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Kokoriko (Komugi’s technique) means the King itself. This technique is a strategy to win the game by making King piece isolate. (this was the plan of the Hunters who invaded the palace) But Komugi tells him this technique is Shiro (road to death / dead end) a while ago (ep104). The isolated King must die. But she shows him a new tactic to save king in this episode (135). It means "the King doesn't have to die". (the King survived from Netero’s bomb) But the King counterattacked her move and showed that isolated king must die after all. (by the Rose’s poison) Komugi finds a way to counterattack his counterattack, and said "I'll go with you". King is not alone anymore. Meruem tells her he can't win even once. (he couldn't beat kokoriko) It means Kokoriko is not Shiro anymore. She saved the isolated king. The black screen at the end has a couple meanings as well. The dying King has lost even his sight. His mother named him Meruem as "Light that illuminated all". The narrator stated that "The King’s En shined into the palace as if it’s sunshine" and "He manipulated light particles to search Palm in a house" a while ago. He had a god-like light power at that moment. But the black pages in the manga suggests that he doesn't have any light now. This is a view that Komugi was seeing from the beginning. She couldn't see any light. To her, he was just Meruem. After all, those pages shows that he lost everything but gained what he truly mattered. He didn't need any soldiers, palaces, countries, power, strength, even his sight(as Komugi). He just wanted to play Gungi with Komugi. This is the same for her as well. She had nothing besides Gungi. Nobody loved her and nobody couldn't play Gungi as well as she did. She was a lonely Gungi King. But then she met Meruem. That's why she was in tears when he counterattacked her new Kokoriko. She once needed to create strategies on Gungi by herself. Then she got the perfect opponent to create strategies with. (I guess to create a strategy suggests to create a child as she said Kokoriko was her baby.) They started their last game in darkness. "1-5-1 king". "9-5-1 king". Then it was stopped. These two king pieces won’t go anywhere anymore. Two kings (King of living things & Gungi King) are together “forever”. The light that “shines on everything" loved (and was loved by) a blind girl. What a story!
The fact Netero died like an ant sacrificing himself for his colony of humans, and Meruem died like human spending his final moments with the one he most loved.
Meruem repeatedly asked her if she was still there because the poison made him blind, just like her 😭 and as she ran her hands through his face, she was able to perceive that he was not human, but held him all the same 😭😭😭 my favorite arc
It's good but phantom troupe is still miles better. Almost every episode there was a banger, while here it feels like at least half was a filler. Let's be real no one really cares about knuckle, shoot, palm, octopus, lion and other random ants.
@@marodonthemorone I don't really care how you feel about the arc, but saying that half, or any of it is "filler" is just a straight up lie. Everything in this arc is connected through a domino effect and you can't remove any of it or else the entire story would fall apart, everything serves a purpose whether to the plot, world building, characterization or the themes.
Palm getting to watch their final moment was poetic considering her character had yearned for true love and appreciation never realizing what it truly meant. This was her epiphany.
It's especially weird because by episode 137 they started going for a different style of preview that matched the tone more lmao, they should have started with that after episode 131 tbh.
A poem I wrote on Meruem; He was a nameless beast destined to kill and destroy Yet the crown and throne gave him no meaning nor joy For most of his life he was enslaved to a destiny But in the end he realized he was not born for tyranny He was born to bring light and hope to a fragile flower She was born to gift sight to a king blinded by power And so the mightiest of kings passed his final test And in the arms of the weakest creature, find everlasting rest.
yes they love him so so much. Their love for him is so epic, larger than life , so grand and intricate. that kind of love only happens in fictions. there are so many beautiful kinds of love in HxH.
One of the greatest character conclusions in art and media. "I was born for this moment" hits so incredibly hard. Chimera Ant arc is a monumental achievement of anime and manga.
I like the irony of Gon, our protagonist turning to bloodlust driven by rage and revenge while Meruem, our antagonist finds his humanity through connecting with someone he cares about.
