History Webcomic / TowerofGod

* MechanicallyUnusualClass: The Lightbearer is a unique position insofar as the Aquatic-themed classes of the Tower go, not really having an RPG equivalent like the Fisherman ([[CloseRangeCombatant Fighter]]), Spearbearer ({{Archer|Archetype}}), Scout ([[DesignatedPointMan Rogue]]), or Wave Controller ([[OurMagesAreDifferent Mage]]). Moreover, its easily the most complicated position, as Lighthouses effectively function as a combination of [[SurveillanceAsThePlotDemands surveillance system]], [[Magitek supercomputer]], and [[BagOfHolding box of holding]].

The comic went on a long hiatus due to the author's health problems after chapter 485 in June 2020; On May 2021, it was [[https://twitter.com/webtoonofficial/status/1388629304603398148 confirmed]] that it would return in Summer 2021.

The comic went on a long hiatus due to the author's health problems after chapter 485 in June 2020; as of February 2021, [[https://www.monstersandcritics.com/anime/tower-of-god-hiatus-update-kami-no-tou-webtoon-creator-sius-health-problems-described/ the best guess]] is that it will resume in June 2021 or a little later.

* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: Rachel and Sia Sia, though the latter calms down upon [[HeelFaceTurn joining the heroes]], and may have only been ''pretending'' to be crazy in the first place..]]

* BaseballEpisode: Love's fight with [[spoiler: Viole]], including two giant pitching gloves and attacks like Straight Ball and Pitch Change-up. The test which frames this fight is designed so that one must catch the MacGuffin that has been pitched before the Ranker gets it. It works with the three-strike system.

** Kang Horyang, who is very kind, very caring and very polite, is coincidentally very strong.

** Most satisfyingly, [[spoiler: Yuri Jahad]] saving Endorsi and Anaak from Ren in the nick of time. And then doing awesome stuff.
** Also, [[spoiler: Viole and Kang Horyang double-teaming in season two]].
* BigGuy: Rak Wraithraiser [[spoiler: even when he gets magically chibified]], Kurdan, Ghost, and Kang Horyang. [[spoiler: Sir Aka]] appears to have been this for the train survivors from six-hundred years ago.

** The first volume begins with Headon telling Bam that the answer to all things lies at the top of the Tower, and ends with [[spoiler: Hwaryun repeating it to Bam.]]

** After the deaths of [[spoiler: Moontari, Hongjo, Akraptor, and Prince]], we come to a scene on the Floor of Death with Sachi gleefully telling Boro that no one would care if he died since he's a side character. [[HypocriticalHumor Rich coming from a side character himself.]]
** Khun comments on the [[ARareSentence rare moment]] when Yuri and Mazino are seen together at once-- on the same panel.

** The three-stage plan that transforms Bam into Viole: [[spoiler: Having to see people who don't hate each other fight and sacrifice each other. Being used and betrayed by a friend who blames him for his misery and then commits suicide, leaving a strong pang of guilt. Being betrayed by the person that he calls his light in the darkness.]]
** [[spoiler: Miseng and Prince had to [[SadisticChoice choose]] which one of them would be eaten by Hoaquin. After Prince [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices himself]] Miseng is completely broken, and that's ''before'' Wangnan joins up with Rachel.]]

* CharacterNameAlias: [[spoiler: Bam is renamed as Jue Viole Grace]] and Rachel is suddenly Michelle Light. It is implied that Ja Wangnan's name is also just an alias. Finally there is Wave Controller instructor Yuga, [[spoiler: who's real name and identity is the Royal Assassin agent Lo Po Bia Ren.]] In fact many Regulars use aliases when entering the Inner Tower.

** In order to get the then-broke/starving Endorsi to sign Hatz's friendship list, Bam provides an [[{{FoodAsBribe}} eel bowl]] placed on a platform connected to a pulley, that's dangled [[{{MotivationOnAStick}} just out of her reach]]; if she signs the paper, she gets to have it. This set up holds despite the fact that there aren't any places in the room to hang a pulley and rope from. [[spoiler: But that's fine, since the pulley is made of pure suspendium and will float in even ambient shinsoo, as Quant later finds out after jumping off a ledge with Khun no longer in tow.]]

** The pendant Anaak gave her mother before she got taken away [[spoiler: was held by Ren to provoke her when trying to get back Green April. It's implied that he had a hand in killing Anaak's mother]].

* ChekhovsGunman: Headon, Hwaryun, [[spoiler: the pair of eyes in the shadows you see briefly in the first chapter]].

