They say that a hero is only as strong as their villain, and in the case of Hunter x Hunter, that may very well be the case. Hunter x Hunter, compared to other anime in its genre, boats an incredible roster of villains, each with their own unique motivations, backstories, and abilities. Each of them has their own unique sphere of influence when it comes to the overall narrative, making them even more intriguing and mysterious as to how they'll come into conflict with Gon, Killua, Leorio, or Kurapika. Today, we'll examine each of Hunter x Hunter's major villains and take a look into the wide spectrum of villainy that the story boasts. SPOILERS (FOR AT LEAST THE ANIME) FROM HERE ON.
One of the interesting elements of Hunter x Hunter is that it is incredibly difficult to pin down a primary villain for the series. In terms of antagonists, like straight up people who want to interfere with Gon, there shouldn't be much question that Hisoka is Gon's major antagonist. But villains? Many have speculated upon who the final villain of Hunter x Hunter will be: maybe Chrollo, maybe the mysterious Gyro, or maybe someone we haven't met yet.
Because of this, though, we've gotten an incredible array of villains, each of which comes with their own memorable moments and abilities that, on their own, would make them great main villains for any other series. Some of these characters even became more complex and interesting than Gon and Killua at certain points of their arc.
Hunter x Hunter does not live or die by the strength of its villains, as sometimes they take a back seat and other times they are the emotional thrust, but it certainly helps that the series has them in it. It's probably best to go over each one in relevance to the arc they belong to and then discuss the great breadth of them at once.
Thus, it's only appropriate to begin with the most famous of the villains...
HISOKA
I could go on and on about what makes Hisoka so wonderful. From his mired intents to his fairly basic motivation of wanting to fight the strongest people he can. Hisoka is not a unique or brand new type of villain in any sense, but he is one that poses a strong swerve in the narrative, and creates an interesting point of view from an audience perspective.
Most times, the heroes of this battle-series genre are motivated by becoming stronger and fighting people stronger, or as strong as, themselves. Hunter x Hunter's heroes focus on becoming stronger not to fight greater foes but to reach their own personal goals: Gon in order to find his father and Killua to outgrow the shadow of his family. Instead, it's our villain, Hisoka, who resembles traits shared by characters like later-Goku and Natsu and Asta.
Hisoka, as a villain, is most terrifying when he serves as an indomitable pillar of power. When he asserts himself over Gon and Killua and shows the viewers that he is a tidal wave of (sometimes erotic) ferocity. While the first arc sees Hisoka as a tentpole of power, later arcs, like "Heaven's Arena" and the election arc show that he is a man with a ton of ability and malicious intent that he is willing to dish out with a smile...but not one everyone.
It's interesting that Hisoka often stays his hand in combat, and thus can become something of an anti-hero at times: someone you can't trust but that you need to win. This is all too evident on "Greed Island" when he fights alongside Gon and Killua to defeat Razor, but also flips around to help the Phantom Troupe find the Nen Exorcist to restore Chrollo's abilities so he can have his much-desired fight with the head of the Spider.
Hisoka, at his purest form, represents the utter chaos of the world and the unpredictability that awaits anyone willing to take steps beyond their comfort zone. He poses a nigh-insurmountable threat to Gon and yet has taught the young Hunter as much as Wing or Kite has to date.
Most times, the heroes of this battle-series genre are motivated by becoming stronger and fighting people stronger, or as strong as, themselves. Hunter x Hunter's heroes focus on becoming stronger not to fight greater foes but to reach their own personal goals: Gon in order to find his father and Killua to outgrow the shadow of his family. Instead, it's our villain, Hisoka, who resembles traits shared by characters like later-Goku and Natsu and Asta.
Hisoka, as a villain, is most terrifying when he serves as an indomitable pillar of power. When he asserts himself over Gon and Killua and shows the viewers that he is a tidal wave of (sometimes erotic) ferocity. While the first arc sees Hisoka as a tentpole of power, later arcs, like "Heaven's Arena" and the election arc show that he is a man with a ton of ability and malicious intent that he is willing to dish out with a smile...but not one everyone.
It's interesting that Hisoka often stays his hand in combat, and thus can become something of an anti-hero at times: someone you can't trust but that you need to win. This is all too evident on "Greed Island" when he fights alongside Gon and Killua to defeat Razor, but also flips around to help the Phantom Troupe find the Nen Exorcist to restore Chrollo's abilities so he can have his much-desired fight with the head of the Spider.
