Hafiz Priyansyah Kaneki Ken’s Character Arc: A Hero’s Journey Analysis Kaneki Ken’s Character Arc: A Hero’s Journey Analysis Hafiz Priyansyah English Language and Literature Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia ABSTRACT Literature has a trend that has grown its fame across the globe, called manga. They are similar in form with Western comic books, but with a different style and structure of the story’s presentation. One of the key elements of a manga’s story, the characters, pique the interest of the researcher. Kaneki Ken is the protagonist of the Tokyo Ghoul series that possesses this interesting characterization to look into. He goes through a journey that changes his characterization in a certain point in the story. To analyze this characterization, two analysis methods are used; Vogler’s (1996) hero’s journey theory and Sicoe’s (2013) character arc theory. The hero’ journey theory is used to gain an understanding of the events Kaneki goes through in his story, while the character arc theory is used to determine the kind of change he experiences. The result shows that Kaneki’s journey is a tragic hero’s journey, different from the traditional hero’s journey, and that he experiences the fall arc, which is, essentially, a tragedy. Furthermore, analysis of Kaneki’s unorthodox hero’s journey leads to the discovery of how an idolized character can start a serialization of literature, and how a serial literature, especially mangas, tend to be devious towards the hero’s journey theory. Keywords: Kaneki Ken, Hero’s journey, Character Arc 57 Passage2018, 6(3), 57-87 INTRODUCTION One of the methods to analyze a Manga is a growing trend in the world. character development pattern is the According to Koulikov (2016), character arc theory. Character arc English-language research articles (Sicoe, 2013) is a theory that talks about about manga is increasing all around the change of a character in a story. It the world. In his research, he shows an could be any change, such as increasing amount of English- personality change, physical change, language-research articles in the world emotional change, and behavioral from 1993 to 2015. This trend is change. However, most character arc accompanied by another growing trend analyses tend to study the change of in the genre of mangas. In 2005, Maria characterization of a character. For Lin, a content-writer for a manga example, Wisehart (2015) proposed a magazine, wrote that there is now a character development pattern in the trend among western readers of manga. form of an enneagram, a diagram Western manga-readers now prefer to consisting of nine different patterns for read psychological and dark fantasy a character development. He claims genres, which are arguably the minority that the enneagram follows the theory genres among manga genres. These of a character arc, where a character kinds of genres are popular for their does not remain stagnant. Further into deep thinking and character interaction, his study, Wisehart (2015) analyzed the where they entice readers to pay character arc of Maleficent from the attention to the smallest instances of the famous movie and screenplay character interactions, as they may Maleficent by using this enneagram as signify something important in the a method. The result shows that story. One of the most famous manga Maleficent undergoes a Growth characters of the psychological genre character arc, where she does not who displays a fascinating character necessarily change, but improves her development is Kaneki Ken from the values, such as her morality, empathy, manga Tokyo Ghoul. and ethic. This could be seen in the start 58 Hafiz Priyansyah Kaneki Ken’s Character Arc: A Hero’s Journey Analysis of the story, where she was portrayed as as the story brings the notion of two very apathetic towards her own worlds, which is a famous notion of the children, then becomes significantly hero’s journey theory, consisting of the more compassionate and cares deeply ordinary human world and the for them. extraordinary ghoul world. The character arc framework With the use of these two can be used in collaboration with the theories, this research aims to uncover hero’s journey (Vogler, 1992) theory. the character arc of Kaneki Ken, the The hero’s journey is a character protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul. The kind analysis method that studies a character of character arc is determined, and the from event to event. The hero’s journey events are portrayed by the hero’s theory was proposed and popularized journey theory. Afterwards, this by Joseph Campbell (1949) and has research examines in greater detail been used to analyze and become a regarding the events that cause the basic structure for much old and changes, how these events change popular literature thereafter. Several Kaneki Ken, and what prominent examples would include Oedipus, Star meaning can be interpreted from the Wars, and Jane Eyre. changes. The hero’s journey mainly Pertaining to other studies of concerns itself with the journey a characters, numerous other character character experiences in order to analyses using the hero’s journey and change. Therefore, the hero’s journey is character arc theory has been conducted a method that can fit studies related to on various genres of literature. Several character arcs, because the character of said analyses are Bray (2017), Black arc theory determines the kind of (2003), and Lewis (2013). The change a character experiences after a characters being analyzed are Hamlet journey they have experienced. The from the play Hamlet, Harry Potter researcher also considers this theory to from the Harry Potter series, and be able to fit the story of Tokyo Ghoul, Walter White from the television show 59 Passage2018, 6(3), 57-87 Breaking Bad, respectively. Bray a dark fantasy world, where creatures (2017) used the hero’s journey and who survive by eating human flesh, character arc theory by combining them known as ghouls, take the shape of with one another to determine how ordinary humans and live among Hamlet undergoes the events portrayed human society. In the beginning of the in the hero’s journey, and experiences story, Kaneki is depicted as an innocent the fall character arc, despite having and average college student who is in been through a successful hero’s love with a girl he often saw drinking journey. Black (2003) and Lewis coffee in his favorite café. After asking (2013) used the two theories to analyze her out on a date, which she gracefully their respective characterizations. accepts with a smile, he came under Where Black (2003) proves the point attack by her, who turns out to be a on how the hero’s journey theory used ghoul and is looking to make him her in Harry Potter is a compelling story meal. Surviving the attempt, Kaneki structure to follow, Lewis (2013) wakes up in a hospital room, returns determines that Walter experiences the home, and is then shocked as he is no Fall arc. From these studies, it can then longer able to taste human food, such as be concluded that the hero’s journey bread or hamburger. Much to his and character arc theory has been used dismay, he has been turned into a half- by combining them with one another as ghoul by an unknown party, resulting in an analysis method, and that there is no him being unable to eat human food and study that has been conducted by using being in need of eating humans. these theories on a comic series Noticeably, Kaneki experiences character. This research is expected to a physical change, from a human to a be able to fill the gap and provide more ghoul. Further into the story, Kaneki insight on the two theories. will need to cope with his new nature as As a character, Kaneki has a ghoul. He will also need to find experienced some arguably interesting shelter from the government and variable changes. The story is set in organization and other ghouls. These 60 Hafiz Priyansyah Kaneki Ken’s Character Arc: A Hero’s Journey Analysis aspects that become the driving point then fit to each of the phases of the for Kaneki are shown in a hero’s journey (Vogler, 1992) theory. narratological manner, according to the As a comic series, however, theory of narrative events proposed. In there are visual properties and images other words, there will be events in the used as supporting arguments for the story portraying how he come to terms description of the events and characters with his new nature, how he will learn from the research. This is in coherence to live as a ghoul, how he will with Gravett’s (2005) statement communicate with his human friends, regarding visual images as supporting and many more. These events are aspects of a comic book that can be categorized by the hero’s journey used to clarify or amplify the words theory into several specific parts, used, presenting more depth in a comic before being analyzed in order to book story. As these events are determine the change and the cause of primarily focused on the narrative the change in Kaneki’s character arc. elements of the series instead of its The research was conducted by visual properties, the series’ visuals and analyzing these events in detail, where images are not the main concern of the the story is segmented into parts based research, but the supporting data of the on one event to another’s change of research. narrative elements. Referring to As has been mentioned Genette’s (1980) and Meister’s (2011) previously, the purpose of this research theory on narrative events, visual and is to describe the character arc of textual items are made into a single Kaneki Ken.