Here is a much-improved, more complete and comprehensive Meruem analysis: th-cam.com/video/moXTmhpbb1k/w-d-xo.html It doesn't speak as much about the emotional side, but it is a much more significant and all-encompassing thematic/character analysis than this video.
The scene when Meruem walks past Netero and Zenos has some extra meaning into it as well. It shows that how humans would be completely startled by what just happened but because Meruem was "a monster" the incident had a lower emotional impact on him showing that he is not completely sympathetic yet, at least that's what I got out of it...
Kokoriko is an advanced Gungi technique by Komugi that centers around isolating the King (as in the Gungi piece, not the Chimera Ant), separating it from the other pieces and killing it off. Just like Netero and the Hunters were planning to do to Meruem. However, Komugi unexpectedly develops a counter to this technique in the middle of a game, meaning that the King piece (representing Meruem) no longer has to die (since he unexpectedly survived the nuke). Then, later on, when Komugi uses Kokoriko again, she actually develops a counter to the counter ("she reversed my reversal???"), representing that the King piece (Meruem) apparently actually does have to die after all (because of the Rose's poison). However, immediately after beating Meruem using Kokoriko (symbolizing his imminent death), Komugi and Meruem start one final game together, a game that they never finish. 1-5-1 Black King -> 9-5-1 White Lieutenant General, I believe, or something to that extent. Immediately afterwards, they die together, leaving on the board Meruem's one black piece and Komugi's single white piece, together in Gungi forever. This represents that the two were always united through Gungi, and will continue to be together even after death, undisturbed and united for all eternity. Meruem places his piece down, symbolizing his death, and then Komugi responds by placing her piece down next to his, showing that she is perfectly willing to die at his side..The black screen/black panels in the manga show that the Rose's poison has made Meruem go blind. That's why he has to keep asking Komugi if she's still there, because he can't see her anymore. This is ironic because his name means "the light that illuminates/shines upon all". He even got some godlike light-related photon-based powers before his death, allowing him to fulfill his name. In addition, as they are playing in the bunker before their deaths, Meruem sees a blinding light radiating from Komugi as she "reverses his reversal", making her "the light that illuminates even the all-powerful light". Despite being far weaker (and blind to boot), her light shined far brighter than his. Then, as he dies, Komugi holds him and feels his head, allowing her to finally "see" or know what his face is like. Thus, as they die, Meruem joins Komugi in blindness as she joins him in death. Meruem can finally see what Komugi has been seeing all along, and knows what it feels like to be blind like her, and Komugi finally knows his face, allowing each to understand the other more as they fade away (the OST used during their death scene is called "Understanding"). Touching, isn't it? Togashi is a mastermind, and this entire story, especially this arc, is a masterpiece, a beautiful work of art, a canvas depicting love, hatred, innocence, corruption, happiness, suffering, loyalty, betrayal, anger, sadness, life, death, malevolence, destruction, resolve, determination, avarice, sacrifice, "true" power, truth, and understanding.
I also think that the kokoriko reversal reversal was a metaphor for their baby because of the metaphor she used to explain why she hestitated to defeat it when he used it against. I hope palm was paying attention and gets the strategy recognised.
Wel same here. I was so confused as to why I was being sympathetic to an ant. He became my favorite character ever. I didn't know this show was so popular.
"your act of taking away that pair of glasses has made me realize which pair of glasses i truly desire" Alec and his sister apparently talk to each other like melodramatic anime characters ahahah ..which actually kind of makes me jelly
I think something important about Meruem is also something he must have realized post rebirth. He could never rule above all others. Humans are the ultimate masters of life. Meruem or the ants never realized that cause their whole life they have been hunting and living in the outskirts of civilization, their only real challenge being nen users- single humans capable of superhuman abilities. Merumem didn't know how a real human war looks like, where humans are like ants swarming the battlefield and more than he could kill in a day, die in minutes. He was brought to near death by a small, cheep nuke popular in underdeveloped countries. It wasn't even humanity's best shot. He was never ready to see the gloves come off. Humanity is the most cruel and terrifying creature in the hxh world- as the dark continent will no doubt learn as well.
Very well put. Humanity will always, for better or for (usually) worse, come out on top. I'm very interested to see how Togashi applies this concept to the Dark Continent. Hopefully we'll see what happens across the sea in HxH by my 40th birthday..
I don't really think Togashi's message is as pessimistic about humans as some people here seem to think, but yeah I definitely agree with OP. I think I would say that Mereum could never conquer all humans because each human is ultimately the master of their own life (as demonstrated by the existentialist themes we see throughout the arc). But yeah, humans are also hypocritical and cruel, and now that you mention it we will probably see some of that in the coming chapters.
I know this will mean very little to anyone reading. But I'm a rather difficult individual to move emotionally. Only twice have I ever legitimately cried through emotion ( barring the years being a toddler ) And they were in quick succession: My grandfather passing away at the age of 7, who essentially raised me and was my personal hero. And my cat Shadow, who was with me since my birth, who passed away just three weeks after my grandfather. Nothing since those two incidents has fazed me, the passing of other close family members, the loss of deep romantic relationships, childhood friendships, etc. And then I watched this fucking anime. And the passing of Meruem and Komugi, had be sobbing like an infant throwing a temper tantrum in the supermarket. And then again, a year later, while watching it with my now girlfriend, who thought it was hilariously cute that her stone-heart boyfriend cried over anime characters ( She's partial to Gon and Killua, she cried when they parted ways ) The writing of Meruem, not to overshadow the writing of the other characters, who are all brilliant, just hit somewhere in my emotional psyche so hard that it opened up floodgates for whenever I watch that scene again. Just that one episode ( 135 ) will send me into a sobbing mess for an hour or so. My respect to you Togashi. I'll wait another 20 years for the next animated season if I must.
Make room big guy coming though to give you 2 a big group hug. I feel you, there are some events in life that dont even face me, while ppl have their tear streaming from their eyes, but the dead of this two characters and someone very special at the end of FMA:B makes me a sobbing mess too.
VarynDar that’s tough but Chimera in general is one of the best of all time with all the effort put in and the story with its only downfall is its prep time
You made me fall in love with my favourite story again. I always found this to be a masterpiece, and loved to explain and share it with others. For someone to see the beauty of this too was hard felt. Thank you for these videos!
The end of the video: The last statement and the quotes made me subscribe. Aleczandxr keep up the good work, and you will get 300k+ subs for sure. Also a suggestion: I think Code Geass and Boku No Hero Academia's (the manga) story development is comparable to hxh. It's shallow on the first lock but very indepth on the second. Especially the end of season 2 of code geass, was the best anime end I ever saw. Because if you think about it: In the end Lelouch accomplished what he wanted the whole time.
blackphinix27 Thanks for the kind words. I've seen Code Geass and thought it was quite good but I don't really have a desire to make a video on it. Maybe the new season will give me something to talk about. I'm watching Boku No Hero weekly so we'll see how that one develops.
i think after the rebirth of meruem, he reached some kind of illumination, an epiphany cuz from the beginning he doesn't want to punish anyone anymore. he leaves wolfin lives, and wish him good luck, he humiliates himself in front of palm. he has reach like the Enlightenment in Buddhism. if he continued living, he could be the real saviour of the world at the end. that's my feeling about it. netero and zeno knew it deep in their hearts.
Honestly who needs Romeo and Juliet when you have Mereum and Komugi? Man, I bawled so hard when I first watched that episode, even this analysis made me tether on the edge of tearing up all over again.
