Introduction
Maschenny and Jinsung seem to offer an interesting contrast, they possess notably different outlooks and philosophies. In one sense, they both desire the same thing, but they have very different strategies for how to get there. In this post I intend to cover their relationship and analyse their contrasting philosophies.
Familiarity
Older Generation
Similar Desires
Now that I've covered the similarities between the subjects of this article, it's time to outline the differences in their philosophies. I'll start with Jinsung and focus on his philosophy on war and change.
Jinsung's Philosophy
Maschenny's Philosophy
Jinsung's Reply
Who's Right?
Maschenny and Jinsung seem to offer an interesting contrast, they possess notably different outlooks and philosophies. In one sense, they both desire the same thing, but they have very different strategies for how to get there. In this post I intend to cover their relationship and analyse their contrasting philosophies.
Familiarity
Maschenny and Jinsung both seem familiar with each other when they meet. Not just merely aware of the other's reputation, but possessing personal knowledge of the other. A clear example of this is how Jinsung replies to Maschenny when she tells him that there would be a war soon:
Exhibit
Jinsung's reply suggests that he knew a much younger version of Maschenny that was "delusional". Maschenny also recognised him on sight. This is interesting, because few people recognise Jinsung by his face alone:
Jinsung also refers to himself as someone who has been erased from the history books. It also seems that Jinsung's reign of killing children of the 10 Families ended before Maschenny was born.
One of Maschenny's subordinates referred to him as "a relic of an older time", "a nameless high ranker":
Exhibit
I think the familiarity between them makes the contrast in their philosophies all the more sharper.
Exhibit
Jinsung's reply suggests that he knew a much younger version of Maschenny that was "delusional". Maschenny also recognised him on sight. This is interesting, because few people recognise Jinsung by his face alone:
- A ranker from his family (Ha Ruda) had no idea who he was.
- Maschenny's subordinates thought he was a nameless high ranker.
- Nyono Wan (Kallavan's third division commander) had no idea who he was.
Jinsung also refers to himself as someone who has been erased from the history books. It also seems that Jinsung's reign of killing children of the 10 Families ended before Maschenny was born.
One of Maschenny's subordinates referred to him as "a relic of an older time", "a nameless high ranker":
Exhibit
I think the familiarity between them makes the contrast in their philosophies all the more sharper.
Older Generation
Maschenny and Jinsung are both old, albeit with a vast difference in their ages. By Maschenny's own admission, Jinsung is an Ancient Beast. This suggests that he's from Genesis:
Season 3 Chapter 27
Source
This dates Jinsung to several tens of thousands of years old. Maschenny herself appears much younger and is only dated to before Enne (putting her at over 5,000 years).
Despite the gap between their ages, Jinsung considers both him and Maschenny to be part of the same generation.
Exhibit A
It seems to me that Maschenny is included in the "us" and "we". While one may be tempted to think that the "us" and "we" refer to other ancient rankers like Jinsung, subsequent statements by him make it clear that she was actually included in his statement.
Exhibit B
He further admonishes Maschenny:
Exhibit C
The above three scenes are the reason I feel confident in asserting that Jinsung considers both him and Maschenny to be part of the same older generation.
Season 3 Chapter 27
Source
This dates Jinsung to several tens of thousands of years old. Maschenny herself appears much younger and is only dated to before Enne (putting her at over 5,000 years).
Despite the gap between their ages, Jinsung considers both him and Maschenny to be part of the same generation.
Exhibit A
It seems to me that Maschenny is included in the "us" and "we". While one may be tempted to think that the "us" and "we" refer to other ancient rankers like Jinsung, subsequent statements by him make it clear that she was actually included in his statement.
Exhibit B
He further admonishes Maschenny:
Exhibit C
The above three scenes are the reason I feel confident in asserting that Jinsung considers both him and Maschenny to be part of the same older generation.
Similar Desires
Maschenny and Jinsung seem to ultimately want the same end. Maschenny tells Jinsung that she wants the same thing he wants:
Exhibit A
When Jinsungs asks her what she's after, why him, she tells him that they have similar goals and want the same thing.
Exhibit B
Again, Jinsung asks Maschenny why, again she replies that the want the same thing.
I think it's safe to conclude that Maschenny and Jinsung do indeed desire the same end.