Hisoka, at his purest form, represents the utter chaos of the world and the unpredictability that awaits anyone willing to take steps beyond their comfort zone. He poses a nigh-insurmountable threat to Gon and yet has taught the young Hunter as much as Wing or Kite has to date.
THE PHANTOM TROUPE
I'll come clean and say that "Yorknew City" is my favorite arc of Hunter x Hunter and possibly of any Shonen battle-series to date. It's got excellent pacing, a magnificent story, and, in my opinion, the most compelling organized team of villains in the series with the Phantom Troupe. Their introduction throughout the series came with some horror behind it, but our introduction with them is, quite unexpectedly, without much darkness or dread. Instead, it's Machi healing up Hisoka. Nothing too threatening.
What makes the Phantom Troupe such a great group of villains is their unique qualities in relation to one another and their overall objectives. They, beyond any other group or person on this list, represent family. They bicker and fight and are ready to come to blows, but will stand up for one another to the very end. Chrollo's prophecy about losing half of his crew comes true both due to pride as well as their own sacrifice.
Even the most meat-headed among them, Uvogin, has a beautiful death scene that shows he is fully willing to die for the people that gave him a home. Pakunoda's sacrifice is quite the shock when it occurs, and then, of course, there's Chrollo himself, their leader and arguably the most badass character in Hunter x Hunter, but we'll get to him after we get through the rest of the troupe.
Sadly, I don't have a lot to say about each of the members of the troupe. Some don't leave quite as great an impression as Chrollo, Feitan, Shalnark, or Nobunaga. They're cool and have great designs, but don't offer much else. Narratively it was a good choice to have Machi as our gateway to the true Spider, as she hates Hisoka with a burning passion but her loyalty to the Troupe forces her to help him, and it's clear that, despite her apathetic disposition, she does care for the rest of the Troupe and for its overall safety.
Nobunaga comes to be the Troupe member that, on the surface, seems the most reasonable. He's the one that Gon and Killua spend the most amount of time with and come to, somewhat, empathize with, but he clearly isn't above killing the two. Nobunaga serves as an interesting second-in-command to Chrollo, since both are a bit reserved, but one has a sense of duty and another an estranged sense of honor and respect among the troupe.
The other Troupe members, like Shalnark or Shizuku, just come at a stark contrast of how we expect vile and dark villains to be, since they're a bit more aloof and playful. Unlike Uvogin, who fought with blood in his eyes, Sharlnark and Shizuku just seem to be doing what they do for the Boss's sake and little more. Glancing at them at the surface it would appear that they are just utter psychopaths who can murder with a smile on their face; while that is true, they also fight to protect their family, they fight with the promise and well-being that they have something they can return to when the day is done.
Feitan and Phinx pose as the most direct line of sight into how the Troupe truly operates. Getting to see Feitan let loose against the Chimera Ants in Meteor City revealed part of that, but the real glimpse into that is when they meet with Gon and Killua at the end of the arc and respectfully have a small conversation with them; rather than kill the two for their meddling, they keep their hands off, since Gon and Killua are no longer their business, and thus no longer a part of the job. The Troupe is a group of pure villains, yes, but not a group of unorganized, wild monsters. Just a group of organized monsters, all kept in check by the Boss, Chrollo.
Chrollo as a leader may not make much sense when you look at it at first glance and don't necessarily think about how the Troupe operates primarily as a family, not as a group of villains. Chrollo is a stoic, silent leader, which is exactly what the Troupe needs. If he were loud and bombastic then the Troupe would be as well, and they would be all over the place killing whoever they want whenever they want, rather than be quick, coordinated, and silent, as Chrollo is with everything he does. This is shown no better than when he loses his Nen and knows that he must go East. There's no panic, there's no hesitancy, he just knows where he has to go and what he has to do.
The stoicism is not what makes Chrollo so compelling, though: it's his willingness to do anything and everything he can to protect the Spider, the family he created and now leads. YouTuber Alecxander has an excellent video (link here) on Chrollo as a person and as a leader of the Phantom Troupe as a whole (check out that video here), and in it, he discusses the fact that Chrollo is nothing without the Troupe, implying he is nothing without family. That makes him a man with a fragile identity, right? Maybe not, if the identity of the Troupe is as statue as he makes it. It becomes something of a paradox, of a Shroedinger's Cat: If Chrollos does not exist, the Troupe does not exist, but if the Troupe does not exist, neither does Chrollo. So, what happens if Chrollo branches from the established ideals of the Troupe? Does it change, or does it go away? How does it's identity change?
