It’s Time for Tokyo Ghoul to Get the Anime It Deserves

In 2011, Sui Ishida took the manga industry by storm with a little series called Tokyo Ghoul. The dark fantasy made its way into Weekly Young Jump with a quiet premiere, but it did not take long for Tokyo Ghoul to grow loud. Thanks to Ishida’s stunning artwork, the story of Tokyo Ghoul began making a buzz. Tokyo Ghoul‘s original run ended and honestly? It is way past time for someone to give the supernatural series the anime it deserves.

Back in 2014, the world saw Tokyo Ghoul take to the screen. Studio Pierrot made a bid to produce an anime for Ishida, and while things started strong, Tokyo Ghoul has since become a cautionary tale. The Tokyo Ghoul anime had a painful fall from grace, and that slide stands as an insult to Ishida’s solid series.

The Infamous History of Tokyo Ghoul

To understand the need for a Tokyo Ghoul remake, well – we have to look at its original anime. In 2014, Studio Pierrot put together season one of Tokyo Ghoul with a 12-episode run. The show was met with mostly solid praise as its pacing and action sequences captured Ishida’s manga. The animation was fine enough, but as Tokyo Ghoul season two came around, the project fell apart.

Sadly, Tokyo Ghoul √A did not live up to the expectations fans had as it told a totally unique story from the manga. The divergent story not only baffled fans who expected Tokyo Ghoul season two to carry on with Ishida’s manga, but its quality took a drastic drop. The script for Tokyo Ghoul √A is uneven at best, and that is the least of its sins. The follow up to Tokyo Ghoul butchered Ishida’s character designs and was lambasted for its boring animation. In the wake of season two, Tokyo Ghoul went underground for years in the anime industry only to return in 2017 with Tokyo Ghoul:re.

As for the third series, Studio Pierrot rolled back all of season two and began Tokyo Ghoul:re where season one ended. Its story aligned with Ishida’s manga once more, but by then, the damage was done. The team overseeing Tokyo Ghoul:re could not keep fans engaged. From its static animation to its stale character arcs, Tokyo Ghoul closed with a whimper.

Tokyo Ghoul Deserves a Better Anime

In the wake of the Tokyo Ghoul anime, well – fans have been left wanting. Ken Kaneki, the story’s lead, deserved better than the anime he got. Not only that, but Ishida’s art could have been made into something so much more for TV. While the plot of Tokyo Ghoul has its own issues, the manga never slipped when it came to artwork. Ishida’s ethereal art is nothing short of perfect. Ishida somehow found a way to make his work both haunting and thrilling. So when Tokyo Ghoul was given an anime order, fans had rather high expectations.

Tokyo Ghoul season one did a decent job adapting the first phase of the manga, but things went south from there. Tokyo Ghoul √A left the fandom jaded, and despite the staff’s efforts, the anime’s third series only worsened that anger. For Tokyo Ghoul to get the anime it deserves, a blank slate is necessary.

And these days, a remake is very possible. A new studio could do wonders for Ishida’s evocative story. The industry is drawing more eyes than ever. When it comes to style alone, studios like Madhouse and MAPPA have proven they can handle stories with Tokyo Ghoul‘s aesthetic. However, the question is whether the industry even wants to pursue this kind of reboot.

Will a Tokyo Ghoul Remake Ever Happen?

For years now, the Tokyo Ghoul fandom has pleaded for an anime remake, but no such project has been announced. The IP is a tempting one for studios to revisit thanks to its built-in fandom, but there is a flip side. The baggage behind Tokyo Ghoul is heavy because of its infamous anime. Plus, it has not been that long since Tokyo Ghoul wrapped with season three. In 2018, the world watched as Ken closed his run on television, and that memory is fresh with fans. While a remake is very much desired, it would do more harm than good to release one too soon.

The future is never certain with anime, but so long as there is interest, any show is possible. The Tokyo Ghoul fandom is making its pleas known, and they will need to continue doing so if they want a full-on remake. With anime growing globally, studios are keeping tabs on the fandom as they try to find their next big hit. So in a few years, well – don’t be surprised if Tokyo Ghoul does make its way back to the small screen.

Do we need a new Tokyo Ghoul anime? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.