Succubus (The Tower of Druaga)

For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).

The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk (ドルアーガの塔 〜the Aegis of URUK〜, Doruāga no Tō ~ji Ījisu obu Uruku~) and its sequel, The Tower of Druaga: the Sword of Uruk (ドルアーガの塔 ～the Sword of URUK～, Druaga no Tō ~the Sword of URUK~) is an anime TV series, created by Gonzo and is an animated continuation of Namco's The Tower of Druaga franchise which began as an arcade game originally released in 1984. This series is amongst the first to be officially broadcast on the internet by Gonzo simultaneously in Japanese and subtitled in English on YouTube, Crunchyroll and BOST TV. The second season, The Sword of Uruk, began airing January 8, 2009.

At the 2009 New York Comic Con, Funimation announced their license for the series.

Plot

It has been sixty years since King Gilgamesh defeated "the tower" single-handedly, and now the tower is reborn again. The "Summer of Anu" is a season that comes every few years during which the powers of the monsters within the Tower wane thanks to the grace of the great god Anu. Each Summer of Anu, the armies of the Uruk Kingdom secure their strongholds within the Tower, aiming to eventually conquer the upper floors. The story begins with the third Summer of Anu. The city of Meskia is the first stronghold built on the first level of the Tower. In addition to the Uruk Army preparing for their third campaign against Druaga, innumerable adventurers called "climbers" have been drawn to Meskia by rumors of a legendary treasure believed to be hidden on the top floor of the Tower. Jil, a young guardian, has traveled to the tower and Meskia, the last safe stop on the first floor of the tower. Jil wants to gain the Blue Crystal Rod, the legendary treasure that resides on the top floor of the tower. On the top floor is the evil lord Druaga, and numerous monsters along the way.

The second season, titled The Tower of Druaga: The Sword of Uruk, picks up "half a year after" the events of the first season. With Druaga's guardian defeated, the monsters of the tower have disappeared and a period of peace and prosperity have descended upon the people. Jil and Fatina, having survived the tower's collapse, attempt to move on with their lives while still coming to terms with Neeba and Kaaya's betrayal. This all changes when they rescue a mysterious girl from a group of soldiers. They learn that this young girl, Ki, may be the key to unlocking a great secret within the tower. Armed with this knowledge and haunted by a troubling vision of the future, Jil once again prepares to climb the tower.

Main characters

Jil's group

Jil, after being fired from Neeba's climbing group, joined Kaaya and Ahmey's climbing group, who later recruited Melt and Coopa. The story mainly follows the endeavors of this group of climbers.

Jil

• Voiced By: Kenn

The protagonist of the series, Jil is a young adventurer who dreams of reaching the top of the Tower of Druaga. He is strong willed, determined and, as seen in the first episode, has deep fantasies about being a revered champion. He is a defensive class: Guardian and initially uses a shield with a protractable spike in one hand and any make-shift weapon he could find in the other (usually a stick). Along with his original shield, he later uses one of the two swords used by King Gilgamesh, which the King entrusted to Kaaya to pass on to him. The name "Jil" is likely a reference/tribute to the alternate shorter name for Gilgamesh; Jil also seems to resemble a young Gilgamesh as seen in Gilgamesh's flashback in episode three. Despite being an inexperienced Climber, Jil is nonetheless a decent fighter and after joining Kaaya and Ahmey's party, he does his best to support the group in combat. One of his attributes is that he possesses a physical resiliance of ridiculous proportions, at one point taking a heavy beating from a crowd in episode two, and remaining standing throughout, despite numerous heavy blows to his head, some of which he failed to notice.