These themes and questions are explored in other villains throughout the series but are presented primarily and strongest here, with the Phantom Troupe.
What makes the Phantom Troupe such a great group of villains is their unique qualities in relation to one another and their overall objectives. They, beyond any other group or person on this list, represent family. They bicker and fight and are ready to come to blows, but will stand up for one another to the very end. Chrollo's prophecy about losing half of his crew comes true both due to pride as well as their own sacrifice.
Even the most meat-headed among them, Uvogin, has a beautiful death scene that shows he is fully willing to die for the people that gave him a home. Pakunoda's sacrifice is quite the shock when it occurs, and then, of course, there's Chrollo himself, their leader and arguably the most badass character in Hunter x Hunter, but we'll get to him after we get through the rest of the troupe.
Sadly, I don't have a lot to say about each of the members of the troupe. Some don't leave quite as great an impression as Chrollo, Feitan, Shalnark, or Nobunaga. They're cool and have great designs, but don't offer much else. Narratively it was a good choice to have Machi as our gateway to the true Spider, as she hates Hisoka with a burning passion but her loyalty to the Troupe forces her to help him, and it's clear that, despite her apathetic disposition, she does care for the rest of the Troupe and for its overall safety.
Nobunaga comes to be the Troupe member that, on the surface, seems the most reasonable. He's the one that Gon and Killua spend the most amount of time with and come to, somewhat, empathize with, but he clearly isn't above killing the two. Nobunaga serves as an interesting second-in-command to Chrollo, since both are a bit reserved, but one has a sense of duty and another an estranged sense of honor and respect among the troupe.
The other Troupe members, like Shalnark or Shizuku, just come at a stark contrast of how we expect vile and dark villains to be, since they're a bit more aloof and playful. Unlike Uvogin, who fought with blood in his eyes, Sharlnark and Shizuku just seem to be doing what they do for the Boss's sake and little more. Glancing at them at the surface it would appear that they are just utter psychopaths who can murder with a smile on their face; while that is true, they also fight to protect their family, they fight with the promise and well-being that they have something they can return to when the day is done.
Feitan and Phinx pose as the most direct line of sight into how the Troupe truly operates. Getting to see Feitan let loose against the Chimera Ants in Meteor City revealed part of that, but the real glimpse into that is when they meet with Gon and Killua at the end of the arc and respectfully have a small conversation with them; rather than kill the two for their meddling, they keep their hands off, since Gon and Killua are no longer their business, and thus no longer a part of the job. The Troupe is a group of pure villains, yes, but not a group of unorganized, wild monsters. Just a group of organized monsters, all kept in check by the Boss, Chrollo.
Chrollo as a leader may not make much sense when you look at it at first glance and don't necessarily think about how the Troupe operates primarily as a family, not as a group of villains. Chrollo is a stoic, silent leader, which is exactly what the Troupe needs. If he were loud and bombastic then the Troupe would be as well, and they would be all over the place killing whoever they want whenever they want, rather than be quick, coordinated, and silent, as Chrollo is with everything he does. This is shown no better than when he loses his Nen and knows that he must go East. There's no panic, there's no hesitancy, he just knows where he has to go and what he has to do.
The stoicism is not what makes Chrollo so compelling, though: it's his willingness to do anything and everything he can to protect the Spider, the family he created and now leads. YouTuber Alecxander has an excellent video (link here) on Chrollo as a person and as a leader of the Phantom Troupe as a whole (check out that video here), and in it, he discusses the fact that Chrollo is nothing without the Troupe, implying he is nothing without family. That makes him a man with a fragile identity, right? Maybe not, if the identity of the Troupe is as statue as he makes it. It becomes something of a paradox, of a Shroedinger's Cat: If Chrollos does not exist, the Troupe does not exist, but if the Troupe does not exist, neither does Chrollo. So, what happens if Chrollo branches from the established ideals of the Troupe? Does it change, or does it go away? How does it's identity change?
These themes and questions are explored in other villains throughout the series but are presented primarily and strongest here, with the Phantom Troupe.
BOMBER SQUAD
These are probably the most forgettable group of villains in Hunter x Hunter and it comes at fault of having an excellent training arc for Gon and Killua, as well as the introduction of one of the shows greatest characters, Biscuit. Genthru and the Bomber Squad really only become relevant at the end despite their appearances throughout the arc. Genthru serves as little more than your standard villain who is out to do evil for evil's sake, mostly to stir up some chaos but serves as a good stepping stool for Gon moving forward into the Chimera Ant arc and the potential future of the series.
