Ken Kaneki — The Ghoul
| The Ghoul | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Ken Kaneki |
| Gender | Man |
| Origin | Japanese |
| Power | One-Eyed Terror |
Movement Speed   |
115 % | 4.6 m/s |
Terror Radius  |
40 metres |
Height   |
Average |
| DLC | CHAPTER 35: Tokyo Ghoul |
| Voice Actor | Natsuki Hanae (Original Voice Actor) |
| Cost | 500 Auric Cells  
|
| Terror Radius Music | |
| CharID | K39 |
| Theme Filename | Tokyo Ghoul_Theme_Music.ogg |
Ken Kaneki or "The Ghoul" is one of 39 Killers
currently featured in Dead by Daylight
.
He was introduced as the Killer of CHAPTER 35: Tokyo Ghoul, a Chapter DLC released on 2 April 2025.
He originates from the 2011 Manga and its 2014 Anime adaptation of the same name, Tokyo Ghoul.
Overview
The Ghoul has been pushed to his limits and he's hungry for more.
His personal Perks, Hex: Nothing but Misery
, Forever Entwined
, and None Are Free
, help him to Hinder Survivors, hook them more quickly, and block Windows and Pallets when all Generators are completed.
Lore
Ken Kaneki was a gentle and kind-hearted boy who lived a simple life, studying literature at Kamii University, before a chance encounter turned his life upside down.
He and his friend Hide frequented the café Anteiku, where one of the regulars caught his eye: Rize Kamishiro. She shared his passion for reading, and he spotted her even reading the same novel as him. He worked up the courage to ask her on a date. While walking her home, Rize showed her true colors: those of a ghoul known as The Binge Eater. She feasted on his flesh, nearly killing him, until a freak construction accident caused her demise, and nearly caused his as well.
To save his life, doctors transplanted Rize's organs into Kaneki. He survived the surgery, but something was wrong... food lost its flavor, and strange cravings dogged him. The life-saving surgery had made him part-ghoul.
Confused and afraid, he followed his instincts into an alleyway where he ran into Touka Kirishima, one of the staff members at Anteiku. Shocked at his transformation, she brought him back to the café. He was surprised to learn that the staff at Anteiku were ghouls. They took him under his wing, helping him adapt to his new reality. He learned how to fight with his newfound powers, how to deal with his urges to kill and eat human flesh, and how to stay one step ahead of the CCG. His adaptation to his new life was cruelly interrupted when he was kidnapped and subjected to unprecedented physical and mental torture at the hands of a particularly cruel ghoul named Jason. His captor's exercises of control and profound violence were so diabolical that they broke Kaneki's mind, stripped him of what once made him human. His sense of self was shattered, and Rize stepped into the empty space, encouraging him to take control in his own life.
And control is what he took, paying back Jason's violence in kind. He broke free and battled his captor. The torture made him numb to pain, and his shattered psyche left him no space for hesitation. He defeated Jason after a short battle, and he devoured him.
He had been dragged into a nightmare a tormented boy, but he walked out a powerful ghoul. He considered what this would mean as he pushed his way through the heavy doors, and barely noticed as a black fog pooled around his feet. He walked out, confident that the torture was over. But as he observed his surroundings, he realized that perhaps it had only begun.
Load-out
Unique Perks
The Ghoul comes with 3 Perks
that are unique to him:
 |
Forever Entwined | "The greater the struggle, the more difficult the escape."
Whenever a Survivors takes damage, Forever Entwined gains +1 Token, up to a maximum of 6/7/8 Tokens:
|
|---|---|---|
 |
Hex: Nothing but Misery | "You've been driven to the absolute depths of pain, and now you're ready to inflict that pain on others."
After damaging Survivors a total of 8 times with Basic Attacks, a random Dull Totem
   is cleansed or blessed.
"All of the liabilities of this world are due to the inadequacies of the person involved." — Ken Kaneki |
 |
None Are Free | "You know better than anyone that the light at the end of the tunnel is only an illusion."
Whenever you hook a Survivor for the first time, None Are Free gains +1 Token, up to a maximum of 4 Tokens.
|
Prestige
Prestiging The Ghoul will automatically add Tier I of his Unique Perks to the inventories of all other Killers and unlock the ability for their higher-tiered versions to spawn in their Bloodweb
.