Jil is initially a part of his brother Neeba's party until he is fired for incompetence. Neeba is convinced that Jil will never amount anything, and in episode ten, Neeba tells him point blank that both he and his party will fail and that his friends will die. After seeing Ahmey killed in the initial battle against Druaga, Jil blames himself, thinking that Neeba was right about him until the ghost of Ki (the damsel-in-distress from the original arcade game) encourages him to continue. Following Ahmey's death, Jil takes over as leader and devises a plan to defeat Druaga. He takes on the position of diverting Druaga while the other Climbers attack the monster. Before he leaves, Kaaya enhances his shield with her magic. She apologizes to him and hugs him. They both share a kiss, and she asks him to promise her that he will live after the fight with Druaga; though confused, he agrees. Druaga finds them first and attacks through a wall, knocking Jil down. He continues to distract him whilst the others attack, but he gives the final blow with Ahmey's weapon, which is still stuck in Druaga's neck (episode 11). He uses her weapon and Druaga's head falls off, finally dying. He reaches for the Blue Crystal Rod with images of Ahmey flashing before him, but is stopped when one of Neeba's arrows hit him from behind. Both Neeba and Kaaya betray him, while the others, including Jil, falls into a whirlpool. He emerges from a lake with Fatina in his arms and cries out Kaaya's name in frustration. After the ending credits the scene shifts back to Jil and Fatina and Jil says "One more time!" implying he intends to go back up the tower to try and puruse Kaaya amd Neeba.

In the Sword of Uruk, which takes place six months after the events of The Aegis of Uruk, it is revealed that Jil and Fatina are staying with Kelb because after he quit the army he opened a tavern and allowed them to stay with him. Jil had changed a lot since The Aegis of Uruk becuase of what happened during and after he and the Climbers defeated Druaga. He had still felt burdened by Kaaya, and Neeba's betrayal. He had been staying in his room for what seemed like all the time, without eating, and drinking tomato juice. Fatina seemed to be taking care of him while he was like this. She had later invited Jil out with her, first to see a play, and then to watch a wrestling match. During the wrestling match the two are sharing a moment before discovering Ki, in her child form, beneath their seats. After getting Ki out the two are then attacked by Uragon's Golden Knights, demanding the two hand over Ki. With the help of the wrestler Captain Morrow (Who is later revealed to be Utu), they escape arrest. After Ki reveals herself as the first priestess of Ishtar, she shows Jil a vision that shows a dead Kaaya, who is killed by Gilgamesh's shadow. Ki demands Jil take to the top of the Tower. After taking shelter at Kelb's place, Jil decides to take Ki to the top of the Tower to learn the fates of Kaaya and Neeba. Utu comes along as well,and a mage named Henaro, but Fatina initially refuses, not caring what would become of Neeba and Kaaya after their betrayal and thinking Jil would only need her skills as a mage. The party heads for the Dingle Ladder, the newest type of transportation up the Tower, but are hindered by Uragon and his forces, until Fatina arrives and saves them. The group is able to enter the transport thanks to Ethana allowing the gate to remain unlocked. Jil thanks Fatina for joining them, but she asks that he must give up if he finds nothing at the top of the Tower and that he, as a Guardian, must protect her. Jil's party quickly ascends to the higher levels of the Tower and are reunited with Melt and Koopa, who now run a lucrative resort in a frigid area. When Jil asks for their help, Melt reveals that he has already made a deal with Uragon and the Golden Knights capture Ki while everyone else is imprisoned. After Uragon accidentally steps on one of Melt's Roper employee's, the chaos allows Jil and the others to escape with Ki. After reaching the point where Jil and the other Climbers defeated Druaga six months ago, they must fight it once again, thought a weakened version. After regaining consciousness from one of Druaga's beams he finds himself in a world of white. An adult version of Ki reveals Kaaya and Neeba's goal, how Gilgamesh was cursed by Druaga to have immortality, and that there are two Gilgamesh's. One in Meskia, and the other being his shadow at the top of the Mythical Tower. After returning to the real world he finishes off Druaga, which again produces a key to the Mythical Tower, but Henaro and Ki are captured by a woman named Gremica who then heads up the Mythical Tower, and Jil's group pursue's them with Melt, Coopa, Uragon, and the Golden Knights also entering the Tower.

