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People who asked me questions about literature will probably regret asking 
I actually do not teach a lot of texts that would easily lend themselves to Kaneki comparisons for a few different reasons. I am an Early Americanist to contemporary American author by trade and I also tend to focus on texts that talk about race and gender and identity. So, not a lot of fantasy or supernatural epics.
However, the other issue is that I think of Kaneki as such a well-crafted character that comparisons feel a bit simplistic to me. Like, comparing him to Gilgamesh-both have complicated relationships with the idea of strength, power, and part of their heroics come from protecting others. Both have the tendency to veer toward cruelty (insanity in Kaneki's case, being an untouchable king in Gilgamesh's) but have something humanizing that keeps them on track most of the time. Kaneki (at least until recently) has Hide and friends, Gilgamesh has Enkidu and later his own mortality. You could do the same with any epic hero I believe and compare them to Kaneki, but every comparison feels like it is simplifying the character to me. That, and TG is a lot more psychological than most epic heroes ever get. Yes, some of my colleagues would fight me on that one
So, some of our tragedies would work better in some ways. I actually do not teach a lot of tragedy either since my focus is elsewhere, but you can definitely make similar comparisons with Macbeth. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth I believe both have psychological journeys that can be compared to Kaneki particularly in the themes of throwing away humanity and then guilt over doing so. Othello could work as well with Iago as pretty much every character in Tokyo Ghoul manipulating a well-meaning main character. Though, I am hoping the comparisons end there and that Kaneki does not end up doing what Othello does due to Iago's manipulations.
On another note, fans have predicted when Tokyo Ghoul will end and I hope no matter how long it goes on that it ends in either 3 or 5 parts. That would keep in line with a classical tragedy. Ending it with RE or doing four parts would kill the literature teacher in me.
I mentioned before that I spend a lot of time talking about identity so a lot of my comparisons are actually more geared toward that work. I like talking about people caught in-between-either in-between two cultures or time periods or moral situations. So, we talk a lot about crime and immigration or slave narratives in my class. I actually have a huge week-long section talking about the Salem Witch Trials and Tituba (Amerindian slave who games the system by using British and Indian lore during her trial). There are several texts that remind me of the milieu of Tokyo Ghoul more than any specific character including the ones mentioned above. In some ways, Kaneki is a "half-breed" (to use some early American terminology) caught between different value systems and, in some ways, considered "criminal" to both. Ryunosuke and his darker texts remind me a lot of Tokyo Ghoul-morality being contextual and the beginnings of a dreary modernism movement focusing on the shaky nature of reality, morality, and fragmentation. Or, Anzaldua who talks a lot about figurative "borders" and fragmented identities. Or, Cisneros who talks about alienation and trying to survive in a world that doesn't care about you. Tokyo Ghoul does a lot with being caught between worlds-ghoul VS human being the most obvious one, but even gender (Mutsuki) or the politics of the CCG fit as well. The psychology of Tokyo Ghoul actually reminds me more of modernist and postmodernist movements in the 20th century than the more obvious fantasy/supernatural/epic hero structure which is partially why I like it, I think. It has the ideology and psychological elements that I find interesting in life combined with fun action sequences and I think it does it better than other texts that try to do the same. Like, Ishida amazes me with how well he can balance extremely nuanced psychological aspects with what could be seen as a typical manga action structure.
I will throw out two more texts and then shut up. There is something about TG that reminds me of Watchmen (which I need to re-read-its been awhile so my comparisons won't be as great for that one). Something about the gloomy, questioning, brooding atmosphere combined with heroes does it for me.
Will Graham is also another character that reminds me a lot of Kaneki. I have never taught anything Hannibal, but good guy dragged into dark world and is psychologically and physically damaged. Lots of mind games and a very tragic ending for Will.
That was long, but realistically if I teach Tokyo Ghoul this semester I will focus on comparing him to some of the traditional heroes we discuss particularly in the beginning and then add in the identity fragmentation and cynicism of the modernist and postmodernist movements.
