Tower of God: The Significance of the Floor Guardians

The Tower of God Manhwa is praised greatly for its art direction and story, but its world-building is also top-notch. Each floor in the Tower feels like a whole new world with its rulers, hierarchy, tests, and mysteries. High Rankers are often placed in charge of the floors as they are granted a fief as a reward for achieving such a high status.

But they are no more than figureheads as the Floor Guardians, commonly called Administrators, are truly responsible for overseeing each floor and its inhabitants. The Administrators play a huge role in the Tower, so fans of the series must enlighten themselves about these enigmatic beings.

The Floor Guardians Are As Old As The Tower Itself

They Are An Integral Force In The Tower

The Administrators have existed for as long as the Tower and no one, not even Zahard knows the truth about their origin. Headon, the Guardian in charge of the first floor, was the first Administrator encountered by Zahard and the Ten Great Warriors after their entrance into the Tower. These beings are far larger than the average human and their mastery over Shinsu is unparalleled in the verse. They have total control over the Shinsu on their floor, and as such are revered as gods by the inhabitants of the Tower, including Zahard, his empire, and the members of the Ten Great Families.

Before the rise of the Zahard Empire, the Administrators were responsible for conducting floor tests, but now that role has been relinquished to Rankers appointed as Test Administrators. They were originally considered immortal as well, until Enryu, the strongest Ranker in the Tower, killed the Administrator of the 43rd Floor. While many aspects of the Floor Guardians remain shrouded in mystery, their influence is undeniable. Zahard’s rise to the position of the Tower’s King involved a contract with every Administrator in the Tower, from the 1st floor to the 134th. The Administrator of the 135th Floor is said to be extremely hostile, and even Zahard and the Great Warriors could not pass its test or defeat it, which is why they decided to lock it off and halt their ascension of the Tower.

The Guardians’ powers and abilities are vast, as they wield power that many High Rankers would struggle to comprehend, which is why it was a huge surprise when Enryu bested one of them. According to Headon, their primary duty is to test Irregulars, as Irregulars are the only ones who can request to be tested by Administrators. But Rankers can also participate in tests administered by Administrators if they propose to take it alongside the Irregular that asked for it.

The Floor Guardians Possess Powers Beyond What Most Humans Can Ever Achieve

Their Mastery Of Shinsu Is Near Unparalleled

Even the Po Bidau Family, known for their incredible manipulation of Shinsu, are small fry compared to the ability of Administrators. Individuals cannot manipulate Shinsu on a floor without a contract from an Administrator allowing them to do so. As such, the only floor where everyone can freely manipulate Shinsu is the 43rd one, which has lost its Administrator. Shinsu is the equivalent of life energy for all entities within the Tower, and its mastery can be used to manipulate many laws of existence, including halting the aging process and granting eternal life.

However, humans cannot attain this level of mastery and rely on contracts with Administrators to receive gifts such as these. A contract is a special deal a human makes with an Administrator to receive special powers and gifts, which include immortality. Zahard and the Ten Great Warriors were the first ever to form a contract with an Administrator to receive eternal life, and they all received it without giving anything in return except Hendo Lok Bloodmadder who was given a separate contract that shortened the lifespan of his descendants to extend his own.

These contracts are usually responsible for the power discrepancies between Regulars and Rankers and there are a lot of them, ranging from Zahard’s King of The Tower Contract, which ensures no original inhabitant of the Tower can harm him, to Enkidu’s blessings, which grants him powers that can allow him topple even those mightier than himself. Baam, however, was told by the 2nd Floor Administrator that contracts are more of shackles to him than blessings, as he is naturally authorized to control Shinsu and does not need approval from any Floor Administrator.

Headon Is The Most Influential Of All The Administrators

He Is A Big Differential

Of all the Floor Guardians, Headon is the most unique. He is the only one capable of visiting other floors in the Tower, as Administrators are usually confined to their Towers. He can also teleport to the Outer Area and the Middle Area using Shinsu to select candidates to climb the Tower, known as Regulars. These Regulars usually appear on the 2nd Floor of the Tower, as they have already passed Headon’s eye test and have been selected. However, Irregulars who suddenly appear in the Tower have to pass through the First Floor and Headon is in charge of administering the very first test which determines whether they gain access to the Tower.

Administrators are usually shown to have no biases or goals apart from their duty, but Headon deviated from this the moment Baam entered the Tower. He agrees to help Rachel enter the Tower and ascend it if she fulfills his request, and although no one knows his true goals, he is willing to use people as pawns and create unrest to achieve them.

Tower of God is available to stream on Crunchyroll.