I will be forever grateful to Togashi for respecting his characters so much and allowing such a beautiful and bittersweet storyline to flourish and be the conclusion of the most heart wrecking arc he has ever written. He knew how to be punitive with his characters when necessary, but never cruel. At the end of the story, Meruem and Komugi represented the best of us, what is (or should be) most valuable to us as humans: feeling that our lives had meaning, dying surrounded by connection, and knowing that we loved and have been loved in the purest possible way. We are capable of so much tenderness.
We have waited 135 episodes for this :) finally we have reached the peak of storytelling. No matter how often I rewatch this episode, it always gets me
Despite this arc illustrating the abhorrent evil humans are capable of, I love that in the end it decides to focus on the beauty of humanity. It just feels so hopeful to see the scariest of the ants embracing all the good qualities of a human being, what it means to even be "human". Humans can do horrible things, but we're equally as capable of really wonderful things. Love will always triumph, it's an optimistic message to close such a bleak arc. Meruem's progression is one of my favourite character arcs in anything ever, everything about it feels so natural, his development is so masterfully written and paced. His emotional vulnerability in this episode is so jarring when you look back at where he started.
I remember bawling so much after watching this for the first time. While I anticipated epic battles to finally defeat Meruem, this ending was much more impactful. Meruem's relationship with Komugi is what truly made him realize his own humanity and mortality. I love how they are both content to be with one another and play gungi until the end. For me, the Chimera Ant arc stands out as one of the most unforgettable storylines in anime. :))
Never fails to make me cry no matter how many times I have rewatched or reread it. I don't really have much to say for this episode because I think it speaks for itself. I will add a piece of information that the Anime missed though: "A total of 478,594 citizens died in the Selection process, along with 12,905 soldiers. Another 46,613 fell ill and died within 24 hours of waking from Pouf's hypnosis." That last part is important because those people are victims of the Miniature Rose's poison carried through Pouf's scales and corpse. It adds a layer of twistedness to the conclusion of this arc and Netero's character.
Netero trusted the boys, they were going to be in charge of the Royal guard. The idea was to kill Meruem with his power and, if that's not possible, use the bomb and leave him in that tomb. Although the idea of moving away from the palace was Meruem's. I think what would have happened if the fight had taken place in that place. Was Netero going to activate the bomb and make everyone die instantly?
@@mar-g1u I don't know if Netero had in mind that the king could survive or a guard could arrive at the place and make people sick. Well, most of the people who received Pouf's spores were already lost. I guess it would just be collateral damage. I don't think Netero thinks. Well, I'm going to save the people who live around the gate and the world at the same time, it's not possible.
One interesting thing about Palm on this episode is that the King said her aura was the most beautiful thing he as ever seen, but when we met Palm for the first time her aura was just dark, ugly and her attitude was very erratic most of timew. The parallel of Meruem becoming human because of a human and Palm becoming more human by becoming an ant is very beautiful. So yes, ants ARE human after all.
They all died so tragically and all die alone. All 3 of them. Makes me so sad. Meruem got to die with the one he loves. But I'm happy to know that all 5 of them will be a big happy family in the afterlife.
Meruem thinking about his guards for the last time. Meruem turning blind like Komugi. Komugi saw Meruem by feeling his face for the first time. Komugi granted Meruem's wish even though he hadn't won a single time. It has been a pleasure to share this beautiful moment with you two! ♥
throughout the arc, Meruem says on multiple occasions "I will not repeat myself" but when asking Palm Komugi's location says "I will repeat myself as many times as it takes"
This episode is crazy good. It's insane how emotional Togashi made these last moments of Meruem. There's no way one could expect something so beautiful and intimate for his conclusion. Remember when he was born: killing his own mother and some of his most valuable subjects. Eating children. Wanting to raise humans as livestock. And look at him at the end of his life: completely given to a human. A human that was considered useless by everyone in her life, except for her ability to play Gungi, but that is the most valuable thing to the King of Ants. So good.
