Hunter x Hunter THEORY: Gon and Meruem - Parallel Journeys

[@sunshinensmiles2178]

They both also cared about people with white hair

[@SasukeUchiha-eg6lg]

Sunshine N Smiles gon didn't thought of killua for a single second

[@SasukeUchiha-eg6lg]

Somtochukwu Ekenyem i knew that, just mentioned killua also has white hair

[@neraz2263]

DaRk DrAgoN 17 omg twin

[@SasukeUchiha-eg6lg]

Neraz lol

[@RubiixCat]

+DaRk DrAgoN 17 If you knew he was talking about Kite, why bring up Killua? xD I call bullshit on that.

[@rhymestyle]

THIS IS WHY THE WRITING IN THIS ARC IS SO AMAZING

[@Shadowcu]

*Dino, you're wrong. ITS IN THE ENTIRE ANIME*

[@rhymestyle]

+shadow YOU'RE RIGHT YOU'RE RIGHT

[@Theunderwrldreloaded]

I love you

[@cheeseburgerfreddy6350]

+Rhymestyle OMFG RHYMESTYLE YOUR HERE LMAO

[@retsea1]

I feel like I'm the only one who thinks that the writing is extremely basic ._.

[@kumankuo8308]

If Gon acts like this when he's told Kite is dead. Imagine if Killua was to die, bye bye Earth.

[@eegs9941]

Imagine mito-san doe

[@xl_hatake1075]

Why not both

[@faaandi]

Imagine togashi dead

[@judy2381]

@@xl_hatake1075 JAILLLLL

[@algaguivara1378]

Kilua fanboy detected 😁😁😁

[@criticold]

This isn't a theory. It's an analysis.

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

The theory, which I didn't state too clearly looking back, was supposed to be that all of these similar and contrasting scenes where absolutely the intention of the author. That's why I pose the question at the end if you guys thought it was intentional or some were just coincidence.

[@criticold]

TalesOfNerdia It's much more just an analysis. An interpretation and dissection of what the show presents. If you titled it as such you would also get more people who are looking for this type of video and as such more viewers. I just think it was badly titled. Great video though.

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

I'm always trying to improve my tags, titles, thumbnails, etc so I definitely appreciate the feedback. I'll consider these more carefully for future vids. Glad you like the content :)

[@criticold]

TalesOfNerdia I hadn't really thought about this until this video. I haven't ever had a need to truly analyse HxH and I have so many things to do I didn't think I could take the time to do it simply for my own enjoyment and for a better understanding. However, I will watch any video on the topic if I see it in my subscriptions or recommended page.

[@Re.Alllll]

Excellent.

[@jacobnorris8256]

And this is why an author taking their time is a good thing.

[@LaBerengenaAtomica]

It's just that the issue with HxH hiatuses is that Togashi (the mangaka) is kinda old to be drawing weekly manga and he has had tons of health issues, mostly with his back. I can understand the hype, but I'd rather he be alive to finish it than dead and other people writing it for him, or worse, leaving it unfinished (which is unlikely since he already left a rough plan about how he wants it).

[@LaBerengenaAtomica]

He is certainly not old, but 51 years is old enough to make drawing manga a harsh task. If you understand at least a bit of how difficult it can be for some mangaka to keep a weekly serialization, you know how taxing it must be for a 51yo with serious back issues. I'm not sure how you interpreted my statement ojf him being too old to draw weekly manga, but I meant it as in it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with a job like that as you age (as in many other jobs).

[@LaBerengenaAtomica]

LiGht YaGami You do know that drawing manga is different from whatever miscellaneous task a normal salaryman has to deal with, right? You might not know if you haven't experienced it, but drawing is a much more taxing task than writing on a computer (or by hand, too). I've never made manga, but I used to draw A LOT when I was younger, and even the simple task of sitting mostly still while trying to draw as best as possible for a couple of hours or even just one hour straight can be very tiring. If just that is tiring, I can't help but shudder at the thought of having to abide by a strict deadline every week, and let's remember that manga isn't just about drawing, but writing too. I don't think there's a shonen manga as well written as HxH. The drawing quality is inconsequential; it's not like he is purposely holding back and can make better drawings if he puts more time or effort. It doesn't work like that. The amount of effort he puts in his drawings may be as big or even bigger than some other mangaka with bettter artstyles like Kubo Tite or Tosh, yet the results are as seen. I have friends who can effortlessly fork out an awesome drawing that I would have to spend hours on, or maybe not even be capable of pulling off. Well, I'm digressing, but the point is that you're seeing things in a very simplistic manner, what with equating salaryman work with mangaka work when you might have not even experienced any (I'm aware I could be wrong about that, but it's kinda telling when you talk like that). Also, I don't understand why people doubt Togashi's health issues being true, like, seriously? There's few people as dedicated to their work as him, and he even tries his hardest to fork out at least as most chapters as possible. He even (allegedly) went as far as hiring assistants (which he allegedly almost never used before) and (allegedly) letting his wife help with his work and entrusting her with it's conclusion should something happen to him. If that doesn't tell about his commitment to his work and his fans, I don't know what does.

[@LaBerengenaAtomica]

Again, drawing manga is more demanding than playing a simple game... and yeah, I know how cancerous the HxH fanbase can be. And drawings matter, but that's completely besides the point. I merely stated that the artstyle quality is inconsequential when factoring time and effort put into the manga. But even so, HxH isn't a generic run-of-the-mill manga.

