Parents' Guide to Tokyo Ghoul

TV Hulu Anime 2014
Tokyo Ghoul TV show poster: A boy with an eye patch is holding an open book in one hand while staring off in the distance, behind him is a cityscape and four menacing looking figures.

Common Sense Media Review

By Jeremy Looney , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Dark fantasy horror anime has excessive violence and gore.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Tokyo Ghoul TV show screenshot 1: A boy with white hair shows a menacing smile, his right eye is completely black with a red pupil, and he has a red tendril proceeding from his left shoulder.
  • Tokyo Ghoul TV show screenshot 2: A white-haired boy is seen fighting a tall and muscular man who is in the process of turning into a monstrous figure with a demonic looking arm.
  • Tokyo Ghoul TV show screenshot 3: A boy with an eye patch sits in a chair while a strange looking man with tattoos, face piercings, and black and red eyes works behind him.

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 6 parent reviews

 

 

See all 6 parent reviews
age 15+

Based on 8 kid reviews

 

 

See all 8 kid reviews

What's the Story?

TOKYO GHOUL centers around Ken Kaneki (voiced by Austin Tindle in the English dub), a college student living in Tokyo during the ghoul invasion. Ghouls are mutants who look just like regular people, but they have deadly mutant powers and feast on humans. Ken has a deadly encounter with a ghoul which he narrowly survives but is put into critical condition. A doctor transplants organs from a ghoul's body to save Ken; in doing so Ken becomes a half-human, half-ghoul hybrid. Caught between two worlds, Ken must learn to navigate through his hybrid nature and the conflict between humans and ghouls.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 6 ):
Kids say ( 8 ):

This edgy dark fantasy anime boasts good art and animation and has some fun action scenes but unfortunately not much else. The Tokyo Ghoul story and characters leave a lot to be desired, and character development and plot points are rushed, messy, and confusing. The series makes up for some of these shortcomings with its edgy and bloody battles, which can be fun to watch. But outside of those moments it just feels lackluster and unremarkable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the impact that viewing excessively violent and graphic content can have. What kind of messages about violence is this anime trying to convey?

  • How does the series address and portray the mental health and psychological issues of its characters?

TV Details

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Tokyo Ghoul TV show poster: A boy with an eye patch is holding an open book in one hand while staring off in the distance, behind him is a cityscape and four menacing looking figures.

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