Hunter x Hunter 2011

[Kraco]

Time for Netero to kick some ass. It's too bad Nef has to die. I like her practical yet bad ass character, and she does not look anything like an ant or freak. Female chimera ants apparently look pretty human, while males look like gnats of some sort.

Assuming it's a she. Neferpitou uses the pronoun "boku" to refer to itself. It gives of similar vibes to Hellsing's Schrodinger anyway. It has doll joints (exoskeleton joints), though, so it's indeed only pretty human.

[Archangel]

Welp, that was predictable. I think i saw Bisque in the preview so maybe they'll train with her a bit more plus some anger from seeing Kyte's head mounted on the wall or something for that extra buzz so they can actually put up a decent enough fight.

I have to express my concerns about the power creep again though, it's always been clear that Gon and Killua had what it took to make it into the best of the best but their development has always been very gradual and careful thus far. Although they have incredible potential they're still kids. Honestly to me the ideal outcome here would be for them to be mostly useless though the whole arc, using the experience to gain some level headedness on how vast the world really is.

[David75]

Regarding my Ging comment, it's just that as of yet, everytime he's mentionned or briefly shown, he does/did things at such levels you'd think he's way too bright/powerful... and seems to be doing so without much effort/trouble. But maybe that how I want to see all of this.

[MFauli]

Assuming it's a she. Neferpitou uses the pronoun "boku" to refer to itself.

Pitou could boku me the whole day, I wouldn´t care one bit :P

[DarthEnderX]

Whaaaaaaaat the hell just happened?!

I can't believe they didn't even show the fight!


I can't help but feel like this series has lessoned the impact of this death though. But taking out the story arc where we get to know Kite and Gon develops an actual relationship with him, it make it much less important to the story and to Gon that he died.

By changing a character from a practically an idol to a mere acquaintance you drastically alter the impact of that character's death.


I gotta say, quick pet peeve, which they've done twice in a row now, is showing us a character who has a very specific number of special attacks, and then killing them off before we even get to see them all.

First Pokkle with his Rainbow themed arrows dies after only showing us two colors, and then Kite with his 10 randomized weapons dies after only seeing what 3 of them are(and only what 2 of them do).




And now the big elephant in the room:
HOW - THE - FUCK - ARE- GON - AND - KILLUA - SUPPOSED - TO - GET - THAT - MUCH - STRONGER? In a reasonable amount of time so they can continue to be part of this story.Maybe they just won't be.

It's not like that would make this the first arc where Gon and Killua were not the central focus. Most of the Auction Arc had nothing to do with them.

[MFauli]

Kinda off-topic, but I was just browsing amazon, looking how many Detective Conan-volumes have been released since I last bought one (currently at vol. 70), and I found out that there are already 78 volumes. It´s kinda incredible how Gosho Aoyama can deliver such steady work, while Togashi keeps going on hiatus after hiatus. To think how far the story could be at this point had he not slacked for so long.

I will really hate the day that this anime is forced to pause/quit, because of a lack of source material ... :(

[Carnage]

I actually wouldn't mind a forced pause, and which they would step up the pace. The first 5 minutes were basically all recap. I'd rather have the anime done perfectly than stretch out to last as long as possible.

Togashi has as golden contract with Shounen Jump, where he can't be fired and can basically do whatever he wants. It's revenge for them forcing him to prolong Yu Yu Hakusho, and giving him shit for Level-E. I only watched 2 seasons of Conan about a decade ago, but I doubt the quality of the story is anywhere near HXH. This anime keeps consistently good if not improves, unlike Naruto/Bleach/One Piece.

[shinta|hikari]

I gotta say, quick pet peeve, which they've done twice in a row now, is showing us a character who has a very specific number of special attacks, and then killing them off before we even get to see them all.


That is actually what I love this show. It is basically a detraction from the shounen formula, and has good shock value, as well as adding grittiness and realistic cruelty to an otherwise absolutely fantastical setting.

@Kraco - I don't mind, as long as cute.

[Kraco]

I can't help but feel like this series has lessoned the impact of this death though. But taking out the story arc where we get to know Kite and Gon develops an actual relationship with him, it make it much less important to the story and to Gon that he died.

By changing a character from a practically an idol to a mere acquaintance you drastically alter the impact of that character's death.

I gotta say, quick pet peeve, which they've done twice in a row now, is showing us a character who has a very specific number of special attacks, and then killing them off before we even get to see them all.

This is why merely seeing Kite's head doesn't fully convince me he's dead. It kind of feels like he was supposed to be a major character, but then he's suddenly dead before he really achieved anything, as if he was, after all, just a background character who die by the dozens in this story. Perhaps it's just the fault of this new show, and I don't remember his earlier contribution well enough from the old show.

[Splash!]

This is why merely seeing Kite's head doesn't fully convince me he's dead.

Eh? Pardon my asking but what would actually convince you?

[Penner]

Hmmm, at first i was indeed shocked and thought he was seriously dead, but now that i think about it he might not be because of some skill that "thing" he rolled has, we saw him roll it and get an item, but never saw it's use... damnit, now i'm super curious!

[Kraco]

Eh? Pardon my asking but what would actually convince you?

That he won't make another living appearance and other characters actually start to consider him dead.

If he really is dead already, he was pretty weak. Below the Phantom Troupe members, and Killua vastly overestimated him. The opponent was a newborn ant, after all, and this was its first fight! He would have lost to an absolute newbie.

[Buffalobiian]

If he really is dead already, he was pretty weak. Below the Phantom Troupe members, and Killua vastly overestimated him. The opponent was a newborn ant, after all, and this was its first fight! He would have lost to an absolute newbie.

I don't think that's a fair comparison. Chimera Ants are physically superior to humans already. Despite everything that the arrogant-duo had to say, Neferpitou's aura rocked everyone's boat. Phantom weren't here to fight it, so we can't say if they're weaker or stronger. Rather than say Killua overestimated Kite, it is more apt to say that none of them expected the Ants to be so strong. Gon overestimated Kite, Killua was just happy someone gave him a hug when he needed one. I wouldn't say his "agreement" meant much.

[Belial]

Damn, can't believe he's dead, didn't expect HxH to shock me like this

and we will have to see the chairman and his group fight the royal guard just to see how strong they really are, i am guessing Netero is the strongest hunter out there, but would mind those guys with him brought down a noch

[Splash!]

If he really is dead already, he was pretty weak. Below the Phantom Troupe members, and Killua vastly overestimated him. The opponent was a newborn ant, after all, and this was its first fight! He would have lost to an absolute newbie.


Didn't Killua just say that by his estimation Neferpitou was probably stronger than the guys from the hunter organisation which include Netero. That seems to suggest he wasn't overestimating Kite, more like Neferpitou was strong beyond belief. Killua has been in the presence of the Phantom Troupe members, Illumi and Hisoka and yet he found Neferpitou's aura to be the most sinister one he had ever experienced.

I don't think you can put Kite below Phantom Troupe members, although it is hard to say exactly where he stands given we don't know enough about each of them individually. For one thing, his En has a lot more range than Nobunaga's.

[Kraco]

Yeah, but one of the arrogant pro Hunters following Netero said you have lost already if you let the enemy's aura overwhelm you, and in a nen fight even the smallest of actions can change the outcome. In the end the royal guard obviously has an enermous aura, but before messing with the arrow dude's brain it didn't even know what nen is and before Kite it had never used it in combat. Also, the Queen hadn't eaten a single real nen user before Neferpitou, so it can't even have any techniques through that bs way. In other words, it can't have any techniques or extensive knowledge, it only has brute force. I doubt brute force will fly that long against the likes of Netero. In fact I'd expect Netero (or the two companions) to be able to use the brute force against the opponent. I'd guess Kite's downfall was the arm lost due to foolishly diverting his attention to Gon & Killua. Neferpitou wouldn't have needed to do anything but keep harassing Kite, and the fight would have been over due to blood loss.

[Splash!]

Yeah, but one of the arrogant pro Hunters following Netero said you have lost already if you let the enemy's aura overwhelm you, and in a nen fight even the smallest of actions can change the outcome. In the end the royal guard obviously has an enermous aura, but before messing with the arrow dude's brain it didn't even know what nen is and before Kite it had never used it in combat. Also, the Queen hadn't eaten a single real nen user before Neferpitou, so it can't even have any techniques through that bs way. In other words, it can't have any techniques or extensive knowledge, it only has brute force. I doubt brute force will fly that long against the likes of Netero. In fact I'd expect Netero (or the two companions) to be able to use the brute force against the opponent. I'd guess Kite's downfall was the arm lost due to foolishly diverting his attention to Gon & Killua. Neferpitou wouldn't have needed to do anything but keep harassing Kite, and the fight would have been over due to blood loss.

The point the Morel guy seemed to be making was that there is always the chance to beat your opponent, as a moment of carelessness could a decide a battle. However, that doesn't change the fact that being ridiculously strong is probably the most important advantage you can have in a fight. Also, what Morel said applies equally to Kite. So yes, that moment where he tried to 'protect' Gon and Kite probably decided the outcome of the battle right then and there, regardless of how strong he actually was.

Secondly, it doesn't mean a whole lot that Neferpitou doesn't know the details when she seems naturally adept as using nen. You can't use human standards to evaluate these chimera ants. For one thing, they seem to be able to use human speech right from the get go. What is to stop them from coming out with fully developed nen abilities, even if they don't understand how their innate talents work. What we already saw from Neferpitou isn't something humans can do without actual training so it wouldn't be stretch if there was more to it.

[Kraco]

Secondly, it doesn't mean a whole lot that Neferpitou doesn't know the details when she seems naturally adept as using nen. You can't use human standards to evaluate these chimera ants. For one thing, they seem to be able to use human speech right from the get go. What is to stop them from coming out with fully developed nen abilities, even if they don't understand how their innate talents work. What we already saw from Neferpitou isn't something humans can do without actual training so it wouldn't be stretch if there was more to it.

I'm just trying to desperately hope all the bs concerning these ants would know at least some limit. It seems quite ridiculous humans need to work their asses off to master nen abilities if some ants simply are born with uber techniques and skills more than equal. Considering that godly phagogenesis, it would already explain being able to speak since all the people the queen eats surely speak. But now I'm supposed to believe eating 1000 ordinary joes and janes who had never heard of nen is still enough to spurt out a nen master?

[Carnage]

Killua estimated Kite to be stronger than a Nen Master with his "En" abilities, and he also has Ging's respect. I definitely wouldn't put him below the Phantom Troupe.

