Ken Kaneki is a bookworm college student who meets a girl names Rize at a cafe he frequents. They’re the same age and have the same interests, so they quickly become close. Little does Kaneki know that Rize is a ghoul – a kind of monster that lives by hunting and devouring human flesh. When part of her special organ – “the red child” – is transplanted into Kaneki, he becomes a ghoul himself, trapped in a warped world where humans are not the top of the food chain.

The story of The Empire of Corpses takes place in 19th century Europe, and revolves around John Watson. He is scouted by the government to become a secret agent- However, Watson lives in a world where “Frankensteins”- human corpses that are re-purposed with a false soul in order to use them as laborers- are used to improve industrial development.