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This article is about the leader of Aogiri Tree, the One-Eyed Owl. For other uses, see Owl (disambiguation).
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That time, so that no one (not even Father) would notice, I secretly rewrote the summary.

What cannot change can only be broken.

This is so to me, who left behind everything necessary inside the womb.

— Sen Takatsuki, Dear Kafka

Eto Yoshimura (芳村 愛支 (エト), Yoshimura Eto) is the founding leader of Aogiri Tree, having formed the organization in the decade between her original rampage and the beginning of the series. While speculated by many to be the One-Eyed King, she claims that this is not the case.[3]

Instead, she is the One-Eyed Owl (隻眼の梟, Sekigan no Fukurō), the half-human and half-ghoul daughter of Yoshimura and Ukina. Her human identity is Sen Takatsuki (高槻 泉, Takatsuki Sen), a best-selling horror novelist mentioned throughout the series.

After the Third Cochlea Raid and her defeat by Kichimura Washuu, she was captured and used as the main body for the Taxidermied Owl (詰めの梟, Tsume no Fukurō). She managed to retrieve herself from the body and returned to life.

Appearance

Eto is a short woman in her mid-twenties with a sleepy or curious expression. Her long green hair is usually messy or on top of her head in a bun, complementing her modest or sloppy fashion. Though she is typically unkempt, she is noted to be an incredible beauty with many admirers and greatly resembles her mother, Ukina, this resemblance deepens when she later cuts her hair into a short bob.

While active in Aogiri, she wraps her entire body in bandages, doubling as a concealment to keep her identity secretive. Over it she wears a maroon hooded cloak with droopy ears and a floral scarf around her neck. Her right eye is a kakugan, while the other eye is a tone of light green.

Manga Depiction

Anime Depiction

Personality

Eto has a sadistic personality, often expressing joy at the expense of others' suffering. She has no qualms about remorselessly slaughtering humans and ghouls alike, and shows happiness when inflicting pain on others. Like her mother, Eto has a very sharp intuition about the feelings and desires of people, which she exploits to the fullest when dealing with her victims and manipulating others to do her bidding. Her twisted personality is possibly the result of fighting to stay alive during her early years in the 24th ward.

Like many ghouls, she is able to compartmentalize her ghoul and human alter egos with relative ease. As Sen Takatsuki, she is quite playful and scatterbrained at times, oversleeping on the day she was supposed to be signing books and taking photos with admirers when it was prohibited by her manager.

According to the profile Haise Sasaki constructs through his analysis of her works, the author is a woman filled with despair and hatred towards the world, having completely abandoned hope long ago.[6] While mostly true, she strongly believes in creating a society where ghouls will not be persecuted for existing and will do anything to fulfill this ambition, regardless of what she has to sacrifice.

Plot

Background

Yoshimuraukinaeto

Kuzen and Ukina, with Eto.

Eto was born to Ukina and Yoshimura as a hybrid being. Because her mother had secretly been investigating the organization V, they forced Yoshimura to kill his lover as punishment for "betraying" them. In order to protect his infant daughter, Yoshimura entrusted her to the care of a ghoul known as Noroi in the 24th ward with her mother's diary. It is unknown what took place in the following decade or so, but she would emerge from the 24th ward as a kakuja and begin a bloody rampage.

During a routine Whack-a-mole operation, a team lead by Itsuki Marude encountered Eto deep within the 24th ward and was quickly overwhelmed. Associate Special Class Kasuka Mado stayed behind so the others could retreat, sacrificing her life to protect her husband Kureo Mado and their comrades. A later investigation found that Eto had torn the investigator to pieces and scattered her partially-devoured remains everywhere for them to find. In response, Kureo Mado began a quest for vengeance that would later consume him.

One day, Eto appeared for the first time and single-handedly killed a Special Class Investigator affiliated with the 3rd ward. She was assigned an S-rating and given the nickname "X."

One month later, Eto executed a large-scale attack on the CCG's 2nd Ward Branch Office. The office was heavily damaged and the CCG suffered numerous casualties. Eto's rating was increased to SS, and her nickname was changed to "Owl," due to her plumage-like kagune. After a report of Eto only having one kakugan, her nickname was again changed to "One-Eyed Owl."

Afterwards, Eto and other ghouls attacked the ghoul detention center, Cochlea in the 23rd ward. Eto's rating was upgraded to SSS.

Kuroiwa against One-eyed Owl

Eto against Kuroiwa.

During the course of her various attacks, the S3 Squad led by Special Class Mikito Urie faced Eto. He ordered a retreat and died fighting her alone to ensure his comrades' survival. Iwao Kuroiwa and the other survivors later reported this news to a young Kuki Urie, who swore to one day avenge his father.

Later, Eto's faction attacked the 2nd ward for a second time. First Class Investigator Kuroiwa dealt heavy damage to Eto's kakuhou with his quinque. However, Kuroiwa himself was seriously injured and could not participate in later operations. Subsequently, Yoshimura, acting alone in his daughter's place, attacked the 2nd ward for a third time to divert the attention of the CCG and V from his daughter Eto, and was defeated and seriously injured by Kishou Arima.

Eto and Arima's confrontation

Young Eto and Arima's confrontation.

During one confrontation, Eto revealed her hatred for the world, criticizing its state, and saying the ghoul who killed Arima would be the hope for her entire race, while the latter smiled at her. They formed a plan to groom someone who would be competent enough to bear the title of the One-Eyed King, Kaneki was later chosen for the task.

Sometime after this, Eto tried to become an author, showing her manuscript to Shunji Shiono. Though initially rejected, she was finally accepted and adopted the pseudonym "Sen Takatsuki," beginning her career as a novelist, at the same time planning for her next move. Her first work, titled Dear Kafka, would go on to be a best-seller and help establish a strong following as an author. She published five other works before publishing The Black Goat's Egg — the novel that served as the catalyst for Kaneki's attraction to Rize.