[@keviniiiiii4750]

LiGht YaGami I dont disagree with you on the generic part. But damn is it impressive how well they create such original plot and interesting characters based on this "cliché." Also, you cannot simply describe your opinion on an art style with the word "bad." I dont like Gon's design and a few other ones but you need to be more descriptive and more objective when u judge art man

[@meliodas11]

*Meruem someone who took care of an helpless blind girl gets blind and helpless himself at the end and asks Komugi every second "are you still here?" while dying in her arms.*

[@csstrunks1]

I cried too brother. Harder than I ever have.

[@eighthlegofthephantomtroup1842]

Anthony Turner i think everyone cried like a bitch lol

[@someguy4890]

This was the only time I ever rooted for the bad guy ;(

[@eighthlegofthephantomtroup1842]

Some Guy Meruem wasn't the bad guy tho

[@charlesnavarro4003]

it was Just his responsiblitiy as the king

[@rhymestyle]

UGH THE ENDING HIT ME WITH THE FEELS AGAIN. komugi. are you still there?

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

HAI, I sure am. I'm not going anywhere. :'(

[@samthebudiman]

i think im gonna take a short nap.. :(

[@ScoobySnax.]

Good Boy Milo I just finished yesterday😭

[@yoooooo967]

I was crying for two hours I still can’t 😭😭😭😭🥺

[@jinbat4159]

@@ScoobySnax. same lmao

[@obzenful]

Great foreshadowing I noticed was when Netero first met Gon & Killua and they played ball during the exam. Netero used only his left arm and right leg. And later, in Netero's fight against Meruem, he lost his left arm and right leg #mindblown

[@heckingbamboozled8097]

At this point you could be overthinking things xD. But yeah, I guess in the first instance of the ball game, it shows how tough the old man is. Then in the fight, it shows how easily he could ACTUALLY be killed

[@MugenHeadNinja]

It's more likely that Togashi looked back on that and decided to make that nod, mangaka do stuff like that all the time.

[@Azmodeus87]

Another little detail that makes this fight so well written is the details of Netero and Meruems deal. The king must force Netero to admit defeat. As in, Netero made Meruem take the final (non-hidden) Hunter test. The hunter chairman beat the ant king by using one of the oldest tricks in his book!

[@gazjones7105]

wing also asks himself if hes created or awoken a monster when he trains gon at heavens tower ;)

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

Hamza Cynic maybe thise are his strong arm and leg, and Meruem, knowing how crazy efficient he is, targeted them

[@saskafraz9148]

I always regarded the chimera ant arc as one the most well written and overall best arcs in anime history.

[@kz_kanmuru4269]

*In Fiction history

[@MugenHeadNinja]

Yorknews very close there as well, which has my hopes high for the Dark Continent arc, which it seems like will be the last or the 2nd to last arc.

[@sebaba001]

Yeah but they could've made it about 1.5x faster in the anime and it would've been about 300 times better. I'm okay with the slow-mo.. I'm okay with it not being OPM-crazy style of constant fights.. I can even stand most of the narrator.. but when they repeat the same shit for minutes when they switch to a different fight/character, it's just fucking LAZY. And when the narrator states what is extremely obvious it's just so fucking obnoxious. They could've done SO much better.. hell, they just have to re-edit what they have and they can make something truly amazing and rewatchable.

[@andrews9695]

thats because they had to extend the anime because the manga arc was still being finished by the author.

[@dargabon0198]

Sayuru Elaiyakumaran only problem is a lot of episode is spent to 3 minutes

[@Battleguild]

Another parallel. When Meruem is healed, he becomes immensely powerful and dies shortly after. When Gon is healed, he loses the ability to use Nen and becomes weaker but lives on.

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

Nice! I stopped the analysis at the end of the arc but guess I should have looked further. To add to your parallel, look at the panels in chapter 333 and 339 of Killua holding Gon's hand and Komugi holding Meruem's hand: 66.media.tumblr.com/13eda11d0d78345b0def603fc5a063b9/tumblr_inline_npnkawTcnT1qd8pxx_1280.png

[@KaitoKid-rn1yb]

good point

[@ogjogi4506]

Aether Veilborne but he gets nen back

[@kiroz8340]

@@ogjogi4506 when

[@45digimon45]

​@@noneofyourbusiness3096 alluka removed the restriction Gon placed on himself, he just has to reawaken it. I mean he is the main character

[@TheKing-md3rl]

Another set of reasons as to why the Chimera Ant Arc is one of the greatest arcs in anime period. Great video, instant like.

[@thepope2412]

To me the ark was too long and got boring midway

[@TheKing-md3rl]

The Pope Never heard that before

[@TheHybridNinjas]

The Pope I had stopped for awhile after the first 2 episodes of the arc, but after about 10 episodes into the arc I binge watched it like craz.

[@zzxp1]

This is my favorite arc along with the york shin city, that was something out of this world, best shounen i have watched without a doubt.

[@thebengal9699]

The King while it is indeed one of if not THE greatest arc in anime history, I will agree that it was too long. The narrator overdescribed everything that was going on. "AND AS YOU CAN SEE, GON IS WAITING FOR PITOU TO FINISH HEALING. HE JUST TOOK A BREATHE. HE JUST TOOK ANOTHER BREATH" I think the narrator potentially ruins it imo.

[@purplelotus531]

A monster was made into a human when he found the right person A human was made into a monster when he lost his.

[@therealcake8756]

If only they had an interaction with each other

[@johnnygoodman1885]

every life has it's regrets.

