Many anime series in the shounen demographic focus on “cool” characters. Think about Solo Leveling and its protagonist. But shows like Tower of God are slightly different in what they are trying to present. Bam is cool in the sense that he’s very powerful, but the point of his character is not being “cool.” Rather, it’s his gentle and compassionate heart.

Time and time again, it’s been shown that the core of this series is about Bam’s effects on others as he climbs the tower. Everyone he meets is surprised by his genuinely good and kind nature. Many are changed forever by the interaction. Like Novick said in episode 17, it’s almost as if Bam is radiating light. The selfless character of Bam is a strong reason why I keep watching Tower of God.

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Episode 17: Funky!

Episode Rating: 7/10

The return of Rak was great. He’s so cute in his small form! But even in his shrunken body, he’s skilled enough to clock Khun in the face. Rak is always tough and, at some points in the story, oddly wise. I liked his confrontation with Khun in this episode. Rak is happy that Khun and Bam are alive, and he wants to climb the Tower again with them. He therefore wants Khun to help him win Bam back from FUG.

Though Khun initially said there was nothing to be done, he amended his statement later, thanks to his interactions with Rak. He now says he will use any means necessary to win the Workshop Battle and Bam. Clearly, Khun is struggling to deal with the consequences of the way he grew up, always hiding his feelings and being afraid to show that he cares. If not for honest, down-to-earth people like Rak and Wangnan, Khun would probably retreat into his shell again. I’m glad he’s hanging in there for now.

Now let’s focus on Bam and what’s happening with him in this episode. Just before the first tournament of the workshop battle, a boy from the crowd approaches Bam and thanks him for fighting the ten great families. According to the boy, those powerful clans destroyed his home and family. This encounter makes Bam wonder how many of his FUG teammates are victims of the ten families. He is probably also wondering if FUG is really an evil group or not.

Bam talks to Xia Xia about it, confirming that she wasn’t any kind of victim of the ten great families. She only joined FUG to make money. Bam said he was glad to hear that. Xia Xia assumed he would hate her for being cold and calculated, but Bam’s only concern in reality was worry for his teammate. This bunny girl has shown that she’s not worthy of trust at best and completely psychopathic at worst. Nevertheless, Bam cares about her wellbeing. That’s just who he is.

In other news, Kang/Ilmar finally reunited with Sophia, who has been researching and developing Emily. (She says Emily will soon become a powerful weapon.) I was happy to see the reunion of these characters, but the sexist overtones in the scene really threw off my enjoyment, with Sophia telling Ilmar that boys shouldn’t cry. Though it’s only said in a gentle voice, she calls him a crybaby for getting emotional. There’s nothing that ruins a scene quite like a character propping up toxic masculinity standards.

The Workshop Battle games begin the next day. The two announcers, Io and Funk, are annoying if not downright insufferable. I’m not sure why I dislike them so much, honestly. The flag game they introduced seems simple enough until you add the betting system. I’m not completely sure if I understand it yet, but I will probably “get it” as the game plays out in the next episode.

On a final note, I felt bad seeing Prince so beat up. He’s become a pretty good kid thanks to his time with Khun and company. What’s going on with Miseng? According to Prince, she lost her mind and became violent. Is she being brainwashed by Verdi? She’s genuinely scary with those glimmering eyes. To be continued!

~Thanks for reading~

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