"Please start compiling your story."
Azrael took a deep breath, his fingers hovering over the interface. This was going to be a long one.
Ken Kaneki started out as just another male college student—nothing special, nothing that set him apart from the thousands of other young men navigating university life in Tokyo. He had his routine: classes, studying, and frequent visits to his favorite coffee shop, Anteiku, where the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee provided the perfect backdrop for his reading sessions.
It was pure chance that brought Rize Kamishiro into his life. One afternoon, she appeared at Anteiku like something out of a dream: beautiful, mysterious, and sophisticated. Ken found himself stealing glances at her over the pages of his book, his heart racing whenever she looked his way. When she finally approached him and struck up a conversation about literature, he felt like the luckiest guy in the world.
What Ken didn't know—what he couldn't possibly have known—was that Rize Kamishiro was the very embodiment of the urban legends whispered in Tokyo's dark corners. She was a ghoul, a man-eating predator who saw humans as nothing more than walking meals.
Their first date felt like something from a romantic novel. They walked through the city and talked about books and shared intimate conversations about life and dreams. Ken was completely smitten and was already imagining a future with this enigmatic woman. But as the evening came to an end and they found themselves in a secluded area, Rize's mask finally slipped away.
Her true nature erupted with terrifying suddenness. A sharp, deadly kagune burst from her back like crimson lightning, and she lunged at Ken with predatory hunger. He barely had time to register what was happening before her claws tore into his flesh and sent waves of agony through his body. Just when death seemed inevitable, fate intervened in the most unexpected way: a construction accident sent steel beams crashing down, crushing Rize beneath their weight and giving Ken a miraculous chance at survival.
The hospital became Ken's world for the next several weeks. The doctors worked frantically to save his life and, in their desperation, made a decision that would change everything: They transplanted Rize's still-functional organs into his body to replace his damaged ones. This medical miracle saved his life but also sealed his fate in ways no one could have anticipated.
Rize's kagune, her ghoul organ, now resided within Ken's body. With it came a transformation that turned his entire world upside down. Ken Kaneki was no longer fully human. He had become a one-eyed ghoul—a rare hybrid that bridged two incompatible worlds.
At first, the changes were subtle. Ken returned to his normal routine, grateful to be alive and seemingly unchanged. But gradually, disturbing signs began to emerge. The food he once loved—coffee, sandwiches—everything that had brought him comfort, now tasted like ash in his mouth. Even worse, they made him violently ill, as if his body were rejecting the very sustenance that had kept him alive for twenty years.
The true horror began when he ventured onto the streets. Walking past groups of people, he found himself overwhelmed by a new and terrifying sensation: hunger. It was not the familiar pang of hunger, but something darker and more primal. He found himself staring at strangers' necks and imagining the taste of their flesh and the warmth of their blood. The realization hit him like a physical blow: He was developing an appetite for his former species.
For weeks, Ken fought these urges with all his willpower. He tried to survive on regular food, forcing himself to eat despite the nausea and pain. But the hunger grew stronger and more demanding until it became an all-consuming obsession that dominated his every waking moment.
Finally, on a moonless night, his resolve crumbled completely. Unable to suppress his ghoulish instincts any longer, he ventured into the darkness, driven by an overwhelming need to hunt. His body moved with predatory grace, his senses heightened and his instincts focused on finding prey.
During this desperate hunt, he encountered Touka Kirishima, the sharp-tongued waitress from Anteiku. She appeared before him like an avenging angel, her kagune gleaming in the dim streetlight. Her eyes widened in genuine shock when she recognized him; she had known Rize's scent and had been aware of the legendary ghoul's presence in their territory. Seeing Ken alive and well was nothing short of miraculous.
Through Touka, Ken began to understand the hidden world that surrounded him. Ghouls weren't mindless monsters; they were a species struggling to survive in a world that wanted them dead. Some, like the people at Anteiku, tried to coexist peacefully with humans by feeding only on the dead. Others embraced their predatory nature completely.