* CompleteImmortality: Jahad and the 10 Warriors per contract with the Tower's Guardians. Well, except for Bloodmadder, as explained somewhere else on this page. [[spoiler: It turns out that only Irregulars, who are exempted from the Tower's contracts, are able to kill Jahad. That's why FUG is so interested in Viole and may be the real reason why the government prosecutes Irregulars.]]
* {{Conflict}}: Two predominant kinds: Man vs. Man, with all the Regulars clashing, and Man vs. Society, with people like Bam and Anaak being regarded as dangerous elements to the Tower. Then there is the theme of Man vs. Fate, or as it is described here, Luck, exemplified in Lero-Ro's test and Hoh's struggle and attempt [[spoiler: at Bam's life]]. This conflict turns interestingly enough into a conflict of Man vs. Man again. According to the author, the Tower itself started as Man vs Nature (all the existing positions were originally invented to fight the aquatic monsters of the Tower), but eventually became largely Man vs. Man.

** [[spoiler: Hoh]] can't believe Bam actually thought they were friends.
** [[spoiler: Hwaryun]] to Wangnan after she told him [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse how FUG got Viole to become a Slayer]].

** What the [[spoiler: 13 Month series]] turns out to be. [[spoiler: All of the weapons were forged from the key Jahad used to lock off the 135th floor, so progressing past the 134th floor of the tower requires collecting all of them]].

* DrivenByEnvy: [[spoiler: Hoh and Rachel]], both partially.

* EmpathicWeapon: Again, [[spoiler: Black March, which has a female spirit and has taken a shine to Bam, and probably the rest of the 13 Month series]].

* FinancialAbuse: Big time: Both Ja Wangnan and Yeon Ehwa are on the bad end of it, one being forced to sell his organs and the other being Prince's "playmate", as well as [[spoiler: Nia and Kim Lurker]].

** FUG. Religious zealots who wish for the destruction of Jahad's Empire and who revere Luslec and his Slayers as gods. By far the most fanatic to date is [[spoiler: Sia Sia (although she's calmed down now)]].

* GambitPileup: The entire 30F story-line with Aguero, FUG [[spoiler: (both sub-groups)]], Viole, and an un-named group affiliated with the Workshop all trying to out-gambit each other. May have evolved into XanatosSpeedChess in the Team Finals with the number of Chessmasters currently in-play and how quickly the various plots are bumping into each other and coming undone.

** By the end of Part II, [[spoiler: you can remove [[{{BigDamnHeroes}} Evankhell]] and [[{{MassOhCrap}} Jahad]] from that list.]]

* HiddenDepths: Several characters, especially Rak and Akraptor. Aguero even points out that Rak is unexpectedly perceptive when [[spoiler:he sees through Aguero's trick to get the other to help Bam in the final Second Floor test.]] Also one of the first characters to figure out that [[spoiler: Viole is Bam]] and immediately upon hearing that Aguero is supposedly dead declares that Aguero is scheming again and doesn't believe he's dead. He's right.

* IfIDoNotReturn: [[spoiler: The condition Bam makes with the Guardian: If he happens to die during the test and Rachel survives, the Regulars can advance to the next Floor.]]
* IfWeGetThroughThis: Endorsi, twice. One of her promises was to go on a date with Bam after the Submerged Fish test, the other was [[spoiler: the promise with Anaak to eat together after they defeated Ren.]]

** Hoh stabs [[spoiler: Rachel in the back as he takes her hostage.]]

** [[spoiler: Cassano punches through Horyang from behind.]]
* InTheHood: Endorsi's team before they got formally introduced [[spoiler: Rachel's group on the Hell Train]].

* IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure: [[spoiler: The threat that made Bam become Viole and work for FUG. They threatened to kill his friends if he refuses or screws up.]]

** Khun himself falls victim to a inverted to this in the door game: [[spoiler: he was made to that he was being conned, when that wasn't the case at all. The information given to him was spot-on.]]
** Khun makes Quant think he's been toying with him [[spoiler: to get to Rachel so that Quant protects her.]]
** [[spoiler: Yu Hansung]] knows that some people suspect he is up to something. And that's as right as they get, because they are all thinking in the wrong direction.

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Hoh, Nia, and Gyetang.]] Other than that, a lot of Regulars die in the first few chapters, approximately 200 in the first test of the Second Floor.

* LegallyDead: [[spoiler: Bam, after Rachel tried to kill him and never was found. Anaak, who took the name of her dead mother. Khun who never bothers to remind his teammates.]]
* LetsSplitUpGang: [[spoiler: Aguero suggests doing this after Bam's 'death' to cover up that Rachel has tricked them all and so that he can keep an eye on her.]]
* LibationForTheDead: [[spoiler: At Hoh's funeral]], wine is poured into his grave.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Here's a run down of characters that play a rather important role: 25th Bam/Jue Viole Grace, Rachel, Headon, Evan Edroch, Ha Yuri Jahad, Black March, Rak Wraithraiser, Khun Aguero Agnes, Lero-Ro, Anaak Jahad, Hatz, Yu Hansung, Shibisu, Yuga/[[spoiler: Lo Po Bia Ren]], Quant Blitz, Serena Linnen, Hoh, Endorsi Jahad, Ghost, Hwaryun, Paracule, Kurdan, Jaina Repelista Jahad, Ja Wangnan, Kim Lurker, Nya Nia, Yeo Miseng, Yeo Goseng, Kang Horyang, Hon Akraptor, Prince, Yeon Ehwa, Mule Love, Rapdevil, Nobic, Khun Ran, Edin Dan, Ha Jinsung, Urek Mazino, Karaka, Beniamino Cassano, Sia Sia, and more to come.

