rio’s possible identity in :re

[credit: a big thank you to @chiselian for providing me with the information and translations based on her own physical copy of the tg jail scenario book, along with the image of the back cover shown above. this theory/meta also consists of various components in which we both have conversed and agreed upon.]



in the tg jail scenario book, there is a hidden illustration located on the very back cover and can only be seen if the removable cover is taken off. the hidden illustration is of the image on the right (shown above), which reveals only the torso of whom we would initially assume to be rio/jail (who is on the front cover, shown on the left). however, there is another character that is nearly identical (physical appearance-wise) to the supposed hidden rio/jail and has recently appeared in :re. there is the possibility that this “new” character may be the actual rio/jail that exists in canon.

compared with the character’s design in the hidden illustration, it’s highly probable that rio/jail is actually shikorae, a recently revealed member of aogiri tree.

initially, i was confused as to why shikorae was even featured in the scenario book and wondered if it was just hinting that some elements in jail are/will become canon (such as rio appearing in the later chapters of :re). however, i ended up referring back to all the :re chapters that feature shikorae and the possibility of him being rio/jail is quite evident.



first of all, it’s important to note that rio/jail does actually exist in canon and not just in the game. in volume 5 of :re, kijima’s character bio states that he was still pursuing jail (who we know is rio) and that his quinque, rotten follow, is made from rio/jail’s older brother.

coincidentally, not only did shikorae’s character make his first appearance at the same time tg jail was being released, but we were also given more insight on kijima’s character and the reason for his reckless behavior.

(in the same chapter shikorae first appears on the very last page, tg jail was being advertised on the first page:)

(tg jail also being advertised in the next chapter, which focuses more on shikorae and his encounter with saiko:)



(the previous chapter explained kijima’s motives, as he “will do anything to achieve his goal”, which may be the first hint in canon that he is still pursuing an existing rio/jail:)



(kijima mentioning his physical appearance as his reasoning for his recklessness, which was the supposed result of his confrontations with rio/jail:)



also during kijima’s last moments, he may have been repeating “jail” (”jieh”), which would have further hinted at rio/jail’s existence in :re before volume 5 was released.

in the scenario book, it’s stated that there is a strange route called “d-another”, in which rio does not go to anteiku at all after escaping cochlea during aogiri’s attack. an unknown being asks him “if he wants to live or die” and he responds that he wants to live. that person then helps him get up and they leave together. this may be the route rio/jail takes in the canon series, rather than the route that would’ve led him to anteiku. since it’s never mentioned or even implied that “rio” exists, we can assume he never had any interactions or relations with the people at anteiku.

the “d-another” route in the scenario book:

(rio is injured, so he passes out…then he hears a voice.)

?: “are you okay? that is a very deep wound.”

?: “you. do you want to live?” rio: “i want to live.” ?: “i see, come.”



(the unknown individual then mentions something about “meeting a brother”.) rio: “my brother?”

?: “come on, let’s go.” (rio also vaguely describes his supposed savior.)

rio: “a soft thin hand is extended towards me.”

rio: “bright scarlet eyes staring at me.”

rio: “you…are…”

from what we can gather from this short scene, it’s most likely that the unknown figure is eto. although it can be argued that it may not be eto be since she only possesses one kakugan* (note that i’m not entirely sure if it’s written as singular or plural) and a “soft thin hand” is too vague of a description to match specifically to her, the way the anonymous figure speaks is very much like how eto manipulates others. knowing this interaction immediately followed after aogiri’s attack on cochlea in breaking out specific ghouls, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if eto took an interest in “jail” and his power.



eto is able to manipulate others purely through the use of words, as she focuses on the bonds and relations one has with others and what the individual wants the most. the phrases “do you want to live or die” and “meeting a brother” are what rio/jail desired the most; to escape cochlea and find his older brother. eto always knows how to manipulate the people she finds a use for, just like how she knew the yasuhisa twins craved a parent figure, seidou wanted to be number one, karren wanted to be loved by tsukiyama for who she really was, and kaneki wished to be unconditionally loved. eto “saving” someone from death and promising what the individual desires the most in the world is how she repeatedly gets what she wants.