Now that we've established that Maschenny and Jinsung want the same thing, well we could ask, just what is it that they want? I think we already have our answer:
Exhibit
Jinsung seems to desire a certain kind of change. We know that he's a high ranking member of FUG, and given his backstory, we can infer that he has a grudge against the Empire. If I was to hazard a guess at the nature of the change Jinsung and Maschenny wanted, then it would be something along the lines of tearing down the Zahard led Tower Order.
I think Maschenny's words support this interpretation:
Exhibit
Exhibit A
When Jinsungs asks her what she's after, why him, she tells him that they have similar goals and want the same thing.
Exhibit B
Again, Jinsung asks Maschenny why, again she replies that the want the same thing.
I think it's safe to conclude that Maschenny and Jinsung do indeed desire the same end.
Now that we've established that Maschenny and Jinsung want the same thing, well we could ask, just what is it that they want? I think we already have our answer:
Exhibit
Jinsung seems to desire a certain kind of change. We know that he's a high ranking member of FUG, and given his backstory, we can infer that he has a grudge against the Empire. If I was to hazard a guess at the nature of the change Jinsung and Maschenny wanted, then it would be something along the lines of tearing down the Zahard led Tower Order.
I think Maschenny's words support this interpretation:
Exhibit
Now that I've covered the similarities between the subjects of this article, it's time to outline the differences in their philosophies. I'll start with Jinsung and focus on his philosophy on war and change.
Jinsung's Philosophy
On War
On Change
His Current Role
Jinsung's position is ultimately more passive. He'll steward the champions of a new era, but change is not something for him to undertake.
His Previous Role
Jinsung considered a war an outlandish notion and "delusional":
Exhibit
He makes the argument that there haven't been any wars since Genesis, suggesting a war breaking out is very unlikely. He states that this is the case because the older generations loathe change and have become "weathered by time":
Exhibit
Exhibit
He makes the argument that there haven't been any wars since Genesis, suggesting a war breaking out is very unlikely. He states that this is the case because the older generations loathe change and have become "weathered by time":
Exhibit
On Change
He believes that bringing about change isn't the responsibility of the older generation (including himself and Maschenny) and thinks it's something that would gradually be brought about by the younger generation:
Exhibit
He advises Maschenny to "wash up and get some sleep" and chastises her for starting fights needlessly:
Exhibit
Exhibit
He advises Maschenny to "wash up and get some sleep" and chastises her for starting fights needlessly:
Exhibit
His Current Role
Jinsung believes the role appropriate for himself is a steward for the younger generation that would bring about change in the Tower. He outright says as such to Kallavan:
Exhibit
He mentions again that he's opposing Kallavan in his position as a babysitter, noting that he has high hopes for Baam:
Exhibit
Exhibit
He mentions again that he's opposing Kallavan in his position as a babysitter, noting that he has high hopes for Baam:
Exhibit
Jinsung's position is ultimately more passive. He'll steward the champions of a new era, but change is not something for him to undertake.
His Previous Role
I think Jinsung is a former slayer of FUG. My main reason is a particular statement of Maschenny's:
Exhibit
The term "demon" seems like it would refer to slayers. Slayers are the "gods" of FUG, but a princess of Jahad would not refer to them as gods. For them, the term "demon" seems more appropriate. The 1st Slayer Luslec is also referred to as the "the demon king":
Source
It would also explain Jinsung's position as a teacher. He trained one of the Slayers (Karaka), is raising the next Slayer (Jyu Viole Grace) and would have raised another Slayer (Kallavan) had he accepted. A retired former Slayer is a fitting mentor to future Slayers.
Furthermore, being a former Slayer would explain Jinsung's influence in FUG. He holds enough clout in FUG that even an Elder (Sophia Tan) was hesitant to cross him in order to gift Karaka with the 1st Thorn Fragment.
Finally, I think this meshes well with his philosophy. He believes his role is to be a steward for the next generation and not to bring about change with his own hands. Someone with that philosophy is not fit to be a Slayer. Slayers are immortal Gods that usher in salvation for their devotees. Jinsung does not believe his role is to bring about that change, so he resigned and instead raises the next generation of Slayers.
Exhibit
The term "demon" seems like it would refer to slayers. Slayers are the "gods" of FUG, but a princess of Jahad would not refer to them as gods. For them, the term "demon" seems more appropriate. The 1st Slayer Luslec is also referred to as the "the demon king":
Source
It would also explain Jinsung's position as a teacher. He trained one of the Slayers (Karaka), is raising the next Slayer (Jyu Viole Grace) and would have raised another Slayer (Kallavan) had he accepted. A retired former Slayer is a fitting mentor to future Slayers.
