Kishou Arima
Kishou Arima is a male anime and manga character who features in Tokyo Ghoul.
Contents |
Biography
Kishō Arima (Japanese: 有馬 貴将, Hepburn: Arima Kishō) was a male half-human Ghoul who was a product of the breeding experiments of the Washuu Clan. This saw his mother giving birth to him at the Sunlit Garden facility where he was a failed half-ghoul. Despite that, he joined the Commission of Counter Ghoul where during his teenage years chairman Tsuneyoshi Washuu came to promote him to the rank of 3rd class investigator. Since that time, he quickly was hailed as a genius in the CCG where he used his youth to take assignments that regulator investigators could not handle. One of these saw him being deployed to the 13th ward where he masqueraded as a transfer student at a high school there in order to find and eliminate a ghoul called Lantern. Arima was in a class with Taishi Fura where he came to rescue him from being killed and the two formed a partnership to hunt down the ghoul. This saw the two high school students killing ghouls which began to attract the attention of several ghouls within the ward. Among the people they came to save was Uruka Minami where they rescued her from Sumiharu Katou who was a ghoul masquerading as a hairdresser where she came to help them in their investigation. In this time, Taishi came to believe that Minami had fallen in love with Arima but it was eventually revealed that she was actually the ghoul Lantern an was attempting to manipulate them. However, Arima already had his suspicions of her by the time she revealed her true identity at an abandoned house where she attempted to kill him. He came to fatally injure her though it was Taishi who was force to kill her in self-defence whereupon Arima's assignment was complete and he departed the ward for his next mission.
When Arima was 16 years old, Investigator Daisuke Atou witnessed Arima killing more than thirty ghouls single-handed. Furthermore, Arima was responsible for killing Hikari Kirishima at that time. Due to his outstanding talent, he was promoted to Rank 2 in less than a year. During the rampage of the One-Eyed Owl, he took part in the defense of the 2nd ward — used numerous quinques to challenge and defeated a disguised Yoshimura in battle. From this battle, he obtained a kakuhou that would be used to create the SSS-rated quinque Owl. At an unspecified point, he found and defeated Eto Yoshimura at her shrine hide-out. Rather than simply kill the infamous One-Eyed Owl, he questioned her about her motivations and learned of her desire to change the world. Interested in her ideals, Arima spared her life and allegedly began to conspire in secret with her. At some point over the next few years, he came to be partnered with Take Hirako. The pair took part in the extermination of the Clowns in the 4th ward, coming into conflict with Uta's gang. There, he was confronted by the younger brother of Hikari Kirishima, Renji Yomo. Before he could deliver the finishing blow, Yoshimura interrupted and rescued the young ghoul from him. Arima attended Kureo Mado's funeral and after Itsuki Marude had expressed his aversion to Mado's work ethic and fixation on quinques at his funeral service, Arima reprimanded him. Marude contacted him to inform him about their victory in raiding Aogiri base only for Arima to tell him Aogiri Tree used that as distraction and raided the ghoul detention center, Cochlea.
After being given the mission to ambush any fleeing ghouls and neutralize the One-Eyed Owl, Arima was stationed within the underground Route V14, where he encountered and single-handedly killed dozens of ghouls. Upon having his gaze fall on Ken Kaneki, he quickly approached him with the intention of completing his mission and, without warning, dealt an attack towards Kaneki that tore a large chunk out of his abdomen. Before Kaneki could recover and fight, Arima lunged his quinque IXA through the back of Kaneki's skull, which pierced his brain and destroyed his left eye. He easily dodged Kaneki's rapid kagune strikes and witnessed a sudden emotional outburst from Kaneki, during which Kaneki recited a Hakushū poem. Apparently moved by the poem, Arima made note of Kaneki's identity, then offhandedly mentioned that he could tell it was raining outside from the sound of water pouring in from above. He stated that his sense of time got dulled when he was underground. Arima then brought out his other quinque, Narukami, and activated it. He declared that his objective was to ensure no ghouls would pass through Route V14, and released bolts of Rc projectiles towards Kaneki. After Kaneki dodged those attacks, Arima commanded his quinque to go into remote activation and continued to strike at Kaneki, keeping the manic ghoul at bay. He blocked a desperate attack from Kaneki's kagune using IXA's defensive barrier, but was surprised that Kaneki's blow managed to break the barrier, and so complimented his opponent. Arima went on to impale Kaneki through the abdomen with IXA, lifted him high into the air briefly before he threw him back to the ground. Arima stated that he had not expected Kaneki to damage his quinque and finished Kaneki off with a stab through the other eye and mentioned that he needed a new quinque. Arima noticed a bleeding scratch on his right cheek. Afterwards, he confronted the One-Eyed Owl alone and managed to sever its arm, forcing it to escape and mirrored his battle with the first Owl years ago. Later it was revealed that their battle was only a performance and in reality Arima let Eto escape with Yoshimura as a part of their plan. Years later, Tatara recalled Arima dragging a half-dead Kaneki by the hair after the latter's defeat with Tatara bowing as he passed.