Around two years after her debut, Eto was already aware of her father's identity, though the sight of him visibly angered her. One night, Shiono dropped by her apartment and accidentally found human body parts inside her fridge. Despite Shiono finding out about her ghoul nature, she spared him and the two continued working together.

Aogiri Arc

Eto with Tatara

Eto talking with Tatara.

Eto attended the meeting where Kaneki was brought before Tatara. At the end of the meeting, Tatara left the Aogiri hideout's affairs to Noro. Tatara predicted that the Doves would come soon and ordered Noro to follow their plan. Then, Tatara left with Eto to meet comrades that were waiting for them.[7] While the 11th Ward Battle was taking place, Tatara and Eto led many of Aogiri's strongest members in an attack on Cochlea, freeing multiple dangerous ghouls.

Raid of Kanou's Lab

Eto was among the members of Aogiri gathered while Tatara interrogated Dr. Kanou's assistant about his location. She briefly chatted with Naki about Yamori's death, suggesting that Tatara should have killed Kaneki when he had the chance. Once the group had their information, she joined Tatara to discuss making their move before the Doves could.[8]

She was among those sent to raid Kanou's lab, and used the chaos to sneak deeper into the facility alone. There, she encountered the twins Kurona and Nashiro Yasuhisa, and taunted them about their past. Displaying incredible speed, she was able to seemingly teleport around the room while asking them painful questions. Once her psychological tactics overwhelmed them, she appeared behind Kazuichi Banjou and ripped out several of his ribs.[9]

Later on, she joins Kanou in his control room and watches the confrontation between Koutarou Amon and a deranged Kaneki. She expresses interest in Amon, before leaving the facility along with Kanou.[10]

Owl Suppression Operation

In the aftermath of the battle at Dr. Kanou's laboratory, she makes her first appearance as Sen Takatsuki at a book signing event. She arrives late to the event, and apologizes to the large gathering of fans for having overslept.[11] While her manager protests, she cheerfully ignores the rules of the event and mingles with her fans taking photographs and chatting happily about the books. Kaneki and Hinami Fueguchi attend the event, and immediately catch her interest. She is pleased that Kaneki notices so many hidden details in her novels, while she quickly forms a connection with Hinami. After they leave, Hideyoshi Nagachika arrives at the event and briefly chats with the author. She hints at her interest in writing a novel about a ghoul.[12]

Takatsuki praises Hinami

Eto befriends Hinami.

Some time later, she observes Hinami having coffee with Shuu Tsukiyama and waits until the girl is alone before approaching her. She shares her notice of Hinami's habit of clutching her hands when lying and offers the girl honest advice about her inability to help Kaneki. Takatsuki claims to have gone through difficult times in the past, and gives her business card to Hinami, offering her assistance should the girl ever need it.[2]

Later that day, she pays a visit to the CCG and claims to have information.[2] Amon meets with her, answering her questions about the Rc scan gates — which she passes through without incident due to her father having previous ties to V. Once seated in an interview area, she questions him about personal things such as his lunch, stating that she wants an interview with an investigator in exchange for the information she has. Amon is initially frustrated with her teasing behavior, but once he cooperates she reveals to him a conspiracy involving CCG and a trading company called Sphinx. The company had sold the CCG a large amount of fluid made from ghoul corpses, and that Dr. Kanou's mansion was in fact property of the CCG. Furthermore, the president of Sphinx, Nanao Yasuhisa, was murdered by a ghoul. Having provided Amon with enough information to make him question CCG, she leaves.[13]

Arima vs Owl

Eto vs. Arima.

She next appears during the battle in the 20th ward, ambushing the team sent to kill Yoshimura in her full kakuja form.[14] Exhausted from the previous battle against her father, Iwao Kuroiwa, Yukinori Shinohara, Kousuke Houji, Koori Ui, and Juuzou Suzuya are quickly overwhelmed.[15] She tortures and fatally wounds Shinohara, taunting a wounded Juuzou and batting him around until the remaining Special and Associate Special Classes arrive.[16][17]

Eto unmasked

The Owl's identity is revealed.

They are barely able to hold her off, until the arrival of Squad 0 that was led by Kishou Arima.[17] Arima fights her in single combat, inflicting numerous serious injuries and forcing her to retreat. Before she flees, she swallows her father whole and leaps from the rooftop with him — mocking the CCG as she makes her escape. Later on, she regurgitates her father unharmed and emerges naked from her kakuja armor. She greets her father with a deranged expression, revealing that Sen Takatsuki, Eto, and the One-Eyed Owl are all the same person.[18]

Post-Owl Suppression Operation

She is later seen talking with Tatara and Dr. Kanou, suggesting that they will simply have to replace Kaneki with a new one — one created from her father and kidnapped investigators.[19]

In the aftermath of the battle, Tsuneyoshi Washuu theorizes that the One-Eyed Owl and the One-Eyed King of Aogiri Tree are the same person. He reaffirms that she must be defeated at any cost.[19]

At some unknown time Eto and Kanou have a conversation about Koutarou Amon while observing him unconscious in a chamber. The surgeon mused about his status as a prodigy for the next generation of ghoul investigators and his numerous achievements during his career. Eto is dismissive noting that is in the past due to his ghoulification.[20]

Root A (Anime)

Eto follows Kaneki

Eto follows Kaneki after the 11th Ward Battle.

