Hideyoshi Nagachika

Hideyoshi Nagachika, known to everyone as Hide, is Ken Kaneki's best friend since childhood and one of the few ordinary humans at the center of the story. A cheerful, endlessly curious Kamii University student majoring in English, he later takes an assistant job with the CCG, working alongside investigators like Koutarou Amon.

Hide's carefree attitude masks a sharp, observant mind — he is quick to notice what others miss, including the changes in Kaneki after his transformation into a ghoul, and works out the truth long before he admits it aloud. Rather than fear or reject his best friend, Hide chooses to stay close to him, quietly trying to protect Kaneki even at serious personal risk.

His disappearance during the Owl Suppression Operation, when he goes searching for Kaneki inside Anteiku, becomes one of the series' defining mysteries and tragedies. Hide's loyalty — unwavering even when it costs him almost everything — anchors Kaneki's humanity throughout the story and remains one of the most quietly heroic threads in Tokyo Ghoul.