Chimera Ant: Mom Pick Me Up, I'm Scared [Hunter x Hunter] 

Merphy started reading Chimera Ant & Togashi said "I gotta come back to finish" we baaaack 🔥🔥

coming from one piece and saying "nah, too weird" is saying something 😂

Cool part about Colt is that he remembers Reina(queen in Spanish). So his loyalty transfered from queen to queen

Merphy reading The Chimera Ant Arc and Memories of Ice at the same time is either the bravest thing i’ve ever seen or the dumbest

Merphy is the one true prophet. She catches up to One Piece and the biggest reveals happens. She begins HxH, it returns

I don't think Bisky underestimated killua's loyalty to Gon, or that she thought Killua would literally choose to leave Gon to die to save himself You gotta keep in mind the rest of Bisky's assessment before she said that, she points out that a weakness Killua has, is that once he assesses someone as "stronger" he also assumes that everyone is batting at 100%, 100% of the time, which isnt true for anyone..and the lesson she was trying to teach him was that if he fought stronger enemies with the same brutal efficiency as he did weaker enemies his chances of survival would be alot higher than he expects, because strength alone isnt the deciding factor in most fights So to me, she made the assessment that there would come a day where Gon would dig in his heels and refuse to run, and Killua's flight nature could become a distraction that could cause Gon to die in fight he had a chance of winning if he fought to win instead of trying to drag Gon away even if the enemy was stronger Which this last fight proved what bisky was saying, once Killua removed his brother's hypnotic needle and he stopped trying to escape.. it was over for Ramon because now Killua is trying to win, even though on a scale Ramon is "stronger", Killua is a far better fighter and grabbed the W pretty easily once he decided to fight with the same efficiency as he would a weaker foe I don't think she was "wrong", but I do believe she chose her words deliberately because she truely understood Killua's loyalty to Gon and knew Killua would latch onto those words, and since its a thought at the forefront of Killua's mind he has 2 options, either work to overcome it (which has become easier with the needle removal ) or stay out of Gon's way That was my take on it

I have to say, I love the introduction of Knuckle’s nen ability. The contrast between this super straightforward and upfront guy, and his ridiculously complicated nen ability that takes multiple panels to even try to explain will never not be funny (especially with Gon’s reaction to the explanation)

I always interpreted the ants disobedience as stemming from their human side. Humans are more individualistic and have their own goals, thus being less ant-like which are traditionally like the gold standard for living creatures working together.

I don't know if you will mention it, but i think the concept of ants, wich are collective creatures who do everything for the well being of the queen and the colony being corrupted and becoming individualisct when they merge with humans is GENIOUS. They became enemies of the humans when they gained humanity.

Hell yes. TEAM KNUCKLE >:D

And thus we begin what I can only describe as not just the single best arc in HxH but one of the greatest arcs in all of manga. As good as everything was before this point, it's the Chimera Ant arc that cements HxH as a classic IMO.

Many of the fans didn't appreciate kites value just, because madhouse decided to exclude kite from 1st episode of 2011 version. If luffy has shanks, gon has kite. That's why gon cared so much, because kite is the one who told him about his father, and kite is the reason about gon curiosity of his father being a hunter.

In defense of Biscuit’s analysis I believe she’s realizing that Gon might put Killua in a situation where he can’t just pick him and flee like what happened with Pitou and Killua will have to choose between staying by Gon’s side or saving himself She’s not doubting Killua’s loyalty but saying that circumstances will be different one day and questioning if he can stay by Gon’s side when he can’t make him leave

The way Togashi is able to discuss war, animal cruelty, dictatorships with its despicable rulers (Diego) and coward servants (Bizef), the duality of how someone can blindly get absorbed with hate but also feel saved through love, it's truly amazing. Not only that, but his iventiveness of how he connects panels in some page are unique, as also how easily he can draw characters in any pose and angle he wants. Since Heavens Arena, he takes his time to devolop Nen every arc but still following the original rules he created. In this arc, like the others, he just doesn't develop a little further, but creates unique impressive scenes that are ONLY played that way due to Nen understanding (Like the infiltration and invasion scene, for example). If it was just that, it would be an amazing arc already. But how he connects everypiece naturally from the start to the payoffs it gets in the middle and the climax are simply superb. I highly encorauge everyone who appreciate manga and comics in general as an art form (not only as an appendice of animation) to try reading Hunter x Hunter. And if you had, I beg you to reread this arc through the volumes, without long hiatuses. It's definetily one of the great sagas of comics.