One of my friends is also teaching Tokyo Ghoul through the lens of identity and trauma theory. I don't get into trauma theory much, but that will be interesting as well. I feel proud that I roped her into liking the text and now she teaches it too
I actually do not teach a lot of texts that would easily lend themselves to Kaneki comparisons for a few different reasons. I am an Early Americanist to contemporary American author by trade and I also tend to focus on texts that talk about race and gender and identity. So, not a lot of fantasy or supernatural epics.
However, the other issue is that I think of Kaneki as such a well-crafted character that comparisons feel a bit simplistic to me. Like, comparing him to Gilgamesh-both have complicated relationships with the idea of strength, power, and part of their heroics come from protecting others. Both have the tendency to veer toward cruelty (insanity in Kaneki's case, being an untouchable king in Gilgamesh's) but have something humanizing that keeps them on track most of the time. Kaneki (at least until recently) has Hide and friends, Gilgamesh has Enkidu and later his own mortality. You could do the same with any epic hero I believe and compare them to Kaneki, but every comparison feels like it is simplifying the character to me. That, and TG is a lot more psychological than most epic heroes ever get. Yes, some of my colleagues would fight me on that one
So, some of our tragedies would work better in some ways. I actually do not teach a lot of tragedy either since my focus is elsewhere, but you can definitely make similar comparisons with Macbeth. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth I believe both have psychological journeys that can be compared to Kaneki particularly in the themes of throwing away humanity and then guilt over doing so. Othello could work as well with Iago as pretty much every character in Tokyo Ghoul manipulating a well-meaning main character. Though, I am hoping the comparisons end there and that Kaneki does not end up doing what Othello does due to Iago's manipulations.
On another note, fans have predicted when Tokyo Ghoul will end and I hope no matter how long it goes on that it ends in either 3 or 5 parts. That would keep in line with a classical tragedy. Ending it with RE or doing four parts would kill the literature teacher in me.
I mentioned before that I spend a lot of time talking about identity so a lot of my comparisons are actually more geared toward that work. I like talking about people caught in-between-either in-between two cultures or time periods or moral situations. So, we talk a lot about crime and immigration or slave narratives in my class. I actually have a huge week-long section talking about the Salem Witch Trials and Tituba (Amerindian slave who games the system by using British and Indian lore during her trial). There are several texts that remind me of the milieu of Tokyo Ghoul more than any specific character including the ones mentioned above. In some ways, Kaneki is a "half-breed" (to use some early American terminology) caught between different value systems and, in some ways, considered "criminal" to both. Ryunosuke and his darker texts remind me a lot of Tokyo Ghoul-morality being contextual and the beginnings of a dreary modernism movement focusing on the shaky nature of reality, morality, and fragmentation. Or, Anzaldua who talks a lot about figurative "borders" and fragmented identities. Or, Cisneros who talks about alienation and trying to survive in a world that doesn't care about you. Tokyo Ghoul does a lot with being caught between worlds-ghoul VS human being the most obvious one, but even gender (Mutsuki) or the politics of the CCG fit as well. The psychology of Tokyo Ghoul actually reminds me more of modernist and postmodernist movements in the 20th century than the more obvious fantasy/supernatural/epic hero structure which is partially why I like it, I think. It has the ideology and psychological elements that I find interesting in life combined with fun action sequences and I think it does it better than other texts that try to do the same. Like, Ishida amazes me with how well he can balance extremely nuanced psychological aspects with what could be seen as a typical manga action structure.
I will throw out two more texts and then shut up. There is something about TG that reminds me of Watchmen (which I need to re-read-its been awhile so my comparisons won't be as great for that one). Something about the gloomy, questioning, brooding atmosphere combined with heroes does it for me.
Will Graham is also another character that reminds me a lot of Kaneki. I have never taught anything Hannibal, but good guy dragged into dark world and is psychologically and physically damaged. Lots of mind games and a very tragic ending for Will.
That was long, but realistically if I teach Tokyo Ghoul this semester I will focus on comparing him to some of the traditional heroes we discuss particularly in the beginning and then add in the identity fragmentation and cynicism of the modernist and postmodernist movements.
One of my friends is also teaching Tokyo Ghoul through the lens of identity and trauma theory. I don't get into trauma theory much, but that will be interesting as well. I feel proud that I roped her into liking the text and now she teaches it too
