Episode 21: City in Waiting

Yoshitoki Washuu receives authorization to carry out the operation against the Owl. Numerous CCG officers assigned to the mission set down final words beforehand. Koutarou Amon stops by the resting place of a lost colleague, Touko Harima, and runs into Akira Mado, who is there for her own father. She recounts how, years earlier, her parents were sent into the 24th Ward and met the Owl. Unready for its power, the team retreated while Kasuka Mado stayed to cover them and was killed. Her father's obsession with the Owl followed, and Akira means to take the revenge he never could. Amon fears she will act rashly, which irritates her since she feels measured against Harima; she leans in to kiss him, he refuses, and she leaves calling that reaction typical of him.

On the night of the raid, the CCG advances on Anteiku, where Enji Koma and Kaya Irimi rally their former gangs to ambush the investigators while Yoshimura meets the main force directly. Once the Apes and Black Dobers have torn through much of the infantry, a pair of elite officers, Chuu Hachikawa alongside Mougan Tanakamaru, counterattack. Yoshimura cuts down the officers before him, horrifying the survivors, until Yukinori Shinohara shows up with Iwao Kuroiwa in their Arata armor and they recognize the foe as Anteiku's manager.

Renji Yomo halts Touka Kirishima as she attempts to steal out of his flat, having seen on the news that the 20th Ward is under siege. She cannot grasp why their friends are being left behind, and he explains their intent: Koma, Irimi, and Yoshimura will fight as atonement for their past crimes. Touka concludes she too deserves punishment for the lives she has taken and rushes off, resolved not to lose anyone else.

As Kaneki readies himself for battle, Nishiki Nishio joins him, and they weigh their choices. Nishiki reassures him that both Hinami and Touka are unharmed, and Kaneki feels remorse over having pulled him into Anteiku to begin with, though Nishiki dismisses the apology and thinks of seeing his girlfriend once more before slipping away. Shuu Tsukiyama bursts onto the rooftop in a frenzy, desperate to stop Kaneki from a suicidal charge. Kaneki defeats him, and the grieving Tsukiyama begs him to remain, but Kaneki has decided and steps toward the war zone, refusing to stand by helplessly any longer.

The Owl operation is approved and investigators prepare their last words. Akira reveals how the Owl killed her mother Kasuka and fueled her father's obsession, and her attempt to kiss Amon is rejected. The CCG raids Anteiku, where Koma and Irimi ambush with the Apes and Black Dobers and Yoshimura confronts the main force, with Shinohara and Kuroiwa arriving in Arata armor. Yomo explains the trio's decision to fight as atonement, prompting Touka to leave. Kaneki defeats a pleading Tsukiyama and commits to entering the battle.

The episode adapts manga chapters 121, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, and 130. It sets the stage for the Owl Suppression Operation, giving weight to the coming clash through Akira's family history and the resolve of Anteiku's defenders.