(eto knowing the yasuhisa twins’ identities and how they desired to be truly loved by a parental figure:)

(eto using her knowledge of seidou’s insecurity of being “second” as a way for him to fight sasaki/kaneki, knowing he would do so in order to prove his worth:)

there are various hints that signify shikorae is another victim who was physically and mentally tortured by eto, which is very possible if we consider rio/jail joining aogiri. it explains why shikorae and rio/jail were nearly impossible to connect at first; eto’s torture not only physically changed him, but also mentally.

if you look closely, you’ll notice that shikorae’s eyes has stitches going in and out of his eyelids, similar to how karren had her eyes stitched by eto.



(a panel that focuses solely on shikorae’s eye; possibly to get the reader to notice the stitching detail around it:)

(eto stitching karren’s eyes during her torture:)



in addition, shikorae parallels with seidou too (after his transformation into t-owl), as his appearance also has drastically changed due to eto’s influence (black lips, different hair color, crazed expressions). it’s clear that shikorae was also starved, just like seidou.

(similar to seidou’s change in appearance after the time-skip and implied torture, along with possible starvation:)



another similarity between shikorae and eto’s victims of torture are that they seem to be speaking of their own experience and applying it to whomever they are fighting against. shikorae mentions “breaking…it’s gonna break if you move…” and “i’m gonna break your bones…” then repeatedly says “it’s fine”, as if he’s reassuring himself. note that his speech resembles more of a repeated dialogue, as if he’s repeating the words eto may have spoken to him while being tortured. we also know eto has a slight fixation with bones…

(eto literally breaking banjou’s bones:)

(eto not only mentioning “bones”, but this scene would also parallel with how karren repeatedly reassured herself that “[she] will be loved” during her fight with sasaki/kaneki based on eto’s speech/psychological torture:)



shikorae also seems to have a high tolerance to pain, very much like seidou because it’s likely that they are both used to the feeling of physical pain. this may further imply that eto repeatedly tortured shikorae in the same manner she tortured seidou.

(both state “that hurts/it hurts”, but clearly are not in as much pain as they should be despite the heavy damage inflicted, as if it’s more of an instinctive response:)

based on shikorae’s few appearances in :re, it’s apparent he has a fixation on chasing after his “big bro”, just like how rio/jail was persistent in searching for his older brother. the scene confirms that initially, he wasn’t even supposed to be involved with the ambush; he merely followed his “big bro”. eto may have given him a “brother” (hakatori), knowing that was what he wanted the most (along with knowing rio’s brother has been long dead and turned into a quinque) and considering his mental state, it’s very likely he accepts that it’s his brother.



coincidentally, eto appears on the same page, as it’s revealed she observed the entire ambush.

while considering rio/jail’s physical appearance altering very drastically due to repeated torture, there are also some physical aspects that remain the same.

referring back to the scenario book, the small bio of rio that is included mentions that rio seems to like striped patterns. both rio/jail and shikorae’s clothing designs consist of a striped pattern, which may represent their alias to “jail”.

even though shikorae’s hair is of a darker shade, the way his fringe is cut along with how the hair that is framing his face is significantly longer in the front compared to the back is very similar to rio’s hair style.

in terms of age, shikorae appears to be fairly young compared to the rest of the aogiri members involved in the ambush. in tg jail, rio is around 15 years old…which would mean that after the three-year time-skip, he would be around 18 years old at the start of :re. the age matches shikorae, as he looks as if he would be the same age as the members of the quinx.

there was always the possibility of shikorae being highly significant to the story, considering how much detail and attention ishida gave to his character. if shikorae turns out to be the actual rio/jail in canon, then ishida may have planned the release of both tg jail and shikorae’s appearance to correspond simultaneously. considering that the latest chapter featured shikorae’s reappearance and the tg jail scenario book was released within a week of each other, it’s most likely ishida planned everything from the start. the hidden back cover is ishida’s way of revealing what happened to rio/jail in canon.