Being one of the best-selling horror stories of all time, it's no wonder that there are a lot of fights in this series. From those of Aogirir Tree to Anteiku and everyone in between, it's safe to say that almost all named characters get into a fight at least once. Of all those quarrels and tussles, these are the best ones throughout the series.

 

10. Shuu Tsukiyama vs. Touka Kirishima

Aah, Shuu Tsukiyama – the epitome of the French bastard. In a horror story focused on heady subjects such as cannibalism and classism, Shuu’s presence pushes the story to a subjectively absurdist limit. And aside from comedic relief, his fight with Touka Kirishima helps make an already strange world even stranger.  

Released on August 1st 2014, what makes this fight interesting is its mechanics. It’s said that any type of fantasy must abide by its own rules, similar to Brandon Sanderson’s Laws of Magic or Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. What fantasy-elements Tokyo Ghoul uses instead of magic or sassy AI is Kagune, an organ that was forcibly implanted into Kaneki and functions as a ghoul’s primary source of defense and attack. The fight between Touka and Shuu shows the differences between two of the four kagune, which are:

Ukaku, a fast kagune that sprouts from the shoulders

Koukaku, a heavy kagune that is good for defense

Rinkaku, a tentacle-like kagune that has powerful regenerative abilities

Bikaku, a tail-like kagune that has well-rounded stats

Each Kagune has an advantage over another, such as Rinkaku tending to have difficulty fighting a Bikaku, sort of like rock paper scissors if the loser were impaled by bioluminescent flesh. Fun times.  

From a story-perspective, the reason for this fight comes second after showing how a kagune works in this show. The reader/watcher knows as little about the world as Kaneki does, so this is a good introduction to show how Shuu’s Koukaku has a tactical advantage over Touka’s Ukaku, as the Ukaku loses stamina faster. It’s an introductory fight (and the second major one in the show) and it does its job well in showing how Shuu should win over Touka; but then again, everyone loves an underdog story. 

When Touka eats Kaneki’s flesh to power herself up, defeating Tsukiyama shortly after, it shows a willingness to bend the structure that Sui Ishida made, making the world feel more real. Modern problems require modern solutions, and this fight makes it clear that there is more to the fights in this series than one power-type overpowering another. Overall, it’s a good introductory fight that I’d recommend to friends.

 

 

Touka & Shuu show off their kagune in the church.

 

 

9. Kaneki/Haise vs. Kanae, Tsukiyama, & Eto

What makes this fight worth watching is the return of Kaneki from the backlogs of Haise Sasaki’s mind. Throughout the beginning of :RE, Sasaki has wanted to remember what his life was like 2 years prior, but that would mean giving up on the (relatively) peaceful life he has.

It’s the battle between blissful ignorance and painful remembrance. Sasaki is happy with his life, his job, his friends, but he can never be fulfilled. Afterall, anyone with memories only stretching back a handful of years is bound to feel lonely and isolated, with nothing rooting them down deeper than skin-level; kind of like 50 First Dates meets Hannibal. The fact that Kaneki comes back in the end not just to save Sasaki’s life, but due to the lie that Sasaki & Kaneki had told themselves (particularly how his mother beat him), speaks to why this fight had to happen.

It’s a similar metaphor to how CCG investigators use kagune to kill ghouls so they can take their kagune to make more weapons. Kaneki was used by the CCG, putting him off track from helping to attain the peace that people like Touka and Hinami wanted. For that reason, and for the utter brutality exhibited by all parties involved, is why this fight makes the rewatch list.

 

Kannae holds Sasaki before Kaneki’s full return.

 

8. Juuzou vs. Big Madam

Similar to the Touka vs. Shuu fight, this fight is about entitlement, namely that of the upper-class. Shuu felt he had a right to Kaneki’s flesh solely because he wanted it, and the shows Big Madam and her allies put on further the assumption that classism not only exists, but thrives greatly in the world of Tokyo Ghoul.

This fight is great not only because of all the moving parts surrounding it, including the fights against the clowns, Aogiri Tree, the CCG, etc., but because they give you a better glimpse at Juuzou’s history, one of the most beloved and odd characters in the series.

It’s similar in theme to when Kaneki kills Jason. It’s about stopping the abuser without the “if someone kills a killer the number of killers in the world stays the same” ideology. As Big Madam’s former human slave, seeing Juuzou and others fight against Big Madam and ultimately win is one of the best moments from the first season of Tokyo Ghoul:Re. 

