One of Tokyo Ghoul's greatest strengths is its visuals. From the the mandalas of the first OP to the bleakness of the end of Route A, the animators knew how to choose their color palettes, and so do all the people making art for the series.
15.
Every anime starts from somewhere, and in the 15th spot is a wallpaper from the very beginning.
Well, not necessarily the beginning but the point still stands. This wallpaper shows off how everyone looked at the start of the series, which can either be relevant to people just getting into Tokyo Ghoul, or nostalgic to those who’ve read/watched for the long haul. There’s a sense of camaraderie to this image, as they all put on their masks like they’re about to rob a bank, or kill some humans. Either-or would be entertaining.
For the camaraderie and quality of this image, it squeaks into the lowest spot on the list.
https://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=545919
14.
If you want a wallpaper that demonstrates the brutality and unfairness in strength within Tokyo Ghoul’s core themes, look no further.
While this is kind of a throwaway moment, especially in the anime, this scene’s composition is perfect for demonstrating what this show is about. Seeing Juuzou above Kurona and Shiro, admiring his handiwork is how the power dynamics of this show work: the strong hunt the weak, and there’s always someone stronger. It’s a fast, gory anime, filled with people losing arms or their lives within a few seconds.
Not to mention it looks cool, and shows off Juuzou’s sickle. For the shot composition alone, this wallpaper gets the #14 spot.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FNflGcEXRec/maxresdefault.jpg
13.
Their variety is where the Quinx truly shines, not just in their hair colors but in their personalities as well, each of them coming out in this wallpaper.
It’s a very bright wallpaper, which makes it feel inviting and almost peaceful, like they’re almost a family. The blue in the background adds on to the effect, making you almost forget all the bad things that happen to and have happened to every half-ghoul in this squad.
For showing a well-drawn moment of respite, this wallpaper gets the #13 spot.
https://uhdpixel.com/wall/quinx-squad-haise-sasaki-kuki-urie-ginshi-shirazu-saiko-yonebayashi-tooru-mutsuki-tokyo-ghoul-re-4k-z3711/
12.
This wallpaper is a reminder that even though Tokyo Ghoul is primarily a man vs. society story, it is also a man vs. self-story, particularly in :Re.
Something that is brought up, particularly in :RE, is Kaneki’s idea of himself as a child and the reality of said childhood. He’s an optimist, remembering all the good times he had as a child, who then begins to remember the harsher reality that he grew up with as he recalls who he is after 2 years as Haise Sasaki. It’s melancholic, and you can see that in both Kanekis’ eyes.
What adds on to this is the muted but still warm color palette, plus the symbolic flowers showing something being birthed anew. For these reasons, it gets the #12 spot.
http://wallpapershdnow.com/tokyo-ghoul-re-/tokyo-ghoul-re-background-3
11.
This wallpaper makes the list for its implications.
Hinami is a character who’s always been a victim, primarily at the hands of the CCG, and Kaneki has been her savior on more than one occasion. The switch here, as Hinami saves Sasaki/Kaneki, shows how much she has grown as a character. Whether during the 2 year timeskip or from her time with Kaneki and Touka, showing her as a teenager with her own agency and ability to protect others instead of being perpetually helpless is a pleasant thing to see.
For those reasons, and because of how the red coloration enhances Hinami’s aesthetic while highlighting the black-and-whiteness of Kaneki, this wallpaper gets the 11th spot.
https://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=946909
10.
It wouldn’t be fair not to include some more of the CCG in this list. While Mado’s presence is unwelcome in all situations, his positioning emphasizes the one at the center of this wallpaper: Koutarou Amon.
Amon is a character who is infinitely different from Kaneki, yet both of their characters are enhanced whenever they fight due to those differences. There is a surety to Amon in this wallpaper, while the background’s showing of a stormcloud boards something dark coming for Amon. Plus, the consistent black and white coloration further symbolizes the rigid morality a lot of the characters in the show have, at least at first.
If you like rain, the cat-lover of the CCG, or darker backgrounds, this #10 wallpaper is an excellent fit.
https://www.wallpaperflare.com/kureo-mado-tokyo-ghoul-anime-koutarou-amon-wallpaper-uyyam
9.
If HD backgrounds are what you want, the manga has some excellent source material.
This moment, taken from when the GOAT organization marched on the CCG, is a rare moment of solidarity between all the ghouls, united under Kaneki’s desire for peace. It’s a good memory from :RE, and having it as a black and white background would remind whoever uses it of a time in Tokyo Ghoul when things were relatively good. Emphasis on the relatively.
For those wishing for a less-colorful background taken directly from the source material, this one in the #9 spot is a good fit.
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/tokyoghoul/images/0/0b/Goat_members_arriving_to_CCG.png/revision/latest?cb=20171206182652
8.
Not many people have heard of Heaven on Earth. A former lake in Bolivia, now covered in salt, reflects the sky and horizon in its entirety; and it features prominently in the opening to Tokyo Ghoul’s first season.
While Unravel is one of the best anime openings of all time and deserves an article in its own right, this wallpaper here again depicts the man vs. self theme of #12. The difference in posture and coloration between the two versions of Kaneki shows that change happens whether one wants it to or not, as Kaneki was tortured into becoming what past-him on top was afraid of. Still, they’re reflections of the same person, showing that no matter what he is still him.
