Summary
In theTower of God, there are a lot of iconic locations that hold great value to the story, and the infamous Floor of Death, the moniker given to the 43rd Floor, is at the very top of the list. Much of its status is unknown to inhabitants of the Towerexcept its dangerous reputationand dark history.
The history of the Floor of Death is intertwined with the Tower so fans of the series must understand it, because it played a significant role in the narrative of the series, and served as the backdrop for some of its most crucial events.
The Floor Of Death Served A Great Purpose In The Tower’s Early Days
Arlen And V’s Hideout
Following Zahard’s decision to halt the Tower climb at the 134th floor, and become the “King” of the Tower, he fell out with two of his most trusted companions, Arlen Grace and her lover V. They attempted to stop this and a great war ensued, whichended up in the Zahard Empire’svictory because he had the force of the other Ten Great Families behind him. Following their defeat, Arlen Grace and V became refugees and fled to the 43rd Floor, and eventually, they gave birth to a son.
The news of this infuriated Zahard, as Arlen was his first love, and he made it his mission to track them down. After he located them, Zahard killed Arlen’s son right in front of her eyes, causing Arlen to become suicidal, and V resorts to taking his own life to form some conflict resolution between Arlen and Zahard. But at that point, Arlen’s hate for Zahard was far too great, so she took her dead child’s corpse and found a way out of the Tower with the help of the Outside God. Years after the incident, Zahard created a shrine on the 43rd floor which his worshippers turned to a pilgrimage site and ensured to erase any trace of Arlen, V, and their child from the history books.
How The 43rd Floor Came To Be Known As The Floor Of Death
The Incident That Changed Everything
Enryu, an Irregular, suddenly appearedin the Tower one day, specifically on the 43rd Floor bearing a message presumably from the Outside God for all of Zahard’s followers. The messenger of divine retribution announced:
Only those who believe in the false king will remain here and face death.
Whilst many people fled, Zahard’s followers tried to attack Enryu prompting him to cast a spell and make Shinsu rain in the form of spears, striking down all his adversaries. The Administrator of the 43rd Floor joined the battle after this display of power, as all Administrators have a contract with Zahard to uphold his rain; but the rain of Shinsu spears eventually pierced its skin and struck it down as well.
This was a historic feat of power as Administrators were considered by most to be immortal and even more powerful than the strongest of men, but Enryu was able to disprove the myth. This battle ravaged the land, destroying its natural landscape and forever changing its ecosystem, and the ground turned red. It continued to rain red Shinsu for decades, and eventually, the corpse of the Administrator was all that remained as solid ground and a sea of its blood, which is how the 43rd Floor became known as the Floor of Death. For those who inhabited the floor, they suffered the effects of being hit by a nuclear warhead. There were a lot of casualties, andthe strongest Rankerssuffered from aging and the deteriorated Shinsu.
The Zahard family blocked off all the entrances and exits of the Floor and killed anyone who tried to escape to stop the rumors of Enryu’s power and a thorn that he left behind with the ability to kill Zahard, from spreading. Grand De Sah and Grand De Jah decided to use magic togrant the residents eternal lifeby storing their souls in The Spirit Room to compensate for being forced to live on the Floor of Death for the rest of their lives, but this was not a solution that many were content with.
The Current Reality Of The Floor Of Death
The Conditions Of The 43rd Floor
Hell Joe, a resident of the Floor, eventually rebelled and with the help of his fellow rebels, they took over the South City and imprisoned Grand De Sah. They tried to take over the North City but failed due to Grand De Jah’s ability to see the future and Princess Garam Zahard, wielder of the Blue August and Indigo July, aiding him. Nowadays, the reputation of the Floor of Death to other inhabitants of the Tower is that it is a lawless place filled with the most dangerous criminals, and it is a haven for those who oppose Zahard’s reign.
The Shinsu there is very thin and can not support life, so Po Bidau Gustang created an artificial life support systemthat uses the Administrator’s blood, which is highly rich in Shinsu, and his blood vessels, to supply it to different parts of the Floor. The sea of blood is so dense in Shinsu that even High Rankers like Princess Ha Yuri Zahardcannot utilize Shinsuwhile swimming inside it. The Floor of Death is also the only Floor in the Tower where inhabitants can utilize Shinsu without forming a contract with an Administrator since its Floor Guardian is deceased, which means all contracts and spells are useless because there is no Floor Guardian to uphold them.
Regulars are not required to take tests on this Floor, as they usually skip it and proceed to the 44th Floor by using the middle road, and as such, there is also no Test Administrator present on this Floor. Zahard’s Princesses are also banned from entering this floor, and only D-Rank Regulars can access it using the Hell Express as it is a special test that allows Regulars access to the 43rd Floor.
The Gatekeepers in charge of keeping intruders out of the Floor of Death use a system that comes in three waves of Watchmen, Eye Bugs, and immortal Giant Leeches, and should an individual manage to get past these, they also have to offer their soul to the High-Leech Monk to access the inner part of the Floor of Death.Guides and Red Witchesare at a disadvantage on the Floor of Death as well, as they lose most of their powers, and the latter have to rely on memorized routes that are passed down through generations to find their way around.
Tower of Godis available to stream onCrunchyroll.
Tower of God
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.