** [[spoiler: Kaiser and Karaka are both automatically defended by armory shields in the Name Hunter arc, and in both cases, their opponent is able to easily smash through them]].

* ActionGirl: Most of female cast, especially Princesses of Jahad. Not a surprise, considering that in the Tower there's not much differences between failing the tests and giving up your greatest wish.

** An added scene in the anime depicts Bam, in a brief flash of rage, ready to ''[[OutOfCharacterMoment kill]]'' Hwaryun after Rachel suffers a cranial strike by her. Later on when [[spoiler: Rachel gets stabbed by Hoh]], Bam reaction is much more shocked than enraged, without even a hint of anger. (Admittedly, he thought of [[spoiler: Hoh]] as his friend, whereas Hwaryun was just a faceless enemy at that point.)
** The scene immediately after Bam's attempt to kill Hwaryun shows him unwittingly channelling an enormous amount of Shinsu in clear view of several other characters. Yet none of the other Regulars acknowledge this afterwards, in the sense of treating Bam as much more than ordinary -- only the test administrators talk about it. In the original, the scene is subtle rather than flashy, with the Shinsu merely slashing at Hwaryun (also better explaining the kind of injury she gets in both versions). As Lero-Ro says, it's not that powerful, but it breaks the rules of the Tower, especially with Bam not having the Administrator's permission to use Shinsu. Thus, it makes sense only for those in the know to suspect Bam is highly anomalous.

** Headon. He withholds information, makes things more complicated, [[spoiler: coerced Yuri into giving away the Black March and seemingly sets up Rachel against Bam, thus bringing pain into his life]], but he sincerely welcomes Bam and anyone with enough balls to climb the Tower with a genuine smile. Though his initial politeness to Bam can be seen in a different light when you later realize that [[spoiler: it was partly an act to make Rachel feel even worse, and set her on the path to betraying Bam later]]

* AllAccordingToPlan: Augusgus says after the Trustworthy Room Game that [[spoiler: all is going as according to FUG's plan]].

* AmazonBrigade: Jahad's Princesses, including Anaak, Yuri and Endorsi. They are the highest authority in the Tower, representing their father, and every single Princess (bar Repelista) is a certified and high performance ActionGirl. Naturally, they are AlwaysFemale.

** Trustworthy Room: [[spoiler: Kim Lurker.]]

* ArsonMurderAndLifesaving: At the end of the Untrustworthy Room arc, Augusgus chews Mule Love out for acting independently to get revenge, conducting an unauthorized test and thus indirectly causing a Regular's death. Furthermore, he criticizes him for not being even able to kill another Regular (as a Ranker, Love should outclass any Regular[[note]]Granted, Love was greatly holding back.[[/note]]) and giving him great publicity that way. But he still can see the right side of the matter and is glad that first of all, the Regular in question didn't die and even got the teammates he needed through that test. [[spoiler: If this sounds a little wonky, that's justified: Augusgus is actually a sleeper agent for the same criminal organization that employed the Regular and killed Love's parents, and Love's independent action contributed greatly to their plans.]]

* MissedTheCall: [[spoiler: Inverted. At first it seemed like Rachel was the one invited to the Tower, but it turns out she was not invited either.]]

* TheMole: Traitors pretty much grow on trees in the Tower. [[spoiler: Hwaryun, Yu Hansung, Augusgus, Apple and Michael all belong to FUG. Rachel qualifies as well.]] Not to mention Ren for the Jahad empire.

** [[spoiler: Akraptor failed to save his daughter, Hoh was too weak to save his friends.]]
** [[spoiler: Kaiser's is ruining her chances of becoming a princess by falling for a boy, and Alphine's is failing to stop Kaiser from doing so.]]

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: [[spoiler: The reason why Bam is in the FUG. Either he joins and trains to become a Slayer, or they'll kill all his friends from the 2nd Floor.]]

** Then there is Kang Horyang [[spoiler: curbstomping Rapdevil.]]

-->'''Quaetro''': I'll bet you've never encountered someone who can manipulate three baangs of Shinsu before... [[spoiler: *beat with a silent Viole brandishing FIVE baangs*]] Ara. [[spoiler: Two short...]]
** [[spoiler: During Viole's CurbStompBattle on Nobic and Ran, the latter two got hit with this ''thrice'' within the course of a few panels. Ouch!]]
* OlderThanTheyLook: Yuri is over 600 years old and [[LittleMissBadass Anaak]] is 300 years as well as being older than Endorsi. Every single Ranker is this as well; being in the Tower and having constant contact with Shinsu can either kill you or give you a long life with no aging. Some people who start handling shinsu at a young age have their physical growth stunted leaving them with the body of a child. Case in point, Ms. Ice Strawberry.