Knuckle's ability is so interesting, and reflects so much of his character: it puts an handicap on him against every foe because he "lends" his Nen to them, its really elaborate which reveal his intelligence despite his demeanor, and its ultimate goal is to render someone powerless rather than kill him. Also a small correction: Cheetu is not forced in a state of Zetsu for 30 days because he didn't hit Bankruptcy, but since he can't get rid of it he can always be tracked by Knuckle.

The thing about what Bisky says about Killua's family, is on a fucked up level she is actually right, yes they torture and manipulate and gaslight Killua, but believe it or not they do do it out of love, it's an incredibly twisted love that is barely recognizable as such to most people but from their perspective they do very much love him and do not want him to die.

If I remember right, the Threat level thing is just meant for normal Chimera Ants, not this unprecedented case of humanoid monstrosities, more like the "Potential" to be dangerous for the normal Ants. The threat level also doesn't reflect the strength of individuals, so I don't think anyone in their right mind would look at the king and say "Yeah, he's like a "B"."

00:00:00 ⟾ Intro - ‘The Technical Troubles of Merphy’ 00:00:11 ⟾ Format - Part 1 of 3 00:00:35 ⟾ Characters - Chimera Ants 00:01:11 ⟾ Chimera Ants - Chimera Ant Queen: reproduction 00:02:17 ⟾ Chimera Ants - Colt: origins, loyalty, memories 00:03:29 ⟾ Chimera Ants - violent-detached nature, job 00:05:00 ⟾ Characters - Kite: previously, care for Gon-Killua, vs. Rammot*, setting tone, advice 00:07:25 ⟾ First Kill - Gon, Killua, Kurapika (shovel) 00:09:45 ⟾ Gon vs. Rammot* - introducing Nen to Chimera Ants 00:10:27 ⟾ Characters - Gon: foreshadowing 00:11:27 ⟾ Sense of Dread - Neferpitou, Pokkle 00:13:05 ⟾ Fights - Kite vs. Neferpitou: arm, escape, Gon/Killua, Biscuit comparison {Out-of-Context: Merphy expresses unreasonable anger towards biscuits} 00:15:37 ⟾ Gon-Killua Strength, Kite’s purpose 00:17:17 ⟾ Plot - Gon naivete, Kite vs. Neferpitou conclusion {cat plays with a kite}, Neferpitou ability 00:18:27 ⟾ Plot - Netero, Morel, Knov, Knuckle, Shoot 00:18:59 ⟾ Characters - Knuckle: passion, dogs, reasoning 00:20:37 ⟾ Characters - Shoot: timid, pairings 00:20:52 ⟾ Characters - Palm: warnings, romance 00:21:34 ⟾ Characters - Gyro: flashback 00:21:50 ⟾ Fights - Gon vs. Knuckle: training, abilities, inexperience 00:24:21 ⟾ Fights - Killa vs. Biscuit: training, tendency to flee, leaving Gon to die? {hysterical rant} 00:28:57 ⟾ Plot - Gon bankrupt {hysterics continue} 00:29:26 ⟾ Characters - Meruem: birth, attitude 00:30:20 ⟾ Plot - Colt: loyalty, Chimera Ant Queen, white flag, arc structure, Royal Guard 00:33:01 ⟾ Characters - Gon/Killua: staying behind, weakness 00:34:04 ⟾ Plot - Chimera Ant Queen, Meruem, tiny baby, Morel 00:35:39 ⟾ Characters - Meruem: philosophy, strength increase 00:38:42 ⟾ Plot - Kite {on strings}, Gon optimistic, Palm date 00:39:18 ⟾ Characters - Killua: vs. Rammot*, Illumi needle, Killua’s will, Zoldyck family 00:42:32 ⟾ Characters - Killua: needle scene 00:43:54 ⟾ Fights - Knuckle-Morel vs. Cheetu: speed, bankrupt 00:44:36 ⟾ Plot - Kite {on strings}, Gon, Killua, Neferpitou 00:45:50 ⟾ Plot - Gon strength display 00:47:30 ⟾ Overall - dread, love, hate 00:47:54 ⟾ Schedule - back to back 00:48:24 ⟾ [Promo] [Credits] ☕