I think the royal guards may be the product of thousands of humans, not just one thousand. Although I could be wrong. Yeah they are a broken species but its an interesting change of pace. Togashi is skilled at surprising the reader with where he wants to take the story. It seems pulled out of his ass, but at least the reasoning somewhat makes sense rather than introducing an army of humans out of nowhere who have incredible power levels.

[David75]

Neferpitou was born with monstruous levels of nen oozing from her body. Rammot reaction proved that.
At that point, she never had any knowledge regarding nen... unless the communication system ants use gave her some data she could extrapolate while she was growing.

Then she got her hand on nen knowledge thanks to Pokkle. At that point, she got pointers as to how she could control that massive nen natural nen output she has, she even is a specialist, a rare breed amongst nen users.

They really highlighted the fact that Kite had extraordinary powers to be able to detect enemies in any direction at a distance of 45 meters.
Yet Neferpitou found him at a distance that was like 500 meters or more (maybe 1000?) and just jumped from that place directly to Kite. She's a monster regarding nen powers. That ep to me just exposed those facts.

[MFauli]

Sorry, Kraco, I think you´re unfair and harsh on Kite.

He lost an arm due to protecting Gon and Killua. And that´s where his fight against Pitou started. Most of the Spiders would be significantly weaker without both arms intact. Hell, imagine C....whatshisname, the leader without both arms. He wouldnt be able to use his strongest power.
Fact is, Kite was at a severe disadvantage against Pitou.
Secondly, I think you´re underestimating Pitou (as a consequence of your unwillingness to accept the Chimera ants´ incredible powers) and overestimating the Spiders and Netero and company.

It´s best to accept that the chimera Ants just are THAT fucking strong. If that makes any sense, well, let´s hope the anime clears up on that. Even if it doesn´t, it´s pretty simple to understand: A standard chimera ant is made of 2 animals being eaten and processed by the queen (using bs-numbers here). One of the higher ranks like the first intelligent, winged chimera ant is made of 100 living beings. Then say the royal guard is made of 1000 people. And the king is mde of 10000 people (add a zero to each of those numbers, if necessary). What I´m trying to say is: These high ranking chimera ants are a simple culmination of power. There is nothing clever about it. 1+1 = 2. 2+1 = 3. 100 x 1 = 100. It´s the most simple of mathematics. A single, normal human being might be nothing, but concentrate the power of 1000 normal human beings and they might have a shot against someone like Netero.

Two complaints being left:
1.) Pitou being a "noob": I don´t think it´s that difficult to accept that all Chimera Ants are natural born fighters. Most animals are born with certain abilities. Especially insects.
2.) Chimera ants using nen, and Pitou being able to use it without having met nen-users. No idea. It´s either my own theory of Chimera ants being natural nen users, proven by the Phagogenesis ability, or there´s something else.

Either way: Kite didn´t give me the impression of being weak. Pitou gave me the impression of being a monster, in the sense the Uborgin never was.

[DarthEnderX]

Below the Phantom Troupe members, and Killua vastly overestimated him.I don't believe that.

Killua has faced the Phantom Troupe before, and he specifically stated that Neferpitou's aura was the worst he'd ever felt.

[Kraco]

I don't believe that.

Killua has faced the Phantom Troupe before, and he specifically stated that Neferpitou's aura was the worst he'd ever felt.

Aura, aura... That's all I hear. Having a bigger gun doesn't automatically make you a winner of a fight. Kite made a tragic amateur mistake before the fight had even really begun: He didn't focus on the enemy but thought he had the luxury to worry about others (despite the fact he had told Gon & Killua that he won't be looking after them but rather thought they would be useful for the mission). If that cost him his life, like it seems right now, then he was definitely a worse fighter than the Phantom Troupe members. It doesn't matter how fancy a tank you have if you drive with your head out for any sniper to put a bullet through. As a nen user in general he might have been more skilled and gifted (with the exception of the leader, I reckon), though little good that did to him.

[MFauli]

I´ll just assume you´re intentionally trolling now, Kraco. So Kite was an amateur because he didn´t let his friends die? Okay. :|

[antiravage]

According to Killua, not even Netero can take on Pitou. I know it's an estimate, but that should tell you something. Inexperienced or not, unless one of the spiders is as strong as Netero, they've got nothing on the newborn ant.

Killua thinks Kite is a top-hunter
Killua thinks and knows his brother is strong
Killua is scared shitless of Hisoka
Killua knows that the reinforcements that just arrived are strong

Killua estimates all of the people above are inferior to Neferpitou.
The author is trying to tell you something. And if you didn't get the message, sooner or later, as you watch more episodes, reality will sink in.

[Buffalobiian]

They really highlighted the fact that Kite had extraordinary powers to be able to detect enemies in any direction at a distance of 45 meters.
Yet Neferpitou found him at a distance that was like 500 meters or more (maybe 1000?) and just jumped from that place directly to Kite. She's a monster regarding nen powers. That ep to me just exposed those facts.

I thought about that too, but Kite also detected Neferpitou after Nef climbed outside of the building. Was Nef using En, or did Nef have some sort of special power that lets him detect enemies the way he did (Pokkle, for example). He did that before he learned about the different applications of Nen.

To counter the "newbie" argument, it's been stated that some humans are actually using Nen without being aware of it. That alone tells you can apply it without even knowing you're using it. The fortune-telling girl is a prime example of someone who used Nen effectively (and also very specifically) without knowing about it.

edit-after-reaching-this-page: Aura isn't determining factor, but it is an indicator. The tank assessment by Kraco (where the driver drives with their head out) assumes the tank is stupid. Now if Kite saw Pitou's aura and assumed that Pitou was too stupid to make good use of it, now that would be underestimating her.

[DarthEnderX]

Aura, aura... That's all I hear.In the absence of any other reliable method, how do you want us to judge these things?

So the Spiders are stronger than Pitou because...what then? Your feels?

According to Killua, not even Netero can take on Pitou.I think it's highly unlikely that Netero was even releasing his Nen when Killua was talking to him.

[shinta|hikari]

If Nef is walking around with her blades unsheathed, I think it is safe to say that the three sent to kill the ants are keeping theirs well hidden. Killua's assessment at that time is probably inaccurate.

[Buffalobiian]

I don't get the whole sinister thing though. Why not just talk about the size of the aura - what does "evilness" have to do with anything? That bit of assessment actually had me scratching my head.

I get bloodlust, but you don't judge someone's combat ability by it. It's just a measure of how badly someone wants to kill you.

[MFauli]

"Sinister" in terms of absolutness. When you´re fighting an opponent, because both your goal is becoming a hunter, there is nothing sinister about it. It´s a competition. An opponent´s aura may be overwhelming here, too, but that´s from a pure power angle.

The sinister version of this comes into existence when you realize an opponent is here just to ... "erase" you. End you. Kill you. The difference to mere bloodlust, as I see it, is the power difference. And equal fighter can give in to bloodlust, but might not be strong enough to use that bloodlust for his own victory. Maybe see Hisoka during the island exam as an example. While being overwhelming in real battle, Gon got a chance to catch his number plate when Hisoka got all bloodlusting. I cannot imagine the same with Pitou.

Sinister doesnt really objectively mean "evil", that´s just from Killua´s point of view. So, sinister aura really doesn´t have anything to do with bloodlust. It´s the combination of overwhelming power with the intent to target you, in that case Killua and Gon and Kite.

[Buffalobiian]

Sinister doesnt really objectively mean "evil", that´s just from Killua´s point of view.

It's interesting that Killua interpreted it that way. When I watched the episode, I misread the kanji on screen as aku (惡, evil), but it was actually uramu (怨, resentment). If anything, this confuses the issue even more. Pitou was only after someone to test its strength against, while all the other ants killed out of either duty or fun. The more evolved ones even considered themselves equal to or superior to humans, so there's no hate there either.

[Kraco]

Killua was scared shitless. I won't overly much blame Netero & Co for taking his words with a grain of salt. The world of nen is full of monsters, was even before these ants, and if you let them scare you, you have already lost a lot, like the arrogant dude said. It's a different thing letting fear help to better judge your options, that is, to be careful, but it's another thing if you start to view someone as impossible to defeat by anyone. If you don't believe you can defeat the opponent, your efficiency is sure to drop drastically.


I´ll just assume you´re intentionally trolling now, Kraco. So Kite was an amateur because he didn´t let his friends die? Okay. :|

Exactly. Though we have no reason to assume they'd have died, especially both of them. Like I've been saying since a couple of pages ago, Kite had been steadily underestimating the ants due to arrogance. That ended up compromising his own mission. Yes, the mission he deemed so important yet sacrificied to, possibly, save Gon & Killua. How is that not amateurish? He didn't go all out against the opponent, his intel was lacking yet that didn't make him more careful but careless instead, he didn't concentrate fully on the main objective, he got distracted, he got himself killed(?). An amateur if I have ever seen one.



So the Spiders are stronger than Pitou because...what then? Your feels?
I think it's highly unlikely that Netero was even releasing his Nen when Killua was talking to him.

I don't recall saying such a thing. I have only said Kite was a worse fighter than Spiders. Kite got defeated rather easily, it looks like, by Neferpitou, so there's plenty of gap between those two for all manner of power levels.


In the absence of any other reliable method, how do you want us to judge these things?

By results, perhaps? Sure, Neferpitou is strong, but I wouldn't put too much stock in the assessment of one kid scared witless. If Neferpitou ends up wiping its chitin ass with Netero & Gorillas, then sure, Killua happened to be right and that's it.

[Buffalobiian]

By results, perhaps? Sure, Neferpitou is strong, but I wouldn't put too much stock in the assessment of one kid scared witless. If Neferpitou ends up wiping its chitin ass with Netero & Gorillas, then sure, Killua happened to be right and that's it.

That's our main problem. Pitou defeated Kite, so you think Kite isn't that strong (because you think Pitou isn't that strong), and you'll only update that view when Pitou beats the the trio that just came (who you agree are strong).

Instead of seeing Kite's defeat as him being weak, we're saying Pitou's ability is through the roof. Rather than saying Pitou isn't strong because he's a newbie and comparing Kite against him, we should use Kite as the control, and have Pitou (our unknown variable) be compared to him instead. Kite is more or less a Nen master. Seeing as he knows Ging, I'd say he's seen monsters.. and Pitou is a monster.

[Kraco]

That's our main problem. Pitou defeated Kite, so you think Kite isn't that strong (because you think Pitou isn't that strong), and you'll only update that view when Pitou beats the the trio that just came (who you agree are strong).