* OnlyICanKillHim: [[spoiler: Only an Irregular can kill Jahad, which is why the FUG wants Bam in their organization and will stoop to anything to make it happen. Funnily enough, Rachel is an Irregular too.]]

* OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: One of the four solutions to the Door Test. Though that makes the "only" part a little redundant. The other options were
apathy, faith and gambling.
* OnlyTheWorthyMayPass: The concept of the Tower. What constitutes one's worth is never explained (or for that matter, perhaps understood), the one thing that all Regulars and Irregulars have in common is there exceptional desire to reach the top, at least at first.

* OutGambitted: Through the Workshop battle arcs, 'The Truth' through to The 'Thorn'. [[spoiler:The plan originating from Anaak for Mad Dog's team, Nobic and Viole to team up against FUG was thwarted by Team Mad Dog being affiliated with FUG themselves, pulling a Gambit with the end goal of melting Viole down into the Thorn. That plan was thwarted by Hwaryun's side when they anticipated this and the Fake Thorn which was given to Viole was actually a container for the REAL Thorn, which then gave Viole ownership of the real Thorn itself when he stayed in the same room he was trapped in with it for some time.]]

* ParentalSubstitute: Rachel for Bam, [[spoiler: Sophia Amae for Cassano and Horyang]], Akraptor for Miseng (with Miseng acting as a ReplacementGoldfish for his missing daughter), and [[spoiler: Garam Jahad]] for Anaak, if you want to call the last one that.

** Emily the chat simulator appears to be this, [[spoiler: and indeed is, being another product of the workshop ignition experiments mentioned above.]]

* PyrrhicVictory: These kind of victories are handed out like candy -- or, just murky ones where you wind up unsure if a clear "loss" or "gain" was ever possible from the start. Every last win has a price (even the apparently easy-looking ones), and many of them are steep to the point of only looking like a win on paper, particularly if you don't scrutinize either the build-up, the background shenanigans or the long-term practical or psychological effects on the "winners". It even manages to hand out the inverse, of course: Pyrrhic Losses happen to major or majorish characters where, although they technically lost, they won the mid-game (Ran and Nobic) or got a surprise prize from it (Lurker -- although it's unlikely to do him much practical good; Serena is a better example -- [[spoiler: she's no longer in the game, but what she learned may give her a better life than she had before]]). Bam manages to practically be the AnthropomorphicPersonification of "Pyrrhic Victory", though.

** Bam saving Rachel from Hoh by using a technique he just saw pushes the latter off the far end. [[spoiler: Realizing that he will never be able to achieve his dream (it's a long story), he begins to rant against Bam how just by his innate talent he was getting in the way of those who did not have as much power as he did and was thus crushing the dreams and lives of others. He says that in face of that his attempts of trying to be friends are just belittling and claims to have never seen Bam as a friend. He then commits suicide.]]
** [[spoiler: Rachel was really having doubts about killing Bam, but those quickly vanished when he one-shotted the bull and showed her how far beyond her reach he was.]]

* {{Revenge}}: Anaak is driven by revenge [[spoiler: for her parents]], Ja Wangnan wants to kill Lurker [[spoiler: for brutally murdering Nia]] and Love has a grudge with Viole, because FUG [[spoiler: killed his parents before he started climbing]]. Viole is still pending on the thought of [[spoiler: having his sweet revenge on Rachel]]. Hand in hand with the revenge theme however is a theme of forgiveness ([[spoiler: Anaak befriends Endorsi Jahad, Ja Wangnan forgives Lurker for killing Nia because the three of them were the same, Love says his desire for revenge has made him unfit to be an administrator and he wants to see Viole grow, and Viole/Bam keeps ''not-killing'' Rachel long after it would be perfectly justified on his behalf.]]).

* TheRightHandOfDoom: Rapdevil and Horyang. [[spoiler: Both have taken the title Devil of the Right Arm.]] Also First Emperor, but we never got to see what his hand could really do.

** Every member of the Ten Great Families (which includes Khun Aguero Agnes), Jahad's Princesses (Yuri, Endorsi [[spoiler: and by heritage, Anaak]]. As for leaders, Poe Bidau Gustang takes an active interest in the goings on of the series, [[spoiler:fully endorsing Rachel and helping create the Princess system]].

* SchizoTech: There's guns, modern video games, and eventually a [[spoiler: full-blown AI (or maybe not?)]], existing alongside spear throwers. Justified by the way Shinsu affects weapons and by the nature of the Tower -- with little trade or communication between Floors beyond what Rankers enable (which mostly goes towards their own swag), tech levels can vary wildly from place to place.

* SecretIdentity: [[spoiler: Rachel]] takes on the alias of Michelle Light, Anaak Jahad [[spoiler: pretends to be her mother]] and Bam himself is known as Jue Viole Grace in season 2.