Prestige The Ghoul twice more to automatically add Tier II and Tier III respectively into the other Killers' inventories.
Power: One-Eyed Terror
SPECIAL ABILITY: ONE-EYED TERROR
The Ghoul starts the Trial with 2 Tokens.
SPECIAL ABILITY: KAGUNE LEAP
Press and hold the Power button to charge a Kagune Leap, while aiming the reticule at any vertical surface or Survivor within 14 metres.
Press the Attack button to initiate a Kagune Leap, consuming -1 Token, or release the Power button to cancel it:
- Attaches the tentacles to the target and quickly pulls The Ghoul forwards.
- Grants the ability to leap over Windows
or dropped Pallets
.
After performing a Kagune Leap, if there is still a Power Token available, a window of opportunity opens for 5 seconds:
- Press the Attack button to initiate another Kagune Leap.
- Press the Secondary Power button to cancel the Power.
- The button may also already be pressed at any point during the Leap to instantly cancel it upon landing.
Kagune Leap automatically enters its cool-down after any of the following:
- The last Power Token has been consumed.
- The window of opportunity has elapsed.
- A Vaulting action has been performed.
- A Survivor has been grabbed.
During the cool-down, Kagune Leap recharges all consumed Power Tokens at a speed of 4 seconds per Token.
The Power only becomes available again after fully recharging all Tokens.
If Kagune Leap is not already on cool-down, breaking a Pallet causes it to enter a forced cool-down equivalent to 1 Power Token.
SPECIAL INTERACTION: TARGETING SURVIVORS & SURVIVOR COLLISION
Targeting a Survivor directly or colliding with them at any point during a Kagune Leap has multiple possible effects and interactions:
- If it is the first Leap, indicated by the reticule showing a closed mouth, the Survivor will remain unharmed.
- If it is the second Leap, indicated by the reticule showing an open mouth, grants the ability to perform a Grab-Attack.
- Colliding with a Survivor vaulting or standing on the other side of a Window or dropped Pallet during a Kagune Leap damages them.
SPECIAL ATTACK: GRAB-ATTACK
While the Grab-Attack occurs automatically when the conditions are met, it features an optional button prompt QTE:
- Swiftly press the Attack button to perfectly time the attack, extending the subsequent Countdown.
- Missing the button prompt will apply the regular Countdown.
The Grab-Attack applies the following effects to the targeted Survivor:
- Applies the Injured State
when healthy. - Causes them to suffer from the Deep Wound
Status Effect. - Applies the Kagune Mark.
After performing a Grab-Attack, The Ghoul enters Enraged Mode.
SPECIAL AFFLICTION: KAGUNE MARK
Fully Mending or entering the Dying State
removes the Kagune Mark for that Survivor.
Marked Survivors cannot be injured by Grab-Attacks, but still suffer its other effects.
SPECIAL MODE: ENRAGED MODE
While in this mode, The Ghoul benefits from the following effects:
- Increases the number of Power Tokens to 3.
- Reduces the Power Recharge time to 2.5 seconds per Token.
- Reduces the Vaulting time while targeting a Survivor located across it.
Enraged Mode remains active for as long as there is at least one Survivor with the Kagune Mark.
SPECIAL INTERACTION: COUNTDOWN
Once the last marked Survivor removes their Kagune Mark, the Countdown triggers and is indicated on their HUD Portrait.
The Countdown lasts for 40 seconds, after which Enraged Mode ends.
Performing a perfectly timed Grab-Attack increases its duration to 50 seconds.
Power Trivia
Movement Speeds:
- Walking while charging or adjusting Kagune Leap: 3.68 m/s
- Walking: 4.6 m/s
- Performing the First Leap on any Survivor or a Consecutive Leap on Survivors holding a Kagune Mark: 10 m/s
- Performing a Leap: 14 m/s
- Sliding after a Leap: 23 m/s
Kagune Leap:
- Power Charge time: 0.35 seconds
- Power Charge-cancellation threshold: 0.25 seconds
- Below this threshold, The Ghoul will not enter the charge-cancellation cool-down.