Instead of seeing Kite's defeat as him being weak, we're saying Pitou's ability is through the roof. Rather than saying Pitou isn't strong because he's a newbie and comparing Kite against him, we should use Kite as the control, and have Pitou (our unknown variable) be compared to him instead. Kite is more or less a Nen master. Seeing as he knows Ging, I'd say he's seen monsters.. and Pitou is a monster.

Perhaps I haven't explained my stand unambiguously enough, but I mean to separate raw strength and combat strength from each other. I have no doubt Kite had plenty of raw strength (though obviously Pitou had even more), but for Kite that translated poorly to combat strength. I'd assume Pitou can do very little but fight. Combat strength is a complex thing and raw strength (aura output) isn't nearly everything that matters in my opinion, with DE proposing the opposite. Killua, for example, being an uber assassin, could probably have taken out plenty of weak nen users even before he discovered nen himself. Now that he has nen, those assassin skills aren't reduced obsolete at all, they are enhanced.

Kite made so many sad mistakes during this arc that I can hardly consider him a powerful fighter. Well, I admit I'm more than likely wrong throwing randomly in Phantom Troupe since that group had members who are far better at being thieves than fighters, but that doesn't exclude all of them. They are villains so most likely they wouldn't get distracted during fights like the good guys always do (generating no end of textbook scenes of the opponent accusing the hero of getting worried about their friends, not their own fight). I'm happy Pitou went all out and didn't waste time lecturing. Kite deserved it.

[Harima Kenji]

The 'magic wand' that Kite got through the 'slots machine' and NOT saying it was a crappy roll makes me believe he's still alive.
He mentioned that Pitou was a monster, so I wouldn't be surprised if he needed to hide and wait for reinforcements. I really doubt Ging would have trained him to act like an amateur in this kind of situation.
He was sweating bullets when he felt the aura, so I'd say he knew he was outclassed or at least in for one hell of a fight.
In the world of Nen you just never know.
My prediction, even though I suck at them:
Looking at the intro I'd say thinking Kite is dead, Gon will go berserk agains Pitou and fuck her up.
On the other hand, that kind of plot device is very un-HxH like...

Somewhere I don't want Gon and Killua to play an important role in this arc.. if they were they'd be on the level of Netro and the 2 dudes he picked. Going from using 'tricks' to fight the bomber and being on equal footing with Netero just doesn't sit right with me, being shounen or not.
Just let this arc for them be nothing more then see what it means to be really strong.

[MFauli]

I find it really silly to assume Kite is still alive. If Kite is alive, then HXH has jumped the shark and is now just as bad as Naruto when it comes do "deaths".

No.

The whole episode was crafted in a way to make us, the audience, feel the power of Pitou and the hopelessness that follows that power. I thought that was made super clear when we had Gon´s happy go lucky-reaction, telling Killua that Kite was alive for sure ... and then BAMM we see Pitou playing around with Kite´s severed head. Despair.
Maybe Kraco was watching a different anime, but the HXH-anime I´ve been watching ever since the Chimera-arc began put a huuuuge focus and presenting despair. Humans being hunted and killed in gruesome ways, children getting eaten, likeable old characters getting killed and eaten. Why would any of this lead you to believe that now the story takes a 180°-turn and follows shounen-clichees where goods guys can´t die? See, if Pitou had Gon´s or Killua´s head in her lap, then sure, I´d say "okay, someone created a replica to escape Pitou". But that´s not the case.
This whole arc is supposed to make us, the audience, feel bad. And I just don´t see that changing now.

I don´t know about what happens, since I didn´t read the manga (that´s just for clarification), but I wouldn´t be surprised if even Netero and his guys would have trouble fighting the royal guard. Of course, that ´d open up the question: Who then remains to put an end to the Chimera danger? Assuming that the story doesn´t develop into a reality where Chimera ants rule the world, lol.

[Buffalobiian]

To be honest, I'd play with Kite's head on my lap too if I ever got one.

[Kraco]

He mentioned that Pitou was a monster, so I wouldn't be surprised if he needed to hide and wait for reinforcements. I really doubt Ging would have trained him to act like an amateur in this kind of situation.
He was sweating bullets when he felt the aura, so I'd say he knew he was outclassed or at least in for one hell of a fight.
In the world of Nen you just never know.
My prediction, even though I suck at them:
Looking at the intro I'd say thinking Kite is dead, Gon will go berserk agains Pitou and fuck her up.
On the other hand, that kind of plot device is very un-HxH like...

The reasons why I'm not fully convinced he's dead are: He abandoned the mission to preserve life; he's trained by Ging, like you said, so despite everything I've said I don't want him to be a fool who got killed so easily; and also because it feels like he didn't yet fulfill any meaningful role, although can be a problem caused by this new show, not the story itself (in other words I didn't feel a thing when his head was on Pitou's lap, other than hating Pitou for being so illogically strong, but Kite's death, assuming he died, didn't make me sad in the slightest). And it's true the magical girl staff he got didn't look like a weapon.


Somewhere I don't want Gon and Killua to play an important role in this arc.. if they were they'd be on the level of Netro and the 2 dudes he picked. Going from using 'tricks' to fight the bomber and being on equal footing with Netero just doesn't sit right with me, being shounen or not.
Just let this arc for them be nothing more then see what it means to be really strong.

I wouldn't mind if Gon & Killua defeated the likes of Rammot.

[Harima Kenji]

After his powerup, Rammot would be a good opponent for them. Just let Gon and Killua handle the squad leaders etc. and leave the rest to the real pros.

[DarthEnderX]

I wouldn't mind if Gon & Killua defeated the likes of Rammot.I expect them to AT LEAST be able to defeat the Lion guy, who will probably be stronger than Rammot once he gets his Nen awakened, since he's a Squad Leader and Rammot is just an Officer.

I fully expect Gon to fight Colt at some point as well.

[Splash!]

Kite made so many sad mistakes during this arc that I can hardly consider him a powerful fighter. Well, I admit I'm more than likely wrong throwing randomly in Phantom Troupe since that group had members who are far better at being thieves than fighters, but that doesn't exclude all of them. They are villains so most likely they wouldn't get distracted during fights like the good guys always do (generating no end of textbook scenes of the opponent accusing the hero of getting worried about their friends, not their own fight). I'm happy Pitou went all out and didn't waste time lecturing. Kite deserved it.

The ONLY mistake Kite made was get a little cocky and bring Gon and Killua along. In hindsight, I feel even that will have its benefit in the long run. For one thing, Killua's assessment of Neferpitou should come in handy for Netero and his sidekicks. They should be able to make adequate preparations to fight opponents that may well be stronger than them.

Also, let us not pretend that the Phantom Troupe aren't prone to moments of carelessness and downright arrogance. Do you not remember what happened to Uvogin? He walked into a head on confrontation with Kurapika without fully comprehending his opponent and ended up dead. Sure they wisened up after that (even then their leader got snatched under their noses), but that doesn't mean Uvo was in any way less of a fighter than the others. He was just the first one to walk into an unexpected situation and be taken by the element of surprise, exactly like Kite. I am sure Kite's demise will cause the other hunters to smarten up but that does not mean they are much 'better' than him as fighters.

[Kraco]

Also, let us not pretend that the Phantom Troupe aren't prone to moments of carelessness and downright arrogance. Do you not remember what happened to Uvogin? He walked into a head on confrontation with Kurapika without fully comprehending his opponent and ended up dead. Sure they wisened up after that (even then their leader got snatched under their noses), but that doesn't mean Uvo was in any way less of a fighter than the others. He was just the first one to walk into an unexpected situation and be taken by the element of surprise, exactly like Kite. I am sure Kite's demise will cause the other hunters to smarten up but that does not mean they are much 'better' than him as fighters.

Uvo was much more of a genuine fighter than most of the others (not counting Hisoka, naturally, and maybe the swordsman). His fight with Kurapika was a perfect duel they agreed on earlier when they met. There's absolutely nothing wrong about a fighter dying in a duel. After all, out of two, one must die, and they had nothing else going on (Kurapika's was a mission of slaying Spiders or die trying). I'm sure Uvo died as a happy man in that sense, even if the fight might have been a bit unsatisfactory; he was in chains unable to do much for the latter half of it, after all. But that's what nen fights are like. It's vastly different from Kite vs Pitou, because that was a fight with no meaning for Kite. Kite's goal was to slay the Queen before the King was born, or, I'd guess, slay both the Queen and the first and only King if it had been born already. The rest of the ants could and should have waited, being sterile.

[Splash!]

Uvo was much more of a genuine fighter than most of the others (not counting Hisoka, naturally, and maybe the swordsman). His fight with Kurapika was a perfect duel they agreed on earlier when they met. There's absolutely nothing wrong about a fighter dying in a duel. After all, out of two, one must die, and they had nothing else going on (Kurapika's was a mission of slaying Spiders or die trying). I'm sure Uvo died as a happy man in that sense, even if the fight might have been a bit unsatisfactory; he was in chains unable to do much for the latter half of it, after all. But that's what nen fights are like. It's vastly different from Kite vs Pitou, because that was a fight with no meaning for Kite. Kite's goal was to slay the Queen before the King was born, or, I'd guess, slay both the Queen and the first and only King if it had been born already. The rest of the ants could and should have waited, being sterile.

You really are applying quite the double standard here. Is the purpose of the duel not to win it? Uvo failed at it, and made quite a few mistakes during the fight to lead him down that path. Further more, he walked squarely into a trap laid out by Kurapika due to his damaged pride of being caught by him in the first place. Kite set out to kill the queen but was stopped in his tracks by someone stronger than him that he had no way of predicting would show up. Even the omniscient audience is left confused by how someone as strong as Neferpitou was born in the first place, given that the queen hasn't really fed on a decent supply of nen users. Kite's mission had as much of a probability of failure as Uvo's duel with Kurapika. Both played the odds and failed, and somehow I am to believe that this demonstrates that Uvo is a better fighter than Kite?

Also, do you believe that Kite's death was somehow preventable if he had been alone? I don't think it would have turned out any differently. He still would have died at Pitou's hands since she was dead set on trying to kill him to test her strength. The only reason Gon and Killua escaped is because killing them would not have served that purpose.