* {{Seers}}: The Guides. Sia Sia appears as a FortuneTeller, but she more likely uses her Lighthouse and street wits to gain and dispense knowledge [[spoiler: before she gave up that job and became a fanatic.]]

** Wangnan uses Shinsu bombs that look like [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pokéballs]]. Later on when [[spoiler: Shibisu]] uses one, he states that he has it because he "wants to become a ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' Master."

** Ran is a expy of Killua

* SmokeShield: Appears a few times:
** After Lauroe hit Anaak with a huge Shinsu Blast.
** After Hong Chunhwa hit Endorsi with a SwordBeam-
** After Ja Wangnan threw Shinsu Bombs at Viole.
** After Viole completely obliterated a new challenger.

** Kim Lurker.
* SoulJar: Some Ignition Weapons, which are literally powered by [[spoiler: the soul of an abandoned child.]]

* SummonBiggerFish: Yu Hansung, literally, when fighting Ren, who was controlling a giant serpent, Hansung calls out an even larger Shinheuh (God-Fish) called the [[spoiler: Submerged Fish to devour the serpent.]]

** And Bam himself ends up developing this [[spoiler: in order to combat Kaiser's invisible weapons]].

** Headon takes this to the next level when he tells Bam that he won't see Rachel ever again if he doesn't take that test. This is more a case of evoking Bam's greatest fear. Headon being [[{{Jerkass}} Headon]], [[spoiler: he doesn't mention that Rachel is in an adjacent cavern watching them.]]

** Yeon and Aguero are not even 20 and got quite far in the Tower.
** Bam and Hatz are likewise not much older, but incredibly talented.
* TemporalThemeNaming: Twenty-Fifth Bam is named after his birthday. Black March is one of twelve plus 1 legendary weapons named after the English months.

* ThwartedCoupDeGrace: When Bam's [[spoiler: DefenseMechanismSuperpower activates]] during the Crown Game, the attacking Hwaryun is screwed.

* TimeSkip: [[spoiler: Five years have passed between Season 1 and Season 2, around Chapter 78. Two more pass from then to the Workshop Battle, and another year passes from that to the Hell Train arc]].

** Ja Wangnan likes to order fried pork with his friends. [[spoiler: This ends up being the name of his team]].

** [[spoiler: The rings Yu Hansung gave to Aguero's team after Bam's 'death'.]]

** Anaak flashes back to her childhood [[spoiler: and the assassination/execution of her mother who was guilty of having relations with a man and giving birth to Anaak despite being a Princess of Jahad.]]

** We get to see [[spoiler: Kaiser's]] as well during the Name Hunter arc, revealing how she failed to becom a princess [[spoiler: and was condemned to the Name Hunter station until she could pay back the damage her actions caused]].
* TrueCompanions: Despite the harsh circumstances, even the anti-social Anaak and the cynical, manipulative Endorsi [[spoiler: help Bam and Rachel take the Guardian's exam, even though they had no personal gain from it and it supposed to be ungodly hard]].

** Rak's verbal tic makes everybody but him and Anaak an example of this trope.

* TwistEnding: Season 1. [[spoiler: Rachel tries to kill Bam, since she thinks Bam took her place as a Regular, this puts Ghost's and Bam's Irregular status in question. It seems as if Rachel also held some kind of fear of Bam. Furthermore, Headon is a mastermind that seemingly plans to change the Tower with the support of Yu Hansung, Ghost and Hwaryun, and Bam as a central figure must vanish from the public eye, so his death must be staged. Since Bam was apparently chosen by the Tower, it also means that the Tower is apparently trying to change the system of Jahad.]]

* TheUnfought: Jahad and Phantaminum never fought, ever though they faced each other directly and the latter just stormed the castle of the former.
* UnholyHolySword: [[spoiler: The 13 Month Series is continuously getting a worse rep as information is trickling through that these weapons might have a damaging effect on the wielders psyche, causing one of the strongest Princesses in the history of the Tower to go berserk along with her weapon.]]

** [[spoiler: Prince is Lurker's unwitting pawn.]]

** [[spoiler: The test on the 21st Floor was set in a manner that Sweet and Sour would face off against Urek Mazino, who was protecting the MacGuffin for his own personal reasons, and hopefully die.]]
** Crosses with MortonsFork: The bet with the factions of FUG. [[spoiler: Except, Karaka's side was deliberately playing for a heads they die; tails, they die situation from the start: the most that Bam could hope for was to fend.]]

** Anaak and Hatz get along pretty well, it might have even been love at first fight. But the weirdest relationship she has is the one with her aunt Endorsi.

* VasquezAlwaysDies: One of Boro's two disciples, Felix, a very boyish looking woman, was taken out almost as soon as she gets into a serious fight and is dropped off to heal. The only other woman with them, Yu Hana the train attendant, survives the attack and travels with them. Downplayed with the rest of the female fighters during this arc, as they're all more feminine than Felix in appearance but a few are tomboyish in personality.

