WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Tower of God, Season 1, Episode 5, "The Crown's Fate," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Tower of God is one of the most popular new anime series from the spring season, and fans are definitely behind its central trio. The show centers around a boy named Bam, who is determined to climb to the top of the eponymous Tower to reunite with his friend Rachel. However, to do so, he must face the various challenges presented on each floor. Like most things, tackling the Tower is better with friends and, after the first challenge, Bam meets, and eventually teams up with, Khun and Rak.
Since Bam, Khun and Rak all made Anime's Trending Top 10 Boys for Week 3 of the season, let's see what makes them all such strong contenders for the lauded title of Best Boy.
RAK
Rak is the burly, self-proclaimed "leader" of the team. Where others seem to have mysterious reasons for deciding to climb the Tower, Rak simply wishes to become powerful by battling against tough opponents with strong weapons. Though, in the opening of Episode 1, it is implied that Rak is actually climbing the Tower to "transcend all things."
What makes Rak so endearing is the inadvertent humor he adds to the team's dynamic through his blunt, no-nonsense attitude. This also comes through in how he reacts in a slack-jawed, cartoonish way to things that happen around him -- like Bam's decision to set his weapon down instead of fighting. While he's still annoyed by Khun calling "gator," it's clear he's grown fond of his teammates as well. Plus, his default decision to refer to everyone else as "turtles" is such a strange but fantastic choice.
Rak acts on instinct without necessarily thinking things through but it's because of that he has the courage to go into the unknown, which we see on full display in Episode 3. While he can be prideful and arrogant he is never too shy to reveal his true feelings, which makes him a compelling character to get behind. And, with his insatiable appetite for Khun's chocolate bars, a relatable one, too.
KHUN
If you're looking for a cunning strategist with an enigmatic past in your male characters, then look no further than the blue-haired, briefcase-toting Khun. Like many others, his exact reasons for ascending the Tower still haven't been wholly revealed, but the opening of the first episode implies it could be "honor and pride." While we know something happened with his family -- particularly his sister -- that's made him distrusting, there is still more to uncover.
Khun is resoundingly resourceful and makes excellent use of everything at his disposal. His calculated methods are on full display during the Crown Game, and we finally learn more about his mysterious briefcase. While one of its features is the ability to make copies of anything he puts in there, we also see that it has a supernatural carrying capacity. He's even able to fit people inside it, which he does to help three participants pass the deathmatch test in exchange for assisting him when called upon.
While still shrouded in his fair share of mystery, it's easy to see the appeal of the analytical Khun. His reserved nature, magic briefcase and displeasure toward blindly following rules set by others all have helped push Khun towards the top of many fans' lists.
BAM
As Tower of God's main protagonist, Bam is honest, true to his goal and incredibly loyal. While his history is still unknown, his reason to reach the top of the Tower is clear. He wants to reunite with his friend Rachel because, as he puts it, "I belong to her." What we do know about his life so far is that he was living alone in a cave until meeting Rachel, who taught him everything he knows.
Bam is known as an Irregular, which means that he didn't enter the Tower by traditional means. Though most people perceive Bam as weak "Regular," it never stops him from staying true to himself. Perhaps one of his most loveable qualities is that, even when faced with inescapable danger, he won't betray those who have trusted him.
While there are still question marks surrounding Bam's real power and origin, it's clear that he won't back down from anything that stands in his way of reuniting with Rachel. His loyalty to Rachel and his friends is resolute, so he's always worrying about them and how his decisions could affect them. All of which are factors in Bam's favor in the Best Boy stakes.
Bam, Khun and Rak are all part of why Tower of God has become such a popular series already. There are great reasons to make any one of them your favorite... but who says you have to choose? Let's make it a three-way tie.