There are so many irony in this arc. 1st is meruem who became from a monster into more human and gon from a cheerful kid to a monster.2nd is meruem,whose name means light but was darkness to humanity finds light and meaning from a blind girl
i've never noticed why i liked meruem so much... it turns our im just like him i was born form reasonably fair family (not so rich but u cant call it average too) my father promised will be on the top.... an important man... the man with the highest place... i wanted to be a pilot... so my father always promised me that i will be what ever i want in the highest position...i have 3 more younger sibling when im graduating highschool.... it came to realization that my Father business is not going well and all the wealth we experienced vanish poof... just like that.... we didnt lose our home... only our life style... its like pizza every week to just eating anything we were provided... every year we were traveling abroad.... europe.. and such... now we never have holiday... my father love me so much (but i still cant help it that i hated him so much).... that he wanted to sacrifice everything so i can be a pilot... (with that my lil siblings wont be able to go to University . after all that dreaming to be a pilot.... to be the best.... i choose not too... coz i love my lil sibling..... and there is another problem... after i graduate Highschool... there is money for me to go to University.... but next year my lil twin sister wont be able to... (according to my father calculation + the money he borrow) so i didnt go to Uni for 1 year.... im trying to find a job with Highscool diploma.... hardly ever find any 1 year has passed and my twin lil sister graduate Highschool... and now my father said... either ME go to UNI or my twin sister..... even tho i hated these to bitch... i said let them go first... and at last this year. july 2018 i..... the once who was walking sin of PRIDE.... the one who was once destined to be a great pilot(lol) who delayed 2 years to start my UNI Education... AT LAST i will go to University...... at this stage.... after i watch this... this moment.. is.. "my acceptance and peace". yeah i realized i loved my lil siblings more than my life.... hell even if i have to die just so they have better future... ill do it for them...
I'd just like to chime in here and compliment a part of the video that some might overlook. That glasses metaphor at the beginning was outstanding and a great way to describe Meruem's mindset at that point. Very well done.
I also think that the death of Netero is actually beautiful. It shows the absolute power of humanity to juxtapose its capability of choice and thinking as an individual as well as self-sacrifice for the greater good. Of course, the fact that only a messed up species capable of risk can create such a powerful, hauntingly terrible weapon as a Nuke is also powerful thematic imagery. It shows the power of progress, the death that it takes... and the will to march on no matter the cost. I felt as if both were examples of the finest ... or at least most powerful humanity has. Hence the thought of Mereum as the bomb went off... It was an inevitability for him to not win.
Perfectly said. We really have evolved beyond belief. He was always going to win, as you say. There is something incredibly hard-hitting about brutal inevitability, no matter the context.
The bomb always bothered me, it was initially described as cheap to make, but then is revealed to be a powerful compact nuke, that also poisons things in such a way that the poison evolves between hosts and spreads infinitely to people too close to those who're poisoned. How would that be cheap to make?
+Snowbound Whale You do realize that the price of a weapon is not proportional to its power, right? A cheap weapon that does a lot of damage, sound like a dream to many military forces to me. (Even I am Salivating over the thought.)
+Snowbound Whale Plus its price is based on the materials to make it, and an evolving poison isn't that hard to make. Research on the other hand, is the hard part, as it costs a lot to gather resources and you'll need a lot to make a poison of this nature. and finally, Indefinitely* not infinitely.
Netero's death is so perfect, it's one of my favorite "Humanity is strong!" scenes in all of media. The way Meruem becomes fearful without any knowledge of what's happening, and just instinctively knows that Netero isn't just bluffing when talking about humanity's power is one of the best scenes I've ever watched
I totally agree, just an insanely well written and executed scene. And the foreshadowing throughout the arc leading up to it is so fascinating on repeat watches.
Easily one of the most brilliantly written story arcs to have graced anime in general. Never, and I mean NEVER, have I ever anguished over an antagonist's death in the way I did over Meruem and his death. I cried in that final scene with him and Komugi so damn hard. Togashi is a genius; his ability to pull you from easily hating a character to loving what they became before sending them off is both relentless and beautiful. Hunter X Hunter, as a whole, is easily in my top five animes of all time, but this one arc alone stands at the top as my all-time favorite. Thank you for your wonderful analysis of Meruem, easily my favorite antagonist in anime!
When I was watching this arc I just wanted them to go and live peacefully in the mountains like Colt, growing old and playing gungi. Unfortunately the author skipped the getting old together part in my ideal ending and just went straight to them dying together. Still one of the best endings I've ever seen, especially since pouf died vomiting blood with his hopes and dreams crushed to pieces by the person he admires most. The author sure knows how to kill off a villain.
It is a mark of a great character that just hearing someone talk about them is enough to bring you to tears. It would ruin the ending, but I wish Meruem and Komugi could come back into the series. I guess it is techically possible, since Nen can do anything...
Just watched this arc again...... ep135 made me cry-smile. This was a masterpiece of writing, art direction and animation. And more so when watching it as an adult. Damn
I don't think I've ever cried so much from an anime arc. That final bit from the video with the original sound from Meruem and Komugi was enough to make my body paralyze for a moment from goosebumps. I cry for this and don't feel ashamed one bit. This was truely art in anime form.
I literally teared up when we got to Komugi and Meruem dying in the video, and I *legit* have cried everytime I've watched the season over. Meruem is one of the best characters that I know of, and my favourite character in Hunter X Hunter besides Gon, and I think you did him justice.
I think my favorite part about the fight is that Merurem's humanity made Netero the monster. He forces Netero to attack him again and again and again without the ant king fighting back. One of my favorite themes is a man becoming a monster and a monster a man. Netero uses the most underhanded tactic he can to stop the ant king who had finally found his humanity. Meanwhile Gon becomes a monster for petty revenge against a man he met mere weeks ago, selfishly ignoring the effects he has on those around him, belittling and disregarding Killua, while Puff and Yuki cry in anguish from a city away as they find the ashy body of their king. It’s a beautiful theme that is executed nearly perfectly.
"Humans are no different from ants...no...we are far worse" #Neverforget *CLAPS* Beautiful. I'm crying yet again. This is why hxh 2011 is the greatest piece of art in our age and all ages before. It is the holy gospel on which to base all moral and spiritual teachings. PRAISE BE TO TOGODSHI'S NAME! Meruem died for humanities sins. He died so that we could go on. On the topic of human-ant relations, the ending theme for this arc perfectly reflects this idea of humans and ants being 2 halfs of the same coin (The title; hyori ittai, actually translates directly to "2 sides of the same coin"/being inseparable). The song itself is so deep and it's been my favorite song ever since I first heard it, even before I knew what any of the words meant (imagine my reaction to how perfectly it actually fit even after the arc ended with gon and killua XD). It's so beautiful and well crafted that besides when rewatching the series I only listen to it on special occasions! My favorite scene of the show was somewhere between the discussion and meurem's rebirth (I'm always switching as the whole sequence of episodes was a masterpiece of godly proportions sorry lol). One of the most shocking moments of my entire life was when meruem sat down and said he wanted to discuss the fate of the world with a human on equal terms! Can you believe it! It was like not even watching the same guy but at the same time you were it was so awesome! And that's so rare in television in general as well! (As far as Ive seen only the best of the best shows can have a discussion between the "hero's" and antagonist in which the antagonist tries to change the others view be entertaining and even convincing. I also think the reason the kings death was an issue for humanity was because he was well on track to saving humanity. Given the speed of his development of humanity, his intelligence, and his raw power which would all continue to grow stronger with time, as that is the nature of the ant's, Meruem would have been able to create the world without inequality that he wished for even without having to kill most humans. And that is why I think ToGODshi used a word that could mean both malice and evolution. ToGODshi was telling meruem (and thus the audience) not to underestimate humanities potential for evolution (the likes of which COULD reach meruem's one day i.e our potential to grow and evolve) but also not our potential for *Malice* which historically has also won out to many times. It was HUMANITY and not the ant's who created the most demonic weapon of all, the nuke. Though this story and arc I think toGODshi was trying to tell the viewers not to be so quick to see humanity as the ultimate hero's in a human center story, to not ignore the world, nature, and less fortunate around us, but rather view ourselves as a larger part of a whole world. A species that can evolve to do spectacular things, should we overcome our malice. inversely it could be read as a cynical piece about how it is only our amazing ablitity to kill that keeps us at the top of the food chain but I think what happens to meruem in the end with his death and the way he died negates that reading :)
I was initially going to respond to each of your points, but you've summed it up beautifully. Such a deep arc that can be looked at from so many different angles and viewed from different perspectives. And thanks for mentioning that point about Hyori Ittai - I wasn't aware of that!
