#I love the breakdown of all time I love you chimera ant arc I love the parallels I love the cyclical nature of it all

[your-local-granny]

Send in the clowns

[mariposahxh]

KilluGon and the Chimera Ant Arc

idk what to title this. but it’s basically just a few interesting killugon parallels and connections i found in the CAA. (SPOILERS AHEAD!!)

1)

“Precious.”

“You’re the only one for me!”

The Killua scene happens in chapter 219. The Palm and Knov scene happens right after, in chapter 220.

Y’all know the story. Killua fights a rabbit and proclaims Gon as his “most precious friend” . Killua thinks of all their moments together, the most emphasized one being from the dodgeball game when Gon said some gay shit to him.

“KILLUA JA NAKYA DAME NAN DA!” is the exact phrase Gon used.

It’s a romantic phrase in Japan. The English equivalent is :

Killua is the only one for me! ; it has to be Killua! ; Killua is my one and only!

READ THIS ARTICLE. IT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING ABOUT GON AND THE PHRASE HE USED.

The top panel is the next chapter when Knov caught Palm using her power without his permission. He manipulates her by saying “Your blood is precious resource.” , knowing exactly how that word would affect her. After hearing Knov say “precious” , Palm thinks to herself “Knov is the only one for me!”

clips from the anime bc i luv how they portrayed these two scenes

i wanted to address that each scene uses different wording BUT they all mean the same thing, just like how there’s multiple ways to say English words and phrases, it’s. the. same. thing. romantic phrases. preciousness. one and only.

Gon :

じゃなきゃダメなんだ (Ja nakya dame nan da) = You’re the only one for me / It has to be you

Palm :

しかいない (Shika inai) = You’re the only one for me / There is only you

Killua :

大事な (Dajina) = Precious / Important

Knov :

貴重 (Kichō) = Precious / Valuable

Anyway, the point is, Togashi’s intentions with this little connection is clear. Knov calling Palm’s blood “precious” and Palm saying “Knov is the only one for me” which was expressed in a very romantic manner, and it all happened like 15 minutes after Killua and Gon said the same things abt each other.

Palm and Knov paralleled Gon and Killua from the very moment they were first introduced.

I’m working on a separate post that focuses solely on the parallels between PalmKnov and GonKillua because it’s a lot.

2)

“Can I stay by your side?”

“Would you stay by my side?”

The bottom panel is the conversation between Meruem and Komugi before they... you know... shinjuu.

I know I talk a lot about Palm and Knov paralleling/reflecting killugon but the parallels with Meruem and Komugi go CRAZY. It's so underrated. The above dialogue is just one example of the many parallels.

Isn't it interesting how Togashi chose to make Gon and Killua reflect not just one but TWO romantic pairings so far?

"I want to stay by your side... always........."

"I'll stay with you... forever!!"

(they make me so sick it hurts)

3)

Importance

I never realized how big of a theme "importance" was in hxh. It connects everything all together.

In the top left panel, it explains how Komugi is important to Pitou because of how Komugi is important to Meruem, and Meruem is important to Pitou.

But the thing is, although Pitou already knew it, Meruem (at the time) didn't realize that Komugi was the thing most important to him. The thing most important wasn't his initial goal of taking over the world, but the person he met along the way, the one who flipped his world upside down and gave him his first feelings of friendship and love.

Meruem didn't realize Komugi was most important to him until after they were separated and reunited again. He fully understood her importance as they prepared to die together (shinjuu).

Oh, and then we have Gon, Killua, and Palm, of course. And Ging.

We're all familiar with Killua's little breakdown. Palm reassured him that she wasn't the one most important to Gon, but that it was Killua all along. Killua is the most important to Gon.

Killua then also becomes important to Palm, because of how Killua is important to Gon, and Gon is important to Palm.

But the thing is, although Palm already knew it, Gon (at the time) didn't realize that Killua was the thing most important to him. The thing most important wasn't his initial goal of finding his dad, but the person he met along the way, the one who flipped his world upside down and gave him his first feelings of friendship and love.

Gon's true feelings and thoughts are actually still unclear, which leads me to believe that his story with Killua isn't over yet. I can only assume that he'll have a similar realization just like Meruem.

According to the bottom right panel, Gon will "inherit" the heart of realizing what (or who, in this case) is truly important. Togashi told us right there in bold lettering.

You alr know that man is cookin somethin real good up 🔥

"Killua is the only one for me!"

"You are the one most important to Gon."

4)

Love

"It'll be a lovers suicide."

"His most beloved...." "Gon."

"Love will always prevail!!"

Ok but can we talk about how HISOKA of all people was the first to say it outloud that Gon and Killua are something more than friends? His little speech doesn't sound that ambiguous to me, he make it pretty clear that Gon is KIllua's beloved, right after using a hetero romantic couple as an example. read my post about this moment here!!

Love love love. HXH IS ABOUT LOVE. The main love of focus is between Gon and Killua, obviously.

And yeah, i know two of the panels aren't CAA related, but everything is indirectly connected to that arc so i'll allow it.

I already have a post regarding "the teachings of love" and how it connects to killugon. here ya go.

yeah. that's all i got for tonight.

long story short :

hxh gay killugon canon killugon reflect romantic pairings everywhere even hisoka admits it KILLUA LITERALLY ADMITTED IT OUT LOUD. killugon will reunite and maybe shinjuu together. thats how they end. just like komumu and meruru

WAKE UP. HXH WOKE!!!!! TOGASHI WOKE!!!!!

[moretheta]

Honestly at this point i'm pronouncing "hxh has no noteworthy female characters" to be an ice cold, bottom of the barrel take. 

Come on a journey with me. 

Anyone who knows me in real life (which is hopefully almost no one on here) knows how insane I am when it comes to female characters getting shafted in media- and in shonen manga specifically. No doubt a side effects of being a girl who's favorite character was sakura in the 2015 naruto fandom- but that's another story. The point is I'm not coming at this from a "boo hoo why so woke" standpoint, or an "it's really not the deep" mentality. I care about this shit- truly i do. which is exactly why the way people talk about this issue bothers me so much. 

I distinctly remover being 13 or so when I saw HxH pop up on netflix (or some other streaming service, i don't remember) and looking at the title card with Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio and thinking "huh. no women?" bc damn, even nart had women (they were written misogynistically, shafted from the narrative, and treated like fucking pariahs by fans... but they were there), and at the time i had a disease where I couldn't dedicate time towards watching something unless it had a prominent female character for me to latch on to. that disease is called ~being tired of misogyny~ and i'm still a carrier to this day. so this past version of me wanted to do some research, so i looked up something like "does HxH have female characters." I saw one of two responses: 1) sadly no. and 2. no, shut up snowflake.

I honestly don't remember what finally pushed me over the edge to start watching it, but i'm so so glad i did. had several queer awakenings. a very formative time for me, etc. aaaaaallll that is to say: I get it. I’ve been there. i don't withhold criticism from a show just because i like it. 

Because it's true that HxH had no female characters... in 1998, when it's started it's serialization. like there were a few background women and also Mito, but that's it, that's all we got. and for a while that's what we would continue to get: every female character introduced seemed to exist as a cog in the wheel of one of the main male characters' storylines. even characters who i love very much and think have a lot of potential, like Canary, only seemed to show up briefly to supplement Killua's narrative and then leave. all of this is true. 

But the thing people need to realize about Hunter x Hunter is that it has been going on for a long time.  The chimera ant arc concluded it's serialization in 2012. and with the hiatuses that became necessary due to Togashi's health, it meant publishing continued really slowly. this current arc of the manga- the succession war- has been going on since 2017- (arguably longer, if you count the expedition arc as a prelude which i personally kinda do), but either way we have over half a decade of real time years that have passed. and one of the things i really admire about Togashi is his ability to grow as an author- to take in feedback and improve where he needed to improve. We can see it, for instance, in his history of writing queer characters- trans characters in particular. See this great video for a further breakdown.