Ken's introduction to this new reality became more complicated when he discovered that Nishiki Nishio, a university senior whom he had always admired, was also a ghoul. Unlike the relatively peaceful ghouls at Anteiku, however, Nishiki had no qualms about hunting living humans. When Nishiki set his sights on Ken's best friend, Hideyoshi, intending to make him his next meal, something inside Ken snapped.
For the first time since his transformation, he felt Rize's full power flowing through him. The familiar appendages burst from his back with explosive force, their razor-sharp edges gleaming with deadly intent. The gentle college student disappeared, replaced by something far more dangerous. Driven by his fury to protect his friend, Ken unleashed a savage assault on Nishiki. His newfound strength overwhelmed the more experienced ghoul.
The fight was brutal and one-sided. Ken's rage gave him power beyond his experience, and he nearly killed Nishiki before Touka intervened and stopped him at the last possible moment. This was his first real taste of the monster he could become when pushed too far.
This incident marked Ken's reluctant entry into the world of Anteiku. The coffee shop served as a haven for peaceful ghouls and a family for those who had nowhere else to turn. There, he met Ryoko and Hinami Fueguchi, a mother and daughter with a gentle nature like his own, who struggled to maintain their humanity in an inhuman world.
Hinami, in particular, touched something deep in Ken's heart. Despite the harsh reality of her existence, she was just a child, innocent and kind. Her love of books reminded him of his passion for literature, and he found himself taking on an almost protective older brother role in her life. For a brief time, it seemed like he might find peace in this strange new family.
However, peace was a luxury that ghouls could rarely afford for long. One evening, Ken watched from a distance as a scene unfolded that would haunt him forever. CCG investigators, the government's elite ghoul hunters, cornered Ryoko Fueguchi as she walked home with Hinami. Despite Ryoko's desperate pleas that she had never harmed a human and her attempts to shield her daughter from the violence, the investigators showed no mercy.
Ken watched in helpless horror as they cut down the gentle woman who had shown him such kindness. Hinami's screams echoed in his ears long after the investigators disappeared into the night, leaving only bloodstains and a traumatized child behind.
That night changed everything for Ken. The naive boy who believed in the world's inherent goodness died with Ryoko Fueguchi. Someone harder and more determined emerged in his place, someone who understood that, in this world, strength was the only thing that could protect the people he cared about.
Ken threw himself into training with an intensity that surprised everyone at Anteiku. He pushed his body to its limits, learning to control his kagune, studying combat techniques, and preparing for the battles he knew were coming. He was determined never again to stand by helplessly while someone he cared about was hurt.
His training paid off sooner than expected. When the opportunity arose to avenge Ryoko's death, he and Touka worked together to track down the investigators responsible. The battle was fierce and dangerous, but Ken's newfound skills and determination proved decisive. He successfully defeated Kotaro Amon, one of the CCG's most promising young investigators. In doing so, he proved to himself and others that he was no longer the helpless victim he once was.
However, Ken's growing reputation in the ghoul world brought unwanted attention. One day, a stranger appeared at Anteiku, claiming to be connected to Rize's past. The stranger brought warnings about the "Aogiri Tree," a militant ghoul organization hunting down anyone connected to the legendary binge eater. According to Tsukiyama, they needed to flee immediately or face the consequences.
Before they could act on this warning, it was already too late. The executives of the Aogiri Tree had found them. Ayato Kirishima, Touka's younger brother and a powerful ghoul in his own right, arrived with his partner, Jason, a sadistic torturer. Jason's heightened senses immediately detected Rize's scent on Ken's body, marking Ken as their primary target.
What followed was Ken's descent into a nightmare beyond imagination. Jason took him to a hidden facility, where Ken was subjected to days of unspeakable torture. Jason seemed to take genuine pleasure in breaking down his victims piece by piece, and Ken became his newest project.
