When Tower of God reached its climax, it all seemed a bit familiar–which is no surprise. After all, it has some major similarities with the first arc of Berserk.
[This article contains major spoilers for both Berserk and Tower of God.]
On the surface, Tower of God doesn’t seem to resemble Berserk in any meaningful way. One is about a young man climbing a continent-sized tower in search of the girl who left him behind while the other is about an orphan mercenary with a really big sword and the army he joins. But while the plots are quite different, the villains–along with their character arcs and motivations–are more than a bit similar.
Griffith and Rachael are both people obsessed with their dreams. Griffith wants to become king and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there–sacrificing both his own body in the bedroom and the lives of his companions on the battlefield. Rachael, on the other hand, wants to see the stars from the top of the tower–so much so that she is willing to discard her friend, her home, and her entire life to attempt to see it through.
Both of them also have a companion–a follower willing to do anything for them: Guts and Bam respectively. But over time, these followers each grow beyond their original role. Guts decides to leave and forge his own path. Bam chooses to head up the tower himself–refusing to be discarded so easily.
Image source: ワーナー ブラザース 公式チャンネル on YouTube
This “betrayal” from their followers causes both Griffith and Rebecca to break down as their dreams implode around them. Griffith, for his part, foolishly rushes his plan–resulting in him becoming a tongueless quadriplegic, unable to do anything on his own. With his dream in shambles, he is unable to even kill himself. Worse yet, he can only sit there and watch as those he once cared about get closer and closer to their own happy endings.
Rebecca’s dreams are shattered just as ruthlessly. Entering the tower, she is told that she won’t be able to climb it–that the tower doesn’t see value in her or her dream. Instead, she is forced to watch as Bam appears, is given a godly powerful sword, overcomes his first test, and is whisked to the next area of the tower. She, who wants to climb the tower for her dream, is left out while the one who doesn’t even care about the tower is able to go on.
Image source: ワーナー ブラザース 公式チャンネル on YouTube
In both cases, this loss of their respective dream causes both Griffith and Rebecca to be consumed by jealousy–the jealousy of those they cared about succeeding while they are left behind. And this opens up their darker sides.
Griffith is tempted by an evil god. If he agrees to let all his former friends and allies be killed by demons, then he will not only be healed but be given a means to eventually achieve his dream. After agreeing, he then rapes Gut’s lover in front of him in petty vengeance for the happiness they were able to gain with each other.
Image source: 『神之塔 -Tower of God-』2020年4月1日よりTVアニメ絶賛放送中！ on Twitter
Rebecca makes a similar deal with the devil; should she kill Bam, she will be allowed to climb the tower despite not being chosen to do so. But more than that, she’ll be able to take his place. Instead of simply seeing the stars at the top of the tower she will become one–a person revered like a god for climbing to the top.
When she finally gets her perfect chance, she doesn’t hesitate. She pushes Bam off a platform to his certain death. And as was promised, she gains a group of friends–Bam’s friends–who all want to take her to the top of the tower in his name.
Image source: シネマトゥデイ on YouTube
Both Berserk’s first major arc and Tower of God’s tell the story of jealousy and betrayal–of sacrificing what should have been most important to receive a twisted version of once-grand dreams. In doing so, they give the main character a mission in life–a reason to keep moving forward–and cement themselves as unforgettable villains.
Tower of God can be seen on Crunchyroll. The relevant arc of Berserk can be seen on Netflix.
Top image source: 『神之塔 -Tower of God-』2020年4月1日よりTVアニメ絶賛放送中！ on Twitter.
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