Tower of God: The Best Battle Shounen So Far?

[Mostezli]

Without spoiling the source material as I haven't read it, it seems like this has no outright villains
and the entire series is just the tournament arc.
I was trying to think back on others I've seen and they all essentially follow the same few rules:

If the main character is a kid, he's constantly and enthusiastically trying to better himself. ​

The characterless main lead here seems to fall under isekai standards in that he's been thrown into a foreign situation and is learning this strange new world at the same pace as the viewer.
There's no crafting.

The main character has to have a troubled backstory that feeds into his motivation.​

The only reason he has to climb the tower is to potentially reunite with a lost companion. He found that person within the first 4 episodes. The show manages to keep the intrigue going because other characters have glimpses of that motivation.

If the main character is a kid, he has to have a rival who's loud, mean, and too easy to agitate.​

They took the pretense out of such a character by making him simply be the guy who's looking for a worthy opponent because he's a giant talking gator. He's not here for the big prize at the tippy top.

There are eccentric mentors.​

There are trainers for this show's version of a superpower. There are administrators who oversee the tournament,
but the only headlining mentors seem to be the competitors themselves
teaching and learning from each other.

The villains are really vile.​

There was a moment in the show of a possible bad guy group, but those were the tough rules of the entry stage
and wound up coming to the rescue of the main hero team. There was a masked silent character that had to have been an assassin of some sort, but that individual bore no qualms after the intense match. There's also a high-tier competitor that throws off how messed up this feudalistic society is, but she herself isn't perceived to be any more malicious than anyone else beyond her rival and has since even been befriended by other altruistic characters.

I'm guessing eventually there is a big crashing twist, but right now it's remarkable how well characters stand out when there isn't a terrifying opposing entity/force that needs to be dealt with.

 

[PicardMan]

It seems way too early to say that as most anime take a while before we see their true colors. Like the guy who reviews Tower of God on Anime News Network said, this feels very much like the hunter exam of HunterXHunter with creative and quirky challenges. The difference is the mysterious world and the nature of the tower. Considering stuff like HunterXHunter and YuYu Hakusho, and One Piece had dozens (or more) of episodes to develop, it's not fair for me to compare to Tower of God. Even if it isn't GOAT doesn't mean it sucks. Even if it isn't the Michael Jordan of battle shonen, what's wrong with it being a Clyde Drexler?

 

[aradii]

I think tower of God is absolutely amazing! It is definitely a must see in 2020. I must say that the overall quality of the show is very good. The music is crisp, the animations are unique yet simple,maybe some people don't like that but i do!
The voice acting is good and there's nothing really big to complain about.

 

[PicardMan]

As a dub follower, I do admit that as of episode 8, my appreciation of the series has soured a bit. This is also the point Anime News Network started to turn on the series. It's still not a bad show exactly, but I do find Bam to be the most dull shonen protagonist ever. It is definitely different that Bam is rather stoic rather than the overexcited normal shonen protagonist and seems to be mostly a pacifist. He doesn't seem to accomplish much of anything except

Spoiler

Suddenly having the cliche "hidden potential power" and effortlessly creating water force fields during the tag game

. Even Asta from the divisive Black Clover is a better protagonist. The supporting cast is a lot more fun. Rak, Anaak, and Leesoo are the highlights. ANN's assessment as a poor man's HunterXHunter does seem spot on as without the life and death stakes of the hunter exam, their doesn't to be as much tension

Spoiler

Well, caused by the exam itself. The betrayals and people taking the exam are pretty dangerous, but I really didn't feel invested in the feel bad for horned guy traitor scene

Don't get the hype as this seems to be the most brand x generic shonen I've seen in a while. To be fair, maybe it does get better as MHA didn't really stand out until season 2 as something special. I know I've been criticizing the show a lot, but there's still some fun action and characters. Just a 6/10 show for me as of episode 8. Maybe that number will change depending on the rest of the show.

 

[Mostezli]

As a dub follower, I do admit that as of episode 8, my appreciation of the series has soured a bit. This is also the point Anime News Network started to turn on the series. It's still not a bad show exactly, but I do find Bam to be the most dull shonen protagonist ever. It is definitely different that Bam is rather stoic rather than the overexcited normal shonen protagonist and seems to be mostly a pacifist. He doesn't seem to accomplish much of anything except

Spoiler

Suddenly having the cliche "hidden potential power" and effortlessly creating water force fields during the tag game

. Even Asta from the divisive Black Clover is a better protagonist. The supporting cast is a lot more fun. Rak, Anaak, and Leesoo are the highlights. ANN's assessment as a poor man's HunterXHunter does seem spot on as without the life and death stakes of the hunter exam, their doesn't to be as much tension

Spoiler

Well, caused by the exam itself. The betrayals and people taking the exam are pretty dangerous, but I really didn't feel invested in the feel bad for horned guy traitor scene

Don't get the hype as this seems to be the most brand x generic shonen I've seen in a while. To be fair, maybe it does get better as MHA didn't really stand out until season 2 as something special. I know I've been criticizing the show a lot, but there's still some fun action and characters. Just a 6/10 show for me as of episode 8. Maybe that number will change depending on the rest of the show.