There’s more to be said on this topic but that’s for another day. This isn’t an “in defense of Togashi” post, he’ll be ok. It’s the female characters themselves that I must rise up and defend. I fight an endless war on an empty battlefield, population Me, and this is my life’s purpose.

What I am trying to say is this: HxH is not the same series it was in 1998. It’s not the same series as it was in 2011. And what we have seen as the series progressed, was the introduction and elevation of more and more interesting female characters. This has culminated in what very well might be my favorite arc in the series -unfinished as it is- the succession war. and, without giving away any spoilers, I just have to say……

THERE ARE SO MANY WONDERFUL WOMEN. DO YOU SEE THEM?!!? DO YOU SEE MY BEAUTIFUL WIVES?!? MY LARGE AUTOMOBILES MY-

I cannot fathom how anyone who is caught up with the manga continues to parrot this take. Why would you say that. Why would you do this to our women. There are soosososo sososoooo many fantastic female characters, old and new, and more are added literally every chapter because togashi loves it when I (me specifically) have to make more flashcards. There are female protagonists, antagonists, supporting characters, antiheroes, etc. women with all different kinds of personalities and motivations that don’t feel like a copy-pasted trope. Women who (gasp!) come in different shapes and sizes!?!? Women who don’t fit the traditional standards of beauty are just as important and just as beloved as those who do. and because I’m a crazy person I have gone around and calculated “screen time” (page time?) as well as ratios of male to female characters and folks the numbers are looking good. There was a point in time when I tried to memorize the names and faces of every single female character on the wiki (see above note on flashcards) because again, I’m a crazy person, and it just made me realize how incredible this ensemble cast is looking right now and how excited I am to see more of them. I am the succession war’s biggest glazer so yes, obviously I come with a bias; but here me when I tell you this: you want more well-written, prominently featured, multidimensional female characters in your little shonens (bad place to look, but unfortunately I am the biggest offender of this) please for god’s sake. For god’s sake read the manga.  

So yeah. Sick and fucking tired of seeing people say “HxH has no women” They’re there babe!!!! They’re there!!! You wanna say some shit like that, at least put a caveat of *up until the end of the anime so that people know that information is eight years out of date. yeah watch me be petty. It just astounds me that someone could look me in the eyes and tell me that Melody, Bisky, Theta, Morena, Oito, Woble, Kacho, Fugetsu, Camilla, Machi, Pakunoda, Alluka, Komugi, Kite(yes welcome), Cheadle, Canary, and now Longhi have no importance in the narrative.

It’s true that there is always a time and a place for criticism…  but why does it seem like there’s only five of us trapped in here in this room who are excited to talk about the potential for Theta x Vorksen work situationship... on the ethics of Morena's class war, or an Oito Phantom Troupe connection, or the thematic implications of the madonna being juxtaposed with the antichrist and also maybe satan. Yeah so we're trapped in this room and it's great but occasionally I'll hear shouting from the outside and it's some horrible take or the same unfunny, super gross joke, or some guy who thinks netero setting off a nuke was "peak aura" or smth. And we're still in here, beckoning, offering shelter from the storm.

All you gotta do is open the doors and start taking notes.

[i-heart-hxh]

Hi love you're channel

I have a question when gon made a promise with palm he mentioned that he made promises with noko and aunt Mito in the manga so what do you think he promised noko ? Some say he promised to marry her when they are older

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy my posts!

There's no way to know what Gon promised Noko at that time--it could have been anything at all, from something very casual to something more serious like that. Not much of a big deal is made of it in the series, I think it's generally just there to show that the finger "kiss" part of the promise is a childish thing that most of the Whale Island residents don't do, aside from apparently Gon, Mito, and Noko.

Gon doesn't make it sound like he's especially close with Noko when he's talking with Killua under the stars on Whale Island--he calls her a "little girl" in both English and Japanese (so it sounds like she's a fair bit younger than him) and says Killua is his first friend around the same age, and, aside from a couple fleeting mentions and appearances, we barely see or hear about Noko throughout the series. It is notable that she has a name and has come up on more than one occasion, but that's about the most we can say for her within the series itself.

Of course in the rejected Ending D, Gon and Noko apparently are married (or at least have had a child together), so it's certainly possible Togashi included that scene with the promise with Ending D in mind, but it is a tiny little scene without much weight or further context given to it. We also don't know how long Ending D was a candidate for the ending/if it was still being considered at the time he put that mention in, nor do we know if any of the other possible endings include Gon and Noko being a couple. My personal guess is that the other possible endings don't, because I think it's very unlikely Togashi would reveal that detail as part of a rejected ending unless he was sure he wasn't going to use it later, but none of us can know for sure what Togashi really has in mind for any of the other endings until he (hopefully) is able to end it on his own terms someday.

So, it is possible that scene was included with Ending D in mind (though no context is provided with regards to what the promise was about regardless), or it could just be a mention because Noko was the only other child on the island, and Togashi is again highlighting Gon's innocence and childishness with how he does the finger kiss promise. This is something that gets emphasized a lot during Chimera Ant Arc, after all, as both a reminder of Gon's age and as a contrast with the situations he ends up in (dating Palm, his entire breakdown in CAA).

I hope that helps!

[goddess-of-green]

𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞

Shaiapouf being comforted by the reader as his insecurities eat away at him.

(I'm watching the Chimera Ant Arc right now and every time Shaiapouf cries it makes me want to hold him and wipe away his tears so here is this self-indulgent garbage.)

Warnings: GN!Reader

You were roused from your slumber by the sound of poorly muffled sobbing.

Your eyes opened slowly, and you felt the bed shaking as Shaiapouf cried.

It was fairly often that Shaiapouf cried, and normally always for the same reason, but seeing him cry still upset you greatly.

Sitting up as quickly as your tired body would allow, you put a hand on Shaiapouf's shoulder.

His face was buried in his hands, but his head shot up as soon as he felt your touch.

"Are you okay?" You asked quietly, hoping to comfort him in some way.

He only cried harder, however, seemingly more upset than before.

"I fail to even let my lover sleep in peace! Truly, how useless can I be!?" He shrieked, crying hysterically.

Your eyes softened at his turmoil, and you opened your mouth to speak, but he was faster.

"No! I am far worse than useless! I am a nuisance! Incompetent! Truly trash! I shall pay for this with my life!" Shaiapouf cried.

Your eyes widened at how fast his mental state plummeted, and you quickly put both hands on his shoulders, trying to get his undivided attention.

You shook him a little bit, before cupping his cheeks. "Hey," You called softly, "It's okay. You're not a nuisance at all, Pufu. I love you."

His face was wet with tears, and snot ran down to his chin from how much he had been crying. It was all you could do to wipe his tears as he processed your words.

His breaths were shaky as he was momentarily silent, and he sniffed as he looked into your eyes.

It was only a second though, before fresh tears fell and he buried his face into your shoulder, crying.

"Y-You are truly an angel, my darling, one sent from the heavens up above. H-How could you possibly love such a pathetic creature as me?"

Shaiapouf's tears soaked your shirt and he clutched the fabric tightly as he shook with his cries.

It hurt to see him like this, and you tried your best to console him as you ran your fingers through his hair.

"My dear, you are graceful and handsome, and one of the most powerful people I've ever met. You show me love that I have only ever dreamed of, and I would be a pitiful partner not to do the same. You are perfect, Shaiapouf. Please don't think otherwise." You said calmly, stroking his hair as he sniffled, his face in your neck.

He was still shaking and crying, but he wasn't sobbing anymore, and he didn't deny your statement, so you hoped that he was finally starting to calm down.