Genthru's willingness for murder just for his own sake is something we haven't seen since Hisoka, but this method and reasoning is different. Whereas Hisoka had dozens of chances to kill lesser opponents like Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika, he did not take them, because it's against his code. Genthru, to contrast that, becomes a bit predictable in murdering anyone in his path or that would potentially stand against him. This does not make him a lesser version of Hisoka, because Genthru, unlike Hisoka, exists to show Gon and Killua the dangers of Nen when it is in the hands of people who just don't care and are out to bring the world to its knees.
From a narrative standpoint, Genthru's fight with Gon also goes to show what lengths Gon is willing to go in order to defeat his opponents, something that would come to a major, horrifying head with the Chimera Ant material.
Genthru's willingness for murder just for his own sake is something we haven't seen since Hisoka, but this method and reasoning is different. Whereas Hisoka had dozens of chances to kill lesser opponents like Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika, he did not take them, because it's against his code. Genthru, to contrast that, becomes a bit predictable in murdering anyone in his path or that would potentially stand against him. This does not make him a lesser version of Hisoka, because Genthru, unlike Hisoka, exists to show Gon and Killua the dangers of Nen when it is in the hands of people who just don't care and are out to bring the world to its knees.
From a narrative standpoint, Genthru's fight with Gon also goes to show what lengths Gon is willing to go in order to defeat his opponents, something that would come to a major, horrifying head with the Chimera Ant material.
CHIMERA ANTS
This is the largest cast of villains in Hunter x Hunter and to discuss all of the dark, twisted Chimera Ants would take multiple, individualized blog posts, so, brevity is required in some places here.
The Captains and Squad Leaders are the ones of major concern here, as they stand at the proper tentpole of power that our heroes are at moving into the arc. Characters like Cheetu and Leol serve as proper placements for Morel, Gon, Killua, Shoot, and Knuckle as they head into the fight against the Chimera Ants. While they have some flashy personalities, like the aforementioned Leol and Cheetu, they don't quite have the standout ability that the higher-up characters do. The far more interesting Chimera Ants, Ikalgo, Meleoron, and Welfin, all eventually have admirable, good qualities to them.
One of the Ants that don't necessarily get a lot of attention, for whatever reason, is the Chimera Ant Queen mother, the one who starts this whole mess. She is an unrequited murderer, one who enjoys the pain and suffering of animals and humans for the sake of her children. She feeds the King not only the idea that he is the strongest being on the planet (although, she's not wrong) but also that he is the most special being there is. Without her influence, perhaps Meruem's turn to the side of humanity would have happened a lot sooner, but we'll get to him a bit later.
The early bits of the Chimera Ant arc, where we meet the soldiers and captains and so on, don't do much in the way of character development for the ants, and it isn't until the death of the queen and birth of Meruem that we see their true humanity begin to peak, as they discover their Nen abilities and feel heartache and worry for both their lives and their kingdom that, in their eyes, is crumbling. It is an interesting turn for so many to flee and try and spread their influence around the world, as we see in Meteor City, but as I said, those Ants aren't too complex of characters.
Where the brunt of their villain stems from is with the four major ants: Pitou, Youpi, Pouf, and Meruem. Pitou and Meruem are arguably the most well-known due to their interactions with Gon, Killua, and the narrative of the story, but Youpi and Pouf can certainly make a case for themselves.
It's interesting that Youpi would be the one not discussed quite as much as its counterparts in Pitou and Pouf, since he is the one that comes closest to understanding the concepts of honor in battle and honor among enemies. Pouf is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that his enemies are defeated and Pitou, as we see in all of her physical confrontations, is deceptively fast and sneaky. Youpi, perhaps due to his lack of much intelligence, often charges straight into battle, but one of the most interesting character turns is when he decides to spare Knuckle during their battle due to some sort of kinship he feels between himself and the Hunter.
Youpi's humanity turn is the one that feels not the most genuine but the most like that of a warrior, and he fully embraces it. Pitou doesn't necessarily have all that much of humanity personified in her, instead, she is the most animalistic and primal.
