Tokyo Ghoul Anime Watch Order: Best Sequence for Series, OVAs, and Films (Highly Recommended)
Tokyo Ghoul is a treasure and is definitely a necessary anime to watch. It has an outstanding plot and storyline, stunning character designs, and intriguing perspectives from opposing worlds.
Tokyo Ghoul is one of a kind anime that captivates viewers as they witness the protagonist’s life go from ordinary to hellish all because of a romantic date.
The story takes place in a world where savage species known as ghouls—creatures who resemble regular people but can only survive by consuming human flesh—live secretly among the normal populace.
If you are into the genres of dark fantasy and supernatural thrillers, then Tokyo Ghoul is your match. The franchise’s dark fantasy genre really encapsulates the violent and dark nature of the show’s antagonists, the ghouls, and the people in power in CCG.
Tokyo Ghoul is violent, not shying away from featuring blood, gore, and death. If you are not into such things, then this anime is not for you.
But aside from the violence, Tokyo Ghoul gives great insights about perspectives and allows viewers to sympathize and challenge their morals and values.
Tokyo Ghoul also showcases some of the most heart-wrenching deaths in the anime world. So be careful when choosing your favorites or getting attached if you don’t want your heart to get split into two.
Also, for viewers who don’t like adult content, the anime has some sexual element to it, so be warned.
Tokyo Ghoul Watch Order By Release Order
The best way to stream the Tokyo Ghoul franchise is by watching it by release date. The anime is linear in its plot.
The release dates also serve as the chronological order of events of the series.
Moreover, there are only 2 OVAs in the entire franchise, which doesn’t require much streaming time.
| Watch Order | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo Ghoul (2014) |
| 2 | Tokyo Ghoul √A (2015) |
| 3 | Tokyo Ghoul: “Jack” (2015) |
| 4 | Tokyo Ghoul: “Pinto” (2015) |
| 5 | Tokyo Ghoul: re (2018) |
| 6 | Tokyo Ghoul: re 2nd Season (2018) |
Where to Watch Tokyo Ghoul (November 2022)
| US | Crunchyroll, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Funimation |
| Canada | Crunchyroll Funimation, Hulu |
| UK | Crunchyroll, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu |
| Australia | Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation |
If you cannot seem to find the series or it is unavailable to watch in your country, then a VPN is needed to watch it.
Complete Summary of Tokyo Ghoul Anime
| # of Episodes | 48 |
| Runtime | Approximately 24 minutes per episode |
| Manga Canon Episodes | 1-12, 25-48 |
| Mixed Canon/ Filler Episodes | 13-24 |
| Anime Canon Episodes | None |
| Special Episodes (OVA) | 2 |
| Movies | None |
Sui Ishida is the author and illustrator of the dark fantasy manga series.
Between September 2011 and September 2014, it was published in Shueisha’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump and compiled in fourteen tankobon volumes.
Tokyo Ghoul [Jack], a prequel, was published in a single tankobon book and broadcast online on Jump Live in 2013.
A follow-up, Tokyo Ghoul:re, was published in sixteen tankobon volumes after running as a serial in Weekly Young Jump from October 2014 to July 2018.
From July to September 2014, a 12-episode anime television adaption series created by Pierrot premiered on Tokyo MX.
From January to March 2015, Tokyo Ghoul A, a second season with 12 episodes that follows an original storyline, aired on television. In Japan, a live-action movie based on the manga was released in July 2017. A follow-up was published in July 2019.
Tokyo Ghoul:re, has two seasons that aired from April to June 2018 and from October to December 2018.
While Funimation holds the rights to the anime series for streaming and home video distribution in North America, Viz Media has the rights to the manga for English language publication.
As of now, after becoming one of the most popular manga series of all time, Tokyo Ghoul has over 47 million copies in print as of January 2021.
Tokyo Ghoul Complete Anime Synopsis
1. Tokyo Ghoul (2014)
| Media | Series |
| # of Episodes | 12 |
| Original Release | July 4 – September 19, 2014 |
| Runtime | Approximately 24 minutes per episode |
| IMDb Rating | 7.8/10 |
A terrible danger known as “ghouls” have been lurking on the streets of Tokyo. Since they resemble humans, they have no problem blending with society. Much of the normal populace cannot seem to comprehend the severity of how dangerous ghouls are, and that includes the main protagonist.
Ken Kaneki is a naive college student. He opts to ignore reality by reading books instead of paying attention to the news of the surging conflict.
His first encounter with ghouls will be with his first love, the stunning Rize Kamishiro. Rize approaches him and formally asks him for a date after seeing their common penchant for books. However, vigilance for Kaneki will come a second too late.
His first date went horribly wrong when Rize revealed herself to be a ghoul. She only looked at him as her next meal. But a freak accident spared his life when a pile of metal beams fell on the ghoul woman.
Kaneki awoke at the hospital the next day. A doctor informs him that in order to save his life, the deceased Rize’s organs were transplanted into his body in a rush. That’s where Kaneki’s life will spiral for the worse.
After his nonconsensual operation, Kaneki’s body begins to mutate, transforming him into a human-ghoul hybrid.
He has no choice but to embark on his new existence as a human-ghoul hybrid. Moreover, the escalating deadly warfare between society’s concealed adversaries and the federal agents who strive to eradicate them is reaching its limits.
Kaneki’s human side, which he desperately clings to, will be put to the test.
2. Tokyo Ghoul √A (2015)
| Media | Series |
| # of Episodes | 12 |
| Original Release | January 9 – March 27, 2015 |
| Runtime | Approximately 24 minutes per episode |
| IMDb Rating | 7.6/10 |
Ken Kaneki, who has long dreaded and detested the horrible, flesh-craving aspect of himself, has now come to terms with the fact that his quiet leisure life as a college student was stripped away from him after one night’s mistake.
After escaping from imprisonment and torture by a notorious ghoul named Jason, Kaneki joins Aogiri Tree—the militant ghoul group that had kidnapped him. Hence, it caused his companions to doubt his sincerity and allegiance.
The government’s specialist anti-ghoul agency, the Commission of Counter Ghoul aka CCG, has increased its attempts to totally rid Tokyo of ghouls.
Furthermore, the hostility between the government and these “monsters” continues to grow. The ghouls at the Anteiku coffee shop, Kaneki’s companions and erstwhile allies, are in danger of losing their momentary tranquility.
Despite being aware of the risk, Kaneki finds himself in the middle of conflicts—man vs. ghoul—that endanger his fragile humanity.
3. Tokyo Ghoul: “Jack” (2015)