Shaiapouf finally stopped crying, but his breathing was still shaky from the intensity of his breakdown. He hiccuped, wrapping his arms around your waist and holding you tightly as he nuzzled into your neck.

He still felt like he was unworthy of your love, but he couldn't stop himself from seeking your comfort and letting it envelop him.

"I-I love you..."

You smiled at the quiet words as Shaiapouf kept his face in your neck.

His chest moved up and down slowly against you, his breathing finally starting to even out.

"I love you too, Pufu." You smiled, kissing his temple.

He was already asleep.

[tobirama-seppuku]

Okay I finished hxh. Final thoughts under the cut. Tw for lots of blood and anime death gifs

I'm not fully satisfied w the ending. I think they meant to continue the series for much longer.

I mean, Gon and Killua's stories were wrapped up beautifully--I fucking love Alluka actually she has an adorable relationship with her brother, glad she's no longer a Fucking Prisoner--they don't need anything else, they were wrapped up perfectly. Even if I still think Gon should've punched the shit out of Ging that boy needs to APOLOGIZE for abandoning his son actually. But. I feel like. They could've done more with Kurapika and Leorio, you know? Especially Leorio. Comic relief character aside I think they could've given him an actual arc rather than him being stuck as a really good conman who knows his way around financial roadblocks with a heartwarming backstory. I think Kurapika's story could've been continued as well, with the Phantom Troupe still very much alive and wreaking havoc and his ultimate goal of collecting his clan's remains being continued offscreen, his friends unable to contact him because of his tunnel vision. They set up so much right before the ending that I think they truly had the potential to keep it going naturally for longer! Like, it hadn't reached the point of series burnout, I don't think. Yes, it REALLY FUCKING DRAGGED at parts, god I never want to binge this again purely because of the chimera ant arc being so fucking extended, but there are some really good parts of this series that I'd love to recommend people watch for if it weren't for the times where it lost its speed. You want to tell me that like 20 episodes in the ant arc were condensed into 3 in-universe minutes? Fuck offffff. But like. Ugh. Maybe it's just because I watched the remaster instead of the original 144p version made forever ago but there was still things I believe they could have done

Its biggest strength to me was that it made psychology actually work with the story. They understand the concept of mental fortitude and the human being's mental limits. There were several very real and very visceral breakdowns onscreen, human anguish and terror beautifully conveyed in a way a lot of series can't replicate while having a fucking magic system like this one. There were some scenes that were so gut-wrenching I really broke out in a sweat. It's captivating. I mean, the effect really isn't there if you haven't watched the series itself but it REALLY squeezes your heart because this is a fucking 12yo kid who doesn't know what to fucking do to help his friend in such a deep pit of despair and vitriol he doesn't even resemble the same person anymore. It's awful, it's hard to watch, and it's so well done it's incredible

One thing I didn't get is how it got so morbid and serious at parts but came across as a feel-good family-friendly anime the rest of the time. There were parts that got so fucking real and horrific-- IT'S LIKE

NOT TO MENTION child neglect and abandonment, selling human parts on the black market, cannibalism, mass human consumption, extreme poverty & capitalism, mafias & gangs, and the main character going so far beyond his physical limits that he turns into a burnt, mummified corpse on LIFE SUPPORT AT AGE 12

There are onscreen deaths the likes of which are so disgusting it's impossible to imagine the pain of. The sound design makes you sick sometimes. People are turned into meatballs,

they're wrung to death with blood painting the walls,

they're shot like 10 times and eaten piece by piece by inhuman creatures to where all that's left is a puddle of blood on the ground,

their heads are crushed with this sick, disgusting crunching sound that makes you flinch,

heads are removed every other fight scene,

necks are snapped faster and more often than you can humanly process,

and one character got punched in the face until their skull was so caved in it was actually literally just a puddle of blood splattered on the ground which I can't even FIND A GIF OF because it's such a low point for Gon that the community doesn't want to acknowledge it happened. He attributed to one of the most gruesome deaths in the series because he was so blinded by rage that he verged on inhuman. It was awful.

Maybe I'm just bitching because my binge is over idk but I really feel like there was meant to be more content or that the writers were throttled in what they could show and say. I feel like they were held back from going all of the way in either direction, maybe because the main characters were such young kids that they would inevitably attract a young audience, and didn't want backlash from parents. It's hard to pinpoint but someone decided not to go all-out and it caused this effect where it gets so close to rated R but just barely skims by because the dialogue is simple due to it being that of tweens and teens. It's almost fascinating. Idk but that concludes my thoughts on the whole thing

[telehxhtrash]

This right here. This specific sentence. To me, Togashi wrote Chimera Ant arc for the sole purpose of fixing this. Because it was clear this unhealthy dynamic was never gonna work.

What would happen if Killua couldn’t bring himself to stay cool and stop Gon?

What would happen if Gon didn’t listen to Killua and couldn’t snap out of his stubborness ? 

The answer is easy : CAA would happen.

Togashi wrote both Gon and Killua with one major character flaw that was always gonna prevent them from standing on equal footing. Gon’s impulsiveness and Killua’s self-loathing. And to me, CAA was meant to break them down in the worst possible way. It was meant to make them go through the most traumatic and painful event they could find themselves in, so they could fix this unhealthy dynamic.

CAA demonstrates what happens when that co-dependent dynamic of Gon relying on Killua to keep him calm and Killua having to keep Gon in check fails.

It shows what happens when Gon’s stubborness and guilt for being weak prevents him from listening to Killua trying to reason him.

It shows what happens when Killua’s broken sense of worth and his feelings of inferiority prevent him from taking action against Gon’s impulsiveness.

Early CAA, Killua had this “wow” moment where he realizes just how much he cares for Gon, but instead of making him stronger, it only fuels his self-loathing. He can’t help but feel unworthy of staying by Gon’s side, can’t help but feel inferior in every way possible compared to this sunshine boy. And that’s why he couldn’t bring himself to do “his job” at keeping Gon calm. Because his love for Gon reached new heights, and so did his self-loathing. He let his fear of losing Gon overcome him, afraid that if he confronted him he would lose him. So the best solution was to be complacent in Gon’s craziness, because following him blindly to the pits of hell was better than losing him.

But Gon always relied on Killua to keep him calm. Because it’s Killua’s job. Gon knows he can rely on Killua to stop him when he goes too far, and that’s why he lets his impulsiveness take control : because Killua unknowingly enabled his behavior. And sadly, Gon relying on Killua to stop him is what caused Gon’s breakdown. Because when Killua failed to do “his job”, Gon was left to spiral until it was too late to turn back. Because he let all his negative emotions build up, carrying everything on his shoulders, trusting that Killua would stop him if he went too far. But Killua couldn’t bring himself to stop him. And when Killua finally found the courage to intervene, finally found the courage to call Gon out on his bullshit, it was too late. Gon couldn’t be reasoned anymore.

Killua realized that he was already losing Gon at this point, and that he should stand up to him, but he couldn’t reach him anymore. Their co-dependent relationship failed the both of them.

So yeah, in my opinion, CAA's main purpose was to break down Killua and Gon’s unhealthy co-dependent dynamic so they could build a new, healthier one. Its main purpose was to put a stop to that “I say crazy stuff and you stop me” dynamic. It was meant to deconstruct the unhealthiest part of their relationship, so they could come back to each other better.

And yeah, it was painful to watch everything go down in flames, to watch both of them suffer because of this dynamic. But it only means that the next time we see them, they’ll be stronger, because it can only go up from here.

Killua will have learned that he should not hesitate to call Gon out on his bullshit because he’s not gonna lose him for it.

Gon will have learned that he can’t always rely on Killua to keep him calm, and that he should be able to control his own impulsiveness.