YES. And I was very angry at Netero at that moment. Had he really talked to Meruem instead of coaxing him into a fight with his name as a lure, he could have changed everything. There was nothing to be lost by talking...except maybe destroying his own resolve to kill Meruem. But still, it was totally worth a shot to change the world. Only in Hunter X Hunter are you angry at the savior and wishing the 'bad guy' gets his way. A simple discussion dammit.
Jesus christ 17:35 these voice actors did a wonderful job at feeling the effort and mastery that was put into this character and brought it to an end that I can't help but tear up when I hear it.
When you said ya sister reacted by saying she wanted the other pair of glasses more because you took them away hit different. Even tho the York new arc was better this arc moved me more. As I kept watching everyone hint at the downfall and potential evil in gon. And even the evil in kurapika. It shows I kept watchin analysis about the series about this arc. But I could never understand it. Like I watch this analysis a few days ago entirely but I feel like now I can feel it. A story about love, a story about humanity, a story about evil, a story about this wicked world, a story about morals, a story about responsibility, a story that shows that everyone has a story nobody is right nor is nobody wrong. Meruem is the best anime villain ever in my opinion. The last episode of the arc just was so perfect. I don’t see how you continue this type of storytelling this deep conveyance throughout more of your story. But this is truly amazing I know you will come through with something amazing Togashi.
This is inarguably the best anime yet (for me that is.) What a great continuation from part one! Your uploading makes me so happy. No matter how long it is. 😊
Welp, The Chimera Ant arc did it again. I am blown away every time I watch it or a thought provoking discussion of it. There's just so much to think about and then love in such a openly brutal (but also uplifting) and intentionally dense (but also beautifully relatable) story. The contradiction is what breeds thought and value for me in the overall themes and in the characters.
You've got it spot on. I can't even begin to comprehend the imagination and hard work that went into writing this arc. So much thought and effort went into it and it really show.
I never forgave meruem for his actions earlier in the arc but I definitely didn't want him to die like he did but I guess that was the most peaceful end he could have gotten :'(
Me at the beginning of the arc: Meruem is evil he should die Me at the end of the arc: *crying* *my parents thinking I wet the bed* *depressed and crying for like 999999 hours* AAAHHHHHHHGGGHHHHHH MERUUUUUEEEEMMMMMM KOOOOMMMMUUUUGGGIIIIIIIII
Out of every anime I've ever seen - the key scenes from the Chimera Ant arc will always stay with me the most. Just unbelievably strong - heartbreaking, haunting, so thematically and visually deep
I never realized this before, but Meruem is almost like a reverse Jesus. Born a virgin birth, came back to life after death only to die again, all powerful and destined to save Humanity. Theres nothing big there or intentional, just found it interesting.
I feel like media in general has been so influenced by religion that parallels can be dawn where none were intended. Also, would you ever consider doing a video analyzing Illumi or the Zoldyks in general? Theres a lot to cover with them which could be very interesting and refreshing, since most people praise and analyze the Ants.
when I first saw this anime I was what ever about it but I couldn't stop watching it just kept getting better and better and this arc this character it was beautiful everything about it days weeks months after watching it I still think about it the philosophy of all it was written In a way I never seen in anime I try to get my other friends to watch it so I can talk about it :/
Thank you! It's such a beautiful and meaningful arc. I've been trying to get my friends to start HxH for a while now, so I feel your pain. There are plenty of people on the internet to discuss this arc with, though!
np man as soon as I saw your video I subscribe cause of how you worded everything I usually don't subscribe to anime channels so keep up the good work man
It is beautiful...but I just couldn't get past all the violence in chimera arc, its just jarring and off putting, and I get that the end payoff is worth it, but I don't think that much gross violence was necessary for established the chimera as ruthless. The nature of Nen is also getting a lot more spiritistic than I would have hoped for. Love/Hate thing with HxH really. Sometimes I feel the artist is just obsessed with gore and violence for the sake of it, but I do like certain characters like Gon, Hisoka, etc...
Komugi is of my my top favorite characters in this show i cried when she was attacked by the hawk and when she and the king died shes so pure a ahhh her relationship with the king is so well thought out and well scripted i very much enjoyed this whole arch
The way I viewed Meruem at the end was a monster who could only be killed by the worst humanity had to offer but could only accept defeat by the best humanity had to offer.
I initially put these two videos on in the background while doing some cleaning, as I've never seen the series before. By the end of this video I was crying like a baby.
Thanks so much for watching! That's really interesting that the video was able to bring an emotional response from someone who hasn't watched it! I'd definitely recommend doing so if you're interested, it is a piece of unique and fantastic emotional storytelling.
Decided to watch this video out of curiosity as I was just starting the CA arc, but I am not worried about spoilers. A story like this, that I can enjoy a second and a third and a fourth time, can't be 'spoiled.' I had the same experience with Madoka Magica and One Piece.
I'm more of a York city arc guy, but I have to admit this arc did blow me away, but mostly in that Netero panel, a character who used to be so noble and suddenly uses a pretty dirty tactic while clearly enjoying himself does reflect the message quite a lot Humans are the best at overcoming monsters because they are the worst monters there is. Also I watched all your vids, and they're great +1 suscriber And I will not ask you a video on York arc but if you feel like doing one...
Thanks for the sub and I'm glad you enjoyed pal. I like Yorknew just as much as CA, actually. I'm not sure exactly when, but I will definitely be covering some Yorknew stuff, so keep an eye out in the future for that.
Thank you my friend for these two amazing videos. never have I been so moved by a TH-cam video. Thank you for helping me understand this story on a much deeper level. Thank you for your time.Thank you for you hard work. I am beyond thankful for this masterpiece.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting. It's an absolute pleasure for helping you to understand the story deeply. The hard work is all worth it when I see comments like this. :)
He was too OP. There was no way he could have survived and the world to remain the same just because him and the guards dwarf the other ants way too much. If he was a good guy then all missions would be too easy and if he was a bad guy there wouldn't be anyone to beat him.
There were ways to nerf him, if the author had wanted to do that. Simplest answer? Have it be that after he is reborn, he is permanently crippled by the bomb, giving him another way to relate to Komugi.
I'm convinced that the Royal Guard's devotion and loyalty (their humanity) was an influencing factor towards appealing to Meruem's humanity. After his rebirth, he gained Pouf's ability to read an individual's emotional state. Ironically, Pouf was the one who tried his hardest to guide the king towards conquest yet his ability allowed Meruem to empathize would others.
I love a good character’s growth, that was so moving and what a journey! Too often we view death as a negative, but it truly is merely a doorway to step through. He was finally able to “see” her through her eyes as she has seen him. A short life and finding love is far more desired than a long life and endlessly searching and never finding that love. I enjoyed how it displayed that what we refer to as “disabilities” really aren’t, they are a different set of lenses to see through and view the world.
Omg even as you're mentioning this I'm still crying in a river of tears, seriously it brings so much feels that even thinking back makes me want to cry.
Meruem was only a few weeks old. if he could have gained more experience or power like he had post rose bomb he could have easily escaped from the Bomb blast. I guess that is why Netero said he knows nothing... to underestimate an opponent is foolish. and he paid the price.
the long comments represent how much people adore meruem's character arc. HxH gave me my favourite shonen fight(meruem's vs netero) , power up(Gon) antagonist (meruem), and evil group (phantom troupe) . It is the best shonen, no doubt.
Even though I'd been cheering to see Netero destroy Meruem, by the time it went down I was so mad at Netero, it was brilliant...I had small hopes too...and bawled my eyes out the entire episode 135...and kamugi is so cute their friendship was just so ahhhhhhhhh so satisfying but so depressing !
One thing I usually hear everyone say is "Gon became a monster and Meruem became human". I don't think those are the right words in saying that. To say that someone became "human" is to imply that humans are innately altruistic or good which I don't think is the case. I think instead of using the terms "Monster" and "Human" it should be perhaps "Hatred" and "Love". These words are less implicative while still upholding the theme of duality. Think about it. Meruem learned to love while Gon learned to hate. These two despite being opposites are two sides of the same coin. Hate brews when something has the potential to hurt or has already hurt something you love. It is easy to hate. It is harder to love. It is the hardest to have love for something you used to hate. This is why the Chimera ant arc spends extensive time on developing Meruem and little time developing Gon.