[Kraco]

No. Do you know what a duel is? Kite vs Pitou wasn't a duel, it was just a regular fight that happened to happen because Pitou spotted Kite, and if we go down the path of guessing, Kite had no way of avoiding because he was burdened by Gon & Killua. Nor any way of winning because he lost his arm protecting Gon & Killua. Uvo didn't walk into a trap, he walked into a duel. And it was a perfectly honourable one, as far as any duel between different nen users can be. Of course only an idiot or other sort of person wanting die enters a duel without the will to win, but also nobody (sane) enters a duel without the understanding that death is also possible. Uvo even told Kurapika to kill him once it was clear he had lost (but hadn't died yet). That's what a real fighter is like. Kite fell long before he got anywhere near his real objective, totally uselessly.

I think Kite would have acted very differently had Gon & Killua been present. He would have even reached the nest before the roayl guard was born and Rammot would have never escaped, so there would have been practically nothing between him and the Queen. He might have opted to rely on stealth a lot more as well, leaving the soldier ants to the bigger reinforcements arriving later. After all, he didn't need to train himself or prove anything.

[Splash!]

No. Do you know what a duel is? Kite vs Pitou wasn't a duel, it was just a regular fight that happened to happen because Pitou spotted Kite, and if we go down the path of guessing, Kite had no way of avoiding because he was burdened by Gon & Killua. Nor any way of winning because he lost his arm protecting Gon & Killua. Uvo didn't walk into a trap, he walked into a duel. And it was a perfectly honourable one, as far as any duel between different nen users can be. Of course only an idiot or other sort of person wanting die enters a duel without the will to win, but also nobody (sane) enters a duel without the understanding that death is also possible. Uvo even told Kurapika to kill him once it was clear he had lost (but hadn't died yet). That's what a real fighter is like. Kite fell long before he got anywhere near his real objective, totally uselessly.

Kite fell because he was forced into a duel by a fighter a hell of alot stronger than Kurapika. A monster with the ability to detect enemies at a colossal range and cover a huge amount of distance in a single leap. How the hell is he supposed to even get close to the queen with a shitload of Ants crawling around and get away with it? You make it sound like he could just prance in there without getting detected, slit the queen's throat and just walk out without any problems. Also, Uvogin's fight was as much a trap as it was a duel. Uvo's 'mission' was to eliminate a threat to the spiders (in Kurapika). Failing to do so actually had huge repercussions because it forced the spiders to get sucked into a full on confrontation with the chain user, which resulted in the death of Pakunoda and Chrollo losing his powers.

[Kraco]

Hah. No. Did you read my post, even though you quoted it? Without Gon & Killua, Kite would have never got drawn into the fight with Pitou, because Pitou would have still been inside the fricking egg! That's because without Gon & Killua Kite wouldn't have had any need to tarry and loiter around. He wouldn't have been distracted from his mission to kill the Queen. Of course it's partially unfair to accuse him of that, but if we assume Kite was a nen master, then it's possible he could have, without Gon & Killua and with both arms, fooled a stupid ant away from the nest and either ambushed it or infiltrated the nest in the mean time. In any case, the situation would have been totally different.

It seems like our interpretations of the Spiders and Uvo are vastly different. Kurapika had done nothing to them at that point, only kidnapped Uvo. Uvo was out only for his own personal revenge and thus he agreed to the formal duel outside of the city. The rest of the Spiders were hardly interested, and they only helped Uvo to guess the places where he might find the chain user because they had nothing better to do and Uvo was a bother. You seem to have forgotten they let Uvo wander out there alone to seek out Kurapika and fight the duel. They only got annoyed when Uvo lost.

I have no idea why you can't understand the principle of a formal duel. Is it because Canada had no such thing? Even the USA had duels between gunslingers, but you guys possibly had nothing?

[Splash!]

Hah. No. Did you read my post, even though you quoted it? Without Gon & Killua, Kite would have never got drawn into the fight with Pitou, because Pitou would have still been inside the fricking egg! That's because without Gon & Killua Kite wouldn't have had any need to tarry and loiter around. He wouldn't have been distracted from his mission to kill the Queen. Of course it's partially unfair to accuse him of that, but if we assume Kite was a nen master, then it's possible he could have, without Gon & Killua and with both arms, fooled a stupid ant away from the nest and either ambushed it or infiltrated the nest in the mean time. In any case, the situation would have been totally different.


Seriously, talk about making massive assumptions and guesses and then accusing me of it. You are making a quantum leap by suggesting that Kite could have resolved this whole situation and dealt with the queen long before Pitou had hatched. It is a whole nest of chimera ants we are talking about. Wasn't it you who mentioned a few posts back that he should be extra cautious since he was dealing with the unknown. Why exactly would he rush into the middle of the nest without testing the waters first and figuring out how strong these ants really were? Also, I am assuming your comment about 'fooling a stupid ant away' refers to the queen. So, how exactly was he going to lure away an ant that believes the entire purpose of its existence is to give birth to the king away from its nest. Or maybe you are talking about Pitou, in which case its silly to assume Kite could have lured her away.

You keep bringing up the fact that Rammot got away. That would be a valid criticism if it somehow played a major role in his death. However, as things stand it has very little impact on anything. The ants would have discovered nen anyways due to Pitou's birth, so it was only a matter of time. I am sure that Kite could have dealt with Rammot level nen users if he wanted to, but the fact remains that he knew nothing of the situation that he was walking into. As such, I just don't see him rushing in head first and trying to assassinate the queen.



I have no idea why you can't understand the principle of a formal duel. Is it because Canada had no such thing? Even the USA had duels between gunslingers, but you guys possibly had nothing?

No need to act so condascending, buddy. I can understand full well what a duel is. However, since you seem so adamant on evaluating Kite's actions by the way in which things turned out (you have repeated this point a few times), it only seemed fair to apply the same standards to Uvo. So far as Kurapika is concerned, the ideal situation would have been for each of the Spiders to challenge him to individual duels so that he could systematically take them out one by one. His ultimate goal definitely wasn't to fight them with honour, but to take them all out. As such, engaging in a one on one duel with Kurapika was a stupid move on Uvo's part that played right into his hands. Do you really think Uvo would have still agreed to an honourable duel if he knew that Kurapika was hiding a spider insta-kill and that his intent was to destroy the rest of the troupe? It was about as stupid for Uvo to try to take on Kurapika alone due to his damaged pride of being caught as it was of Kite to take Gon and Killua along with him. If you really can't see that, I don't know how to make it any more clear.

Also, did you miss the part were Kurapika tricked Uvo into thinking he was a manipulator so that he could trap him using invisible chains. By your own line of reasoning, Uvo can't be that great of a fighter if he was utterly defeated by a noob who only recently learnt about nen.

[Kraco]

You are missing my point: Uvo had no other objective than to restore his pride by beating the chain user. Or die trying, since it was a formal duel. Both agreed to meet there and then, and they fought as honourably as nen users can considering they are like wizards who ought to keep a few aces up their sleeves and not go around touting their skills. Every nen user knows that, but still both Uvo and Kurapika agree on the duel. Whether that's smart or not... Well, for a real fighter and a warrior, like Uvo was before he was a thief, there's no shame in acting "stupidly" like that. He would hardly regain his pride by bringing all his comrades with him to ambush Kurapika, although another man, one without a pride, would have likely done that.

There's no argument you can make that would convince me Kite would have done everything similarly even if Gon & Killua hadn't been there. Because that would have meant Kite was no master. And I maintain he was a nen master after a fashion, just no fighter or a soldier. Naturally he would have rushed to the nest because that was the only bloody reason why he entered the country without waiting for the reinforcements. It's not like he wouldn't have known things only get worse for humans the more time the ants are given. But he was continuously delayed and distracted by having Gon & Killua with him.

And no, there's nothing at all the nenless grunts could have done to stop him, even if they had attacked all at once. We already saw that. This royal guard was the only thing that could stop him, so he should have hurried. They were only a single day late. He knew they must hurry (although he didn't know the details), yet they didn't.

[Buffalobiian]

They were only a single day late. He knew they must hurry (although he didn't know the details), yet they didn't.

I doubt Killua/Gon delayed Kite for a whole day. They took out the centipede and wasp-lady easily enough. Sure, Kite took his down quickly, but they didn't delay him that long. The fight against Lion's henchmen also lasted.. 30mins max? Rammot's fight was also short-lived.

I agree with Splash that Rammot's case didn't make things any worse for Kite, really.. but it does mean that the entire ant army now knows they can potentially have Nen powers (instead of believing that Pitou was just strong because of devoured-humans/royalty). Pitou perhaps learned some applications of his Nen as well before he started fighting for all we know.


They were only a single day late. He knew they must hurry (although he didn't know the details), yet they didn't.

Yeah, I was wondering why they weren't dashing full speed. I'm used to running-arms-dragging-behind-you-Naruto-style when someone says they need to rush. I'll chalk it up to not dashing into enemy territory/traps, since that's the best explanation. "They were sight-seeing" hardly cuts it.

[Kraco]

"They were sight-seeing" hardly cuts it.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I had a feeling Kite wanted to make Gon & Killua ready for facing and fighting the ants and took detours. It's possible if he had been alone he would snatched the first ant he saw and made it reveal the location of the nest, through force or guile. However, now they went here and there and stopped to fight meaningless grunts. Although I admit it's pretty hard to judge just how long their trip took. But we do know that the reinforcements were supposed to took a few days to arrive at some point, but they were already there when Killua got Gon out of the forest.

[shinta|hikari]

Kite did not know where the nest was. He followed the lion dude, IIRC. He mentioned something to that effect sometime.

I don't think taking the 2 boys delayed Kite enough to allow the birth of the cute Nef, but him losing his arm was definitely caused by protecting those two. Whether that disability caused his death as opposed to his survival will forever remain a mystery.

[Splash!]

You are missing my point: Uvo had no other objective than to restore his pride by beating the chain user. Or die trying, since it was a formal duel. Both agreed to meet there and then, and they fought as honourably as nen users can considering they are like wizards who ought to keep a few aces up their sleeves and not go around touting their skills. Every nen user knows that, but still both Uvo and Kurapika agree on the duel. Whether that's smart or not... Well, for a real fighter and a warrior, like Uvo was before he was a thief, there's no shame in acting "stupidly" like that. He would hardly regain his pride by bringing all his comrades with him to ambush Kurapika, although another man, one without a pride, would have likely done that.