Because of the events CAA, they’ll have found a new, healthy balance. One where co-dependency doesn’t sit at the center of the table. One where Killua understands he’s worthy of staying by Gon’s side, and one where Gon doesn’t let his impulsiveness take over at the cost of everything else.

[milliondollarhoe]

This post is gonna be hella damn messy but bear with me.

If I had to choose my personal favorite arc in hxh, it would be Yorknew city arc. I rewatched chimera ant arc and I love it really. But if I had to compare the pacing, ost and how much it kept me on edge then I would definitely go for Yorknew city arc. Yorknew city arc was about comparison between the characters while Chimera ant arc was about the contradictory within the characters + questioning humanity on the basis of class discrimination which they did brilliantly.

There are some things that I actually wanted to talk about Chimera ant arc.

Shoot and Youpi.

If you go to see, the character that fought Youpi head on, although did extremely minor injury, was Shoot. The biggest worrywart of the arc was even ready to fight the monster all alone even while barely being able to move. He made sure he wouldn't faint because if he fainted, hotel rafflesia would deactivate. I fucking LOVED this man for what he did. Youpi also was my favorite Royal Guard. Youpi was a definitely hard to deal with character considering how much he kept on evolving and I fucking loved that.

Knuckle and his ability.

If only Knuckle wasn't such a softie for everyone and everything, Chapter 7: Bankruptcy would have turned out to be the best ability in this arc. He deactivated it against Youpi simply because Youpi complimented them and showed a sign of being humane, completely forgetting the fact that Youpi almost butchered and humiliated Shoot. His ability is so amazing, I truly loved it. What I noticed was however, contradictory to Shoot, a worrywart, who faced head on against Youpi, Knuckle was the one of the only ones uninjured because he kept escaping from one place to another. This contradicts his confidence.

Knov and Morel.

Knov alongside Morel insulted Killua when he was introduced initially however he was the one with the weakest willpower. I felt pathetic when I was watching his breakdown. Morel on the other hand had no morals.

Shaiapouf.

Annoying as fuck. Literally. I hate this guy with all my heart.

Neferpitou.

I liked how they're character kept on changing and fluctuating while still being how they were but nonetheless, I didn't like their character. I will have to admit tho, Dr. Blythe is an amazing ability.

Palm.

One of the other characters I loved during this arc was Palm. Unlike her mentor, Palm wasn't afraid. She got scared, got caught, was turned into a Chimera Ant, her memories were operated, she became their experiment yet she broke through it. Not only that but above all, she kept Komugi safe and was one of the only three people that got Mereum's respect. She saw through Pouf's plan and honestly I wanted her to defeat pouf after what they did to her.

Gon.

The most contradicting character of this arc. I can't explain how I felt watching him. Him losing all sense of reasoning, disregarding Killua. Like you are just stuck in between when you think about Gon in this arc.

Killua.

The only character that actually wasn't contradicting was Killua. He had an amazing character development in this arc. He was the in between of the whole YinYang going on in the arc. The one who had valid sense of reasoning and went on to save whoever and however possible.

One thing I noticed during the fights against Royal Guards was, if you are fast or have teleportation ability or can go invisible, then you are able to defeat them. Knuckle escape not once but TWICE from Youpi's explosions without being injured because of how fast he was. Invisibility isn't as much effective as being fast or having teleportation is. This can be seen during when Meleron was taking away Morel and Youpi could identify them because Morel was bleeding.

I saw a lot of comments and stuff on videos that Phantom Troupe wouldn't have a chance against the Royal Guards, which I think is overestimating the Royal Guards because 1) none of the members in the Phantom Troupe have shown their full capacity and 2) like I stated before being fast or having teleportation can be a huge plus point in the fights.

—

So, if it were Phantom Troupe vs Royal Guards, then it would have been.

Youpi vs Feitan; Shaiapouf vs Machi and Neferpitou vs Phinks.

All three fights in Presence of Chrollo.

—

Mereum and Komugi's last scene killed me and ripped my heart apart. Throughout the Chimera Ant arc that was the only scene I cried. I cried myself to sleep and I still can't stop thinking about it. But if I had to choose my personal favorite scene from the arc, it would be hands down the scene where Mereum remembered Komugi. The scenery, them playing Gungi with no one around. That whole scene symbolises that for Mereum, only him and Komugi mattered, he didn't see anything else and the scenery indicates that whenever he is with Komugi, he is at peace, its his most peaceful time. And I think, thats truly beautiful.

I think I am finished with the mess I have written lmao anyways—

"Komugi, are you there?"

[suzu-kun22]

Killua Zoldyck: the all-time best boy

Since (hopefully) I’ll be posting this on Killua Zoldyck’s birthday (July 7th), this feels like as good a time as any to actually talk about why the white-haired little shit of an assassin is my favorite anime character of all time. Sure, I have plenty of characters that I’m obsessed with, tons and tons that I would die for, write fanfictions about, reblog fan art of, read fanfictions about, cry over, etc. But none of them come close to matching what I feel for a select few characters, my top 10 list, which has changed slightly over the years. However, the top 5 have yet to change. As much as the last five have shuffled over recent years, with a special shoutout going to Ray from The Promised Neverland, who managed to knock Reg from Made in Abyss out of the top 10 and climb all the way to number 6, the top 5 have remained exactly the same.

And Killua Zoldyck has remained squarely at number one ever since I watched  Hunter x Hunter (2011) back at the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016. Back when I was the same age as him and lacked a lot of the same social skills and friends that Killua’s upbringing stole from him. Back when I saw a character who could deal with most any problem effortlessly and thought to myself, ‘I want to be like that.’ 

A long time ago, I wrote about Izuku Midoriya. I wrote about why I loved Izuku Midoriya after only two episodes of My Hero Academia, about how he was a character who I both related to and aspired to be like. And that is exactly how I felt about Killua at the very beginning of Hunter x Hunter. He was a character who was fun to be around, fun to watch, bounced off the other characters with so much charisma, charm, and grace that he was mesmerizing to behold. I wanted to be like him. To be able to see a person my age and simply say, ‘hey! Let’s be friends!’ 

But, as the show continued, we learned more about Killua’s life. His inability to maintain a relationship because it was simply something that wasn’t taught to him. His family’s disapproval of his kindness and compassion for other human beings. And Killua climbed down from his pedestal. He went from a bouncy, fun, terrifying little assassin child who could do no wrong to an actual,,, person. There really isn’t any other way to describe the way that Hunter x Hunter portrays its characters. Even those who are murderers, villains, literally human-eating ants, feel entirely, inarguably human. And Killua was the first to become so. And the way the show humanized him, portraying him as someone who we see as perfect, charismatic, charming, social, as someone who just wants a friend, just wants to be a normal kid and have fun adventures with someone who wants him around just resonated with me.

All of this is just in the first 26 episodes. Killua just continues getting better and better from here. His arc is about finally getting what he’s wanted all these years, a friend, fun adventures with said friend, and to, just a little bit, be normal. Okay, maybe not normal. But a little bit more normal than he was before he met Gon. And he loves every second of it. He’s just overjoyed to actually have a friend, to be going on fun adventures with his friend, even if they’re constantly in life-threatening situations and doing absolutely insane nonsense, Killua is having an absolute blast.

And then the ants come.

While the Chimera Ant Arc is not my personal favorite arc of the series (that honor going to the Yorknew City Arc), I have no words to describe the raw... emotion that most of the arc manages to invoke in those who watch it. From Meruem’s entire brilliant character arc to Gon’s all-encompassing mental breakdown, every character is given something to set them apart from the time they had before this brutal experience.

Killua learns that his brother was right.