* WakingUpElsewhere: Bam after he'd been knocked out for several days. Edin after Aguero kidnapped him. [[spoiler: Khun Aguero Agnes himself after he survived the Hand of Arlene's destruction.]]

** Taken UpToEleven with Arlene. It is impossible to mention so much as her existence without mentioning she is one of the [[spoiler: original {{Unperson}}'d companions of Jahad, Bam's mother, and the main reason the Tower is such a CrapsackWorld today.]]

* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler: Bam and Rachel. In her quest for the skies, she left Bam behind, but he followed her and, from her perspective, stole her place in the story, resulting in her growing resentment for him. So she follows Yu Hansung's plan and kills him.]]

** [[spoiler: You're not it. You're not the One the Tower has Chosen.]]

* WhatNowEnding: [[spoiler: At the end of Season 1 Bam is presumed dead and the group carries on, unknowingly supporting the person that betrayed him. He is left despairing at the bottom of a lake.]]

** Lauroe's blanket and pillow are constantly stolen and used to have him help out for comedic effect by his teammates.

* InTheHood:
** Endorsi's team before they got formally introduced.
** [[spoiler: Rachel]]'s group that she steals the Hell Train with.
* IndyPloy: Quant from Tower of God found himself in a very sticky situation: Hoh was holding Rachel hostage and tried to kill her before, Paracule and Mauchi were trying to profit from this and pierce him with their lances and Bam was blackmailed into fighting him. What to do? Hit the little genius with a paralyzing technique and tell him to copy it and use it on Hoh, so that he'd have the courage to jump in to save Rachel, while Quant takes care of the others, of course. He even never expected it to work.

** Kids like Khun and Hatz are in their late teens while their good friend Shibisu is in his 30s, whereas Bam is probably several hundred years old.

* InternalReveal: It is known from the beginning that Bam is an Irregular, i.e. somebody who entered the Tower uninvited and thus is a terrifying existence to most. But when he boldly announces that during an assembly of most of his generation's Regulars, jaws drop even though you already knew that.
* ItsAllUpstairsFromHere: The plot. The characters climbing the Tower of God want to reach its top as whatever it they desire will be there.

* JavelinThrower: The Spear Bearers. Rak is a notable example[[note]]Though in one strip after he gets his new weapon it's shown that he didn't realize he was supposed to ''throw'' it; he was just holding it and poking people with it[[/note]]. Subverted somewhat by Nobic who throws boomerang-like weapons instead of traditional spears.

* MagicKnight: The Fishermen, originating from the practice of slaying gigantic aquatic beasts. They mainly use Shinsu in reinforcement techniques or give short blasts, as opposed the Wave Controllers, who only use combat magic and Spear Bearers, who specialize in close combat.

* TheMole:
** Several characters are traitors. [[spoiler: Hwaryun, Yu Hansung, Augusgus, Apple and Michael all belong to FUG. Rachel qualifies as well.]]
** And again, Ren, the sneaky bastard.

* {{NGO}}: The Wolhaiksong, or Winged Tree under the Moon or simply the Winged Tree (Organization). It is an organization that seeks to leave the Tower instead of climbing or residing in it and has as much influence as the Ten Great Families.

* OffingTheOffspring: Hendrock Bloodmadder, in a rather round about way. When the 10 Great Warriors received [[CompleteImmortality immortality]] from the 100th Floor Guardian, Bloodmadder was the only one to be left out. He somehow managed to convince the Guardian to grant him immortality, but it came at a cost: Bloodmadder's children would have to be extremely short-lived, as it was their lives that sustained his from now on. After debating on this for a while, Bloodmadder's fear of his mortality finally took over, and hence on the Hendo Family was cursed.

** First there is Hatz beating First Emperor's team completely by the way.

* BackStory: While characters like Anaak and Serena have back stories that are fairly easy dealt with, the four main characters Bam, Rachel, Khun and Wangnan all have back stories that only slowly trickle through. Then there's the massive history of the Tower itself which has barely been explained.

* BatmanGambit: Aguero pulled one relying on Quant trying to spite him for being played with. It involved [[spoiler: [[KansasCityShuffle making him think that Rachel is the target.]]]]

** Anaak and Endorsi made a competition out of who would beat the bull first. The former wagered her sword, the latter herself.

* CantCatchUp: A major theme in ''Tower of God''; one Ranker even gives a speech about it near the beginning, saying that "those who are not worthy should fuck off." Many regulars are overshadowed by Bam, Endorsi, Khun, Anaak, Lauroe, Rak, and Hatz (amongst others), and [[spoiler:Hoh tries to kill Rachel to stop Bam from climbing the Tower, as he is a fellow Wave Manipulator and therefore a direct rival. When Bam rescues her and proves that he is indeed a genius, Hoh loses all hope to reach the top, and drowns his sorrow with suicide.]] But it's also subverted; some people, like Shibisu, manage to be useful through their intelligence or personality even without any significant personal power.