[@GalekC]

The one "interaction" they had was of Gon seeing him from afar

[@therealcake8756]

***** That wasn't really an interaction. Got didn't really think about it too much and Meruem didn't even see Gon, and that's my point

[@johnnygoodman1885]

parallel

[@johnnygoodman1885]

waddup with that rage

[@lolerionark186]

Something else too! When Gon lost his will to care about the person he was trying to save (Kite), he gained enough power to kill Meruem as Pitou said. When Meruem gained the ability to care about someone deeply (Komugi), he lost the power to kill other living things easily like when he wanted to talk to Netero, his opponent.

[@thevisitor1012]

Meruem never lost anything. Netero was just strong

[@lolerionark186]

+The visitor101 I didn't say that Meruem lost. He did in fact live while Netero didn't. I'm just saying that instead of fighting, Meruem wanted to have an open and honest conversation.

[@ashyles0110]

LolerioNark about Gon, when he gained power he attacks pitou at the head

[@JM-po5hu]

I do believe it was this anime they were saying you need to abandon your humanity or you will never beat them and what you just said made me realise when Gon lost his will to live he lost his humanity and therefore was strong enough to beat Meruem

[@FelixErikson]

Also the ending song of this arc is called ''Two sides of the same coin''.

[@fumothfan9]

The entire songs were one big foreshadow if you read the lyrics.

[@dotted_stains2792]

HOLY Shi- 💀

[@DKY-dp4sr]

I never wached a show that made had so many confuse feelings. First I hated the ants...then i was disgusted by them... then i started to like them and hated myself for it. Then i felt sorry for them and realized... They where not monsters... they where the human victims who died in a circle of death and rebirth. I even felt sorry for Pitou and for a moment... i hated Gon, when he killed her. For me, this ant arc... There was no villains. There was just pain.

[@vigneshvijayan8327]

I get what u mean but what Pitou did , anyone in gone place would wanna kill him

[@cameron6538]

The genius of the arc is in showing that even monsterous humans (which is what most of the ants are) are still human, even the most evil person isn't one dimensional. The king killed countless people and intended to kill the majority of humanity, even at the end of the arc. He was capable of loving and caring for another, yet still commited to a horrible path. This is the dichotomy of people doing immoral things, they're still people with their own hopes and dreams. Importantly, this doesn't minimize the damage their immoral actions cause and will cause. The fact that the king and pitou didn't feel remorse for their actions is why they ultimately had to die. Take the king's death scene and amplfiy it a billion fold, and you'd get a taste of what he had in store for the world and humanity. Being a human capable of love and empathy doesn't give you leeway to take other's lives without consequence

[@fumothfan9]

The king also had a moment of remorse saying how if he was like this before things may have turned out diffetently.

[@justsomegirlwithoutamustache]

Pitou literally planned on killing Gon. You still feel bad for her more than a child whose been through hell?

[@DKY-dp4sr]

@@justsomegirlwithoutamustache It appears you have misunderstood my words. It's was not about hating one or the other. And if you really think that Pitou was evil, I suggest you watch it again. This time pay attention.

[@randomavenger3048]

I love that their final moments in the arc were completely the opposite: While Meruem died in peace as teen in love for the first time, feeling true happiness with the Komugi, Gon "died" in anger, guilty and profund sadness.

[@sarahalviz979]

It was really interesting to me how even though Meruem was the “bad guy” he was the one that wanted to talk it out, while Netero went as far as baiting Meruem with his name just so he could fight him. And throughout the whole fight Meruem was mostly appreciating Netero’s abilities and enjoying the fight, while Netero was mostly belittleing Meruem.

[@DankBirdGang52]

Netero had a job to do, he had to take out Meruem by any means necessary, he even said he should make it quick because he might start to have empathy for him.

[@poignantpotato7041]

There's also the parallels with how their arcs concluded. Meruem died painlessly, as if falling asleep. Gon lived, but in utter agony (at least until he was wished back).

[@Nick-db8lw]

thats beautiful

[@JM-po5hu]

Pretty sure dying from radiation poisoning is really painful as your body literally melts

[@mysteriouswall7654]

Probably meant like died happily, or satisfied.

[@rkldr]

cicii

[@kratosgow09]

@@JM-po5hu I don't think radiation poisoning alone affects chimera ants let alone the King. I believed the miniature rose(the nuke) had a property of rendering its victims incapacitated slowing taking away their sight, hearing, speech and sensory organs making the body numb until the body just shuts down. If it didn't we would have seen Meruem and Komugi writhing in pain.

[@renarddubois940]

Mind blown! Togashi is a genius!

[@renarddubois940]

What are you doing here, Filthy Frank?

[@BruceLeefromthegrave]

Too bad he's bad in health and can't figure out how to write HXH without falling ill. I think he used to smoke and drink and is now an old man because this plot was written back in the 90's/early 2000s. Plus sitting for too long is bad for your health in many ways, and as an illustrator and author, he has to do that for longer much longer than normal.

[@joytotheworld5496]

Killua: Gon you are light. Sometimes you shine so brightly I must look away (looks away) Queen of Ants: Meruem, it means light that illuminates all (proceeds to stare directly to light)

[@MrJoakyfran]

Also, after their fights, they have opposite effects: Gon loses his nen but lives and Meruem gets the strongest nen ever but dies.

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

Aaaah, I didn't think of that. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@rkldr]

ficici

[@JerryHasGame]

the only thing I hate about this is that it's not so much longer, AMAZING video my friend !