You're in for a plot twist or two and

Spoiler

I'm actually still conflicted on the concept of villains in this show.

It's not that Bam is stoic as he is so very very ignorant, which is by design of the premise. A lot of isekai involve these characters having that foreign knowledge or perspective to overcome anything and everything. He simply wants to make others succeed, but in his reserved confused outlook given he doesn't have that drive other shonen protags do.
Another common aspect within shonen protags is being seen as the most pitiful character, which Bam isn't.

I stand by this still being the best "battle" shonen after finishing this season. I fell off of HxH because after 40 or so episodes the battle shonen repetition lost me. Same goes for MHA (that is including s2) and I never bothered with Black Clover. In Tower of God, there are simply far more simultaneous character arcs and overall story/setting intrigue to invest in within far fewer episodes.

 

[PicardMan]

I stand by this still being the best "battle" shonen after finishing this season. I fell off of HxH because after 40 or so episodes the battle shonen repetition lost me.

York New City and Chimera Ant arcs are some of the most non traditional shonen out there. Whether these experiments worked or not is up for personal tastes.

I never bothered with Black Clover.

In terms of story, you're not missing much. If you've seen the other two medieval fantasy battle shonen, Seven Deadly Sins and Fairy Tail, you've seen Black Clover.

I stand by this still being the best "battle" shonen after finishing this season.

It is different and a story from a different country than Japan, and that makes it interesting. Still, different is not always better. I'm not yet emotionally invested, but very few battle shonen do well in terms of emotional drama in the first 13 episodes except maybe One Piece. For other non traditional shonen, Rurouni Kenshin, a much more serious one with an adult protagonist, is a recommendation. Here's my list of all battle shonen I've seen in order from least favorite to favorite. (Fullmetal Alchemist, Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2, and a few others are excluded as I am unsure if they properly qualify as battle shonen or not).

18 Black Clover,
17 Blue Excorcist season 1,
16 Tower of God,
15 Fairy Tail,
14. Magi,
13. Fire Force
12. Seven Deadly Sins,
11. Demon Slayer
10. Naruto,
9. Bleach,
8. Soul Eater
7.Dragonball,
6. My Hero Academia,
5.JoJo's Bizarre Adventure,
4.HunterXHunter,
3.One Piece,
2. YuYu Hakusho,
1. Rurouni Kenshin

Yeah it's not yet that high in my personal rankings, but it's okay if someone else has a different opinion. I guess I have a bias towards 20th century style shonen, based on my top 5. Everyone's shonen rankings are bound to look completely different.

 

[Mostezli]

York New City and Chimera Ant arcs are some of the most non traditional shonen out there. Whether these experiments worked or not is up for personal tastes.

If the characters and story wasn't fundamentally registering to me whatsoever, I don't see the point on continuing,
From all those episodes I did watch, I had far less engagement with it in comparison to other well-known shows that came prior to and after.

In terms of story, you're not missing much. If you've seen the other two medieval fantasy battle shonen, Seven Deadly Sins and Fairy Tail, you've seen Black Clover.

I say that about almost every battle shonen. Similar to Power Rangers, they mainly switch the theme around and the archetypes.

It is different and a story from a different country than Japan, and that makes it interesting. Still, different is not always better. I'm not yet emotionally invested, but very few battle shonen do well in terms of emotional drama in the first 13 episodes except maybe One Piece. For other non traditional shonen, Rurouni Kenshin, a much more serious one with an adult protagonist, is a recommendation. Here's my list of all battle shonen I've seen in order from least favorite to favorite. (Fullmetal Alchemist, Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2, and a few others are excluded as I am unsure if they properly qualify as battle shonen or not).

18 Black Clover,
17 Blue Excorcist season 1,
16 Tower of God,
15 Fairy Tail,
14. Magi,
13. Fire Force
12. Seven Deadly Sins,
11. Demon Slayer
10. Naruto,
9. Bleach,
8. Soul Eater
7. Dragonball,
6. My Hero Academia,
5. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure,
4. HunterXHunter,
3. One Piece,
2. YuYu Hakusho,
1. Rurouni Kenshin

Yeah it's not yet that high in my personal rankings, but it's okay if someone else has a different opinion. I guess I have a bias towards 20th century style shonen, based on my top 5. Everyone's shonen rankings are bound to look completely different.

Battle shonen is pretty much taking a more mature approach on Pokemon or Dragon Ball (not DBZ+), yet still moralizing enough to get that this is meant for somewhat older kids to learn the same few lessons from. A hallmark component is the soap opera of / info dump by diverse characters standing around as a select few are roughing it out. In Dr. Stone's case, regular folk reacting to science in the making. The earliest episodes are typically the least eventful beyond establishing the mc's backstory, the cast and setting.

I wrote off Tower of God in the very first episode because it was structured & framed unlike any isekai or battle shounen I've come across. When I came back and noticed how the familiar aspects were woven in, there seemed to be both a subversion of expectations & a comprehensive understanding of so many past battle shounen. Another way to explain that would be a "greatest hits" montage whilst uniquely carving its own place from varying vantage points all through this tried & true tournament arc. When it comes to future generations looking back on the genre, this would be my recommendation as a gateway.