Eto watched the 11th Ward Battle from afar with Tatara and noted that Kaneki had gotten stronger. She asked Tatara if the others would not come as many of their allies had died. She asked him about how many had died and Tatara replies about two hundred or so. Eto says that for the sake of those two hundred, they have to do their killing too. After the Aogiri hideout was crushed, Eto follows Kaneki, smiling. Some time later, Eto welcomes Kaneki along with the other Aogiri executives as their new recruit.[21]

Eto waited as a mission was about to begin and appeared excited when she saw Kaneki arrive. She later sneaked off to a private room to undress. Still looking excited, she called Kaneki's name.[22]

Eto makes her debut as Sen Takatsuki

Takatsuki arrives late to her autograph session.

Eto made her appearance as Sen Takatsuki, and showed up late to an autograph session at a bookstore. She meet Hinami and quickly showed interest in her. Eto asked for Hinami's name assuming the autograph was for her, but Hinami stopped Eto from signing the book because it was a present. Eto paused when Hinami said the book was for Ken Kaneki then asked how to spell his name. Eto asked if Kaneki was her boyfriend, but flustered, Hinami said that he was like a big brother. Eto thought it cute and gave Hinami her book back before saying goodbye. After Hinami left, Eto thought about Kaneki. Later at the Aogiri hideout, Eto watched Kaneki from afar as he helped Naki and laughed.[23]

The One-Eyed Owl decends into Cochlea

Eto descends into Cochlea.

Prior to the Cochlea raid, Eto watched the facility from afar, eager to attack it. During the infiltration, she accompanied the other Aogiri ghouls in the attack to free Shachi and the other prisoners. Eto intervened in Shachi's fight with Kaneki and asked him if he wanted to see Rize.[24] Later, after Eto danced around the bodies of dead investigators, she looked into the depths of Cochlea, planning something. She finally appeared in her full kakuja form, angering an injured Akira and bewildered Amon. She grabbed Ayato and Kaneki and fled.[25]

Takatsuki interviews Shinohara and Juuzou

Takatsuki interviews Shinohara and Suzuya.

After the Cochlea invasion, Eto watched over Kaneki while he tried to recuperate. Since he used his kakuja for the first time, he had been unable to control it and was plagued by nightmares. While he suffered, Eto stood back smiling, interested in his progress. She later met Hinami again at her favorite café and they sat down for coffee and to talk about Kaneki. Hinami told Takatsuki about her problems and Takatsuki told her the hard truth. She and Kaneki were too different and Hinami would not be able to help him with the way she was. Hinami was saddened, but agreed. Before she left for an interview, Takatsuki gave Hinami her business card. She sympathized with Hinami and advised her to call if she needed help. Takatsuki’s went to the CCG to try and get an interview with an investigator. She was able to speak with Shinohara and Juuzou and asked them questions about the possibility of creating artificial ghouls for her next book. Shinohara did not think something like that was possible, nor was there a purpose to create more dangerous ghouls. Before she left, she gave Shinohara a tip about a coffee shop in the 20th ward that served delicious coffee and an interesting rumor about it.[26]

Yoshimura holds Ukina and Eto

Infant Eto and her family being hunted.

Yoshimura explained his past to Kaneki and how Eto was born. A hybrid between a human and ghoul, when Ukina became pregnant, Yoshimura had expected Eto not to survive. After he said it would take a miracle, Ukina insured that happened. Eto was born healthy and her parents were happy to have her. However, the organization Yoshimura worked for targeted them and killed Ukina. Yoshimura hid Eto in a secluded location while he fought the organization members. When he returned, Eto was gone.[27]

Prior to CCG’s attack on Anteiku, Eto spent time with Tatara, admiring the snow.[27]

Eto later appeared after her father was defeated, at first assuming her original kakuja guise before it morphed into a bestial like form and grinned at the investigators sinisterly. Shinohara and Iwao's suspicions about there being two Owls were confirmed with her appearance.[28]

Tokyo One-Eyed Owl Mask24

Suzuya vs. The Owl.

Eto made quick work of the investigators, looming over them with a crazed grin before she turned her attention to Suzuya. Eto was about to attack him until Shinohara took the blow instead. Angered, and desperate to save his father figure, Suzuya repeatedly tried to defeat her, but his attacks did no damage at all. Eto continuously mocked him, and even stabbed Shinohara just to see him suffer. However, shortly afterwards, Suzuya's wounds caught up to him, and he fell, only to be caught by Arima. Eto quickly recognized him, saying he is finally here before attacking him. However she was unable to land so much as a hit on him, and was forced onto the defensive as she tried to dodge his attacks. When it seemed like she finally had the upper hand, Arima sliced off her arm, which forced her to flee after eating Yoshimura. She later regurgitated Yoshimura, who recognized her while she called him father in a singing tone, smiling cruelly down at him.[29]

Auction

Eto appears at the Aogiri hideout, speaking to Ayato. She requests him to act as an escort and guard for Madam at an upcoming auction, since Aogiri earns lots of money through working for Madam. She also mentions that Ayato should "tidy up" if a floppy comes to the Auction.[30]

During the Auction, Dr. Kanou and Eto observe the unfolding events from a control room at an undisclosed location. Kanou is pleased with how things are going, and asks permission to release "Owl" — she agrees with this idea and contacts the new Owl over the radio. It is revealed to be former Investigator Seidou Takizawa, transformed into an one-eyed ghoul by Aogiri. He complains to Eto about being hungry.

Later on, while facing Sasaki and realizing who he actually is, Takizawa states this must have been her real reason for sending him.

Rose Extermination

Eto is seen first observing Haise Sasaki and the Quinx fight off the members of Aogiri, hired by Kanae von Rosewald. As they ward off the members of the Yamori clan, she laughs and says that they are good.