Kaaya

• Voiced By: Fumiko Orikasa

Kaaya is an Oracle who specializes in defensive and healing spells. She meets Jil after he injures himself fighting a group of Climbers, and she takes him to her house and heals his wounds. He later joins her and Ahmey's climber party. She uses a long wand which requires her to place small runes into a slot at the top and recite various chants to perform certain spells. She is a descendant of Ki (pronounced "Kai"), who aided Gilgamesh in his battle against Druaga. Jil seemed to take a liking to her, and the two have seemed very close. Kaaya is even able to take advantage of Jil's compassion for her in episode 8 to get her a mysterious stone slab.

In episode 12, Kaaya apologizes (perhaps for her future actions) to Jil and hugs him, saying that he is a good friend and that she loves him. They both share a kiss and she tells him that he must promise he will live after the fight with Druaga. In episode 4 of The Sword Of URUK, it is revealed that Kaaya is the great-granddaughter of King Gilgamesh and Ki and that her main objective is to kill her great-grandfather by killing his other self inside the top of the tower to free him from Druaga's curse of immortality.

Ahmey

• Voiced By: Risa Hayamizu

Ahmey is a warrior lancer, and the first person Kaaya recruits for her climber party. She exhibits a quiet and stoic attitude most of the time, and often appears to be uncomfortable when forced to speak. Despite her initial reticence, Ahmey later reveals a more feminine and naive side to her companions. As the most experienced member of the group, having traveled the furthest in the tower, she tends to act as a leader of sorts, as well as explaining the system and design of the Tower. In combat she uses a lance which has a drill bit, rather than a simple blade, as the point. The drill can be activated via a ripcord.

Up until two years ago, Ahmey was in the army, and knew Sir Kelb (then an officer.) A man named Owen proposed to her during their campaign, but she declined, revealing later to Kelb that it was because she was afraid of her love and felt that she had nothing to offer him. As the Summer of Anu ended and the army retreated, Owen was killed. Ahmey's motivation for climbing the Tower again appears to be in the hopes of using the Blue Crystal Rod to send a message to Owen, as apparently even the Rod cannot bring back the dead. During an initial attempt to defeat Druaga, Ahmey is fatally injured when Druaga pierces her heart from behind. However, her weapon remained embedded in Druaga's body and allows Jil to defeat the monster during the Climbers' second attempt to defeat Druaga. An illusion of Ahmey later appears in episode 7 of The Sword of Uruk.

Melt

• Voiced By: Hozumi Goda

A mage from a wealthy family, Melt has fallen into debt and exile, largely due, apparently, to his spendthrift ways, the only sign of his wealth that really remains are his titles and his servant, Coopa. He claims to be climbing the tower in order to use the Blue Crystal Rod to restore his status, surround himself with women, destroy all the things he finds unpleasant, and various other self-satisfying desires. In combat, Melt utilizes lightning-based spells using a variety of rods, including his never-before-used 'rod 0', which he uses in the final episode, and which also appears to be one of Melt's strongest rods. He casts spells by utlizing chants of various lengths, and launches the attack by swinging the rod in a golf-like fashion. Furthering the golf comparison, each of his rods are numbered, and are carried by Coopa who acts as a "caddy" of sorts. Melt is far less competent than he tries to appear. He often calls for the wrong rod whereby Coopa secretly hands him the correct one. He also likes to think that he is a connoisseur, but is constantly unaware of the foods he claims to hate being present in Coopa's cooking. In the third episode of The Sword of Uruk, it is revealed that Melt and Coopa survived the whirlpool, with Melt owning a large and luxurious resort on one of the upper levels of the tower, with Coopa as his head secretary. However, the resort was part of a Ponzi scheme, and at the end of the episode he (along with Coopa) was forced to travel with the Golden Knights in order to avoid being turned in. After being separated from the Golden Knights in episode 7, he and Coopa travel with Jil's group once again.