Plus, the fighting’s good too, and the reveal of Mutsuki’s kagune is fulfilling to watch after learning more about his history too.

 

Towards the end of the fight, the student has become the master as Big Madam sees her defeat.

 

 

7. Kaneki vs. Amon

Kaneki and Amon fight frequently throughout the anime and manga, so I’ll talk about their fights in a general sense, while bringing up their first & second fights. 

Amon and Kaneki are set up from an early point as adversaries instead of complete opposites. There’s the man who strived to become a high-ranking CCG member in order to exterminate ghouls like his abusive foster father, and there’s the scared college kid who was forced into his position, breaking any previously held notion of Amon’s that all ghouls are relentless killing machines.

Similar to how Touka eating Kaneki’s shoulder bent the general rules created by Ghoul physiology, Kaneki’s presence alone bends common conceptions of what ghouls are and could be. That’s why when they have their rematch in Cochlea, their reactions to each other become infinitely more interesting, because Amon is disappointed in Kaneki. 

Amon hates ghouls but on some level still loves his child-killing father. He wants Kaneki to prove himself so he won’t feel guilty over his own complex relationships, it becomes clear how much Kaneki has fallen and, depending on perspective, failed.

These fights ares, once again, most interesting for the psychological perspective, but they (and the #5 fight) also set up a general end-goal for the series: for ghouls to live peacefully and be seen as equal to humans. Not to mention the fights in Tokyo Ghoul tend to be either large groups fighting or one-on-one battles, and the ones with Amon are particularly intense & cool to watch.

 

The most memorable line from their first fight, as Kaneki begs Amon.

 

6. Touka & Hinami vs. Mado

Of all the fights that happen throughout Tokyo Ghoul, this fight stands out in my mind as one of the, if not the, most emotionally impactful fight for 3 reasons: Touka, Hinami, and Mado.

Mado is the easiest to explain; he was the villain. Without question he was villainous, from his extremist methods in killing ghouls to his overall appearance, it was evident since his introduction that he was a bad man. For a show that deals in gray morality a lot, having a definitive, human bad guy makes for an interesting fight.

Touka makes this fight interesting by directly stating the core truth behind Antiku and the series at large: that she wants to live. She and the ghouls she is friends with want to live and be free of the CCG, the organization that is unwilling to bend its perceptions on ghouls. She’s pleading with a man who only sees black and white morality to see gray, but he can’t - which is why he dies in the end.

However, Hinami’s presence in this fight is arguably what makes it amazing to watch, and incredibly sad too. Mado’s use of her parents’ kagune is another furtherance of the corrupt system in place, as he kills ghouls with the remains of fellow ghouls solely so he can further his weapons collection. It’s a disturbing look at how people in positions of power abuse it in the name of justice, and that is why this fight is worth rewatching - for the psycho-analysis & to see Mado get beat, because he deserves it.

 

Hinami’s awakened kagune, reminiscent of her parents after they’re killed by Mado.

 

 

5. Kaneki vs. Shinohara

The fight between Kaneki and the CCG’s golden boy Shinohara is still fresh in my mind, years after the Route A anime aired.

While all the fights are well-choreographed and edited, choosing to forgo the “cut every nanosecond” that most shows use, this fight makes the list for its use of Kaneki’s Kakuja as well as the previous points.

A kakuja, according to the Tokyo Ghoul wiki, is an evolution of the base-kagune that occurs after cannibalism; namely, a ghoul eating another ghoul. There are plenty of other fights where kakuja are used, such as Yoshimura vs the CCG or Eto vs Kaneki, but the reason this fight makes the rewatchability list is because of how insane Kaneki becomes when he wields his own.

Because Kaneki’s kakuja is described as “incomplete” it becomes impossible to control, similar to Jason’s kakuja, making the fight unpredictable and exciting.

It’s wild to see how much the series’ protagonist has fallen as he overpowers the CCG investigator, and that is why I’ve included it in this list.

 

Kaneki using his kagune before Shinohara activates his Arata armor

 

 

4. Shirazu vs. Noro   

This is one of the best fights of the series because of how one-sided it is.

Noro is a villain that’s been around since the first season as an enigma. We know that he has insane regeneration skills and wears a mask, but that’s about it. The point is that he’s extraordinarily hard to kill. Yet, Shirazu and the rest of the Quinx pull it off because of Shirazu’s sacrifice.

