"If I'm gonna die, it'll be in a way that I can brag about to big bro on the other side."— Naki, Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 93
Naki (ナキ, Naki) is a ghoul who was imprisoned in Cochlea until Aogiri Tree's invasion on the prison. He was liberated by Aogiri Tree due to being a direct underling and supposedly Yamori's right-hand man. He was almost always accompanied by the twins, Gagi and Guge.
He eventually climbs the ranks within Aogiri and has become an executive in his own right. The number of ghouls following him has grown considerably, forming a gang known as the White Suits for their distinctive dressing style.
After Aogiri is disbanded, Naki joins forces with Ken Kaneki, becoming part of his organization named Goat as an executive.
Appearance
Naki has always appeared wearing a white suit. The most distinguishing feature of Naki being his eyes, which have pitch-black bags due to crying for his deceased comrades. Initially, Naki's hairstyle was neatly sorted into three parts, with his left and right side brushed to their respective side and the middle section's hair pushed back, revealing his forehead. After the time skip, Naki's hairstyle is combed to one side, fully to the back, mimicking Yamori's.
In the manga, Naki is missing two small portions off his left ear. In the anime, however, this is changed to two black earrings.
In Naki's younger days his hair was let down in a messy, rebellious fashion, his bangs covering his forehead. Naki also wore rather shabby clothing that had notable sewing marks on the chest pocket.
Personality
Naki shows his personality with no efforts to hide it. He is a confident individual, boasting about his strength and that he was Yamori's right-hand man. Naki holds Yamori in the highest regard, and goes as far as to imitate him, copying his style of dress as well as Yamori's habit of finger cracking, albeit with his middle finger. He can be potentially childish, believing that helping Yamori with counting money and running errands made him a responsible person worth others' respect. Though impulsive and easily irritated, Naki is very emotional and trusting, perhaps to the point of being naïve. Naki, according to Akihiro Kanou's observation, is illiterate, showing poor vocabulary, and nearly complete reading, writing and even spelling inability, thus becoming victim to his own lack of general knowledge, due to the fact that most ghouls do not go to school, lacking basic education. Others commonly correct his sometimes inaccurate use of words and confusion with others, for instance, mispronouncing "scientist" or mishearing "forge an alliance." Strangely, Naki can use difficult complex words without making mistakes but fails to understand basic concepts of knowledge, such as using the word "encroaching" but not remembering the names of directions.
True to his emotional characteristics, Naki has shown to become very brutal and violent when witnessing his comrades' death, as shown when he went on an emotional rampage upon seeing Gagi and Guge's death. He was devastated when he got out of Cochlea to learn that Yamori had been killed. He views loneliness as the most painful, and as such risks his life to protect his comrades to never feel the loneliness he felt when he got out of prison just to hear Yamori had died and left him alone.
Plot
Past
Naki "meets" Yamori.
It is unknown what happened to Naki's parents, though he mentioned to Ayato he had never knew them.
Naki first encountered Yamori in the 13th ward, when he challenged the other ghoul without knowing his reputation. He lost the battle, but afterward begged to be allowed to follow him and began to call Yamori his "Big Bro" as a sign of respect. He would then begin imitating Yamori's style and carry out errands for him.
At an unknown time, Naki was locked up in Cochlea as a result of protecting Yamori.[2]
Raid of Kanou's Lab
Along with Matasaka Kamishiro, he was first seen attempting to kidnap Taguchi, a nurse of Kanou General Hospital. Coming into contact with Kaneki's group who had the same intention, the two groups fought against each other for the nurse. Midway through the battle, Naki realized Ken Kaneki was the one-eyed ghoul who killed Yamori and began to shed tears. After briefly fighting with Shuu Tsukiyama, Naki and the Aogiri members were persuaded to leave with the objective when Shachi got hold of the nurse, despite his desire to revenge Yamori.[3]
Later on, he and Eto waited outside an apartment room for Tatara to finish interrogating Taguchi about Kanou's whereabouts. After Tatara had finished he gave Naki a foot that was presumably the nurse's.[4]
Naki interrupts the fight.