Some time later, Eto approached Kanae as he hid beneath an overpass and raged over his defeat. She taunted him with the mystery of her true nature, offering him an apple and biting into it in front of him. When he launched an attack, she effortlessly dodged and quickly overwhelmed him with her massive, abnormal kagune. She explained that while quantity and quality of one's Rc cells determines the potential size of a kagune, it is one's intelligence and imagination that determines the potential shape. When he recognized her as a one-eyed ghoul, she readily agreed with him.

Eto taunts Kanae about his true feelings re anime

Eto taunts Kanae about his true feelings.

Eto began to wax philosophical, questioning whether Kanae has ever read the Book of Genesis. She discussed the story of Eve and the Fruit of Knowledge, stating that this was her favorite from the book. The idea of God telling humans not to eat the Fruit seemed malignant to her, because putting the Tree there was like its purpose was to tempt humans to eat the fruit. She asked Kanae about his religious beliefs, and what he imagined God to be like. In her own mind, she explained, God was probably a child with incredible power — explaining the many problems in the world. She goes on to offer an example of such a problem, namely, Kanae's own situation. She told him that should he fulfil his master's wishes, he could not have what he truly wanted.

Seeing that her words were having an effect, Eto pressed on. She explained to him that what he truly wanted was to make Haise Sasaki suffer and that his actions had never been for the sake of his beloved master. Ruthlessly, she lectured Kanae about how his feelings of loyalty were actually possessiveness and jealousy, and reminded him that Tsukiyama would never look at him. She told him he owed nothing to someone that would not return his love, and suggested that they be destroyed instead. As Kanae broke down, she continued to mentally torture him.

Eto tortures Kanae anime

Eto torturing Kanae.

Later on, Eto was keeping Kanae in captivity and subjected him to various amounts of torture. She told him if he wanted to be treasured, he had to take away what mattered most to Shuu Tsukiyama while she gave him one of her detached kagune.

When the CCG started their operation against the Tsukiyama family, she was looking over the Luna Eclipse building assessing the situation and giving instructions to Noro.

One Eyed Owl Attacks

The Owl attacks.

As Sasaki loomed over a collapsed Kanae, Eto is perched on top of a towered structure, observing off in the distance. She then promptly descended into sight, swiftly destroying Matsuri's helicopter on the way down, and ambushed Sasaki from above. Successfully "flicking" Sasaki, Eto mocked him, saying that Arima would have dodged her attack effortlessly. She ordered Kanae to continue attacking Sasaki as he does not have much time until he meets his maker and watched in joy as Kanae started beating Sasaki.

When Sasaki slashed off Kanae's right arm, she caught it and showed her delight at the sudden turn of events, realizing Sasaki has regained his memories. She continued observing as the reawakened Sasaki quickly gains the upper hand and incapacitates Kanae with his kagune. After Sasaki subdues Kanae, she reactivates her kakuja and watched as Sasaki stabbed Tsukiyama in the chest with his kagune. She then commented on this, calling him cold for shedding blood just after his awakening, and asks if he is stronger than Arima. Sasaki replied that she is the cold one and tells her to die as the two start to fight.

Eto chasing Kaneki mid air

A rampaging Eto chases after Sasaki.

Eto shot her projectiles at Sasaki, who successfully avoided them. He questioned Eto's motives for appearing, to which she replied she is passing time by watching the situation between Kaneki, Kanae, and Tsukiyama unfold, and is curious as to who would be killed amongst the three. Sasaki told her that her father had asked him to save her. She laughed and started teasing Sasaki. However, Sasaki immediately slices off her kakuja head, missing her concealed body by an inch. She called him a kid, and Sasaki mocked her by questioning if she is worth saving.[31]

Angered that he managed to strike her, she reformed her kakuja as a grotesque monster with multiple mouths and limbs. She lunged at Sasaki and had begun attacking him, driving her opponent to the side of the building. Eto chased Sasaki through the side of building. When Sasaki climbed back to the rooftop, Eto continued to give chase. As Sasaki stopped atop a steel bar, Eto lunged at him. However, Sasaki impaled her kakuja head with his kagune, striking with enough force to force the upper half of her body out. Gravely injured, she licked her splattered blood over Sasaki's kakugan and tells him that she has grown fond of him due to them being the "same", before being severed in half from the waist up. As her upper half falls, she laughed maniacally while declaring her love for him.[32] She later appeared to have fully regenerated her body and is taking a bath while happily wondering if Sasaki has regrown his arm and if "her thing" (kagune) was to his liking.[33]

Post-Rose Extermination

I am not the One-Eyed King

"The One-Eyed King is not me."

Eto recalls a memory from when she was fourteen years old when she was engaging Iwao Kuroiwa in battle. She thinks of the years she's been with Aogiri and the identity "Takatsuki" for 13 years, and states she's getting old. She assembles the Aogiri Tree members and announces a great change for the Aogiri Tree, despite the fact that their numbers were lowered due to recent actions of CCG. She reveals both her ghoul identity as the "One-Eyed Owl" and her human one as Sen Takatsuki. She informs subordinates about her attempts to fight the CCG and eventual defeat 13 years ago, which ultimately led to her founding Aogiri Tree. Despite the organization now being thousands of individuals strong, she tells them their goal of ghouls living freely in the human world is still far away. She elaborates further, stating that although their enemy is CCG, she tells the faction that her true aim is to exterminate the "warped root" that lurks behind it to destroy the "twisted birdcage" they live in and return balance to the world. Eto informs them that the predecessor organization of the CCG was founded because of the appearance of an extremely powerful one-eyed ghoul, and that one-eyed ghouls are seen as portents of great change. She then reveals that despite her role as Aogiri Tree's founder, she, the One-Eyed Owl, is actually not the King.[3]

Eto and Haise

Eto is arrested by Sasaki.