This episode is one of the deepest in anime history... It showed in a poetic way that we are not born evil or good.. We choose to be one.. The King who's supposed to be the most dangerous creature became humble, respectful and even kind or in other words ( human )when he chose to be one.Where as gon who's supposed to be the hero became the villain when he lost himself to hate and revenge. the King died in the most peaceful human way doing the most thing he loves in the arms of the most ( human ) he loves.. While gon chose to lose his humanity using brutal force, bashing the corpse of pitou unnecessarily destroy everything not thinking about the consequences not even his best friend. It's ironic that we cried to the King death out of happiness & love while we cried to gon out of sadness , disbelief and devastation. netero was right about what he said to the King before killing himself ....but in what way we will choose...
Meruem is the best villain in anime history. He's so well-constructed and complex that it's hard to pigeonhole him as a villain. A masterpiece by Togashi, this character and this arc.
@@Instarius Griffith is a great villain. But the story of the hero who becomes a villain for revenge and wanting to gain power through darkness, betraying his friends, is very common. Meruem is something else that is more complex. In my opinion.
@@chamin6753 by that logic you could just sum up meruem story as basically beauty and the beast. It's not uncommon either for a monster to be humanised by another character. You even see it in the grizzled old veteran who unwillingly adopts an orphan and it softens them over time. What makes Meruem and Griffith so great is their respective relationships with Komugi and Guts and what it brings out in them. Not necessarily the story.
@@PlanetaryPlutoYou are correct. The same with Johan Liebhert from Monster, the one with the mental disorder and traumatized chilhood. They all share that common thing in villians from other works and novels. But of course they are the best, I would add "Friend" from 20 Century Boys
It’s simultaneously so beautiful and dark that many of the human characters lost their humanity during this arc while the ants, these supposed monsters, became the most human in the end. I loved watching every step of this incredible arc with you both!
And the contrast between killua’s development and making new friends while Gon becoming darker. Also the contrast of development between Gon, the MC, and Meruem, the main villain… it’s just too good
The reason why Togashi, the original author, is called a genius is because the flow of Cocolico in "Gungi" matches the flow of the Chimera Ant Arc. Only a genius could write such a scenario. Moreover, the original manga of this anime was serialized in a weekly magazine, which is crazy. The Chimera Ant Arc has a few peculiarities. The main character, Gon, has never fought Melhem. The final battle ends in a board game. The death of the enemy general is written in the most emotional way. It is a battle between different sides, and depending on how you look at it, it is also a story about the extermination of the Chimera Ant by humans. It is also a love story.
Now that a the arc is over, let's realise Netero took care of the king and two royal guards. That's what I'm talking about! That's why he is the MVP! That's why he is the GOAT, THE GOAT!
Meruem is without doubt one, if not the best "villain" character development ever made. The contrast between him and Gon is a masterpiece, while the protagonist turns into a monster, the King became a human and I'm totally convinced that if he wasn't poisoned he would have stopped his plan to rule the world. The strongest of all living beings whose heart has been changed by a defenseless blind girl; the final scene where they die together hits me every single time, no matter how many times I've watched it
10/10 episode and reaction, I almost cried along lala, i already see this episode like thousands times, and every time is the same emotions. Best hxh episode, best arc.
Supreme Leader Deigo (Real) was revealed to be chad. He realized what mattered in human life just like Meruem, anf likewise he retired from his position of the king.
Meruems name means “the light that illuminates the world” and personally I think he illuminated komugi’s world and if given more time, he would have illuminated the world
I don't think any piece of media has ever made me cry as much as this single episode has, it's such an incredible ending to one of the best arcs of all time. (The only one I like more is the Farm arc from Vinland Saga)
Meruem once believed that he was born to rule over all races, and then died sure that he was born to live that specific moment, greater than an entire life as a king
What a brilliant person Meruem is. Smart, powerful, powerful. He was a peaceful being who did not understand his existence because he was a newborn. You won't be able to stop crying with this chapter. 10/10 😭💔
I cried for a week after seeing this episode for the first time. I would randomly remember the dialogues during my day going by and tears simply came out.
I’ve been following along your HxH journey ever since you started episode and I’ve waited for you both to get to this episode, and it did not disappoint! One of my favourite episodes in all of fiction and I never fail to cry when watching this episode. What beautiful and magnificent writing for this arc.
Still remember people talking shit about this chapter when it came out, specifically the outro part. Half of the pages were dark with only speech bubbles like in the outro. 😂 Even though those were peak Togashi back pain days, it was a creative choice and how well it turned out in the anime.