Tsukiyama attempted a rescue mission, secretly signaling to Ken that he would find a way to free him. However, Jason was far too experienced to be fooled by amateur heroics. Not only did he anticipate the rescue attempt, he also used it as an opportunity to inflict even greater psychological trauma on his captive.
In front of Ken's horror-stricken eyes, Jason systematically murdered several innocent people, including those who had tried to help with the rescue. Each death was calculated to maximize Ken's anguish and strip away another layer of his humanity and hope. The gentle college student who had once believed in people's goodness was forced to watch that goodness literally torn apart before him.
Under the weight of this trauma, Ken's mind finally shattered. In his broken mental state, he found himself in a strange, ethereal space where Rize's spirit seemed to manifest before him. She spoke to him about the harsh realities of their world and the need to embrace one's true nature to survive.
In this spiritual confrontation, Ken made a choice that would define the rest of his existence. He symbolically devoured Rize's essence, claiming her power completely and accepting the monster within himself. When he emerged from this psychological transformation, his black hair had turned white overnight—a physical manifestation of the trauma he had endured and the person he had become.
When Jason returned for another session of torture, he encountered a completely different person. The broken, pleading victim was gone, replaced by someone cold, calculating, and utterly fearless. Ken's kagune manifested in a more terrifying form than ever before: centipede-like appendages that would earn him his fearsome reputation.
The tables turned with shocking brutality. Jason, who had seemed so powerful and in control, was completely outmatched by this new version of Ken. Ken returned the torture tenfold with methods far more creative and cruel than anything Jason had ever imagined.
When Touka and the others from Anteiku finally arrived to rescue him, they found Ken standing over Jason's broken body. His white hair stood out starkly against the bloodstained walls. His gentle smile was still there, but it now carried an edge that made even his friends uneasy.
"I won't be returning to Anteiku," Ken told them quietly. His voice was calm and almost conversational, yet there was a finality to it that left no room for argument. Instead, he announced his intention to join Aogiri Tree, not as a victim but as a member who would reshape the organization from within.
The next time Ken appeared in the ghoul world was as part of Aogiri Tree's assault on Cochlea prison. The facility held some of the most dangerous ghouls in existence, and Ken's target was one of the most feared: a ghoul known simply as "The Owl."
The battle at Cochlea was unlike anything Ken had experienced before. The imprisoned ghoul, detecting Rize's scent on Ken, launched into a berserker rage that nearly overwhelmed Ken's enhanced abilities. In response to this overwhelming threat, however, Ken's own power evolved once again.
His kagune took on its most terrifying form yet: massive, centipede-like appendages that moved with lightning speed and devastating force. In this state, Ken wasn't just powerful; he was beyond reason, a force of nature that destroyed everything in its path.
The transformation came at a cost. His newfound power drove him mad, causing him to lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe. He not only defeated his intended target, but also Yukinori Utanohara, a veteran CCG investigator who had been trying to stop the prison break.
Just as it seemed that Ken might destroy everything around him, he encountered Kotaro Amon once again. Their rematch was even more intense than their first battle. This time, Amon's determination to stop the rampaging ghoul proved stronger than Ken's madness. In a brutal confrontation that pushed both fighters to their absolute limits, Amon emerged victorious, leaving Ken broken and defeated.
Before the CCG could capture Ken, however, the One-Eyed Owl, the mysterious leader of the Aogiri Tree, appeared on the battlefield. In a display of power dwarfing even Ken's transformed state, the Owl rescued Ken from certain death, carrying him away from the chaos he had helped create.
The conflict between the CCG and the ghouls continued to escalate, culminating in a massive operation in which the Commission prepared to assault the entire 20th Ward, including Anteiku's territory. The ensuing battle would determine the fate of the peaceful ghouls who had tried to coexist with humanity.
During this climactic confrontation, Ken found himself face-to-face with Amon once more. Their final battle was a testament to how much they had both grown since their first encounter. Ken emerged victorious, but his triumph was short-lived.
