Ayato Kirishima

Ayato Kirishima (霧嶋 絢都, Kirishima Ayato) is Touka Kirishima's younger brother and Reiji Yomo's nephew and is one of the major characters of the supernatural/horror series Tokyo Ghoul. He grew up with his sister in the 20th ward but at some point of time he disappeared. He currently serves as an Executive of the Aogiri Tree.

He's voiced by Yūki Kaji and Ayahi Takagaki (young Ayato) in the Japanese Dub and is voiced by Todd Haberkorn in the English Dub.

Appearance
Ayato bears a striking resemblance to his sister. He is a quite tall and lean young man, with blue eyes and long, blue messy hair which sweeps down in front of his eyes. He wears a hooded, long-sleeved black leather jacket, and black pants, along with knee-high black boots. His first mask was black with a demonted smile on it and has a black rabbit mask as his second one giving him the alias of The Black Rabbit. In Tokyo Ghoul √A, he wears a smaller black mask that covers the lower half of his face with little spikes and a large black overcoat with white fur around the top.

In Tokyo Ghoul:re, he has grown taller as he is quite tall and wears shin-high black boots with a black coat over his cloths. Ayato also wears a new battle suit that he uses in combat and it's a large set of armor over his torso.

Personality
An arrogant youth with a similar harsh attitude resembling his sister. Other than his physical looks, he shares many similarities with Touka such as his cold, hotblooded attitude and a habit for kicking people. However, he seems to be harsher compared to his sister and surprisingly nicer than his Aogiri superiors. Ayato bears deep grudges against his father, Arata, for abandoning him and Touka when they were young. Ayato has even stated that the whole reason for hating Kaneki was his resemblance to Arata. It was also pointed out by Kaneki that Ayato cares deeply for Touka subconsciously, as shown when he beat her down first rather than allowing her to suffer a slow, torturous death from Yamori. Ayato also seems to have a soft spot for rabbits.

In Tokyo Ghoul:re however, Ayato has changed. Over the course of three years, Ayato has developed a newer personality. He's far less arrogant than he used to be and is more calm, rational, and more aproachable than he was when he was younger. He speaks more calmly now and is less ill-tempered and is more calm and soother than before. He still retains some of his old traits though, as he still frequently engages in very violent and brutal fights, and ruthlessly slaughters ghoul investigators, CCG soldiers, and humans in general in very brutal and inhumane ways. Following Hinami's capture and Aogiri's reluctance to save her or any of their captured members, Ayato questions the mentality of the Aogiri Tree and wonders if their members are just easily replaceable pawns which Tatara responds in a way that says yes. Ayato also seems to value the lives of fellow Aogiri members unlike the organization's leaders. This is shown during the Auction Raid where he went to help save Miza and Naki despite it not being his orders and shows great concern over Hinami's safety following her capture by the CCG. He also appears to be questioning the motives and actions of the Aogiri Tree often questioning if the Aogiri members who had died were nothing more but mere pawns and is furious over Aogiri's abandoning of Hinami.

Early life
Ayato grew up on the 20th Ward with his sister Touka and his father Arata. His dad would often try to help the two of them blend into human society by taking them to local Library to study and feeding them human food to help them blend in and not get noticed. Ayato however, had believed that all of it was solely a human's world and that ghouls weren't normal or able to fit into human society. One night he had made a promise to his dad that he would protect Touka at any cost whenever she would get in trouble before he was going on his regular scavenging routine but his father never came back. He had assumed that he was killed by the Ghoul Investigators and he and his sister went to a women to tell of her father's disappearance but when they couldn't eat the human food, she sold them out to the CCG and Touka helped her and Ayato escape by using her Kagune on the investigators. Ayato and Touka wandered around until Yoshimura found them and took them in. Both siblings worked and lived at Anteiku but after Ayato discoverd that Touka made a human friend, he got mad blaming interactions with humans and then left Touka and Anteiku behind. As Ayato got older, he wandered around in the Wards of Tokyo in search of more power, caused chaos and bloodshed, and has since than claimed multiple feeding grounds in the 14th Ward. One day, he had ran into Tatara]] and was soon convinced to join the Aogiri Tree because of Ayato's strengths and abilities and has since then became an executive of the organization.