He took part in the lab raid and interrupted the fight between Tsukiyama and the Yasuhisa sisters, Kurona and Nashiro Yasuhisa, claiming he would be the one to take Kanou the "mad scientoast."[5] He engaged in a fight with Tsukiyama and yelled about how he damaged his suit the last time they fought.[6] While they were still fighting, ghoul investigators arrived on the scene and Naki was confused as to which faction he was supposed to fight first. He was then offered a temporary alliance by Tsukiyama so both would not need to fight two different enemies, to which he agreed.[7] He overwhelmed Koutarou Amon in a one-on-one fight but was interrupted by Akira Mado[8] who later used a Control Rc gas grenade to dissolve his kagune. Unable to use his kagune, he leaped in front of his twin comrades, Gagi and Guge, when Akira targeted them with Amatsu's whip form, taking the blow and saying he would not let more of the people he cared about die after losing Yamori. Even though he received several blows he was still able to deliver a kick to Akira and bite off a chunk of her leg. Shortly after, he was sent flying by an enraged Amon's blow and unable to stand on his own, his comrades escaped the area carrying him with Tsukiyama, who commented on how - despite his idiocy - he held redeemable factors.[9]
Post-Owl Suppression Operation
He was in a playground, accompanied by Gagi and Guge. All three were seated on a see-saw, while Naki cried.[10]
Root A (Anime)
He was first introduced as a prisoner being transported by the CCG when the van came under attack by a group led by Ayato and Kaneki. Naki broke free out of the overturned van, but was hysterical and began to attack Ayato. He screamed for Yamori and threw a tantrum in front of the puzzled rescuers. When Ayato called him an idiot, he responded with anger and attacked them again.[11]
Kaneki helps Naki write Yamori's name.
Later on, he learned that Yamori had been killed during the previous battle against the CCG and became hysterical with grief. He smashed a toy store and threw himself to the ground while his twin lackeys attempted to calm him. Ayato stormed off in disgust, while Kaneki watched the tantrum from a distance. Naki began to try to write Yamori's name in crayon, but was unable to do so and became increasingly confused and upset. Kaneki joined him and taught him how to write "Yamori" in an act of kindness. As the half-ghoul tried to leave, Naki thanked him and told him he was a really good person, unaware of Kaneki's role in his beloved Big Bro's death.[11] Naki participated in Aogiri Tree's Cochlea invasion. He fought Amon and Akira and was injured by Akira, but managed to bite a chunk of her leg which then resulted in Amon sending him flying using his quinque.[12]
Auction
When Big Madam hired Aogiri to provide security for the event, Naki was mentioned to be among those selected for the job.[13] When Juuzou Suzuya revealed himself and attacked, Ayato shouts for Naki and Miza as chaos erupted.[14]
Ordered to secure an escape route, Naki charged into battle with his followers and killed the investigators in his path. He quickly gained the upper-hand, with his forces joined by Miza and the Blades. When confronted by Akira Mado, he noted that he recognized her face but did not remember her name before engaging in a one-on-one fight with her.
The twins sacrifice themselves to save Naki.
Naki found her quinque to be a pain to deal with, struggling to close the distance between them. He concluded the best chance to get close was when the Fueguchi quinque was fully extended and charged towards her at the next chance; the opening, however, was a trap Akira had set purposefully. He was impaled from behind and collapsed on the ground, badly wounded. She lectured him about being trapped in the past, still clinging to the memory of "Jason" and thus was unable to change. This enraged him, and Naki thought about how everything that mattered to him and his strength was from the past. Investigators surrounded him and opened fire, but Gagi and Guge leapt in front of him and shielded him with their bodies. As he begged them to stop, the rest of the gang goes wild and took out the investigators with renewed strength. Horrified, Naki clung to the dying twins while begging them not to leave him alone. Along with the rest of the White Suits, he rallied and attacked the Doves to avenge his subordinates, killing several investigators before being wounded. He was again saved from being finished off by Ayato Kirishima.
He continued to fight, this time alongside Ayato and was later seen attempting to convince Ayato to retreat upon the arrival of Arima Squad and S3.[15]
Rose Extermination
Kanou was discussing Gagi and Guge with Naki, hoping to gain his consent to use the twins' kakuhou for experiments. He simplifies what he was saying to Naki due to the ghoul's lack of proper education, telling him he would definitely revive the twins "in a sense" which led Naki to thank him and share his joy with other fellow White Suits.[16]
He led his White Suits in an ambush of CCG vehicles at the end of the Tsukiyama Raid and stole Ginshi Shirazu's body.[17]
Rushima Landing Operation
Naki blocks Ui's strike at Miza.
Naki was near Miza when she awoke with the latter seeing his slaughter of numerous investigators in order to protect Miza. Naki then fell down with blood coming from his mouth and a bleeding wound on his back as a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway. Believing Naki was dead, Miza resolved to battle against the nearly arrived Koori Ui, but he was there to block Koori's strike at Miza with his kagune. He explained he was only taking a "brook." Members of the White Suits arrived, including Hooguro and Shousei Idera, who politely corrected Naki. He mentions he would not die a death unworthy of bragging to Yamori about. Miza and Naki agreed on a united front, and were interrupted with Shuu Tsukiyama's arrival, Naki demanding to know who he was.[18] Naki and Miza arrived at the shore with the rest of the ghouls, successfully escaping Rushima island.[19]
Post-Rushima Landing Operation
Naki was present at the gathering arranged by Kaneki and his allies, complaining and wanting to attack Kaneki for killing Yamori.[20] As Kaneki and Tsukiyama collected white suits, an enraged Naki inquired about their goals, saying that he disapproved of Kaneki as his leader, and that he wanted to fight him. Accepting his challenge, Kaneki quickly defeated him, as Naki acknowledged the latter's strength, and asked whether Yamori still lived within Kaneki. The latter responded that Yamori served as his symbol of power, and offered Naki a hand, which Naki accepted.[21]
Clown Siege
Relationships
Yakumo Oomori
Naki claimed to have been Yamori's right-hand man and highly respected him for his strength. He was completely devoted to him and continued to grieve for months after learning of his death. Surprisingly, Yamori showed unusual kindness and patience towards him compared to others – explaining things in simple terms for him, and giving him birthday presents.
