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Tower of God

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Tower of God
First volume cover, featuring Twenty-Fifth Bam
신의 탑
Sin-ui Tap
GenreAction, dark fantasy[1]
AuthorS.I.U. (Lee Jong-hui)
PublisherYoung Com
Country of originSouth Korea
Webtoon
service
Original runJune 30, 2010 – present
Volumes17
Anime television series
Directed by
  • Takashi Sano (S1)
  • Kazuyoshi Takeuchi (chief) (S2)
  • Akira Suzuki (S2)
Produced byJoseph Chou
Written byErika Yoshida
Music byKevin Penkin
Studio
Licensed by
Original network
English network
Original run April 1, 2020 – present
Episodes33 (List of episodes)

Tower of God[a] is a South Korean manhwa released as a webtoon written and illustrated by S.I.U. It has been serialized in Naver Corporation's webtoon platform Naver Webtoon since June 2010, with the individual chapters collected and published by Young Com in 17 volumes as of October 2024. Tower of God received official English translations by Line Webtoon beginning in July 2014.

It has received several mobile game adaptations and merchandise. In Japan, the web manhwa received an anime television series adaptation by Telecom Animation Film that first premiered on Naver Series On in South Korea, and aired in Japan immediately afterward. It originally aired from April to June 2020. A second season produced by The Answer Studio premiered in July 2024.

Synopsis

[edit]
See also: List of Tower of God characters

Premise

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Tower of God centers around a boy named Twenty-Fifth Bam. It is notable that in Korea 'Bam' can mean 'Night' or 'Chestnut'. He has spent most of his life trapped beneath a vast and mysterious Tower, with only his close friend, Rachel, to keep him company. When Rachel enters the Tower, Bam is devastated. Somehow, Bam manages to open the door to the Tower. Now, he will go any distance to see Rachel again even if it means dying. When he enters the Tower, he meets allies that will help him up the tower.

Locations

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The Tower

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"The Tower" is a mysterious structure that is completely enclosed and hosts many unique environments. It is permeated by an element called "Shinsu", which has strange properties similar to magic in other comic universes. It is inhabited by many different intelligent species. Living on the top floors is associated with a higher status in the Tower and better living conditions. This is because ascension from one floor to the next is only allowed by passing increasingly difficult tests of strength, dexterity and wit. Regulars are any individuals from the Outer Tower chosen to climb the tower in the Inner Tower. Former Regulars who reach the top of the Tower are known as Rankers, and are generally much more powerful than others. Rankers are often put to work administering the lower floors. At the top of the Tower sit the "Ten Great Families", which form the governing body of the Tower. A figure known as King Jahad (or 'Zahard', in some translations) is the chief leader of this body.

Each floor is composed of three layers: an external Outer Tower which serves as the residential area, an Inner Tower where people are tested, and a Middle Area, which acts as a network linking each floor. Residents of each floor are given the chance to ascend, provided that they are deemed "worthy" of doing so by Headon, the First Floor's Guardian and caretaker of the Tower. Such people are referred to as "Chosen Regulars" in Tower of God. The Tower is sealed from the vast, unknown "Outside" by portentous, impenetrable doors. On rare occasions, extraordinary people are able to open the doors and enter the Tower. Such people are called "Irregulars" in the manhwa, and Twenty-Fifth Bam is one of them.

According to the author, each floor is the size of the North American continent.[citation needed] Each floor often has its own culture, language and governance systems, and it is not uncommon to have nations living in isolation and unaware of the existence of the tower.

Only Irregulars are exempt from the contract Jahad struck with the Tower Guardians that made him immortal. Thus, only an Irregular can kill Jahad. This fact drives much of the plot in Tower of God.

Shinsu

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Shinsu (신수; Sinsu), roughly translated as "Divine Water", is a substance found within the Tower in varying concentrations on each floor. On the lower floors, Shinsu is diffuse and inconspicuous, similar to air. However, on higher floors, Shinsu increases in power and concentration, and is said to be viscous and flowing similarly to water. High Shinsu resistance is required to enter these floors. Residents in the tower must form a contract with the "guardian" of the respective floors in order to manipulate Shinsu.

