WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 79 (Chapter #496) of Tower of God by SIU, now available in English from Webtoon.
White/Hoaqin is one of the more interesting villains in Tower of God, not only because of his immense powers and evil, vicious personality, but also his shifting allegiances (or lack thereof). Those, combined with his complex backstory, make him one of the more intriguing characters in the webtoon.
White's intention to devour Bam's soul has been clear all along. But he also wants Bam to learn to fully utilize his powers, especially to harness the souls within him, and he's fought Bam in the last few chapters to force him to use his full power. During the Gakjadosaeng arc, White easily escapes the Cat Tower. Now, Tower of God Chapter #496 reveals another more piece in the puzzle that is White and explains his obsession with Bam in much clearer detail.
Chapter #496 finally reveals White’s true feelings toward Bam. It turns out his daddy issues go beyond what’s shown in Season 2, mainly in Chapters #182 and #194. The reason White/Hoaqin made a deal with an ancient demon in the first place is that he wants to surpass his father, Arie Hon, one of the great warriors who entered the Tower with Jahad and the head of the Arie family.
Because of their weird obsessions with the protagonists, many Tower of God fans have drawn comparisons between White and Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter. Hisoka wants to kill Gon but also helps him on his journey -- until he grows strong enough to become a true fighting challenge. White is similar in that he aids Bam from time to time, especially during the Battle at the First Defensive Wall where he and Kallavan fought so Bam could penetrate the wall.
Something about White’s obsession with Bam is off though. On one hand, he wants to devour as many souls as possible, so it’s natural he would want Bam and the countless souls inside him. On the other hand, he also wants Bam to learn how to use souls for power as he does -- which means the number of souls within Bam would be reduced and White, by extension, would ultimately have less for himself.
White’s Hisoka-esque tendency partly explains this: he wants to devour a soul at its strongest point. But he and many others in Tower of God have noticed Bam’s potential is much greater than what’s been shown thus far, so why not hold off even longer? And why is White so keen on teaching him how to use souls?
Tower of God Chapter #182 explained that Hoaqin and his four siblings all wanted to surpass their father. Only Hoaqin secretly made a deal with an ancient demon, lying to his siblings so he could absorb their souls and become White. Chapter #194 showed Arie Hon telling Hoaqin to leave and come back as a demon in order to defeat him. So White/Hoaqin's father has always been the sole reason/motivation behind his actions.
White flashes back to his childhood again in Chapter #496, when he was still training as a regular. He feels dejected that his father is not showing warmth or acknowledgment and fears his disappointment, hence why his attitude changed. His servant comforts him by saying his father hasn't changed for hundreds of years, so it might just be Hoaqin who's changed instead. In a fit of rage, Hoaqin kills the servant, who admittedly has terrible counseling skills.
White blames Arie Hon for turning him evil, and Bam’s unwavering determination reminds him of his unchanging father. This also makes him resent himself for being so easily corruptible; just as Arie Hon has observed, White feels inferior to Bam due to his self-hate. This is also why he wants to corrupt Bam -- who he now sees as his father’s proxy -- instead.
Besides Bam and Arie Hon both being irregulars, they actually have nothing in common. Arie Hon is cold and distant to almost everyone and treats his own son like a plaything, with no regard for Hoaqin's growth or well-being. Alternatively, Bam cares deeply about all his friends (and even his enemies) and wants to protect everyone, so much so that he’s willing to bear the burden of being a slayer candidate. Arie Hon never changes because he has cared very little for anyone, but Bam never changes because he cares too much.
Bam is completely different from Arie Hon. Deep down, White probably knows this too but is taking revenge against Bam because he knows he can never move his own father. White is truly a despicable villain, seeking something he can never have and tormenting those weaker for satisfaction. Even though he’s not the only one in Tower of God with father issues, he’s surely one of the most miserable.