After the CCG imprisoned Kaneki in Cochlea, Arima visited Kaneki in order to observe him. During one such visit, Arima witnessed an emotional outburst by Kaneki, now called Prisoner #240. As Kaneki frantically begged to be let out to save his friends, Arima calmly told Kaneki that he had killed all of them. He inquired about the amnesiac Prisoner #240's state with the Warden Shinme Haisaki. Haisaki told him that Prisoner #240 was refusing food, was apparently tormented by nightmares that made him cry worse than a baby during the night, and picked at his eyes so much they were festering; thus, the Warden expected the prisoner to die soon due to starvation. Thereafter, Arima started to bring Prisoner #240 books to read, and Prisoner #240's health improved substantially. Alongside Yoshitoki Washuu, he discussed the results of the operation with Chairman Tsuneyoshi Washuu. The chairman turned to Arima and asked him what he would do about the name as the 'ownership rights' were his. Arima replied that he would entrust this to 'him'. During another visit, Arima told Prisoner #240 that he would need a name, as it was planned for Prisoner #240 to be appointed an investigator during his rehabilitation. He asked Prisoner #240 to pick his new name, and by using Prisoner #240's two favorite kanji from the words 'coffee' and 'world', they formed the name 'Haise'. Some time after the Owl Suppression Operation, Arima along with Akira Mado were in charge of supervising Haise Sasaki and his Quinx members. Following the failed operation to capture Torso and Serpent, Arima summoned Haise to an S3 meeting. He did a minor spar with Haise, subsequently returned the book he borrowed from Haise to him. When Sasaki apologized for using his kagune to fight Serpent, Arima dismissed this apology, and listened attentively as Haise compared him, Akira and the rest of the Quinx Squad to a somewhat dysfunctional family.
In the sterile training halls of the CCG, Kishou Arima oversaw a rigorous sparring session with Haise Sasaki following the squad's recent combat encounters. He moved with a refined, lethal grace that easily overwhelmed the younger investigator, systematically dismantling Haise’s defenses to test both his physical reflexes and his mental stability. As the Quinx Squad—Kuki Urie, Ginshi Shirazu, Saiko Yonebayashi, and Tooru Mutsuki—watched from the sidelines in a mixture of awe and intimidation, Arima maintained a cold, professional detachment that bordered on parental authority. He specifically monitored Haise for any signs of 'instability' or the re-emergence of his former persona, Ken Kaneki, ensuring that the amnesiac remained a loyal and functional tool for the Commission. After the physical exertion, he shared a quiet, domestic moment with Haise, returning a borrowed book in a gesture that highlighted their complex 'father-son' bond, effectively reinforcing his psychological hold over the squad's mentor. He concluded the meeting by offering cryptic guidance on the squad's performance, leaving the Quinx members acutely aware of the vast power gap between themselves and the man known as the CCG's Reaper. Following the assessment of the Quinx Squad, Kishou Arima convened with the upper echelon of the CCG to discuss the escalation of the Aogiri Tree threat and the rising influence of the ghoul known as Nutcracker. He maintained his characteristic stoic composure during the strategy briefings, serving as a silent but looming presence that dictated the pace of the upcoming Auction Sweep Operation. While Haise Sasaki struggled with the fractured remnants of his past and the growing insubordination of Kuki Urie, Arima continued to pull the strings of Haise's development from the background, ensuring the young mentor remained focused on the investigation. He monitored the squad's transition into undercover work as they donned female disguises to infiltrate the ghoul underworld, treating the experimental project with a clinical detachment. Throughout these preparations, Arima's influence felt absolute; he acted as the ultimate safety catch for the Quinx, ready to deploy his lethal IXA quinque should Haise lose control of his inner ghoul during the high-stakes raid that was being meticulously organized.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Kishou Arima by adulthood was a tall, well-built man with snow white hair and gray eyes. Typically, he was seen always wearing a pair of thin-framed glasses and a calm apathetic expression. He was rarely seen out of uniform, most often wearing the standard black suit and white shirt of a CCG investigator, along with a long trench coat during field operations. His skill led to him being famously referred to as the CCG's Reaper (CCGの死神, Shīshījī no Shinigami) and as the White Reaper (白い死神, Shiroi Shinigami). Unknown to many, he was the One-Eyed King (隻眼の王, Sekigan no Ō) who was the mysterious leader seeking to liberate the ghouls from persecution by humans.