From her initial appearance in cutting down Kite in combat quite easily to her final moments where her body reacts on an instinctual level to defend the King, Pitou proves to be a ferocious animal that is not above defending her kin and those that she needs to. Her most interesting and complex moment comes when Gon has threatened little Komugi's life and Pitou breaks her own arm for the sake of proving herself. At that moment, it's arguable that her moral compass has expanded beyond that of Gon, our main hero and protagonist. Some may argue that's her showing her humanity, but it's rather clear that she wants to protect the weak of her pack.
Pouf presents the most villainous traits of the lot throughout the arc. While Meruem is clearly a source of unmitigated evil when the Royal Guard introduce him to the world beyond the colony, he eventually develops a sense of righteousness so strong that it makes it unclear who the real villain is in his fight with Netero at times (again, more on that coming up). Pouf, eventually, becomes the primary villain of the arc in how desperately he tries to kill Komugi and keep the King from remembering his name and his identity as a more just, understanding ruler, the one that developed from his constant Gungi matches against Komugi.
On initial viewing, it's quite easy to see Pouf as the most annoying of the Royal Guard due to his incessant droning on about how much he loves the King, but this becomes his most evil, despicable, and most compelling trait. Pouf is nothing with the King, but he must become everything for the sake of hte King, not for the will of the Chimera Ants. His narrow-minded devotion to the King presents him as a character with no end of compassion but yet no end of malice, either.
Aleczxander has another great video highlighting the three members of the Royal Guard (link here) that touches upon each Ant briefly and highlights their human sides and how they can be a bit more sympathetic.
Now, for the big guy: the Chimera Ant King Meruem. Meruem's character journey serves as an excellent counter-piece to Gon's, something that almost everything who has analyzed Hunter x Hunter has made point of, so it'd be a waste of time to go on about it some more. As a villain, though, Meruem presents so many varying points of view throughout the series as he is still a being that has no sense of identity beyond the initial thirst for power and dominance that, up until he remembers all that he ever wanted, he cannot avoid.
Meruem's extermination of his loyal ants, of his mother, and constant threats of death against the Royal Guard paint him as a being without boundaries. Physically, it's probably that Meruem will be one of the most imposing figures we see. He was never meant to be defeated in physical combat from a narrative standpoint. His battle with Netero proved that much, and the series gave foreshadowings of that as it displayed the hopeless situation that was the Hunters' plight against his stronghold. Meruem serves as the ultimate pinnacle of power and never ceases to be physically terrifying, even for his own people.
So it's the fact that his mind is so much more superior to his muscle that makes him all the more intriguing to watch and analyze. Again, most of this is shown in his fight with Netero, so this is something that will need to be discussed in a later post, but in short, Meruem expresses both his darkest and lightest sides in that fight: he refuses to back down from the death of several million people for his own gain, but also wants to speak with Netero, finally having someone worthy not of fighting, but of discussing life and humanity with.
None of this, though, ever excuses the horrors he commits when he first enters the scene. He murders children and easily slaughters everyone in his path. Meruem is a monster but is not without a moral compass. His ultimate death comes with such an emotional gut punch because it was the very thing that he'd been learning to discover, humanity, that led to his downfall. The darkness and cruelty of humanity killed a being who was just learning what it meant to become human. Meruem experienced the far extremes of what we are as a species: a primal hunter with a thirst for more food to satiate his needs, and a loving and compassionate leader and friend. He expresses rage and extreme empathy toward his Royal Guard.
The story of Meruem is not ultimately reflective of the rest of the Chimera Ants, but rather a story of human potential, both for ill and for good. The Chimera Ants are, collectively, the series's most compelling group of villains, but due to their unorganized nature, one could argue that the Phantom Troupe has more intrigue and mystique about them.
The Captains and Squad Leaders are the ones of major concern here, as they stand at the proper tentpole of power that our heroes are at moving into the arc. Characters like Cheetu and Leol serve as proper placements for Morel, Gon, Killua, Shoot, and Knuckle as they head into the fight against the Chimera Ants. While they have some flashy personalities, like the aforementioned Leol and Cheetu, they don't quite have the standout ability that the higher-up characters do. The far more interesting Chimera Ants, Ikalgo, Meleoron, and Welfin, all eventually have admirable, good qualities to them.
One of the Ants that don't necessarily get a lot of attention, for whatever reason, is the Chimera Ant Queen mother, the one who starts this whole mess. She is an unrequited murderer, one who enjoys the pain and suffering of animals and humans for the sake of her children. She feeds the King not only the idea that he is the strongest being on the planet (although, she's not wrong) but also that he is the most special being there is. Without her influence, perhaps Meruem's turn to the side of humanity would have happened a lot sooner, but we'll get to him a bit later.
