As Yamori continues to brutally torture Kaneki, Rize once again appears to him, and the two of them explore Kaneki's childhood and relationship with his mother. Kaneki is forced to make a choice that has a profound impact on him.

The battle between CCG and Anteiku continues, and Koma, Irimi, and Yoshimura each engage the special investigators. When a civilian gets caught in the middle, Hachikawa continues to press his attack unabated. Shinohara receives some unexpected advice.

Suzuya is left to face the newly-arrived one-eyed Owl on his own. Aogiri Tree joins the battle against CCG, who find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents. Meanwhile, Kaneki confronts Amon, who stands in his way to Anteiku.

Touka sets out to lure the ghoul investigators, but before she can strike, she finds that Hinami has run away. When Touka and Kaneki go out looking for her, they find themselves face to face with Amon and Mado, who has a few surprises of his own for them.

When Touka falls ill, Kaneki pays her a visit that has unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, as Nishiki is still recovering from his run-in with Kaneki, he is nearly preyed upon by other ghouls. Tsukiyama remains consumed with the idea of having Kaneki.

Kaneki is held captive by Yamori, who practices his torturous craft on him. The police and CCG move in to deal with Aogiri Tree, who have made an 11th Ward shopping mall their headquarters. In all the commotion, the Anteiku team tries to rescue Kaneki.

Yoshitoki is granted permission to execute the operation to eradicate the Owl. The many CCG officers involved in the mission take time beforehand to write any last words they might have, as the 20th Ward is cordoned off and its civilians evacuated.

Amid news reports of "Ghoul" attacks nearby, Ken Kaneki points out Rize, a girl he is interested in, to his friend Hide at a local coffee shop. When Kaneki discovers the two share a favorite author, he asks her out. However, their date ends in tragedy!

Eto arrives on the rooftop, spurring Kanae to attack Haise, who must also reason with Kaneki. With the other squad members on the ropes, Shirazu goes all-out to stop Noro. Kanae and Tsukiyama reach an understanding.

Kaneki desperately fights the urge to eat human flesh, the only thing that can satisfy his hunger as a ghoul. He meets up with Hide again, joining him on an errand, and is glad for the companionship. But will his declining condition place Hide at risk?

The fight against Tsukiyama is resolved, but Touka wants to kill Kimi, now that it's clear she knows that Nishiki and Kaneki are ghouls. Meanwhile, Hinami is eager to see her father again after being apart for so long, and acts out when she is unable.

The battle at Cochlea intensifies on several fronts and when Ayato is to be almost killed, he is rescued in the nick of time by Kaneki, who undergoes a bizarre transformation after consuming the bodies of several dead Ghouls to empower himself.

Having defeated Jason and accepted his ghoul half, Kaneki joins Aogiri Tree to protect those close to him in Anteiku.

After Kaneki and Hinami witness Ryoko's fate, the personnel at Anteiku are grieved, and Touka decides to take matters with the investigators into her own hands. Kaneki is fed up with not being able to do anything, and makes up his mind to become involved.

CCG's assault on Aogiri Tree on Rushima Island continues, and Urie and Saiko are anxious to rescue Mutsuki. Tatara and Kurona both make their stands against the investigators. Akira receives help from a surprise source.

As the fighting on Rushima reaches its climax, Akira makes a fateful decision. Urie, together with the new members of the Quinx Squad, continue their search for Mutsuki. Arima makes a startling revelation to Kaneki.

The CCG investigators that were close to Haise react to his leaving. Furuta takes over as the head of the CCG, and sets forth a new strategy to deal with the ghouls. The Clowns begin to riot, threatening CCG Headquarters.

Urie speaks to Chief Washu about having his Frame level increased. With a mission coming up, the Quinxes try to get Saiko to come to work. Donato asks Haise about his missing memories. The squad goes undercover.

Tsukiyama's condition worsens. Tatara and Ayato argue about rescuing Hinami. Shirazu finds it difficult to take possession of the Nutcracker quinque. Quinx Squad begins a new joint investigation with S1 Squad.

The members of Quinx Squad, an experimental division of Akira Mado's CCG squad, and composed of investigators who have been surgically made part ghoul, work to track down the A-rated ghoul Torso.

Under Furuta, CCG cracks down hard on the ghoul community, forcing Goat to go underground. Takeomi and Yoriko set a wedding date. Mutsuki locates Kaneki and invites him back. Touka takes the next step with Kaneki.

CCG locates Aogiri Tree's headquarters. Hinami's execution is scheduled. Takatsuki's editor is questioned over whether or not she is a ghoul. Before Takatsuki can be questioned, however, she makes a stunning public announcement.

Following increasing dragon activity and the discovery of a second core, Kaneki and Ayato volunteer to go and deal with it. When Kaiko and the members of V launch an attack, CCG and the ghouls must fight together to stop them.

Having seen a photo of Haise, Tsukiyama bounces back and races to see him. Haise takes the rest of the squad to Uta's shop to be fitted for masks. Kijima releases a shocking video on the CCG website to draw Rose out.

While Kaneki's body lies dormant in its giant kagune, he has an inner dialogue with Rize. Urie talks to Mutsuki about the hardships of going it alone. A crisis places the city on alert, forcing CCG and the ghouls to work together.

As Dr. Kanou visits his family's gravesite, Kurona confronts him. CCG gains a new ally and expert on ghouls. Hide enlists the help of Akira and Amon to plead his case to CCG. A despondent Mutsuki lashes out at Saiko and Urie.

The Clowns act as auctioneers for a human auction, in which Mutsuki finds himself embroiled. CCG forces surround the complex in which the auction is being held, with orders to exterminate the ghouls inside--especially Big Madam.

Now with Kaneki at their ranks, the Aogiri Tree takes the offensive against the CCG, and Amon is introduced to Mado's daughter Akira, who is assigned to become his new partner.