Kishou Arima was also known as CCG’s White Reaper, as he was a Special Class Ghoul Investigator. He was a well-known face within the organization and was seen as a genius. During his 18 years as an investigator, he compiled a long list of achievements and was feared by ghouls for his abilities and intelligence.
However, there was another side to Kishou Arima, who did side with the ghouls. He went by the name One-Eyed King. Arima worked alongside Eto Yoshimura, and gained ownership rights to Ken Kaneki. This happened after the Owl Suppression Operations.
Arima went on to meter Kaneki, to prepare him when he hands over the title of the One-Eyed King to him after he dies.
In both the manga and the anime, we are led to believe that Arima and Eto worked together, as they both wanted ghouls and humans to live together peacefully. Their plan was centered around Kaneki becoming the One Eyed King and becoming a symbol of hope for everyone. However, Kaneki’s existence was just pure luck.
However, what was Kishou Arima’s aim during Tokyo Ghoul? In this article, we tend to answer this question for all you Tokyo Ghoul fans.
Arima is a very complex character, like all the characters that we meet in the Tokyo Ghoul series. Yet, he is well written and has a huge impact on the overall plot. He leads a double life, trying to make the world a better place.
Throughout the series, Arima was always seen to be very calm even in high-pressure situations. Yet, even though he is calm, he was seen as a strict mentor. It is believed that Arima has always been like this, even when he was a teenager.
He respected the dead, even though he may come across as a cold character, he did form friendships. Arima lived a very complicated life, but he is the reason that Kaneki becomes the One-Eyed King.
Arima Was On The Ghouls Side, But Why?
Kishou Arima was only half-human. He had extraordinary physical abilities, due to him being raised by the Washuu family in their garden. As he grew up, Arima trained up to become a ghoul investigator, it was the only job that he ever wanted.
Yet this was seen as a rebellious act. As the main members of the Washuu clan were ghouls. He was seen as one of the best ghoul investigators and at a young age was killing lots of ghouls. This then led him to quickly jump up the ranks.
During Tokyo Ghoul: Jack, Arima is shown as a teenager and so is Eto. Arima defeats Eto but is shown how awful the world he lives in is. As a ghoul investigator, Arima killed many ghouls, as he believed he couldn’t get away from the Washuu clan. He also believed that he couldn’t defeat them all on his own.
Arima met Eto, and he understood and sympathized with her ideals. Thus, they create a plan that should bring down the Washuu Clan. It was Arima’s interactions with Eto and Minami (from Tokyo Ghoul: Jack)that made him empathize with the ghouls.
He could see that ghouls were being made a target, and then decided he would secretly support and help them. As a result, Arima and Eto form the Aogiri Tree, This helped both Arima and Eto to reach their own goals and objectives.
The One Eyed King And The Aogiri Tree
Once the Aogiri Tree was formed, Arima became known as the One-Eyed King. This is because Arima was the brains behind this organization. He was the one who gave the orders to Eto and Tatara about things that needed to be done.
The main purpose of the Aogiri Tree was to empower and support ghouls. Also, they wanted to overthrow the CCG, by revealing all of their secrets to the world. Eto release a book that we believe she had been writing for quite some time about the One-Eyed King. This book could have been the start of Eto and Arima’s plan.
The Aogiri Tree tried to strengthen themselves and attempted attacking the CCG in an attempt to weaken them. SenTakatsuki was relieved to be a ghoul and an appeal was made to the human, which then led to the final nail in the Washuu Clan coffin.
As their plan progressed, there ended up being deaths on both sides of the ghouls and the investigators. As a result, you do question Arima’s morality in this situation, as he is leading both sides to their deaths. The ghouls he is trying to protect are fighting the men he has worked and supported for years.
You could say that the way that Arima was brought up and the place he would call home affected him. It would be great if one day we see a prequel surrounding Eto and Arima to really understand these characters more.
Plans Change and Kaneki Shows Up
The Aogiri Tree was interested in Kaneki as he was a one-eyed ghoul. There was something about him that Arima and Eto liked. Eventually, Kaneki became a member of the Aogiri Tree and joined the ranks, to help make the Aogiri Tree stronger. When Kaneki first joined, there were no hints that he would be made the One-Eyed King one day.
Yet, during the Owl Suppression Arc, Kaneki decided he would do anything to protect his friends. Alongside that, he refused to kill Koutaro Amon. It was down to these actions that convinced Arima that there was something different and special about Kaneki.
Also, Eto was also convinced that there was something more to Kaneki, due to watching him closing at the Aogiri Tree.
As a result, Arima revealed that Kaneki could see the views and opinions of both humans and ghouls. Hence, Arima wanted to train Kaneki and make him kill him. Thus, the most decorated and dangerous CCG ghoul investigator would be dead. This would give the ghouls a sign that there is hope, which unfortunately Eto couldn’t do.
However, Kaneki refused to kill Arima at the end of their battle. This just confirmed the notion that Kaneki could understand the views of both humans and ghouls. Also, he would stop from causing any unnecessary violence. This again is something Eto didn’t understand.
However, Arima slit his own throat and told Kaneki to take ownership of the action. He revealed lots of secrets to Kaneki like he was a half-ghoul as well, just before he died and passed the title of the One-Eyed King to Kaneki.
In his final moments, Arima admits he is happy that has done something good and became a symbol of hope for all ghouls out there.
Arima And The Dragon
It is clear that Arima wanted peace, and he thought Kaneki could bring that peace between ghouls and humans. However, we should question if Arima was aware of Nimura Furuta’s plan to make Kaneki a dragon.
We can’t be sure for certain if Arima was aware of this plan. He does briefly mention that in the end, all of humanity will be forced to become a ghoul. Could this have been a hint that trying everyone into a ghoul was part of his plans as well?
For that, we can’t be certain either, as there has been no evidence to say that Arima and Furuta have been working together. We know that both of these characters were raised at sunlit gardens, yet they are very different. Furuta has motives for his plans that don’t relate to Arima’s.
Final Thoughts
Arima is a character that lives a double life, for so long he wanted to be something and then discovered that the world he lives in isn’t right. We can confidently say that Kishou Arima’s main aim in Tokyo Ghoul is to bring peace between the ghouls and humans. That also involves the destruction of the Washuu Clan.
We could say that Arima is the kind of character that is willing to sacrifice his own life for the greater good. He was able to play the part of the villain so that the ghouls could be brought together under a new One-Eyed King. He was willing to go to any lengths, which even led to his own death. Furthermore, he was a respected character that cared about his mission.
All the characters that we meet in Tokyo Ghoul are complex, with their own struggles, and no one is perfect. Arima is no exception here, he has realized that he isn’t happy in the world he is in.
He admits that he did wrong at the start of his life, but his aim in life is what makes him a better person in the end. He then goes to any lengths possible to make the world better for everyone, whether you are a ghoul or human.
