Kang Horyang

Beniamino Ilmar
(Kang Horyang)

Volume 3
Volume 2

Volume 2
Anime

Hangul
Workshop
강호량
No.21 (Experiment Subject Label)

Japanese Name

虎助 (Torasuke)

Biographical Information

Current Status

Active

Species

Modified Human, Living Ignition Weapon

Gender

Male

Family

Beniamino Cassano (Considered Brother)

Hair Colour

Black

Eye Colour

Black

Tower Information

~~Team FUG~~ (Formerly)

First Appearance

Vol.2 Chapter 02

Last Appearance

Vol.3 Chapter 01

Anime Adaptation

Voice Actor

Kenichirou Matsuda^[1] (Twitter) (JP)
Natsumi Kawaida^[2] (Young) (JP)

First Debut

Episode 14

Last Debut

Episode 39

“	Hey friend... have you ever seen a Devil? ...I'll show you, the Devil that lives... in my right arm...	”
—Kang Horyang to Rapdevil^[3]

Kang Horyang (강호량, Gahng Horyahng; "Kang Horyang"), formerly known as Beniamino Ilmar (베니아미노 일마르, Beniamino Ilmaleu), is one of the first Human experiment subjects of The Workshop in order to create Living Ignition Weapon. He is an E-Rank Regular and a Spear Bearer. He is famous under the nickname of "Devil of the Right Arm". He was a former member of Team FUG.

Ever since Beniamino Cassano stole, or "extracted" the 'Devil' in his right arm at the The Hand of Arlen incident, he has been in a comatose state. He has woken up from his coma after Ja Wangnan defeated and convinced Cassano to return the 'Devil' that belongs to Horyang.

Appearance & Personality[]

Horyang bandages1 — Kang Horyang's bandages

Kang Horyang is a Regular that we meet first time during the Survival Round Test on the 20th Floor. He is a massive, brooding man with a strange mark floating above his right shoulder which under normal circumstances makes him look like a one-winged angel. His upper body and possibly lower body seems to be wrapped in black bandages, which have buttons.

He generally keeps quiet, but can be ferocious in combat. Along with Hon Akraptor he tried to take on Viole, but was defeated when caught off guard. Nevertheless, he survived and passed the Survival Round Test.

The mark over his shoulder seems to change depending on his emotions. It normally takes the shape of a blue wing, but can turn red when he is embarrassed.

History[]

Beniamino Ilmar (No.21) and Beniamino Cassano (No.99), began their lives as children abandoned in the Middle Area and sold to the Workshop, where they were raised and experimented on. He and Horyang were the only two survivors out of 99,999 test subjects; at age 12 they were injected with a substance/creature known as a "devil", Horyang getting one-half and Cassano getting the other, and became the first pair of living Ignition Weapons. Then, as Maddox was escorting him elsewhere, he met Headon and entered the Tower.^[4]

Tower of God: Part 2 - The Return of the Prince

Kang HoRyang — You're bigger than me... let's be friends!

Last Chance

Horyang first appears on the 20th Floor when Ja Wangnan was about to attack him. Through some negotiations, they agreed to team up for the test. He doesn't contribute much at first until Hon Akraptor joins the group. When Horyang was about to choose who to vote off, Viole interrupts them, saying, "There's no need to vote. You will all fail here". During Viole and Akraptor's fight, he intervenes trying to stop Viole. He is about to attack Viole until Akraptor fires a beam of Shinsu from his umbrella. However, they continue fighting again until Akraptor's next beam hits him and Horyang switches his target to Akraptor. Before he can land an attack on Akraptor, Viole sends them flying back with his Shinsu technique. At this point, they agree to team up against Viole with Horyang holding him down. The plan fails and both of them are knocked out immediately after. Soon, the time runs out and all of them pass the first test.

The Strongest Regular

In the second test, the World's Greatest Shinsu Competition, he is the 19th person to go. He is repulsed by Prince when he makes a bet on who gets the girl, Yeon Yihwa, as a prize. He steps up to the machine and hits it with his Red Fist. He manages to score 1st Place with 6350 points, but by the end of the test he places 5th. Test Administrator Mule Love then announces that, as the winner, Viole will pick the remaining seven members. This causes Ja Wangnan to plead his case to Viole, followed by Akraptor. Horyang simply kneels and states, "Pick me. There is someone I must find".