Sometime later, Eto appears alongside Sasaki inside Shiono's interrogation room. She compliments Sasaki for having developed some good "eyes", and apologizes to Shiono for putting him in trouble. Having testified against her, Shiono kneels before her and apologizes profusely. As Sasaki declares her arrest, she tells him that if he believes to have won, he should get ready to shut her mouth. She then tells Shiono she bears no grudge against him, and thanks him for making her an author.[34]

Now under CCG custody, Eto is under Sasaki's watch. Despite her situation, she manages to convince the CCG and her management to let her have a final press conference about Sen Takatsuki's last work. She cuts her hair short for this event, which Sasaki commented as unusual for someone under CCG watch to do but nonetheless suited her. Eto asks Sasaki to accompany her to the press conference, which he complies to despite his suspicions. At the press conference, Eto reveals that her last work is something she's been wanting to do for a long time. She confesses that she is a ghoul, and dedicates the book to her fellow ghouls. Her confession is broadcasted throughout Tokyo.[35]

Eto in the Newspaper

Eto in the newspaper's front page.

At a later point in time, Sasaki accompanies Eto through a facility and explains the procedures. She'll be temporarily held at Corniculum until it's officially confirmed that she's a ghoul, then transferred to Cochlea. Sasaki tells her that he read her book, which she's grateful for. He ask of her intentions regarding the book, but Eto states the purpose is already what she had said: King Bileygr is an offering the King and a symbol of hope for ghouls. None the less, she explains further. The human run corporation in the book is based on the Washuu Clan and she believes they're working with ghouls, so intends to spread distrust about the family. The inspiration for her efforts was her mother's notebook where she found information about V. The same notebook where she also learned that her mother became close to Kuzen because he was a member of V and she's a surplus of that relationship. Sasaki does not believe her however, so she gives him a piece of information that'd be difficult for him to dispute.[36]

Eto brings up the time he passed through an Rc Scan Gate without setting it off, back before he was taken in by the CCG, and states how unusual it is he was not detected despite his high Rc count.[37] She explains that this is because the gates are programmed to exclude specific patterns exhibited by the ghouls of V, and by extension, those with certain relations. The Rc scan gates does not detect her because she's the daughter of Kuzen, neither the body of Ken Kaneki because he has the kakuhou of Rize, who escaped V.[36]

Sometime later, Eto is placed in a cell. Furuta comes to visit her and cheerfully comments that her short hair suits her well. She orders him to be silent while calling him "Kanou's clown".[38] Furuta is amused by Eto's extensive knowledge and flaunts his own about Aogiri. Eto goes over the mischievous things he's done over the years since working for Kanou, like collecting samples for ghoulification experiments, alerting Aogiri to the transport of a Quinx body, and dropping steel beams on people. Eto expresses confusion over how his actions relate to V, but Furuta is reluctant to reveal his motives. He diverts the conversation towards Eto's own goals, confused himself about why she would rather not stay on Rushima, but Eto claims that she has nothing left to do. Furuta finds her attitude attractive and begins to flirt, expressing his desire to dominate her until Eto expresses her curiosity about what he wants with her. He wants to know about the One-Eyed King and is willing to make a trade: reveal their identity and Eto would be allowed to live in the VIP rooms of Cochlea until she dies.[39]

Eto talking with Furuta

"The King exists. What's more, in your bellies."

Furuta talks a bit about his predecessors, about how they've long learned how to control the masses if they divert their attention to a common enemy, which gives them the freedom to do whatever they like. However, Eto and the One-Eyed King are irregular enemies and have made things difficult. Eto expresses relief that they did not know anything about the One-Eyed King and Furuta goes over his efforts to uncover information, from sneaking into a ghoul salon to joining the Clowns. His efforts proved fruitless however as even those in the know knew nothing about the King, some believing that the King is merely a symbolic figure to rally the ghouls. Eto denies this and says the King does indeed exist "in their bellies". Furuta tries to enforce that the current sense equilibrium is ideal and that Eto's attempt at revolution would only harbor pain and sadness, but Eto calls out the hypocrisy as ghouls get the short end of the stick. Seeing as Eto did not provide the information he sought, Furuta ends the meeting and begins to walk away grinning at the prospect of her execution and the spectacle he'll make when it happens. Eto refers to him as "Washuu" and taunts him for not being able address his own father. Aggravated, Furuta repeatedly tells her to die, which only amuses her further.[39]

However, Eto had secretly asked Sasaki to plant a tape recorder in the room, which he retrieves after Furuta leaves. While Sasaki listened to the recorded conversation, Eto warns him that his "last job" will be harder than he thinks. Sasaki asks if she knows what he's going to do next which Eto claims she does as being observant comes with being an author. She offers to help in exchange for granting her a final wish, but Sasaki replies that he has made no plans beyond his "last job" and has no interest in her request. Eto's left a bit exasperated by Sasaki's attitude, but leaves the offer open and divulges her wish anyway; She wants Sasaki to kill the One-Eyed King.[39]

Third Cochlea Raid

On the day of the Rushima operation, Eto is transported to Cochlea.[40]Furuta once more visits her in her cell under the pretense of giving her food. Furuta tells her that Shiono did his best to ensure her last book was published despite the agency's attempts to prevent it. This prompts Eto to ask if he's dead, which Furuta confirms by revealing that he is her meal. Eto thanks him for the meal when the alarms in Cochlea started ringing. As Furuta rushes to investigate, he reveals that he had known Eto had recorded their conversation, but he has kept that information to himself for personal reasons. He then leaves Eto with her meal.

During Arima and Sasaki's fight, Eto is still confined in her cell, noting that Sasaki is giving his all against the investigator.[41]

Eto destroys the Compactor

Eto destroys the compactor.