Shinsu can be manipulated to enhance physical abilities, powerful weapons, and even manipulate the elements. Bang (Korean-방) is the number of discrete units of Shinsu control. The more Bangs someone handle, the better the ability to control shinsu. The size of the units is called Myeon (Korean-면), and the concentration is called Soo (Korean-수). Though used with varying degrees of explicitness and even conscious awareness, its use seems to be inextricable from combat within the Tower. Shinsu reinforcement (Korean-신수강화-shinsooganghwa) is a technique used to strengthen the body, and is commonly used by Regulars. Those who are strong with Shinsu have their aging slowed to the point where they become effectively immortal. It is unclear to what extent aging is slowed simply by living in the tower without training to use Shinsu.

Shinsu does not have a fixed flow, but there is a temporary flow. Using this flow to attack is called flow control. Expert wave controllers could destroy a village with this. Reverse flow control is used to strike back in the direction of the flow and to stop the opponent. Sometimes they are used simultaneously, attacking with flow control and protecting the body with reverse flow control. Flow control is a favored technique of Twenty-Fifth Bam.

However, there are certain exceptions to rules regarding Shinsu. Individuals known as "Irregulars" seem to have a special connection with the tower, being able to use Shinsu with little to no constraints, regardless of whether or not they have contracts with the same administrators of the floors they're on or going to. One highly notable irregular known simply as "Enryu" even managed to kill the then administrator and guardian of the 43rd floor. A feat once thought to be impossible on the apparently false pretense that Administrators were thought to be immortal and otherwise infallible. This has led many of the tower's inhabitants to see irregulars as little more than highly destructive entities with unfathomable powers and abilities, as well as being regarded as calamities brought forth by the tower's prophecies in an effort to bring about change to the tower.

Because of their ability, irregulars are often heavily stigmatized and feared, even by inhabitants of the highest caliber within the tower known simply as "Rankers". Individuals that have reached the highest floor known to the tower's inhabitants. The current capabilities of Irregulars is such that even the upper echelon of Rankers known as "High Rankers" such as the Ten Great Families and even King Jahad, are extremely wary of them, especially so in King Jahad's case due to the nature of his contract with the Tower Guardians.

Positions

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Most battles in the tower are done in teams. Each person in a team plays a certain role in battle, which are referred to as positions. There are five basic positions: fisherman (낚시꾼 nakksiggun), spear-bearer (창지기 changjigi), light-bearer (등대지기 deungdaejigi), scout (탐색꾼 tamsaekggun), and wave-controller (파도잡이 padojabi). Fishermen are direct fighters, spear-bearers are a fighting support class, light-bearers provide distant reconnaissance, scouts provide on-ground reconnaissance, and wave-controllers control Shinsu. There are other positions, such as guide, but they are rare.

Development

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Author S.I.U. majored in visual arts education on a university level before being conscripted into the South Korean military. By the advice of a senior in the army, S.I.U. started drawing cartoons. During this period, S.I.U. drew "ten books" worth of practice cartoons, which formed the backbone of the Tower of God comic he later started to create for the Internet.[3] S.I.U. already has major events and characters planned out, sometimes more than 8 years in advance, and often shares additional information on the Tower of God universe on his blogpost, after each chapter is published.[citation needed]

Media

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Manhwa

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Lee Jong-hui (Korean: 이종휘), also known by the pen-name S.I.U. ("Slave In Utero") launched Tower of God in Naver's webtoon platform Naver Webtoon on June 30, 2010.[4] It is the first story in the "Talse Uzer" universe. As of February 2020, Tower of God has collected 4.5 billion views worldwide.[5] Tower of God was one of the first webtoons to receive official English translations by Line Webtoon in July 2014.[6]

Its first and second collected volumes were released simultaneously by Young Com on November 12, 2019.[7]

In November 2021, Wattpad announced that Tower of God would receive a print release in North America as part of their new Webtoon Unscrolled imprint.[8]

