dreamofcentipedes:

Thanks anon! I’ve seen that theory and I think it’s pretty cool, but I don’t really adhere to it for three reasons. 1) I find it hard to believe that the tyrannical Washuus would let one of their Garden children go free into the world and potentially reveal everything they’ve been doing (if Hide is from the Garden, then he definitely escaped rather than being let loose); 2) I don’t think it’s necessary for Hide to be from the Garden to motivate his actions or give him the ability to do them; and, 3) The symbolism doesn’t match up.

I think Hide’s intelligence is more of a device to involve him more deeply in the story than a regular human would normally be able to, and as a crucial agent to Kaneki’s tragedy/recovery, it’s very important that he is involved. Besides, he goes to one of Japan’s top universities – his smarts aren’t all that surprising. His interest in Ghouls in particular comes from finding out that Kaneki is one – they’ve only talked about it twice before; in the park as kids as any kid might (and Kaneki only remembers it because it’s now relevant to him) and after hearing a news report about a Ghoul attack, which is pretty natural. And remaining conscious after the attack from Nishiki could easily just be a testament to Hide’s devotion to Kaneki rather than a sign of unusual skills.

Hide only starts tailing Yamori when he sees him leaving Anteiku. From his attempted phone call, we can see that his primary concern was Kaneki’s well-being. As we know that Hide is well-read about Ghouls, he might have recognised the infamous ‘Jason’ – if not, he still looks massively suspicious. Perhaps he even heard some of the noises of battle outside.

I think Hide was just an intelligent human who got caught up in this whole mess for the sake of his friend.

But this is no longer the case. 

As Scarecrow, Hide is now a Half-Ghoul. Scarecrow freeing Amon and calling him by name confirmed my belief in this theory. Part of his throat is missing from when he allowed Kaneki to feed on him, resulting in his distorted voice and the need to conceal his face, and since he seems to be a failed subject, he has been unable to regenerate. Indeed, there is a scar around his throat area – and doesn’t Scarecrow’s rubbish mask remind you of Hide’s terrible drawing skills?

But now, he has a larger role in the grand schemes of things – and yet, it is a role that is still essentially the same. Both before and after, his mission is to protect Kaneki.

Hide’s role in the school play can only be foreshadowing – mentioning it has no other purpose, and we’ve already seen that Kaneki has become the King he portrayed (a role in which he will prove to be unexpectedly good). This is why I say the symbolism for Hide to be revealed to have been from the Sunlit Garden doesn’t match up – there are no witches in the Garden. Eto, on the other hand, has continuously been associated with witch imagery (observation from linkspooky’s meta). 

This had led to speculation that Hide might have been working for Eto all along, or else, because of his get-up, he is secretly a Clown. But if either of those are true, why does he tail Yamori and Nico? If he’s in cahoots with Eto, he would know where Yamori’s base is already, and if he’s in cahoots with the Clowns, through Nico he would know where Yamori’s base is already.

But then, Kaneki was not always the King. He only became the King in :re, and that is when Hide becomes the Witch’s Servant. I think that Eto, after having heard about the sacrifice Hide made for Kaneki and seeing his efforts to rescue Amon, freed him from Kanou’s labs to act as Kaneki’s remote bodyguard when she or Arima could not be there in person to guarantee his safety. Eto needed to use Aogiri to harass Kaneki so he could grow stronger for the role he must fulfil, but it would all be for nothing if he died – Eto presided over him herself in the Rose Arc, and she trusted that role to Arima in the Rushima Arc, but who saved him in the Auction Arc? It was Scarecrow, who activated the intercom so that Kaneki’s screams could be heard. We also saw him rowing away from Rushima before the landing could take place a little after Eto’s speech – presumably she told him that the King was on the mainland, and he had to get there before shit hits the fan.

It’s possible that Hide might be both from the Garden and Eto’s servant, but I’m not sure how necessary to the plot Hide being from the Garden would actually be, since Kaneki already has a connection to that world through Arima. So, I think that Hide was an intelligent but ordinary human whose steady purpose in the protection of his friend has aligned with those of some very influential people. I believe Kaneki will meet Hide again in this upcoming arc to parallel their meeting at the end of the original Anteiku Raid; only where that meeting heralded Hide’s ‘death’, this one shall herald his life.