Maki Itokawa

**Maki Itokawa** (イトカワ マキ, *Itokawa Maki*) is the current leader of Aogiri Tree and a ghoul originating from the 22nd Ward that goes under the alias of **Incision** (切開, *Sekkai*). Being a half-kakuja, his alternative current alias is **Blackguard**. Previously a computer engineering student, part-time system administrator, and a vigilante ghoul, his former alias was **Stake** (杭, *Kui*).

## Appearance

Having inherited his dark, raven hair and bright green eyes from his mother that are only further underlined by his light skin, Maki possesses striking features. His usual expression consists in a largely neutral visage with the exception of a small smile. This look of serenity rarely, if ever, changes, usually into a mildly wider smirk. The youthfulness and calm of his face makes him a very appealing person to look at and only reinforces the air of mystery and enigma surrounding him. His athletic body, further refined with time, now boasts clearly defined, considerable musculature. His clothing of choice, both when dealing with ghoul and human matters, constitute a long, elegant black coat, allowed to freely move behind him, a soft onyx shirt, as well as a pair of black trousers. The only-ghoul specific clothing he has is a plain white mask, combined with black leather gloves. When out on business, he is usually seen carrying a regularly-shaped black sheath. In addition, Maki also wears a minimalist steel necklace adorned with an elongated, dark-green emerald beneath his coat.

## Personality

Initially, Maki was shown to be quite lazy, light-hearted and easy-going, both in his human and ghoul disguises. He seemed to be rather nonchalant about everything, even topics of great importance. He'd always neglect the seriousness of the situation, at least externally. Internally, he was an idealist at heart - one that believed in justice with all of his soul. He clung to the ideal that his father had bestowed upon him - the only thing that Maki could never fear losing. With time however, despite his stubbornness, Maki's faith in the ability of pursuing this ideal seemed to wane, even if his vigilante killing sprees would remain as frequent as ever.

After the loss of several of his friends, including Juha Weirwight, Kotome Nene and others, Maki took on a very dark demeanour, adopting a much colder and cruel persona. The young ghoul was confident that if he were to protect what was left of his treasured friends and ideals, he had to change, and change he did. Taking on a far more cunning nature, in addition to becoming highly ruthless, Maki wouldn't stop at anything if it meant that he could accomplish his goals. Unfortunately, he did not succeed. Despite his greatest efforts, he continued gradually losing his closest ones until there was nothing left. With that, the teen's unbreakable conviction finally succumbed to the final, fatal blow of reality.

Currently, after the changes Maki underwent due to the deaths of Ayano Morino, Veli Batsu and the alleged death of Jack Conklin, his personality seems to have become rather stable, even if somewhat sociopathic. The young ghoul appears to have adopted a far more light-hearted attitude than ever before and seems to have a more relaxed approach to life, essentially oozing with serenity. Having become completely disillusioned with pursuing justice, the youth no longer cares about his former passion, concluding that pursuing the application of large ideals is futile. The man's views have instead become highly hedonistic, with Maki's only current goal being his own entertainment. He appears to have become happier, as he no longer has any unwinnable battles to fight, nor does he have anything to lose. Instead, his sights have been turned to enjoying life. The Aogiri leader still retains some traits of his cheeky personality, although his short temper seems to be completely absent and his dark demeanour appears to be gone. The ghoul is now mostly uninterested in most of the events unfolding around him that aren't of particular importance, in contrast to his previously curious nature. He seems to have also taken to acting in a more refined matter, refraining from utilising curse words and other generally disrespectful actions, making him appear more mature overall. Maki can now also maintain a hellishly powerful composure, capable of completely suppressing any remote trace of anger during its conception. He no longer engages in vigilantism, although his experiments with cannibalism continue to this day. Additionally, he is still training his body, although now merely for enjoyment's sake. One habit that has persevered is taking pleasure in taunting his opponents every now and then, especially when it comes to those combatants of lower class and the ones that are quick to get infuriated. Despite continuing to find edginess and cheesiness highly distasteful, the ghoul now doesn't react so sharply to it, managing to suppress the feeling of obnoxiousness when he encounters individuals with these two traits and instead opting to calmly mock them about the shortcomings in their personalities. Having completely discarded his moral crusades and vigilante passion, the young man now simply seeks amusement. As a result, he may engage in more cold-blooded acts than before, although he is never needlessly cruel. In that sense, he's become a completely inverted image to his father, who engaged in thoroughly despicable acts for the sake of his 'greater morality'. One trait the two do seem to share is there lack of engagement in the workings of the world. Having long since given up on the goal of peace between humans and ghouls, Maki now only fights to honour the wills of his fallen comrades and in order to make the city of Tokyo his plaything.

