The REAL Workshop Battle Finally Commences

Key Takeaways

• Workshop Battle commences with shocking revelations about participants’ hidden motives.
• Characters’ pasts and connections become more intertwined, adding depth to the storyline.
• Episode sets up for intense upcoming events, showcasing intricate plot points and character development.

In episode 17 of season 2 of Tower of God, The Workshop Battle has finally begun (for real this time) and the members of Team Sweet and Sour heave a sigh of relief when they learn that Miseng and Prince made it aboard the Archimedes alright, but when the first Workshop Battle contest commences, that relief turns to confusion and horror as a badly-beaten Prince appears, imploring to be kept far away from Miseng, who has gone berserk and inflicted major wounds on him prior to the battle.

The ending was immensely dramatic, and a very interesting twist to the character of Miseng, who has been undoubtedly the weakest member on the team and not for lack of effort. A convenient turn allows Endorsi to board the Archimedes and participate, while the Beniamino brothers learn that they have a brother. The various moving parts are beginning to show how they’re connected, and it is a particularly interesting arc so far.

The Dark Underbelly

The Workshop Battle is Lucrative Business

Somewhere aboard the Archimedes, a couple of suits are having a meeting about the huge sum of 1 000 000 000 points that has been earned by the Workshop Battle thanks to the participation of high-profile individuals like Jue Viole Grace, Endorsi Jahad and the strongest E-Rank Regular, Yama’s Mad Dog; the valuable items that are up for grabs and the intricate betting system that enables spectators to directly influence the results of games. It is a situation with immense earning potential, and if their superiors find out, it won’t be a problem because their research continues unimpeded. Two of them are Io and Funk, who turn out to be the hosts of the Workshop Battle. In an earlier episode, the Workshop Battle was described as an event where Regulars can compete for rare items that are created in the Workshop, and we also learned of the dark origins of Ilmar Beniamino, also known as Kang Horyang, which are connected to the Workshop.

For the 256 Regulars who managed to get a ticket aboard the Archimedes, there is a brief period of respite, and Shibisu catches up with Mei, who is on the same team as Yama’s Mad Dog. Endorsi is also on the ship after selling Traveller to the authorities, who granted her entry to the ship as a thank-you gift for catching the stowaway. Before he was taken away by the authorities, Traveller begged Endorsi to help him save Emily, who isn’t the chatbot that has been all the wave among Regulars, but a human being somehow being used to power EMILE. Beyond that Traveller’s insane revelation about the true nature of EMILE, she also has to grapple with the complicated feelings brought up by the fact that she knows that Bam is alive.

Rak Knows Everything

Aguero Gets a Stern Talking To

At the Team Sweet and Sour chalets, Rak boldly tells Khun Aguero that he knows everything – from Rachel’s betrayal to the fact that Bam is still alive. Hwaryun filled him in on the situation. Rak wonders why Aguero is being so careful and hesitant about getting Bam back and revealing the fact that he didn’t die at the Hand of Arlen, calling him pathetic for not rushing to do so. It was a loud and clumsy but earnest attempt to get Khun to stop overcomplicating things for himself, a habit he learned from a childhood of losing things that he holds dear and thus being afraid to show his true feelings even for his friends.

After a brief altercation, Khun heads outside to get some air, and talks to Ja Wangnan for a while before Rak engages him again. He tells him that learning that Bam is alive made him happy because he thought it meant that the three of them could once again climb the Tower together. Khun swears he will crush FUG, win the Workshop Battle, claim the grand prize and bring back Bam. Seeing Rak again is one of the episode’s high points and he inserts a great burst of humour to an episode that would have been rather drole without him.

Ilmar is Reunited With His Maternal Figure

There is Something Unsettling About Her

Late one night, Cassano leads Ilmar to a mysterious location in the basement, where they meet up with Professor Sophia, the researcher who raised them. They appear not to notice Hatz following them closely. Ilmar is brought to tears by the reunion, while outside, a mysterious blindfolded individual discovers Hatz. Cassano captures Hatz, and intends to keep him stashed away until the end of the Workshop Battle.

Sophia introduces Ilmar and Cassano to the blindfolded individual, identifying him as “Beta”. She then takes Ilmar and Cassano, with a few security guards in tow, to the site of her research, which turns out to be EMILE. According to Sophia, when she awakens, she will become an incredible weapon that will shake the entire Tower. The guards are relieved of their job and we see one remove his helmet to reveal hair of a familiar yellow colour. Has the Ranker Lero Ro infiltrated the Workshop Battle? This was perhaps the most interesting part of the episode for how it teased the connections between the various plot points presented so far, including the lore concerning Ignition Weapons.

The Games Begin

A Dangerous Reunion

The first game in the Workshop Battle is a game called Flag, in which each regular is given a flag and must put their flag in one of the holes found on the arena to advance. The team leaders serve as Gamblers who bet on the outcome of the game, and the six leaders with the highest points tally advance to the final tournament, making it an individual and a team game at the same time. The first group to play includes Ja Wangnan, Arkraptor, Miseng and Prince.

The members of Team Sweet and Sour are happy to hear that their young comrades made it through, but are shocked when the doors open, revealing a Prince with severe facial lacerations. With urgency in his voice, Prince implores Arkraptor and Ja Wangnan to run away before Miseng appears, but it is too late. She emerges from her door with weapon in hand and her eyes glowing red. Overall, it wasn’t a bad episode and merely served as a set-up for the next episode, but it had a lot of interesting plot points that it explored that form part of the intricate story this season.

Tower of God season 2 is available on Crunchyroll.