Despite the negative reviews that "Tokyo Ghoul" season 2 attained for not closely following the manga source material, a report from Ecumenical News reveals that the studios are moving with a third season which is expected to premiere this winter despite rumors of a fall premiere.
The report reiterates a statement by FUNimation's Gen Fukunaga made last year confirming that the third season will launch this year. Given that season 1 and season 2 were both released in the U.S. during the winter it is speculated that season 3 will launch around the same time as well.
However, their original release dates in Japan are different. Season 1 launched back in July 2014 but season 2 did launch in the winter as it premiered in January this year. It is likely that season 3 will launch in December this year or by early January 2017 if a few delays push the premiere back.
It is also pointed out that the third season is still likely to focus on Ken Kaneki as the main protagonist despite the rumors that the attention might shift to Touka Kirishima. According to the report, the rumors about Kirishima becoming the new main character started from a parody website and has never been confirmed by the studios.
However, if the manga is to be followed more closely it is likely that Ken Kaneki will shift into the role of a villain instead of being the main protagonist. Some shows, such as "Death Note," still focus on the main character even after they have become the villain.
According to the report, fans have been so dissatisfied with the series that there was a petition raised for the manga creator to reboot the series with a different studio, such as Production I.G., yet the petition collapsed when it failed to attain the number of signatures required. Even if it did attain its goal there is no guarantee the studios would pay any attention to it.
