TG Theory: Ceramics vs. Metals

APOLOGIES TO ALL THE PEOPLE PAYING THE MINUTEST AMOUNT OF ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG because I didn't post anything for, like, a week... Oops.

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Also, minor Tokyo Ghoul spoilers if you haven't read the manga.

So, y'know how, in the early chapters, Kaneki tries to stab himself with a kitchen knife, but the knife breaks on his skin? But later, Kaneki cuts his finger on a piece of a broken coffee cup? Weird, right? Like, how the heck can he be completely impervious to a sharpened metal blade, designed for cutting, but vulnerable to a small ceramic chip?

I've seen this pointed out and laughed at in a number of places, and it actually kind of bugs me... Because I have a theory about this.

First of all, metal and ceramic are different materials possessing different properties. For example, a sword made of metal is a great weapon for battle because it is relatively flexible and will absorb impacts, but a ceramic sword would be a bad idea because ceramic is brittle and breaks far more easily. On the other hand, a space craft with a metal hull would be a terribly designed thing, because the intense temperatures in space would compromise its integrity and pose a great danger to the entire structure, whereas a space craft with a ceramic plated hull would be far more suited to the fluctuating temperatures and demands of space travel.

Of course, you have different metals and different ceramics, but the bottom line is the same.

So, what if, while ghoul flesh cannot be pierced by metal, it could be damaged by a ceramic weapon?

In Tokyo Ghoul, a lot of emphasis has been placed on the "RC" cells as being the thing that makes ghouls different from humans. What if the physical structure of a metal object, at least in relation to the RC cells, is simply inadequate for the task of slicing through ghoul flesh, but ceramic is not?

Idk, just a thought, but it has so many more possibilities plot-wise than just being a really obvious, albeit small, plot hole.

Thanks for reading, you better have appreciated all the incredibly hard work and long nights I poured (not) into this. I you haven't read the Tokyo Ghoul manga, GO READ IT, it's very interesting. God bless, and have a wonderful day!!

- Carina