They were kids waiting to see an epic Meruem vs Gon battle. They were not and will never be prepared for a masterpiece like this chapter. It would have been horrible if it ended any other way, I mean in that cliché way...
I read somewhere that Togashi had already mastered love stories in his previous work, Yu Yu Hakusho. I haven't read the manga to corroborate the claim, but I believe it completely. It takes prior mastery to tell a compelling love story like this. The purest, most generous, humble love, without any romantic shenanigans. This should be the actual ending of the anime, on it's highest... The rest is worth though, for the last chance to see some memorable characters.
Yes the love story in YYH is also very tender and is the reason why the main character went to find himself. He always knows who he loves and he does everything accordingly because of this simple childhood love. All the godly shenanigans adventures he went through to be deities multi times over, was always leading him back to his childhood love. the childhood love is also delicate, but she's the one who gives him all this courage to live. She is so vulnerable but she saved him endlessly. While he is a deity level and all he needs is her tender love. but it's done in a completely different way than Meruem and Komugi's story structure. YYH is also very moving. I cried in the first few chapters already. It is also even funnier than HxH. But HxH is where Togashi went wild and experimented with absolutely everything.
the post credit scene got me the first time I saw it, I had to pause because i couldn't see the screen properly lmaoo ty so much for this reaction... the names thing coming over and over trought this arc was really beautiful 💚💚💙💙
cant explain how much this episode means to me, i have never been more affected by anything else I’ve watched as i have with this episode. hxh is so special to me
I am even more moved by Lola's tears when I see her reaction to the episode and her emotion at the end. This is one of the 5 best chapters of Hunter X.🥹😭
Meruem and Komugi stealing the spotlight (as they should) the other parts and other characters are not often spoken of and it's quite a shame The fact that Supreme Leader Diego realized 30 years ago that absolute power would never give him true satisfaction and happiness is such good writing! Meruem only got to that conclusion bc of Komugi and after everything that happened it was such a journey... Bc Diego gave up on power he didn't die like his double or end up fleeing the country in shambles like Bizeff...he wasn't a good guy and him having that peace while the whole country is suffering is so unfair, same with Bizeff escaping unpunished, but this is reality and bad guys manage to escape all the time... there's so many great lessons to take from that I love that part so much Palm's development is top tier I wouldn't change anything about her : her power starting with that stalker-ish creepy vibe and her being always obsessed with love and thirsty for it, it makes so much sense to have her watch with her power the ending of such a beautiful love story, and at the end like Meruem said she's the most beautiful, her power her everything evolved in a beautiful way... Togashi's writing is just 💖💖✨✨ Pouf's end...Netero's message being overshadowed by bigger news even though he saved everyone is so ironic...so many good things to notice and think about
A llorar otra vez, gran capitulo y gran personaje es Meruem, no por nada lo tengo tatuado en mi brazo. Fantastica escritura por Togashi para el mejor arco y uno de los mejores villanos creados en cualquier topico.
