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Would it be possible for Kaneki to eat himself to prevent starvation? Or to keep himself from dying?

Josh
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2 Answers2

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In the manga, I cannot recall that Kaneki self-cannibalized to prevent starvation or save himself. However, in Volume 7 Chapter 59 of the first Tokyo Ghoul,

when Anteiku found out that Kaneki was being held by Aogiri, Yoshimura asked for the help of Shuu Tsukiyama. When Touka asked how he (Shuu) was still alive, Shuu remarked that he just followed Touka's 'advice' and that after he did, he discovered that he 'actually tastes pretty good.' This implies that Shuu self-cannibalized after his battle with Touka. This also presents the possibility that a ghoul can self-cannibalize to heal himself/herself from injuries. enter image description here

So, to answer your question, then yes, it is possible for Kaneki, and even for other ghouls, to self-cannibalize in order to save himself from starvation or death, as seen in Tsukiyama's case.

W. Are
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Kaneki is completely able to self cannibalize. Forget the tokyo ghoul universe. even in our universe self cannibalism is practiced. look here.

Also, self cannibalism can be a legit survival technique given the following assumptions hold true:

  1. The healing of the wound uses up less energy compared to what you gain from eating the part you cut off.
  2. Cutting off a whole limb from a joint is the best option. This ensures a large volume to wound surface ratio, optimizing the process.
  3. Cutting off part will also increase your sustainability in the future, lowering the amount of energy your body uses to stay alive/ maintain body temperature.

Given this is a lot more possible in the Tokyo ghoul given the fact that to Kaneki Kun, loss of limbs is temporary rather than being permanent like in our world. It should be possible for Kaneki Kun to delay the regeneration for that part though.

  • 'Forget the tokyo ghoul universe.' Shouldn't answers to questions be restricted to what's possible in the Tokyo Ghoul universe? You raise a good point, don't get me wrong, but one does not simply say 'forget about the universe' without adding substantial points to back his/her claim. The link you gave did say that self-cannibalism is practiced but it never mentioned that it was used as a way to treat/heal wounds, which was what the OP wanted to know. (Continued below) – W. Are Nov 15 '18 at 11:46
  • I would also like to know how you came up with assumptions 2 and 3 and how you were able to figure this out since as far as I know, self-cannibalizing was never discussed in detail in the anime or manga. Peace! :) – W. Are Nov 15 '18 at 11:46
  • I was saying that starvation prevention is possible by self cannibalism even in reality, so there is very less reason to think it wont be possible in the TG universe.And the assumptions 2/3 are basic biology. I inferred it from what I learnt in school. Also, forget the Tokyo ghoul universe doesn't mean my answer doesn't apply to it, it only means that the question can be answered even without relying on it too much. –  Nov 15 '18 at 11:57
  • As I said, yes it might be possible in the case of starvation, but as I searched the web, I'm finding it hard to believe that self-cannibalism can save someone on the brink of death. I can't find any study that supports this claim (if you can point me to one, it would be appreciated). Unless there is substantial evidence of health benefits to self-cannibalizing in our world, I guess this is only possible in the Tokyo Ghoul universe, given of course that someone is a ghoul. Also, remember that Ghouls' bodies function differently than humans :) – W. Are Nov 15 '18 at 12:13