Coopa

• Voiced By: Minori Chihara

Melt's retainer who has a very enthusiastic personality. She is ten years old. Coopa has little direct relation to combat, more often utilizing her domestic abilities to support the party by providing them with nutritional meals made from a combination of rations and monster meat. While she tends to announce the contents of the meals she makes, she makes no effort to hide what she uses if asked. In and out of combat, Coopa is shown to have enormous strength for her stature. In episode 11 she is seen carrying Melt's rods and piggybacking an injured Utu.

In battle, Coopa mostly acts as a caddy to Melt, passing him the rods he requests, though apparently she often has to correct her Master's error and give him the one he actually needs. She also is quite skilled in the making of explosives, and often utilizes smoke bombs to cover the group's escape. Coopa is very polite to everyone, using the 'sama' suffix when addressing others. Also, despite their constant clashes, she is very loyal to Melt, partly from family honor as hers has served his for several generations, though in one episode Melt fired her after an argument. She is constantly trying to improve Melt's manners to make him a proper gentleman. In The Sword of Uruk, she became Melt's secretary at his resort unaware of its role in Melt's Ponzi scheme. Until episode 7, she and Melt travelled with the Golden Knights. They now once again travel with Jil's group in pursuit of Neeba and Kaaya after their betrayal.

Neeba's group

Originally, and for a very short period, this group of climbers was the main group of the story, which Jil was formerly in the ranks of, making a classic five-man group, but Jil was fired by Neeba for his incompetence. From time to time, the story covers this group's endeavors in the tower as well. The two climbing groups seem to near towards the top of the tower at an equal pace.

Neeba

• Voiced By: Takahiro Sakurai

Jil's half brother; he is a skilled archer and also notably known as "Neeba the Dragon Slayer." Neeba is far more serious and competent than Jil is, and has little-to-no faith in his brother's potential as a climber (in episode 10, he goes so far as to tell him point blank that he will never defeat Druaga). He has the most knowledge of the tower out of any of the main characters. He doesn't hesitate for a second about using his friends to do what he wants (as revealed in the the final episode). His motivation for climbing the tower is revealed in the eight episode of The Sword of Uruk. In episode 11 of the Sword of Uruk, he ultimately fails in trying to defeat the shadow of Gilgamesh. Neeba once again betrays everyone and takes hold of both the Tower of Druaga and the Mythical Tower, even becoming a slight image of Druaga himself.

Fatina

• Voiced By: Yui Horie

The only female member of Neeba's party, she is a proud magician. She admires Neeba, and has confessed to Jil that she wants to become Neeba's girlfriend, but Neeba's feelings towards her are unclear. Like Melt, she became a climber largely from a desire for personal profit, intending to use the power of the Blue Crystal Rod to become rich. Her purse has a strap made of an expensive leather that she carries as a reminder of her goal (she informs Jil she wanted a belt of it, but could not afford it.) In combat, she appears to use fire magic, utilizing a cannon-like staff weapon to cast spells. At episode 12 she is betrayed by Neeba and she is saved by Jil during the whirlpool incident in which they are the only known survivors.

In The Sword of Uruk, six months after Neeba and Kaaya's betrayal, Fatina became a tour guide and a souvenir seller to the the Tower of Gilgamesh (originally the Tower of Druaga in Aegis of Uruk). She and Jil have been living with Kelb and she is concerned about his reclusive behavior, particularly wanting to help him overcome the betrayal they experienced with Kaaya and Neeba. However, Fatina soon joins Jil to climb the Tower again when they learn from a younger version of Ki that Kaaya will suffer a terrible fate otherwise. It is revealed in episode 7 that she seeks revenge against Neeba and Kaaya for their betrayal. In episode 8, she reveals her feelings to Jil but is somewhat rejected since he is still in love with Kaaya.

