"Excessively passionate emotions rob one of their objectivity."— Kousuke Houji, Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 88
Kousuke Houji (法寺 項介, Hōji Kōsuke) was a Special Class Ghoul Investigator and a former partner of Kureo Mado prior to a major assignment in China. He was previously assigned to the 20th ward as the partner of Seidou Takizawa and worked on the Gourmet case. He was devoted to the mastery of quinque and was said to have surpassed Kureo.
He served as the Branch Director of the CCG's 5th Ward Branch Office.
Appearance
Houji was a tall, dignified looking man with short, neatly combed black hair. He always dressed well and had a strong presence.
Personality
Houji was usually calm, his attitude was polite towards others, and spoke in a smooth tone. He was also saddened by the alleged death of his partner.
Plot
Background
Houji was Kureo Mado's partner in the past. Afterward, he took part in the battle with the Clowns along with Kishou Arima and Take Hirako. Following this, he was selected to join China's investigation team and fought Chi She Lian.[2]
Doves' Emergence
He first appeared as a mourner at Kureo Mado's funeral service.[3]
Aogiri Arc
Kousuke Houji was deployed to the 20th ward together with Yukinori Shinohara and Seidou Takizawa by headquarters. This was a measure to deal with the dangerous stand-alone ghouls in the 20th ward. Additionally, CCG's 11th ward branch had become powerless, so the deployment was also meant to prevent the destruction of CCG's 20th ward branch. Otherwise, a pincer attack on the wards between the 11th ward and the 20th ward could not be avoided.[4]
Owl Suppression Operation
Before the raid in the 20th ward, Houji handed Takizawa a letter and envelope to write one last testament, as required by CCG rules due to the possibility of being killed in action. Houji asked to make sure he knew how to write one, and further assured him that he would be fine as he would just be a backup in the operation.[citation needed]
During the operation, he was assigned to the squad directly facing the Owl. He provided support to the close-combat fighters with his quinque, before eventually bringing out a new one in the closing moments of the battle. Using this massive koukaku quinque, he struck the final blow to bring down the Owl.[citation needed]
The celebration was short-lived, however. They are ambushed by the real One-Eyed Owl, and Houji was knocked unconscious in the ensuing battle. Koori Ui used his quinque to fight on alone, noting how heavy the weapon turned out to be.[citation needed]
In the aftermath of the battle, he was seen alongside Akira Mado as the survivors came to grips with their losses. He wore a pained expression at the mention of his partner's death, but remained silent during the confrontation between Akira and Misato Gori.
Auction
Houji arrived near the end of the raid with the S3 Squad after having taken part in the defense of the Quinque Steel Transport and was seen giving orders to the CCG's vanguard.[5]
Post-Rose Extermination
Houji attended a Special Class Investigator Meeting regarding Aogiri. Due to his involvement in the exterminations of Chi She Lian, Houji was expected to provide guidance in terminating Tatara. However, he was distracted and appeared dismayed at the thought of Owl.[1]
Rushima Landing Operation
Houji, with tears in his eyes, orders to attack Takizawa.
Houji led Squad 1 for the operation with Akira Mado participating as his assistant squad leader. He made a beachhead, killing several Blades with Hollow — working in tandem with Koori Ui, who killed the ghouls who attempted to rush at Houji as his quinque reloaded.[6] As Houji approached Tatara with a group of investigators, he warned them about how dangerous Tatara was, and that his brother slaughtered over a hundred investigators, including fifteen Special Classes and thirty Associate Special Classes. Afterwards, he told Akira to continue fighting regardless of his survival.[7] As Tatara activated his kakuja, Houji engaged him in a fight by initiating his quinque, Iitsuu. While the quinque proved ineffective against the ghoul, he ordered Akira to toss him Chi She. He attempted to slash Tatara, but the ghoul rushed towards him before Houji could react, only to be stopped by Takizawa.[8] Takizawa overwhelmed Tatara, killing him with his Owl kagune. He stood in front of the CCG, seeking praise for killing Tatara, but to his surprise, Houji sadly ordered all personnel to attack Takizawa. Enraged, Takizawa murdered the CCG troops and beheaded Houji.[9]
Relationships
Seidou Takizawa
Takizawa was Kousuke's partner until the end of the Owl Suppression Operation. While they retained a professional relationship due to their ranks, Houji had demonstrated understanding towards Takizawa, noticing his feelings of insecurity and inferiority. Houji assured Takizawa of his safety before the Owl Suppression Operation and Takizawa respected him both as a superior and for his achievements.
After they reunited during the Rushima Landing Operation, Houji ordered his battalion to kill Takizawa — designating him as an enemy, but wanted to euthanize his former subordinate as his last favor to him.
Tatara
In the past, Houji spent some time in China exterminating the ghoul organization Chi She Lian, a group Tatara belonged to before joining Aogiri. It is implied that Houji killed Tatara's acquaintances and used their kakuhou to make quinques, causing Tatara to hold a grudge against Houji and any one associated with him.
Power and Abilities
Houji seemed to be a very skilled investigator since he was scouted by the Chinese authorities in the past where he became known for extermination a lot of ghouls, but now participates in operations of the S3 Squad. He was strong enough to wield the large and heavy blade quinque Chi She. He was devoted to the mastery of the quinque, with some saying he had even surpassed Kureo Mado. He managed to easily dodge Tatara's attacks and block his movements.
- Hollow: An ukaku quinque that wraps itself around the user's arm, allowing them to fire projectiles. These barbs embed themselves into the target and builds up energy until they explode causing massive damage. Additionally, said explosions cause a large smokescreen to be deployed in the aftermath.
- Chi She: A koukaku-type quinque with a massive straight blade and a curved guard over the handle. Ui noticed that this quinque is heavy.
- Iitsuu: A koukaku-type quinque that takes the form of a pair of gauntlets with thin long blades attached. It is strong enough to pierce Tatara's kakuja.
Manga Depiction
Anime Depiction
Trivia
- In Tokyo Ghoul Trump, he appears as the "Ten of Clubs."
- He participated in the CCG Dandy Contest and earned second place.[1]
Quotes
- To Tatara: "so the wood fueling these flames... the strength of these flames... is but the strength of his feelings for his brother... and the flames of his hatred will burn till vengeance is archived."[8]
- To Tatara: "You no longer need immolate yourself in the flames of your hatred."[8]