He had a very cold and calculating approach to exterminating ghouls. Arima had a very calm personality where he was shown as being composed and unperturbed even when facing dangerous threats or being outnumbered. Ultimately, it came to be revealed that he despised himself for killing ghouls with this being shown when he was dying. Inextricably linked to his cold efficiency was a surprising, quiet artistry and intellectual curiosity that Arima displayed during the rare lulls in his violent duties. This aspect of his personality manifested in his habit of bringing books to the battlefield or engaging in hobbies like the meticulous maintenance of his Quinque with the precision of a craftsman. He did not view his weapons merely as tools of slaughter, but as extensions of a refined discipline, often naming them or utilizing their unique properties with a creative flair that transcended standard combat protocols. This intellectual depth suggested a man who, despite being bred for war, possessed a sensitive soul that appreciated the complexities of the world he was tasked with policing. It was this hidden layer of his character that allowed him to mentor his juniors with a strange, detached wisdom, occasionally offering insights that were more philosophical than tactical. His appreciation for the 'beautiful' side of life whether in a piece of literature or a well-executed maneuver and served as a poignant contrast to the grim reality of his daily existence, hinting at the tragic irony of a cultured, thoughtful man who was destined to spend his life as the ultimate instrument of death.
Beneath his reputation as the CCG’s 'Undefeated Investigator', Kishou Arima operated with a profound, hollow detachment that rendered him more akin to a biological weapon than a man driven by traditional human emotion. This fundamental stoicism manifested in his absolute lack of malice or hesitation during combat; he dispatched even the most formidable ghouls with a clinical efficiency, often appearing bored or preoccupied by mundane thoughts while engaging in life-or-death struggles. This aspect of his personality was rooted in a deep-seated sense of nihilism and the heavy burden of his "King" persona, leading him to view his own existence as a tool for a larger, tragic purpose. He maintained a professional, almost fatherly coldness toward his subordinates, particularly Haise Sasaki, where his guidance was stripped of warmth and replaced with a terrifyingly high standard of discipline. This emotional void meant that he rarely expressed joy, anger, or fear, creating an aura of untouchable divinity that both inspired his allies and petrified his enemies. Ultimately, his personality was defined by this quiet, resigned loneliness—a man who carried the weight of the world's cruelty with a blank expression, hiding a desperate, unspoken hope that someone would eventually be strong enough to end his long, blood-stained vigil.
As a superior, he was shown as being an overly strict mentor with him reprimanding subordinates even if their attack were off by a decisecond.
Despite his stoic demeanor, he was capable of forming friendships. Akira Mado described Arima's feelings towards Sasaki as being like parental love.
Powers and abilities
Kishou Arima was a half-human (半人間, Han ningen) that was a human-ghoul hybrid with mostly human-like traits. As a half-human, he was bred to be a hybrid who had superhuman abilities. It was shown that he had a keen intellect and had excellent deductive skills. As a teenager, he easily memorized all the formulas in the math textbook.
Arima was a hybrid of human and ghoul—an artificially created One-Eyed Ghoul produced by the secretive organization known as V. This genetic engineering granted him enhanced physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans, including superhuman strength, reflexes, perception, and regeneration. His speed was so great that most ghouls were unable to react before being fatally struck. Despite possessing these inhuman advantages, Arima seldom relied on brute power alone; his true strength lay in his flawless technique and intellect. His proficiency with quinques, particularly Narukami (a lightning-type weapon) and IXA (a defensive armor-type weapon), allowed him to adapt fluidly to any opponent or terrain. Even among the CCG’s most elite, Arima’s tactical understanding of battlefields and ability to predict his enemy’s movements bordered on precognition. Yet his abilities came at a cost—his ghoul physiology was unstable, and his body deteriorated rapidly as he aged. This frailty, coupled with his growing disillusionment toward V, ultimately defined his tragic existence: a man of perfect skill, created for war, who longed only to leave behind a peace he himself could never live to see.
However, he suffered from a shortened lifespan and developed glaucoma as a result of his accelerated aging process which meant that he would eventually die of old age.
He was one of two people in the CCG to be promoted to a 2nd Class Investigator in less than a year.
Among the weapons at his disposal included:
- Yukimura 1/3 (ユキムラ1/3, Yukimura 1/3) :
- IXA (イグザ, Iguza) :
- Narukami (ナルカミ, Narukami) :
- Owl (フクロウ, Fukurō) :
He came to be an agent of Commission of Counter Ghoul (喰種対策局 Gūru Taisaku Kyoku, literally "Ghoul Countermeasures Bureau") where he served as a Special Class Ghoul Investigator (喰種グール捜査官, gūru sōsakan). Arima once came to be assigned to the illustrious S3 Squad (S3班, Esu-san-han) that were a special unit which handled the highest priority assignments and the most dangerous targets.
Notes
- Kishou Arima was created by Sui Ishida where he featured in the setting of the Tokyo Ghoul universe
In other media
Television
Video games
Appearances
- Tokyo Ghoul:
External Links
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