a bidding war began over this rare prize. As the bidding continued, Uta whispered to Mutsuki that the operation had failed and no one will be coming to save him. Having shaken the young investigator, Uta oversaw the final winning bid of 200 million. Taking advantage of the crowd's excitement, he declared the next special item for sale — a beautiful, doll-like young woman. However, the woman interrupted him and revealed herself to actually be Juuzou Suzuya in disguise. He stabbed Uta repeatedly in the face, before turning his attention to the audience.

As the raid on the auction began, Mutsuki recalled Uta's words to him and realized this meant the auctioneer knew investigators had infiltrated the auction. Later, he appeared before the Hirako and Shimoguchi Squads, as Roma Hoito hid behind him, he greeted Hirako.

As the fight started, Uta continuously dodged Take Hirako's attacks and sarcastically remarked that Hirako had improved with his increased variety of attack patterns and must have gone up a few ranks. After the other clowns joined in, he warned Roma to not take Hirako lightly, before other investigators begin engaging as well. Uta then wore a mask of Arima's face, telling Hirako to stand by. However, Hirako lost his composure and immediately slashed Uta across the face, during which Uta managed to stick Suzuya's knives, which were originally stabbed into his face, into Hirako's left arm and told Hirako to return them for him.

As their fights continued, Uta showed interest in why Hirako did not show the pain in his injured arm but it would be boring if he did not respond. He then dodged Hirako's strike effortlessly and pushed the knives into Hirako's arm deeper, which resulted in the slightest expression of hurt on the latter's face.

Later, Uta heard the screams of Sasaki over the intercom and he briefly took off his mask, listening with some sort of interest. When the S3 Squad came to the auction as reinforcement, Uta left with Roma.

Post-Auction
One month after the Auction raid Uta was seen drinking coffee in re, conversing with Yomo and Touka regarding what was going to happen to Kaneki. He noted that Kaneki was still the same and showed a concerned look when asked about the Clowns' plan with Kaneki, stating that he had no idea what their boss was thinking. He then told Touka that he still considered Kaneki a special customer before leaving.

Rose Extermination
Uta was in his workshop and welcomed Sasaki when he entered and asked if he was still open. He briefly conversed with Sasaki on his customer's concern about the eyepatch mask sent to him from the store. Confirming that the mask was indeed sent by him, he feigned ignorance on how he might have sent it to the wrong address and that it was meant for a regular customer and then offered Sasaki to keep it as a sign of goodwill from their "fated encounter." He claimed that it was not him who sent Sasaki the novel, however, before being asked by Sasaki if he made custom-made masks. Later, he made masks for the Quinx Squad for them to go undercover as ghouls.

Third Cochlea Raid
Uta accompanied Donato Porpora to Shinme Haisaki's control chamber, and after the latter was eliminated, Uta called Donato "crown," throwing a clown mask with a crown symbol. Afterward, Donato tells him that they should go to the "king." As they arrived at the CCG chairman's office, witnessing Tsuneyoshi Washuu's murder, Uta asked Furuta if he was fine with his actions, while the latter gleefully claimed that he was fine with it.

Clown Siege
Uta appeared near the CCG Main Office with Nico, asking about Donato's whereabouts. Suzuya later unmasks a Clown and reveals that the raiding Clowns were humans. Uta appeared and released an unknown kagune, stabbing the Clown through the neck before confronting Suzuya. They start to fight, with Suzuya landing multiple hits on Uta, who did not fight back. Suzuya then slashes him multiple times with 13's Jason. The ghoul questions his actions and raises his head, revealing Shinohara's face, distracting Suzuya. Uta, as Shinohara, comforts and draws the investigator closer to him, while unleashing more kagune tails. However, before he could attack the latter, his head was suddenly sliced vertically by Hanbee Abara, causing him to stumble back in pain. Uta effortlessly dodges Juuzou's attacks.png pursued him. While Uta was running down a pathway, Mutsuki managed to land on him and repeatedly stabbed him. When Mutsuki stopped, Uta changed his face to the form of Sasaki's face in order to deceive Mutsuki. This backfires, however, as Mutsuki stabs his throat and face repeatedly again in a mad act of declaring his love for his former mentor. This results in Uta having his face heavily disfigured and his lower jaw mutilated. Shinsanpei Aura arrives at the scene and finds what appears to be Mutsuki having sexual intercourse with Uta's body.
 * left]]

Later on, Uta sat on a roof by Donato's side, conversing with him, explaining that he wished to be more involved, claiming that it was lonely to be on the edges.