Killuah's reaction to the needle in his head was just pure relief. He wasn't that soulless monster that would abandon Gon, his feelings were genuine and the voices that tell him to run were not his.

Oh you thought it was weird that we finally got ANTagonists?

One of my favourite things about the Chimera Ant Arc is how it uses the trope of "Humanity is contagious" in both a positive and negative way. The Chimera Ants in the wild are violent and dangerous, but essentially neutral and just doing what animals do. Once they gained human intelligence and emotions though...

On the Biski thing, I'd say you have to take into account that Kite was there so it was possible for Kilua to knock Gon out. I think Biski was more so talking about scenario where Kilua has to choose between himself and Gon, he'd pick himself. The situation in this instance was do we all 3 die or do me and Gon escape. I think it would've been very different had kite not been there tbh

I'm just waiting for the day when Merphy opens with no visuals & the first thing we hear is, "Hey guys, I only remembered to record audio today."

We need to find the subscriber who got Merphy into manga because she’s gotta be one of the best things that has happened to the community. First One Piece, now Hunter. And the content is just so well said and dissected. Great job Merphy and thank you commenter that got her into manga. 🤝

In the Greed Island arc, you mentioned that Biscuit had a dangling plot thread of destroying Killua and Gon's friendship.... well, she just fulfilled that promise :)

Togashi’s comeback and Merphy reviewing the chimera ant arc means HxH fans are eating good. (Also this arc has the ‘Kingdom of predators’ ost in the anime and I highly recommend people who read the manga listen to it)

The Chimera Ant arc is still my favorit HxH arc. It has great themes of duality later on as well as raising the question what makes one human. I'm really interested to see your takes on the later portions of it.

30:28 I really love this scene because I feel like you can look at it from 2 different view points. When Colt begs Pitou to use their ability on the queen Pitou tells him, “I only used my ability to heal that man for my own reasons. Now that the king is born, we don’t need that *‘thing’* anymore.” It’s stated that once the king is born, the Royal guard ants take their loyalty to the queen and transfer it to the king. So it makes you ask, “Did Pitou do this because they’re just THAT cold and unfeeling, or did Pitou do it because despite having human traits and interests, their behavior is heavily rooted in biological responsibility/destiny?”

So I see that everyone is of the opinion that Merphy somehow persuaded Togashi to come back with her reviews too

The thing about Gon's powerful "Rock, Paper, Scissor"-Attaks is that it's still following the rules of Nen. He made the decision to power-up slowly and to call the name of the attack slowly. Therefore, because of this tactical weakness/risk, the attack is so much more powerful.

As someone who was a HxH fan before I was a OP fan, I went into One Piece with the Chimera Ant arc as my very high bar for shonen storytelling. Still my favorite HxH arc to this day!

World-building wise, Chimera Ants also show why Nen is kept secret from the general population.

Murphy Monday’s? Yes please. I couldn’t wait for you to get to the Chimera Ants. Its looong but I wanted to hear your thoughts on it. Also I truly love your Brooks/Laboon video. Your Binks Sake gets me so emotional.

I understand your point of Killua not leaving Gon when Kite told them to run. But I still think that if KIte was not there to distract Pitou, Killua would have run alone and that is exactly what Bisky was saying.

To be fair, when Kite classified the Chimera Ants as "Threat Level B" I imagine he was talking about the regular Chimera ants, before they got their mandibles in human flesh, before they dipped their toes in the secrets of Nen. Once that happened though... I imagine the threat level would've *shot up,*

The terror this arc has at the start is real! The Scene when the boy tries to defend his sister was the when I knew I was ut was darker than york new

this is my favorite arc in all of manga history

I dont think Bisky missed the mark at all. I think she said the perfect words to motivate Killua to self-reflect. Which he had to do, he had to go really deep into himself to find his answer. So actually I believe, Killua is the one who came to the wrong conclusion. It is fair to say that Bisky might have been able to phrase it differently. But no alternate phrasing would have been as effective for Killua.