** '''Rogue''': The Scout uses speed and cunning to assist either the Fisherman with [[FragileSpeedster close combat]] or the Lightbearer with [[TheSneakyGuy reconnaisance]]

* CurbStompBattle: Khun Aguero, Hatz, Lauroe, Levin and Anaak to the Regulars in the preliminaries, Ghost and Endorsi vs 197 Regulars, Hwaryun vs all the participants of the final round of the crown game bar Endorsi and Bam, Endorsi using Anaak to defeat all other Regulars in the Fishermen test, Quant vs all the Regulars, Endorsi vs all the Regulars Quant didn't get, Ren vs Endorsi and Anaak, Yuri vs Ren, Bam oneshots the Bull, Viole dominates the 20th Floor with ease, Urek vs Sweet and Sour and Baragav vs Amaguta. Phantaminum vs. the world. According to WordOfGod. Wangnan, Viole and Horyang vs Lurker, Rapdevil and mind-controlled Ehwa. Though Wangnan doesn't really contribute to the curb-stomping. [[spoiler: Viole vs Ran and Nobic.]] Viole vs Quatro.

* DarkestHour: The end of Season 2 does not bode well for the main crew. [[spoiler:Khun is taken out of commission on account of Rachel's explosion spell, all of the main characters are wanted dead or alive by Jahad's forces and are now fugitives, and Bam seemingly loses his mentor figure Hansung at the battle at the last station. While they strive to pick themselves up from these problems, this is the lowest Bam has ever felt the whole Season.]]

** The top of the Tower has one, as none of the top High Rankers has cleared the 135th Floor's test (not even The Great Jahad, King of the Tower) and there are implied to be many more Floors after that. Although they were only unable to pass due to hostility from the Guardian, so it's not so much the Tower having a massive difficulty spike as it is the Guardian of the 135th Floor. [[spoiler: Except that was either [[{{FlipFlopofGod}} retconned]], or just a [[{{TrollingCreator}} flat-out lie]]. See {{Dismantled MacGuffin}} for the real reason no one's gotten far in the 135th Floor.]]

** Jahad has or has threatened to do this to his enemies more than once. People said to have turned on Jahad were made to do so gradually via a {{Curse}} that among other things made them have difficulty reproducing, which is slowly causing their species to die out. After the Ten Great Families got sick of the great war, Jahad gave his enemies a choice between surrender or watching him annihilate their home countries.

* HiddenDepths: Several characters, especially Rak and Akraptor. Aguero even points out that Rak is unexpectedly perceptive when [[spoiler:he sees through Aguero's trick to get the other to help Bam in the final Second Floor test.]] Also one of the first characters to figure out that [[spoiler: Viole is Bam]] and immediately upon hearing that Aguero is supposedly dead declares that Aguero is scheming again and doesn't believe he's dead. He's right. Could have been lucky, though.

* HoldTheLine: The Crown Gameconsists of getting on the throne, wearing the crown, and then defending it from all the other trios. It is set in five rounds of ten minutes with new contestants being able to enter each new round and the crown holder being the only ones who entered who are allowed to proceed to the next round, where they had to defend the crown. This lead to such moments as Khun's glorious trolling, Hwaryun's CurbStompBattle against everyone, the (re)introduction of several characters and a glimpse of the main character's potential.

* IBelieveICanFly: Phonsekal Lauroe and Phonsekal Iruroe can both use their masterful Shinsu control to allow himself to fly. Lero-Ro, Urek and many other Rankers have also been seen flying and levitating -- it might be a standard power for Rankers, with their superior ability to use Shinsu. Bam learns to use a blue disc to surf through the air, and later, this upgrades into energy wings.

* IfWeGetThroughThis: Endorsi, twice. One of her promises was to go on a date with Bam after the Submerged Fish test, the other was [[spoiler: the promise with Anaak to eat together after they defeated Ren.]] Funnily enough, the second was no if-clause.

* MentorOccupationalHazard: Subverted twice; the first time [[spoiler:near the end of Part II, with Jinsung Ha who actually survives, despite being [[{{NoHoldsBarredBeatdown}} bloodied]], [[{{ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice}} impaled]], and having of his ''[[{{LiteralDisarming}} arms destroyed]]'', although he gets captured and becomes a {{Badass In Distress}},]] and the second time [[spoiler:in the Nest- the place where Jinsung Ha is captured, with Evankhell who survives being [[{{BoomHeadshot}} shot in the head]] ''specifically'' with bullets that can kill High Rankers; all it does is piss her off.]] Needless to day, mentors are really tough in the Tower.

** This becomes downplayed later on with the notable additions Michael, Quaetro, Traveler, Arie Inieta, and Evankhell, although the vast majority human designs are white.

