and its sequel, , is a Japanese anime television series, created by Gonzo, and is an animated reboot/continuation of Namco's Babylonian Castle Saga video game franchise which began as an arcade game, The Tower of Druaga, 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, and BOST TV.

Plot It has been eighty years since King Gilgamesh defeated "the tower" single-handedly (as depicted in the original game, The Tower of Druaga), and now the tower is reborn. 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 the Blue Crystal Rod, 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. The story follows Jil, a new climber who wishes to reach the top floor of the tower. On the top floor is the evil lord Druaga, and numerous monsters and traps inhabit the floors 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.

Anime

The Tower of Druaga was broadcast on Animax from April 1, 2008, to March 26, 2009. It was later broadcast by other Japanese television networks such as tvk, KBS, Sun TV, Chiba TV, Tokyo MX, GBS, TV Saitama, GyaO, TVQ. The anime was produced by Gonzo. It was directed by Koichi Chigira. The chief screenwriter for the series was Shoji Gatoh. 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. From episodes 1–12, the opening theme is "Swinging" by Muramasa☆ while the ending theme is by Kenn. Episodes 13–24, the opening theme is "Questions?" by Yu Nakamura while the ending themes are by Fumiko Orikasa and "Swinging" by Muramasa☆. In 2009, Funimation acquired a license for the series.

Characters The Tower of Druaga These are characters from The Tower of Druaga, the 1984 game on which the rest of the series is based. , also known as Gil, is the destined hero of the game. He has been charged by the goddess Ishtar to ascend the Tower of Druaga and rescue the maiden Ki from the demon Druaga. Not only must Gil use his sword and shield to navigate through the labyrinthine floors of the tower, he must use his wit and memory to reveal the locations of the treasures contained on each floor, some of which are necessary for Gil's success. Gil is patterned after the Gilgamesh of Sumerian literature. Gil was also absent in the game The Quest of Ki, produced in 1988. is a priestess in her own right. She has been captured and rendered powerless by the demon Druaga. He has turned her into a stone in order to lure the greatest warrior in Ishtar's realm into his trap. Ki goes on to be a tremendous asset in Gil's future adventures, but first she must be rescued from Druaga's grasp. , based on the goddess of love by the same name, assigns Ki to retrieve the Blue Crystal Rod. She is unable to meddle directly in the affairs of mortals on earth, but can only sit by helplessly and watch as Gil answers her call to service. Once she charges Gil with her instructions, the rest is in Gil's hands, but Ishtar will return to aid the reunited duo another time. After Ki is captured, Ishtar tells Gil to save Ki. In the PC engine remake, she gives hints to the player about retrieving the treasures. Despite her kind and compassionate behavior in the earlier games, Ishtar was portrayed as bossy and harsh in the 2004 game The Nightmare of Druaga. is the demon that resides in the Tower of Druaga. He is portrayed as a huge, green monster with eight arms, four legs, and yellow eyes. He will eventually be defeated by Gil. He has hidden the Blue Crystal Rod and kidnapped Ki in order to lure Ishtar's greatest instruments of good into his trap so he can dispose of them forever, and lay claim to the world. In order for Druaga's plan to succeed, Gil must die. If Gil would survive by climbing through all 60 monster ridden floors of the tower, he must face Druaga himself. Without the proper equipment and enhancements, Gil will be no match for Druaga's brutal destructive strength. is a demon that resides in the tower. She disguised herself as the goddess Ishtar and guarded the Blue Crystal Rod to prevent Gil from being able to defeat Druaga, but when Gil encountered her, after a debate, she relinquished the Blue Crystal Rod.

The Tower of Druaga anime This section entails characters who appear in the anime series Tower of Druaga.

Jil

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 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 makeshift 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 resilience 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 and Kaaya are seen together holding hands at the end of the credits.

Kaaya

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, who aided Gilgamesh in his battle against Druaga. Kaaya and Jil are seen together holding hands at the end of the credits.

Ahmey

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. Ahmey is implied to have once been a high-ranking officer in the army. What caused her to leave is never discussed. Ahmey is killed while fighting Druaga.

Melt

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. He casts spells by utilizing 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.

Coopa

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.

Neeba

Jil's half brother, he is a skilled archer and also 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. 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. In season 1, episode 12, it is revealed that Neeba's true goal was to enter the Tower of Fantasy, which could only be opened after defeating the Druaga guardian. He blatantly confesses to manipulating his comrades loyalties to achieve his goals.

Fatina

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. At the beginning of season 2 she is living with Jil as they both attempt to make new lives for themselves following the destruction of Druaga. During the second season she falls for Jil but realizes that in his heart he still loves Kaaya.

Kally

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 Pazuzu's caskets, he is killed by Pazuzu.

Utu