Meruem is very overpowered compared to the other characters if he survived he would be getting stronger until he surpass the level of dbz normal characters. That would corrupt the anime really bad
16:36 same. Not knowing how to feel at all is so weird and rare, it still amazes me that an anime could make me feel that way. And your videos are so great they put me back in those feels, all positive of course. Amazing work as usual
Something I'd like to point out At 19:24 of episode 135 (the last episode of the arc), where Meruem was coming to his realization, we see two Gungi pieces falling through the air, one black one white. Having played Chinese chess, and after some digging I found that the characters on the black and white pieces mean 'king' and 'spy' respectively. And it makes so much sense. When taken out of context, Komugi could be seen as a spy, who threw the Meruem off of his initial goal of world domination by bringing out his humanity. This also made me think back to an earlier scene, when there was one match where the game seemed to be going in Meruem's favour, only to have all of it subverted by Komugi's 'spy' piece, as if to say that the king's realization of his humanity was inevitable from the very beginning. As usual, great video man. U deserve more subs.
I love this show and I love that you make videos so smartly breaking it down. I thought the Ant Arc was some of the best anime ever produced! For most of the reasons you stated. And, yes, I nearly cried and felt very uncertain after Meruem and Komugi’s fate. It definitely felt like something was somehow wrong or missing... Heh, I don’t know. Great vid. Keep them coming!
Maybe cause the anime is showing on toonami? I don't know, I went from getting no action from HxH on youtube to not being able to go a day without a brand new one entering my feed.
Thank you for making these well thought out analysis videos; they're well constructed and enjoyable to watch. Music is fantastic too, great games with awesome OSTs. I've got to say , one of my favorite examples of Meruems character development is his reaction to Welfin's declaring that Gyro is his true king. When he was first born, Meruem killed at the slightest irritation. But sincerely well wishing your weak and disloyal servant, after they professed their disloyalty to you, knowing that they will live while you will die being the strongest creature alive; is very powerful and mature of Meruem.
Amazing analysis all the way through keep up the great work, also do you plan on doing an analysis on Killua's development as well as his relationship with Gon, I'd love to see your take on that as well.
Thanks again for the support my friend. That's actually an idea that I've already put some thought into for a video or two, though it's very very early in the planning stages.
Awesome, I'm definitely looking forward to it, I know it's gonna be amazing :)
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bro, i am here to tell you, that this the third time i come here to watch this analysis, and i am still crying at the end, thank you. have a nice day everyone
You know seeing how togashi is big fan or toriyama and how both of his works seem to have a lot of similarity to dragon ball I wouldn't be surprised if meruem was inspired by all the Dbz villains. He already looks like cell that was definitely the inspiration for the design and the whole perfection complex. The tyranny of frieza and the ever lasting effect that I person can have on you like hercule had on buu and komugi with meruem. Togashi just pays a homages to Toriyama Dragon Ball something that not many Togashi fans never would like to accept. He even praised him as a god in hxh jump ryu lol.
@@crzyboy190 I don't see the problem with him being based on on those villians too, togashi basically combined all the DBZ villians in one and created an fantastic antagonist. Though I can also see people having problem with the people who mention this becuase some of those people may use this as means to degrade meruem as character, dismissing him as a copy.
Here is a much-improved, more complete and comprehensive Meruem analysis: th-cam.com/video/moXTmhpbb1k/w-d-xo.html
It doesn't speak as much about the emotional side, but it is a much more significant and all-encompassing thematic/character analysis than this video.
The scene when Meruem walks past Netero and Zenos has some extra meaning into it as well. It shows that how humans would be completely startled by what just happened but because Meruem was "a monster" the incident had a lower emotional impact on him showing that he is not completely sympathetic yet, at least that's what I got out of it...
My nigga there are invisible onion cutting ninjas around me bruh.
Facts. Somebody tell Naruto to chill with his Onion Cutting No Jutsu
lu Leto why? He is propably a Buddist
ohhh yeah xD
bruh for real, the tears won't stop
Me at the end of this arc: ugly crying
Me at the end of this video: ugly crying
:'''''(
me too
@Krowzer same
dude.... ;-;
Me too much 😪
Kokoriko is an advanced Gungi technique by Komugi that centers around isolating the King (as in the Gungi piece, not the Chimera Ant), separating it from the other pieces and killing it off. Just like Netero and the Hunters were planning to do to Meruem. However, Komugi unexpectedly develops a counter to this technique in the middle of a game, meaning that the King piece (representing Meruem) no longer has to die (since he unexpectedly survived the nuke). Then, later on, when Komugi uses Kokoriko again, she actually develops a counter to the counter ("she reversed my reversal???"), representing that the King piece (Meruem) apparently actually does have to die after all (because of the Rose's poison). However, immediately after beating Meruem using Kokoriko (symbolizing his imminent death), Komugi and Meruem start one final game together, a game that they never finish. 1-5-1 Black King -> 9-5-1 White Lieutenant General, I believe, or something to that extent. Immediately afterwards, they die together, leaving on the board Meruem's one black piece and Komugi's single white piece, together in Gungi forever. This represents that the two were always united through Gungi, and will continue to be together even after death, undisturbed and united for all eternity. Meruem places his piece down, symbolizing his death, and then Komugi responds by placing her piece down next to his, showing that she is perfectly willing to die at his side..The black screen/black panels in the manga show that the Rose's poison has made Meruem go blind. That's why he has to keep asking Komugi if she's still there, because he can't see her anymore. This is ironic because his name means "the light that illuminates/shines upon all". He even got some godlike light-related photon-based powers before his death, allowing him to fulfill his name. In addition, as they are playing in the bunker before their deaths, Meruem sees a blinding light radiating from Komugi as she "reverses his reversal", making her "the light that illuminates even the all-powerful light". Despite being far weaker (and blind to boot), her light shined far brighter than his. Then, as he dies, Komugi holds him and feels his head, allowing her to finally "see" or know what his face is like. Thus, as they die, Meruem joins Komugi in blindness as she joins him in death. Meruem can finally see what Komugi has been seeing all along, and knows what it feels like to be blind like her, and Komugi finally knows his face, allowing each to understand the other more as they fade away (the OST used during their death scene is called "Understanding"). Touching, isn't it? Togashi is a mastermind, and this entire story, especially this arc, is a masterpiece, a beautiful work of art, a canvas depicting love, hatred, innocence, corruption, happiness, suffering, loyalty, betrayal, anger, sadness, life, death, malevolence, destruction, resolve, determination, avarice, sacrifice, "true" power, truth, and understanding.
Brilliant.
Amazingly said.
a tip of the hat to you for this. I had a feeling the gungi strategies had meaning but not such a subtle yet in depth foreshadowing.
I also think that the kokoriko reversal reversal was a metaphor for their baby because of the metaphor she used to explain why she hestitated to defeat it when he used it against. I hope palm was paying attention and gets the strategy recognised.
who would that be?
I can't deny I cried like a little bitch when they died... And I hadn't even realised how attached I had become to Meruem until that happened.
Wel same here. I was so confused as to why I was being sympathetic to an ant. He became my favorite character ever. I didn't know this show was so popular.
@@carloscontreras3633 same
yo saaaaaame! big tears. I didnt id cry over him at all.
Meruem's final game always hits me like a truck.
Wompa Stompa *hawnks* ”emotional truck incoming with high speed, crash is unavoidable, brace for inpact”
So tru like I really liked him and he just died so soon
@@rattvisa by the way, it has a nuclear bomb strapped to the front
everytime
Ah, damn you. You just had to put that "Good Night" line in at the end didn't you?
