Ken Kaneki originated as a shy human Japanese literature student, shaped by childhood trauma involving maternal abuse and social isolation, alleviated solely by his friendship with Hideyoshi Nagachika. A date with the ghoul Rize Kamishiro ended in her attack on him; a subsequent steel beam accident crushed Rize and led to emergency organ transplants transforming Kaneki into an artificial one-eyed ghoul. Initially struggling with his new identity, he refused human flesh until mentored by Anteiku's manager Yoshimura, who offered both sustenance and employment at the café. Navigating early ghoul life brought threats like Nishio Nishiki and bonds with Anteiku staff Touka Kirishima and Hinami Fueguchi. The death of Hinami's mother, Ryouko, during a CCG raid hardened his resolve to protect others, spurring combat training. His capture and torture by Aogiri Tree's Yamori (Yakumo Oomori) proved pivotal. Enduring extreme torment fractured Kaneki mentally; he consumed the mental manifestation of Rize, embracing his ghoul nature. This triggered a drastic shift: his hair turned white, and he adopted ruthless tactics—cannibalizing Yamori's kagune and breaking 103 bones in Touka's brother Ayato Kirishima to assert dominance. After the Anteiku Raid, Kaneki emerged with amnesia and blindness. Recruited by CCG investigator Kishou Arima, he became Haise Sasaki, a cooperative and merciful First Rank Ghoul Investigator leading the Quinx Squad. As Sasaki, he wrestled with fragmented memories while sporting white hair streaked with black, reflecting his duality. Confronting the ghoul Eto Yoshimura during the Tsukiyama Extermination Operation restored his memories and identity, turning his hair fully black as he reclaimed being Kaneki. Re-entering the ghoul underground, Kaneki adopted the "Black Reaper" persona, marked by black attire, glasses, and reptilian-scaled arms from injuries sustained against Arima. He later united ghoul factions as the self-proclaimed "One-Eyed King," forming the organization Goat to oppose the CCG and ghoul monopolies. A scheme by the Washuu clan induced his transformation into "Dragon," a colossal, uncontrollable kakuja that ravaged Tokyo, emitting a poisonous toxin causing Rapid Onset Ghoulification Syndrome (ROS). Extracted by allies, he eventually neutralized the Dragon and defeated Kichimura Washuu. Post-conflict, Kaneki achieved balance between his human and ghoul sides. He married Touka Kirishima, fathered a daughter, and operated a café as a sanctuary while advocating human-ghoul peace. His hair remained white, with scars on his neck and left eye marking his journey. Psychologically, Kaneki cycled through grief stages: denying his ghoul identity, expressing anger through violence, bargaining via personas like Sasaki, sinking into depression as the suicidal Black Reaper, and ultimately accepting his hybrid existence. His powers evolved from a brittle rinkaku kagune to a complete kakuja after consuming Eto's kagune, granting armored forms and centipede-like appendages. As Dragon, he exhibited Large Size (Type 3), biological manipulation via ROS toxins, and regenerative capabilities allowing recovery from decapitation-level injuries. Physical transformations consistently mirrored his psyche: black hair signified human denial or suppression, white denoted ghoul acceptance, and black-white streaks reflected identity conflict during his Sasaki phase.