Furthermore, being a former Slayer would explain Jinsung's influence in FUG. He holds enough clout in FUG that even an Elder (Sophia Tan) was hesitant to cross him in order to gift Karaka with the 1st Thorn Fragment.
Finally, I think this meshes well with his philosophy. He believes his role is to be a steward for the next generation and not to bring about change with his own hands. Someone with that philosophy is not fit to be a Slayer. Slayers are immortal Gods that usher in salvation for their devotees. Jinsung does not believe his role is to bring about that change, so he resigned and instead raises the next generation of Slayers.
Maschenny's Philosophy
On War
On Change
When Jinsung questions Maschenny on if her show of force was a declaration of war, she confidently asserts that there would indeed be a war soon:
Exhibit
After Jinsung dismisses the notion of a war as delusional and chastises her for needlessly picking fights, she doesn't back down and instead challenges his claims.
She questions whether his rage at Zahard and the Zahard family (the very same rage that drove him to become one of FUG's "demons") had truly disappeared:
Exhibit
She presents her philosophy on the kind of emotion rage is. It doesn't abate with time but instead intensifies and gets even more entrenched:
Exhibit
She asserts that as long as that rage lives, war can break out at any time:
Exhibit
Jinsung presented an argument that war was not possible because their generation was averse to even the smallest changes. Maschenny refutes it by countering that the grievances between the various factions still exist and have not β will not β at all abate(d). As long as those grievances remain β those emotions continue to persist β war can break out at any time.
Exhibit
After Jinsung dismisses the notion of a war as delusional and chastises her for needlessly picking fights, she doesn't back down and instead challenges his claims.
She questions whether his rage at Zahard and the Zahard family (the very same rage that drove him to become one of FUG's "demons") had truly disappeared:
Exhibit
She presents her philosophy on the kind of emotion rage is. It doesn't abate with time but instead intensifies and gets even more entrenched:
Exhibit
She asserts that as long as that rage lives, war can break out at any time:
Exhibit
Jinsung presented an argument that war was not possible because their generation was averse to even the smallest changes. Maschenny refutes it by countering that the grievances between the various factions still exist and have not β will not β at all abate(d). As long as those grievances remain β those emotions continue to persist β war can break out at any time.
On Change
Maschenny has a very different philosophy on change than Jinsung. She believes in actively bringing about the change she wants with her own hands.
When Jinsung questions why she set him up, she tells him that they want the same thing, but she believes she needs to shed a bit more 'blood' for the sake of her goal:
Exhibit
On a second occasion, Jinsung asks her: "why did you do this to me, Mascheny Jahad?" again she mentions that their goals align but she believes she needs to shed more blood:
Exhibit
Maschenny believes that to bring about the change she desires, she's going to have to get actively involved and cause a lot of bloodshed. If revolution there's to be, better to undertake than undergo it. She's not going to passively wait for revolution to come, she'll get her hands dirty to bring it about.
She scorns Jinsung's philosophy of mentoring the next generation and waiting for them to bring change, outright telling him that his views are silly:
Exhibit
To wait for change to come to you and do nothing to bring it about yourself is something she considers foolish.
She reiterates that she will make the Tower a bloody mess:
Exhibit
To bring about the revolution she desires, she'll pit all the powers of the Tower against each other:
Exhibit
Maschenny completely rejects Jinsung's philosophy and offers a diametrically opposite view point. If I was to summarise Maschenny's position, then it would be something like this: "with my own hands, I'll seize the future I desire. I'll not wait for any saviour to come rescue me, I'll forge my own salvation".
That said, Maschenny's proactiveness regarding change is not untethered arrogance. She recognises that ability is needed to bring about change and that one must be willing to undertake great personal risk to themselves. This is made clear during her conversation with Yuri.
Maschenny tells Yuri to agree to a wager on their 13 months for the sake of the 'change' Yuri so badly desires. If Yuri wins the bet with Maschenny she would have 3 13 months (the first person to accomplish such a feat) and would be in a position to enact far more change in the Tower than anything she could do as she stands currently:
Exhibit
This is a wager that would place the loser in grave danger:
Exhibit
Maschenny encouraged Yuri to put her life on the line for a gamble to acquire a third 13 month (a status that would grant Yuri far more influence than she currently possesses and enable her to bring about meaningful change in the Tower).