 

[PicardMan]

Last episode dub just came on for free Crunchyroll users.

Spoiler

I finally saw the Rachael twist and actually didn't really hate her like the rest of the fanbase. It almost felt like Asuna betraying Kirito as Bam seems even more of a boring Gary Stu than Kirito. The only difference is he seems to be a rare male moeblob with cuteness as his only trait.

Finale was okay, but I still didn't entirely get the appeal of this show. I still will probably watch season 2 because of the hype train and the fact it's only a prologue and I keep hearing it gets better. Well, onto God of Highschool when its dub comes out, which I've heard has amazing action scenes, but a really stupid plot. Wonder which show I'll end up liking more.

 

[Yojimbo]

Last episode dub just came on for free Crunchyroll users.

Spoiler

I finally saw the Rachael twist and actually didn't really hate her like the rest of the fanbase. It almost felt like Asuna betraying Kirito as Bam seems even more of a boring Gary Stu than Kirito. The only difference is he seems to be a rare male moeblob with cuteness as his only trait.

Finale was okay, but I still didn't entirely get the appeal of this show. I still will probably watch season 2 because of the hype train and the fact it's only a prologue and I keep hearing it gets better. Well, onto God of Highschool when its dub comes out, which I've heard has amazing action scenes, but a really stupid plot. Wonder which show I'll end up liking more.

Tower of God is kinda like HunterxHunter's Heavens Arena and Greed Island mixed together but structured to get to the point in 13 episodes. I liked how all the characters rallied around Bam really because he was such a pure soul, all the twists, some kinda like prisoner dilemmia, and on the surface it seems like this game is also being used to find those worthy to work for Jehad and those who are potential threats and need to be wiped out, and how not everyone in charge of the game is a bad guy like the Lero guy who quit to investigate things on his own, well with Quant. The big battle between Yuri and the assassin Ren was pretty cool - Yuri turning out to be really powerful of a fighter (the toughest so far?) was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

God of High School is really entertaining as a battle anime. It's definitely taking elements from Journey to the West and in lay man's terms, pretty much if Dragon Ball was only the Tenkaichi Budokai with Street Fighter in the mix. I find the core three characters really endearing and them bonding in this first half (I guess) of the season was great.

It's kinda funny how both are Korean in origin, I think, and both share similar elements...you haven't seen it yet right? I won't spoil it.

 

[PicardMan]

It's kinda funny how both are Korean in origin, I think, and both share similar elements...you haven't seen it yet right? I won't spoil it.

I've been dub waiting and it looks like the dub is coming in two weeks (three weeks for free users). Good to hear praise for the characters. ANN and THEM Anime Reviews are still the only professional anime review websites I know about, and ANN seems almost impossible to please (they hated on Future Diary and other super popular titles. Almost every anime episode in 2019, even great stuff like Dr. Stone seemed to consistently get 3 star reviews). I pretty much have to watch something to know what I think of it as it feels like reading ANN's constant negative reviews of popular shows is not helpful. I happened to kind of agree with them with with Tower of God, but I hope I enjoy God of High School.

The big battle between Yuri and the assassin Ren was pretty cool - Yuri turning out to be really powerful of a fighter (the toughest so far?) was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

The action scenes were pretty solid and watching her dodge lightning was pretty cool, but the fact that Yuri was absent for most of the show diluted its impact and I suspect a lot of characterization stuff was probably left out. Anaak is probably the coolest female character as her design is interesting as a lizard person.

 

[Yojimbo]

I've been dub waiting and it looks like the dub is coming in two weeks (three weeks for free users). Good to hear praise for the characters. ANN and THEM Anime Reviews are still the only professional anime review websites I know about, and ANN seems almost impossible to please (they hated on Future Diary and other super popular titles. Almost every anime episode in 2019, even great stuff like Dr. Stone seemed to consistently get 3 star reviews). I pretty much have to watch something to know what I think of it as it feels like reading ANN's constant negative reviews of popular shows is not helpful. I happened to kind of agree with them with with Tower of God, but I hope I enjoy God of High School.

I don't read review sites. I also have to watch a title to see if it jives with me. The only concern I really have with Tower of God season 2 is if there's a big time skip or if they pull a Tokyo Ghoul and the lead character becomes... well y'know.

The action scenes were pretty solid and watching her dodge lightning was pretty cool, but the fact that Yuri was absent for most of the show diluted its impact and I suspect a lot of characterization stuff was probably left out. Anaak is probably the coolest female character as her design is interesting as a lizard person.

Hmm, kind of agree, but at least she didn't just vanish after episode 1. They periodically checked in with her trying to catch up to them so she wasn't largely absent from the show. The show seems to be more about filling in back story as it goes along rather than outright state all its character's origins from when they're introduced so I don't mind. She's pretty much a deadpan, cooler than cool, OP character and I think that's why I find her entertaining.

 

[Space Cadet]

Not sure if I should post it here or in the Crunchyroll news thread but it was announced that Japanese girl group NiziU will be doing both the opening and ending songs for the upcoming season. Their labelmates, Stray Kids did the theme song for the first season.