Tower of God reminds me a lot of HunterxHunter.

I know that others feel the same. There are parallels between Tower of God and HunterxHunter. Granted Tower of God has its own universe and its own way of defining its universe, and has its own lore. These things make Tower of God stand alone as an anime and a webtoon. But there are too many things that have parallels and I wanted to define them more clearly for myself and others who feel the same. From  rankers, shinsu, tests, power creep, and the Bam/Khun dynamic there is plenty to look at and feel it’s essentially the same with a different name.

Lets begin with the rankers. These are your certified bad-asses of the Tower and putting it HunterxHunter terms they are Hunters. They stand above and beyond your average person. They have power that is unfathomable in comparison to your regulars. The fact that almost all regulars stand no chance against the rankers is a testament to their strength. The Rankers use a power called shinsu. This immediately makes me think of a Hunter’s use of nen, and developing the ability to use powers that grant you superhuman abilities. What hasn’t been answered yet so far is if there is the same kind of power creep for shinsu as there is with nen. I would be willing to bet there is.

In terms of power creep for the show, we already know who the best in class are for our current group of regulars trying to make it up the tower. Rak, Bam, Khun, Endorsi, Anaak, Laure and Hatz have the most power. There may be others, but if they have more power they have yet to put it on display. Will everyone be able to maintain their power? Or will some fall off or be only useful in certain situations later on? It’s hard to say not understanding the shinsu system fully, and also with fiction you can amplify power on a whim if needed. Best part is most will accept it without question as long as it’s well-written. In HunterxHunter there are clear power differences and those differences change over time. And as in HunterxHunter some just don’t have the same talent level as others. The issue at stake for most regulars is they have to apply the talent they have to climb the tower.

The tests for the tower  are so far insane. Events such as kill half the group to get to the next stage, walk confidently through a door that may kill you, and be able to handle shinsu as you climb the tower are brutal tests. The nerve and the confidence to go  from test to test is insane. Whatever you want at the top of the tower has to be worth more than your life in most cases. In HunterxHunter while the tests may have not put your life on the line as often, there was a certain impossibility to each test. Only those with the aptitude to continue on could pass; likewise you needed nerves of steel to keep going or enough talent that impossible challenges became trivial.

Another important Tower of God HunterxHunter dynamic that needs to be addressed is the Bam and Khun relationship. The Bam/Khun relationship reminds me a lot of the Gon/Killua dynamic. Both use characters that rely on the other’s strengths, but are perfectly capable by themselves. They exponentially increase what the other can accomplish. Partnerships like these are rare but make for interesting story telling. How far will Bam and Khun go? Will their relationship get tested? It’s hard to say, but so far I am liking how they work together.

Maybe one day Tower of God will be able to help shake the feeling that it isn’t exactly HunterxHunter, but in some ways it feels similar. Not that I would mind if it didn’t, because HunterxHunter remains one of my favorite anime of all time. I am certain Tower of God will still offer a unique experience, but I am unsure of what direction the anime will take.

Agree? Disagree? What are your thoughts? I want to know!

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