## Background

Maki was purportedly the son of a famous S-rated Bikaku vigilante ghoul, Yamato Itokawa, also known as Stingray. From what is known about the man's early childhood, he admired his father for his conviction and determination, as well as his unfaltering belief in his ideas, but in the end he resented him greatly. Despite his positive qualities - his strong belief in justice and his loving behaviour towards his wife and children, the man was a complete sociopath when it came to dealing with other ghouls. Showing unnecessary cruelty when dealing with his own species, his inefficient and judgemental moral view on his fellow kin (which excluded his family due to his own bias) and an insane level of fanaticism in pursuing the path of vigilantism and the enforcement in justice, Yamato didn't exactly make for a great role model. In fact, his horrible parenting is referenced multiple times (such as when the man brought his 6 year old son along on his vigilante manhunts, slaughtering as much as an innocent couple in front of his child). In addition, his greatest fault in Maki's eyes is that he was fully aware that drawing so much attention will get him and potentially his family killed, but the blonde-haired man continued his efforts regardless of that. This culminated with the death of Maki's family and the destruction of his childhood home. Considering his mother a martyr for having to suffer a shared love with a psychopath, Maki cherished her deeply. After the demise/disappearance of his closest family, Yamato's brother rescued the fleeing child from the CCG raid and brought the young Maki with him to Kyoto. Unfortunately, he died to another ghoul shortly after arriving there, leaving the child to fend for himself. Left with no other option, the young boy was soon conscripted into the most powerful local gang.

Maki's late childhood and very early teens are spent in the Three Blades Alliance ghoul gang. As a weaker ghoul, he found little respect within the gang and was forced to do menial work for the other members. He met many other ghouls he developed friendships with, such as Hirako, Ren, Buki and Satoshi. However, in a bid to provide his friends with better life conditions, he attempted to become stronger and obtain more influence within the gang, leading to him getting associated with the full members. He then develops a friendly student-mentor relationships with Doku, the man that introduced him to kendo - an art that soon became one of Maki's earliest passions. Eventually, Gozu and Dan, two of the gang's top brass betrayed the organisation and tipped off the CCG to the location of the base, leading to a raid that resulted in everyone except Hirako and Satoshi being brutally killed. Gozu also butchered the two other strongest members of the ghoul alliance, which further worsened the already hopeless situation. Maki seemed to hold a great grudge against the two and was previously obsessed with finding them in order to exact revenge, but lately he has shown no interest in pursuing the traitors, presumably considering that task a needless waste of time and effort.

Maki's early and mid teens (13-17) were spent in Anteiku, where he struggled to adjust. Unable to fully embrace the peaceful philosophy of the cafe, the teen found himself in a small gang of youths dedicated to killing ghouls within the 20th Ward that posed them problems. More often than not Maki's targets were inspired by vigilante motivations. Eventually, after multiple conflicts with the rest of the Anteiku staff over his predating habits, the teen quit the organisation.

Moving to the 22nd Ward, the youth settled in a small, run-down apartment, found a part-time job and proceeded to begin his university studies. For the three years to follow until the start of TGRP's 'on-screen' events, Maki engaged in vigilantism, eventually attracting the attention of the local ghoul gang. During that time he also kept contact with Veli Batsu, a dear friend of his that he'd known since the time he was a waiter at Anteiku.

## Story

At the start of the events of TGRP, Maki was a vigilante in the 22nd. He spent some time working alone until he eventually heard of Aogiri, joining them the first chance he got. After the Newcomers arc, he was made Kana's direct subordinate. Eventually he relinquished that title in favour of Jack, given that the man seemed to be more invested into the organisation at the time.

Railroad Arc - Kasumi and Maki engaged in a fight with Jiro and Dan in their train car. After a brief fight in which Jiro was rendered partly incapacitated, the Aogiri team grabbed the package they were meant to retrieve and then ran off with the Quinque steel and RC suppressants.

Wintertide Arc - During Wintertide, Maki and Ayano engaged in combat with Alistair Bake and fought him off. Saving Kasumi and hence securing the only RC suppressants from the Hospital Raid, the two also saved Kotome Nene during their retreat. In the same time period, Maki, Jack and Juha also reacted to a planned ambush by the CCG set in the 22nd Ward that was meant to trap Maki, but instead ended up working to the CCG's disadvantage. In the fight, Junko Kobayashi lost an eye and Kichirou Kurosawa was kidnapped, before then being tortured, experimented upon and turned into a Proto-Ghoul.