When Pitou was dissecting that guys brain is when I started to feel the real darkness and evil behind this arc. It’s so brilliant through and through.

Been waiting for Merphy to finally get here. This is the "Marineford arc" of Hunter x Hunter

It's really fun to see Merphy so passionate about Killua's character

The Ant King is written so well, I found a new respect for HxH

Gyro's episode is one of the most intense and captivating character moments in the HxH anime!

Actually I am more disturbed by Palm than some of the Chimera Ants lol. I know she doesn't have pure evil intentions to the boys depending on her mood but it is still weird to see her around them hahaha.

The fact alone that Killua says Pitou is way stronger than Hisoka, Illumi & even Netero shows how hopeless this situation is.

I belive it was explained in some Q&A that B rank was for normal Chimera Ants with just insect DNA While Human ant is instant A rank

my favorite scene in this part of the arc has to be when Killua tells Gon that he is Light, and sometimes he shines so brightly Killua has to look away. MAKES MY COLD DEAD HEART MELT

Low-key I always read Knuckle's ability as him being a Yakuza; forcing people into bad loans and then extorting them

Killua might have abandoned Gon if he did not deduce that Pitou was focused on Kite. He thinks to himself Pitou judged them weaker than a 1 armed Kite. So he had time to make a judgement call. Gon says the very first time he meets Knuckle that he can't bulldoze through situations with Willpower anymore.

She wasnt wrong. Shes right. Killua was only knocking out Gon because he had the time to do it. If kite wasnt there. Killua would be gone and Gon would be dead

I really love the chimera ant arc. My favorite part of this section is the part where killua calls gon his light. It’s so sweet and it has a dual meaning. it both acknowledges how highly he views gon and (unfortunately😭) it’s killua’s first acknowledgment that like the sun blinding you from what’s around you, gon can blind him from the truth. But despite that he still wants to stay by his side.

Idk if this was in the manga or not, but the scene where Gon wakes up and they have their heart to heart and Killiua says Gon is too bright for him. That scene is hit different in so many ways.

Bisku was right though in my opinion , I think you saw it as her questioning his loyalty to gon but that wasn't it killua is as loyal as one can be but his upbringing and the things that his family has done has sharpened his survival instinct to its max and when faced by an overwhelming force he will flee cause his body doesn't give him any options it's a reflex and had bisky not addressed it there's a good chance it might have happened in the future so as you pointed it out yourself it was an act of tough love on her part but the way killua interpreted it wasn't the way she had meant , that isn't killua's fault either

Fun fact: "Reina" (Colt's sister) means "Queen" in spanish.

Rammot is part rabbit and bird, so when they felt Killua's bloodlust he imagined he was being hunted by a snake (That sometimes eat rabbits and birds)

Something I really love from this arc is the subversion of plot expectations. When there was the factor of deciding whether Killua and Gon can go to fight the ants, I thought from the start we were following the standard shounen plot of "they will overcome their obstacles and be chosen to go." The fact that they ended up *not* being chosen to go and that they both lost was really great

Little correction for the fight between knuckle Morel and the cheetah ant is that knuckles banker power didn't fully activate as It stops acruing interest once it's outside a certain range from knuckle though it does tell knuckle where cheetu is

as someone who was read HxH multiple times, your analysis is great as it makes me notice stuff i didnt notice before

I know merphy stated that she is not a TV kind of person before but man i really hope she checks out some of the episodes from this arc its so top tier it elevates the material and the jp voice acting is incredible.

One of the greatest arcs in al of manga history! This long video is a treat for us and you are in for a treat with the rest of this arc!

Oh, you're up for an emotional roller-coaster. Chimera Ants is one of the best arcs not just in HxH but in shonen. Period.