Kokoriko is an advanced Gungi technique developed by Komugi that focuses on isolating the King (the Gungi piece, not the Chimera Ant), separating it from the other pieces and killing it, just as Netero and the Hunters were planning to do to Meruem . However, Komugi unexpectedly develops a counterattack technique to this in the middle of a game, which means that the King piece (representing Meruem) would no longer have to die (since it unexpectedly survived the nuclear bomb). Then, later, when Komugi uses Kokoriko again, she develops a "counter attack to the counter attack" ("That move... actually found a way out!"), representing that the King's (Meruem) piece, which apparently, in the end he has to die (because of Rose's poison). However, immediately after beating Meruem using Kokoriko (symbolizing her imminent death), Komugi and Meruem begin one final game together, a game they never end. 1-5-1 Black King -> 9-5-1 White Lieutenant General, I believe, or something along those lines. Immediately afterwards, they die together, leaving Meruem's only black piece and Komugi's only white piece on the board, together in Gungi forever. This represents that the two have always been united through Gungi, and will continue to be together even after death, undisturbed and united for all eternity. Meruem places his piece on the floor, symbolizing her death, and then Komugi responds by placing her piece next to his, showing that she is perfectly willing to die alongside hers... The expression "Maybe I'm not worthy, but allow me to come with you" is an old Japanese idiomatic expression that Japanese women used to accept marriages, but since in their case it wasn't really a marriage, it demonstrates the desire to have a connection intimate when wishing to die holding his hand. The black screen/black panels in the manga show that Rose's poison caused Meruem to 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 her name means "the light that illuminates/shines upon all". He even obtained some photon powers related to the light of God before her death, allowing him to fulfill the purpose of her name. Additionally, while playing in the bunker before her death, Meruem sees a blinding light radiating from Komugi as she "inverts her inversion", making her "the light that illuminates even the all-powerful light". Despite being much weaker (and blind to life), her light shone much brighter than his. Then, as she dies, Komugi holds it and feels his head, allowing him to finally "see" or know what her face looks like. Thus, when they die, Meruem joins Komugi in blindness, while she joins him in death. Meruem can finally see what Komugi has seen forever, and knows what it's like to be blind like her, and Komugi finally knows his face, allowing each to better understand the other as they disappear (the soundtrack used during their scene death is called "Understanding").
Incredible how Meruem's Nen is fading and losing his senses. It breaks your heart to see the most powerful being in the world HXH so peaceful and in his agony.
one of the most unexpected animes ive watched. you would think it will pull a shonen route and king dies by a stronger protag, but no! the HxH universe is deep.
Love this episode. This arc so beautifully encapsulates humanity. The downright ugly and evil, corruption and greed and pointless warfare, but also the beauty and good in humanity. From the chain of kindness between ikalgo, killua, palm, welfin to the loyalty of the guards and the king, to the young blooming love/friendship with meruem and komugi.
The poll between Monster and Haikyuu is out. Monster is leading with 10 Votes after 5 hours. It was a tie, 50% vs 50%, most of the time. So you guys can make a difference in the vote.
We leaneded that a human kid named gon, Lost humanity and became a monster. Meruem, a Living chimera ant that's also a king that wanted to erase humanity because humans are "evil" but in the end, meruem gained humanity and wanted to live like one
This is art; meruem reading all with spiritual messege, Meruem become the ligth, gon who was ligth become the darkness, meruem become a human, the human race with that bomb shows who was the real monster, and the protagonists Gon and Meruem never cross paths, and so more details.., togashi this is Art. Komugi was my favorite character of this arc, she change everithing.
With the advancement in the arc Meruem and the rest of the ants are becoming more and more human, while Gon and the gang are becoming like immoral monsters in attempt to stop them. To me this arc is the best arc in anime history! Thus best anime of all time!
You have reached the best and, without exaggeration, divine time in the history of HUNTER x HUNTER. Gon's next preview at the end brings us back to reality at once, though.😅
memuem doenst become a king . he does figure out the meaning of life though. that is why this is an enduring classic, to attempt a meaning of life theme is bold and for most highly subjective. this is the closest to a universal understanding or objective understanding of what the meaning of life is. holding a partners hand. laughing and playing a board game. in another life the king might have enjoyed watching komugi teach gungi to kids while running a corner store and doing crosswords. his true power lies in the fact towards the end he discarded it.
n the end, what the king wanted was simple, but it took great sacrifice and sorrow to realize it. The same may be true of our lives. The true happiness we can achieve in the long journey of life may be ordinary happiness backed by great sorrow.
We don't call a Tiger evil for being a Tiger. It kills, eats and lives like its supposed too. The same can be said for the King. He wasn't evil but living as the naturally most powerful apex predator should. I love how you guys caught that in the end. Honestly one of the most beautiful endings/deaths in anime because of his growth, and the first time I actually teared up watching a "cartoon".
I love how Meruem is fascinated when Komugi interrupts him by telling him that the poison is contagious if it stays with it for too long. He asks to continue with him without caring that he is going to die.
I have waited 134 reaction videos for this one in particular. And it was just as I imagined. This is my favorite HxH episode. Meruem asking if Komugi was there every so often was so heartbreaking...