Eye for an Eye Arc - During the events of Eye for an Eye, Maki lead a team of ghouls whose goal was to protect Satoshi's 22nd Ward ghoul creation laboratory. Running into Ayano, Maki was shocked to see his friend betraying him and avariciously going for the boons of stealing half-ghouls and research. While the male ghoul clearly had the edge, he was ambushed by the mercenary Serafina Baxter, whom had arrived to Ayano's aid. Temporarily incapacitated, the vigilante was forced to watch as Shidu stole most of the half-ghoul research that he had wanted to send to Juha, as well as liberating the half-ghouls he'd wished to gift his scientist friend for experimentation.

Candlelight - Maki puts on his 22nd Ward alternate disguise when he joins in on the 12th Ward Branch Office attack, opting to steal data from the computers in the CCG server room instead of engaging in combat with ghoul investigators. Eventually, he meets Ayano Morino there and the two smoothen things out, but before they can meet again Ayano is killed by Izumi Okazaki and then turned into a Quinque.

Wild, Wild East - As Maki's ward is investigated by the CCG, Hirako - one of Maki's childhood friends - attempts to impede the CCG. He does, however, fail and die in a fight against the investigators. Having lost almost everyone he'd ever valued, Maki remained largely unaffected by his friend's death and simply proceeded to casually observe the efforts of the CCG to raid the Aogiri safehouse in the 22nd Ward. Eventually, he challenged Daren to a competition on killing CCG personnel, before he ran into Izumi Okazaki, whom he duelled. During the fight, Maki displayed the combat prowess of an S~ rated ghoul for the first time.

Starfall - Calmly observing the CCG raid on Anteiku, Maki had prepared a strike force with which he'd be able to strike at the CCG after they'd finished off Gemini. He did not, however, initiate the attack, concluding that accomplishing anything significant at that battlefield was no longer possible. His reasoning for that statement are unknown. Still, he remained at the site, observing the destruction of a place he once held dear and discussing it with an illusion of his father - result of his repeated cannibalism. After he returns to the Aogiri base, Maki briefly discusses the results of the simultaneous Quinx attack that resulted with the capture of Alisa Volkov. Praising Haruna for her success, the commander then got in contact with an old acquaintance of his for the purpose of selling the Quinx.

Platinum - After reuniting with Tojo, Maki arranges a deal where Aogiri Tree were hired as the guards for the auction of the Rose Club. Additionally, he also sold the captured Quinx to the hedonistic ghoul restaurant members. Using the vast sum accumulated from these two successes, the Aogiri leader establishes the final condition of the deal - Tatsuo Shinoda were to use his skill in forgery and counterfeiting in order to secure several property purchases in place of Aogiri, securing them the 12th Ward prison which they have since adapted into a base.

## Powers and abilities

### General Attributes:

* **High speed combatant:** Given his nature as an Ukaku, Maki is very fast - even compared to other Ukaku ghouls, he's quite mobile and his manoeuvrability is formidable.

* **Tenacious fighter:** Boasting a sturdy and durable frame that enables him to keep going strong in a fight even when facing serious hits, the youth is capable of engaging in prolonged fights without having to worry about taking too much damage. This ability makes him a challenging foe to take on, especially so for individuals that lack the means to inflict heavy injury.

* **Sub-par regeneration:** Maki's regeneration seems to be somewhat below average, slowing his recovery from deep wounds.

* **Crafty combatant:** The ghoul has been shown to be crafty and creative in fights, performing various strategies and tricks in order to get ahead of the enemy.

* **Skilled bladed weapons wielder:** Due to his experience with knives, kendo and fencing, Maki is quite capable at using bladed weapons in fights.

### Skills

#### Hand-to-hand

* **Proficient Aikido practitioner:** Maki is a powerful hand-to-hand combatant, displaying considerable skill in Aikido. He's an experienced fighter that excels in blocking and dodging enemy attacks, as well as utilising grappling moves and techniques.

#### Swordsmanship

* **Kendo/fencing practitioner:** In the past Maki has studied and experimented with Kendo and fencing as hobbies. These skills allow him to be quite competent in wielding his "makeshift Quinques" and other bladed weaponry. Despite no longer feeling as enthusiastic about kenjutsu, the youth is still interested in honing his ability further.

### Kagune

* **Ukaku:** The appearance of the Ukaku is that of a small, 20 x 20 cm gaseous cloud that highly resembles a flickering flame of radiant orange-red colour. This kagune is formidable at all distances. Unlike other Ukakus, he produces relatively huge projectiles that are one meter in length. He can propel these projectiles at ridiculous speeds and at very long ranges while retaining high accuracy. His kagune is capable of launching multiple RC spears at rapid succession, although that takes a considerable toll on his stamina. As a result of the high RC cell consumption of his Ukaku, Maki is only able to use it to shoot a limited amount. With his power increasing, this limitation has become considerably less pronounced. Additionally, Maki's RC spears are very energy-consuming not just because of their size, but also because they don't dissipate like normal Ukaku projectiles.