[@MrRobloxparty]

h

[@aravgulati8129]

JerryHasGame i hate the part where the narrator is narrating every fucking thing

[@melware_1869]

Well, i think that if it was longer it would have been dragged out.

[@kcekce9679]

This has changed my view of this entire arc. So good. Can't bvelieve I never saw this before. Man HunterxHunter is so good!!

[@Chance57]

What was your view prior? I read it in the manga first and thanks to the hiatuses I had plenty of time to go back and read the chapters. I was nowhere near as detailed as this video, but by the time I was done with the arc the only way I could look at it was Meruem went from evil being like a innocent child and gon went from innocent child to evil unfeeling beast. I'd like to know some other outlooks though.

[@muhammedabdul-ghaffar8765]

To sum up this video, Togashi is a genius and HXH is freaking awesome.

[@mohy8855]

4 years late but facts

[@majin903]

mid x mid buddy

[@confusedxander5975]

@@majin903 fatherless behavior

[@majin903]

@@confusedxander5975 dont compare you’re experiences to me you social reject 🥸

[@spiritual9574]

@@majin903 How is it Mid?

[@mrbushido6823]

Damn mind blown. If I'm not mistaken the 2 characters never encountered each other too

[@GalekC]

Gon saw Meruem from a distance, and that was that

[@mrbushido6823]

Yeah just from distance but he never focused on him

[@Demswa]

Mr Bushido as gon was looking at meruem we could already see his anger and the black aura around him. But his main "focus" was pitou

[@KaitoKid-rn1yb]

when he saw the king, he realized he can't do anything against the king

[@QuietCrow009]

what's really nice about the two comparisons is that when Gon unleashed he full potential he was equal to Meruem in power, but he had to lose his humanity in order to do so.

[@mrmastaofdesasta6994]

I think, the reason why Gon got so angry at Pitou during their encounter (when she healed Komugi), was that he subconsiously knew that the moral momentum was on Pitou's side. But that scene is really similar to his fight against the bald ninja, when he took the hunter exam. Only, that Pitou played his part, and he was the menacing enemy. His opponent then also got angry because Gon had the moral momentum. The broken arm is another similarity.

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

Woah, that's a great comparison I never thought about.

[@satashaahnberg7831]

Wow! nice analysis

[@reeceypufffs]

I also like to see this as gon not wanting to be like the ants and killing people because he felt like it, in that moment pitou redeemed her action of killing kite by saving komugis life and killing her would make gon the villain. So he wanted pitou to lie to him about being able to save kite so he could justify killing her without being morally wrong

[@xaius4348]

The human becomes a monster, and the monster becomes human. Both are only children.

[@wajinshu]

Almost cried in the end. What a great series. Thank you for this video

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

You're welcome, glad you liked it. I almost cut the ending short but just couldn't, it's too beautiful.

[@Ayydrill]

Me too. "Maybe Netero was wrong" struck a chord in me, and I felt sadness pang throughout. God damn.

[@doubleggamingmeruz678]

What on fuck are you doing here? I watch your Naruto mod videos

[@tiny7_266]

almost-? BRO- I CRIED LIKE ANYTHING PLEASE ITS THE SADDEST THING EVER IM STILL CRYING WTH

[@rajatwaghmare]

Meruem and komugi's final moments is the Most Heartwarming yet saddening thing in history of anime, never ever felt like this, this arc is a masterpiece, a masterpiece that hasn't been matched yet, i've watching anime for 5 years now and never I came across an anime / arc that took me to the journey of emotions, it was saddening to see gon in that state, it was like we all felt same as Killua. It's confusing that when kite was killed I was really angry at pitou and yet I wasn't satisfied by her death, that's some good writing, I don't know if I felt bad for pitou or gon or kite at that point.

[@louayker4249]

Togashi is just above everyone else. That guy is more than a genius.

[@rajatwaghmare]

@@louayker4249 💯

[@Lucent151]

Komugi= White Hair Kite = White Hair Killua= White Hair Pitou= White Hair.... WHUT?????

[@SasukeUchiha-eg6lg]

zeno=white hair

[@GalekC]

Kite in the 1998 JUMP special OVA: blue hair Kite in the 1999 anime: brown hair Komugi in the colored manga: brunette hair Pitou in the colored manga: blonde hair

[@symonsybico12]

Netero has white hair

[@scheve1994]

Isn't that just gray?

[@alejandrogarcia3004]

not in the non colored manga

[@Xozzen]

Meruem is one of the best characters ever created, I love great villains. Hunter x Hunter best anime forever.

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

I completely agree!

[@PlanetDiablo16967]

Could you put a link to the image of gon and meruem mirroring each other in the description or something?

[@williamthekiller7219]

Not sure why he is when he barely started to be the villain I'm not sure he is the villain when most of the dark deed was done by the queen and her soldiers... He didn't exactly plan this.... It's a situation he was forced into He is a grown up baby who was learning outside of his programming as a king of the ant but he doesn't exactly know what to do as a king Also the humans in him are more dominant than the ant

[@andrewaguilar9534]

Yup besto shonen

[@wammygames7627]

I just realise that Meruem and Gon both "died" in their battle but also won as well. Meruem beat Netero but got killed by the bomb inside Netero's chest. He was then revive by Pouf and Youpi. Gon almost died after fighting Pitou since he gave up his nen and only survive because of nanika.

[@Roberto-fg9oj]

Gon ended his battle weaker than before, losing his nen but at least surviving while Meruem ended his battle being stronger than before but ultimately dying.