Fantastic analysis as always. Once you get to the final part, one thing that is not talked about a lot that I'd like for you to note is how good the art gets in the climax of the arc. It's where Togashi shines the most as an artist in the entire series. The paneling, the page composition, the double pages, the imagery and symbolism.. it's all absolutely beautiful. Most people experienced the arc through the anime and have this erroneous idea that the art in the manga is bad. But you're about to see it for yourself, and if you agree with me, please point out how good the art is. Thank you for covering Hunter x Hunter.

Yesss, this is exactly what I needed to watch while I do my work, thank you for the content Miss

You’re an amazing reader. You pick up on things on your first read through that I have never thought about.

I love the chimera ant arc so much, there's so many scenes and characters and developments yet to come that I can't wait to hear Merphy's thoughts on!

It can't be a coincidence that togashi came back when you started reviewing Hunter.

I'm so happy you're enjoying the arc so far, I love how you're emphasizing the horror and what you're noting about the characters.

This arc has so much going on under the surface and so much good emotional content. I can't wait to see your reactions to later bits (especially the last third).

I love that you're excited to see more of the King! The one character in this arc I'm confident Togashi won't disappoint you with

Well, Bisky WAS right. She saw that there was this internal fight within Killua and she said: If you lose this fight for your intrusives thoughts, IF, something bad could happen. I dont think that she ever thought that his love for Gon was weaker, she never thought that Killua was gonna break, I think that she just wanted to make him overcome his demons sooner. And I mean, she WAS right, if Killua didnt found the needle, he would have died and leave Gon unprotected

I envy you going through this arc for the first time. I really do. This arc is definitely one I wish I could forget and experience all over again.

I actually think Biscuit’s deduction regarding why Killua’s family trained him to run if he thinks the opponent is stronger is spot on. I’m not sure how it’s phrased in the manga, but in the anime, it’s described as a form of twisted or perverted love. It’s “love” for the sake of the person doing the “loving”, not the person receiving it. Killua was trained to run because he’s meant to be the next head of the family, and is entire family is obsessed with grooming him into that role, so they don’t want him dying before that can happen. The Zoldyck’s trained him this way because they think that’s what’s best for him. That’s their form of “love”, which also so happens to include beatings and torture.

So excited to see you learn more and talk about poof what a crazy character 😂

Merphy, I'm excited for you. Because the king is the best shounen antagonist ever! His development through the arc is just magnificent. Have fun!

Conversely I enjoy Killua's Dad making the promise that he wouldn't run away from his friends connecting to Killua's growth like a prophecy.

You will love this arc so much! Imo, this is by far the best (completed) arc of HxH and ranks pretty high up (all time) among arcs from other shounen mangas. The plot twists, foreshadowing, character building, and the overarching sociopolitical, philosophical and moral aspects imbued in this arc makes this a masterpiece writing of contemporary relevance. Yoshihiro Togashi is truly a great mangaka.

You have to take in account that Kite was holding off pitou during their encounter and if he wasnt there, I would not be 100% sure that Killua wouldnt have abandoned him - Later you will see after that arc you'll see something that (i think) confirms this.

8:24-8:44 We've seen Gon getting angry at the fact that the bombers were killing innocent people in Greed island, and how he was against killing players and stealing cards by force, even though if he just did that it would've benefited him and would've made beating the game easier. But you never highlighted that when you covered Greed Island. Also you seem to forget that Gon is a jungle boy who's been exposed to how brutal nature is, where the strong eats the weak, from a very young age. That's why the Hunter exam wasn't any different to him, if anything unlike the animals in the wild the people who took the exam knew the risks and consented to it. I honestly feel that your reading of Gon's character thus far has been extremely one-sided.

I can't thank RU-vid enough for recommending this video for me, great review/analysis!

I love your investment into the worlds and characters you read. Gives the impression that you're really there and lost into what you love when you're reading

“I’m loving it but I’m dreading reading on” perfectly encapsulates this arc. XD

Killua's family DOES love him. In their own special way. Yes they're awful people, but to say they don't care for Killua is absolutely incorrect.

I remember really liking the scene where Morel starts crying and swears to protect Colt because Morel is Knuckle mentor and they both are tough looking guys that are complete softies underneath. It just took a bit longer for Morel to reveal himself.