- Power Recharge time out of Enraged Mode: 4 seconds per Token
- Grab-Attack distance: 3.5 metres
- When The Ghoul enters this radius near targeted Survivors and under the right conditions, The Ghoul will Grab-Attack them.
- Minimum Leap distance: 5 metres
- Below this threshold, a Leap will not be initiated.
- Maximum Leap distance: 14 metres
- Kagune Leap's trajectory endpoint is pre-determined at every use but its duration isn't — making The Ghoul unable to move forward at best beyond this set distance without the Blood-Stained Handkerchief
Add-on.
- Kagune Leap's trajectory endpoint is pre-determined at every use but its duration isn't — making The Ghoul unable to move forward at best beyond this set distance without the Blood-Stained Handkerchief
- Sliding duration: 0.8 seconds
- Adjusting duration: 5 seconds
- How long after an initial Leap, a consecutive one can be initiated.
- Recent Leap effect: 0.45 seconds
- The lingering time during which The Ghoul can perform a Leap Vault after coming out of a Leap.
- Maximum Leap relative height: 8 metres
- The maximum height offset at which The Ghoul can go up to while using Kagune Leap.
- Maximum pitch: 60°
- The maximum angle at which The Ghoul's Leap trajectory can deviate from its point of origin on the Z axis.
- Minimum surface angle threshold: 15°
- Maximum surface angle threshold: 155°
- Wall target minimum degrees: 100°
- Wall target maximum degrees: 180°
- Leaping strafe magnitude ratio: x0.15
- Slide movement control strength ratio: x1.5
Enraged Mode:
- Power Recharge time: 2.5 seconds per Token
- Countdown duration: 40 seconds
- Perfectly-timed Grab additive: 10 seconds
- This added bonus is applied to the Countdown after successfully performing the Quick-Time Event when Grab-Attacking survivors.
- Kagune Leap Vault duration modifier: x0.667
- This modifier is applied only if the Kagune is launched at Survivors standing behind a Vault location.
Leap Vault:
- Base Vault durations (Pallet and Window): 1.5 seconds
- Window vault angle variability: x0.55
- Pallet vault angle variability: x0.7
FOV Modifiers:
- FOV Multiplier while performing a Leap: x1.25
- FOV Multiplier while latching onto Survivors not holding a Kagune Mark with Consecutive Leaps: x1.6
Cool-downs:
- Charge-cancellation cool-down: 1 second
- Leap Vault cool-down: 1.25 seconds
- Used after vaulting with Kagune Leap.
- Leap cool-down: 2 seconds
- Used for both cancelling Kagune Leap and running out of Leap Tokens.
- First Leap cool-down: 2.5 seconds
- Used after latching onto survivors on the First Leap or if they are already holding a Kagune Mark. This cool-down requires The Ghoul to be within Grab-Attack range to activate.
- Grab cool-down: 3 seconds
- Used after performing a Grab-Attack.
Collision Detection:
Each given value works in tangent with one another to achieve one goal: calculating the duration of a Leap in real-time.
- Leap capsule size : 0.45 metres
- Collision Check range: 0.85 metres
- Collision Check capsule radius: 0.2 metres
- Collision Check capsule height: 0.27 metres
- The Collision Check determines whether or not The Ghoul is facing an obstacle every 0.85 metres of distance traveled during a Leap.
Aim Assist:
- The Reticle's detection sphere radius for aiming at Survivors: 0.01 metres
- The Reticle's detection sphere radius for aiming at the environment: 0.2 metres
- Multiply these values by two to get their respective diameters.
- The Reticle's Stickiness Time effect on Survivors not holding a Kagune Mark with Consecutive Leaps: 0.18 seconds
- The Reticle's Stickiness Time effect on the environment: 0.2 seconds
Hinder Effect:
This Hinder Status Effect has a unique property which prevents Survivors from performing Actions.
- Hinder amount: 50%
- Hinder duration: 0.5 seconds
- Applied to Survivors after escaping The Ghoul's grasp without getting Grab-Attacked.
- Hinder duration from a Leap Vault: 0.5 seconds
- Applied to Survivors if The Ghoul vaults using Kagune Leap while latched onto them prior to that instant.