He learns that, no matter how much you care about someone, how much time you’ve spent with them, how much you’ve been through together, how much you’ve done for them, people will still hurt you. Having friends still means that sometimes people will put themselves before you. They’ll leave, sometimes, and maybe they come back, like Gon did, but maybe they don’t. Killua learns that what his brother said about friends abandoning you is right, sometimes. He ends the show away from Kurapika, away from Leorio, and away from Gon.

But, of course, that isn’t all that he learns. 

Killua learns that sometimes people are worth it. He learns that sometimes when you love someone enough, when you care about someone enough, getting hurt for them is okay. Getting hurt for their sake can be worth it. He learns that friendships aren’t meant to be conflict-free and perfect, and he learns to handle it. He learns that you can’t give up on people, you can’t leave them behind, and that you can’t simply run away.

Killua has been taught all his life to run away when you can’t win. But Gon doesn’t do that. Ever. He stands his ground and fights. And Killua learns to do that in his very own way. When Gon needs him, when his entire family stands in the way of what Killua wants for himself, for Gon, and for his baby sister, he doesn’t run away. He doesn’t give up, even though he knows that it’s more than likely that he won’t succeed. He stands strong, he doesn’t run away, and he takes what he needs to claim his victory.

He saves Gon. Because, despite the pain that Gon has put him through recently, despite how angry he is with him, despite everything, he knows that Gon would do the same for him. 

Killua Zoldyck ends Hunter x Hunter (2011) a strong, compassionate, caring, and loving person. He sheds much of his more callous nature, though never sheds the sly humor and bouncy confidence he’s had since the beginning. He changes from a little kid who doesn’t know the first thing about having friends, to a real human being, fully grown and capable of caring for his little sister the same way he was never cared for. 

Killua Zoldyck begins Hunter x Hunter (2011) as an inexperienced young kid with the world ahead of him. He ends Hunter x Hunter (2011) as a slightly older kid who has experienced more than most adults will in their entire lives, and Killua Zoldyck grows up. He grows up into a healthy, functional human being. He puts his abusive family behind him, saves his little sister from the same situation, and he moves on with his life while keeping the things that are most important to him.

And that is a very long-winded way of saying that Killua Zoldyck is one of the most lovable and relatable characters in all of anime. And that is why he has stayed at the very top of my list of favorite anime characters for as long as he has. 

[icharchivist]

part 1- Wait now that I'm on a HxH roll, I remember something. Do you think that, narratively speaking, Pitou is redeemed ? They got really selfless and protective of Komugi at the end, and everyone seems to think so (and I'm just feeling sorry for Pitou), but there's a parralel in CA arc that make me think it isn't the case, narratively. Both Killua and Pitou are incredibly protective/caring about Gon and Meruem respectively. And went to great lengths to do it, are 100%ready to die to continue

part 2- continue protecting Gon/Meruem.. And there’s even the Pitou-Komugi/Killua-Kite parrallel “it’s an important person for the person I love, and if they died the person I love would change/never recover”. But there’s also something else I remembered. The Killua vs Ikalgo fight. Ikalgo is estabilished as a threat (Killua can easily kill him but he did get damage and get lured into a trap), an ennemy really loyal to the Chimera ant side, and he was at the mercy of Killua and still firmly

part 3- on the ennemy side, Killua had absolutely nothing to gain by letting him go and by how loyal Ikalgo is, he’d definitely be an ennemy attacking his side again next time from Killua’s POV, there’s always the chance Ikalgo might harm Gon (since Gon isn’t untouchable ). But he emphatized with Ikalgo and did not kill him, and even threw him out of way of danger with his yoyo. Pitou get the same choice, while Gon is having his mental breakdown because of something Pitou has done and at the

4 final - the mercy of Pitou, he can hypothetically potentially be a threat to Meruem on the future (he’s not and Pitou can easily kill him). Pitou while Gon is still down decide to heal their arm and kill the little boy having a mental breakdown just in case. At the time he was still busy having a mental breakdown and blaming himself, and only pulled a Gon-san when Pitou told him she’d kill him. So in that situation, Killua spared Ikalgo and got saved by him, and Pitou didn’t and got decapited

sorry real final part - Basically Pitou was unable to connect/care about anyone other than Meruem and it was their downfall. While Killua befriended Ikalgo (and Palm and a lot of other people) despite everything and that’s the real difference between them

Oh i completely agree with everything you say!

I personally don’t think Pitou was redeemed in any way by the narrative tbh and you’re entierely right that the way their story was handled is a parallelism to how Killua handled his own storyar this season - both “natural born killer” with undying loyalty, but Pitou only extended it to one person and eventually what that person would want, while Killua extended it to more people.

I really don’t think Pitou is redeemed in anyway because there is no guilt, no attempt to be better, no nothing: Pitou just has one goal and stuck to this goal until the very end. If anything they learnt that they had to be serious about it and couldn’t keep playing with their prey or they would create themselves unnecessary enemies, but in no way it is a redemption of sort.

Sure they grew - they grew enough to at least warn Gon, to take him seriously, to not just kill him without a warning like they did with Kite.

But that’s not redemption, that’s just growing up.

The thing is that meanwhile in the story Pitou is just a few months old and had the strong gene of their animal counterpart (the “playing with your prey” part) that was much more of an instinct that their humanity. 

If anything Pitou is memorable because we know the Three Royal Guards were all extremely loyal to Meruem, but they all were in very different ways: Pouf was loyal to the Original Goal of Meruem’s existance, Youpi was loyal in term of how to physically protect him and not exactly bother with the details of what that implies, while Pitou was loyal to what was important for Meruem’s individuality.

And it’s the development of those brands of loyalty that is especially interesting especially in comparaison to Killua who had shown kinda those three loyalty toward Gon? Trying to keep him focused on his goal, always physically protecting him, and wanting to emotionally protect him. 

Out of the Three Roal Guards Pitou ultimately was the only one who cared about what Meruem actually wanted. So it already paints them in a more sympathetic light. 

Personally this is one of the reason i felt a lot of pity toward their death (along with the fact that Gon suffered a lot from it and had no happiness in this revenge, only more pain). That at least, to a level, for one person, Pitou was able of empathy.

But again : that’s in no way a way to redeem them. It adds layers, it makes feelings more complicated but that doesn’t change anything about Pitou’s actions and the narrative doesn’t try to pretend it does. 

So yeah else i’m 100% with you with your development so i can’t add much to that. Pitou is a fascinating character but not exactly a redeemable one. Just… kind of a carcrash in slow mo where you know that they’re the ones who pulled the brakes for it to happen just because they wanted to have fun. 

If all of this makes sense kdjhf

[the-rolling-libero]

What are some observations you have about about the current arc of HXH that youve seen little, if any, discussion of anywhere else? For example Idk if this was obvious but I think the Guardian Spirit beasts are meant to keep the class structure of Kakin in place by making assasination of the Hui Guo Rou family by the "lower classes" nigh impossible

honestly? most of the current arcs remain generally un-discussed in the circles that I’m in (although that may just be who I’m following). A lot of hxh is only really understandable in context bc the author lays down so much forehadowing. So much cannot only be understood after the game is played out, and frankly, I’m not clever enough to figure it out beforehand– never have been, likely never will be, and that’s fun! It’s well written enough that I can go back and enjoy things with the context of knowing what will happen– like watching Greed island after watching the conclusion of the chimera arc, understanding how the absolute victory that Gon craves, his complex on how he must save everyone or he is worth nothing, will manifest further along in his journey, is fulfilling in a narrative sense only after you have seen in come to fruition. And that main thing that I’ve observed in the latest arc is that I believe that this arc is to Kurapika what the Chimera ant arc was to Gon. 

