REVIEW: ‘Tower Of God’ Season 2 Episode 4 — “Ramen And The Great Big Sky”

Wangnan (Yuma Uchida) gets his hero moment in Tower of God Season 2 Episode 4. In an episode that loses some of its necessary momentive pull, the scene with Wangnan is critical. It helps bolster the rest of the episode while tacking on necessary emotional heft. While some of the animation lacks the necessary impact compared to previous installments, the emotional throughline remains strong, especially as many characters continue to question the logistics of the Tower itself. As Wangnan says, “Was this Tower meant to grant wishes or make people give up on them.”

Tower Of God Season 2 Episode 4 works mainly in these heightened declaration moments. There are two significant moments of dramatic tension that help bolster an otherwise tepid episode. The first is Nia’s (Natsuko Abe) death at the hands of Lurker (Naoko Irie). Nia reveals she betrayed Wangnan to help settle a debt for an older woman who took him in. Even here, Wangnan shows compassion towards his plight, trying to absolve Nia of any guilt since he, too, knows the horrors and hardships of this world.

However, Lurker doesn’t have the same type of empathy and brutally kills Nia after revealing that the older woman’s debt won’t disappear entirely. What results is Wangnan’s plight to find Lurker to avenge Nia, no matter the cost. This leads to the second pivotal moment when he reaches out to Viole (Taichi Ichikawa) for help. He’s putting his hopes and dreams of ascending the Tower on the line for revenge, and Viole goes along with it.

The most significant moment of Tower of God Season 2 Episode 4 is the culmination of this brewing anger and tentative team-up. Wangnan stands up against Lurker, beating him to the ground as he expresses his vitriol over Lurker’s actions. Lurker calls him out, though, saying that Wangnan is using terms such as justice to justify his own current, violent actions. Wangnan is willing to cast everything away to ensure that Lurker doesn’t move forward, but he cannot concede to a future where such a terrible man can get what he wants. At the same time, victims like Nia suffer his manipulations.

It’s an intense sequence that speaks to the heart of the series — how far are contestants willing to go to achieve their dreams? In Wangnan’s case, he ultimately chooses forgiveness after learning of Lurker’s own corrupted background. Lurker’s comeuppance is ending his trials forward. He won’t be moving ahead; maybe Wangnan’s forgiveness will inspire a need to atone. It seems too forgiving a gesture considering Wangnan moments earlier listened to Lurker kill his friend over the phone, but it’s demonstrative of his spirit.

It’s something that Viole is curious about, as he agrees to travel with their group at the end of the episode once they’re allowed to the next stage. Viole asks why he forgives, and Wangnan responds that his goal is to climb the Tower and change the system from the inside out so that it’s a place of laughter rather than pain and corruption. Viole seems to agree with the sentiment, though we understand that his feelings are murky.

Early in the episode, Viole is asked why he climbs the Tower, to which he replies that there’s someone he needs to meet up with above. When asked if it’s for revenge, he replies that he’s not sure yet. The assumption is that this is about Rachel (Saori Hayami), who we last saw push Bam to his supposed death in Season 1. Their reconciliation was never going to be clear-cut, and it seemed unlikely that he’d only meet her with anger. This act of forgiveness on Wangnan’s part solidifies that notion. How much of his old kindness remains despite Bam no longer being Bam?

For as strong as the writing is, Tower of God Season 2 Episode 4 doesn’t live up to it with the animation. The color contrasts are garish — especially with the monsters that momentarily possess Yeon’s (Sayumi Watabe) body — and the action lacks the dynamic edge the series has displayed in the past. It makes sense that the animation quality got slicker and more streamlined between seasons, but “Ramen and the Great Big Sky” brings a level of nostalgia to it. The hard lines of the first season are missed in moments that could have had a more significant impact, such as Kang’s (Kenichiro Matsuda) fight with Robdevil.

It ends on a pretty note; however, as we take in the expansive sky alongside Viole and Wagnan, the core adopts a melancholy ambiance in contrast to the more energized composition during the action. And, in a tremendous reveal, we see Khun (Nobuhiko Okamoto) just before the episode ends, a solid bookend to Viole at the start being asked why he climbs. Because both Rachel and Khun represent different types of friendship and futures for Bam/Viole. As much as this group of characters continues to develop, the teasing of first-season faces is a delight.

Tower of God Season 2 Episode 4 is a beautifully written episode that builds on the series’ thematic cores, addressing the Tower’s power imbalance and corruption. But while the writing is solid, it’s at times let down by lackluster animation. Regardless, ending on a major teaser, the season continues to be attention-grabbing even when it struggles to sustain visual engagement.

Tower of God Season 2 Episode 4 is out now on Crunchyroll.