When Jinsung questions why she set him up, she tells him that they want the same thing, but she believes she needs to shed a bit more 'blood' for the sake of her goal:
Exhibit
On a second occasion, Jinsung asks her: "why did you do this to me, Mascheny Jahad?" again she mentions that their goals align but she believes she needs to shed more blood:
Exhibit
Maschenny believes that to bring about the change she desires, she's going to have to get actively involved and cause a lot of bloodshed. If revolution there's to be, better to undertake than undergo it. She's not going to passively wait for revolution to come, she'll get her hands dirty to bring it about.
She scorns Jinsung's philosophy of mentoring the next generation and waiting for them to bring change, outright telling him that his views are silly:
Exhibit
To wait for change to come to you and do nothing to bring it about yourself is something she considers foolish.
She reiterates that she will make the Tower a bloody mess:
Exhibit
To bring about the revolution she desires, she'll pit all the powers of the Tower against each other:
Exhibit
Maschenny completely rejects Jinsung's philosophy and offers a diametrically opposite view point. If I was to summarise Maschenny's position, then it would be something like this: "with my own hands, I'll seize the future I desire. I'll not wait for any saviour to come rescue me, I'll forge my own salvation".
That said, Maschenny's proactiveness regarding change is not untethered arrogance. She recognises that ability is needed to bring about change and that one must be willing to undertake great personal risk to themselves. This is made clear during her conversation with Yuri.
Maschenny tells Yuri to agree to a wager on their 13 months for the sake of the 'change' Yuri so badly desires. If Yuri wins the bet with Maschenny she would have 3 13 months (the first person to accomplish such a feat) and would be in a position to enact far more change in the Tower than anything she could do as she stands currently:
Exhibit
This is a wager that would place the loser in grave danger:
Exhibit
Maschenny encouraged Yuri to put her life on the line for a gamble to acquire a third 13 month (a status that would grant Yuri far more influence than she currently possesses and enable her to bring about meaningful change in the Tower).
Jinsung's Reply
Who's Right?
Who's philosophy is more on the mark? Is Jinsung's stewardship of the next generation the right strategy or mere passiveness? Is Maschenny's proactiveness advisable or foolish arrogance?
As much as it pains me to admit, I think Maschenny's philosophy is off the mark here. The Narrator outright says that the new era would usher itself in:
Exhibit
The next generation would bring a tidal wave of change and would usher themselves in.
The narrator goes on to further berate Maschenny's hubris, saying in no unclear terms that the tidal wave of the new era would devour her:
Exhibit
As far as the narrator is concerned, Maschenny's position of being her own saviour is nothing but foolish arrogance. This saddens me, but I guess it's to be expected from a shounen and especially one like Tower of God. Irregulars are the forces of change, and try as they might, the regulars amount to nothing but mere pebbles. Simple pebbles could never topple a mighty Tower.
Regulars (even the high rankers) are insignificant creatures not even worthy of saying the name of the irregulars:
Exhibit
A High ranker as powerful as Prime White is just an insignificant soul to them:
Exhibit
They are bugs compared to them:
Exhibit
It saddens me greatly that as a mere regular Maschenny is ultimately predestined for failure. Nevertheless, I plan to cheer her on every step of the way.
As much as it pains me to admit, I think Maschenny's philosophy is off the mark here. The Narrator outright says that the new era would usher itself in:
Exhibit
The next generation would bring a tidal wave of change and would usher themselves in.
The narrator goes on to further berate Maschenny's hubris, saying in no unclear terms that the tidal wave of the new era would devour her:
Exhibit
As far as the narrator is concerned, Maschenny's position of being her own saviour is nothing but foolish arrogance. This saddens me, but I guess it's to be expected from a shounen and especially one like Tower of God. Irregulars are the forces of change, and try as they might, the regulars amount to nothing but mere pebbles. Simple pebbles could never topple a mighty Tower.
Regulars (even the high rankers) are insignificant creatures not even worthy of saying the name of the irregulars:
Exhibit
A High ranker as powerful as Prime White is just an insignificant soul to them:
Exhibit
They are bugs compared to them:
Exhibit
It saddens me greatly that as a mere regular Maschenny is ultimately predestined for failure. Nevertheless, I plan to cheer her on every step of the way.
