Updated October 25, 2022 by Ernie
With the Tokyo Ghoul series officially releasing its last episode on the 25th of December, 2018, we were graced with small glimpses into the lives of a few characters during the final episode. Sui Ishida’s Tokyo Ghoul brought us a world filled with the idea of ‘survival of the fittest.’ It felt like two species of apex predators were neck-in-neck claiming territory for the sake of survival. But, here comes Ken Kaneki who gets stuck between both worlds.
Table of Contents
We know Ken Kaneki as a one-eyed ghoul since Dr. Kanou illegally transplanted Rize’s kakuhou to him. Making him essentially, the first artificially created one-eyed ghoul. We remember how he struggled with the realization that he was no longer human, the grief that he had to go through knowing that he became the very monster that once attacked him. How hard he denied eating meat long enough ‘till he snapped and we’ve witnessed countless turning points on which side Kaneki would be on. Before we touch the topic of what 1000 – 7 means, we have to first get to know the characters involved.
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WHAT DOES 1000 – 7 MEAN?
Characters Involved
Ken Kaneki
Kaneki is in the spotlight here obviously since he was the victim of this torture that ‘1000 – 7’ became a mantra, an echo that keeps his mind intact. We remember him narrating every detail that happened to him in the manga and how much he endured.
Kaneki’s Mother (Memory)
His mother played a huge role when he snapped. We see her in flashbacks and in Kaneki’s memories, she was remembered as intelligent and kind. Kaneki portrayed her as a kind mother who puts the needs of others first before hers, a quality that Kaneki carried. But there was a feeling of resentment that Kaneki had, so there are those disconnecting thoughts.
You see, Kaneki was also physically abused by his mother (Tokyo Ghoul :re Manga Chapter 53)—as it was flashbacked in his memory. Kaneki loved his mother, despite the abuse, he loved her and resented her at the same time. He carried his mother’s qualities in terms of caring and being able to compromise to which Rize calls him weak. Her memory was also one of the reasons that Kaneki broke.
Rize Kamishiro (Hallucination)
Rize was the whole catalyst for Kaneki’s transformation. It was her ghoul parts that were transferred to Kaneki, and he knows that. Unconsciously, Kaneki materializes her in his head and would often see her when he dissociates or is in deep thought. She was the one who called him out on his weaknesses, pushing him to lean on the ghoul part of him—to lose control.
Her role during the torture scene provided Kaneki with a voice of reason, well for him as she tried to give him solutions to his problems. But Kaneki doesn’t let Rize control him, he breaks from his mother’s ideals, and Yakumo’s chains and decides to make his own choices.
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Yakumo Oomori
Yamori was an S-class ghoul that founded the White Suits. He was notorious for his brutality and got his title as Jason of the 13th ward. He viewed Kaneki as a plaything, a suitable toy for him that would keep him entertained. He saw him as a weak ghoul that was torn by his moral compass. Naturally, he exploited that side of Kaneki using horrible tactics just to break his mind. Well… if you’ve seen the anime and read the manga then you certainly know what happened.
Now let us go back to the topic at hand, let’s break down the question of what is 1000 – 7 and what does it mean in Tokyo Ghoul? We first see 1000 – 7 when Yakumo Oomori began torturing Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul Manga Chapter 61). He orders him to start counting backward from 1000 and slowly rips his fingers and toes—and repeats the process since ghouls are able to regenerate.
Yamori also shows extra attention to Kaneki because he has his own beef with Rize, and since Kaneki reeks of Rize’s scent… let’s just say regardless of gender Yamori will have his revenge. If you can recall what happened in the first episode with Rize… then you will understand why Yamori hounded Kaneki.
What is 1000 – 7?
Kaneki clung to the operation, 1000 – 7 as he was being tortured. It was his way to keep his sanity as he is being constantly subjected to pain. His fingers were twisted and ripped off with pliers and each time Yamori rips flesh and bone, Kaneki counts. This process is repeated until Kaneki is able to regenerate over and over again.
The torture continues and so does his counting, but aside from the finger fiasco, Yakumo puts a centipede inside Kaneki’s ear, furthering his torments as Kaneki begs for his life. Not only that, he kills Kouto and Kei in front of him (Tokyo Ghoul Manga Chapter 63) as he was unable to decide who he should save. Further pushing him to a tipping point of his sanity, with countless things on his mind, and the death of innocents brought him back to his past with the death of his own mother.
What does it mean in Tokyo Ghoul?
After Ken Kaneki changes his appearance he also switches sides, he leaves the peaceful Anteiku and sides with the Aogiri Tree. The phrase “1000 – 7” now becomes a representation of Kaneki’s insanity, it’s kind of ironic how he used it to maintain his sanity but now it’s a reminder of his pain, his torture, and his insanity.
This was further seen as he completely devoured all of Yakumo, becoming a cannibal himself (Tokyo Ghoul Manga Chapter 65) and completing his revenge with a question, “what’s 1000 minus 7?” (Tokyo Ghoul Manga Chapter 66) His suffering continues in the second season and we get to see the aftermath of what happened. We see him losing control of his ghoul side despite having fully accepted that side of him.
Conclusion
Okay so… well, that was a lot to unpack. Tokyo Ghoul is definitely not for the faint-hearted as it tackles heavier themes, but it’s just so good! Kaneki’s growth throughout the series shows how decisions have to be made and lives will be lost when you’re fighting for survival. Their world was shrouded with fear and disdain, and sure enough, Kaneki became a bridge to both worlds. Unifying both and showing that peace is quite possible.
Especially with the last episode–though it was sad that it had to end but it was necessary. And… I actually enjoyed the ending, I was satisfied with knowing that Kaneki and Touka were endgame and that they had a kid and that some of my ships were sailing as well *ahem* HinamiandAyato *ahem*. ALSO! I was so happy for Juuzuou that his mentor woke up… he deserved that happiness after being tortured himself back in the day.
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References:
(Tokyo Ghoul Manga Chapter 61)
(Tokyo Ghoul Manga Chapter 63)
(Tokyo Ghoul Manga Chapter 65)
(Tokyo Ghoul Manga Chapter 66)
(Tokyo Ghoul :re Manga Chapter 53)
