

In volume 8 chapter 72, Nishio mentions to Kaneki that his abilities will
improve if Kaneki puts on his mask.

As far as I know it's just a mask (with no special power or anything). So why
does it increase his fighting ability?

> ![Nishio talk with Kaneki](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AgH80.jpg)


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2014-09-22T13:20:24.387
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2023-05-01T21:09:32.487
2023-05-01T21:09:32.487
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question
tokyo-ghoul
Why is Kaneki's fighting ability improved when he put on his mask?


The mask covered Kaneki's nose and mouth. This helps him suppress his urge to
eat the opponent by reducing his ability to smell. Remember that Kaneki's
ghoul ability is originally Hanazawa Kana's...no wait...Rize's, nicknamed the
Glutton for her great hunger.

By suppressing this urge to eat, he can concentrate more on the fight as he's
not worried about getting carried away and going berserk.


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2014-09-23T04:56:48.393
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2014-09-23T04:56:48.393
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To protect himself, as a human. By putting on the mask, he's putting on
becoming a ghoul and can fight as he must, knowing that by taking it off he
can be "human" again and as such he can fight harder with it on. Fighting
without the mask means accepting that he is a ghoul if he fights with his full
strength, and as such without the mask he'll hold back to try and stay
"human".

During his torture however, he came to accept his ghoul half as part of
himself, and his mask loses it's meaning, just becoming a means to protect his
identity from others then as an emotional crutch. Nishio of course only
knowing the old Kaneki, who wanted to hang on to his humanity as long as he
could.

(Touka is actually the same, acting far more ruthless with her mask on then
she is when it's off, because of her strong desire to be human even though she
knows she isn't at all).


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2015-03-06T04:15:04.830
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2015-03-06T04:31:50.247
2015-03-06T04:31:50.247
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answer


most likely weather after touter by Jason or not the mask is basic his gate
way into his monstrous Side because of the fact several times through the
manga he showed extreme compassion towards all his friends and even some
people of the shady sort but as an example when he had it on tearing apart the
ghoul restaurant he has absolutely no moral even though the fact there could
have bean several there how did not deserve death and even encountering Amon
in the anime after he TOOK OFF the mask his abilities were greatly decrease so
basically the entire time he still tried to hold on to being at least civil to
others and be some one but once the mask was put on he went all out on more
than one occasion.

also it is a possibility that he was trying to restrain hi urge to eat but it
was on several times uses such as his first encounter with Amon that drove him
crazy. also he used the mask as a symbol of his true nature for it was
designed directly for him with the eye-patch,liples mouth, and bolts in the
neck all to show that he is a monster and as the look says a half bread


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2017-11-02T18:41:55.703
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2017-11-02T18:41:55.703
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