As the disposal compactor is initiated, Eto ambushes Furuta and V, completely breaking the machines and killing several members. She declares that Shiono's death would not go to waste and that she will kill Furuta next.[42] Eto begins to chase Furuta across the floor above Cochlea's compactor, easily crushing the V group along the way. While Furuta tries to "reason" with her, she mockingly requests him to fight her. As she corners Furuta to a wall, her kakuja is suddenly butchered to pieces by Furuta's kagune, who reveals his kakugan in his right eye.[43]

Eto defeated by Furuta

Eto critically wounded by Furuta.

After their battle, beaten and injured, Eto inquired about Furuta's kagune being Rize's, which he affirmed. She then asked what Furuta's true intentions are, to which the latter responded that he wanted super peace, and walked away.[44] She then met Kaneki along with Squad 0, greeting the ghoul while claiming that she is going to die and that she aided Anteiku in escape but was confronted by Nimura Furuta. As Kaneki said that her actions were reckless, she responded by saying that everyone who keeps a promise is reckless. Afterwards, she told Kaneki that there is no need to heed to her request to kill the one eyed king, while peacefully closing her eyes.[45]

Dragon Arc

She was revealed to be the 'corpse' the taxidermied Owl kakuja had as a main-body, and slaughtered many investigators and ghouls under the control of Donato. After Donato had been beaten by Amon, the taxidermied Owl stopped moving and she shortly after regrew her head and used her moment of lucidity to attack and mock Kaiko and V's failed ideology whilst giving them the finger.

She is last seen lying on the ground with a smile on her face after V is defeated, presumably happy.

Her whereabouts after the Dragon Crisis are unknown.

Relationships

Yoshimura

Having been separated from her father as an infant, Eto did not share a close bond with him. She had an intense hatred for her father for running away. She sees her father only as a way to further her own goals. As such, she has no qualms about using him for experiments.

Ukina

As Ukina died shortly after Eto was born, Eto only knows her through her diary. Even so, Eto holds her in high regard. She respects Ukina for her courage and assures her mother she will not run away like her father. This seems to be the reason behind many of her actions as Ukina was intent in pursuing V at the time of her death. However, Eto also holds doubt about Ukina's love for her interpreting her own birth as just a byproduct of trying to get close to V.

Tatara

Tatara was one of the closest Aogiri members to her, and she was almost always seen in his presence. The two often conversed together, whether about Aogiri or more trivial matters. Their dynamic seemed to be that of an older and younger sibling, though it was unclear whether this is more intentional misdirection, considering Eto's true age. In his final moments, he called out "Eto", implying a deeper relationship between the two.

Noro

Eto was entrusted to Noro, back then known as Noroi, when she was a child. Not much is known about them in the years between. As Noro, he was her direct subordinate and often seen by her side. In his final moments, he said goodbye to Eto, stating he'll see "her on the other side".

Ken Kaneki

In her human identity as Sen Takatsuki, she is one of his favorite authors and someone he admires greatly. She is pleased with his ability to pick up on hidden details in her books, and they enjoy a brief discussion of her works. Their meeting renews his energy, while she claims to have found something hopeful in talking to him.

Kaneki is one of the few aware of her true origins. This brings him some uncertainty, even though he considers her a deadly enemy to be destroyed. While chiding Tatara for sparing Kaneki's life in the beginning, Eto seems to consider him interesting after witnessing his mutation into a partial kakuja. She refers to him as "Kakuja's Egg", and while he seeks to destroy Aogiri, she seems to have some unknown plans for him.

In :re, Eto reveals that her feelings for Kaneki run deep. She states that she has grown fond of Kaneki, and believe they are similar, referring to their personalities and their nature as one-eyed ghouls. Eto has stated that she "loves" Kaneki, albeit in her own twisted view of it. After her capture, Eto develops an uneasy but friendly relationship with Kaneki. She relays crucial information to him regarding V, her past, and the incidents that have happened. She entrusts Kaneki with her wish, though Kaneki states he does not know what she meant.

She eventually reveals to Kaneki that she and Arima had been "raising" him in order to create a ghoul that could one day kill him, and become the hope ghouls needed in a distorted world.

In √A, she's interested in Kaneki and his new powers. After the building of Aogiri starts collapsing, Kaneki is stalked by Eto who influenced him to join Aogiri knowing he will grow stronger. She also collected research about him by questioning different people.

Kishou Arima

Arima was the only known human able to fight Eto in her kakuja form. His reputation made Eto eager to fight him when he arrived with his squad, but retreated later. She describes him as a ruthless person who does not hold back. Since their encounter years ago, they had been acting together in secret, creating a ghoul that could unite humans and ghouls together and create a new world order.

Hinami Fueguchi

The two initially meet at a signing event and form an immediate connection. As Sen Takatsuki, Eto later approaches Hinami in a coffee shop and strikes up a conversation. She treats the younger girl with kindness, but also refuses to candy-coat her words and offers her genuine advice. As such, she quickly earns the girl's trust and establishes herself as a surrogate older sister. She provides her contact information, promising to offer help when she has the time to do so. Two years later, Hinami has become a member of Aogiri because Eto talked her up into joining the organization, taking advantage of her insecurities as well as the loss of both her mother and Kaneki. However, it's still unknown how their relationship has developed after their first encounter, since Hinami does not talk about her with much animosity, in spite of everything Eto's put her through.

Koutarou Amon

Eto is fascinated by him, taking an active interest in Amon after witnessing his battle against a deranged Kaneki. She seems to know quite a bit about his past, considering this unusual and noteworthy enough to make him more interesting than the half-ghoul Kaneki. In her human identity, she goes to CCG headquarters to meet with him under the guise of an interview. There, she discloses information about Kanou's laboratory, and causes him to begin questioning the secrets the CCG might be hiding.