Kally

• Voiced By: Akira Ishida

The scout of the group, he possesses street smarts and ninja-like ability, using throwing knives as his preferred weapon. It is revealed that he became a climber in order to help his impoverished home town, but after discovering the secret of Pazuz's caskets, he is killed. Neeba was able to tell the doppelgänger that attacked him was not the real Kally, as while the doppelgänger attacked using the right hand, Kally was actually left-handed. He is killed in episode 9. He later appears with Ahmey in episode 7 of The Sword of Uruk as an illusion.

Utu

• Voiced By: Hiroki Yasumoto

Encased in armor, he is the main attacker of the group, and he wields a battle axe. While the mask of his helm has been lifted twice so far in the series, it has always been at an angle that denies the audience the chance to see his face, thus leaving his appearance and age unknown. In episode one, Jil cannot remember his name. In episode nine when the group becomes separated from a great fall from a bridge, he travels with Kally and Coopa, but becomes separated from Kally when protecting Coopa, though while not present at his comrade's death, he is aware of his fate and informs the rest of his group.

In The Sword of Uruk, six months after Neeba and Kaaya's betrayal, Utu became a professional wrestler named Captain Morrow, but later helps Jil and Fatina from becoming arrested for rescuing a younger version of Ki. He later joins Jil's company to climb the tower again in order to save Kaaya. A running gag throughout the beginning of the second season is that none of the main characters (except for Fatina) recongnize Utu without his helm on.

Other Characters

Pazuz

• Voiced By: Masahiko Tanaka}}

An evil mage who kills Kally, his motivation for entering the tower is to kill the king Gilgamesh as revealed at the end of Aegis of Uruk. He carries with him several coffins with contents unknown throughout the first season. He is eventually killed by Neeba, who shoots Pazuz in the head and heart before he is able to summon the unknown soldiers from his coffins (which have since been revealed to be four robot assasins). Those soldiers may be somehow related to the dream sequence Jil had and they could be the personal guardians of Druaga himself. It is later revealed that Pazuz is Henaro's father.

Kelb

• Voiced By: Takaya Kuroda

The leader of Royal Army, Kelb leads the King's army into the Tower to eradicate the monsters and Druaga. While he initially looks down on Jil and the Climbers, Kelb comes to realize that the Royal Army lacks the ability to defeat Druaga and survive the dangers of the Tower. He was once Ahmey's mentor.

Sometime after the events of The Aegis of Uruk, Kelb left the army because Gilgamesh had falsely taken credit for killing Druaga a second time. Shortly afterward, he opened a tavern in the tower, and has been allowing Jil and Fatina to stay with him in The Sword of Uruk.

Ethana

• Voiced By: Risa Mizuno

A lieutenant in the Royal Army, Ethana loyally serves Kelb; however, she is somewhat more open minded toward Jil and the Climbers and supports Jil's quest by providing him a bag of gold in hopes of recruiting more Climbers. She is shown to have survived the waterfall from the first season.In episode nine of Sword of Uruk,she leads a rebellion against King Gilgamesh when the king changes drastically into a more ruthless tyrant

Dark Knight

• Voiced By: Takaya Kuroda

The Three Knights of Druaga Blue Knight of the Azure Knight Voiced By: Keiichi Sonobe, Mirror Knight of the Silver Knight Voiced By: Kimiyoshi Kibe, *Hyper Knight of the Elite Knight Voiced By: Takaya Kuroda, and Red Knight of the Crimson Knight Voiced By: Oogino Seirou

The Three Knights of Druaga are the most loyal and strongest of Lord Druaga's minions (although they claimed to be three but they are actually four of them) but eventually they are defeated and annihilated by Jil with a single blow. They only appear in Jil's dream in the beginning episode of The Aegis of Uruk.