Although it doesn’t focus on interpersonal relationship to the same extent that the Chimera ant arc did (thus far, as even the Chimera ants focused largely on narrative > personal stuff to start with), this is the chance that Kurapika needs to fully come into himself. In a lot of ways, the narrative of hunterxhunter is Trauma > first attempt to overcome > failure, in some capacity > second attempt, compromising the absolute approach that characterised their first attempt > a sense of peace, even if the initial goal was not accomplished. Kurapika has undergone those initial steps in how he dealt with the spiders, and now has to approach that new trauma in the light of his experiences and his new responsibilities– namely caring for a person younger and infinitely more defenceless than himself, that he cannot help but invest in. If we’re looking for things that are undiscussed, I think the relationship between Kurapika and the Prince Wobble himself– not just his mother, the queen– is worth looking at. Here we have a character who serially under-prioritizes himself in lieu of his goals, volunteering to undergo what is essentially an escort mission, and having to form real relationships along the way. Last time Kurapika had a team, and worked with other bodyguards, they were massacred (in the Yorkshin arc). His caution in forming new relationships is clear, even in the people he’s teaching nen to, but he cannot help but come to care and defend the Prince and his mother. This is a significant step in his character arc, as it’s the first time he has actually taken action for those who are living– even when he formed bonds with the Main Squad, it rarely defined his actions; it would be very easy for Kurapika to do the bare minimum in this arc, but he doesn’t.  He never does. And the way that he treats himself begins to have consequences with the explanation of emperor time. 

For me, I think this is the arc of ‘effect’ in the process of cause and effect for Kurapika. His lifestyle of solitude and self destruction are unsustainable, and this is really visible in his relationship with the young prince. He wants to care, and before his consumption with rage overcame his caring (see him ignoring Leorio’s/ other friends’ phone calls) but due to the coordination of goals and personal involvement, he now longer has that luxury, and due to the time passing in this arc, he’s forced to deal with the consequences of his choices– and both these things coinciding in no coincidence.  Togashi is Big Good Writer. That Kurapika is forced to face all his problems all at once is a really big point of this arc! The heavily narrative style suits Kurapika (beyond the fact that Togashi has taken to narrative> illustration) as the strategist character and does good due to the his overwhelming intellect, but it also, despite itself, is an illustration of how Kurapika overthinks his situations, planning for every hypothetical and exhausting both himself and the reader. This may be a coincidence, but I don’t think it is– Kurapika’s planning for every possibility, when explained through the eyes of Gon in the exam arc, seemed reasonable, even wise– in the current arc it feels desperate, like he’s straining for possibilities just out of his grasp in an attempt to outhink not one but a dozen opponents simultaneously; too far for even him. I believe that a breakdown is not far off in Togashi’s writing– that not even Kurapika can keep it together through all of this without breaking a sweat. And I think that the narrative that Togashi has set up is distinct from how he set up the character breakdown of Gon– but essential moments for him as a writer are when characters challenge what the believe in, why they believe it, and how they live as a result of that. For Kurapika, in the manga that moment has never come; it was hinted at after the murder of Uvogin but never fully realized as a character shift. That’s the setup that the current arc is capitalizing on builiding. 

In regards to the assassination thing, I think the point of this arc is less the politics of assassination and kingship, and more politics of personality, though the class structure does certainly play a significant role. It’s supposed to emphasize a fair play system, while at the same time encouraging dirty play around it– a contrast that I don’t think is accidental. I think Togashi, in creating this impossible system, is highlighting the hypocrisy of the princes. Some of the first characters he introduces talk about their great love for one another while simultaneously plotting one anothers’ demise, not to mention how endemic this in the queen-guard system. The political system here is created to maintain the status quo– if surreptitious dirty play is expected, those with more resources, i.e the first princes, are much more able to do so. Some may even have people who are committed to dying for them, as has been revealed as the case with the curse-guards, while the younger princes struggle to find a single person willing to defend them to even a regular extent.l  

Yet while this exists, in the same way that nen rules or the rules of dodgeball or greed island existed, I don’t think that’s the point. I think politics is the outside of things, while the personal dynamics that Togashi lets you into is the real meat of the matter, and that’s why he’s progressively revealed more and more about the personalities of the princes and how they relate to their guards; if the arc cared to remain Kurapika centric, he could certainly do that! Not a lot of personal feelings were revealed in the exam arc, which included a vast number of characters, and many deaths could easily happen off screen. And yet, like Razor in Greed Island, what matters is less tha rules than how someone plays them, based on their personalities and past experiences. Frankly I’m not as well versed in the current arc as I should be, but I believe the personal dynamics of the princes, and how those interact to either exploit or ignore the rules is more the point of this arc; that power is an effect of outside forces but also how those forces are played within and against one another, how one might manipulate perception and reaction to achieve a goal, and what sacrifices to your humanity one might have to make. This works towards what I think is Togashi’s– and many writers’– goal; to ask what human means, and to ask what a person does that makes that hit or miss that mark. 

I’m ranting, but that’s a Big Ole answer there. 

[mimzilla]

Hi there! Three questions: What things do you think Gon and Killua need to work on respectively before they reunite? Do you think they are keeping in touch? And how do you hope/imagine their reunion and post reunion bond to play out?

I’m going to append this other ask onto these three questions, because it links up with the third one pretty neatly!

tl;dr: This is so long I’m dying Squirtle

Actual tl;dr: Gon’s had a failed coming-of-age story arc, and is at the beginning of a new one about who he wants to be. Killua’s arc focuses on his dependence on other people’s approval, so he needs to develop an identity separate from what others need from him. I think they aren’t actively not talking to each other, and I hope Alluka knocks some sense into these ridiculous boys.

Mild warning for minor post-ending-of-the-anime manga spoilers.

Busting out the big guns right at the start, huh? I’m doing my stretches. Let’s dance.

Gon is really interesting to think about, because his ‘hero’s journey’ is… done. He had a goal, struggled to overcome insurmountable odds to meet it, did overcome them through determination and sacrifice, and returned home in the end. So now what? He’s lost his Nen, which Hunters are said to need in order to truly be Hunters, but having taken the exam he’s also a Hunter for life. He’s landed in a grey area, not quite a Hunter and not quite a civilian. And I certainly hope he doesn’t just do the same stuff over again, because that would be kind of boring.

What I want for Gon is for the narrative to explore his story as a coming-of-age arc, because while his hero’s journey has reached the end of its circle his coming-of-age story has only just hit its climactic point. These stories follow a different arc, where the protagonist starts out suffering an emotional loss that compels them to journey in search of answers; they struggle through obstacles that contribute to their maturation; and in the end, their greatest obstacle is to overcome their own perspective on the question they’re asking.

Gon starts out with a very obvious emotional loss: he learns that Ging chose to leave him behind on Whale Island. The answer he’s seeking is to the question “What is it Ging is searching for that is more important than me?” He matures both in terms of his strength (learning Nen and developing his own fighting style) and in terms of encountering/being confronted by worldviews different from his own (e.g. meeting all his friends for the former, the Troupe truly loving one another and Pitou being more than a mindless killer for the latter). He doesn’t overcome the climactic last challenge, in fact he fails rather spectacularly. He can’t let go of his own perspective on the world, and as a result he hurts both himself and his most intimate friend.

As far as I’m concerned, that’s a good thing. It’s brilliant. The series builds a stunning structure of Jenga blocks atop Gon’s black-and-white perspective that wobbles (the Troupe love each other) and has new pieces added to it through the story (the Greed Island players killing each other is an expected part of the game), but doesn’t topple until he’s faced with a truth almost impossible to carry that kicks his foundation out from under him.

It’s really hard to actually accept and believe that the people who hurt you aren’t purely malicious. I don’t want to get into real world examples all that much, but suffice to say that ‘good’ people are capable of doing evil things and people with intensely bigoted views are also fully able to feel genuine love for others. It doesn’t mean they’re secretly actually not bigoted, or their views should be discarded as superfluous to who they are. It just means they’re people. Cruel people are still fully people.