Volumes

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No. Korean release date Korean ISBN
1 November 12, 2019[9]979-1-19-015317-1
2 November 12, 2019[10]979-1-19-015318-8
3 May 26, 2020[11]979-1-19-015329-4
4 May 26, 2020[12]979-1-19-015330-0
5 January 12, 2021[13]979-1-19-015361-4
6 January 12, 2021[14]979-1-19-015362-1
7 July 14, 2021[15]979-1-19-015393-5
8 July 14, 2021[16]979-1-19-015394-2
9 March 29, 2022[17]979-1-16-779073-6
10 July 28, 2022[18]979-1-16-779140-5
11 November 23, 2022[19]979-1-16-779140-5
12 March 23, 2023[20]979-1-16-779216-7
13 July 20, 2023[21]979-1-16-779265-5
14 January 30, 2024[22]979-1-16-779376-8
15 May 27, 2024[23]979-1-16-779424-6
16 July 31, 2024[24]979-1-16-779449-9
17 October 29, 2024[25]979-1-16-779477-2

Video games

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In 2013, Naver released a mobile role-playing game on Google Play based on Tower of God, developed by Sunrise.[26][27] The game drew in 120 million players shortly after its initial release.[28] The Tower of God role-playing game's development continued for two years after its initial release, and the game saw a full commercial release in 2016. A cross-webtoon RPG game titled Hero Cantare was released in 2019, featuring Tower of God and other popular titles such as The God of High School and Hardcore Leveling Warrior.[29]

A mobile turn-based role-playing game, titled Tower of God: Great Journey, developed by Korean company Ngelgames, was released in Korea in April 2022,[30] and globally on February 14, 2023.[31]

A collectible card role-playing game, titled Tower of God: New World, developed by Netmarble, was released globally on July 26, 2023.[32][33] It features a story mode based on the series, as well as original storyline events and original characters.

The series has had collaborations with mobile games such as Fantasy War Tactics R,[34] Heir of Light,[35] and Seven Knights.[36]

Merchandise

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Naver sells a variety of Tower of God merchandise, such as figurines. During the commercial release of the Tower of God role-playing game, Naver released limited edition items worth ₩30,000 South Korean Won.[27]

Anime

[edit]
Main article: List of Tower of God episodes

An anime television series adaptation was initially announced at Seoul Comic-Con in August 2019. The series, titled Kami no Tō -Tower of God- (神之塔 -Tower of God-), began releasing in April 2020 simultaneously in Japan, South Korea, and the United States.[37][38] It is produced by Telecom Animation Film, with Aniplex subsidiary Rialto Entertainment responsible for Japanese production, and Sola Entertainment providing production management.[38][39] The series aired on April 1, 2020, on South Korea's Naver Series On and television network Aniplus,[40] and in Japan from April 2 to June 24, 2020, on Tokyo MX and other networks.[41][b] It is directed by Takashi Sano, with Hirokazu Hanai as assistant director, Erika Yoshida in series composition, Masashi Kudo and Miho Tanino in character designs, and Kevin Penkin composed the soundtrack.[43] The opening theme song "Top",[44] while the ending theme song is "Slump"; both performed by the K-pop band Stray Kids in Japanese, English, and Korean for the respective language dubs.

Crunchyroll streamed the Japanese original version of the series as a co-production under its "Crunchyroll Originals" label.[38][45][46] Viz Media licensed the series for home video distribution in North America and released it on Blu-ray on January 18, 2022.[47][48]

In August 2022, during their industry panel at Crunchyroll Expo, Crunchyroll announced that a second season was in production.[49] It is produced by The Answer Studio and directed by Akira Suzuki, with Kazuyoshi Takeuchi serving as chief director.[50] The season premiered on July 7, 2024, and airs in two consecutive story arc cours.[51] For the first cour covering the "Ōuji no Kikan" (王子の帰還, Return of the Prince) story arc, the opening theme song is "Rise Up", while the ending theme song is "Believe"; both performed by NiziU.[52] For the second cour covering the "Kōbō-sen" (工房戦, Workshop Battle) story arc, the opening theme song is "Night", while the ending theme song is "Falling Up"; both performed by Stray Kids.[53]

Reception

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Head of Line Webtoon Tom Akel stated in July 2015 that the manhwa's weekly installments are read by five million people.[54]

