Twenty-Fifth Baam

Twenty-Fifth Baam, (스물다섯번째 밤, Seumooldahseotbeonjjae Bahm; "The Twenty-Fifth Night") or Baam (밤,' Bahm; "Night") for short, is an Irregular and the main protagonist of Tower of God: Part 1, and one of the main protagonists of Tower of God. Baam enters The Tower in search of his best friend Rachel, who is another Irregular. He passed through Headon's Floor after being deemed worthy to climb, enough to be Guided by Hwa Ryun.

Six years later in Tower of God: Part 2 - The Return of the Prince, Baam, under his new name Jyu Viole Grace (쥬 비올레 그레이스, Jyu Biolae Geuraeiseu; "Jyu Viole Grace"), presented to him by FUG, is now a member of the infamous anti-government group.

Background
Baam's early life is mostly unknown and nothing is known about where he lived before coming into the Inner Tower, other than that it was some kind of cave. Also, it is mentioned he was "wrapped in darkness since birth"(Ch 3) and it is unknown how his crushed foot managed to heal(Ch 54) or what he consumed before Rachel discovered him. Although it is possible that he was able to subconsciously convert shinsoo into nutrients which allowed him to survive and heal any injury he had.

There was a symbol similar to the Zahard crest in the cave he was found, but it is unknown what meaning the symbol carries outside the Tower. It's possible he was isolated by the order of Zahard himself or the 3 Lords. It's also possible he was isolated for a different purpose by someone not connected to the Zahard Empire or the Tower. [1]Symbol in cave area where Baam lived. He was dressed in an unkempt manner, had long unruly hair, and a white scarf around his neck. [2]Twenty-Fifth Baam's childhood appearance. There was only one source of light in the cave, towards which Baam built a huge tower of stones. After climbing his tower, Baam found the light was unreachable, shining through a crack in the high cave ceiling. This caused him to get upset, but as this happened the rock above broke off, and a girl with it, Rachel fell. Rachel became Baam's only friend, and taught him how to read, write and talk. She also told him about the sky and stars, and of human warmth. She educated him on many things about the human world, though his grasp on human society is still fairly poor.

The two played a crude board game in the cave with chalk lines and stone pieces, always drawn out somehow by Baam's tactics. Rachel would frequently journey above through the opening from which light cascaded, denying Baam to come with her, telling him, "Up there, only those who have been chosen can play." She told him stories of the world above; of the yearly festivals, the fruit-bearing trees given by God, the children playing - a world filled with light and merriment. Baam would wait for her to return with nothing else to do but dream of going up there and playing with her.

At one point, Rachel also told him the story of a man loving a star so much that he built a tower to get to it. The others called the man crazy, but he kept stacking rocks anyway. Eventually, the man was able to reach the star and live with it forever. Whether or not this has anything to do with the story is unconfirmed. JYG_T1|Appearance/Personality JYG_T2|Powers and Abilities JYG_T3|Role in ToG

Part 1
Rachel: Baam has a deep and complicated relationship with her. They were very good friends and views her as an older sister figure. She was the reason why he entered the tower in the first place. However, since Rachel requested Koon to lie about her identity, Baam wonders why she will not just reveal herself to him and is aware she may not want him to follow her. Baam decides to do so anyways and is eventually betrayed by her, confusing him. Therefore, he decides to climb the tower in order to rationalize which action to take when he confronts her. When Love asks Baam about his reason for joining FUG, he responds that he is looking for someone, hinted to be Rachel.

Koon Agero Agnis: Baam was a little uneasy with Koon at first, but they've become good friends, despite having contrasting personalities and characteristics. Koon has aided Baam countless times throughout various obstacles presented in the Second Floor. After learning Baam was an Irregular, Koon put his status on the line to aid him. Koon saw something within Baam which he had lost a long time ago, and was determined to help Baam get to the top. Even after Baam's supposed death, he still wants to keep the team that Baam would've wanted to protect going asking Ship Leesoo to lead the other team. Koon is still willing to go to lengths to find out about Baam's "murderers", even having to deal with the "woman who killed [his] most precious friend" (Rachel).

Rak: Baam is also friends with Rak, although Rak is a little bit annoyed by him at times. When Baam is injured, Rak seems concerned about him. Rak wishes for Baam to keep climbing The Tower, claiming that it is because he could continue to hunt him.

