Ken Kaneki

1. Early Phase (Black Hair) – The Gentle Human ​At the start of the story, Kaneki is a shy, kind, and introverted university student. ​Extremely Altruistic: He lives by his mother's philosophy: "It's better to be hurt than to hurt others." This makes him deeply empathetic but also passive and easily taken advantage of. ​Bookish & Reserved: He loves literature and prefers a quiet life, relying heavily on his best friend, Hide, for social interaction. ​Conflicted: After becoming a half-ghoul, he struggles immensely with his new identity, desperately clinging to his humanity and refusing to eat human flesh. ​2. Post-Torture Phase (White Hair) – The Cold Protector ​After being brutally tortured by Yamori (Jason), Kaneki's mindset completely shatters and reforms. He discards his passive ideology to survive. ​Ruthless & Pragmatic: He accepts his ghoul side and becomes incredibly cold, brutal, and willing to use extreme violence against his enemies. ​Deeply Protective: While he seems detached, his core motivation remains the same: protecting the people he cares about at Anteiku. However, instead of being passive, he now seeks absolute power so no one can hurt them again. ​Psychologically Scarred: He suffers from severe trauma, constantly fighting to keep his sanity intact while suppressing his deep fear of being alone. ​In short: Kaneki's personality is a tragic journey from a helpless, gentle idealist to a powerful, deeply traumatized anti-hero who triggers his own inner darkness to protect those he loves.