Aogiri Arc
Ayato is first seen at the Aogiri Hideout in the 11th Ward (or a beach in the 11th Ward in the anime) where he is angry over the lack of response and reporting from Kazuichi Banjou, whom he sent out to search and find Rize Kamishiro. Angered over this, Ayato decides to join the search for Rize concered that Yakumo Oomori and Nico might find her first so heads down to the 20th Ward where he finds Anteiku and breaks right in. Ayato then kicks Banjou for not reporting back and for telling Ken Kaneki to run. Ayato is then approached by Touka who's angry over where he's been for so many years and he says that he was "studying the world" because he wasn't a "peaceful idiot". His reunion is then interrupted when Yamori and Nico walk into Anteiku and Ayato is then angered by this but changes after he finds out that Kaneki smells like Rize and co-operates with Yamori in taking him. Touka tries to attack Yamori but then Ayato punches her to the ground and then fires crystal bullets at her with his kagune and defeats her and leaves Touka unconcious and a bloody mess and walks back to base. After the robbing, Ayato escorts Kaneki to a part of the base and kicks him and forces him to walk after Kaneki questioned on how Touka was doind. Ayato then brings Kaneki before Tatara and watches Tatara pierce Kaneki and is then told to do whatever he wants so Ayato throws Kaneki into a room and locks him in.

Once the C.C.G. finds the hideout and sends in thousands of soldiers, Ayato is then told to defend the upper part of the base from the CCG by Tatara who assigns where everyone is supposed to go and what part of the base to defend. Ayato is able to hold his position and soon runs into Touka who is trying to save Kaneki. Ayato fights her and beats her once more and even eats parts of her kagune. Kaneki then shows up and fights Ayato and breaks half of his bones until Noro]] comes in and saves him or Ayato is left fine and is instead grabbed away by Noro in the anime.

Raid on Cochlea
Post-11th Ward Battle, Ayato is part of a small division of Aogiri Soldiers in a raid of the Ghoul Detention Center in the anime and attacks the prison. He's partners with Kaneki and the two of them infiltrate a part of the facility and help break out dozens of ghoul prisonors. Ayato then runs into investigator Yukinori Shinohara and engages him in a fight. Ayato then sees Shinohara's Arata armor and discovers what truely happened to his father. He continues to fight until he tires out. Kaneki then pushes his unconcious body out of the way and the two of them are carried off by Eto in her owl form. He also rescues Naki early on prior to the raid.

Raid on Kanou's Lab
Ayato is seen being apart of the Aogiri search for doctor Akihiro Kanou. It's revealed that he has a black rabbit mask and is revealed to be the infamous Black Rabbit. He does this to clear Touka's reputation and end the confusions between the two ghouls. He participates in the search for Kanou and leaves the lab after Kanou joins Aogiri and his rescued by Matasaka Kamishiro.

Anteiku Raid
Sometime during the CCG's Raid in the 20th Ward and the destruction of Anteiku, Ayato and Aogiri Armies launch a surprise attack on the remaining CCG Forces. He's seen leading a small division of Aogiri Soldiers and engages the CCG Forces. He most likely left once Arima showed up with reinforcements and the entire ward was destroyed. He's then seen clutching his mask after the battle is over.

Nutcracker Investigation
Ayato makes his debut in Tokyo Ghoul:re where he is at the residence of Karao Saeki]] after he finds out that Saeki has recordings and information on the CCG and a small team of Ghoul Investigators is trying to get it back. Ayato fights them and kills all of the investigators leaving only the commander, Nobu Shimoguchi, the only one alive. Torso then begs Ayato to join the Aogiri Tree and Ayato grants him his wishes even though he can't leave once he's in and asks Torso if the investigator Haise Sasaki is part of the Quinx Squad. Back at his home in another Aogiri base, Ayato is seen on the top of the roof overlooking Tokyo when Eto finds him and tells him some news. Ayato is then informed that he's been hired for security at the upcoming Auction and he'll be protecting the Madam Ghouls at the event. He also hears conversation between CCG members and learns about a mysterious ghoul known as "Floppy" and then tells Hinami to be his "ears" during the auction.