[@Kobukseon]

If there's one thing that I feel is often overlooked, it's Pitou after she is finished healing Komugi. She does go with Gon to Peijing, but right when she gets that call from Pouf saying that they've got Komugi (a lie), she had ample reason to disregard the promise and kill Gon immediately. Rather than killing him, however, she goes with him and tells him the truth. It shows that she wanted to uphold her promise even though she KNEW he was an enemy she needed to kill to protect Meruem, making it all the more tragic when Gon lets the monster consume him.

[@abigailroselucas4347]

Two more parellels: in the first hyori ittai ending, when the animation shows the coins flipping in the air, the first one shows meruem with komugi (which is the person meruem cares about the most), the second one shows gon and killua (which is the person that gon cares about the most), and the third one shows Pitou and netero (meruem and gon’s opponent) The other one is when meruem fought netero, netero set off an explosion after losing his arm as the killing blow. and when gon fought pitou, gon set off an explosion after losing his arm as the killing blow.

[@genzillennial]

Losing/breaking an arm is like the go to symbolism for self sacrifice and stubborn recklessness

[@boxstory3756]

Two characters with so much in common. Two people becoming the opposite of one another. Two souls that never once met.

[@williamthekiller7219]

Close but not really....

[@BenXBlack93]

As a guy that watched HxH 2011 four times and currently re-watching again, i only managed to see some of these points after my 3rd watch.

[@Danen3]

What do you mean 'as a guy'?

[@Spades20XX]

guy as in person, he wasn't trying to point out him being male.

[@2Quick4You100]

Danen3 TRIGGERED!!!

[@Danen3]

Triggered how?

[@2Quick4You100]

Danen3 Look at your comment. It probably wasn't your intention but you sound like a feminazi. You look like you took what he said out of context.

[@ArunMehta]

When Kite told Gon that "You must crush the head" when they first encountered Chimera Ants, it came full-circle when Gon faced Pitou where he continually crushed her head

[@vignesh0208]

It's amazing how much growth Meruem had as a character during his short life. Arguably more than our 'protagonist' Gon, who was more and more moving away from his humanity, and whose naivety gave way to darker emotions.

[@CeeOnethousand]

I almost just started crying watching this thinking about how Mereum says he was born for this moment to die to w Komugi and indirectly saving the world… Incredible show

[@terceiroano9513]

"Are you still there, Komugi?" Man, I cried ...

[@whenthe7633]

I almost cried to thatbut the happy music that started playing JUST AFTER THAT made me laugh

[@AlexandrinaTitania]

I do think that Gon and Meruem were definitely intended to go through mirrored character arcs, and in that way contrast each other. In a way, at the end of this arc, Gon ended up in the place Meruem started, while Meruem ended up in the place Gon started. This entire arc shows the protagonist on the heroes' side turning into a villain, while the protagonist of the villains' side becomes a hero. Togashi loves reversing these two roles. Knowing Togashi, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd carefully planned out all the points you brought up, since he was writing this arc for literal years, taking his time with the story and its progression, especially character-wise. Though, some of these may very well be coincidences, but brilliant nevertheless, because they fit so well and make sense. A very good analysis indeed, I enjoyed watching it and thinking about all this again, as I've just recently rewatched HXH. On an unrelated note, will I EVER stop crying over Meruem and Komugi? LOL impossible. A single look at THAT scene and I am in tears...

[@atomicvoid3549]

Alexandrina I wouldn't say Gon turned into a villain

[@lynxknows7911]

Atomic Void threatening to kill a blind and innocent person who is on the brink of death and nothing to do with you is what a villain would do to black mail the hero in other sources of entertainment.

[@OMGaBlackGguy]

LynxKnows Gon didn’t know if she was innocent it looked like a enemy healing there comrade

[@supermal112233]

From Gon's perspective why would a monstrous ant help a human being. The one who killed Kite no less. It looked fishy as fuck to him. For all he knew, Komugi could have been have been some kinda ace up the ant's sleeve. Remember Alluka? Would explain why Pitou did everything to save her.

[@williamthekiller7219]

@@lynxknows7911 to Gon it was so unfair Why now and not back then The situation reversed on them Gon may have said those but he didn't mean it or else he would just have killed her like pitou did to Kite

[@kelvincha5492]

scene where Netero strikes a deal with Meruem: Netero will tell the Ant King his name if he makes him 'admit defeat' but even after losing two limbs and running out of aura, Netero never planned on admitting defeat. You could refer this to the scene where Gon is fighting Hanzo and he just doesn't admit defeat despite that he's absolutely losing.

[@zacherynicoson9890]

Legit? That final scene with Komugi and Meruem made me cry.

[@ShadowInTehDarkness]

"I'm a nameless King... in a borrowed castle." God I love this show so much, meruem is king!

[@valcliffb8558]

I don't think the parallels were accidental, either. Reminds me a lot of Aang and Zuko's journey to fullfilling their destinies, and how intertwined they were. It's really badass, when this kind of thing happens. It's really tragically uncommon.

[@redRAID3R]

Of course they weren't accidental, the ants represent the primal animalistic parts of a human, while gon and his comrades represent the higher levels of humanity and thinking and how these aspects interact and can change as people age. I believe it was netero who made a comment about gone saying he was scared he might have awakened a monster, as he had once been too.

[@rueakim878]

this Anime made me cry.

