Rize xxx kaneki

Rize is Kaneki’s mother figure after his transformation into a ghoul, while Akira is Haise’s mother figure. Kaneki is also a motherly figure to Hinami as he tries to give her the love and attention he craved from his own mother. Eto might be called the mother of Seidou after his transformation, but she can also be the mother of Aogiri and the ideal they hold. As for Noro, you can read my assumption in the analysis for his card

However, Ishida decided on a much more interesting play with the two sides of the Queen in the official trump card, which depicts Kaneki and Rize. I think in this case we’re talking about as the and the real Rize, which we mostly see in the side chapter 46.5 and the one Kaneki didn’t get to know much about, as the reversed meaning of the card.

When I say ‘Rize in Kaneki’s mind’ I think we can assume that this Rize is Kaneki’s ‘anima’.

All this applies to Kaneki’s case in the following way: the Rize we see in Kaneki’s mind is a manifestation of his subconsciousness and deals with certain problems only: she represents the characteristics Ken considers Rize, as a woman and a true mother figure, posses. She is the perfect model of how Kaneki thinks he should be like and wishes to be. Kaneki’s thoughts on Rize fall exactly in the 2nd stage: he finds her strength overwhelming, making her self-reliant, powerful and unstoppable, even though there is nothing virtuous about neither her power, nor her. She represents the qualities he already has in himself, but doesn’t recognize as his own.

We can see the characteristics fit Kaneki. However, some of them are traits Ken connects with Rize (like success, pleasure, power, intensity) and that he obtains during his time in Aogiri or strives for afterwards. The truth is he had them all along. He just couldn’t connect himself with them.