Akihiro Kanou

As co-conspirators, the two seemed to be on good terms. The doctor was amiable to her and she in turn seemed to be interested in this very unusual human.

Seidou Takizawa

The former investigator turned ghoul answers to her, and while their exact relationship remains unclear, she speaks to him with a friendly tone. Even so, Takizawa has shown annoyance at her sneaky behavior, such as sending him to fight Sasaki.

Shunji Shiono

As Sen Takatsuki's editor, Shiono accompanied her to her autograph sessions and tried to keep things orderly. Her energetic and eccentric nature made him anxious, especially by her unreasonable requests. Eto is grateful to him for helping her become an author, and shows him more patience than she would most humans, even deciding to spare him after he accidentally found out about her ghoul nature. When he eventually testified against her, Eto commended him for withstanding an interrogation, and apologized for putting him through such trouble. Despite appearing sad when Furuta gave him a pate made out of Shiono to eat, she still ate it afterwards. After her escape, Eto exacted revenge against Furuta for Shiono's death, suggesting that they may have had a deep relationship.

Nimura Furuta

Eto and Furuta had a very hostile relationship. Their conversations, though masked under smiles and pleasantries, were laced with heavy insults and both harbored a strong desire to see the other dead. They would not hesitate to use any means to get under the other's skin. Additionally, Eto seems to know a lot about Furuta, such as his role in helping Kanou, causing Rize's accident, and his secret status as a Washuu.

Powers and Abilities

Ghoul Physiology: As a half-ghoul, Eto gained an enhanced prowess due to hybrid vigor and inherited the abilities of her ghoul father.

  • Ukaku Kagune: Eto's skill with her kagune is far more advanced than most ghouls. After the timeskip, her kagune takes the form of multiple grotesque appendages attached to her back. These appendages can be shaped into eyes, mouths, arms, and legs in order to suit Eto's purposes. Her kagune appears to be an extension of her consciousness as the mouths often speak incoherent sentences, possibly her thoughts at the moment.
  • Ukaku Kakuja: While her ukaku kagune covers middle to far distances, her kakuja cuts down those in front. Her ukaku kagune fires projectiles large enough to overwhelm most seasoned CCG investigators, including Yukinori Shinohara and Iwao Kuroiwa while both were equipped with Arata Proto. Unlike most kakuja, she is able to maintain her consciousness. Much like her kagune, she is able to change the physical form of her kakuja, spawning extra appendages like limbs, mouths and eyes at will. It also has the potency of obliterating a huge disposal machinery at Cochlea.
  • Kagune Detachment: Eto demonstrates the ability to detach pieces of her kagune, using them to manipulate and restrain targets. She may be able to "implant" her kagune into others and significantly alter their physiology by transmitting Rc patterns to them, as she did with Kanae (and possibly Noro).
  • Superhuman Durability: Eto was completely unfazed from getting severed below her abdomen by Kaneki,[32] and could endure being defeated and smashed into a wall by Furuta.[44]
  • Superhuman Regeneration: After her clash with Kaneki, Eto regenerated her entire lower half during the timeskip. Eto also exhibited inhumane healing prowess after regenerating her decapitated head when her "corpse" was released from Donato's control.[33]
  • Superhuman Speed: Eto has reached a high level of speed on numerous occasions. Notably, she moved so swiftly that Kurona and Nashiro were unable to visually track her movements. Shortly afterwards, she demonstrated speed sufficient to remove several of Banjou's ribs without him noticing the injuries.[9]

Manga Depiction

Anime Depiction

Works

  • Dear Kafka (拝啓カフカ, Haikei Kafuka),[46] her debut work released when Takatsuki was still a teenager and is a bestseller with 500,000 copies.[13]
  • Dropped Box, a novel written during her early career. Rize Kamishiro describes it as one of her favorite novels, filled with the protagonist's longing for a father.
  • Industrial, a book described as "a trick behind closed doors."
  • Monochrome Rainbow (虹のモノクロ, Niji no Monokuro) is a short story collection.[46] Among others, the collection contains the crazy short "Summer Diary" (なつにっき, Natsunikki), and "Winter Shower at Night" (小夜時雨, Sayoshigure), the prototype of The Black Goat's Egg.[47]
  • Resentments (ルサンチメンズ, Rusanchimenzu) is a work with a strong comedic tone.
  • The Black Goat's Egg (黒山羊の卵, Kuro Yagi no Tamago), the seventh work which narrates the story of a son and his mother, a cold-hearted serial killer called "The Black Goat."[48] The book combines brutal descriptions with a delicate portrayal of the main character's mental state.[46] After the organ transplant, Ken Kaneki likens himself to the story's protagonist.
  • The Hanged Man's MacGuffin (吊るしビトのマグガフィン, Tsurushi Bito no MaguGafin), her eighth work, is a collection of stories about the life of death-sentenced prisoners. Kaneki reads it after the "Banjou incident."[11]
  • Salt and Opium (塩とアヘン, Shio to Ahen) is one of her earlier works. It features Investigator Kunizaki, who is the uncle of Warden Oota Kimio in The Hanged Man's MacGuffin.[12]
  • King Bileygr (王のビレイグ, Ō no Bireigu), her tenth and final work, is a heroic drama. It features the one-eyed ghoul "Nameless" as its heroic protagonist. "Nameless" leads his fellow ghouls as their "King" in a rebellion against the world that oppresses his kind. The human organization featured in the novel, seemingly fashioned after the Washuu clan, is revealed to be covertly cooperating with ghouls.[36]

Etymology

  • The name Eto means "love, affection" (愛) (e) and "branch, support, sustain, branch radical (no. 65)" (支) (to).
  • Eto's surname Yoshimura means "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" (芳) (yoshi) and "town, village" (村) (mura).