Notes

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  1. ^ Korean: 신의 탑; Hanja: 神之塔, RR: Sin-ui Tap
  2. ^ The first two episodes received an early release on Naver Series On at 20:00 KST April 1 and 8, 2020.[42] Subsequent Korean-dubbed episodes premiere at 23:00 KST, and subsequent Japanese-dubbed episodes aired at the listed air time of 24:30 JST, which is technically 00:30 JST of the following calendar day.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Crunchyroll Reveals First Slate of Crunchyroll Originals". Crunchyroll. February 25, 2020. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020. A Crunchyroll and WEBTOON Production, based on the comic series "Tower of God" created by SIU and published by WEBTOON, this dark fantasy action series centers on the journey of a young man as he battles his way through the mysterious Tower
  2. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 23, 2020). "Aniplus Asia Airs Tower of God, Kakushigoto, Princess Connect Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  3. ^ 웹툰 '신의 탑' 탄생 이유 무엇?…'시선 집중'. Herald Corp (in Korean). July 6, 2015. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Ji-seon, Lim (October 17, 2013). 0.03%의 확률…'신의 탑' 쌓은 '신의 손' [0.03% probability, build a 'Tower of God' by 'Hand of God']. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Frankfurt: The Hankyoreh. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  5. ^ "Korean Web Manga Tower of God Gets TV Anime in Spring 2020". Crunchyroll. March 2, 2020. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020. The adventure fantasy series has collected 4.5 billion views worldwide
  6. ^ "Popular Mobile Webcomic Service, WEBTOON, Debuts in the United States and Worldwide". PR Newswire (Press release). July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  7. ^ @iyoungcom_2 (November 4, 2019). 🎉드디어 <신의 탑> 1, 2권이 동시 출간됩니다!!🎉 <신의 탑> 출간을 기념하여 트위터에서 이벤트를 시작합니다!💕 본 게시물을 RT + 팔로우 해주신 분들 중 3분을 추첨하여 <신의 탑> 1권을 보내드립니다! 많은 참여 부탁드립니다~😍 (Tweet) (in Korean). Retrieved April 21, 2020 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 18, 2021). "New 'Webtoon Unscrolled' Imprint Unveiled With Tower of God Manhwa". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  9. ^ 신의 탑 1 [Tower of God 1]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  10. ^ 신의 탑 2 [Tower of God 2]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  11. ^ 신의 탑 3 [Tower of God 3]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  12. ^ 신의 탑 4 [Tower of God 4]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  13. ^ 신의 탑 5 [Tower of God 5]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  14. ^ 신의 탑 6 [Tower of God 6]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  15. ^ 신의 탑 7 [Tower of God 7]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  16. ^ 신의 탑 8 [Tower of God 8]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  17. ^ 신의 탑 9 [Tower of God 9]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  18. ^ 신의 탑 10 [Tower of God 10]. Naver Book Database. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  19. ^ 신의 탑 11 [Tower of God 11]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  20. ^ 신의 탑 12 [Tower of God 12]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  21. ^ 신의 탑 13 [Tower of God 13]. Naver Book Database. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  22. ^ 신의 탑 14 [Tower of God 14]. Naver Book Database. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  23. ^ 신의 탑 15 [Tower of God 15]. Naver Book Database. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  24. ^ 신의 탑 16 [Tower of God 16]. Naver Book Database. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  25. ^ 신의 탑 17 [Tower of God 17]. Naver Book Database. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  26. ^ 모바일 게임 '신의 탑 with 네이버웹툰' 정식 서비스 시작. BizFact. February 18, 2016. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  27. ^ a b '신의 탑 with 네이버웹툰' 정식 서비스 시작. PlayForum. February 18, 2016. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  28. ^ Ga-hyun, Park (March 14, 2016). 네이버 웹툰 '신의탑' 꾸준한 인기…게임까지. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  29. ^ [이슈] 웹툰 슈퍼히어로RPG '히어로칸타레', 'SEASON 1. 신의 탑' 사전예약 50만 돌파. Daily e-Sports (in Korean). April 17, 2019. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020 – via Naver News.
