Why does Tokyo Ghoul √A tell a different story?

The second season was announced as an original story, and the original draft behind it was not the one that aired.

Tokyo Ghoul √A (“Root A”), Studio Pierrot’s second season, aired from January 9 to March 27, 2015, in twelve episodes. It was conceived as a departure from the manga: the production asked Sui Ishida to write an original draft for the season to work from. In a later interview, Ishida indicated that his version of the draft was not used. The reason has never been made public.

What aired instead is best described factually: a condensed version of the manga’s second half with anime-original turns, the largest being that Kaneki, who in the manga forms his own group against the Aogiri Tree, in √A joins Aogiri. The sequel anime, Tokyo Ghoul:re (2018), then adapts the :re manga directly, which is why viewers who follow only the anime meet a story whose middle took a different road.

THE DOCUMENTED TRAIL

What can be checked

The draft exists

Part of the storyboard draft Ishida drew for √A was published, with Shueisha calling it a “secret name”, in the official book Tokyo Ghoul [anime] on September 18, 2015.

The ending cards

Ishida drew a new ending-card illustration for every one of √A’s episodes, so his hand is present in the season even where his draft is not.

The manga’s road

In the manga’s second half Kaneki builds his own group and the story closes with the Anteiku raid and volume 14’s epilogue, the ground :re then continues from.

The credits

√A keeps season one’s core staff: director Shuhei Morita, series composition by Chūji Mikasano, music by Yutaka Yamada, Studio Pierrot.

Why does Tokyo Ghoul √A tell a different story?

THE DOCUMENTED TRAIL

THE FIRST WORD