Human Alias

  • The name Sen means "spring, fountain" (泉).
  • Sen's surname Takatsuki means "tall, high" (高) (taka) and "Zelkova tree" (槻) (tsuki).

Trivia

  • Eto was ranked thirtieth in the latest character popularity poll.
  • Eto and Ichika Kaneki are the only one-eyed ghouls confirmed to be conceived naturally.
  • Eto is ambidextrous, but she writes with her left hand.[12]
  • Eto has the ability to eat human food without negative effects as she has been thrice shown doing this, all in unusual situations:
    • While meeting with Hinami Fueguchi, Eto is holding a daifuku in her mouth with no obvious discomfort or ill effect.[2]
    • When meeting with Kanae von Rosewald, Eto offered her an apple if the latter could guess whether Eto was human or ghoul.
      • Eto then began eating the apple herself.
    • The color cover of Chapter 116 shows Eto with a open package of snacks, even though she appears to be alone at the time.
      • Fellow natural one-eyed ghoul Ichika Kaneki has been able to eat human food such as apples as seen in Tokyo Ghoul:re, indicating that naturally born one-eyed ghouls are able to eat human food.[49]
  • In Tokyo Ghoul Trump, Eto is featured as the "Queen of Clubs."
  • In the English edition of Volume 4, Kureo Mado in Touka Kirishima's flashback in Chapter 31 and Kaneki's thoughts in Chapter 34 were mistakenly translated to refer to Eto as the "One-Eyed King." Instead, these lines should refer to her as "One-Eye."[50]
  • After questions about whether or not Eto was an authorial self-insert, Sui Ishida clarified him and Eto were nothing alike.[51]
  • Eto is confirmed dead in the anime but her situation in the manga is unknown.
  • Eto's novel, The Black Goat's Egg, seems to be a Lovecraft reference with it's name and it is theorised she could be inspired by Saya from Saya No Uta due to a few similarities.

Quotes

Tokyo Ghoul

  • "My dear lost one, your parents failed in raising you." —Excerpt from The Black Goat's Egg[52]
  • "That time, while making sure I would not be noticed by anyone (not even Father), I secretly and quietly rewrote the summary. One can only destroy things one cannot change. This is so for me, a person who left in the womb everything that was needed." —Excerpt from Dear Kafka
  • "The child who lost their way back home, has forgotten even the fact of going back. And so, they wish for death once again." —Excerpt from Dear Kafka
  • To Kurona and Nashiro: "The most effective way to be loved by someone is to look past that person's wounds, and gently nestle close to them."[9]
  • To Kanou: "That's okay, You can just make Kaneki again, right?."[19]

Tokyo Ghoul:re

  • To Kanae: "In exchange for your life. I shall become your God."[53]
  • To Kanae: "I'll share a bone with you. Don't worry, you'll be loved this time. You'll see."[54]
  • To Haise Sasaki: "You just love taking a hit, don't you?"[55]
  • To herself (about Sasaki): "Your little arm should have grown back now, I think. And my thing... I wonder if it was to your liking, my dear Ka-ne-ki"[33]
  • To Aogiri's members: "Gentlemen, the One-Eyed King is... not me."[3]
  • To the audience: "My last work is for my solitary brethren; I wrote it for the ones who were 'born wrong' into this world and crave flesh and blood like myself."[35]
  • To Sasaki: "Just in case, I guess I'll tell you my wish anyway. Kill the One-Eyed King."[39]
  • To Hinami: "You're not doing anything, it is your fault that the people important to you are taken away from you. It's the fault of your weakness."[56]
  • To Kaneki: "The ones with the reason are the ghouls. If no one steps up, ghouls will continue to die without rhyme or reason. And this puppet-like world will dance on. That might not be a bad thing in or of itself, but...the world's like an egg. To give birth to something, you've gotta destroy the world right before your eyes."[57]
  • To V: "Create an order, you say? There's no way unchanged relics like you would ever be able to establish an order. The thing with an order is, it needs to benefit everyone to hold power. It's pulled in all directions at once, balanced on a fundamentally impossible idea. That's why, now that the balance has been lost,.."[58]

References

  1. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 69
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 114
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 61
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Eto's character profile in Volume 14.
  5. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 60
  6. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 39
  7. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 54
  8. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 93
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 98
  10. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 110
  11. 11.0 11.1 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 108
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 109
  13. 13.0 13.1 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 115
  14. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 135
  15. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 136
  16. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 137
  17. 17.0 17.1 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 141
  18. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 142
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 143
  20. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 111
  21. Tokyo Ghoul Episode 13
  22. Tokyo Ghoul Episode 14
  23. Tokyo Ghoul Episode 15
  24. Tokyo Ghoul Episode 16
  25. Tokyo Ghoul Episode 17
  26. Tokyo Ghoul Episode 19
  27. 27.0 27.1 Tokyo Ghoul Episode 20
  28. Tokyo Ghoul Episode 22
  29. Tokyo Ghoul Episode 23
  30. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 15
  31. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 55
  32. 32.0 32.1 Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 56
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 58
  34. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 62
  35. 35.0 35.1 Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 63
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 64
  37. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 21
  38. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 65
  39. 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 66
  40. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 67
  41. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 74
  42. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 75
  43. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 76
  44. 44.0 44.1 Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 82
  45. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 86
  46. 46.0 46.1 46.2 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 1
  47. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 14
  48. Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 3
  49. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 179
  50. Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 4, page 23. The exact quote is "Until I bury the One-Eyed King with my own hands."
  51. Sui Ishida's comments on the icon stickers celebrating :re Chapter 100.
  52. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 52
  53. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 43
  54. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 45
  55. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 53
  56. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 69
  57. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 99
  58. Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 175

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