Hatsu: Hatsu and Baam get along well and have an easy friendship. Baam helped him fill up his friends list, to which Hatsu seemed grateful. After the Submerged Fish Hunt ended, he became agitated when Parakewl was only concerned about whether they passed. When Parakewl kept using the word 'dead', Hatsu threatened to kill him. He felt indebted to Baam and was the first to propose to helping Rachel climb The Tower. In Part 2, when Baam found out that the 'Devil of the Right Hand' had defeated Hatsu, he seemingly challenges Rapdevil, which shows that he still cares deeply for his old team.

Ship Leesoo: These two are friendly with each other. Although Leesoo knew that Koon manipulated everyone into helping Baam for the Submerged Fish Hunt, he didn't tell anyone because he too wanted to help Baam. When he thought Baam was dead, he supported the idea of helping Rachel to honor Baam's wishes and was the one to gather everyone for it.

Androssi: At first she was indifferent to Baam, but as time progressed they became friends. She seems to have a crush on him (unconfirmed). After learning that Baam was an Irregular, she put her status as a Zahard's princess on the line to help him. She coached Baam on fighting in preparation for the Submerged Fish Hunt. Baam appears to have influenced her somewhat. When Ren attempted to kill Anak using her, she thought of the conversation with Baam on loneliness.

Team Tangsooyook
Ja Wangnan: Wangnan used to fear Viole to the point of avoidance. It is unknown what Baam personally thinks of Wangnan, but Wangnan thought of Baam as a monster (he called him a demon of destruction) due to his power and his stated goal. As time progresses, he learnt of Baam's past and the unwanted life forced upon him. Wangnan thinks highly of Viole now that he knows Viole's reasons for fighting and appears to want to become friends. Wangnan appears to be the most concerned over Viole, wishing to help him achieve his goals and worrying over him.

Yeon Yihwa: They shared a room on 20F, much to Yihwa's displeasure. Yihwa thinks Viole is suspicious, but appears open to the idea that Viole might not be as bad as he appears. Most of their antagonism is due to the fact that Viole says he has no interest in her physically (an insult since Yihwa considers herself beautiful) and that Viole can cook better than her. Yihwa however warmed up to Viole and now sees him as a good person after he protected Miseng from Urek almost at the cost of his life. Yihwa seemed to be genuinely concerned for Viole and is trying to nurse him back to health.

Kang Horyang: Horyang respects Viole for his strength and is wary of the red exoskeleton Viole possesses, since it reminds him of a living iginition weapon. He doesn't appear to think badly or hold a grudge against Viole for his actions. Later, Viole earns his respect, and knows that Viole is a good person.

Akraptor: Akraptor seems to trust Viole to a certain extent. He doesn't meddle with Viole's personal affairs and doesn't seem to judge him for being part of FUG. He is the most pragmatic of the group concerning Viole and the group's position. He also treats Viole as a friend and is willing to help him after finding out the reason he is climbing the tower.

Yeo Miseng: At first Miseng feared Viole but was always polite to him, even giving him some candy (chips?). After passing the 20F Test, Miseng and Viole appear much more comfortable with each other. Viole is even shown carrying Miseng on his shoulders.

Yeo Goseng: While originally terrified of Viole for his association with FUG, she seems more comfortable with him. Even before they formed a team, she didn't think he was a murderous monster. When Viole brought over his FUG associates to their house, she was shaking so much she ended up cutting herself. When Zygeana emerged from the water, she can be seen hiding behind Viole's legs (also to possibly look out for Miseng).

Prince: While VIole appears to be mostly indifferent to Prince, Prince used to have a lot of antagonism for Viole. This was partly because of jealousy of Viole's strength and jealousy over Yeon Yihwa. After they formed Team Tangsooyuk, Prince became more mellow and appears to accept Viole as a teammate. He is also willing to help VIole after finding out his reason for climbing the tower.

FUG
Ha Jinsung: He is a member of FUG and is Viole's personal martial arts instructor. He thinks very highly of Viole and respects his opinions. He is very proud of Viole to the point where he brags about Viole's talent and genius. He appears comedically protective of Viole, asking Viole's teammates if they picked on him or made him do any housework (noticing Viole's chapped hands). He lies to FUG in order to protect the new friends Viole made, claiming that they made good hostages. In a flashback it is shown that Jinsung initially had reservations about training someone so seemingly ordinary, but quickly became impressed with Viole's ability to quickly pick up skills.