The Untrustworthy Room

In the resting period before the test, he bonds with Akraptor. During the Trustworthy Room Test, he helps the others in stealing a room. When Wangnan runs off to get Viole's help in killing Lurker, Horyang makes the strategic decision of abandoning a room in order to prevent the team's loss. He leaves by himself to help Prince. He manages to make it in time, but Yihwa blocks the way. He almost makes the decision to kill her but Viole interferes and frees her from possession. Horyang enters the room opened by Prince and tells Viole to get Lurker. In the room, he faces a showdown with Rapdevil and is seen to imply that he is the real 'Devil of the Right Arm'. He easily defeats Rapdevil and demands that no one reveal what they had seen. Rapdevil quickly agrees out of fear while Prince agrees out of admiration. Horyang considers trying to stop Viole but concludes that it would be too dangerous with the red exoskeleton. He bandages Prince up. After the test, he is seen celebrating with the other Regulars who passed the test.

FUG

On the 21st Floor, he forms a team, Team Tangsooyook, with the people he passed the test with on the 20th Floor. He begins to interact more with Prince as they scout the other teams on the 21st Floor. Later, the team learns that they must take a special test instead since the other team ran off in fear upon learning that Viole was their teammate. Test Administrator Noma takes them out into the sea and informs them that they must find a flower inside Zygaena and bring it back.

Flower of Zygaena

Prince & horyang — Prince and Horyang working together.

After the group splits off, Prince and Horyang scout on ahead of Viole and Yihwa. Inside, they find red parasites swarming towards them. Prince slows them down with his Lighthouses while Horyang punches them out. Horyang notices that they weren't attacking them but running away from something. He then notices something above and both of them take cover under the parasites they just killed. A red-eyed man with the name 'Mazino' tattooed onto his back lands down. Horyang, sensing his immense power, tells Prince to run while he buys him time. The man stops them by destroying all the red parasites around them and warns them not to run off if they want to live longer. Prince angrily retorts but Horyang yells his name forcefully. Horyang then asks what is a man with such power doing here. Urek replies with no comment but if his presence was known, the whole Tower would cause a fuss. He goes on to say that they were persistent, sending in Ranker after Ranker even after he killed all the ones before. Horyang is surprised at this and informs him that they were Regulars. Urek laughs at this and tells them that he was searching for the flower and the Rankers must have sent Regulars instead after getting tired of their Rankers dying. Horyang suspects that this must be a ploy of the Great Families to kill Viole. Urek says that if they keep quiet and give up the test he would let them live. Horyang decides that there is no other way. Viole runs into the scene and sees Urek. Horyang tells him that he thinks it's best if they give up on this test and informs him of his suspicions. Viole refuses and tells them to run while he completes the mission. Horyang pleads with Viole to no avail. Horyang tells Prince to contact the others in order to give Viole back up. Despite all this, they are unable to stop Urek and Viole ends up severely wounded. Urek leaves them with a flower since he is impressed by Viole's courage.

After the test, Horyang can be seen shopping for groceries and discussing with the others on how to help Viole with his FUG problem.

Connection

On the 28th Floor two years later, after Team Tangsooyook wins their latest test, Goseng shows everyone a photo that has just been posted on Box in which a person in the background bears a strong resemblance to Horyang, who then takes a closer look and says it's Beniamino Cassano, the Devil of the Right Arm.

Devil of the Right Arm

Horyang tells his team about his past and, after his explanation, he makes the decision to leave the team to look for Cassano. Viole is called out in the middle of the night by Horyang who wants to know what relation FUG has to do with the experiments. Viole informs him that he knows nothing and Horyang is relieved, saying that they are both victims. Viole attempts to convince Horyang not to leave but Horyang says he does not want to involve his new family with his dark past.
He leaves for the residential area where Cassano was sighted and asks an informant called Xia Xia for his location. He is directed to The Hand of Arlen, which is a remnant of what used to be a larger statue. Once there, he is attacked by several Stone Doll traps and, as he clears his way through them, he encounters Ran, who immediately assumes that he is the Devil of the Right Arm and starts attacking him. Horyang retaliates but is pushed back by his opponent's moves. After enduring Ran's Lightning Spear, Eléctrica Perla, he is attacked and

HoryangatArlen — Horyang triggers a trap at the Hand of Arlen

approached by Novick as well. Noting the direness of the situation, he is wondering what to do when Cassano speaks to him through an observer. He is told to follow the observer, and does so, being led to a dead end. He is about to start fighting again, when Cassano reveals himself, stating that he is the real Devil of the Right Arm. He watches speechless as Cassano gets pierced by Ran's Espada de la Luz. Afterwards, believing that Cassano is dead, he engages Ran and Novick. Although the pair seems to be gaining the upper hand, Horyang manages to hold his own until he is attacked from behind by Cassano. Shocked, he falls to the ground, losing consciousness.

Bet

After the explosion of Arlen's Hand, Cassano puts Horyang on the floor of the golem. After regaining consciousness, he angrily demands an explanation for Cassano's actions. After his long lost childhood friend tells him that their mentor Sophia Amae is waiting on the next Floor, he becomes a part of Viole's new team. Shortly after passing the test for entry to 30th Floor, he can be seen standing alongside Viole, Cassano, Reflejo and other members of Viole's Team.

