#underground king

Dragon Orphans

In the aftermath of Kaneki’s ravaging of Tokyo as Dragon, several individuals throughout the city who were originally human began turning into ghouls. This was apparently explained in story by Nimura Furuta, who explained that the “Dragon Orphans” produced by Dragon’s remains (the nine oviducts) contained a Ghoulification toxin. If they were killed, they would self-destruct and release this toxin to infect any nearby individuals.

However, we later learn from Kimi that there are in fact two types of these Dragon Orphans: ones who don’t contain the toxin, and those that do. The ones that do all originated from the oviduct located in the 19th ward. This is the oviduct that contains Rize Kamishiro as its nucleus, and Kaneki and Ayato later investigate it.

However, despite the poisonous Dragon Orphans only coming from this oviduct, soon after the dissolution of Dragon (and the formation of the oviducts) there are nearly 1000 new ghouls all throughout the city.

Some of the locations where these infected individuals are shown to be at are far outside of the 19th ward. For example, there are infected patients brought into the CCG’s main office in the 1st ward.

Additionally, an infected individual is shown ghoulifying in a 9th ward hospital.

Furthermore, it’s revealed that many infections have occurred in the city’s 23rd ward as well. 

These wards are far from the 19th ward, and in particular the 9th and 23rd wards are on opposite ends of the city.

So, how could these creatures traveling by foot traverse such huge distances (Tokyo is the largest metropolis in the world) in such a short time? Another question is, why would they need to? According to Furuta, the purpose of these creatures was to devour humans and take the energy they gain back to their oviducts (so it could birth more Dragon Orphans). So, they would need to stay as close to their respective oviducts as possible. So, the 19th ward Dragon Orphans would stay as close to their oviduct as possible. So, if the toxin-bearing Dragon Orphans aren’t the sole source responsible for the infections throughout the city, what other sources are at work. The answer may surprise you.

The Greatest Source of the Toxin-The Underground King

When some of the individual oviducts in the city are being shown, one is shown to be emitting small amounts of a black smoke.

So, this raises the question of whether the oviducts themselves emit the toxin. Of the oviducts shown, only this one was shown letting out black smoke (indicating there is something unique about it). However, even if it’s being released constantly this small amount wouldn’t be able to infect over such a wide area so quickly. However, this wispy black smoke rising in the air reminded me of something else.

After Kaneki first transforms into Dragon and burst out of the 24th ward, there are pillars of black smoke that dissipate the further they rise into the air. Given how much it resembles the Ghoulification toxin, I think it’s safe to say it’s the same thing. However, why was so much of this toxin being stored underground? The only logical explanation is that it was the byproduct of the previous Dragon, the Underground King.

Over 100 years before the start of the series a one-eyed ghoul belonging to the Washuu clan rebelled. He somehow transformed into Dragon, and wreaked havoc on the surface. Eventually, he was somehow sealed underground, where the 24th was formed. As Furuta based Kaneki’s Dragon on the original, then the original Dragon also produced the Ghoulification toxin, and sealing him underground was likely to prevent the toxin from spreading. Eventually, the Underground King’s followers neutralized him when he went berserk.

However, in between his initial sealing and his subsequent defeat by his followers, the Underground King would have constantly been emitting this toxin, and it would have built up underground. However, when Kaneki became Dragon and breached the surface, this built up toxin would have risen to the surface as well.

Given how Ishida-sensei used Christian allegories in the final arc, I looked for and found a passage in the bible that corresponds to this smoke from the underground rising to the surface:

"Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw, a star that had fallen to Earth from the sky, and he was given the key to shaft of the bottomless pit. When he opened it, smoke poured out, as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke. Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the Earth, and they were given the power to sting like scorpions. Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit, his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon- the Destroyer."

 The Chosen Few

However, this raises a new question. If toxin built-up for around 100 years was released, why were only 1000 individuals turned into ghouls? Shouldn’t the number be much higher? The answer to this may have been revealed during Furuta’s initial explanation of the toxin. While he was talking, a group of soldiers attacked the nearby Dragon Orphans and were exposed to the toxin. However, even though they were all exposed, only two of the soldiers started showing reactions to it. The others showed no signs of being affected at all.

Earlier in the series, when Dr. Kanou was experimenting on how to create one-eyed ghouls, he had very few successes despite his best efforts. This shows that becoming a ghoul requires one to have very specific parameters. What these parameters are can’t be said for certain, but only select individuals have them. So, the toxin must only affect individuals who can actually become ghouls.

Pointless in Retrospect

Tokyo Ghoul:re - Facing Myself

The will of that reliable silence, underground...!?

I don't think I need you anymore Take your words, and your lies and just beat it I don't think I need you anymore Take the hurt and the pain, I don't need it I wanna live, I wanna be the change We can all be kings and queens If we can just learn to believe If we can just learn to believe

Pahahaha, this is second greatest crack that greeted my inbox since boobs thing from @unknowneventomyself. 

But since you want me to actually think about it well… it’s even bigger NO then Donato was for me. As hypothetically speaking, if Donato did turned out to be one eyed I could buy it way more then I ever could buy this crack about Nico.

Since we’re at Donato, he obviously wasn’t Nagaraj. That thing was clear in this chapter since he claims to be third Crown of the Clowns.

Roma was probably one of these Crowns since while she didn’t lead Clowns she still founded them so she could have passed the reins of Clowns onto someone.

Now back at amazing Nico crack and number two reasons that say “NO” of me taking this seriously are:

No comment needed.

And if we go “Well Kaneki’s eyes looked weird in this chapter / there is Kurona case” then…

Error 404 - No cleft chin detected. What is detected here is design of certain someone

And even same clothes of that certain someone

Second is keychain but I included it because it was inspired after this illustration, not to mention how much his clothes resemble Washuu’s oeg even more there.

Not to mention how much Uta is made to look like Furuta in these recent chapters as well. If that doesn’t scream Washuu then I don’t know what does. Then he also has little hints with Hide as well. Mostly their covers being opposite of each other.

Therefor I’m sticking with Uta as most likely candidate to be secret old fart from Underground or at least related to him in some manner. And if I had to consider second candidate from Clowns then it would be Itori only (this is not only my bias for her speaking but because she is second that makes most sense to be Nagaraj despite chapter 151 contradicting it). Nico? As crack? Sure. But seriously thinking of him as option? Huge Nooooo xD. I would more buy Hide as Nagaraj then him, though I don’t want Hide’s character to take this path. So lets leave it at Uta or Itori or just some random guy we don’t care about. Lets leave Nico out of this. 

However, if I had to guess what might be deal with Nico, then V would be my first stop.

I think I don’t need to explain why V would be my bet. We know they’re ghouls. We know they’re organization which dealt with Nagaraj therefor it’s not stretch to think Nico is defected ex-V agent that might have been there during Nagaraj operation and with it that would be his connection to him (or her if it’s Itori).