**Leaves to find some tissues**
Sorry :(
😂😢
@@Aleczandxr you better be :(
"your act of taking away that pair of glasses has made me realize which pair of glasses i truly desire"
Alec and his sister apparently talk to each other like melodramatic anime characters ahahah
..which actually kind of makes me jelly
I think something important about Meruem is also something he must have realized post rebirth. He could never rule above all others. Humans are the ultimate masters of life. Meruem or the ants never realized that cause their whole life they have been hunting and living in the outskirts of civilization, their only real challenge being nen users- single humans capable of superhuman abilities. Merumem didn't know how a real human war looks like, where humans are like ants swarming the battlefield and more than he could kill in a day, die in minutes. He was brought to near death by a small, cheep nuke popular in underdeveloped countries. It wasn't even humanity's best shot. He was never ready to see the gloves come off. Humanity is the most cruel and terrifying creature in the hxh world- as the dark continent will no doubt learn as well.
Beautiful comment, I couldn't agree more!
Very well put. Humanity will always, for better or for (usually) worse, come out on top. I'm very interested to see how Togashi applies this concept to the Dark Continent. Hopefully we'll see what happens across the sea in HxH by my 40th birthday..
I'm really excited about the dark continent. I'm a little behind on the manga and they are still on the ship getting ready to go.
Nakama Forever yeah they are on the ship with weird spoopy monsters.
I don't really think Togashi's message is as pessimistic about humans as some people here seem to think, but yeah I definitely agree with OP. I think I would say that Mereum could never conquer all humans because each human is ultimately the master of their own life (as demonstrated by the existentialist themes we see throughout the arc). But yeah, humans are also hypocritical and cruel, and now that you mention it we will probably see some of that in the coming chapters.
I know this will mean very little to anyone reading. But I'm a rather difficult individual to move emotionally. Only twice have I ever legitimately cried through emotion ( barring the years being a toddler ) And they were in quick succession: My grandfather passing away at the age of 7, who essentially raised me and was my personal hero. And my cat Shadow, who was with me since my birth, who passed away just three weeks after my grandfather. Nothing since those two incidents has fazed me, the passing of other close family members, the loss of deep romantic relationships, childhood friendships, etc.
And then I watched this fucking anime. And the passing of Meruem and Komugi, had be sobbing like an infant throwing a temper tantrum in the supermarket. And then again, a year later, while watching it with my now girlfriend, who thought it was hilariously cute that her stone-heart boyfriend cried over anime characters ( She's partial to Gon and Killua, she cried when they parted ways )
The writing of Meruem, not to overshadow the writing of the other characters, who are all brilliant, just hit somewhere in my emotional psyche so hard that it opened up floodgates for whenever I watch that scene again. Just that one episode ( 135 ) will send me into a sobbing mess for an hour or so.
My respect to you Togashi. I'll wait another 20 years for the next animated season if I must.
Same boat, man. *Internet hug
Make room big guy coming though to give you 2 a big group hug. I feel you, there are some events in life that dont even face me, while ppl have their tear streaming from their eyes, but the dead of this two characters and someone very special at the end of FMA:B makes me a sobbing mess too.
same here.
TheGameScholarz
I didn't cry when Meruem died. I don't cry easily. I did find it emotional but I didn't cry a single bit.
When did they part?
I wholeheartedly believe that the Chimera Ant arc is the best arc in all of shonen anime
I haven't seen many shounen arcs but regardless I agree with you.
Kyoto arc is on par imo.
VarynDar that’s tough but Chimera in general is one of the best of all time with all the effort put in and the story with its only downfall is its prep time
One of the best for sure i must agree
@@pelucheCR7 in kenshin?
The whole video was wonderful but those last 5 minutes or so.. man. Absolutely spectacular.
I really put a lot of effort into that bit. I'm glad you liked it!
A
You made me fall in love with my favourite story again. I always found this to be a masterpiece, and loved to explain and share it with others. For someone to see the beauty of this too was hard felt. Thank you for these videos!
The end of the video: The last statement and the quotes made me subscribe.
Aleczandxr keep up the good work, and you will get 300k+ subs for sure.
Also a suggestion: I think Code Geass and Boku No Hero Academia's (the manga) story development is comparable to hxh. It's shallow on the first lock but very indepth on the second. Especially the end of season 2 of code geass, was the best anime end I ever saw. Because if you think about it: In the end Lelouch accomplished what he wanted the whole time.
blackphinix27 Thanks for the kind words. I've seen Code Geass and thought it was quite good but I don't really have a desire to make a video on it. Maybe the new season will give me something to talk about. I'm watching Boku No Hero weekly so we'll see how that one develops.
i think after the rebirth of meruem, he reached some kind of illumination, an epiphany cuz from the beginning he doesn't want to punish anyone anymore. he leaves wolfin lives, and wish him good luck, he humiliates himself in front of palm. he has reach like the Enlightenment in Buddhism. if he continued living, he could be the real saviour of the world at the end. that's my feeling about it. netero and zeno knew it deep in their hearts.
alan morales nice idea
Dude you nailed it, the Queen and said before she died Meruem meaning the light of the world and eventually Meruem will become the savior.
"deep in their hearts.... I see what you did there"
Honestly who needs Romeo and Juliet when you have Mereum and Komugi? Man, I bawled so hard when I first watched that episode, even this analysis made me tether on the edge of tearing up all over again.
There are so many irony in this arc. 1st is meruem who became from a monster into more human and gon from a cheerful kid to a monster.2nd is meruem,whose name means light but was darkness to humanity finds light and meaning from a blind girl
Man that ain't fair, putting that at the very end like that ;_;
LITERALLY.
I'm sorry :'(
i have a litle tear in my eyes.
Great analysis sir !
Thank you!
Sos Help It's an honour :)
i've never noticed why i liked meruem so much... it turns our im just like him
i was born form reasonably fair family (not so rich but u cant call it average too)
my father promised will be on the top.... an important man... the man with the highest place... i wanted to be a pilot... so my father always promised me that i will be what ever i want in the highest position...i have 3 more younger sibling
when im graduating highschool.... it came to realization that my Father business is not going well and all the wealth we experienced vanish poof... just like that.... we didnt lose our home... only our life style... its like pizza every week to just eating anything we were provided... every year we were traveling abroad.... europe.. and such... now we never have holiday...
my father love me so much (but i still cant help it that i hated him so much).... that he wanted to sacrifice everything so i can be a pilot... (with that my lil siblings wont be able to go to University .
after all that dreaming to be a pilot.... to be the best.... i choose not too... coz i love my lil sibling.....
and there is another problem... after i graduate Highschool... there is money for me to go to University.... but next year my lil twin sister wont be able to... (according to my father calculation + the money he borrow) so i didnt go to Uni for 1 year....
im trying to find a job with Highscool diploma.... hardly ever find any
1 year has passed and my twin lil sister graduate Highschool... and now my father said... either ME go to UNI or my twin sister..... even tho i hated these to bitch... i said let them go first...
and at last this year. july 2018 i..... the once who was walking sin of PRIDE.... the one who was once destined to be a great pilot(lol) who delayed 2 years to start my UNI Education... AT LAST i will go to University......
at this stage.... after i watch this... this moment.. is.. "my acceptance and peace".
yeah i realized i loved my lil siblings more than my life.... hell even if i have to die just so they have better future... ill do it for them...
Now, I respect you more dude. I hope you channel grow more and more. Saludos.😁
Not just you, I personally believe that this is one of the best histories produced by humanity.
Agreed!
I'd just like to chime in here and compliment a part of the video that some might overlook. That glasses metaphor at the beginning was outstanding and a great way to describe Meruem's mindset at that point. Very well done.
Thanks so much! That metaphor just seemed to fit. It was a good way of communicating a concept that is otherwise a bit difficult to put into words.
Komugi for best girl!
Houston Rafferty Kurapika?!?!!
@@juanruiz325 Kurapika is not a girl
That escalated quickly
I also think that the death of Netero is actually beautiful.
It shows the absolute power of humanity to juxtapose its capability of choice and thinking as an individual as well as self-sacrifice for the greater good.
Of course, the fact that only a messed up species capable of risk can create such a powerful, hauntingly terrible weapon as a Nuke is also powerful thematic imagery. It shows the power of progress, the death that it takes... and the will to march on no matter the cost.
I felt as if both were examples of the finest ... or at least most powerful humanity has. Hence the thought of Mereum as the bomb went off...
It was an inevitability for him to not win.
