Yoshihiro Togoshi’s Hunter x Hunter has captivated fans worldwide and is widely known as one of the greatest shonen anime. Its in-depth storytelling, outstanding character development, and entertaining fights have made it a thriller for many anime fans. The series distinguishes itself from others with its complex story combined with some dark themes. The story follows the story of Gon Freecss, who aspires to become a Hunter. There are many different kinds of hunters, but they all share the same goal: to unravel the world’s mysteries.

The series has many different story arcs, but the one that defined it as a masterpiece was the Chimera Ant arc. This arc separated itself from the others because it was much longer and more in-depth. The Chimera Ant arc concluded with 61 episodes, significantly more than the others. To put it into perspective, it accounted for 41% of the total episodes in the anime. Rather than focusing on the adventure from the previous arcs, the Chimera Ant arc concentrates on themes of morality. It is much darker than what fans usually see in the series.

The story explores the idea of presenting many characters with difficult decisions and the consequences of their choices. Fans see this with Gon, whose character changes tragically after he sees what happens to Kite. He goes from being an optimistic and happy kid to being driven by revenge. Gon’s emotions lead him down a dark path, and he loses the ability to see right from wrong. Death and tragedy are commonplace in this arc, leading to countless emotional moments that show the morality of these characters.

The Introduction of the King

Meruem’s Introduction Sparks a Major Narrative Shift

The Chimera Ants are the story’s most considerable opposition to the human race. Hunters are dispatched to study them and prevent them from causing any more damage to humans. The Chimera Ants are continuously evolving and adapting to human characteristics. They often had memories of humans and eventually learned about the mystical power of Nen. They discovered how to use Nen and frequently fed Nen users to their Queen so that their race could keep evolving. The Queen was to give birth to the King, who would be the most evolved and vital of all the ants. The King would be the one to lead the ants to rule over all life forms.

Meruem was subsequently born, and his first introduction was very intimidating. He exuberated with aggression and had no care for any life forms, whether humans or chimeras. This was evident when he left his mother bleeding on the ground, not caring whether she survived or not. Initially, he only cared about his ambitions of conquering the world and eliminating any that stood in his way.

After leaving the Chimera Ant’s nest with his royal guards, he finds the Royal Palace of East Gorteau and eliminates any soldiers protecting it. The palace would be used as a human processing plant to satisfy his hunger. He only sees humans as food, and his ambitions to conquer the world are strong, but that starts to change after he meets a specific human named Komugi.

Komugi’s Effect

Komugi Helped Meruem’s Character Development

Meruem was devoid of all human characteristics, as he considered everyone else to be less than himself and had no emotional attachment to anything. Meruem’s relationship with Komugi allowed him to progress and develop emotions. When Meruem met Komugi, it would have only taken a flick of his wrist to kill her, but he discovered that she had a unique strength. She is a Nen specialist whose ability is directly related to the game of gungi and will always be the victor. Her strength is one he will never defeat, no matter if he should kill her. She represented the diversity of an individual’s worth, which Meruem would never have considered had he not met her.

Meruem once told Pitou that he respected her because she could withstand one of his attacks. However, his respect for his servant was more an acknowledgment of her strength, since he only thought of her as a servant. Respect is fueled by a sense of equality in some shape or form and is an ideal he learned from Komugi, since she was the first to rival his strength. As he spends time with Komugi, he becomes more comfortable with her, eventually forming a bond.

Meruem sees Komugi as a delicate girl, and his attitude changes when he sees her injured. He becomes softer and more compassionate toward her and even emits concern. He undergoes significant emotional development, which makes the audience see his personality become more human. After his battle with Netero and the results of the Rose bomb, Meruem goes away from violence and war and decides to spend his final moments with Komugi. His love for Komugi shows the empathy he has developed, and his character has grown from being an emotionless Chimera Ant King to becoming a compassionate friend of a human. The character growth from Meruem solidified Hunter x Hunter as a masterpiece.