I will end by point about Uvo by saying this: Getting dragged into a one-on-one confrontation with Kurapika (the guy who demonstrated the ability to restrain him without much effort) because of his damaged pride was not smart. As such, it shows that even the spiders are prone to things getting in the way of their better judgement. Even if Uvo was happy with his decision, it doesn't make it any better. Had he been more patient, things probably wouldn't have turned out so badly for both himself and the rest of his troupe. Also, if there is doubt as to whether or not he played right into Kurapika's hands and this was also a trap, I would refer you to Kurapika's speech at the end of the fight where he explains why he targeted Uvo and how he expected things to turn out. Uvo showing up all alone to challenge him to a duel was pretty much the ideal situation he could have hoped for and gave him the perfect avenue to test the assumptions about his powers as well as take out the strongest fighter type in the troupe. It has been stated several times that in a nen battle, information about your opponent can be everything. Clearly, Kurapika seemed to know more about Uvo than vice versa. Yet Uvo deliberately walked into an unfavorable situation all on his own. It was a mistake the Spiders sought not to repeat when they decided to travel in pairs when hunting down the chain user. Furthermore, they made collecting more information on the chain user their first priority.



And no, there's nothing at all the nenless grunts could have done to stop him, even if they had attacked all at once. We already saw that. This royal guard was the only thing that could stop him, so he should have hurried. They were only a single day late. He knew they must hurry (although he didn't know the details), yet they didn't.

Kite had no way of knowing that there was nothing that could get in his way, or that none of the royal guards had hatched. The only thing he did know was that they were capable of taking out a nen user like Pokkle at the very least. Going in gung-ho could have very well worked out coincidentally, but it would have been a reckless decision to make, given his limited understanding of the situation. I cannot fault him one bit for proceeding more cautiously (and consequently slowly). In order to figure out what was going on, there was nothing wrong with targeting ants that had strayed away from their nest and scouting at the perimeter of the nest using his long range En. This and locating the nest is what he spent most of his time on anyways.



I agree with Splash that Rammot's case didn't make things any worse for Kite, really.. but it does mean that the entire ant army now knows they can potentially have Nen powers (instead of believing that Pitou was just strong because of devoured-humans/royalty). Pitou perhaps learned some applications of his Nen as well before he started fighting for all we know.

This is still a bit hard to speculate about. It all depends on whether Pitou would have still decided to mind probe Pokkle. Peggy was investigating invisible bullets at the very least, and Zazan talked about special humans being different. Had Pitou still ended up getting the information from Pokkle, the situation with Rammot would have been largely inconsequential.

[Kraco]

I will end by point about Uvo by saying this: Getting dragged into a one-on-one confrontation with Kurapika (the guy who demonstrated the ability to restrain him without much effort) because of his damaged pride was not smart.

Previously Kurapika had restrained paralyzed Uvo and punched him in the face once when Uvo was chained to a table. So, he hadn't shown much in the way of amazing abilities. Besides, as much as I blame Kite for being careless, getting distracted, and losing sight of the real objective, I still think he was worlds above Uvo in intelligence... Uvo was, no matter how you look at it, a musclehead. Nevertheless, Uvo never lost his own way of living, till the end. Who knows how Kite should be judged in that sense (assuming he's really dead). If you look at Ging's actions and decisions, it's clear he never had any pity left for Gon's suffering or possible death, so it's questionable if Kite was doing right or wrong by going out of his way to look after him. He might have lost his way in that. But then again, he's Kite, not Ging, so he had to make his own decisions.

[Splash!]

Besides, as much as I blame Kite for being careless, getting distracted, and losing sight of the real objective, I still think he was worlds above Uvo in intelligence... Uvo was, no matter how you look at it, a musclehead. Nevertheless, Uvo never lost his own way of living, till the end.

That being said, Kite was in a lot tougher situation than Uvo to begin with. He used his head for the most part, but ran into something completely unprecedented. Also, we never got to see Kite reflect on his actions before his death so we don't really know if he actually believed his decisions were wrong. Gon and Killua might have gotten cocky but Kite seemed to remain on edge as he kept mentioning this gut feeling of things not being right in his inner monologue. Who knows, maybe he would have separated himself Gon and Killua sooner if had come across something stronger earlier. Based on the quality of enemies he had encountered so far, he could have very well thought that the kids could serve their purpose in the upcoming confrontation (against lots of ants) and have been of some value. If Gon and Killua could handle themselves against a certain caliber of enemies, it was not a given that they would be totally useless. In fact, even now, having Killua live to tell the tale might in itself be invaluable to Netero & Co.

There was no way for him to use the sample of ants he had observed to predict something like Neferpitou. There is just too large a discrepancy and he can only plan based on the intel that he has.

[Kraco]

There was no way for him to use the sample of ants he had observed to predict something like Neferpitou. There is just too large a discrepancy and he can only plan based on the intel that he has.

Yeah. But with so many unknowns, he should have really considered sending Gon & Killua packing. Especially when he started to get the bad vibes. His intentions were nothing but good and probably he considered himself to be playing a part in Ging's grand and inhuman game to turn Gon into another monster, but logically thinking you should only bring newbies, especially underage ones, on a mission where there are no unknowns to speak of and especially no bigger threat to risk unleashing (this was a mission to stop the ants, not to train Gon & Killua, after all). This mission had nothing but unknown factors.

[Splash!]

Yeah. But with so many unknowns, he should have really considered sending Gon & Killua packing. Especially when he started to get the bad vibes.

When he started getting those vibes, they were already too close to the nest. It wouldn't have been prudent to ask them to split, if he actually cared about them as friends. What if they were targeted by an ant that could kill them off but Kite would have been able to deal with. Again, there were unknowns but he was going through the process of collecting information which is about as much as he could hope to do. Who knew that the information he collected would be so misleading.

[Buffalobiian]

Yeah. But with so many unknowns, he should have really considered sending Gon & Killua packing. Especially when he started to get the bad vibes.

You wanted him to base his decision on vibes? That would be hardly professional.

[Kraco]

You wanted him to base his decision on vibes? That would be hardly professional.

You have kicked professionalism out of the door the moment you decided to take two kids with you on a mission of utmost military importance and lethal danger. Besides, I'd say that in a a world of nen, vibes aren't necessarily such a dubious thing to count on if you are a nen master and experienced also otherwise.

[David75]

Life is unfair.
For Kite: Life's a bitch and then you die...
Move on everyone ;)

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 86 is out!!




---------------------------










Aaaaand, so much for not judging by aura, lol. Killua was entirely correct in his assessment. He is also insistent on being stylish wherever he goes. "Experts" and other pro-hunters also seem to agree with Kite's approach.

But more importantly, so much Bisky!!! :3

[Splash!]

Netero just confirmed that Neferpitou is stronger. If this is a one Royal Guard, who the hell is going to stand a chance against 3 of them and the king (no doubt several times stronger than Neferpitou)?

[Buffalobiian]

He also said there are stronger people than him, and the strength difference means they'll have to resort to some sort of smart idea in order to overcome it. It goes back to Killua's analysis about chances.

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/1156/r5hz.jpg

[Splash!]

He also said there are stronger people than him, and the strength difference means they'll have to resort to some sort of smart idea in order to overcome it. It goes back to Killua's analysis about chances.


Yeah but it's not going to be as easy as that. So far they have only planned for Neferpitou, who knows what kinds of monsters the other 2 royal guards are? Also, these ants are part human too, which means they should be more than capable of strategizing. This butterfly guy already seems less single minded that Pitou. Right now, they aren't even planning for the worst case scenario that the king hatches which we all know is probably going to happen anyways.

[Buffalobiian]

Yeah but it's not going to be as easy as that. So far they have only planned for Neferpitou, who knows what kinds of monsters the other 2 royal guards are? Also, these ants are part human too, which means they should be more than capable of strategizing. This butterfly guy already seems less single minded that Pitou. Right now, they aren't even planning for the worst case scenario that the king hatches which we all know is probably going to happen anyways.

2 months was the minimum time it'd take for the king to hatch, apparently. I have no idea how they derived that approximation though,

[MFauli]

1.) I hate everyone who writes "Bisky". It´s pronounced "Biske", so please write exactly that. sigh

2.) I have no idea what´s supposed to be happen anymore. Netero may state that there are stronger nen-users than him, but I have to wonder who that should be, and how those mysterious super-powers are thought to arrive at the NGL. Just because you´re strong doesn´t mean you care about helping out here.

Also, wtf, so Kite IS alive? What was that scene with Pitou playing with his ... ?severed? head then? Can´t say I like this, as it robs last week´s episode of its impact.

And then again, how to defeat the royal guard ... and the king, lol. Or worded differently: Who IS stronger than Netero? I don´t think any of the spiders are. Uborgin might have had a small chance, but all the others are too delicate for a fight against monsters. Hisoka? Would be overwhelmed by sheer power. Killua´s family? They struggled against Crolio. And that´s it in terms of the strongest known characters. I doubt Ging will enter the fight. That leaves unkown characters and a weird, bullshitty improvement of Gon´s and Killua´s.

As I see it, Gon and Killua will fight (and defeat?) Pitou, because she´s personally involved with them. She also seems to be the weakest of the three royal guard members. Again, no idea how the author is going to explain such an enormous power up in such short time to make this victory possible, but it´s what I think will happen.

Fighting the king? Well, I guess we might have to stop thinking so much about "power" here. After all, there are lots of special abilities. So, ability trumps power. See Kurapika. Thinking about it, all this power talk really is stupid. Imagine that black-haired Spider girl with her vacuum. Or the guy the Spiders kidnapped that could hide objects within a mere towel, or something like that. Or, more obvious, imagine Majin Boo transforming Vegeto into a piece of chocolate (even though that backfired). Both we as the readers as well as the characters have to start thinking outside the box again. And then victory IS possible. At least then there´s a chance. Fighting head on with your fists will bring nothing but doom, sure.

[Kraco]

Who's saying they need to fight 1 to 1? If they hadn't taken their sweet time, it's possible the mind reader hadn't hatched yet. They only knew of Neferpitou from Killua's report, so they could have tried to see if just a single enemy had stepped out if provoked (they would have known from Killua's report that Neferpitou is eager to seek a fight). Even if it's two now, it would still be 3 to 2, not such bad odds. However, even they know the odds are only getting worse. This doesn't make much sense if you ask me.

But then again, I still think they should get a bomber to drop canisters of pyrethrin around the nest. Maybe even DDT for good measure, since this is but an isolated case. At the end of the day, it's still insects they are fighting. Why make such a big deal out of it?