Perfectly said. We really have evolved beyond belief. He was always going to win, as you say. There is something incredibly hard-hitting about brutal inevitability, no matter the context.
The bomb always bothered me, it was initially described as cheap to make, but then is revealed to be a powerful compact nuke, that also poisons things in such a way that the poison evolves between hosts and spreads infinitely to people too close to those who're poisoned. How would that be cheap to make?
relatively cheap
+Snowbound Whale
You do realize that the price of a weapon is not proportional to its power, right?
A cheap weapon that does a lot of damage, sound like a dream to many military forces to me.
(Even I am Salivating over the thought.)
+Snowbound Whale
Plus its price is based on the materials to make it, and an evolving poison isn't that hard to make.
Research on the other hand, is the hard part, as it costs a lot to gather resources and you'll need a lot to make a poison of this nature. and finally, Indefinitely* not infinitely.
Netero's death is so perfect, it's one of my favorite "Humanity is strong!" scenes in all of media. The way Meruem becomes fearful without any knowledge of what's happening, and just instinctively knows that Netero isn't just bluffing when talking about humanity's power is one of the best scenes I've ever watched
I totally agree, just an insanely well written and executed scene. And the foreshadowing throughout the arc leading up to it is so fascinating on repeat watches.
Easily one of the most brilliantly written story arcs to have graced anime in general. Never, and I mean NEVER, have I ever anguished over an antagonist's death in the way I did over Meruem and his death. I cried in that final scene with him and Komugi so damn hard. Togashi is a genius; his ability to pull you from easily hating a character to loving what they became before sending them off is both relentless and beautiful. Hunter X Hunter, as a whole, is easily in my top five animes of all time, but this one arc alone stands at the top as my all-time favorite. Thank you for your wonderful analysis of Meruem, easily my favorite antagonist in anime!
No problem at all! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it :)
fuck. ending reminded me of how tragic meruem is. i cried again.
Beautifully done. Meruem truly is the most fascinating antagonist I've ever witnessed in fiction
Thank you.
When I was watching this arc I just wanted them to go and live peacefully in the mountains like Colt, growing old and playing gungi.
Unfortunately the author skipped the getting old together part in my ideal ending and just went straight to them dying together.
Still one of the best endings I've ever seen, especially since pouf died vomiting blood with his hopes and dreams crushed to pieces by the person he admires most.
The author sure knows how to kill off a villain.
It is a mark of a great character that just hearing someone talk about them is enough to bring you to tears. It would ruin the ending, but I wish Meruem and Komugi could come back into the series. I guess it is techically possible, since Nen can do anything...
Nen ghost
Meruem Ghost: Gon, the nen is one with you, and you are one with the nen.
haha i just had to.
Just watched this arc again...... ep135 made me cry-smile. This was a masterpiece of writing, art direction and animation. And more so when watching it as an adult. Damn
I don't think I've ever cried so much from an anime arc.
That final bit from the video with the original sound from Meruem and Komugi was enough to make my body paralyze for a moment from goosebumps. I cry for this and don't feel ashamed one bit.
This was truely art in anime form.
I literally teared up when we got to Komugi and Meruem dying in the video, and I *legit* have cried everytime I've watched the season over.
Meruem is one of the best characters that I know of, and my favourite character in Hunter X Hunter besides Gon, and I think you did him justice.
I think my favorite part about the fight is that Merurem's humanity made Netero the monster. He forces Netero to attack him again and again and again without the ant king fighting back. One of my favorite themes is a man becoming a monster and a monster a man. Netero uses the most underhanded tactic he can to stop the ant king who had finally found his humanity. Meanwhile Gon becomes a monster for petty revenge against a man he met mere weeks ago, selfishly ignoring the effects he has on those around him, belittling and disregarding Killua, while Puff and Yuki cry in anguish from a city away as they find the ashy body of their king. It’s a beautiful theme that is executed nearly perfectly.
God fucking dammit I'm even crying at a fucking analysis video of this arc
The last seconds were absolutely brilliant, it gave me chills.
I must request a Netero character Analysis, it will be amazing!
I'm glad you liked it. And I definitely want to tackle a Netero analysis in the future, so you'll eventually get your wish!
"Humans are no different from ants...no...we are far worse" #Neverforget
*CLAPS*
Beautiful. I'm crying yet again. This is why hxh 2011 is the greatest piece of art in our age and all ages before. It is the holy gospel on which to base all moral and spiritual teachings. PRAISE BE TO TOGODSHI'S NAME!
Meruem died for humanities sins. He died so that we could go on.
On the topic of human-ant relations, the ending theme for this arc perfectly reflects this idea of humans and ants being 2 halfs of the same coin (The title; hyori ittai, actually translates directly to "2 sides of the same coin"/being inseparable). The song itself is so deep and it's been my favorite song ever since I first heard it, even before I knew what any of the words meant (imagine my reaction to how perfectly it actually fit even after the arc ended with gon and killua XD). It's so beautiful and well crafted that besides when rewatching the series I only listen to it on special occasions!
My favorite scene of the show was somewhere between the discussion and meurem's rebirth (I'm always switching as the whole sequence of episodes was a masterpiece of godly proportions sorry lol). One of the most shocking moments of my entire life was when meruem sat down and said he wanted to discuss the fate of the world with a human on equal terms! Can you believe it! It was like not even watching the same guy but at the same time you were it was so awesome! And that's so rare in television in general as well! (As far as Ive seen only the best of the best shows can have a discussion between the "hero's" and antagonist in which the antagonist tries to change the others view be entertaining and even convincing.
I also think the reason the kings death was an issue for humanity was because he was well on track to saving humanity. Given the speed of his development of humanity, his intelligence, and his raw power which would all continue to grow stronger with time, as that is the nature of the ant's, Meruem would have been able to create the world without inequality that he wished for even without having to kill most humans. And that is why I think ToGODshi used a word that could mean both malice and evolution. ToGODshi was telling meruem (and thus the audience) not to underestimate humanities potential for evolution (the likes of which COULD reach meruem's one day i.e our potential to grow and evolve) but also not our potential for *Malice* which historically has also won out to many times. It was HUMANITY and not the ant's who created the most demonic weapon of all, the nuke. Though this story and arc I think toGODshi was trying to tell the viewers not to be so quick to see humanity as the ultimate hero's in a human center story, to not ignore the world, nature, and less fortunate around us, but rather view ourselves as a larger part of a whole world. A species that can evolve to do spectacular things, should we overcome our malice.
inversely it could be read as a cynical piece about how it is only our amazing ablitity to kill that keeps us at the top of the food chain but I think what happens to meruem in the end with his death and the way he died negates that reading :)
Also DON'T GET ME STARTED ON NETERO XD
I was initially going to respond to each of your points, but you've summed it up beautifully. Such a deep arc that can be looked at from so many different angles and viewed from different perspectives. And thanks for mentioning that point about Hyori Ittai - I wasn't aware of that!
Aleczandxr
Anytime ;)
YES. And I was very angry at Netero at that moment. Had he really talked to Meruem instead of coaxing him into a fight with his name as a lure, he could have changed everything. There was nothing to be lost by talking...except maybe destroying his own resolve to kill Meruem. But still, it was totally worth a shot to change the world. Only in Hunter X Hunter are you angry at the savior and wishing the 'bad guy' gets his way. A simple discussion dammit.
Nivesh Proag
Deep stuff I tell ya #Hediedforoursins
Jesus christ 17:35 these voice actors did a wonderful job at feeling the effort and mastery that was put into this character and brought it to an end that I can't help but tear up when I hear it.
When you said ya sister reacted by saying she wanted the other pair of glasses more because you took them away hit different. Even tho the York new arc was better this arc moved me more. As I kept watching everyone hint at the downfall and potential evil in gon. And even the evil in kurapika. It shows I kept watchin analysis about the series about this arc. But I could never understand it. Like I watch this analysis a few days ago entirely but I feel like now I can feel it. A story about love, a story about humanity, a story about evil, a story about this wicked world, a story about morals, a story about responsibility, a story that shows that everyone has a story nobody is right nor is nobody wrong. Meruem is the best anime villain ever in my opinion. The last episode of the arc just was so perfect. I don’t see how you continue this type of storytelling this deep conveyance throughout more of your story. But this is truly amazing I know you will come through with something amazing Togashi.