Gagi and Guge
The two White Suits ghouls that acted as Naki's constant companions. They appeared to be very close with Naki, taking a blow from Akira Mado that was meant for one of them and was carried by one of them when wounded. At the Auction, the two ghouls leaped in front of a wounded Naki to protect him from investigators and were killed in the process, prompting Naki to go on a berserk rampage whilst crying.
Shuu Tsukiyama
During the raid on Kanou's lab, Naki and Tsukiyama formed a temporary alliance after dueling a bit due to the CCG investigation team's interference. Naki believes Tsukiyama to be a good guy (while Tsukiyama sees him as a trusting fool with redeeming qualities) but does not appreciate him talking in French (mistaking it as English).
Ken Kaneki
Naki loathed Kaneki, knowing he was the one responsible for the death of Yamori. However, after Kaneki defeats him for leadership of the White Suits he grudgingly recognizes him as their new leader.
In Tokyo Ghoul √A he does not seem to know that Kaneki killed Yamori, and actually thinks that Kaneki is a good guy.
Akira Mado
They have fought twice, during the Kanou's Lab Raid and at the Auction Raid a few years later. Though Naki seems to remember having faced Mado before, he does not recall her name.
Hinami Fueguchi
They seem to be familiar with each other, although Naki misreads her name when she is recruited by Aogiri Tree.
Ayato Kirishima
Despite not seen interacting with one another almost completely, Ayato does express concern for him, even going as far as disobeying his orders and rushing to Naki's aid when Naki was overwhelmed by the doves.[22][23][24][25]
Miza Kusakari
They seem to be familiar with each other and were partnered during the Auction Raid. It is implied that Naki has a strong sense of protection over her as he has shown to slaughter numerous investigators, in order to protect Miza from the investigators while she was unconscious.
Powers and Abilities
Ghoul Physiology: Naki is a moderately powerful ghoul, having fought skillfully against numerous dangerous ghouls and strong ghoul investigators in combat. Naki has further proven his skills by having killed numerous investigators surrounding him.
- Koukaku Kagune: As a koukaku user, Naki utilizes his kagune as a broadsword-like blade on his right arm. He has shown proficiency in battle. During the Auction Mopping-up Operation, he is seen killing four investigators with a single swing and with other Doves struggling to keep track of how many he has killed in the battle. He was shown giving Amon a lot of trouble during their battle and also being able to stand against Shuu Tsukiyama in battle as well.
- Enhanced Durability: Naki has shown to be quite durable, as shown when he was stabbed by Akira multiple times and was still able to fight. Naki survived a hard beating by Yamori, who is infamous for his brutal ways.
- Superhuman Regeneration: Despite his status as a koukaku ghoul, his regeneration is rather quick as he was able to regenerate multiple stab wounds quickly, with only a small amount of consumption of human flesh.
Manga Depiction
Anime Depiction
Trivia
- He likes torture, Mafia movies, and errands; and respects Yamori.[1]
- Naki was ranked eleventh in the latest popularity poll.
- In one of Ishida's drafts, it is revealed that the scarring on his ears was from being bitten by Yamori.
- In the anime, he is portrayed as illiterate while the manga shows he can read and write, albeit poorly.
- Like Kaneki, Naki inherited the finger cracking habit from Yamori.
- His name has the same pronunciation as 泣き (naki), which means "weeping" or "lamenting."
- In Tokyo Ghoul Trump, he is jointly featured with Gagi and Guge, as the "Two of Diamonds."
- He is left-handed.[11]
Quotes
- To Kaneki: "There's so many memories welling up in me. I can't fight... the tears won't stop."[3]
- To ghoul investigators: "The amazing Naki will not be caged twice in Cochlea!"[7]
- "Just when I thought I could meet with Big Bro Yamori, when I actually went to the 'outside world,' he wasn't there. Of course I cried every night even when I try to remember it now, I always get all tears. Which is why at least I won't let the remaining guys die... Compared to crying alone, crying while in pain is multiple times better!!"[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Naki's character profile in Volume 10.
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 109
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 90
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 93
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 96
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 97
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 100
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 101
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 104
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 143
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Tokyo Ghoul Episode 15
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul Episode 16
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 15
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 19
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 31
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 44
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 58
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 93
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 98
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 99
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 102
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 21
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 25
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 30
- ↑ Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 33
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