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

Me too, several times 😥

[@benjaminreiter844]

me too, don't be ashamed, beautifully written

[@thevisitor1012]

it's a shame what's happening 2 it rn

[@sciki5533]

the fact that gon and meruem are literally the two sides of the same coin makes the chimera ant arc a lot better. The way they're both literal children, not knowing what's right and wrong, pure curiosity, their strength, and EVEN THE WAY THEY SIT lol. "There is a fine line between good and evil" this message perfectly sums up their characters and Togashi's perfect portrayal of this message to this masterpiece of an arc is amazing

[@williamthekiller7219]

Close but not really

[@sciki5533]

@@williamthekiller7219 wdym?

[@williamthekiller7219]

@@sciki5533 on the surface what you say might make sense...but it's not simple as that

[@sciki5533]

@@williamthekiller7219 bc it does make sense, the ed hyori ittai basically said humans and monsters are two sides of the same coin. Togashi conveyed this message pretty well in the arc

[@williamthekiller7219]

@@sciki5533 @sciki I do not disagree with you there But the parallel argument between Gon and Meruem just doesn't sit well with me.... I agree with some of the contrasting comparisons you make between them since it was designed that way... Meruem as a villain....how it came to be was questionable It was not his sin the queen and her soldiers killed and consumed those humans Meruem was searching for his identity...like netero said he's wavering between his ant side and human side Probably the best reason why Gon can't meet him because even with Kite dead....he won't be able to find a reason to fight him... And Meruem won't fight unless provoke All these build up just to see them discussing their ideology if it was Gon who was there instead of netero And Gon might be a kid and he doesn't fully know the depths of evil I disagree with you.... He's fully aware if he's doing bad things... That's the source of his naivete after all

[@caelribeiro3629]

gon basically turned into the king and the king turned into gon

[@daborshy4089]

Also I guess you could point out, that Gon started off pitying his "weakness" and Meruem started off celebrating his "brute strength", but in the end the poison deprives Meruem of his brute strength, and Gon achieves his brute strength in that transformation

[@heckingbamboozled8097]

Oh damn.. Just looking at the final part of your video, of the flashback of all the times Komugi and Meruem had made me tear up.. Literally the most an anime has EVER made me cry.. This was an amazing anime, and an amazing video. I seriously had not noticed any of these comparisons, or rather differences between these two characters while watching the anime, I was too focused on each individual's storylines

[@thirdplanet4471]

Why Gon and Meruem never met is beyond me

[@williamthekiller7219]

I don't see the point of that, Just fighting pitou took a lot from him

[@thirdplanet4471]

@@williamthekiller7219 they don't need to fight just have a debate or something

[@williamthekiller7219]

@@thirdplanet4471 lol... You still expect them to fight Netero and Meruem did debate and still fought And that's not Gon's goal with all the hate and anger compiling within himself And not sure what Gon would debate over except his policy of no killing... Although he killed pitou Not sure he's in the position to lecture someone

[@thirdplanet4471]

@@williamthekiller7219 no l don't expect them to fight

[@williamthekiller7219]

@@thirdplanet4471 that's you but Gon would still fight him if Kite didn't happen

[@DominantWeasel]

I'm glad there is people out there that saw the parallel structure of this arch. You actually found more contrast than I did, and I love you for that

[@TalkingPigeon642]

2 years later still 7 years later still a beautiful video the OST 'understanding' never fails to make me cry at the end there

[@Qinniart]

aahh this is great!!!

[@vqlefor]

this makes me so sad :( i hope you're drawing amongst the stars right now

[@thewildwhisper]

You're the netero of hxh youtube community

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

That's the greatest compliment I've ever received. THANK YOU!!! I've cosplayed as Netero before too. It's on my twitter you just gotta scroll down 3 or 4 posts: twitter.com/Tales_of_Nerdia/media

[@thewildwhisper]

+TalesOfNerdia Well deserved, my room mate saw me watching this and actually started watching the series as I write this reply. I never thought of it this way, but had I not known about HxH and seen your video, I would have been highly intrigued to explore the anime myself since you present it in the most inviting fashion that sparks interest in the HxH universe! Great job & keep going!

[@ovidiudante]

+TalesOfNerdia Let's just hope you don't meet Meruem

[@steadytuna8753]

@Мотхер Фуцкер is that a joke?

[@sketchieakechi]

This arc killed me;;; My heart was crushed, but I was also happy that Komugi and Meruem got to be together forever.

[@vignesh0208]

I just realized, netero didn't tell Meruem that he had defeat the old man. Rather the king had to make Netero 'admit defeat', which would make things difficult for the ant King. A call back to the Tournament arc, when the hunter candidates had to do the same. Beyond strength of his nen, I believe this is what makes Netero dangerous. The ability to get inside his opponent's head, and to switch off his humanity.... For the sake of humanity.

[@VipinSingh7]

You know an arc is beyond amazing when you get surprised even after completing it.

[@r3medyproductions]

Usually in shows you have the main protagonist and antagonist fight but this one is special, as you know, because they never fight or come in contact with each other but tell each other’s stories in reverse. Meruem goes from being bad to good while Gon goes from good to bad. Overall I’m really glad Togashi didn’t make it like every other show where the two main characters of a story fight to conclude the story. Idk just think it’s cool how he do it lol

[@funnyvalentine1260]

You deserve a Hunter license.

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

SPEEDWAGOOOON!!! Thanks. I actually printed "business cards" that look like a hunter's license with all my social media accounts on it to pass out at conventions lol.

[@threes_leaves]

"Gon. You are light." "Meruem. It means the light that illuminates all."