* HumansAreWhite: Only three human characters of a rather large cast are not light skinned. Granted, the light skin in question is up against an AmazingTechnicolorPopulation, which includes shades of gray, yellow, and ''purple'' at times.

* HumansAreWhite: Only three human characters of a rather large cast are not light skinned. Granted, the light skin in question is up against an AmazingTechnicolorPopularion, which includes shades of gray, yellow, and ''purple'' at times.

* HumansAreWhite: Only three human characters of a rather large cast are not white. Granted, "white" in this world extends to various light shades of gray, yellow, and ''purple'' at times.

The comic went on a long hiatus due to the author's health problems after chapter 485 in June 2020; as of February 2021, [[https://www.monstersandcritics.com/anime/tower-of-god-hiatus-update-kami-no-tou-webtoon-creator-sius-health-problems-described/ the best guess]] is that it will resume in June 2021 or a little later.

Chapter 78 served as the end of the first saga and season, the second begins at Chapter 80 with an epilogue and prologue between the two seasons, and consists of three sagas that last up to Chapter 417. The third season begins with Chapter 418. The comic went on a long hiatus due to the author's health problems after chapter 485 in June 2020; as of February 2021, [[https://www.monstersandcritics.com/anime/tower-of-god-hiatus-update-kami-no-tou-webtoon-creator-sius-health-problems-described/ the best guess]] is that it will resume in June 2021 or a little later.

Chapter 78 served as the end of the first saga and season, the second begins at Chapter 80 with an epilogue and prologue between the two seasons, and consists of three sagas that last up to Chapter 417. The third season begins with Chapter 418. The comic went on an indefinite hiatus due to the author's health problems after chapter 485 in June 2020.

Written and illustrated by Slave.In.Utero, ''Tower of God'' (''신의 탑'') is a {{Korean Webtoon|s}} with 485 chapters as of the end of 2020.

Written and illustrated by Slave.In.Utero, ''Tower of God'' (''신의 탑'') is a {{Korean Webtoon|s}} with over 450 chapters as of the end of 2020.

Chapter 78 served as the end of the first saga and season, the second begins at Chapter 80 with an epilogue and prologue between the two seasons, and consists of three sagas that last up to Chapter 417. The third season begins with Chapter 418. The comic went on an indefinite hiatus due to the author's health problems after chapter 458 in June 2020.

Written and illustrated by Slave.In.Utero, ''Tower of God'' (''신의 탑'') is a {{Korean Webtoon|s}} with over 400 chapters as of the end of 2018.

Chapter 78 served as the end of the first saga and season, the second begins at Chapter 80 with an epilogue and prologue between the two seasons, and consists of three sagas that last up to Chapter 417. The third season begins with Chapter 418. The comic went on an indefinite hiatus due to the author's health problems after chapter 458 in Juna 2020.

Chapter 78 served as the end of the first saga and season, the second begins at Chapter 80 with an epilogue and prologue between the two seasons, and consists of three sagas that last up to Chapter 417. The third season begins with Chapter 418.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: The Ten Great Families are saturated with intrigue.

* AbusiveParents: This is rather common in the Ten Great Families, most notable case would be the Hendo family, whose head made a deal shortening the life span of every single descendant of his blood in order to stay immortal. Khun's mother drove him to excel and be as ruthless and manipulative as she was. Until he'd had enough and used everything he'd learned to run away from home and 'borrow' a lot of expensive items from his father on his way out.

** The Wall of Peaceful Coexistence: Kallavan and Yascratcha.

** The Last Station: Kallavan, and all of Jahad's military forces.

* {{Doorstopper}}: The whole second Season, capping off at 337 chapters, is over ''six times'' the length of Season 1. Even the entire Hell Train saga takes up most of this Season's meat, starting from Chapter 111 all the way to Chapter 315--this makes its length about two third of the overall content.

* AbusiveParents: This is rather common in the 10 Great Families, most notable case would be the Hendo family, whose head made a deal shortening the life span of every single descendant of his blood in order to stay immortal. Khun's mother drove him to excel and be as ruthless and manipulative as she was. Until he'd had enough and used everything he'd learned to run away from home and 'borrow' a lot of expensive items from his father on his way out.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: The 10 Great Families are saturated with intrigue.

** Every member of the 10 Families (which includes Khun Aguero Agnes), Jahad's Princesses (Yuri, Endorsi [[spoiler: and by heritage, Anaak]]. As for leaders, Poe Bidau Gustang takes an active interest in the goings on of the series, [[spoiler:fully endorsing Rachel and helping create the Princess system]].
** Jahad used to do something (long before the start of the story, he conquered Tower up to the 134th Floor with his 10 companions, who founded the 10 families), but now he's resting.

* BigBadWannabe: [[spoiler:Hell Joe]] really is incredibly powerful. But as [[spoiler:Urek Mazino]] points out, not even close to powerful enough to achieve his ambitions of conquering the entire tower.