Continuing on with the anime talk…

So Gon’s tower of metaphorical Jenga blocks has fallen. The prospective climax of his coming-of-age story falters and falls into a valley. Soon after, the climax of his hero’s journey… is abruptly handed to him. He doesn’t find Ging, Ging’s just there. Neither of them are ready to meet this way, for good reason; according to a standard story structure, Ging flat-out shouldn’t be there yet. Gon’s not ready to meet him, hasn’t completely faced the challenge of finding him, hasn’t come into his own. It’s jarring, out of place. It’s doesn’t match up to the structure of a hero’s journey.

But as another obstacle in a coming-of-age story, it’s perfect. Gon has seen enough of the world and learned enough to approach the question “What did Ging leave me in favor of?” anew. And here’s Ging, able to answer it directly.

Gon’s emotional collapse at the end of the Chimera Ant arc is beautiful (narratively speaking…) because it functions as a new coming-of-age story’s beginning. He knows what it’s like to be a Hunter, has experienced its joys and agonies for himself. He can answer the question he started out with, and does form the bond with Ging he’s sought from the start. But his story doesn’t end, because he hasn’t come of age yet.

He befriends Ging… but that’s all. The validation and intimacy he chased after isn’t quite there. He doesn’t even feel much drive to stay with Ging for long, and says the only thing that could convince him to chase Ging for any longer would be being able to feel how powerful a Nen user Ging is, which Gon can no longer do. Meeting Ging doesn’t truly conclude either of Gon’s arcs, and Gon is now home again, where the hero’s journey both ends and begins. Because Gon went through his emotional crisis, he has the tools to recognize the new question before him.

We know that Ging has accomplished great things. He’s restored sprawling ruins and uncovered who knows how many historical secrets that might otherwise have been lost forever. Satotz looks up to him as an inspiration and a mysterious figure within the Hunter Association. He’s influential enough to be partially in control of the Hunter Association (until he peaces out, anyway). He also acts like an asshole to basically everybody, is hugely manipulative, and makes the two people with the closest familial ties to him chase his footsteps to prove themselves worthy of his respect.

Gon, with his new perspective, faces a new question.

“Do I want to live my life like Ging has lived his?”

That sure was long-winded, wasn’t it? Phew. It only sort of answers the question, too. Whoops. Moving on…

There’s a character trait among Aristotelian tragic heroes that if one wants to sound smart is called “Hamartia” and if one wants to be understood is called a “fatal flaw”. I’m not going to adhere exactly to the fatal flaw as it works in Aristotelian plays, but suffice to say that a fatal flaw is a trait the hero possesses that leads them to their own downfall. For example, Gon’s black-and-white worldview is a fatal flaw that leads him to his breakdown.

Killua’s fatal flaw is basing his own self-worth on being important to other people.

Killua never really struggles with specifically not being an assassin. He just decides to stop. The ground-in bloodlust and mechanical killing instinct that rear their heads on rare occasion seem quite firmly within his control. It’s something else that’s held over from his childhood and the way his family raised him: being used as a tool.

Writing that first bit took a bit out of me, energy-wise, so I’ll just cliff notes this one, maybe...

Killua is, shall we say, in the habit of thinking of himself as something useful to other people

Even as powerful assassins, the Zoldycks largely just do what whoever hires them tell them to do

Illumi’s needle is a direct example of this

His goals from the start have just been “Escape his family” and ��Help Gon achieve his goal of meeting Ging”

His second goal has now been achieved: he helped Gon meet Ging. This is one of the reasons playing into his decision to leave, since staying would get Gon mixed up in his primary goal of escaping/getting rid of the other Zoldycks. Alluka’s... “supplanting”? That’s not the right word for it but whatever, Gon in Killua’s priority list is emblematic of this

His helping Gon is different from his doing what his family tells him because he actively wants to help Gon. Just wanted to make that point

All the same, his affection for Gon is part of what keeps him in this self-destructive mindset

That Alluka can directly empathize with this mindset, having been held captive and literally having magic powers that depend on other people making wishes, means (I hope) that she and Killua together can have some adventures and grow into their own autonomy

Were I to posit a coming-of-age story question for Killua to be searching for an answer to, it would probably be something like “Separate from what other people need from me, what do I want to do with my life?”

 As for the other stuff-

I don’t think they’re keeping in touch, at least not regularly, but I think they definitely do both have an understanding that they can call on each other for help if they need it. Gon references what Kite tells him - that whatever changes have happened, they still are and always will be friends. And friends help each other when it’s needed! Killua does his tsundere thing and makes a fuss to Ikalgo about Ikalgo so much as thanking Killua for his help, because to Killua it’s not something that even needs saying. Of course he’ll help his friends. This no doubt still holds for his friendship with Gon. So maybe not sending each other weekly updates, but I also don’t think they’d deliberately avoid speaking to each other.

I’d say that both Gon and Killua agreed to split up with the understanding that it wouldn’t be the last time they’d see each other. Whether either of them have an outright plan to link up again and travel together indefinitely, it’s hard to say; I kind of doubt it, mostly because there hasn’t been much discussion for either of them on practical long-term plans. Killua has escaping his family, but he’ll need something to do after that as well. Gon’s back on Whale Island doing homework (bless his heart), and now that he’s met Ging who knows where he’ll turn his eyes next.

Personally, I really want Alluka to play an important role in getting Killua to a place where he can be totally secure and happy with Gon again. Partly because she’s already proven herself capable of asserting herself and setting him straight, partly because she needs some good ass character development herself (and her establishing independence would be huge in helping Killua establish HIS), partly because she has that great line about letting Killua go play with Gon again once she’s had her fill.

It’s kind of hard for me to say what exactly I want their reunion to be like because it relies so heavily on what they do in the meantime, and there’s not much to work with there yet. I love drama, so some dramatic circumstances and tension would be nice. A big ol’ emotionally cathartic payoff when they see each other again.

I guess I can’t really offer anything concrete in the way of their post-reunion bond, firstly because it’s hard to imagine them interacting in a way that’s really different from their canon relationship, and secondly because if I start going down that road it’ll be fanfiction city, baby. And I live there, but if we’re talking about stuff I actually consider canon… who knows! I’m looking forward to it.

[bampaiyaa]

this is pointless I know lol

I’m like, very emotional person, probably more so than a lot other people. So I cry somewhat easily I guess.

I tried to think of scenes where it happens even after I’ve already seen the scene once because sometimes the scene doesn’t make me cry a second time.

For example that one scene in Marineford arc (one piece) it gets me EVERY TIME like I absolutely CAN’T watch that scene without crying and it’s not just teary eyes it’s like face red eyes puffy gotta blow your nose kinda sobbing. And another is in Dressrosa, (the tragic end of Law’s flashback) the anime just had to pick the most heartbreaking OST to play during it like it just grabs my heart and punches it repeatedly wtf. And of course the “I wanna live!” moment though the other two hit even harder because they’re just SO UNFAIR while this one is more of a happy moment. Oh and when Brook is like “I’m so glad I’m alive” while bawling is like jeez I feel like when characters do the whole stuff like I love being alive I love life I want to live it gets me.

So in hxh... I rewatched it with my friend, and also rewatched some parts myself. When I watched it with my friend, her attitude kinda made me the mood very different than when I watched it alone (since she hated the ants and made it very clear every five seconds) so I feel like my own experience was like, a bit deeper. I hold back a bit obviously when someone else watches with me (not with one piece tho since she cries as well).

