If you’re diving into Tokyo Ghoul, here’s the ultimate Tokyo Ghoul watch order.
Picture this: a college virgin finally gets the Valentine’s date of his dreams, only to find she devours humans… and then turns him into one.
Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki as he struggles to live as a half-ghoul in human society. The catch? Ghouls can only survive by eating human flesh. On the plus side, coffee is still safe.
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With so many time skips from the original reference material, figuring out where to begin is easy as solving what’s one thousand minus seven. This Touka-approved guide will surely help you out.
Your guide to the Tokyo Ghoul watch order
Studio Pierrot’s Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki, a shy college student who barely survives a deadly encounter with a flesh eating ghoul — only to wake up as a half ghoul hybrid.
Struggling to live among humans without losing himself, Ken’s story descends into tragedy. The brutal conflicts he faces test his morality, forcing him to embrace the monster within to protect the few people he still has.
All Tokyo Ghoul seasons
Debuting in 2014, Tokyo Ghoul is a staple of a dark psychological genre, distinguished by its graphic violence and melancholy aesthetic.
In every season, the boundary between human and monster blurs, introducing sadistic investigators and complex ghoul societies that constantly push Kaneki’s sanity to its absolute breaking point.
| SEASON | RELEASE DATE | DESCRIPTION |
| Tokyo Ghoul (Season 1) | July 4, 2014 | Ken Kaneki is a college student living in Tokyo plagued by “ghouls” — monsters who look human that survive only on human flesh. After a date goes horribly wrong, he receives an emergency organ transplant, which turns him into a hybrid. Now, Kaneki must navigate this scary new situation while hiding his identity from the Commission of Counter Ghoul (CCG). |
| Tokyo Ghoul /A (Season 2) | January 9, 2015 | Following his “fun time” with Yakumo and awakening, Kaneki makes a shocking decision that deviates from the original manga. Instead of forming his own group, he joins the militant ghoul organization Aogiri Tree to fight against CCG. |
| Tokyo Ghoul:re (Season 3) | April 3, 2018 | Two years after the raid on Anteiku, the CCG introduces the “Quinx Squad”. The team consists of humans with surgically implanted ghoul powers. They are led by Haise Sasaki, a mysterious mentor with no memory of his past, who is haunted by the voice of a former self that screams to be released. |
| Tokyo Ghoul:re 2nd Season (Season 3 part 2) | October 9, 2018 | The conclusion to the saga. Haise’s memories return and old alliances shatter as the distinction between ghouls and humans collapses completely. Kaneki must unite both species to defeat a threat that endangers the entire city of Tokyo. |
Tokyo Ghoul OVAs
These OVAs provide some backstory for key supporting characters, filling in the missing gaps of their story that the main anime leaves unexplained.
| MOVIE | RELEASE DATE | DESCRIPTION |
| Tokyo Ghoul: “Jack” | September 30, 2015 | A prequel set 12 years before the main series. It follows a young Kishou Arima (the CCG’s Reaper) as a high school student meeting Taishi Fura. It explains the origin of their partnership and Arima’s early genius. |
| Tokyo Ghoul: “PINTO” | December 25, 2015 | A prequel focused on the “Gourmet” ghoul, Shuu Tsukiyama and his friendship with the photographer, Chie Hori. |
Tokyo Ghoul watch order by release date
If you want to experience Kaneki’s tragic descent exactly as the world did when it first aired, following the release order is the way to go.
This method preserves the intended pacing. Conveniently, this order works best; although the prequel OVAs aired after Season 2, viewing them in this order bridges the narrative gap before the time skip.
Here is the full Tokyo Ghoul watch order by release date:
| ORDER | TITLE | TYPE | RELEASE DATE |
| 1 | Tokyo Ghoul | TV Series | July 4, 2014 |
| 2 | Tokyo Ghoul /A | TV Series | January 9, 2015 |
| 3 | Tokyo Ghoul: “Jack” | OVA | September 30, 2015 |
| 4 | Tokyo Ghoul: “PINTO” | OVA | December 25, 2015 |
| 5 | Tokyo Ghoul:re | TV Series | April 3, 2018 |
| 6 | Tokyo Ghoul:re 2nd Season | TV Series | October 9, 2018 |
Tokyo Ghoul chronological watch order
If you want to experience Tokyo Ghoul’s story in its actual timeline sequence, watching the events unfold in Chronological order gives you the scoop on some characters’ backstories, which really connects the dots in the main story.
This order follows the timeline of events within the story, starting with the prequel backstories before moving to Kaneki’s transformation.
Here’s the full Tokyo Ghoul chronological watch order:
| ORDER | TITLE | TYPE | TIMELINE |
| 1 | Tokyo Ghoul: “Jack” | OVA | 12 years before Season 1 (Arima’s youth) |
| 2 | Tokyo Ghoul: “PINTO” | OVA | Set during Tsukiyama’s high school years |
| 3 | Tokyo Ghoul | TV Series | The main storyline begins |
| 4 | Tokyo Ghoul /A | TV Series | Picks up immediately after Season 1 |
| 5 | Tokyo Ghoul:re | TV Series | Set 2 years after the events of season 2 |
| 6 | Tokyo Ghoul:re 2nd Season | TV Series | The conclusion to the :re arc |
About Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul is originally a dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Sui Ishida. It was first serialized in Weekly Young Jump in September 2011 and ran until September 2014, spanning 14 volumes.
It quickly became a hit for its unique blend of horror, action, and psychological drama, exploring themes of identity, morality, and survival in a world where humans coexist with flesh-eating ghouls.
The story centers on Ken Kaneki, a college student who survives a deadly encounter with a ghoul, only to have his life irreversibly changed when he is transformed into a half-ghoul.
Due to its popularity, Tokyo Ghoul inspired an anime adaptation that began airing in 2014, as well as several OVAs, spin-offs, and a sequel manga, Tokyo Ghoul:re. The franchise has cemented itself as one of the most influential modern dark fantasy stories, gaining a dedicated global fanbase.
