Ken Kaneki, the protagonist of the story, is a 19 year old university freshman that receives an organ transplant from Rize, who was trying to kill him before she was struck by a fallen i-beam and seemingly killed. After the operation he develops ghoul like tendencies and characteristics, and his rationality begins to wane. As one that is now bothghoul and human he struggles to keep his ghoul identity secret, always fighting against his ghoul side while trying to continue to live like a normal human.