The early bits of the Chimera Ant arc, where we meet the soldiers and captains and so on, don't do much in the way of character development for the ants, and it isn't until the death of the queen and birth of Meruem that we see their true humanity begin to peak, as they discover their Nen abilities and feel heartache and worry for both their lives and their kingdom that, in their eyes, is crumbling. It is an interesting turn for so many to flee and try and spread their influence around the world, as we see in Meteor City, but as I said, those Ants aren't too complex of characters.
Where the brunt of their villain stems from is with the four major ants: Pitou, Youpi, Pouf, and Meruem. Pitou and Meruem are arguably the most well-known due to their interactions with Gon, Killua, and the narrative of the story, but Youpi and Pouf can certainly make a case for themselves.
It's interesting that Youpi would be the one not discussed quite as much as its counterparts in Pitou and Pouf, since he is the one that comes closest to understanding the concepts of honor in battle and honor among enemies. Pouf is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that his enemies are defeated and Pitou, as we see in all of her physical confrontations, is deceptively fast and sneaky. Youpi, perhaps due to his lack of much intelligence, often charges straight into battle, but one of the most interesting character turns is when he decides to spare Knuckle during their battle due to some sort of kinship he feels between himself and the Hunter.
Youpi's humanity turn is the one that feels not the most genuine but the most like that of a warrior, and he fully embraces it. Pitou doesn't necessarily have all that much of humanity personified in her, instead, she is the most animalistic and primal.
From her initial appearance in cutting down Kite in combat quite easily to her final moments where her body reacts on an instinctual level to defend the King, Pitou proves to be a ferocious animal that is not above defending her kin and those that she needs to. Her most interesting and complex moment comes when Gon has threatened little Komugi's life and Pitou breaks her own arm for the sake of proving herself. At that moment, it's arguable that her moral compass has expanded beyond that of Gon, our main hero and protagonist. Some may argue that's her showing her humanity, but it's rather clear that she wants to protect the weak of her pack.
Pouf presents the most villainous traits of the lot throughout the arc. While Meruem is clearly a source of unmitigated evil when the Royal Guard introduce him to the world beyond the colony, he eventually develops a sense of righteousness so strong that it makes it unclear who the real villain is in his fight with Netero at times (again, more on that coming up). Pouf, eventually, becomes the primary villain of the arc in how desperately he tries to kill Komugi and keep the King from remembering his name and his identity as a more just, understanding ruler, the one that developed from his constant Gungi matches against Komugi.
On initial viewing, it's quite easy to see Pouf as the most annoying of the Royal Guard due to his incessant droning on about how much he loves the King, but this becomes his most evil, despicable, and most compelling trait. Pouf is nothing with the King, but he must become everything for the sake of hte King, not for the will of the Chimera Ants. His narrow-minded devotion to the King presents him as a character with no end of compassion but yet no end of malice, either.
Aleczxander has another great video highlighting the three members of the Royal Guard (link here) that touches upon each Ant briefly and highlights their human sides and how they can be a bit more sympathetic.
Now, for the big guy: the Chimera Ant King Meruem. Meruem's character journey serves as an excellent counter-piece to Gon's, something that almost everything who has analyzed Hunter x Hunter has made point of, so it'd be a waste of time to go on about it some more. As a villain, though, Meruem presents so many varying points of view throughout the series as he is still a being that has no sense of identity beyond the initial thirst for power and dominance that, up until he remembers all that he ever wanted, he cannot avoid.
Meruem's extermination of his loyal ants, of his mother, and constant threats of death against the Royal Guard paint him as a being without boundaries. Physically, it's probably that Meruem will be one of the most imposing figures we see. He was never meant to be defeated in physical combat from a narrative standpoint. His battle with Netero proved that much, and the series gave foreshadowings of that as it displayed the hopeless situation that was the Hunters' plight against his stronghold. Meruem serves as the ultimate pinnacle of power and never ceases to be physically terrifying, even for his own people.
So it's the fact that his mind is so much more superior to his muscle that makes him all the more intriguing to watch and analyze. Again, most of this is shown in his fight with Netero, so this is something that will need to be discussed in a later post, but in short, Meruem expresses both his darkest and lightest sides in that fight: he refuses to back down from the death of several million people for his own gain, but also wants to speak with Netero, finally having someone worthy not of fighting, but of discussing life and humanity with.