[@samueltv9428]

O fuck

[@hanatachibaina7730]

Im not ashamed to say this but 3 years ago when i first watchted this anime I cried when both komugi and meruem died I cried so hard I get so attached to characters and it honestly felt like my heart would break I have a problem if I i get that attached but i couldn't help it

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

Same here, no shame. It still gets me when I rewatch, especially when Reina reunites with her mother 😧😥

[@CyclonicDeath]

I love you nerdia, thanks for this awesome video.

[@fanisgelis9980]

Good reason why the Chimera Ant Arc is peak Shonen writing

[@donkeyman9992]

I just realized Gon and Meruem never never met each other. I mean, they rly didn't have to but still. Main Protagonist, Main Antagonist.

[@shetouchamypizzapie]

Gon did watch him from afar though back when Meruem was along Killuas grandpa and Netero.

[@CaptainPalumba]

I think it's also worth noting that Meruem's change came after he knew he was going to die. He started forgiving people for not doing what it's right to him way before reading Palm's thoughts, so in the end Meruem's human side prevaled after his fight with Netero, which, ironically, is what sentenced him.

[@ainohei9693]

Togashi is a genius

[@yawsanevruh1116]

Meruem ripped off his arm out of respect for Komugi, and Gon let Pitou take his arm out of anger and vengeance.

[@matt24081]

thats beautiful i wish i had a video to fully show all the parallels throughout the show seems like theres probably alot of moments

[@randomavenger3048]

The most incredible is that they barely see each other. Brilliant writing. Another parallel between these two is that while Mereum didn't try to kill Netero while fightning Netero (he doesn't go for the head, only for members), Gon fight in the most bloodlusting way possible against Pitou (he punches her skull until her death). Mereum became a technical and almost peaceful fighter (like Superman, Naruto, etc), while Gon was pure brute force and violence (like a slasher villain).

[@RygaStudios]

The beginning of this video is what I've been saying and there was some things in between that I noticed but... so much I didn't. This was so beautiful and it revamped my emotions for this arc.

[@FwippyFwop]

Also... if you think about it... Pitou, Pouf, and Youpi are pretty similar to Gon's 1st friends when starting his journey. Pitou resembles Killua, Pouf resembles Kurapika, and Youpi resembles Leorio.... I mean just look at the hair color.

[@forumlegendasbrleviathan]

This video is a precious gem. Ty for showing us Gon becoming the ancient Meruem and Meruem turning into an ancient Gon

[@jacobfreeman5444]

My take is that the arc shows how ants and humans influence each other. Gon was bright and inspiring, but his interactions with the ants actualized his inner darkness. Rage took him, drove him forward. And when he destroyed his enemy he had no more focus for that rage so it dispersed, leaving only grief and despair. Mereum on the other hand had the opposite happen. He found meaning and goodness as he continued to interact with humans. When the thing that gave him purpose ended, he just quietly followed after. But in both it ends in a kind a catharsis. Having reached the end of that particular journey they let go of the emotions that had been weighting them down till then.

[@Aslam2012ful]

Thank you, Thank you so much for this analysis my tears is all over the place in this moment I'm "Happy" because of you.

[@zerothefool2437]

sort of ironic thing about the admitting defeat thing, that was the last phase of the Hunter Exam that Netero was directly involved in

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

Oh shit, good point. Netero is such a fascinating dude, one of my favorite characters.

[@austenishoss]

Only 5 minutes and I can already tell this is gonna be a quality video, great points and I've never thought of it this way! Glad you linked it on the HxH subreddit. You just gained a sub!

[@claymore4852]

wow , this was an amazing analysis. I did think that in this arc humans became like monsters and monsters became more human but I didn't see all this parellelism , it's just incredible how togashi planned this out , teaching us how even the pure hero can become a monster and not feeding us the always pure and good hero bullshit like many other manga. really good job and great video

[@zyrxom]

great video i never noticed the dichotomy between the characters went that far

[@monmon0691]

Beautiful. because of your analysis I have appreciated this anime even more. hopefully togashi-san will continue the manga until every plot and questions we have are completed and answered. this anime is a masterpiece.

[@Emilio8Z99]

You just made this anime even better

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

Thanks :3

[@kurosilverfang3895]

The end of this arc made me cried my eyes out. I can't bare to see this again... okay maybe just one more time...

[@douglastarbox7640]

Meruem still planned on using humanity as a larder for the ants, just cause he'd grown to value some humans doesn't make him a good guy. As for Gon he lost his temper after being told Pitou could help Kite and finding out that wasn't true, how does that make him the villain of the story now?

[@halinaqi2194]

Your right, gon killed many violent ants while Meruem killed hopeless, unprepared humans. Mereum can't be forgiven as he doesn't care for the majority of the human population. Life under his rule would be horrible, where certain humans get treated better than the rest. How can anyone really sympathize with him?

[@lynxknows7911]

Hossain Ali this was before his realisation(s). Gon threatened to kill an innocent blind girl because he couldn't get his way... how heroic of him...

[@hannahudoh1653]

Douglas Tarbox that's what he said before he remembered komugi

[@kilerseven]

Hossain Ali Not if your a chimera ant, life would be fine. Meruem looks out for the survival of his species without much regard for humans except as a source of food, Similar to the way humans eat other animals to survive.