This by far not only the best anime I have ever whatched but just the best show I've whatched in genral.
Bro....wtf. I'm at work with tears running down my face. Bravo.👏 👏 👏
Thanks very much.
This is inarguably the best anime yet (for me that is.) What a great continuation from part one! Your uploading makes me so happy. No matter how long it is. 😊
Omg. I cried at the end. 😭😭 This is so beautiful.
Thanks for all the support my friend, glad you enjoy the videos! :)
Welp, The Chimera Ant arc did it again. I am blown away every time I watch it or a thought provoking discussion of it. There's just so much to think about and then love in such a openly brutal (but also uplifting) and intentionally dense (but also beautifully relatable) story. The contradiction is what breeds thought and value for me in the overall themes and in the characters.
You've got it spot on. I can't even begin to comprehend the imagination and hard work that went into writing this arc. So much thought and effort went into it and it really show.
I never forgave meruem for his actions earlier in the arc but I definitely didn't want him to die like he did but I guess that was the most peaceful end he could have gotten :'(
Beautifully said.
Such a beautiful and fantastic story for such an amazing antagonist. Great stuff here mate.
Me at the beginning of the arc: Meruem is evil he should die
Me at the end of the arc: *crying* *my parents thinking I wet the bed* *depressed and crying for like 999999 hours* AAAHHHHHHHGGGHHHHHH MERUUUUUEEEEMMMMMM KOOOOMMMMUUUUGGGIIIIIIIII
Out of every anime I've ever seen - the key scenes from the Chimera Ant arc will always stay with me the most. Just unbelievably strong - heartbreaking, haunting, so thematically and visually deep
Agree completely, it's one of my favourite stories. So deep, with so many aspects to it.
I never realized this before, but Meruem is almost like a reverse Jesus. Born a virgin birth, came back to life after death only to die again, all powerful and destined to save Humanity. Theres nothing big there or intentional, just found it interesting.
Interesting, I can definitely see where you're coming from. There are some pretty extensive religious parallels with Meruem, intentional or not.
I feel like media in general has been so influenced by religion that parallels can be dawn where none were intended. Also, would you ever consider doing a video analyzing Illumi or the Zoldyks in general? Theres a lot to cover with them which could be very interesting and refreshing, since most people praise and analyze the Ants.
Natboy129 Hahaha. Wow, what a coincidence. Keep an eye out for the next HxH video (2 weeks maybe?) and you miiiight find what you're looking for.
Oh damn haha and I just discovered this channel today! I look forward to it!
You are amazing. What an excellent character analysis!!! :) just phenomenal. Makes me want to watch HunterxHunter all over again
do netero next
Cant believe i cried as much as when i watched the arc
Just prove how much you have dissected this beautiful series
Thank you so much
Thanks so much for watching. To answer your other comment, I will be covering Pariston sometime down the line.
Your channel it's the best i've ever seen about anime reviews, keep going
Thank you very much, I definitely will.
when I first saw this anime I was what ever about it but I couldn't stop watching it just kept getting better and better and this arc this character it was beautiful everything about it days weeks months after watching it I still think about it the philosophy of all it was written In a way I never seen in anime I try to get my other friends to watch it so I can talk about it :/
o and I felt like you were on point with everything
Thank you! It's such a beautiful and meaningful arc. I've been trying to get my friends to start HxH for a while now, so I feel your pain. There are plenty of people on the internet to discuss this arc with, though!
np man as soon as I saw your video I subscribe cause of how you worded everything I usually don't subscribe to anime channels so keep up the good work man
It is beautiful...but I just couldn't get past all the violence in chimera arc, its just jarring and off putting, and I get that the end payoff is worth it, but I don't think that much gross violence was necessary for established the chimera as ruthless. The nature of Nen is also getting a lot more spiritistic than I would have hoped for. Love/Hate thing with HxH really. Sometimes I feel the artist is just obsessed with gore and violence for the sake of it, but I do like certain characters like Gon, Hisoka, etc...
felipe pons same I was doing a 4 whole day Marathon of this
Komugi is of my my top favorite characters in this show i cried when she was attacked by the hawk and when she and the king died shes so pure a ahhh her relationship with the king is so well thought out and well scripted i very much enjoyed this whole arch
Hunter X Hunter is so good because a similar level of depth to this is present in most of the characters, take Welfin for example.
damn it togahsi, we need more of this
I didn't even watch the rest of hunter x hunter after this ark. I legitimately sobbed. It was such a perfect ark.
Can you please do an analysis on Monster
Man, that would be awesome! I second this request.
Yes.
Masterful analysis of Meruem. The finale of this arc is one of the best things I've ever experienced in my life. Thank you for uploading
Thanks for watching.
This never fails to make me tear up at the end T.T such a beautiful story i never felt this much for a "bad" guy since Greed from FMA:B
The way I viewed Meruem at the end was a monster who could only be killed by the worst humanity had to offer but could only accept defeat by the best humanity had to offer.
awesome video, I love your character analysis videos
Thanks, glad you enjoyed :)
AMAZING!!! pt1 and 2 were very well put together.. you made this feel like a movie!
Thank you, glad you liked it!
I initially put these two videos on in the background while doing some cleaning, as I've never seen the series before. By the end of this video I was crying like a baby.
Damn. Start watching it. Hopefully by the time you reach this arc you will have forgotten...
Thanks so much for watching! That's really interesting that the video was able to bring an emotional response from someone who hasn't watched it! I'd definitely recommend doing so if you're interested, it is a piece of unique and fantastic emotional storytelling.
Decided to watch this video out of curiosity as I was just starting the CA arc, but I am not worried about spoilers. A story like this, that I can enjoy a second and a third and a fourth time, can't be 'spoiled.' I had the same experience with Madoka Magica and One Piece.
I cried again. Their death scene was so beautiful and heart wrenching and I was so sad.
I'm more of a York city arc guy, but I have to admit this arc did blow me away, but mostly in that Netero panel, a character who used to be so noble and suddenly uses a pretty dirty tactic while clearly enjoying himself does reflect the message quite a lot
Humans are the best at overcoming monsters because they are the worst monters there is.
Also I watched all your vids, and they're great +1 suscriber
And I will not ask you a video on York arc but if you feel like doing one...
Thanks for the sub and I'm glad you enjoyed pal. I like Yorknew just as much as CA, actually. I'm not sure exactly when, but I will definitely be covering some Yorknew stuff, so keep an eye out in the future for that.
Thank you my friend for these two amazing videos. never have I been so moved by a TH-cam video. Thank you for helping me understand this story on a much deeper level. Thank you for your time.Thank you for you hard work. I am beyond thankful for this masterpiece.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting. It's an absolute pleasure for helping you to understand the story deeply. The hard work is all worth it when I see comments like this. :)
The pleasure is all mine. I will be subscribing to your channel now. Please keep up the great work!
Imagine if Meruem could've survived and became a good guy he would be helpful asf in the dark continent
If only...
He was too OP. There was no way he could have survived and the world to remain the same just because him and the guards dwarf the other ants way too much. If he was a good guy then all missions would be too easy and if he was a bad guy there wouldn't be anyone to beat him.
There were ways to nerf him, if the author had wanted to do that. Simplest answer? Have it be that after he is reborn, he is permanently crippled by the bomb, giving him another way to relate to Komugi.
DoubleUp Dizzy this is one thing that would ruin HxH
Well compared to the Dark and he would be fodder maybe
Your videos really help me appreciate how ingeniously well crafted certain characters can be in the anime and manga medium.
It really never fails to astonish me. So much work goes into some of these characters. The least I can do is pay tribute to them.
Are you planning on making more videos about HxH? Awesome video.
Of course! I have tons and tons of plans for future HxH videos.
Hype
Aleczandxr nice, I'm quite excited for your future HxH vids
I'm convinced that the Royal Guard's devotion and loyalty (their humanity) was an influencing factor towards appealing to Meruem's humanity.
