Ken Kaneki, also known as The Ghoul, is one of the 39 Killers currently available in Dead by Daylight. He was introduced in CHAPTER 35: Tokyo Ghoul, released on April 2, 2025.
Originating from the dark and gripping Tokyo Ghoul manga (2011) and anime (2014), Kaneki enters the Entity’s Realm after embracing his identity as a half-ghoul. In Dead by Daylight, his playstyle is aggressive and fast-paced, making him an extremely strong killer in the right hands.
In this guide, we’ll be breaking down the 3 best kaneki build options, helping you dominate the dbd trial as one of the game’s most intense Killers.
Best Kaneki Build (Chase-Focused)
This aggressive chase-focused build is designed to make the most out of Kaneki’s speed and pressure, turning every loop into a death trap and keeping survivors constantly on the run.
- Brutal Strength (The Trapper) – Break pallets 20% faster. Ideal for quickly ending loops and catching survivors off guard right after they drop a pallet.
- Barbecue & Chilli (The Cannibal) – After hooking a survivor, see the auras of all other survivors within 40 meters for 5 seconds. Great for quickly finding your next target.
- Surge (The Demogorgon) – When you down a survivor with a basic attack, all generators within 32 meters instantly explode and regress.
- Coup de Grâce (The Twins) – You gain a token every time a generator is completed (up to 5 at a time). Consume a token to increase your next lunge attack distance by 80%.
This build plays to Mr. Ghoul’s strengths—fast movement and brutal chases. With powerful gen regression from Surge and map-wide tracking from Barbecue, you can traverse the map quickly and apply nonstop pressure. Also, control the game’s flow while ending loops fast using Brutal Strength and Coup de Grâce. It’s an aggressive, high-tempo playstyle that keeps pressure on survivors from start to finish.
Beginner Kaneki Build (Hit & Run Pressure)
This build focuses on easy information, pressure, and faster pickups, making it perfect for players new to playing as the ghoul. It’s all about simple, consistent value to dominate matches without needing complicated setups.
- Whispers (General Perk) – Your perk lights up when a survivor is within 32 meters, giving you simple and constant information on where survivors might be.
- Sloppy Butcher (General Perk) – Basic attacks inflict Mangled and Hemorrhage, making survivors heal slower and keeping them injured for longer.
- Forever Entwined (The Ghoul) – Increases the action speeds for dropping, hooking, and picking up survivors, allowing you to maintain pressure with up to a 32% boost after gaining tokens from survivor damage.
- Bitter Murmur (General Perk) – After a generator is completed, you see the auras of all survivors near it for 5 seconds, helping you quickly find your next chase. When the final Generator is completed, the Auras of all Survivors are shown to you for 10 seconds.
This beginner-friendly build gives you great tools to control the game without relying on fancy mechanics. Whispers and Bitter Murmur make survivor tracking simple, while Sloppy Butcher keeps them injured longer for easier downs. Forever Entwined gives you smoother pickups and hooks, helping you snowball pressure fast. It’s a forgiving and strong setup, ideal for learning Ghoul’s playstyle while still dominating matches.
Unbeatable Kaneki Build (Hex Lockdown)
This build involves locking down the map with hex totems and overwhelming survivors through constant pressure, screams, and brutal slowdown. It’s designed to make cleansing totems nearly impossible while punishing any attempt to rush gens.
- Hex: Thrill of the Hunt (General Perk) – For each remaining Hex Totem, Survivors suffer a stackable 14% penalty to cleansing and blessing speeds, up to a maximum of 70%.
- Hex: Pentimento (The Artist) – After a hex totem is cleansed, you can rekindle it to apply powerful effects like 30% to repair speed, healing, or gate opening.
- Hex: Blood Favour (The Blight) – Whenever a Survivor enters the Injured or Dying State, Hex: Blood Favour blocks all Pallets within 32 meters of their location from being pulled down for the next 15 seconds. Similar to bamboozle but for pallets.
- Hex: Ruin (The Hag) – While a survivor is not working on a generator, all generators instantly and automatically regress at 100% of the normal regression speed.
When paired with the Yamori’s Mask add-on (making survivors scream when hooking while in enraged mode), this build activates total map lockdown. Survivors constantly give away their location, struggle to cleanse totems due to Thrill, and suffer intense gen slowdown from Ruin and Pentimento. Blood Favour removes any chance of long chases. It’s oppressive, reactive, and nearly impossible to deal with.
Kaneki’s Best Add-ons
- Yamori’s Mask – Hooking a Survivor while in Enraged Mode triggers the following effect: Causes all Survivors further than 40 metres to scream and reveal their location to you for 3 seconds.
- Hinami’s Umbrella – Increases the amount of time added to the Countdown for each perfectly timed Grab-Attack by +10 seconds.
- Fresh Coffee – Gives a speed increase during Kagune Leaps by +2 m/s.
- Blood-Stained Handkerchief – Increases the maximum reach of Kagune Leaps by +1 metre.
- Red-Headed Centipede – Performing a Vault action while in Enraged Mode triggers the following effect: Blocks that Window for all Survivors for 10 seconds.
- Broken Chain – Reduces the cooldown duration of Kagune Leap by -1.4 seconds per Token when outside of Enraged Mode.
- CCG ID Card – After performing a Kagune Leap Vault, the auras of all Survivors affected by your Kagune Mark are revealed to you within a 24-meter radius for 3 seconds.
Sources: Hens333, RedsGamingGears, Jave Hunt