Tower of God: Part 2 - The Workshop Battle

The Workshop Battle: One Shot, One Opportunity

Horyang is seen by Khun as he's helping Viole by stopping Verdi. When Ja Wangnan tries to stop Verdi from taking Miseng and Prince with her he's hit by the octopus' punch, what makes Horyang worried. After Verdi escapes, Horyang bids his farewell to Wangnan.

The Workshop Battle: Archimedes

After entering the Acorn Workshop with Cassano, he's finally reunited with Sophia his teacher in the research laboratory. After catching the intruder, she introduces them to Beta and Emile. He is shocked by the existence of his new "brother" and the continuation of the research creating living Ignition Weapons.

The Workshop Battle: Battle x Gamble

He's chosen for the fourth group of the Plug Battle event. Shortly after the round starts, he protects Goseng from a crazed Regular. Afterwards, he's warned by Chang, who has already killed everyone except Goseng and him, to never engage Varagarv in combat.

The Workshop Battle: The Truth

After arriving at the party with Xia Xia and Novick, he is led by the two lov e cupids on a date with Goseng. After the dance, he tells her that he has met Sophia again, but is now wondering whether all the love he received from his teacher was real.

The Workshop Battle: Tournament

During the Development Tournament, when Horyang was engaging Team Mad Dog's members, he notices that they are stalling rather than attacking properly. Later on, he saves Novick, by blasting away Ridong and Viviolga, and flees with him before running into Yuto, who tells them to follow her.

The Workshop Battle: Thorn

After arriving at Viole's location, Horyang and Novick take out Pandit and Grobin and then attempt to open the door to where the Thorn, and Viole, are being held. Suddenly a Workshop Patrol "Blue Titan" assaults the two, and Horyang battles it while Novick tries to open the door. Fortunately, Viole bursts free and subsequently destroys it.

The Workshop Battle: The Summoning

Yuto suddenly reappears and reveals herself to actually be Hwa Ryun. The four then leave to escape but are then intercepted by Ron Mei and Varagarv. As they are attacked by the Team FUG duo, they allow Viole the chance to escape, before fleeing themselves with the prompting of Hwa Ryun.

The Workshop Battle: Closure

He is captured by Reflejo and Cassano, alongside Hwa Ryun and Novick, due to Cassano placing a tracker on his person. He is then made a hostage while Reflejo challenged Viole; he was guarded by Xia Xia during this time. After Xia Xia revealed the location of the hostages to the rescue teams, he was successfully rescued along with the other hostages.

The Workshop Battle: Epilogue

He is briefly seen resting at the Wolhaiksong resort after the events of the Workshop Battle and currently stuck in a coma after having his 'devil' taken from him.

Tower of God: Part 2 - The Hell Train

The Hell Train: Prologue

Goseng remained by his bedside as he stayed in his comatose state.

Tower of God: Part 3

Deng Deng

TBA

Powers & Abilities[]

Horyang has proven to be a powerful hand-to-hand combatant, which combined with his "right wing" (the manifestation of the Devil within him), makes him quite powerful for a Regular.

Shape-shifting Devil[]

Horyang is a Living Ignition Weapon, meaning that there is a "Devil" (악마, Agma) inside his body. The Devil was split into two parts. The Blue Devil is with Horyang and The Red Devil is with Beniamino Cassano. The Devil can change its forms. That is why Horyang's wing can change forms as well. It changes form according to his thoughts and emotions.

Blue Wing: This is a default form of his wing.
Red Fist: This is Horyang's usual choice of offence. It involves him making his fist turn red and grow to enormous proportions, and then smashing or hitting the intended target. It is unknown if Horyang can use this technique with both arms.
Boot: Raising his speed, Horyang can reach his opponent in a matter of moments.
Strong Shield: Used as his main defence, this shield makes his body almost invulnerable. It is yet to be clarified if he can move when he does so. He shows a second version against Ran (with wings) which seems to strengthen his Shinsu Resistance.
Fire Fist: Similar to his Red Fist, makes his fist grow in size and sets it on fire, for even more power.

Ignition[]

Igniting himself causes Horyang's wing to increase in size, and the black armor on his right arm will open-up / unwrap. His basic abilities seem to become far stronger in this form. It is implied that using this ability twice in a day takes a toll on him. By shooting shinsu blast on the ground, he can also use it to avoid attacks.

Relationships[]

Yeo Goseng: He has a crush on her, shown various times by his wing turning into hearts because of her. She doesn't appear to like him romantically, but treats him like a friend and ally.

Yeo Miseng: He treats her kindly and like a child. When she cries in front of him, he grows nervous because he doesn't know what to do.

