Television series

Tower of God

Name: Tower of God
Genre: Drama, Action, Anime, Fantasy
Released: 2020
Cast: Taichi Ichikawa, Kenta Miyake, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Saori Hayami, Yūma Uchida

A Korean webtoon adapted into anime, Tower of God is a vertical fantasy about a boy chasing his friend up an impossible structure of tests and betrayals. Each floor strips away another layer of what Bam thinks he knows. It's stylish, morally murky, and built on mystery—you watch partly to solve it, partly to see who survives the climb.

TVMaze rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like climbing-the-ladder fantasy where each floor is a self-contained test of wit and nerve, and you'll enjoy the slow-burn loyalty between Bam and Rachel driving every trial.

Skip it if you want a quick, tightly plotted story, since this sprawls over a slow opening and a world explained in pieces rather than a neat, closed arc.

What it asks of you: Expect a patient start, episodes that run half an hour each, and a willingness to sit with a large, slowly unfolding world before its stakes feel fully clear.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Attack on Titan2013

Both follow an outsider ascending through a hierarchical, oppressive system layer by layer. The mystery unfolds through revelation rather than exposition, and the deeper you go, the more the moral stakes flip.

But Attack on Titan's first season is slower to hook, and the pacing varies wildly across its four seasons. It demands real commitment.

Demon Slayer2019

Gorgeous animation, a clear mission driving the narrative, and a protagonist who grows through incremental tests. Both have that quality of ascending toward something vast and unknowable.

But Demon Slayer prioritizes spectacle over mystery. If you're watching Tower of God for its conspiracies and reversals, this is more straightforward than you want.

Jujutsu Kaisen2020

A protagonist entering a hidden world, meeting allies with their own agendas, discovering the system he's joining isn't what it seems. The animation is sharp and the humor lands between the horror.

But Jujutsu Kaisen is more action-focused and less architecturally ambitious. The Tower's vertical structure is replaced by a more conventional magical academy setup.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Tower of God

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story2020

Both are structured as deceptions, where the protagonist's climb is actually a descent. The tower and the contract both demand everything and call it a choice.

A girl thinks she's entering a system she understands; the system is designed to break her and people like her. By episode three, everything you thought you knew inverts. The visual metaphor of ascension becomes literal and terrible.

But It's only twelve episodes—the shortness might feel unsatisfying. Also, it's a magical girl show with psychological horror underneath, which puts some viewers off before they realize what it is.

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story poster

Hunter x Hunter2011

The spiritual ancestor of this whole subgenre. A young man chasing someone through successive, escalating trials. It understands that the journey reshapes the seeker as much as the destination matters.

But Hunter x Hunter runs 148 episodes. It's a commitment, and some arcs drag. The 2011 adaptation also stops before the end.

Castlevania: Nocturne2023

A character moving through a dangerous, beautiful structure with shifting betrayals and alliances. The animation is painterly, the pacing taut, and the cast operates on different moral frequencies.

But Nocturne is more grounded fantasy than Tower of God's high-wire logic. It's also more violent and sexually explicit—not for everyone.

Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch2006

A strategist protagonist with hidden powers, surrounded by people with their own schemes. The plotting is delicious, the betrayals feel earned, and nobody's loyalty is guaranteed.

But Code Geass is a product of 2006 anime—the character designs will feel dated, and the early seasons are slower than Tower of God's opening.

The God of High School2020

Also adapted from a Korean webtoon, also anime, also about ascending a system through combat. The animation is kinetic and ridiculous in the best way, and the stakes escalate like a staircase to the sky.

But It's more interested in fight choreography than mystery. If Tower of God's slow-burn plotting is what you loved, this will feel shallow.

Blue Exorcist2011

A protagonist discovering his identity through a series of escalating trials within an institution. The tone balances humor with genuine menace, and the character dynamics matter.

But Blue Exorcist is more traditionally shonen than Tower of God. The plotting is less labyrinthine and more emotionally straightforward.

Mononoke2007

Each arc is a mystery locked in a defined space. The visual style is arresting, the pacing deliberate, and the narratives reward close attention. It understands atmospheric dread.

But Mononoke is episodic and meditative—there's no ascending protagonist or overarching quest. If you want forward momentum, this meanders.

Paprika2006

Both use the metaphor of vertical ascent—through a tower, through dreams—as a way to explore the loss of self. Both ask what you're willing to become to reach the top.

A dream-logic thriller about entering forbidden spaces and losing yourself in layers. The animation is hallucinogenic, the pacing relentless, and the mystery deepens with each rewatch. Satoshi Kon built a world that folds into itself.

But It's a 90-minute film condensing ideas that could fill a series. Plot clarity is secondary to mood. If you need everything explained, this will frustrate you.

Sonny Boy2021

Both trap characters in self-contained vertical systems designed by an unknown architect. Both suggest the real test isn't reaching the top—it's understanding why you're climbing.

A group of students drift through impossible islands arranged like a tower, each with its own logic and horror. The show is formally experimental, visually strange, and asks questions it never answers. It's watching someone else's dream collapse.

But Sonny Boy is abstract and willfully obscure. It prioritizes mood and image over plot. If you need narrative structure and resolution, this is alienating.