Auction
During the Auction, Ayato is with Torso in the crowd and is acting as personal security for the event. He tells Torso how humans are exploited and then watches humans get auctioned off until he finds Tooru Mutsuki is a one-eyed ghoul and is surprised. He gets annoyed with Torso's fit and then finds out that the CCG has arrived and Juuzou Suzuya reveals himself and starts slaughtering all of the guests and nearby ghouls. He then tells Naki and Miza to engage Juuzou while he guards Big Madam. Ayato begins to fight Juuzou but then leaves after Hinami warns him that Naki is out-numbered and needs help which Ayato provides and uses his new One-Wing Kagune the CCG Troops and kills many of them. As the raid continues, the Aogiri Forces continue to dwiddle and so he, Naki, Miza, and others all flee to the top of the roof and stay there to avoid being killed. Naki begins to panic and eventually, Ayato and Aogiri all retreat but is frustraited when he finds out that Hinami didn't escape and was captured by the CCG Forces.

Rosewald Investigation
After the Auction Raid, Ayato is frustraited and worried over Hinami after he knows that she's been taken into the CCG's custody and is being held at the Ghoul Detention Center in the 23rd Ward. He tries to convince his superiors, mainly Tatara, to help rescue Hinami and attack the facility. Tatara rejects Ayato's request and is soon mocked by Seidou Takizawa who finds it amusing that a ghoul cares for another ghoul. Ayato is then enraged when he finds out that Hinami was attacked by Takizawa and he injured her which gets him furious even though Seidou claimed that Hinami was trying to save Sasaki (Kaneki). Ayato then lunges at him but is stopped by Tatara who berates him for being disobediant and Seidou continues to laugh in the corner.

Post-Tsukiyama Operation
Ayato is seen at the Aogiri Headquarters on Rushima island where he's seen with Miza asking her where Saeki has gone off to but Miza doesn't know. He then replies by talking about the upcoming assembly that Eto is supposed to give and the two don't know what's it about. The conversation then switches over to Cochlea where bleak news is given. It's revealed that Cochlea is too secure and that information on guard shifts is still null and unknown at this time. The two then go looking for Naki when they find out that he's in the meeting hall. He evetually runs into Kazuichi Banjou, his former subordinate, and asks him for help in assaulting Cochlea and rescue Hinami of which Banjou says yes.

Rushima Invasion Arc
During the CCG's raid on the Aogiri base on Rushima, Ayato and Banjou head towards Cochlea in the 23rd Ward with the intent on breaking out Hinami. After analyzing the security structure, Ayato, Banjou, and the other ghouls with them are all aboe to break in and start ravaging the place where, just like two years ago, they break out the ghoul prisoners and chaos starts erupting in the compound. During the fight, Ayato runs into Kishou Arima and begins to fight him but is eventualy forced to retreat after two ghoul soldiers had to save him and he continues deeper into the compound. Ayato, Touka, and Yomo engage Arima in a fight and are almost defeated when Yomo is saved by Kaneki and allows them to escape. He eventually regroups with his older sister, Touka, who compliments him on how tall he's gotten and he tells her to stop worrying about him and go protect Hinami. The three of them along with Banjou and the other Gas Masks all manage to get into a needed level to escape when Furuta activates the machine on the level and kills numerous ghouls in the process but the pipes are destroyed by Eto and Ayato and the others are revealed to be alive.

Ayato continues his escape along with the rest of the Gas Masks and are close to the exit of Cochlea when they are confronted by Investigators Kiyoko Aura and Mougan. They all fight but Ayato is strucken down by Kiyoko and is almost finished off by Mougan when Touka comes in and saves him. Ayato lays on the ground severly wounded and Banjou quickly comes over and tends to his wounds. His current status remains unknown however.