Hon Akraptor: At first, these two did not get along, since Akraptor tried to take him out while pretending to aim for Viole. Later on these two ended up sharing a room and became friendly with each other. Horyang often sees through Akraptor's actions for the real reason why Akraptor acts the way he does.

Ja Wangnan: These two do not interact a lot, but they appear to be on good terms.

Jyu Viole Grace: Horyang appears to be somewhat wary of Viole because of his power, but does not appear to hold any grudges for Viole's past actions. He was willing to fail a test in which it seemed like it would be impossible to pass and was set up so that Viole would be killed. When Viole refused to back down, Horyang gathered the team to help Viole. Curiosity of the strange being lodged inside of Viole's body is what prompts Horyang to join the team as it might have something to do with the experiments performed on him.

Prince: Initially Prince looked down on Horyang like he did everyone else but once he saw Horyang's true power, he became an instant fan. Prince rarely disagrees with Horyang and usually agrees to do what Horyang tells him, even if it is against his nature. Horyang seems to tolerate Prince's hero worshipping with grace. These two often perform combination fighting moves.

Yeon Yihwa: These two do not often interact. Horyang is confidant that he is strong enough to kill her but not non-lethally stop her if he was serious (when she was being controlled). Horyang took over her cooking duties when the team tricked her into nursing Viole instead of making them food.

Beniamino Cassano: Horyang describes Cassano as his only childhood friend, as they were raised by and experimented on by the Workshop. They were separated just before Horyang was chosen by Headon to enter the Inner Tower as a Regular.

Sophia Amae: She was Cassano and Horyang's teacher until the boys reached the age of 12. She was the first person to give them real names instead of numbers; the name she gave Horyang was Beniamino Ilmar. Once they became Living Ignition Weapons, they never saw her again. Horyang describes her as their first love.

Notes & Trivia[]

He allowed Miseng to ride on his shoulders, so she could see. (Note: despite misconception, he was not holding thumbs with Miseng. That was actually Miseng holding her camera phone.)
His wing can take on other shapes that are unrelated to combat:
- A single or double heart, when he is attracted to someone.
- Crying eyes, when it looked like Goseng failed The World's Greatest Shinsu Contest.^[5]
- Devil's face, when Ja Wangnan almost took his pants off.^[5]
- Exclamation point, then sweat, while Miseng was crying after Akraptor chased off Yeongsuk the Yogurt woman.^[6]
- "Deer", "Stop!!", "Go! Go! Go!" etc. making Horyang horrible at card games.^[6]
He is quite powerful as he got a score of 6350 on the World's Greatest Shinsu Competition.
- He was holding back his full power.
- He claims he can kill Yeon.^[3]
- He managed to overwhelm Rapdevil who received a higher score than him.^[7]
His previous name, Beniamino Ilmar, is possibly an amalgam of Beniamino Gigli, an Italian opera singer, and Ilmar Ojase, a footballer.
- His name sounds similar to Ho-Rang-Yi or Tiger.^[8]
Horyang is currently on a diet.^[9]
Horyang's number as an experimental body (21), is probably a reference to Yoon Suk-Min's back number, a Korean right-handed pitcher in KIA Tigers (Cassano's number 99 is probably from Ryu- Hyunjun, a left-handed pitcher who is now at LA Dodgers).
If Horyang takes out the Devil, he's incredibly strong. Among the Regulars, there are not many who can beat him in that state in terms of raw power.^[10]

Quotes[]

(Horyang to Jyu Viole Grace) "That's enough. I don't know how skilled you might be but on the 20th Floor but there is not a single Regular who'd lose so easily to you. Even if we fight now it only gives an advantage to the other competitors so stop this."^[11]

(Horyang to Prince) "Why don't you shut up now, can't you see that the other Regulars are repulsed by your actions."^[12]

(To Viole) "Sorry.. I already felt it. That even if you were related to it, you are not the type of person who would sacrifice others for power. Forget about what happened today, Viole. I don't care anymore whether you are related to the experiment or not. You and I are both victims. I hope you can be happy and find what's precious to you, Viole."^[13]

(To Viole) "You are my family. The teammates that I met since entering the Tower weren't much different from the researchers at the Workshop. They just needed my power. They always thought I was monster and stayed away from me. But you were different. Everytime I saw you guys in the morning, I felt like I did when I saw my first snow. I knew I would have to leave one day but I make excuses to delay my departure. But winter is over now. Good bye, Viole."^[13]

(Talking about Sophia to Yeo Goseng) "The reason why I could live as a human with this body was because I had the love that she gave us in my hearts. But if that love is fake, the love.. The warm smile.. The name she gave us.. If everything was a fake that was made to succeed in the research. Then, do we have to become the real devils now?"^[14]