[Carnage]

Who's saying they need to fight 1 to 1? If they hadn't taken their sweet time, it's possible the mind reader hadn't hatched yet. They only knew of Neferpitou from Killua's report, so they could have tried to see if just a single enemy had stepped out if provoked (they would have known from Killua's report that Neferpitou is eager to seek a fight).

Neferpitou's En is so strong she can notice anything within about a 2 Km radius. She is such a monster she would probably trash all three pro's at this point, otherwise yes they would have just lured her out. I don't see how they've been taking their sweet time when you don't really have time reference. For all you know the Chairman could have arrived there ASAP.


Even if it's two now, it would still be 3 to 2, not such bad odds. However, even they know the odds are only getting worse. This doesn't make much sense if you ask me.

Running in unprepared could get them killed. See: Kite. When the Chairman is weary enough to fight one royal guard, why would they rush in on two?


But then again, I still think they should get a bomber to drop canisters of pyrethrin around the nest. Maybe even DDT for good measure, since this is but an isolated case. At the end of the day, it's still insects they are fighting. Why make such a big deal out of it?

Only counter-argument here I suppose is that they would need enough bombers such that Neferpitou couldn't possible strike them all down.

[Kraco]

Running in unprepared could get them killed. See: Kite. When the Chairman is weary enough to fight one royal guard, why would they rush in on two?

Yeah, indeed. Better wait till all three royal guards are out, and maybe even the king. Only then it will be worth it to attack. Bards will still sing of their heroics 100 years later.


Only counter-argument here I suppose is that they would need enough bombers such that Neferpitou couldn't possible strike them all down.

Assuming Neferpitou could jump high enough to take bombers down (without knowing what they are and why they are there), why not? The hunters could sneak in to slay the Queen while Neferpitou's jumping up and down. Or they could just use rockets to deliver the poison.

But this is just silly talk. Obviously each and every ant needs to be beaten to death by hand in a shounen show. I admit it would be a highly anticlimactic ending for this arc if they used insecticides.

[MFauli]

All this prepared-or-not-prepared talk is getting tiring. EVERYTIME someone loses, you could say "well, he wasn´t prepared well enough". It´s idiotic.

Outside of weird shounen-esque rapid power ups, you are who you are. And then it´s all about confidence. You keep walking a certain direction and when you run into something, you manage to deal with it or you don´t. The latter resulting in your death.

There is no kind of preparation that would ever satisfy everybody. That´s why Kite wasn´t incompetent. He THOUGHT he was prepared well enough. He wasn´t. So he "died". The same goes for Netero now. They´re gathering intel with those ghost bunnies, and when that´s done, they´ll probably enter the area. The THINK the are prepared well enough. If they die, they weren´t. If they win, they were.

The point is that overthinking it makes no sense for reality. Let´s say Netero was the strongest nen-user. So he sees Pitou and realizes "she´s stronger". There´s nothing more to prepare. He has two options: Engage battle and outsmart her. Or kill himself. Or wait for the Chimera ants to fully conquer the world, which is really the same.

Fuck "preparation".

[Buffalobiian]

Fuck "preparation".

lol.. that's essentially what Gon said.


Also, wtf, so Kite IS alive? What was that scene with Pitou playing with his ... ?severed? head then? Can´t say I like this, as it robs last week´s episode of its impact

When we saw Kite in the ice coffin, we couldn't see the connection between his head and his body. Pitou suggests that she wants Kite re-animated though.

I'll also write Biscuit as Bisky since that's what Horrible_Subs uses.. and I'm watching that every week. Is there an official English translation for it?

[MFauli]

I'll also write Biscuit as Bisky since that's what Horrible_Subs uses.. and I'm watching that every week. Is there an official English translation for it?

You don´t need an official translation when you have functioning ears. They say "Biske", with an "eh"-sound at the end. "Bisky" would be pronounced completely differently.

[Buffalobiian]

You don´t need an official translation when you have functioning ears. They say "Biske", with an "eh"-sound at the end. "Bisky" would be pronounced completely differently.

According to Hunter Wikia:


Biscuit Krueger (ビスケット＝クルーガー, Bisuketto Kurūgā) is a professional Treasure Hunter that enlisted in clearing the video game Greed Island following the auction for the game in Yorknew City. She prefers to be called "Bisky."

Leaving the last sentence aside, her full name is Biscuit. Basically:

1) If you believe her full name should be written in romanji, then it's Bisuketto.. and her corresponding nickname would be Bisuke.

2) If you believe her full name should be Anglicised as Biscuit, then her corresponding nickname would be Bisky.

I'm in the latter camp, just as I prefer Shadow Clone Technique to Kagebunshin no Jutsu in my subs. It's not an absolute standard, since I do prefer Onii-chan to Brother (because "Brother" has a religious order feel in my head), but names have a proper meaning or form, I'd like that to be conveyed.

[shinta|hikari]

I don't care about anything else aside from Biscuit (and her new hairstyle) now.

[Carnage]

Yeah, indeed. Better wait till all three royal guards are out, and maybe even the king. Only then it will be worth it to attack. Bards will still sing of their heroics 100 years later.

You have been the one complaining about running in unprepared. The Chairman couldn't even spot the other royal guard. If they rush in while the enemies are fewer, they also have a higher percentage of making a mistake. As a matter of fact, I don't see the point when the Chairman readily admits he would lose in a fight to Pitou. He would simply be throwing his life away to accomplish nothing, because the rest of the ants are so strong they can probably take on pro-hunters themselves. Gon and Killua could barely finish off a lieutenant who hadn't even realized his nen powers. And the Hunter Asssociation doesn't want to throw away too many of its professionals who might become food and make the Ants even stronger.




Assuming Neferpitou could jump high enough to take bombers down (without knowing what they are and why they are there), why not? The hunters could sneak in to slay the Queen while Neferpitou's jumping up and down. Or they could just use rockets to deliver the poison.

I think its safe to assume she can, considering the instant leap she made last episode. You're assuming the Ants couldn't take down rockets. In fact, you're assuming a lot about the Ant's limitations.

[Buffalobiian]

You have been the one complaining about running in unprepared. The Chairman couldn't even spot the other royal guard.

Maybe... or he just walked into view after the Chairman stopped looking. Pitou didn't know his name, so he was probably just born (as in.. a few minutes ago).

[David75]

Regarding Bisuke... There's another play on words with french slang word "biscottos" meaning biceps (or more generally muscles). Just sharing ;)

[DarthEnderX]

Pitou has perhaps the craziest motivation I've ever heard for developing healing powers.

"I want to revive him so I can kill him again!"

Maybe Kite will be back. But I'm honestly surprised the Queen isn't insisting on eating him.


I already hate hair chick...alot. She's fucking creepy AND she makes every scene she's in boring by blathering.


In fact, you're assuming a lot about the Ant's limitations.Exactly, they have all the strengths of the animals that make them up(and much more so in the case of the Royal Guards). If those animals aren't killed by simple bug spray, then neither will the Ants.

[Kraco]

You have been the one complaining about running in unprepared. The Chairman couldn't even spot the other royal guard. If they rush in while the enemies are fewer, they also have a higher percentage of making a mistake. As a matter of fact, I don't see the point when the Chairman readily admits he would lose in a fight to Pitou. He would simply be throwing his life away to accomplish nothing, because the rest of the ants are so strong they can probably take on pro-hunters themselves. Gon and Killua could barely finish off a lieutenant who hadn't even realized his nen powers. And the Hunter Asssociation doesn't want to throw away too many of its professionals who might become food and make the Ants even stronger.

The chairman is a badass and has two other badasses with him. That's quite a bit different compared to one badass walking in with two kids in tow. Even with Killua's warning, I still find it funny they seem to be far more careful and unhurried than Kite, despite their superior power. It makes Kite look all the worse.

[MFauli]

"Their superior power"

lol, your Kite-hate knows no boundaries. One assumption after another.

[Splash!]

Even if it's two now, it would still be 3 to 2, not such bad odds. However, even they know the odds are only getting worse. This doesn't make much sense if you ask me.


You make it sound like none of the squad captains even exist and they would be nothing more than cannon fodder if they were engaged simultaneously. Kite may have crushed a bunch of inconsequential ants but he didn't face a single one with nen powers (before Pitou). With Pitou having the other ants go through the awakening process, it becomes exponentially harder to rush in. While Netero & Co. may be able to dispatch them one by one (which seems like what they are planning), what makes you think they could take on all of them simultaneously together with the Royal Guards. You know what Morel said about a battle between nen users going either way applies to the Ants too, it isn't just a saving grace for the good guys.

Even before all of this however, you have to factor in what THEY know and don't. They DON'T know how strong the rest of the ants are (even the weak ones), because they can't even get close enough to the nest. They DON'T know that there are other royal guards around or not. All they know is that better ants hatch as the amount and quality of their food increases, and that the King is possibly a couple of months away of hatching. That and there being at least one ant as strong as Neferpitou. Given this, why would they go "Oh gee, lets just rush in now because we don't have a minute to spare" when they could inadvertently end up contributing to ants' food supply and screw the whole world over in the process. Only the viewer is aware of how rapidly things are unfolding, the characters themselves don't know jack shit. What you call 'taking their sweet time' is them trying to get better grasp of the situation (because they don't know much).

EDIT:

Even with Killua's warning, I still find it funny they seem to be far more careful and unhurried than Kite, despite their superior power. It makes Kite look all the worse.

Wait! Did you just say Kite looks worse for hurrying too much? Weren't you complaining about how he didn't just rush and deal with it all before Neferpitou hatched? Seems like whatever happens, he looks worse...

[Carnage]

Well obviously since they know someone on Kite's level was outclassed, they're going to be cautious. You are:

A.) Underestimating Kite's professionalism, of someone who gained Ging's respect.

B.) Claiming the Chairman and the two "badasses" should rush in unprepared after full well knowing they'd die with their current preparation.

C.) Comparing Kite's decisions to the Chairman, who has after-the-fact knowledge of the situation.

[Kraco]

Wait! Did you just say Kite looks worse for hurrying too much? Weren't you complaining about how he didn't just rush and deal with it all before Neferpitou hatched? Seems like whatever happens, he looks worse...

It's relative between these two groups. Kite was taking too much time, allowing the first royal guard to hatch. Netero & Co are taking too much time, allowing the ants grow even more strong. Kite's lack of care is more complicated than these fellows', though, because obviously this new trio is far stronger, so they shouldn't need to be so afraid, which is what Gon said and I agree with. It's not like they could simply decide it's too much trouble and risk and go back home. The situation is like that of soldiers in war: There's no choice but to fight and the things worse by day.