Miscellaneous:
- Quick-Time Event warning duration: 0.15 seconds
- Quick-Time Event minimum duration: 0.6 seconds
- Adjusting grace period: 0.18 seconds
- Leap grace period: 0.5 seconds
- Grab-attack camera repositioning time: 0.2 seconds
- Attaching duration: 0.2 seconds
- Retracting duration: 1 second
- Escape blocking duration: 5 seconds
- Destination distance buffer: 1 metre
Add-ons for One-Eyed Terror
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
Anteiku Apron | Standard-issue uniform at a lovely little coffee shop.
|
 |
Kaneki's Wallet | Lost to a strange boy who happened to bump into him on the street.
|
 |
Taiyaki | Ghouls can never eat human food, but they can find ways to pretend.
|
 |
The Black Goat's Egg | The book he used to bond with a woman of consequence.
|
|
Blood-Stained Handkerchief | Even a single drop of blood can excite the senses of any gourmet.
|
 |
Broken Chain | Nothing could restrain him once he finally embraced his full potential.
|
 |
Hide's Headphones | They belonged to his best friend, who he tried to keep safe at all costs.
Survivors affected by the Kagune Mark experience the following effect while carrying it:
|
 |
Hinami's Umbrella | It was raining the day her mother was viciously taken from her.
|
 |
Kaneki's Satchel | Essential gear for any student trying to keep up with their studies.
|
 |
Amon's Necktie | Cold, calculated, precise. He had a firm grasp of every situation. While aiming Mid-Leap, you benefit from the following effect: |
 |
Aogiri Tree Robe | Garments worn by an anti-human ghoul organisation.
Whenever a Generator
|
 |
Mado's Glove | A glove worn by a ghoul investigator.
Survivors affected by the Kagune Mark experience the following effect after it is removed:
|
 |
Red Spider Lily | The white flowers turned red as blood.
Survivors hit with a Basic Attack while in Enraged Mode inflicts the following effect:
|
 |
Rize's Glasses | They made her look innocent enough, which was exactly what she wanted.
Upon entering Enraged Mode, you benefit from the following effect: |
 |
CCG ID Card | A card carried by every ghoul investigator.
Performing a Kagune Leap Vault action triggers the following effect:
|
 |
Fresh Coffee | Every ghoul's favourite drink, the one human delicacy they can consume.
|
 |
Red-Headed Centipede | The thing caused him immeasurable torment.
Performing a Vault action while in Enraged Mode triggers the following effect:
|
 |
Torture Apparatus | A cutting tool used every time his extremities grew back.
Whenever Enraged Mode ends, you benefit from the following effect:
|
 |
Iridescent Eye Patch | An innocent way to hide his true nature from the world.
Unlocks potential in the third consecutive Kagune Leap while in Enraged Mode:
|
 |
Yamori's Mask | Worn by a ghoul from the 13th district whose hobby was torture.
Hooking a Survivor while in Enraged Mode triggers the following effect:
|
Achievements
There are 2 Achievements related to The Ghoul:
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Adept Ghoul | Playing as The Ghoul, achieve a Merciless Victory using only his 3 Unique Perks: Hex: Nothing but Misery, Forever Entwined, and None Are Free |
|
Remember Who I Am | Playing as The Ghoul   , perform a perfectly timed Grab-Attack a total of 30 times.
|
Cosmetic Options
Players can choose from a variety of Cosmetic options to customise The Ghoul:
Default
Prestige
Perk Charms
| Prestige Level 7 Reward | Prestige Level 8 Reward | Prestige Level 9 Reward |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| A keepsake gained upon mastery of a particular skill. | ||
In-Game Store
| No cosmetics found. Cosmetics data probably weren't updated yet. Please contact Jouki |
Alternate Character Models
The Ghoul has 1 alternate Character models available in the in-game Store:
DLC
The Ghoul is part of 1 DLC:
Change Log
Patch 8.6.2
- Nerf: Reduced the maximum Leap distance from 16 metres to 14 metres.
- Nerf: Reduced the Countdown duration from 45 seconds to 40 seconds.
- Nerf: Reduced the Perfectly-timed Grab additive from 15 seconds to 10 seconds.