After his rebirth, he gained Pouf's ability to read an individual's emotional state. Ironically, Pouf was the one who tried his hardest to guide the king towards conquest yet his ability allowed Meruem to empathize would others.
This should have 100x the views...
Thanks very much pal. :)
Your analysis almost made me tear up thank you so much fo rmaking these videos
Thanks so much for watching :)
WHY IS THERE 1 DISLIKE???!!!!! this deserevs no dislikes!
Pouf wanted his king
ali mogherbi it was pouf and youpi lol and the rest were just trolls lol
This comment inspired me to dislike.
I agree
I love a good character’s growth, that was so moving and what a journey! Too often we view death as a negative, but it truly is merely a doorway to step through. He was finally able to “see” her through her eyes as she has seen him. A short life and finding love is far more desired than a long life and endlessly searching and never finding that love. I enjoyed how it displayed that what we refer to as “disabilities” really aren’t, they are a different set of lenses to see through and view the world.
I was struggling hard to hold back the tears. You just had to include that final moment didn't you? 😢
Of course I did ;-)
Omg even as you're mentioning this I'm still crying in a river of tears, seriously it brings so much feels that even thinking back makes me want to cry.
:'''(
Meruem was only a few weeks old. if he could have gained more experience or power like he had post rose bomb he could have easily escaped from the Bomb blast. I guess that is why Netero said he knows nothing... to underestimate an opponent is foolish. and he paid the price.
the long comments represent how much people adore meruem's character arc. HxH gave me my favourite shonen fight(meruem's vs netero) , power up(Gon) antagonist (meruem), and evil group (phantom troupe) . It is the best shonen, no doubt.
Even though I'd been cheering to see Netero destroy Meruem, by the time it went down I was so mad at Netero, it was brilliant...I had small hopes too...and bawled my eyes out the entire episode 135...and kamugi is so cute their friendship was just so ahhhhhhhhh so satisfying but so depressing !
What a beautifully crafted analysis. Blew me away and brought me to tears. Great job.
Thanks so much.
One thing I usually hear everyone say is "Gon became a monster and Meruem became human". I don't think those are the right words in saying that. To say that someone became "human" is to imply that humans are innately altruistic or good which I don't think is the case. I think instead of using the terms "Monster" and "Human" it should be perhaps "Hatred" and "Love". These words are less implicative while still upholding the theme of duality. Think about it. Meruem learned to love while Gon learned to hate. These two despite being opposites are two sides of the same coin. Hate brews when something has the potential to hurt or has already hurt something you love. It is easy to hate. It is harder to love. It is the hardest to have love for something you used to hate. This is why the Chimera ant arc spends extensive time on developing Meruem and little time developing Gon.
I wish that the king would survive
He died for our sins T T
Meruem is very overpowered compared to the other characters if he survived he would be getting stronger until he surpass the level of dbz normal characters. That would corrupt the anime really bad
Dayum Meruem as an ace in the hole against the calamities would have been awesome
Glo Fiend
I would like that but his death scene was just perfect, so I would prefer him dead.
Munzur Baba yep it was awesome
I've never cried over an anime until watching this masterpiece of an arc
please make more these videos are amazing and there are so many great characters in HxH
Of course! I will be doing HxH stuff for the foreseeable future, along with other content.
16:36 same. Not knowing how to feel at all is so weird and rare, it still amazes me that an anime could make me feel that way. And your videos are so great they put me back in those feels, all positive of course. Amazing work as usual
still a better love story than twilight
on another note the feels .
Anything is better then twilights love story lol the batman and joker love story was more compelling
Something I'd like to point out
At 19:24 of episode 135 (the last episode of the arc), where Meruem was coming to his realization, we see two Gungi pieces falling through the air, one black one white.
Having played Chinese chess, and after some digging I found that the characters on the black and white pieces mean 'king' and 'spy' respectively. And it makes so much sense.
When taken out of context, Komugi could be seen as a spy, who threw the Meruem off of his initial goal of world domination by bringing out his humanity. This also made me think back to an earlier scene, when there was one match where the game seemed to be going in Meruem's favour, only to have all of it subverted by Komugi's 'spy' piece, as if to say that the king's realization of his humanity was inevitable from the very beginning.
As usual, great video man. U deserve more subs.
Thanks, and nice point!
Meruem-sama 😢😢
I love this show and I love that you make videos so smartly breaking it down. I thought the Ant Arc was some of the best anime ever produced! For most of the reasons you stated. And, yes, I nearly cried and felt very uncertain after Meruem and Komugi’s fate. It definitely felt like something was somehow wrong or missing... Heh, I don’t know. Great vid. Keep them coming!
if only togashi-san stops playing dragon quest and get on working on this. he would've finished it.
Honestly, he should just take Kishmoto's offer todraw the series while he writes. Sure, Naruto didn't have the best art, but it was competent.
Kishimoto offered to draw HxH?
vince1987 I think he’s just tired. He worked so hard on this. It’s easy to be angry on him. Can’t we just thank him for giving us this masterpiece?
I think the drawing is never a problem for him. Do you how stressful it is to make a masterpiece with plot and twists?
I just cried again watching this, thank you so much for dedicating your time to this story. I needed this.
No worries at all, friend. I'm happy to hear you enjoyed.
A lot. Hope you can keep uploading more videos soon.
Oliver Barajas I've been uploading consistently for a while, so I don't see why that would change.
Excellent video!
BTW why is it that so many Hunter X Hunter videos are coming out :O or was I living in an internet cave before :P?
Thank you! And I'm not sure.. I just finished the show recently and wanted to put my thoughts out there. Pure coincidence from me!
Maybe cause the anime is showing on toonami? I don't know, I went from getting no action from HxH on youtube to not being able to go a day without a brand new one entering my feed.
Thank you for making these well thought out analysis videos; they're well constructed and enjoyable to watch. Music is fantastic too, great games with awesome OSTs.
I've got to say , one of my favorite examples of Meruems character development is his reaction to Welfin's declaring that Gyro is his true king. When he was first born, Meruem killed at the slightest irritation. But sincerely well wishing your weak and disloyal servant, after they professed their disloyalty to you, knowing that they will live while you will die being the strongest creature alive; is very powerful and mature of Meruem.
This was perfect.
Thanks so much!
Wonderful and excellent video. Thank you for making this amazing work on Togashi's piece of art
Your videos are AMAZING
Thanks very much! It's very rewarding when people enjoy my videos.
No problem I am sure I am not the only one that feels that way
Das war einfach überwältigend gut !
Ich danke vielmals für dieses fantastisches Video und verbeuge mich hochachtungsvoll.
Amazing analysis all the way through keep up the great work, also do you plan on doing an analysis on Killua's development as well as his relationship with Gon, I'd love to see your take on that as well.
Thanks again for the support my friend. That's actually an idea that I've already put some thought into for a video or two, though it's very very early in the planning stages.
Awesome, I'm definitely looking forward to it, I know it's gonna be amazing :)
bro, i am here to tell you, that this the third time i come here to watch this analysis, and i am still crying at the end, thank you.
have a nice day everyone
You know seeing how togashi is big fan or toriyama and how both of his works seem to have a lot of similarity to dragon ball I wouldn't be surprised if meruem was inspired by all the Dbz villains. He already looks like cell that was definitely the inspiration for the design and the whole perfection complex. The tyranny of frieza and the ever lasting effect that I person can have on you like hercule had on buu and komugi with meruem.
Togashi just pays a homages to Toriyama Dragon Ball something that not many Togashi fans never would like to accept. He even praised him as a god in hxh jump ryu lol.
i though everybody knew that meruem is inspired in cell, this was said by togashi himself
William Ocoró But many Hunter fans will say anything to deny it or not accepted it
@@crzyboy190
I don't see the problem with him being based on on those villians too, togashi basically combined all the DBZ villians in one and created an fantastic antagonist. Though I can also see people having problem with the people who mention this becuase some of those people may use this as means to degrade meruem as character, dismissing him as a copy.
I am, at this instant, working on an analysis of Netero and Meruem's fight, and your videos are giving me great inspiration and ideas. Great job.
Thanks. Good luck with your analysis!