Well, I guess I was wrong to say this makes Kite look worse; he was the one with less information, after all.


Well obviously since they know someone on Kite's level was outclassed, they're going to be cautious. You are:

A.) Underestimating Kite's professionalism, of someone who gained Ging's respect.

B.) Claiming the Chairman and the two "badasses" should rush in unprepared after full well knowing they'd die with their current preparation.

C.) Comparing Kite's decisions to the Chairman, who has after-the-fact knowledge of the situation.

A) Unfortunately nothing will save his level of professionalism in my eyes. He made too big mistakes. Unless getting killed and resurrected to fight again was a part of his plans...

B) How on Earth are they unprepared when they have had far more time and information to get prepared than Kite and have far more power at their disposal (not counting Gon & Killua's plot armour for fairness sake).

C) Kite utterly failed at his mission, and will never be able to say he really tried his best - because he didn't. What else is there to say? Excuses, perhaps, but nobody's interested in excuses.

We haven't yet seen enough of Netero's decisions that I could really criticize him, and so I can hope he will throw some of his caution to the winds and go kicks ass before things get out of hand for good. No matter how powerful Pitou is, it's still utterly inexperienced and probably arrogant after beating Kite so promptly. Contrary to what Splash suggested, there's no need to take them all at once because Pitou already proved it will jump to action alone if given a chance. Draw that one out, beat it 3 to 1 and then confront the rest with suitable tactics.

[DarthEnderX]

Ugh, are we still talking about this.

[Carnage]

We haven't yet seen enough of Netero's decisions that I could really criticize him, and so I can hope he will throw some of his caution to the winds and go kicks ass before things get out of hand for good. No matter how powerful Pitou is, it's still utterly inexperienced and probably arrogant after beating Kite so promptly. Contrary to what Splash suggested, there's no need to take them all at once because Pitou already proved it will jump to action alone if given a chance. Draw that one out, beat it 3 to 1 and then confront the rest with suitable tactics.

The problem is that you're complaining about everything on the premise of assumptions that no one could even verify at this point. How do you know the three of them combined could beat Pitou? You don't.

[Kraco]

The problem is that you're complaining about everything on the premise of assumptions that no one could even verify at this point. How do you know the three of them combined could beat Pitou? You don't.

If they can't, the world of humans is finished, unless some Deus ex machina suddenly appear out of nowhere to save the day. So, yeah, I make such assumptions readily. I guess there would be other possibilities, such as the ants' DNA finally having reached too much instability due to excessive combination of different species and their cells starting to spontaneously decompose, but I believe seeing good fights would be slightly more exciting. In the end nobody has any choice but to fight, now matter how worried they are. So, like Gon said, why delay the inevitable? Netero isn't growing any younger either.

[shinta|hikari]

Netero said that he was less than half of what he used to be, and that he is no longer the top hunter in the world.

That would make Ging, Chrollo (with nen), and the Zoldyck head the top nen users in the world. Shouldn't they try to hire the Zoldycks at least?

[Buffalobiian]

That would make Ging, Chrollo (with nen), and the Zoldyck head the top nen users in the world. Shouldn't they try to hire the Zoldycks at least?

Was it ever said that the ones besides Ging were top?

[shinta|hikari]

Nah, I just guessed. It seems perfectly reasonable though, because Chrollo is the head of the spiders and the Zoldycks went toe to toe with him.

[DarthEnderX]

If they can't, the world of humans is finished, unless some Deus ex machina suddenly appear out of nowhere to save the day.Unless characters like Ging are more powerful than all the ants combined still.

[Kraco]

Unless characters like Ging are more powerful than all the ants combined still.

I certainly hope Ging, being as legendary as he is, would be more than a match for the likes of Pitou, in power and especially experience. But I have a feeling we won't be seeing that man during this arc.

In fact I think there should be more insanely powerful individuals out there, unless this is the last fighting arc of the series. They might not be hunters, though, since nobody has mentioned any names. They would also be irrelevant to this arc, as apparently a humanoid ant colony eating a big portion of one nation's population and ultimately threatening to spread to the rest of the world isn't big enough news in the world of this story, so few know of it. Or perhaps it's not such a big threat after all, and that's why nobody's really worried.

[MFauli]

While I can but laugh at most of Kraco´s complaints, that one´s valid: Experience.

I said in the past that the Chimera Ants made up experience with natural combat skills, just like new born mammals know how to drink from their mother´s tit. You just "know".

But even then, there should be a significant difference between a new born fighter and somebody who´s unraveled most of nen´s mysteries. Especially nen, which, while the Chimeras can use it now, isn´t something they´re instantly familiar with.

That´s where I´d love to see some flashback to Kite´s fight against Pitou. Even with just one arm, he should have been able to do something. Sure, in a raw fist fight, Pitou would be unstoppable. But high-level fights aren´t about raw power (unless you reach a certain level at the very top where raw power becomes the only important aspect a gain, lol).

[shinta|hikari]

Nef loved the fight enough to wanna redo it, so I bet it was neck and neck the entire time, with Kite only having one arm. You would not want a rematch against someone not on your level.

[Kraco]

You would not want a rematch against someone not on your level.

We are talking about a bitch that clearly loved to poke the brain of a paralyzed person. Neferpitou probably just wants to kill Kite in 100 different ways. It's love, ant style.

[TwisT]

It's curiosity, playfulness and cruelty, cat style.

[DarthEnderX]

It's curiosity, playfulness and cruelty, cat style.This.....

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 87 is out!!


----------------------------





























Seeing Knuckle freak out about Gon's punch was my favourite part of this episode.

[MFauli]

I just dunno ... will it be enough? I guess in terms of defeating Knuckle, we´ll have a "now strip off your heavy training clothes"-Dragonball Z-moment - at some point, Biske will allow Gon and Killua to get proper rest before another attempt and then they´ll suddenly overwhelm Knuckle.

But somehow, that doesn´t feel like it´d be enough to return to the NGL. Unless the training they´re doing with keeping up their nen is something highly difficult, something dangerous, that your normal run-of-the-mill hunters wouldn´t ever manage to do.

My favorite moment: Gon admitting that they cannot always rely on sheer will power to win a battle.

[Buffalobiian]

But somehow, that doesn´t feel like it´d be enough to return to the NGL. Unless the training they´re doing with keeping up their nen is something highly difficult

How long does it take to add an extra 10mins to your Ren? Did Bisky say 1 month last time?

Gon/Killua did an extra 125mins within 10 days or so.

[MFauli]

Biske´s nen power is total hax, anyway. Insta-regeneration. It´ll only be more hax when Pitou actually manages to revive Kite. To be honest, I hope it fails. Reviving someone clearly dead brings the whole afterlife-bullshit, which, if you´re lacking a fleshed-out concept for it, is only silly.

It´s why the reviving in Dragonball is good, and why it´s fuckdumb in Naruto.

[Kraco]

It seems to me Neferpitou will resurrect Kite, who will then defeat Neferpitou. What's the point otherwise? Kite can then afterwards grab a bag of potato chips and proclaim: Just as planned!

Gon & Killua's training ought to give them good chances against opponents below the royal guards, especially assuming they attack 2 vs 1. Actually beating royal guards would seem like a stretch at this point.

[Archangel]

It seems to me Neferpitou will resurrect Kite, who will then defeat Neferpitou. What's the point otherwise? Kite can then afterwards grab a bag of potato chips and proclaim: Just as planned!

Gon & Killua's training ought to give them good chances against opponents below the royal guards, especially assuming they attack 2 vs 1. Actually beating royal guards would seem like a stretch at this point.
That would be too clean, this arc isn't clean. I'm expecting Kite to be revived as some sort of atrocity, or maybe just completely catatonic.

Yeah but then what would be the point of them even going? It's already pretty much been established that anything below royal guard is trash tier, even with Nen i don't see the Chairman and his posse having any issues with them.

[Kraco]

Yeah but then what would be the point of them even going? It's already pretty much been established that anything below royal guard is trash tier, even with Nen i don't see the Chairman and his posse having any issues with them.

Hmm... Well, there is of course a possibility that the other two royal guards aren't as big fighting monsters as Neferpitou. However, if even Netero doesn't want to face Neferpitou, I don't see how Gon & Killua could reach the needed level of power in a couple of weeks. Maybe if we had two Killuas who could devise a nefarious plan, but we have Gon who's too stupid for anything but direct face to face confrontations - and such confrontations happen to be Neferpitou's forte.

[Buffalobiian]

Yeah but then what would be the point of them even going? It's already pretty much been established that anything below royal guard is trash tier, even with Nen i don't see the Chairman and his posse having any issues with them.

The Chairman's team might only have trouble against the Royal Guards, but that still leaves 24 captains that would interfere if given the chance. Gon/Killua/whoever would still be helpful in keeping other people out of the fight.

[MFauli]

My only solution: Gon (and maybe Killua, too) develop a special technique akin to Kurapika´s, where you have to vow with your life, this gaining an incredible boost in power.

There´s simply no other way, outisde of bullshit insta-upgrades. And this series has done a good job so far in presenting power levels in a semi-realistic manner.

[David75]

I guess that some way out of this mess would be having one of the strong ants become an ally.

It wouldn't be a stretch to think that even if they are "designed" to be under the orders of the Queen/King or whoever, they still have human characteristics and Nen.
We've already had some lower grades ants do whatever they feel. Why not having one of the top chose to rebel against their kind?

It's not impossible because very fine/precise nen control can probably affect your own body, maybe cells and why not DNA. Netero wouldn't be something like 160 years of age if not for that kind of reason.
So why not change your own DNA to free yourself from your King/Queen Tyranny?

Somehow, Colt could be a great candidate, not the strongest, but at least he could help wipe most of the place.

[Kraco]

I guess that some way out of this mess would be having one of the strong ants become an ally.


Why would any of the ants do that? Rammot was ready to rebel when he thought he's the shit with his new, pesky nen skills, but then he fell onto his knees before Neferpitou. However, even rebelling against the Queen wouldn't make any ant an ally of humans. They consider humans food or prey for sport. Any ant that could be fooled into becoming an ally wouldn't amount to much.

Besides, they are probably depending on the Queen's pheromones as much as a crack addict on their dealer.

[David75]

Colt seems to have some kind of ghost "à la GITS" from his human part. Add human traits, nen fine DNA/body/cell tunning and why not... Or any other plot tool you can think of.

[Kraco]

Colt seems to have some kind of ghost "à la GITS" from his human part.