- Nerf: Reduced Grab-Attack distance from 5 metres to 3.5 metres.
- Nerf: Kagune Leap now enters a cool-down equal to a single Token usage if it is not already in cool-down after The Ghoul breaks a Pallet.
- Quality of Life: Reduced the Reticle's detection sphere radius for aiming at unmarked survivors by 94% from 0.15 metres to 0.01 metres.
- Quality of Life: Reduced the Reticle's stickiness effect for unmarked survivors from 0.3 seconds to 0.18 seconds.
Patch 8.7.0
- Nerf: Increased the amount of Kagune Leap tokens lost after breaking a pallet from 1 to 2.
- Nerf: Halved the Hindered duration inflicted on Survivors that are targeted with Kagune Leap prior to a vault from 1 second to 0.5 seconds.
- Quality of Life: The Enraged Attack Score Event now properly activates on all Grab-Attacks while Enraged Mode is active and its Bloodpoint value has been increased from 250 to 600 Bloodpoints.
Trivia
- The Ghoul is the first Killer to date who does not have weapon that is one of his three Cosmetic slots.
- In-game, he uses his Kagune (the tentacles) for both Basic Attacks and Special Attacks.
- While there are others Killers without a weapon as such — like The Nemesis using his fist or The Dark Lord his hand — they at least featured that body part as a weapon Cosmetic, whereas The Ghoul does not.
- The Ghoul Lore outlines the events of the first season of the Tokyo Ghoul anime.
- His appearance, however, reflects the second season.
- He would eventually receive the outfit from where he is taken from the final episode of the anime.
- His appearance, however, reflects the second season.
- The finger-cracking The Ghoul does in some animations (e.g. idling in the menu, cool-down phase after a Basic Attack), is a habit that he mirrored from Jason after the latter tortured him in Tokyo Ghoul.
- The Ghoul is the fifth Killer to have two successful basic attack cooldown animations.
- This does not apply when using the Rize outfit, she loses the finger crack animation.
- The other killers are Shape
, Oni
, Nemesis T-Type
, Good Guy
.
- The Ghoul is the first killer to feature a quick time event in their gameplay.
- When initiating a grab attack, the player has the opportunity to perfectly time an input to be rewarded with an extension to their Enraged Mode Countdown.
- There is no penalty for failing the quick time event.
- When using the cosmetic set "Awakened Ghoul", Kaneki's voice becomes clearer, since it removes his mask.
Source Adaptation
- According to Dave Richards, Creative Director of Dead by Daylight, their reimagining of Ken Kaneki had to undergo a drastic change in personality to suit his role as a Killer:
"Rather than making him a Survivor, as his moral compass in the series may suggest, we felt it would be more interesting to really lean into the horror and present an alternate reality where Kaneki became exactly what he feared.
While such a drastic change to Ken Kaneki's personality was necessary to suit his role as a Killer, it allowed the team to delve into a Ghoul’s powers and take them to their darkest possible conclusion. Luckily, the Tokyo Ghoul Production Committee was on board for the story we wanted to tell, sharing our excitement to see this terrifying take on their protagonist."[1]
Voice Lines
- The Ghoul is the tenth Killer with voice-lines.
- The Ghoul is voiced by Ken Kaneki's original voice actor in the anime, Natsuki Hanae.
- "May I ask what your name is?" and "What are you going to do now?" lobby voice lines were originally meant to be used for finding survivors inside lockers.
Voice Line References
- "What's one thousand minus seven?", said while performing a Memento Mori, is a reference to a mantra intended to keep Kaneki sane during his torture, instructing him to loudly count backwards from one thousand in increments of seven.
- "All of the liabilities of this world are due to the inadequacies of the person involved." is a quote from Jason.
- "It's my turn." is a quote from Kaneki in his fight with Jason.
- "I am... a ghoul." is a quote from Kaneki when he awakens to his ghoul-self.
- "May I ask what your name is?" is a quote from Kaneki during his confrontation with Amon in the second season.
Gallery
In-game assets
The Ghoul
The Ghoul (Portrait render)
The Ghoul (Background image)
Official art
References
- ↑ "Dead by Daylight’s new Tokyo Ghoul collaboration killer launches April 2" PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