Hwa Ryun: A member of FUG. Though they did not have much of a relationship in Part 1, they appear much closer in Part 2. Hwa Ryun acts as Baam's Guide with the expectation that Baam will grow strong enough to one day kill Zahard. She often manipulates individual members of Team Tangyoosook in a way that benefits Baam. In a flashback, it has been shown that Hwa Ryun can be cruel/helpful to Baam (restarting the lethal/training stone golem) because of her high expectations.

Notes and Trivia

 * Name's Origin: He is named after his birthdate, the "twenty-fifth night". Later, the Guardian of the First Floor, Headon, abbreviates his name to Baam, joking, "It has become a tasty name!' In Korean, the word 'baam' has two meanings: one is 'night' and the other 'chestnut'. The Second Floor Guardian also uses this pun by telling Baam, "You...look tasty." Rachel, at one point, says she is afraid of the "Night," making reference to Baam. On an interesting note, "Viole" can be translated to "star" in Korean.
 * He goes under the alias Jyu Viole Grace in Season 2. It is speculated that he might have been adopted by the leader of FUG, Grace Mirchea Luslec, but that has yet to be confirmed.
 * It's possible that one origin of the name "Viole" is the color violet. Amusingly enough, "Viole" is an old french word used to describe a European bowed stringed instrument used in the Medieval period. Viole now occasionally wears shirts that are purple.
 * Speaking of French, in common language, "viole" is also the conjugated form of the verb "rape". From the point of view of someone who understands both french and english, his name sounds like "(a) Jew rapes Grace". And as the brain of native french people works in french, this can not be unseen...Never.....(Well, this is really awkward.....)
 * An amusing fact about Baam: With the sole exception of Anak, who is a half-princess, Baam seems to attract romantically any princess of Zahard he comes across. Two examples are the affections shown towards him by Androssi and Yuri, though it might just be the author's way to add comic relief moments for the latter. (SIU's comment from his blog: "Baam will break the hearts of many more girls." ^^ )
 * In the World's Greatest Shinsoo Competition, Akraptor calls Viole "the strongest Regular," which is technically incorrect since Baam is an Irregular.
 * According to the results of the World's Greatest Shinsoo Competition, Viole comes in first place with 134,769 points using HwaJeopGongPaSul. It has been speculated by some that this is not Viole's true power.
 * He is extremely polite, to the extent of saying "sorry" when he's about to fail someone. (Example: Season 2 Chapter 11, conversation between Viole and Yeon)
 * He is rich enough to afford the best apartment on the 21st Floor, courtesy of FUG.
 * He is apparently a great cook, having to cook for himself and Yeon, with Wangnan even calling him a super chef. His best dish is cream spaghetti, which happens to be a dish Androssi ordered before the Submerged Fish Test. He even cleans the house and does the laundry.
 * Surprisingly, Viole's clothes are all picked by Ha Jinsung. He is troubled by the fact that Jinsung sends him clothes every season.
 * Blue Fire: Though not exactly canon, Baam/Viole has the power to create blue fire in the Maplestory X Tower of God oneshot where he uses it to stop Demon Slayer from getting the crown.
 * Author's comment (SIU) : "Tower of God is not about Baam; it's about a huge number of main characters." Well, we can all agree that Baam is an eye of the storm. (need reference)
 * After the 28th Floor test (and its junk food reward), Viole increasingly buys junk food items for Team Tangsooyook. However, he has to eat them in secret or else Goseng will confiscate them, since they're unhealthy. As a result, Viole has become a "black market" supplier and is very much loved by Miseng and Prince.

Quotes
"It's fine, because there is something I fear more than death." - Baam's response, in his thoughts, before he attacks the Shinheuh in the Ball Test on the First Floor
 * "The heart moves where the heart wills" - Baam to Androssi
 * "If Rachel isn't up there, that place is nothing more than a pile of garbage. No matter what's up there, that won't change." Baam to Yu Han Sung
 * "I need to know... why... Rachel... betrayed... ME...!" - Baam to Hwa Ryun
 * "I am Jyu Viole Grace, one of the slayer candidates of FUG. Zahard and their kin... I live for their death. That is why none of you can become my teammate. I am your enemy." - Viole, denying the requirement of team members on the 20th Floor
 * "You might die." - Yuri's words, recalled by Baam
 * "I have something I fear... more than death." - Viole to Urek Mazino during the Flower of Zygaena Test

Alternate Translations

 * (Korean Pronunciation) Seu-mool-dah-seot-beon-jjae-eui Bahm, Bahm
 * (Meaning) Twenty-Fifth Night, Night
 * Bahm
 * Bam
 * Chestnut