Gilgamesh ("Gil")

• Voiced by: Takaya Hashi (King)

The great hero who once defeated Druaga, Gilgamesh now rules as king. In the past, he survived an assassination attempt because of Jil. It is revealed in Sword of URUK that he is cursed of being immortal by Druaga after he slayed him long ago and that the darkness in his heart is growing up to the point of a heartless tyrant. The stress of the curse eventually triggers a dissociation of his personality, allowing the shadow self which lives in the Mythical Tower to project itself through his body. In Episode 22, it is revealed that Gil is inwardly resentful of his own destiny. He never wanted to be king, only to live a normal life with Ki. After defeating Druaga to save her, he agreed to lead the people, believing that someday they would take responsibility for their own collective destiny. As the curse wore on, Gil began to doubt the self-reliance and ability of others, and embraced the belief that he alone could lead the people. His supposition of the party's defeat in the Mythical Tower -- and the supposed death of Jil, who he was counting on to kill his shadow and lead the people in his stead -- reinforces his doubts and strengthens the shadow's argument that his leadership is necessary. This in turn gives Gil the rationale to assimilate to his shadow, because the role of essential leadership is best served by a malignant narcissist personality.

Gilgamesh (shadow) (also known as "Young Gilgamesh")

• Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki

The dark side of Gilgamesh's personality, which harbors all of the repressed desires and hopes of his person. The shadow is a malignant narcissist who aims to destroy the gods and realize his inner image of himself as a supreme being. His appearance is youthful, as befits his narcissistic self-image. Although physically created by Druaga's curse, as a means of ensnaring Gil into Succubus' plot to destroy the gods, the shadow's mind is in fact a perfect reflection of Gil's own and an expression of his own inner rage at being denied the life he wanted to live. Its malignantly narcissistic beliefs are held in compensation for Gil's own sense of personal vulnerability before the requirements of social duty, the same which have denied him the opportunity to live as he wanted.

Ki

• Voiced By: Akiko Yajima

A spirit of the Tower who resembles Kaaya, Ki was once the first priestess of Ishtar and knew Gilgamesh when he first fought and defeated Druaga. Her spirit appears to Jil when she saves him during his quest to acquire the stone tablet for Kaaya and reveals that Jil will be faced with three betrayals. She recognizes a connection between Gilgamesh and Jil, but has revealed little else regarding herself and the nature of Gilgamesh and the Tower.

Although Ki intended to destroy the tower after defeating Gilgamesh's dark side, her distraction by Gilgamesh's death enables Neeba to activate the tower's true form.

Succubus

• Voiced By: Yukana

A spirit of the Tower who has haunted Neeba since he freed her. Neeba is the only one who can see her unless she wills herself to be seen by others, and taunts Neeba throughout his journey. He also reveals that the Succubus and Druaga were once lovers, though the Succubus claims that Druaga is no longer the man she knew. She appears with Ki as they both observe the progress of the Climbers.

In episode 22, it is revealed that Succubus was scheming to defeat Gilgamesh and use the Blue Crystal Rod to join the lower and upper towers. This would enable a weapon that could destroy the gods and realize hers and Druaga's original ambitions.

Music

Opening theme

"Swinging" by Muramasa☆ (The Aegis of Uruk, episodes 1-11; the final episode does not use any opening theme)

"Questions?" by Yu Nakamura (The Sword of Uruk, episodes 1-11; the final episode does not use any opening theme)

Ending theme

"Tōchōshatachi" (塔頂者たち) by Kenn (The Aegis of Uruk, episodes 1-12)

"Mahōtsukai Desu Kedo" (魔法使いですけど。) by Fumiko Orikasa (The Sword of Uruk, episodes 1-11)

Hitoshi Sakimoto was the composer for the music heard in the anime, with Eminence Symphony Orchestra playing the pieces created by Sakimoto specifically for The Aegis of Uruk.

External links

• The original source of this article at Wikipedia

• Official website
• Official website