Among the CCG forces was their ultimate weapon: Kishou Arima, the legendary investigator known as the "White Reaper." When Ken faced Arima, all his power, training, and transformation meant nothing. Arima defeated him with an almost casual efficiency, leaving Ken not only physically broken, but mentally as well.
After the battle, Ken lost his memories completely, and his identity was scattered like leaves in the wind. When he next awoke, he was a member of the CCG, the very organization that had once hunted him. He lived under a new identity with no recollection of his past as a ghoul.
Azrael let out a long, exhausted sigh as he finished compiling the story. Creating such an extensive narrative had drained him more than he expected, but he was satisfied with the result. He decided not to continue the story; the materials he had weren't sufficient to properly portray Ken's development as an investigator or his rise as the One-Eyed King.
The mysterious space that governed his card creation seemed pleased with his work, accepting the narrative without hesitation.
Reality reasserted itself around Azrael as the story took physical form. First, a shy, black-haired boy materialized before him—the gentle college student Ken had once been. Then, in a display of writhing black and red tentacles resembling enormous centipedes, the figure transformed into the white-haired, half-mad creature Ken had become.
Finally, the transformation was complete as everything condensed into a single card that floated quietly in the air before him. This card was unique because it had a dual-sided portrait: one face showed the innocent student and the other revealed the terrifying ghoul he had become.
[Centipede·Ken Kaneki]
Rank: Black Iron
Quality: Red
Category: Biological
Skills:
Scaled Kagune Kamishiro Rize: Four sharp, tail-like kagunes identical to Rize Kamishiro's, with tremendous attack power and an extensive combat range. Scaled Kagune Centipede: After Ken's extensive "dining experiences," his RC cells underwent dramatic changes, producing a terrifying, centipede-like kagune that combines incredible speed, devastating destructive power, and exceptional defensive capabilities.
Features:
[One-Eyed Ghoul]: A hybrid existence with both human and ghoul characteristics that grants superior physical abilities and kagune strength compared to ordinary ghouls. [High-Speed Regeneration]: Extended torture has enhanced the ghoul's remarkable recovery abilities, allowing for the complete healing of non-fatal injuries in mere moments. [Half-Kakuja]: The partially developed Kakuja can trigger an uncontrollable berserker state during combat, sacrificing rational thought for dramatically increased Kagune power.
Introduction: "All the misfortunes in this world stem from the inadequate abilities of those involved."
Advancement Path: Iron (Centipede·Ken Kaneki) → Bronze (CCG Investigator·Sasaki Haise) → Gold (One-Eyed King·Ken Kaneki)
Bonds:
When deployed alongside Kirishima Touka and related series cards, activates the effect Safe Haven. When deployed with [Takatsuki Sen] and related series cards, it activates the [Aogiri Tree] effect.
Azrael stared at the card's information in amazement. It was by far the most powerful card he had ever created, and having three distinct characteristics was completely unprecedented in his experience.
Suppressing his excitement, Azrael absorbed the card into his consciousness. Immediately, a white-haired young man wearing a black, short-sleeved hoodie materialized in front of him. The most striking feature was undoubtedly the scarlet eye that marked him as a one-eyed ghoul.
Despite the creature's fearsome reputation, Azrael felt no fear. Ken Kaneki had always been gentle with his friends, and besides, cards were fundamentally incapable of harming their creators.
Whether cards possessed genuine consciousness remained a matter of heated debate among Lore Cardians with no definitive answer in sight.
Azrael couldn't help but smile warmly at his newest creation. "Please take care of me from now on."
Ken returned the smile with characteristic gentleness, his voice soft and polite. "Please take care of me as well."
After their brief introduction, Azrael recalled Ken back into his mental space.
"I think that covers the biological cards for now," Azrael mused. With his existing Blood Demon (Gold Rank) and his current cash reserves of over 300,000, he could consider creating equipment cards for Tsugikuni Yoriichi or himself.
But there was no rush. Creating Ken Kaneki's card had consumed a significant amount of his mental energy for the day. Such intensive work was best spaced out, allowing time for proper recovery between major projects.