It’s been a long four years since the last season of Crunchyroll’s Tower of God, but now season 2 is here to satisfy all of you Manhwa fans! Here’s everything that happened in the season 2 premiere of Tower of God.
What Happened in Tower of God’s Season 2 Premiere?
If you forgot what happened at the end of season 1, don’t worry, Tower of God will remind you of the only thing that mattered. The season begins with Bam getting pushed off the tower by Rachel and falling to the bottom. Bam picks himself up and is determined to climb the tower, not for Rachel but for him to discover his own answers, with a young woman named Hwa Ryun tagging along for the ride.
We then cut to Yuri (one of the Princesses of Jahad who had acquired the Green April and Black March swords towards the end of season 1) traveling to a massive castle where she meets some of the other princesses. While she briefly has a curt conversation with another princess, Maschenny, over the control of the 13 Months Series swords, Yuri’s main goal is to meet with her sister, Repellista. Yuri wants help finding Bam, who she believes did not die during the test, unaware of Rachel’s betrayal. Repellista agrees to help Yuri on the condition she finds something for her, although we don’t learn what that something is.
It’s during these opening scenes that I think it’s pretty evident the show’s animation has seen a significant jump in quality. The first season’s animation was never consistent and, at times, was a bit too haphazard and scratchy. Now, the shift in studios between seasons from Telecom Animation Film to The Answer Studio looks to be paying off almost immediately.
Ja Wangnam & the E-Rank Exam
We cut to some time later on the 20th floor of the tower. We’re told via narration that this floor of the tower is a bustling metropolis serving as the hub for E-Rank exams, a test that prevents anyone from going beyond the 20th floor until they pass. However, due to the test’s difficulty and the sheer cost of it, most Regulars (aka people trying to climb the tower) stop there and make lives for themselves, turning this floor into a hub of activity and crime.
It’s here we meet a new character, Ja Wangnam. Ja has been attempting to pass the E-Rank exam for quite some time but has failed each attempt, with his most recent failure coming at the hands of a “flamethrower girl.” He’s despondent but eager to try again. However, his home is broken into by the loan shark funding Ja’s E-Rank test attempts and demands payment. Ja says he doesn’t have the money, which causes the loan shark to try to make Ja sign a contract saying he’ll pay him back by selling his organs. Ja freaks out over this, but the loan shark gives him one last chance before he starts harvesting Ja’s organs for cash.
After a brief conversation with a girl, who delivered him ramen, about their respective situations on the 20th floor, Ja is ready to attempt the test one more time. The test is akin to the Royal Rumble, where entrants will enter an arena every few minutes and have to survive until the timer runs out, which will only begin once all the combatants have entered. Ja is raring to go, but, upon entering the arena, he’s confronted by a silent, long-haired man who had just brutally defeated his opponents. Ja immediately realizes he can’t win a fight against this man and attempts to negotiate with him, suggesting they just sit to save their strength against later challengers. The long-haired man neither refuses nor accepts Ja’s offer, instead just sitting down and doing nothing.
A Brawl in the Arena
After that, four more entrants enter the arena and opt to sit alongside Ja and the long-haired man. Some of them already know each other, while most are complete strangers. But tensions begin to rise when the final entrant, a silver-haired man, enters and speculates they should weed out weak people because future tests may require them to work as a team. Ja says they should expel the silver-haired man for calling others in the group weak. The long-haired man then speaks for the first time, saying there won’t be a need for teams, and attacks the silver-haired man.
This leads to a brawl between the long-haired man and two other entrants as Ja looks on in awe. The long-haired man is impossibly strong, and it’s revealed that not only is he a Wave Controller (a person who can naturally control water-like energy called Shinsu) but he’s also a member of FUG, a crime syndicate that is in opposition to Jahad. Ja realizes that they’re completely screwed if someone this strong is in their room, and he attempts to run.
With only seconds left before the test ends, the long-haired man tries to attack Ja, only to be stopped by flashbacks of Rachel, confirming that the long-haired man is Bam. Ja then throws firebombs at Bam, which injures him despite how weak the bombs are. Before Bam can land a mortal blow on Ja, the test ends and all six competitors pass, with Bam proceeding to the elevator for the next trial alone, reflecting on the visions he saw of Rachel.
Tower of God Season 2 Is off to a Strong Start
With the foundation now laid for season 2, Tower of God is off to a strong start. Focusing on a new protagonist and offering a mystery around Bam’s circumstances between the first and second seasons was a smart choice, making this a fairly compelling watch, helped further by the upgrade in animation. For the first time in a long while, I’m actually interested in what Tower of God is offering, and I look forward to seeing if it can keep it up in the following episodes.
Tower of God is available to stream on Crunchy Roll.