[@williamthekiller7219]

@@lynxknows7911 not really He said those out of anger..because the situation was reversed and Gon said it was so unfair Many people say mean things when they are angry... If they are really evil, they would have acted on it instead of saying it Gon's situation was more extreme He's seen her and them kill like it's nothing but why now and not back then

[@ryanjandu4968]

this video is convincing as all hell that this was his intention when he wrote this arc. I was so focused on their individual journey's that I didn't notice the contrast between the two. That just shows good theming on Togashi's part. Thanks for this video it just reinforced my love for this show/manga

[@tysk_dt]

I loved this arc already when I was watching it, but this video took it all to the next level. Thanks man.

[@fuchsi5039]

There are too many scenes to analyze them all for me and you already made enough good examples, so I don't think I need to give more, though it also is noteworthy that they have the same sitting position. All in all I definitely agree. Gon and Meruem have a parallel journey, but with reversed values, Gon starting off with a good/light hearted goal of saving his friend, Meruem starting off with the (at least by human values, since this story still is written by, well, a human) dark/evil goal of dominating the world. When they are unable to achieve their goal, Gon loses his humanity, refuses his friend and basically goes on a rampage, Meruem, however, becomes more human than anyone else, stops killing and spends his last moments with a loved one, playing the game they bonded over and asking her if she is still there multiple times, showing how he now cares more about her than "just" winning the game. Also noteworthy, the moment of memory loss for Meruem can be equated to the time Gon believed Pitou would heal Kite, since both return to their original goal for a bit, shortly before losing it completely. That is all. Nice video.

[@Tubblett]

This video was so well put together. Made me see the arc in an entirely different way!

[@Aaron.M88]

nice comparison and contrast. i think this was a good explanation of both characters.

[@Solqueen86]

Such a beautiful and spot-on analysis!

[@travisdk84]

man i must be an emotional sadist, It's not enough that i cried an ocean when watching the actual arc now im reliving the feels by watching videos analyzing why it was so hauntingly beautiful

[@TofPlays]

The most dangerous man is the one who has nothing to lose

[@rupertofhentzau920]

Your analysis absolutely NAILED IT! Brilliant!It had never occurred to me to compare Mereum's development with changes in Gon. Now I see this story arc from an entirely different perspective. I have always been impressed with Todashi's character development and nowhere was it more brilliant than in Mereum's death. When I first viewed this arc, I thought it was needlessly long and in some parts tedious. With the death of Mereum, I understood what Todashi was trying to do. Now you've exposed a whole new dimension to my eyes. Thank you.In the anime, instead of the standard final credits music at the end of that episode, we hear the last conversation with Mereum and Komugi. Then I heard this sound. Fortunately I was by myself because the sound I heard was my own sobbing. I had been emotionally blind-sided by this. We have an megalomaniacal human/alien hybrid that views humans as sustenance and a snot-nosed, idiot savant who has been reminded several times a day how worthless she was by her family. What happens? They fall in love. By the end of this arc, mass-murderer, brain-eating Mereum had become someone I was sympathetic with. That scene is perfect. So perfect that every time I see or read it, it invokes the same emotional response.I have noted the none of the characters are the same as they had been at the beginning. An excellent example is Leorio, the loudmouth blowhard with his heart on his sleeve. In the 90s series, he said he had a strong sense of duty. Say what we will about him Leorio Paradknight would never leave a friend in trouble. in Phase 1 of the exam, he almost gave up. Gon watched him as he stood their gasping and waited. Leorio got his focus built his resolve and took off like a maniac. As a reward, Gon carried the attaché case Leorio had abandoned. That scene was important because at that point he'd become a man. imperfect but a man nonetheless. He's often been the voice of reason, trying to talk sense into Killua while he was under Illumi's spell, the only one that could control Kurapica in the YorkNew arc. The one who took care of them when they were hurt. He even punched Ging Freecs with a perfectly executed warp punch when he thought Ging was a lousy parent (correct).Then he finds himself in election he cares little about but if he can use these guys to save Gon's life well okay. The Association sees his character and he damn near won that election. But when he saw Gon healthy and whole, the tears came and he dropped the mike. He had all that he wanted. Interesting evolution for a guy I saw as a blowhard when first introduced. He's grown up considerably.As for Gon Freecs, he went through some serious crap in the Chimera Ant Arc. He has lost the ability to see or manipulate Nen or has he. It could just be a psychological effect of his emotional trauma. He needs time to reset. Ging wisely told him to use this time to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He is only about 14.

[@TriStar44]

Amazing stuff and well thought out. I fucking love Hunter x Hunter so much, and even more after having watched this.

[@snotrohmitabc123]

Thank you so much for sharing such an insightful analysis!! I'm blown away and I learned a lot. The music and footage near the end of the video made me tear up (again) when I was reminded of how Meruem and Komugi's stories concluded. Those two make me cry every time. This arc was very well written.

[@jamesvaldez502]

Of course praise be to Togashi! I also want to say you did such an excellent job on this cutie and explaining everything. Keep up the good work

[@lavenderrteep4656]

Watching this is mind blowing and its literally been there the whole time

[@MisterAwestasia]

I'd always think that a being as powerful as Meruem was to be so human at the end was truly beautiful. For all one's omnipotence and even ability did he realize that humanity was beautiful because of its ability to know how weak they are and how fragile they are. That's why I always think that with greater strength a good soul becomes gentler and not crueler with that power.

[@pureskill123]

Dude this is a really well put together video. Kudos!

[@greenwater2399]

How have I not noticed any of this? That is absolutely amazing.

[@tarikeloukili7302]

one of the best videos i watched in years . thank you

[@TalesOfNerdiaChris]

Thank you :)