We continued it from Greed Island... I don’t think I ever cried in hxh before Chimera ant arc? I felt bad for Killua and Kurapika (moreso with Kurapika, since I could really feel the pain and loneliness he felt during Yorkshin arc, it was really moving; feeling really bad for Killua comes later). But the Kurapika stuff is different and makes me feel upset but not cry. I know if Kurapika would breakdown and cry at some point I would definitely cry as well.

The scenes that stood out to me as in having me in tears in Chimera ant arc, was the obvious choice (Meruem and Komugi death), the girl reuniting with her mom (I think the music was beautiful) , Killua’s breakdown to Palm about Gon really got me honestly? Like when crying is animated well and you can hear the desperation and pain in the voice it really gets me. It reminds me of when Zuko apologised to Iroh which was another moment like that done very well. I just really, really like seeing characters at their most vulnerable and this is what happened with Killua and the reason why it touched me, especially since it got him off guard as well. And then there is the biggest offender aka the ending of the fight with Pitou like to me that’s the moment that probably got me the most and I’m not sure why. Because like, when I was listening to the soundtracks I started crying at the OST that played during this scene like whaaat? Like if I’m not already crying before, it’s when Gon says “it’s okay” and Killua gets that look (like holy shit the animation during this part is something else) that it finally hits like it KILLS me. It probably doesn’t do that for many people, idk it’s probably more like shocking and WTF moment to a lot of other people, but to me that’s the part that fucks me up like the animation the music the narrator everything is just UGH. Everything that comes outta Gon’s mouth just makes it more sad. And I don’t know why the narrator explaining about how Pitou’s corpse sole purpose is to kill Gon just adds to the sadness?? And I don’t just mean Gon I mean Pitou as well. And then Gon goes all “it’s time for you to go sleep as well” (in which he obviously means both Pitou and himself) I’m like thanks Satan. About Meruem and Komugi, I actually didn’t cry anymore when I was watching it with my friend, but I’m not sure if it’s her attitude that kinda gave me a different “feel” when watching this arc. I mean I didn’t bawl at Killua either this time tho I think I still got a bit teary-eyed. But the Pitou corpse Gon Killua sad moment still had me in tears I guess it’s these personal things where some moment just gets you for some reason?

In Election arc I did cry too, both scenes were of course between Killua and Alluka. First is when Alluka asks if everything was better if she was gone and when Killua asks her if she was sad if only he loved her in the whole world and he gets this look like you can see the love ooze from him and it’s so sweet and touching to me. Second is of course the whole hugging Alluka/Nanika and apologising.

[decembercamiecherries]

Do you think Killua actually wants to be apart from Gon? I wonder if fans are projecting the "separation is healthy right now" mindset onto Killua. While it may be good for them right now, I wonder if it's something that Killua has actually reflected on and used as a motivator to leave Gon. Thoughts?

Oh, no, of course not!!! I don’t think either of them wanted to separate; they’re best friends and all they’ve known for the past two years. They love each other (no matter how you see it as) so of course neither Killua nor Gon wanted to say goodbye.

Actually analyzing if Killua believes the separation is healthy, however, is a different story. 

It’s really hard to say, but in general I think Killua had a lot of time to reflect on his relationship with Gon throughout the course of the Chimera Ant arc, in the hospital, and when he was saving Alluka from his family. His breakdown over what Gon said to him while with Pitou probably forced Killua to realize later on just how much Gon affected him. Having to see Gon when Gon ‘died’, feeling that devastation most likely pushed Killua into understanding that he couldn’t be with Gon any more because seeing Gon like this hurt too much. Especially because knowing Gon, there’s a chance he would do something like this again. I think that being in the hospital and doing that whole ‘this is the last time’ speech to Gon through the glass kind of proves that Killua thought a lot about the topic.

So yes, I do think it’s something Killua reflected on. I definitely believe that thought process is part of the reason why he and Gon separated. But I don’t think it was something that either of them truly wanted. You don’t have to be happy about choosing something that’s the healthiest and best option for you :(

[icharchivist]

Do you think that Killua is (if he were) still in love with gon? Or after everything that happened he gave up?

Heyo!!

Huh…. That’s kinda hard to argument, but i’d say yes? Definitly yes? 

why would he give up….?

Things happened, things went wrong, but Gon apologized and Killua accepted the excuses. At the moment they’re taking a time out, but they’re still talking, they send each others emails, Killua just spends time with his sister while avoiding Illumi.

I understand that what happened in the Chimera Ants arc have hurt them. But Killua still said  “It will end in a lover suicide” while talking about him and Gon during the Chimera ant arc and after Gon snapped at him. 

Killua loves Gon dearly. He’s probably aware of his feelings by now, but to me he. really, really love Gon dearly. To the point of self destruction though. He showed it in the York New Arc when he was ready to sacrifice himself to Nobunaga to have Gon escape. He showed it in the Greed Island arc when he refused to talk about his hurt hands to help Gon, he showed it in the Chimera Ant arc when he almost died and thought he failed Gon, and when he faced Rammut and did everything to help Gon because Gon is his dearest friend.

I personally think that he let his life turn around Gon to a kind of extreme in the end that he may have realized. After all, Gon was the first friend he ever had, the first thing out of his abusive family, and especially the first one to to everything to get him out of this abusive environment. Killua didn’t have anything worth holding on to before Gon, so he gave his everything for him, his goal was Gon’s goal, he would make himself of use anytime.  He devoted himself to Gon a lot. 

Now the thing is that, Gon pushing him away, telling him for once it wasn’t his business, refusing to ask for Killua’s help while it’s all he ever wanted, it was a violent punch for Killua.

After Gon almost died, that’s why Killua only talk about how he wanted Gon to ask for his help. He wanted it to be his business, and in a whole, this is what hurt him. Not that Gon was mean to him, and more ever, Killua is aware of Gon’s state of mind, but imo he’s hurt he was kept out of it and Gon ended up hurting himself this much.

But again…. Gon apologized, multiple times, and Killua accepted those excuses. Killua was sad of having them parting. 

But in the end well. Their plans was to stick together until Killua found a goal. And right as Gon was about to reach his goal of meeting Ging, Killua found another goal.

I think Killua also has a lot of guilt of leaving Alluka in their abusive household and forgetting about her. He wants to make it right with her, and Illumi is still going after them. Alluka really has no one else than him, and the road awaiting them will be likely dangerous because of Illumi, which is something Gon can’t help with currently. [dc arc spoilers: since he lost his nen]. And Gon needs to mentally recover from everything that happened too. They need a time out, both of them. 

They spent nearly 2 years always together, letting each other be everything to the other. 

The fact they parted isn’t a bad thing. They still talk. There are still a lot of unsaid because of how they are both mentally still hurt by all that happened, but there is no hard feelings.

Love doesn’t leave that easily. 

They need to talk more, they need to come to term with what happened, but as awful as was the CA arc for them, I don’t see why Killua would stop loving Gon. If it is because Gon hurt him, I feel like it’s underestimating how much Killua understood the situation and understood that Gon was suffering. His breakdown was mostly because Gon was going in a dangerous, suicidal path, and Killua had no idea how to help, especially since Gon pushed him away, which is probably the first time it actually happen.

That’s why I don’t think? Killua would fall out of love because of that? 

They’ll see each other back when they’ll be better. Alluka even joke saying “i’ll give you back Killua when i would have played enough with him”. Alluka and Killua just want to catch back some of their lost time, but Killua and Gon still have a deep affection for each other.

So ye; If we read Killua’s feelings as romantic, which i personally do, I can’t believe he would fall out of love and give up because of that. The affection they have is still there. I don’t think it will fade off with a time out. 

They’ll find each other back when they’ll both be in better mental place.

Give them time. They’re 14yo. They still have a lot to come to term with with themselves. They’ll be okay.

Take care nonny! ❤