  30. ^ Hornshaw, Phil (September 8, 2022). "Tower Of God: Great Journey Releases This Winter In North America, Europe". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  31. ^ "Tower of God: Great Journey Launches Globally on February 14". QooApp. February 8, 2023. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  32. ^ Guillette, Kerri (July 6, 2023). "Tower of God: New World Launches July 26". But Why Tho?. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  33. ^ "Netmarble's Tower of God: New World to Launch on July 26" (Press release). Netmarble. July 7, 2023. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023 – via Anime News Network.
  34. ^ Khor, Jian Wei (April 4, 2018). "SRPG Fantasy War Tactics R and Tower of God Crossover Update Live". IGN. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  35. ^ 「光を継ぐ者」がウェブコミックの"神之塔"とコラボ。ゲーム内に夜，ユリ，ホワイトたちが登場. 4gamer.net (in Japanese). September 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  36. ^ "Seven Knights Franchise Enters Tower Of God: New World In Collaboration Game Update" (Press release). Netmarble. November 29, 2023. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023 – via Anime News Network.
  37. ^ 이기범 (August 5, 2019). 한국 웹툰은 '마블'이 될 수 있을까 (in Korean). Bloter. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  38. ^ a b c Hodgkins, Crystalyn (February 25, 2020). "Crunchyroll Unveils 7 'Crunchyroll Originals' Works Including Tower of God, Noblesse, God of High School". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  39. ^ "Aniplex Subsidiary Rialto Entertainment Works on Tower of God Animated Work". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  40. ^ Aniplus [@ANIPLUSTV] (March 20, 2020). 【2020년 애니플러스 2분기 신작 방영 안내】 『신의 탑』 ☞ 방영일정 : 4.1 (수) 밤 11시 첫방송 애니플러스에서 방송됩니다. 많은 시청 바랍니다. #신의탑 #towerofgod #신의탑애니 #신탑애니 (Tweet) (in Korean). Retrieved April 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  41. ^ Mateo, Alex (April 2, 2020). "Tower of God Anime Has 13 Episodes". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  42. ^ 신의 탑 (한국어더빙) (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020. 시리즈온에서만 1,2화 무료 선물! 2화는 4월 8일 20시 무료 공개될 예정입니다. <신의 탑> 더빙판으로 보면 자막판까지 드리고 있으니 두 배로 즐겨보세요!
  43. ^ "Crunchyroll Reveals Tower of God Anime's Video, Cast, Staff". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  44. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (March 25, 2020). "Tower of God Anime's Video Reveals Stray Kids Opening Song". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  45. ^ "Tower of God Anime Debuts as Crunchyroll Original April 1". Crunchyroll. February 25, 2020. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  46. ^ Mejias, Nicole (June 6, 2020). "The Wild and Wonderful World of WEBTOON Series". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  47. ^ "Crunchyroll and VIZ Media to Bring BURN THE WITCH, Tower of God, JUJUTSU KAISEN, and More to Home Video". Crunchyroll. March 30, 2021. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  48. ^ Viz Media [@vizmedia] (November 16, 2021). "Cover reveal! 🐢 This is the story of the beginning and the end of Rachel, the girl who climbed the tower so she could see the stars, and Bam, the boy who needed nothing but her. Tower of God: The Complete Season releases January 18th on Blu-ray!" (Tweet). Retrieved November 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
  49. ^ Loo, Egan (August 6, 2022). "Tower of God Anime Gets 2nd Season". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  50. ^ Mateo, Alex (March 23, 2024). "Tower of God Season 2's Sneak Peek Video Reveals NiziU Songs, Revamped Staff, More Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  51. ^ Loo, Egan (June 11, 2024). "Tower of God Season 2 to Premiere on July 7". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  52. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (June 21, 2024). "Tower of God 2nd Season Anime's Promo Video Previews NiziU's Opening Theme". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  53. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (October 2, 2024). "Tower of God Season 2 Anime Unveils Creditless Video for New Opening/Ending Songs (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  54. ^ Gustines, George Gene (July 5, 2015). "Stan Lee and Michelle Phan Help WEBTOON, Digital Comics Site, Expand in U.S." The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
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