Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball and Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan are two of the most popular anime that can be credited with popularizing anime in the West. The first did so in the ’90s, and it served as an introduction of anime to broader Western audiences. But the second really popularized the genre in the early 2010s, mostly thanks to the advent of internet technologies and streaming services. Since then, the anime market in the West has become highly competitive, with various networks and streamers licensing only the greatest animated hits from the East.
However, the focus on the biggest and the brightest shows means that plenty of great content also flies under the radar and never gets the attention it rightfully deserves. Think of Wolf’s Rain, The Twelve Kingdoms, Gintama, and Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. One of the most recent anime to join the list of overlooked and under-watched releases is 2020’s Tower of God. Now, in the wake of Tower of God being renewed for a second season, this is the perfect opportunity for many anime fans to become familiar with this overlooked series.
Tower of God opens with a rather vague promise: those who rise to the challenge and ascend the Tower can become a “god” and thus gain immense power, wealth, or whatever they wish for. This concept seems to be the driving force behind many characters’ motivations and actions within the anime because whoever gets to the top has their wish granted to them. The story, however, centers around a boy named Bam, who has spent most of his life trapped under a pile of rubble beneath the mysterious Tower, with only his close friend, Rachel, to keep him company.
Now, it’s important to note that this isn’t just some typical tower whose top levels reach the heavens. No, this is the entire world as far as this anime is concerned. Its exact size is unknown, but it’s considered to be at least 11 times the size of the Earth. This vast and mysterious structure is divided into three parts: the Inner Tower, the Outer Tower, and the Middle Area. Next to nothing is known about the world outside the Tower.
The story begins with Bam waking up at the base of the Tower, which is sealed by impenetrable doors. However, being an Irregular — a special type of person with a special connection to the Tower and its Divine Water — Bam not only manages to enter the Tower but also receives an opportunity to ascend it, following a dangerous preliminary exam. Wanting only to search for Rachel, who had left him behind to climb the Tower and “see the stars,” Bam proceeds to the testing chamber, determined to find Rachel at all costs — even if it meant dying in one of the challenges.
As he ascends the Tower by engaging in the increasingly difficult tests of strength, dexterity, and wit held in the Inner Tower areas, Bam meets allies that will help him in his journey. From there on, Tower of God quickly introduces more characters into the story as the ascension tests turn into more complex machinations that require more than just brute force to overcome. Add immortal kings, Tower nobility, Tower Guardians (actual owners of the Tower), and magic to the mix, and you get a rather interesting anime that will surely grab your attention if you give it a shot.
But the rich narrative isn’t the only thing that drew the viewers to the anime. The art style is more old-school (similar to that of the late ’90s and early-2000s anime), which is significantly different compared to modern CG animation. This is really interesting because the more monotone color palette actually makes the anime pop out among CG animated releases and helps grab the viewers attention when scrolling through the catalog.
The animation, however, is top-notch. Unlike the releases it’s trying to replicate through its art style, Tower of God‘s animation is quite fluid, which makes the fighting sequences that much more interesting to watch. What’s also surprising about this anime is that it doesn’t come from Japanese source material. Instead, it comes from South Korea. In fact, it’s an adaptation of a beloved manhwa (a South Korean version of manga) released as a webtoon series created by artist Slave. In. Utero (SIU), which has been ongoing since 2010.
Given that it’s based on a rather popular piece of material, it’s not really that surprising that Tower of God became one of the hottest new anime — which can also be attributed to the pretty large fan base. Not only that, but it had a rather aggressive marketing campaign by Crunchyroll, which released the anime as part of its Crunchyroll Originals suite. The first season was a massive commercial success worldwide despite mixed reviews, prompting the announcement of Tower of God Season 2.
We won’t spoil the anime for you, but if you’re looking for a show that offers plenty of action while exploring themes of friendship, betrayal, ambition, and the nature of power, you can’t go wrong with Tower of God. It’s the real deal, in terms of entertainment and discussion potential and definitely deserves much more recognition than it received.