None of this, though, ever excuses the horrors he commits when he first enters the scene. He murders children and easily slaughters everyone in his path. Meruem is a monster but is not without a moral compass. His ultimate death comes with such an emotional gut punch because it was the very thing that he'd been learning to discover, humanity, that led to his downfall. The darkness and cruelty of humanity killed a being who was just learning what it meant to become human. Meruem experienced the far extremes of what we are as a species: a primal hunter with a thirst for more food to satiate his needs, and a loving and compassionate leader and friend. He expresses rage and extreme empathy toward his Royal Guard.
The story of Meruem is not ultimately reflective of the rest of the Chimera Ants, but rather a story of human potential, both for ill and for good. The Chimera Ants are, collectively, the series's most compelling group of villains, but due to their unorganized nature, one could argue that the Phantom Troupe has more intrigue and mystique about them.
ILLUMI ZOLDYCK
Illumi really only becomes relevant in the final arc of the anime, and becomes the last major villain we see besides the return of Chrollo in the manga, but leaves quite the impression. He leaves much to be learned in terms of where he ranks in power (having just come off a perplexing power-scaling with the Chimera Ants and being unclear where Killua ranks among others) but his imposing nature is what makes him most threatening.
Unlike other villains such as Genthru or the Royal Guard that are physically insurmountable from the outset, Illumi presents himself as a threat to who Killua is and wants to be. There's never any doubt that if he wanted, Illumi could kill Killua on the spot. What makes Illumi so perplexing, then, is how he interacts with Killua on a strategic level. He cannot kill Killua because of what Killua knows, and yet cannot let Killua live because of what Killua knows.
While it may sound that Illumi is only interesting due to his relationship to Killua, this is not the case at all. Illumi represents the stoic and well-behaved nature of the Zoldyck family seen in everyone but Killua's closest older brother. His mother, father, grandfather, and sister are all well-mannered, powerful, quiet, and have such a murderous intent that it may be impossible to stop them unless you are someone of Chrollo or Meruem's level. Illumi encompasses this and yet becomes all the more terrifying as it remains unclear what his power ceiling is. With Zero and Killua's father, we know they are capable of defeating Chrollo and of defeating Chimera Ant Captains with ease in a single blow, and possibly defeating one of the Royal Guard with ease. Can Illumi do the same?
Illumi as a mystery seems a bit more interesting than Illumi as a character, for as a mysterious he is malicious but quiet; he is cold and threatening, but still understanding to some extent.
Unlike other villains such as Genthru or the Royal Guard that are physically insurmountable from the outset, Illumi presents himself as a threat to who Killua is and wants to be. There's never any doubt that if he wanted, Illumi could kill Killua on the spot. What makes Illumi so perplexing, then, is how he interacts with Killua on a strategic level. He cannot kill Killua because of what Killua knows, and yet cannot let Killua live because of what Killua knows.
While it may sound that Illumi is only interesting due to his relationship to Killua, this is not the case at all. Illumi represents the stoic and well-behaved nature of the Zoldyck family seen in everyone but Killua's closest older brother. His mother, father, grandfather, and sister are all well-mannered, powerful, quiet, and have such a murderous intent that it may be impossible to stop them unless you are someone of Chrollo or Meruem's level. Illumi encompasses this and yet becomes all the more terrifying as it remains unclear what his power ceiling is. With Zero and Killua's father, we know they are capable of defeating Chrollo and of defeating Chimera Ant Captains with ease in a single blow, and possibly defeating one of the Royal Guard with ease. Can Illumi do the same?
Illumi as a mystery seems a bit more interesting than Illumi as a character, for as a mysterious he is malicious but quiet; he is cold and threatening, but still understanding to some extent.
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Each of the villains of Hunter x Hunter play unique and compelling roles in the story at hand to create one of the widest spectrums of villainy seen in anime. No two villains are the same, even if they share similar traits. Hisoka and Illumi get along only to the point where their ideals of who to kill and not kill come into conflict; the Royal Guard all serve the same purpose, but if one were to come in the way of their definition of "bettering the King" then they would kill one another without a second thought.
Some villains are stoic, some are boisterous, some are sympathetic, some are absolute evil incarnate. And some are hyper-erotic clowns. No matter what way you twist it, Hunter x Hunter has a villain that will definitely send chills down your spine.
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