Merphy! You are magic ma’am! Your excitement for the series brought Togashi back 😂💚 But on a serious note I love your analysis of HxH and I think the tone of Chimera Ant arc is haunting and thrilling all in one. It’s definitely a high point for the series & if you get a chance to watch I think they animated some of the fights really beautifully.

8:50 "...He brought a shovel to the fight, he KNEW he was burying a bodying that day!" That's such a gangsta way to put it. 10/10 review

You really want to watch Chimera Ant arc as anime if you have the opportunity. The music and narration makes it so powerful, you will not regret it.

I think Killua was talking about Pitou's reaction when he said "Both of us together, we're less than one-armed Kite" At least that's how it came out in the anime, because I think he also remarks that Pitou didn't give chase

@42:18 the snake thing is commonly used in manga where an exaggerated image, often a predator or a larger demonic shadow of themselves, will appear behind a character to imply killing intent, and/or to show in visual metaphor how the target feels weak, afraid, and feels deeply like they are no longer a combatant, but simply helpless prey.

I love the chimera ants arc, it is my favorite manga arc along with Water7/enies lobby, im very excited for the next videos By the way Merphy, you are so powerful that your videos summoned Togashi and he is actually posting updates on twitter after 3 years of dead silence lol

So many emotions. I watched this during Quarantine & I immediately rewatched it with my uncle. One of the odd changes between the manga & the adaptation, is Kite wasn't introduced until the Chimera Ant Arc but he still ended up being very important to me

Merphy you are so lucky to have just started the series recently, the author just returned after almost a four year hiatus. Also I'll be looking forward to your reactions by the end of this arc, it is definitely one of the most lauded arc in the series

I've been waiting for this for a while. It's so exciting to see you finally reading through Chimera Ant Arc. This arc is not only one of the best arcs of the series, but also heralds a bit of a shift in the structure and focus of the story after it. HxH during and after chimera ant becomes far more character and theme focused, increasing in complexity and the number of fascinating ideas it explores. You can see Togashi's craft of writing evolving and improving even as his health declines and hiatuses appear. Also, it's so funny to me that you called the cheetah chimera ant named Cheetu a jaguar :p. Merphy and names strikes again Love your videos, keep up the great work! If it were up to me, chimera ant would be way more than 3 videos. I could listen to you talk about it for hours.

Aside from potential plotlines for the character himself, Gyro's back story is important because it establishes the violent and misanthropic nature of the human soldiers turned Chimera Ants in NGL because they were specifically selected/recruited by Gyro (who had grown to hate humanity) to dominate others and spread misery worldwide. So in a sense, the reason the Chimera Ants are so unnecessarily violent is arguably more due to their human DNA rather than their Ant DNA.

About Killua running with Gon: yes he did pick up Gon. But did it only after Kite told him to. Also he only picked up Gon cos Kite was there to stay behind. The scenario that Bisky is proposing is: what if Kite wasn't there? Could you have stopped Gon from fighting Pitou and run with him? Prolly not, right?

I love this series and your reviews of the manga. I finally convinced a friend to start watching the series.

Letss gooooooo!! I just found this channel recently and I’m loving all the HxH content

When I reached Chimera Ant Arc, I watched it with my friend who first introduced the series to me. We saw some of the heavy episodes. And I turned to him, "Did George R R Martin started writing this arc?" Up until this point, Hunter x Hunter still felt relatively light fantasy story. This arc was the moment where Hunter x Hunter becomes a Dark fantasy story.

Merphy standing up for KIllua against Bisky is a 2022 channel highlight.

Hearing you make me remember some things about this arc and now I'm tearing up. This whole arc is amazing

When i first discovered and fell in love with your channel in 2020, i think, hunter x hunter was my favorite story ever. And now it's actully surreal that you're reviewing (and liking) this manga that i love so much and that it's actually possible for you to review other manga favorites now (please consider reading chihayafuru and haikyuu, they are character development gold mines). Never thought it would happen. AND, AND hxh is coming back. That's insane. Insane T.T anyways, love your videos