Relationships

 * Arata Kirishima: Ayato despises his father as he blames him for being weak, not standing up to the ghoul investigators, and for leaving him and Touka alone when they were kids. he often bashes Arata's pacifist viewpoints whenever he talks about his family with Touka but still protects her like he promised his father. In Root A when he found out that his father's kakuja kagune was turned into armor, he got furious and held grief for his father's death.
 * Touka Kirishima: Ayato has a complicated relationship with his sister Touka. He often calls her weak and has a very weak bond with her. He views her as a weakling like he views his dad and even went so far as to eat and devour parts of her kagune without second thoughts. Despite this however, Ayato truely deeply cares for Touka deep down inside as he fought and beat her so Yamori wouldn't have the pleasure of kidnapping and torturing her slowly and painfully.
 * Ken Kaneki: Ayato viewed Kaneki the same way he does with Touka, as another meer weakling and is constantly reminded of his father since both Arata and Kaneki had similar personalities and beliefs. Ayato changed his views on Kaneki after he fought him and even found out why Ayato joined the Aogiri Tree in the first place. Kaneki also demonstrates great power and fighting to Ayato in his Post-Aogiri Form and even works with Kaneki in Root A
 * Yakumo Oomori: Ayato and Yamori are both executives and superiors of the Aogiri Tree. Both work together to achieve Aogiri's goals and to make ghouls to dominate species but that's all of their interactions. Yamori dislikes Ayato but respects him because of his great power and that Ayato is more powerful than him. Ayato also dislikes Yamori judging by his looks whenever he's with him and didn't care that Yamori was killed.
 * Kazuichi Banjou: Ayato knew Banjou before he was part of Aogiri and was placed under Ayato's command. Ayato frequently beats and pushes Banjou around since he's very weak. Years later, Ayato is forced to turn to Banjou to help break out Hinami showing that he's willing to cooperate with someone he abused in the past.
 * Karao Saeki: Ayato first met Torso when he rescued him from the CCG after he found out that Torso has improtant information about the CCG. Ayato treats his subordinate calmly and patiently explaining things in greater detail and treats him more nicely than Ayato would've ever done in the past.
 * Seidou Takizawa]]: Ayato and Seidou have an antagonistic and hostile relationship with each other. Seidou laughed at Ayato's attacthment and caring hor Hinami and taunted him greatly which caused Ayato to go out in furry.
 * Hinami Fueguchi: Hinami is Ayato's subordinate and partner and is always working beside him. Ayato treats Hinami with respect and kindness whenever he's around her and she does it back. Both of them co-operate very well and Hinami helps Ayato on missions and keeps him alive. When Hinami was kidnapped by the CCG following the Auction Raid, he grew very concerned and has continuosly been trying to convince Tatara to rescue her but to negative results. Currently, Ayato is dediecating himself and his friends to trying to find ways to break Hinami out of Cochlea before she's executed.
 * Tatara]]: Ayato and Tatara's relationship remains unclear and illusive to say the least. Tatara is the one who found Ayato and recruited him into the Aogiri Tree personally in the past and gave Ayato a new life in a way. Ayato appears to be very skeptic of Tatara's nihilistic and reluctance to save Hinami and leave behind members of Aogiri. Ayato's relation with Tatara is strained at least with Tatara's view on the lower-ranking Aogiri members causing Ayato to question the Aogiri Tree in general.

Powers & Abilities
A lifetime of fighting against CCG investigators and ghouls has resulted in Ayato being well versed in hand to hand combat with the ability to overcome experienced opponents such as his sister Touka. Combining his kagune's advantage in long distance attacks with his close combat capabilities makes Ayato a strong opponent to defeat.
 * Ukaku Kagune: Like his sister, Ayato is able to release RC gas and can form a single wing on both of his shoulders. Like many Ukaku ghouls, he is agile and able to shoot bullets from both wings. However he also suffers from a low RC supply and therefore tires if a battle is dragged out for too long.
 * Intense Fighting: Ayato loves to fight and often engages in frequent brawls on a daily basis. He's incredibly skilled at it and it gives him intense strength and a huge advantage when in combat as it enhances his fighting abilities.
 * One-Winged Kagune: Ayato has a strong kagune and can now create a One-Winged Kagune. It takes his crystalized kagune and takes the form of a wing but it's also very sharp and is very powerful. Ayato used it in combat and it's shown to be so strong, it can behead a human.
 * Combat Skills: Ayato is a very skilled fighter as he is both quick on his feet and in mid-air. He is a professional fighter and has a SS Rating making him a very powerful ghoul. He is an expert skilled fighter and can easily take down many targets at once, especially in close quarters.
 * Physical Strength: In Tokyo Ghoul:re, Ayato has been training and working on his abilities for three years and has improved greatly since than. He's now overcome his short RC weakness and is now able to fight longer battles without getting tired. He's also an expert fighter and is very fast as a result from various brawls he's had in the past.

Trivia

 * Ayato was ranked 10th in the character popularity poll.
 * Ayato likes brawls, tropical fish and rabbits.
 * Ayato hates the Ghoul Investigators, humans and weaklings.
 * His entry in the poetry omake suggests Ayato is deeply insecure about his height.
 * Ayato seems to be able to fight longer than Touka as he was able to fight Shinohara for a long period of time in the anime but Touka was only able to fight Kureo Mado for 1/3 of the same time.