Tokyo Ghoul watch order
College student Ken Kaneki survives a ghoul attack only to wake up half-ghoul, caught between humans and the flesh-eating creatures hiding among them. Based on Sui Ishida's manga, with a second season that takes its own route.
First time? Watch Tokyo Ghoul, √A, :re and :re 2nd season in order. Before :re, consider reading the second half of the original manga, which √A replaces.
Story order
The two OVAs are prequels set years earlier, so they go first here. They spoil nothing and can be watched any time.
- Tokyo Ghoul: Jack (optional)
A prequel about a high-school-age Kishō Arima and Taishi Fura hunting a ghoul called Lantern, adapted from Ishida's Jack spin-off manga. Optional.
- Tokyo Ghoul: Pinto (optional)
A short prequel showing how Shuu Tsukiyama met Chie Hori in high school, from the Tokyo Ghoul: Days light novel. Optional.
- Tokyo Ghoul
Kaneki becomes half-ghoul and finds a home at the Anteiku café, ending with the Aogiri Tree arc and his fight with Jason. Adapts the first part of the manga fairly closely.
- Tokyo Ghoul √A
An anime-original route built from Ishida's story draft. Kaneki joins Aogiri Tree instead of forming his own group as in the manga, and the season ends on its own version of the Anteiku raid.
- Tokyo Ghoul:re
Two years later, a CCG investigator named Haise Sasaki mentors the Quinx Squad. Follows the :re manga, chapters 1 to about 58, rather than continuing √A.
- Tokyo Ghoul:re 2nd season
Races through the rest of the :re manga, about 120 chapters, to its ending. Widely criticized as rushed.
Release order
The usual way to watch. The OVAs came out between √A and :re and are optional side stories.
- Tokyo Ghoul
Kaneki becomes half-ghoul and finds a home at the Anteiku café, ending with the Aogiri Tree arc and his fight with Jason. Adapts the first part of the manga fairly closely.
- Tokyo Ghoul √A
An anime-original route built from Ishida's story draft. Kaneki joins Aogiri Tree instead of forming his own group as in the manga, and the season ends on its own version of the Anteiku raid.
- Tokyo Ghoul: Jack (optional)
A prequel about a high-school-age Kishō Arima and Taishi Fura hunting a ghoul called Lantern, adapted from Ishida's Jack spin-off manga. Optional.
- Tokyo Ghoul: Pinto (optional)
A short prequel showing how Shuu Tsukiyama met Chie Hori in high school, from the Tokyo Ghoul: Days light novel. Optional.
- Tokyo Ghoul:re
Two years later, a CCG investigator named Haise Sasaki mentors the Quinx Squad. Follows the :re manga, chapters 1 to about 58, rather than continuing √A.
- Tokyo Ghoul:re 2nd season
Races through the rest of the :re manga, about 120 chapters, to its ending. Widely criticized as rushed.
Explained
Is √A canon?
Not to the manga. It's an alternate route based on Ishida's draft for the anime: Kaneki joins Aogiri Tree, several characters' fates change, and Hide's ending differs from the manga's. It still ends at the same big battle the manga's first part builds to.
Why does :re feel like I missed something?
Because :re follows the manga, not √A. It opens with Kaneki living as Haise Sasaki with no memory of his past, and some characters who seemed gone in √A are back without explanation. The anime never shows how he got there; the original manga's second half (from about chapter 67 to the end) covers it.
Should I read the manga instead?
Many fans say so. Season 1 is a fair adaptation, √A goes its own way, and :re's second season squeezes about 120 chapters into 12 episodes, cutting a lot of character work. If you liked :re's first season, you can switch to the :re manga from around chapter 58.
What are Jack and Pinto?
Two short prequel OVAs. Jack follows a teenage Arima's first case; Pinto shows how Tsukiyama and Hori met. Both are side stories and don't affect the plot.
Is there more coming?
No new anime has been announced as of autumn 2026. The 10th anniversary in 2024–25 brought events and a one-day US screening of Season 1 episodes, not new animation. The two live-action films (2017 and 2019) are separate retellings.