The game kind of flopped. Let's be real about that upfront. When Tokyo Ghoul: re [Call to Exist] launched, it didn't exactly set the world on fire with its gameplay mechanics or its somewhat clunky combat. But something weird happened. Even though the player base dwindled faster than a ghoul’s appetite in a coffee shop, the visuals survived. Specifically, the Tokyo Ghoul re Call to Exist icons took on a life of their own. You see them everywhere. Discord profiles, Twitter headers, Steam avatars—people who haven't even touched the game are rocking the art.
It’s about the aesthetic. Sui Ishida’s original manga art is legendary for its haunting, watercolor-esque beauty, and the game tried its hardest to translate that into clean, high-contrast digital assets. It worked.
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The Obsession with Character Select Art
The icons aren't just random screenshots. If you’ve spent any time in the menus, you know the character portraits are surprisingly crisp. They have this specific "official" look that fan-made crops usually lack.
Kaneki is the obvious front-runner. His icons from the game usually feature that jagged, aggressive line work that defines the re era. But it’s the side characters that actually make the Tokyo Ghoul re Call to Exist icons library so valuable for fans. You get high-quality, transparent-ready assets for characters like Nutcracker or Miza Kusakari—characters who don't always get the "main character" treatment in terms of high-res merchandise or promotional art.
Honestly, the game acts more like a high-end digital artbook than a competitive survival game for a lot of people.
Why the Quinx Squad Icons Rule
The Quinx Squad—Urie, Shirazu, Mutsuki, and Saiko—have some of the best-rendered icons in the game. Because Call to Exist focuses heavily on the re storyline, these characters were given priority.
Urie’s icons, for instance, capture that brooding, sharp-edged intensity that defines his early-series arc. Saiko’s icons are basically a meme-tier goldmine. If you want a profile picture that says "I’d rather be gaming than fighting ghouls," a Saiko Yonebayashi crop from this game is the gold standard.
The color palettes are also worth mentioning. Bandai Namco used a lot of deep purples, electric blues, and stark reds. On a mobile screen or a small Discord bubble, those colors pop in a way that standard anime screenshots don't. That’s why you’re still seeing them years later.
The Technical Side of Icon Hunting
Where do people actually get these? Most aren't taking screenshots with their PS4 share button. No way.
Most of the high-quality Tokyo Ghoul re Call to Exist icons floating around the internet are the result of data mining. Modders and asset rippers went into the PC files shortly after the Steam release to pull the UI textures. These are "clean" files. No health bars. No text overlays. Just the raw character art.
If you're looking for them, places like Fan Caps or dedicated Reddit communities (like r/TokyoGhoul) are better bets than a generic Google Image search. You want the PNGs. Using a JPEG with a messy background is a rookie move.
- Resolution matters: The internal UI assets are often 512x512 or 1024x1024.
- Transparency: True "icons" should have the alpha channel intact so they work on any background.
- Variety: The game includes "Awakened" versions of characters, which means you can get icons of Kaneki with his Kagune active, which looks significantly more "edgy" (in a good way) than the base versions.
It’s Not Just About Looking Cool
There is a weird sense of community around these icons. Using one is like a secret handshake. It says you know the series, but it also says you’re aware of the niche corners of the franchise—like a game that most critics panned but fans still cling to for the "vibes."
Think about the Owl (Eto). Her icons in the game are terrifyingly detailed. Using an Eto icon from Call to Exist usually signals a deeper appreciation for the lore than just using a generic season one anime shot.
A Note on the "Ghouls vs. Investigators" Dynamic
The game splits icons into two camps. You’ve got the Ghouls with their dark, organic-looking UI borders and the Investigators with their clinical, CCG-blue themes. When people make custom icon packs for their phones (using iOS shortcuts or Android launchers), they often use these two distinct styles to organize their apps.
Ghouls for social media? Investigators for work and productivity apps? It’s a thing. People actually do this.
How to Get the Most Out of These Assets
Don't just settle for a blurry crop. If you want to use Tokyo Ghoul re Call to Exist icons for your own profile, you should look for the "Rendered" versions.
A "render" is just the character with the background removed. Because the game's art style uses a lot of "feathered" edges to mimic Ishida’s style, removing the background manually can be a nightmare. You’ll end up with those ugly white bits around the hair.
Instead, look for asset packs that have already been cleaned up by the community. You can find these on DeviantArt or specialized Discord servers dedicated to anime aesthetics.
- Find the Raw File: Look for the "texture" files from the Steam version.
- Upscale if Necessary: Use an AI upscaler (like Waifu2x, which is literally designed for anime art) to bump the resolution if you’re using it for something larger than a profile picture.
- Color Grade: Sometimes the game’s colors are a bit washed out. A quick hit of saturation or a "Curves" adjustment in Photoshop can make a Kaneki icon look ten times more professional.
Why the "re" Era Hits Different
The re manga was polarizing for some, but visually, it was the peak of the series. The character designs were more mature. The fashion was better (seriously, the coats in the CCG are top-tier).
Call to Exist captured that specific fashion-forward, "dark academia meets body horror" look perfectly. That’s the real reason these icons haven't disappeared. They fit the current internet aesthetic. Everything is dark, moody, and a little bit glitchy.
If you're tired of the same three images of Haise Sasaki that everyone uses, digging into the Call to Exist archives is your best bet for finding something "new" that’s actually official art.
To actually use these icons effectively today, you need to go beyond just saving a thumbnail. Start by searching for "Call to Exist UI Sprites" on specialized asset-sharing forums to find the high-bitrate versions that haven't been compressed by social media re-uploads. Once you have the raw PNGs, use a transparency-preserving editor to crop them—circular crops work best for Discord and Instagram. For a more cohesive look across your devices, match the "Ghouls" side icons with dark mode system settings and the "Investigators" icons with light mode or high-contrast themes. This provides a clean, intentional aesthetic that honors the series' unique visual identity without the clutter of low-quality screenshots.