Renji Yomo
First meeting each other when Uta was still the boss of the 4th ward, Uta fought Yomo several times on equal grounds, never finishing it as they knew they would both die were they to go all out. Finding it rare how someone as strong as him is around, Uta proposed to become Yomo's friend ever since.

Itori
Uta and Itori both belong to the Clowns and apparently have been friends from way back. They have a casual and relaxed relationship.

Ken Kaneki
Uta found Kaneki to be interesting as he is the first one-eyed ghoul he has met. Uta views him as a valuable customer.

Roma Hoito
They are both part of the Clowns; Uta showed a slight concern for her safety during the Auction Raid.

Take Hirako
Uta met Hirako ten years ago during a Clown investigation with Arima in the 4th ward and showed interest in his ability. When they clashed again in the Auction raid, Uta compliments Hirako on his improvements. Uta treats Hirako as somewhat of a plaything, casually evaluating his abilities during their fight and enjoys bringing out different emotions out from the usual poker face.

Asa
Asa has adored Uta since a young age, having grown up in the 4th ward during the time when he was its leader. Even after moving to the 23rd ward, she continued to bother him about becoming his apprentice. Uta showed concern for her safety as evident when he scared Noyama away from Asa, telling him that he hopes to not have Asa killed.

Tsumugi Yamagata
The two are long-time friends and have a deep respect for the other as a fellow artist. Tsumugi is a mentor to the younger man and teases him about his "awful" artistic style. Uta respects her will and ignored Noyama, who eventually killed Tsumugi as a result when asked not to pay attention to the stalking ghoul.

Donato Porpora
Although not much is known between them, they appear to have a calm and casual relationship.

Powers and Abilities
Ghoul Physiology: Being a ghoul, Uta possesses superhuman regeneration and speed. In his teenage years, his strength led him to become the "peacemaker" of the 4th ward.
 * Rinkaku Kagune: Uta's kagune takes the form of a tail which can strike opponents from a distance. He can release up to six of these tails.
 * Superhuman Agility: He casually avoided Hirako's continuous assaults with his quinque, mocking him while closing in on the investigator.
 * Superhuman Regeneration: Uta has displayed inhuman regeneration feats; without any consumption, he has healed his face after being stabbed by several quinque knives in a short interval in addition to his instant regeneration when his face was injured again by Hirako slashing it in half horizontally.
 * Shapeshifting: Uta possesses the ability to mimic the appearances of others, though the exact means of this are currently unexplained. He has previously imitated the facial features of Kishou Arima, while leaving his overall appearance and hairstyle unaltered. On another occasion, he was able to mimic the physical appearance and voice of Yukinori Shinohara with such accuracy that it momentarily fooled the man's former partner, Juuzou Suzuya. He was also able to mimic the physical appearance and voice of Haise Sasaki as well.

Trivia

 * He likes mask-making, music, humans, and art.
 * In the first character popularity poll, Uta was ranked fourth. In the latest, he came in as eighth.
 * Sui Ishida commented that he gave many of his own hobbies to Uta.
 * Uta is associated with the number "19," which is a reference to the tarot card The Sun.
 * Tsumugi once commented on his ill taste of masks.
 * He considers human food as artistic due to their colors and arrangement, while Asa and other ghouls remark it as distasteful and revolting.
 * His sense of humor is somewhat strange when he gave Kaneki a Buddha mask in a Volume 2 omake, intentionally misread Renji's name — particularly the Ji character — as hemorrhoid, and passed Yomo a seashell for cover instead of a normal underwear in the "School of Ghouls" spin-off.
 * In Tokyo Ghoul Trump, he is featured as the "Eight of Diamonds."

Quote

 * To Kaneki: "It can be said it's like 'walking a tight-rope' for us to blend into a human place... Every second is spent wondering, 'Can I continue or will I fall?'... If your feet get tangled along the way you'll end up at the bottom of hell... And if you don't cross the whole distance, in that instant everything will disappear."
 * To Kaneki: "Since you are a special customer so I'd like to be some help to you. You are dangerous and are always wavering unsteadily, so everyone can't take their eyes off you. That includes the people hoping you won't fail, and the people waiting for the instance that you do."
 * "Since everyone thinks many various things, it is difficult to understand them."
 * "Tragedies nowadays aren't popular, so let's have more fun."
 * "To me, he (Kaneki) is still a special customer, even now."
 * To Donato: "Makes you tremble with excitement, doesn't it? Being able to bear witness to the exact moment a person changes. The sort of switch that you can flip but you don't know what it'll do. The feeling of flipping just such a switch... The feeling that in the very next moment, I myself might vanish..."
 * To Donato: "I've always been quite the reprobate. And that's why I want to stay in the thick of it. Because it's lonely on the edges."

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