What makes this fight tragic and compelling is Shirazu’s reason for joining the Quinx squad and becoming a half-ghoul: the save money & find a cure for his sister’s disease. He joined for a selfless reason, unlike Urie, and it furthers the “good men die young” trope. It’s an insane feat of willpower and teamwork that managed to finish off Noro, and for that, it makes the rewatch list. 

 

Shirazu jumps at Noro to protect those around him.

 

 

 

3. Kaneki vs. Ayato

Having aired on January 9th 2015, this fight demonstrates a common theme in horror anime: the cost of power. Something that Parasyte did similarly, this is when the protagonist gains power but loses something of greater value; in the case of both shows mentioned, their emotions. 

Kaneki’s to-be-mentioned fight with Jason was a spectacular pay-off, but it becomes apparent during this fight that Kaneki is truly off from how he was pre-torture (which is understandable, given that it was torture) because we see Kaneki through Touka’s and Nishiki’s perspectives. We can see how aggressive Kaneki has become, and surprisingly good at fighting, as well as how intuitive he is when he asks Ayato after-the-fact why he joined Aogiri.  

It’s really fun to watch someone wreck shop with an enemy (especially when they’re a relatively annoying kid), but there’s also a tragedy to it all. It’s like if a White Knight were a murderous psychopath with a heart of gold. Nevertheless, this fight deserves to be rewatched to see how much Kaneki has changed, the great animation, and for the satisfaction of Ayato not having his way. Although given how much Route A was hated, it might be better to read the manga instead.

 

Kaneki & Ayato trade blows after Kaneki saves Touka from her brother.

 

 

2. Kaneki vs. Arima

The exclusion of this fight from the Route A anime left fans of the series angry, and for good reason. This fight is brutal in a similar way to the fight listed at #1 and provides the audience a glimpse at Arima Kishou’s abilities, aside from in Tokyo Ghoul: Jack; not to mention providing content between the Route A anime and the first season of :RE.

Other than providing Kaneki with another person to surpass in the infinite food chain of this story, this fight is worth re-reading (or watching) solely based on the dynamics at play. It’s said that you can’t look away from a tragedy, and this fight furthers that fact. It’s a fight Kaneki was not going to win from the start, and the fact that it drags on like it does furthers the intense wake-up call that this fight states: that life is not fair.

Regardless of whether Arima’s talent is beyond human-levels, Kaneki (or rather Haise) learns after this fight that there will always be someone stronger than him. Whether or not they recognize the struggles that ghouls go through, especially those at Anteiku, it doesn’t matter. Ever since the kagune was implanted into him, Kaneki has gone through one painful event after another, and this fight is an intense push-back to square one for Kaneki, of not being able to protect those he wants to protect.

Aside from the philosophy behind it, this fight is well-drawn and immersive for the reader. Also, this fight is worth re-reading for the context that the anime lacks, to gain a broader perspective of how powerful the CCG can be, and above all, to watch Arima wreck house. 

 

The brutal conclusion to the fight as Arima stabs Kaneki’s brain.

 

 

1. Kaneki vs. Jason   

This fight is the epitome of a payoff. Released on September 19th 2014, this fight happens after Kaneki’s torture at the hands of Jason. It’s a revenge-plot condensed into a few episodes, but because of the build-up to this arc it feels like the natural progression of things.

Kaneki’s final bout with Jason makes the #1 spot on numerous best fights of Tokyo Ghoul lists for a reason. It’s well-choreographed, edited, and the use of the opening soundtrack part-way in makes the scene extraordinarily satisfying to watch. Of course, it’s still extremely depressing on a ground-level, but for an audience who has anticipated this change in character from the beginning of the series, it’s a great fight as Kaneki momentarily has control of his life for the first time in a while.

Of course, that control is taken away by Arima during the #2 fight, and he still hasn’t found his place in life as a half-ghoul yet, but for those who wanna see a bad man get what he deserved, this fight is good for immediate gratification & even more in the long-term.             

 

After his torture, Kaneki accepts his role as a half-ghoul in the most tragic way possible.  

 

Also be sure to read:

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• [Top 10] Tokyo Ghoul Best Characters
• [Top 3] Tokyo Ghoul Best Seasons
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• [Top 15] Tokyo Ghoul Best Wallpapers
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