Tower of God Volume 3: “Dowon” (Episodes 45 through 48) Webtoon Review
Major Spoilers are included in this Webtoon Review. Please read with caution.
On October 6, 2020, I started and finished Tower of God Volume 3’s thirteenth story arc: “Dowon”. Picking up where the previous arc left off, Dowon had finally awakened from her slumber. Baam, Khun, and Rak also face off against Daleet, proving how much more powerful they are over Daleet. Dowon also revealed how disappointed she was of the current world, and how they hadn’t managed to achieve true peace in her absence.
Dowon also revealed she had met with Zahard—known to her only as nameless adventurer—prior to her imprisonment, who told her that a boy in the future will spark more war. The boy is obviously Baam, and Dowon immediately attacks him to preserve the future.
I enjoyed this arc for pulling that character twist on Dowon, who had become disillusioned with how little her sacrifice meant to people, and how people will always find reasons to start war and disrupt peace for the sake of selfish desires. How this contrasted with Cha’s awakening—her love interest—was interesting too, given that he also met with Zahard and vowed to defend Baam—the boy who will change the Tower for the better. I’m excited to see if / when Cha and Dowon will meet again.
The short scenes with Cha’s followers trying to wake him up was tragic. Katra—a rebel of The Wall—died before he could see Cha, and I found that so unnecessary cruel.
The canine people aspect—with Baylord Yama and his brothers—came back in this arc, with Baylord Yama being blackmailed to kill himself for the sake of his people. I actually forget this was unresolved until it came back up again in this arc, but the canine people and their free will being manipulated was hard to swallow. This is what actual oppression looks like—being forced to wear facemasks in public spaces isn’t oppression.
The ending to this arc—redirecting Baam to rescuing his master Ha Jinsung—was pretty awesome, with Kallavan and Dowon heading to where Jinsung’s being kept too. I do appreciate Tower of God for its complexity behind the lore and plot, and its consistent ability to keep that momentum going since its debut back in 2010. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes next!
Thanks for reading this Webtoon review, everyone! Let’s keep it climbing up the Tower!