For the beauty of this shot, it gets the #8 spot. https://www.wallpaperflare.com/anime-anime-boys-tokyo-ghoul-kaneki-ken-artwork-reflection-wallpaper-hbrxf
7.
There’s an authority present in Kaneki in this picture. For those who want a later-stage phone wallpaper of Kaneki, this is for you.
What makes this wallpaper satisfying to look at isn’t just Kaneki’s stare or his well-dressed coat, what draws the attention immediately is his gloves. The flowers behind him that are present throughout Tokyo Ghoul are Red Spider Lilies, a flower used in Tokyo Ghoul, The Promised Neverland, Demon Slayer, and other popular horror shows.
While Red Spider Lilies represent a few things, they are said first and foremost to ward off animals from fresh graves. In addition to nicely contrasting with the colorless palette present in Tokyo Ghoul, the gloves represent Kaneki’s role as a reaper, one who leads people to the afterlife and protects those recently past. It’s the color of a protector and a guide.
For those cool red gloves this wallpaper is ranked #7.
https://www.zerochan.net/1960955
6.
There’s a lot to be said about the first result when looking up “Tokyo Ghoul HD Wallpapers”.
While definitely not the best of the best, the art style of this piece is where it excels as a depiction of White Reaper Kaneki. It’s simplistic and crude around the hair and chest, but the detail around the eye and mask is what draws immediate attention.
It’s unnerving, how white his skin is mixed with how red his eye is; not to mention how creepy his pseudo-gas-mask is. It feels unhinged, representing Kaneki’s mind between when he was tortured by Jason and when he turned into Haise Sasaki.
For the accurate depiction of how messed-up Kaneki is, this gets 6th place.
https://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=545905
5.
This wallpaper’s coloration and contrast is why it deserves the #5 spot.
While the Route A anime is definitely the worst-received season of the Tokyo Ghoul anime, the depiction of Touka and Kaneki from that time is depicted well, as you see them as separate entities.
Most of that season of the anime revolved around Kaneki committing multiple crimes while Touka studies to get into college. It’s a role reversal, and it feels unnatural. However, as the two of them have a few meetings together after not seeing each other, it’s hard not to want them back together again.
For a reminiscent wallpaper with coloration and positioning that feels lonely in a will-they-won’t-they way, this one is a great pick.
https://bakaninime.blogspot.com/2019/12/tokyo-ghoul-wallpaper-4k-touka.html
4.
Everyone loves an ensemble cast.
This wallpaper is excellent for those who like remembering where characters came from and how far they have come, and that is why it gets the #4 spot. It’s cramped, but it manages to show off everyone well with their own space.
Plus, the fact that this wallpaper is split into quadrants based on Aogiri Tree, Jason, and all of Kaneki’s allies adds to the overall pleasantness that this wallpaper emanates. For those reasons, it gets the #4 spot.
https://www.itl.cat/wallview/ihwwTRw_anime-posters-tokyo-ghoul/
3.
The openings and endings of the Tokyo Ghoul anime are subjectively one of the best parts of the show, and this screenshot from the first season 1 outro is one of the best.
In addition to showing Yomo and Nishiki, two characters who are often forgotten about, this wallpaper gets the #3 position because of how the characters contrast with the background.
The characters are drawn in HD with detail on their clothes and faces, but the background is completely simplistic. It gives off the feel of Kaneki moving too slow in a world that’s moving without him, aside from those ghouls who can relate to his situation on at least a minimal level.
For the colors and character choice for this shot, this pic makes the top 3.
https://www.wallpaperflare.com/painting-of-man-anime-cover-tokyo-ghoul-kaneki-ken-real-people-wallpaper-pupzp
2.
The concept of this wallpaper is beautiful in its simplicity.
While the art and focus is fantastic in its own right, it’s the overall feeling that the wallpaper emanates that grants it the #2 spot. It’s implied to be rainy in this painting, with the haze outside and Touka writing “:re” on the glass. It feels welcoming, like Touka’s inside :RE on a rainy day and you can go inside for some coffee.
It’s an incredible piece of art, and for its quality, the rain effects, and focus on Touka while the rest of town is out of focus, it gets silver.
https://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=649533
1.
There is nothing bad about this wallpaper.
With an color palette similar to Into the Spiderverse, this wallpaper excels at showing off Kaneki and Touka’s kagune while contrasting it with the dark-blue backdrop of the city. The coloration of the kagune in the original anime opening (one of the best ever made) is one of the highlights of the intro, showing a mandala of color whose meaning feels just out of reach but close enough to reach a vague conclusion. It’s abstract while showing off the show’s leads.
It’s HD, it’s colorful beyond all other backgrounds for this anime, and for these reasons, it deserves the #1 spot.
https://www.wallpaperflare.com/two-anime-characters-digital-wallpaper-tokyo-ghoul-kaneki-ken-wallpaper-sfzy
Also be sure to read:
[Top 10] Tokyo Ghoul Best Fights Worth Watching Again
[Top 10] Tokyo Ghoul Best Characters
[Top 3] Tokyo Ghoul Best Seasons
[Top 10] Tokyo Ghoul Best Moments Worth Watching Again
[Top 15] Tokyo Ghoul Best Wallpapers
