There may be spoilers beyond this point for Tower of God Season 2, available onCrunchyroll.
The incredibly popular WEBTOON,Tower of Godby SIU, is a title that has a vast number of inspirations, especially when it comes to other forms of entertainment. The series author is inspired by various media and real-life concepts (like football players), so it comes as no surprise thatTower of Godhas paid homage or a number of anime and video game titles, and the series has done so in interesting ways.
A number of easter eggs and references to anime and video games can be found throughout the series, many of which are hidden in plain sight, while others are a lot less obvious.
I Choose You!
Ja Wangnan’s Grenades Look Just Like Poke Balls
While he’s not the best when it comes to a fight, Ja Wangnan is intelligent, and resourceful and makes use of his signature weapon quite well. The ball-shaped explosives he often throws in combat situations have a similar design to the iconic technology that enables the safe, light, and comfortable catching and transportation of Pokemon; the very reasonwhy they can be called “pocket monsters”, the Poke Ball. Since we’re talking about Pokemon, it’s probably a good time to note the appearance of the Ranker Lero Ro, who is voiced by Junichi Suwabe (Sukuna,Jujutsu Kaisen) is based on Pikachu.
Edin Dan is Dan
The Speedster on Khun’s Queen Looks Just Like a Character From the Street Fighter Franchise
Introduced in the second part of theTower of Godstory, The Return of the Prince, Edin Dan is a Scout who was recruited into Khun Aguero Agnes' team to climb the Tower during the events ofTower of Godseason 2, episode 5. With his incredible,The Flash-like speed and expert knowledge of Shinheuh (Divine Sea Fish), he was in high demand but refused to involve himself with any teams beyond selling information to them. With a slicked-back ponytail and a single lock of hair off to the side, Edin Dan looks a lot liketheStreet Fightercharacter, who, interestingly enough, also happens to be arrogant and weak in a fight but is knowledgeable about martial arts, which parallels theTower of Godcharacter’s knowledge about Shinheuh.
Dan “Dies”
Yamcha Owned Count: Infinity
Yamcha fromDragon Ballis one of the most disrespected and joked about characters in anime, and one of his most iconic moments is, hilariously, when he fell in battle against a Saibaman in the Saiyan Saga. His body was curled up in the epicenter of the crater caused by the little creature’s self-destructive sequence, in which it attaches itself to the target and explodes.This image of a deceased Yamchahas been referenced countless times in anime to the point of becoming a meme. On the topic ofDragon Ball, Endorsi Jahad is canonically a big fan of the franchise and makes a few references to it herself, like holding her middle and index fingers to her forehead the way Goku does when performing the Instantaneous Transmission technique he learned from the inhabitants of Planet Yardrat.
Killua, Is That You?
Khun Ran Looks a Lot Like Killua from Hunter x Hunter
As the heading says, one of Khun Aguero Agnes' teammates is a small boy with blue-white hair and electric powers. It has yet to be explained in theTower of Godanime how Aguero and Khun Ran are related, but the latter has the tell-tale blue-white hair and blue eyes of the Khun family. With his messy and spiky white hair, blue eyes, and choices in fashion being a pair of shorts, sneakers and a black turtleneck underneath a T-shirt; Khun Ran’s appearance all together makes him look just likeKillua Zoldyck from Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter.
We’ll be burrowed anywhere the client is hiding
– Lurker Cash company slogan
Kim Lurker, one of the goons associated with Lurker Cash, a moneylender on the 20th floor of the Tower, gets his name from thezerg lurkers from theStarcraftgames, aliens with a penchant for destroying entire species and assimilating the best parts of their genetic code. The logo of Lurker Cash also looks like the lurkers themselves. The company slogan, “We’ll be burrowed anywhere the client is hiding” is a reference to the fact that the Zerg Lurker only attacks in a burrowed state.
Kang Horyang Is Often Compared To Another “Devil’s Arm”
Kang Horyang, introduced in the second season ofTower of God, is a tall, looming individual with a large frame whose primary ability has earned him the nickname “Devil of the Right Arm” (although, the one people talk about when referring to himis in factnotKang Horyang). His right arm contains an incredible power which, when manifested, can enable him to unleash huge beams of powerful red energy. The source of his power enables this arm to shapeshift somewhat, a factor that can be seen via the strange blue wing protruding from his back, which will change shape depending on his attacks and enable his arm to increase in size and power. Another character with a similar armament is the now-deceased Rapdevil, whose blackened arm hummed with power as seen in the blue light it would emit.
These abilities are reminiscent ofthe abilities of Yasutora “Chad” Sadofrom Tite Kubo’sBLEACH, whose left arm eventually develops a similar ability to his right arm, which fires beams of powerful energy in addition to having increased physical power. He dubbed the right arm “The Right Arm of the Giant”, while the other was called “The Left Arm of the Devil”. Beyond that, “Horyang” sounds like the Korean word for tiger, and Chad’s given name is “Yasutora”, meaning “Peaceful Tiger”; however,Tower of Godauthor SIU has said that he has never readBLEACH, so the similarities are an interesting set of coincidences.
Tower of Godis full of references to all kinds of media and even real-life figures, so it is likely that there are far more references to be uncovered in the series. Both seasons ofTower of Godare available to watch onCrunchyroll, while the manhwa can be read on Naver’sWEBTOONplatform.
Tower of God
Cast
Tower of God is an anime series based on the South Korean webtoon by SIU. It follows a young boy named Bam who embarks on a perilous journey to ascend a mysterious tower, where each floor presents unique challenges and tests. The tower promises to grant the deepest desires of those who reach its top. Along the way, Bam forms alliances and confronts adversaries while uncovering hidden truths about himself and the tower.