* **Ukaku Blade:** Having attained a more advanced level of kagune manipulation, Maki is now capable of generating and enveloping a kagune blade around his arm. The kagune blade is fairly sharp and it is also durable enough to enable its use as a blocking and parrying tool. Boasting incredible lightness, it doesn't slow him down in the slightest, neither in moving, nor attacking. The blade offers him a reach as long as his arm and extends it a further 45 cm. It is a slim weapon and glistens in a mix of bright orange and yellow, much akin to a sunset.

* **Ukaku Wing:** With his increase in power and continuous cannibalism, Maki's RC count has increased to the point where he has developed a second kakuhou - this one on the left in contrast to his previous one on the right. He now has the ability to generate a more standard wing from that kakuhou. The wing is very pale red in colour and is almost translucent. That kagune form is crystal-like, akin to other Ukaku, although even more so, appearing to be crystallised at all times. The wing is fairly standard except that it doesn't extend directly from the kakuhou - first, there is a two-three meter long, thin, crystal protrusion that is capable of movement. Only at the end does it spread into the the rather large wing, which is about two-three meters in size.

### Weapons

* **RC Sword:** Maki has been shown to be capable of constructing his own weapons - RC swords that use his kagune projectiles as blades. The weapon consists in an RC spear from his Ukaku embedded within black steel casing and looks like a normal sword with a crimson blade. The RC spear, as a part of a kagune, is very robust and sharp, but the steel casing is not always tough enough and it's been shown that the weapon can be dismantled by stronger hits. It appears that strong Bikakus are the best at breaking the RC sword apart. Maki has shown considerable skill utilising this weapon.

*Quinques:*

* **Scorpion:** The Scorpion Quinque is the first Quinque that Maki has managed to obtain. He acquired it in a fight against Alistair, much like how Alistair himself acquired it in a fight against Sado. Maki is skilled in wielding bladed weapons and is good at using the dagger in combat on its own, although he prefers utilising it as a parrying knife in combination with a larger weapon (such as his RC sword, for example). In recent days, he much rather prefers to use it as a utility tool, favouring his kagune over any other weaponry.

## Gallery

(Maki /drawn by /u/JokersMaze/)(Maki's banner picture drawn by JokersMaze)(Maki as drawn by Atsui Koi)Atsui Koi's comic (coloured by Kylar - /u/we7887 )(Maki by /u/KiraKhameleon\_)(Maki with his kagune activated)Original concept artNew lookNew look (by /u/JokersMaze)CCG profile (by /u/CardistryWolf)Interpretation by /u/YandereLobsterInterpretation by /u/QvaladorSecond interpretation by /u/QvaladorMaki's half-Kakuja by /u/JokersMaze

## Trivia

* While Maki used to be actively on the lookout for a sword Quinque to replace his RC sword with, it appears that the weapon now carries some sort of sentimental value to the young man. It is unknown whether he's still seeking a sword Quinque at all.
* The ghoul has been noted to be somewhat excessively curious.
* Maki enjoys playing chess and he also liked teasing his friends before all of them except for Daren died.
* Maki had been shown to engage in frequent monologues. This trait of his has been diminished to essential non-existence after he matured.
* Maki used to hate people who get too worked up over things, the CCG, debt, change, hypocrites and his former co-worker Takiwara. Following his transformation, he has really only retained his dislike for hypocrites. Of course, *he doesn't exactly harbour fond memories of Takiwara.*
* Maki used to like sleeping, hunting annoying ghouls and totally ridiculous over-the-top action movies. After having matured, the ghoul largely enjoys exploring new horizons and trying out new things, no matter what type. He's grown to have quite the hedonistic nature. He has also developed a soft spot for wines.
* It has been noted that Maki often evades questions that put him in a hard spot. After he matured, the ghoul still opts to avoid questions from time to time, but solely because he finds the possible result of it entertaining. There are no questions that can put him in a hard spot anymore.
* Maki's Ukaku projectiles don't dissipate, which enables their usage as bladed weaponry.
* Maki was shown to be obsessed with Quinques. After having matured, Maki's interest in the weaponry has persisted, although it's grown a lot milder and he's no longer excessively passionate about them.
* Despite being a speed-based combatant, ironically enough Maki has been shown stating that he hates fighting speed-based combatants. Furthermore, he has also stated that he hates fighting Ukakus, even though he himself, is, an Ukaku ghoul.
* It is very strongly implied that Maki cooks his "food" and eats using cutlery. It is hinted that this habit has been adopted from his mother.
* Maki's Scorpion dagger is the oldest Quinque on the subreddit and has passed through the hands of more users than any other Quinque.