I think the human ghost already played its part by making Colt just as fussy, meticulous, no-nonsense, and protective as the kid was.

[David75]

Well, after all we'll just have to watch what has been chosen for us to enjoy ;)

[MFauli]

I´d hate it if any Chimera ant decided to join the humans. That´s just super dumb.

[Belial]

slow episode

[DarthEnderX]

Yeah, I haven't really cared for the last couple episodes.

Going back to being trained by Bisky again just feels like they're going in circles.


I´d hate it if any Chimera ant decided to join the humans. That´s just super dumb.I think it would be if it happened in the middle of the arc, but if any of them are still alive after the King and Queen are dead, I don't think it would be stupid at all.

After all, it's not like they can reproduce on their own, and without a chain of command, there's really no reason for them to keep doing what they're doing.

If Colt is defeated, but not killed, and recovers to find the King and Queen already dead, then I would fully expect him to give up his current path.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 88 is out!!

[MFauli]

I honestly cant figure out what Gon and Killua are missing according to Biske´s words. In case of Gon it could have been typical stuff like "the will to kill" or whatever, but Killua certainly wouldn´t be missing that. So, I´m left without an idea.

Netero killing those lowly squadrons and being all content with himself feels wrong. Even Gon and Killua, prior to their training, maybe could have beaten the squadron leaders. Cant wait for the clash between Netero and the Royal Guard.

Oh, and I absolutely want to see Pitou put in place. Dat pussy is to arrogant for my liking :>

[Buffalobiian]

Netero killing those lowly squadrons and being all content with himself feels wrong. Even Gon and Killua, prior to their training, maybe could have beaten the squadron leaders. Cant wait for the clash between Netero and the Royal Guard.

Well, there's nothing wrong with killing enemy units and knowing things are according to plan. He's "warming up" at the moment as well. He's also done enough to instill fear and discomfort in the less-than-Royal ranks.

I'm pretty disappointed with this episode. All that time wasted in flicking back and forth such that we didn't see anything real happen.

[Harima Kenji]

Let's just hope this is the silence before the storm.

I think Netero, even though the opponents are weak, is getting better in shape because of this.
Knowing they are at a disadvantage against the ants it's the best thing to do. Thin out the number of enemies while training at the same time.

[DarthEnderX]

I can't tell if turning Kite into a puppet is Pitou's power, or the guy paying the violin.

I'm going to assume it's the other guy since she's an Enhancer and that's definitely a Manipulator power.

[antiravage]

I can't tell if turning Kite into a puppet is Pitou's power, or the guy paying the violin.

I'm going to assume it's the other guy since she's an Enhancer and that's definitely a Manipulator power.

She's a specialist. Rammot is the enhancer one. Although I understand that you don't remember which one was it because Rammot is as badass as Pitou.

[Archangel]

I'm going to assume it's the other guy since she's an Enhancer and that's definitely a Manipulator power.
Does everyone on gotwoot have Alzheimer's or something?

[Kraco]

I don't know if it's actually going to be one of Gon's weaknesses since it's more like a shounen trope, but it can't be denied his special attack is far too transparent. Even if he can "surprise" more idiotic opponents by cutting it short and using scissors instead. But nevertheless the beginning alone is too obvious and undynamic. Kite's technique also required the opponent to grant him a moment to summon a random weapon in a goofy manner, but I don't think most of the badasses had any such weaknesses.

[Archangel]

I don't know if it's actually going to be one of Gon's weaknesses since it's more like a shounen trope, but it can't be denied his special attack is far too transparent. Even if he can "surprise" more idiotic opponents by cutting it short and using scissors instead. But nevertheless the beginning alone is too obvious and undynamic. Kite's technique also required the opponent to grant him a moment to summon a random weapon in a goofy manner, but I don't think most of the badasses had any such weaknesses.
The obvious answers would be that he's standing still through the whole power up, which in itself takes a while. It's like a telegraphed version of the spirit bomb. Doesn't help how he's calling out the name of the attack, Killua already called him out on that bulshit last time.

Maybe that's why Bisque picked this training method, so they can have sort of a more explosive Nen? Or maybe for the technique to work instantaneously and in movement he just has to go at 100% all the time.

[antiravage]

Did anyone noticed that the last royal guard has the same voice as kenpachi*from bleach? And he kinda reminds me of the guy. His entrance was very kanpachi-like.

[Buffalobiian]

Maybe that's why Bisque picked this training method, so they can have sort of a more explosive Nen? Or maybe for the technique to work instantaneously and in movement he just has to go at 100% all the time.

The punch worked on Rammot since Killua paralysed him. Gon has to make his attack instantaneous, or develop one that will disable his opponents first.

[DarthEnderX]

Yeah, Gon's obvious weakness is his long-ass windup/attack calling.

Not sure what the second one is.


She's a specialist. Rammot is the enhancer one.Oh right.

[shinta|hikari]

Not sure what the second one is.


Attack range?

[Buffalobiian]

Attack range?

Bisky was giving Gon emission training while Killua recovered from his damaged hand in GI. If attack range was the issue, telling him directly should be more effective. This seems to be something that the kids have to "realise" and apply right away - she also said tonight was the last chance. Emission wouldn't be something they'd simply figure out.

[DarthEnderX]

Attack range?We already know paper is gonna be a Hadoken.

[shinta|hikari]

Having to "realize" something is a stupid shounen training method. It will always be easier if someone tells you what you lack, especially if you actually trust that person.

If the weaknesses actually include something as obvious as attack speed and/or predictability, why doesn't Bisky just tell them that too?

Keeping them in the dark about the goal and effects of their training is also stupid. Gon and Killua are going to work hard and not cut corners anyway.

[Kraco]

Attack range?

Considering he's following the same path as Uvo, things like an attack range aren't necessarily anything that really needs discovering or thinking. He can simply pick up a rock and throw it at a speed of 800 m/s. It would deal with any opponent that wouldn't need an awesome, thrilling fight.

[Buffalobiian]

Killua has his yoyo and Gon has his fishing-rod if attack range is what needs solving. :p

edit: had* his fishing-rod.

[DarthEnderX]

Killua has his yoyo and Gon has his fishing-rod if attack range is what needs solving. :p

edit: had* his fishing-rod.Have I complained about that yet?

What ever happened to that thing? Seems like enhancement could make that thing awesome.

[Archangel]

He left it back at the island last time they went to visit.

And no, no amount of Nen can make a fishing rod awesome. Fishing rods are lame.

[Buffalobiian]

I really don't care about the fishing rod much, but I actually want to see more of Killua's yoyo attacks. It's too cool to be just a one-off thing for him to use while his hand was stuffed in GI.

[DarthEnderX]

And no, no amount of Nen can make a fishing rod awesome. Fishing rods are lame.Not when it's flipping up concrete slabs to crush you!

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 89 is out!!


------------------------------------------

















Good episode, but I have to wait another week to get what I wanted! :(

[Archangel]

What the... who the fuck deleted my post? This fucking shit should be against the rules, if you want to delete a post you warn the user and justify your fucking decision.

[MFauli]

ugh, slow pace strikes. well, no, this ep was necessary, but damn, bring on the real fight!

most emotional moment: when bisuke told killua, that as things are going he´ll leave gon to die at some point. he looked so poor when he heard that :(

[Buffalobiian]

ugh, slow pace strikes. well, no, this ep was necessary, but damn, bring on the real fight!

most emotional moment: when bisuke told killua, that as things are going he´ll leave gon to die at some point. he looked so poor when he heard that :(

Yeah, it sucked for him. That outcome wouldn't be entirely his fault either. It'll be a combination of both Killua's practice of running away AND Gon's will to stay for the fight. If they would both run, then it doesn't sound as bad as it did.

Now the situation she's proposing now is that Killua fight with Gon - with the outcome being that they'd both live, or both die.

Funnily enough, Killua's matched up against the "coward" as well. I just hope it won't be a stare-off next week.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 90 is out!!


------------------------------------





















OMFG! I can't take this waiting anymore..

The anticipation is killing me.

The preview suggests that they both lost however.

[Kraco]

I thought Killua's situation was exaggerated too much. Perhaps it's partially believable in the sense that Biscuit apparently hammened his weakness in pretty forcefully and thus he can't get over it, but otherwise it feels like the plot is forgetting he's a fricking assassin who has slain god only knows how many people. And it's not like he was a total stranger to more demanding fights either. Yet now he's suddenly too scared to stop his knees from shaking and can't take a step forward. If he really was consistently like that, we would have seen this behavior before. But it seems like it appeared out of nowhere in this arc.

In other news the much anticipated king looks like a clown. I expected him to look like a cool badass, but instead he looks worse than many of his underlings.

[Buffalobiian]

I thought Killua's situation was exaggerated too much. Perhaps it's partially believable in the sense that Biscuit apparently hammened his weakness in pretty forcefully and thus he can't get over it, but otherwise it feels like the plot is forgetting he's a fricking assassin who has slain god only knows how many people. And it's not like he was a total stranger to more demanding fights either. Yet now he's suddenly too scared to stop his knees from shaking and can't take a step forward. If he really was consistently like that, we would have seen this behavior before. But it seems like it appeared out of nowhere in this arc.

It does seem a little like that. I wonder if it has to do with the number of strong people that are coming up in this arc though. We've been introduced to Killua's way of assessing situations before. I think Pitou "shocked" him into running for his life, and the whole Gon thing is pushing him now.

Honestly his fighting before was pretty smart, and it prioritised being alive above all else. What it doesn't help with, is when you're trying to save the world, which protagonists tend to do. As a simple pay-to-kill assassin and fighter, Killua's doing just fine. A noble warrior, he is not.

[Kraco]

Honestly his fighting before was pretty smart, and it prioritised being alive above all else. What it doesn't help with, is when you're trying to save the world, which protagonists tend to do. As a simple pay-to-kill assassin and fighter, Killua's doing just fine. A noble warrior, he is not.

True, but we have seen the Zoldycks are also hired to off quite powerful targets. Maybe they can afford to default once or twice against especially tricky opponents, but if they fail (run) too many times, that's it. Nobody serious is going to hire them anymore. But I suppose his brother wasn't even training him to be an excellent assassin, just to stay alive no matter the cost. It simply hasn't been shown too well in the show before this arc.

[Carnage]

Yet now he's suddenly too scared to stop his knees from shaking and can't take a step forward. If he really was consistently like that, we would have seen this behavior before.

Like when? Togashi has been almost entirely consistent. I can't think of one time Killua has not tried to run away from a stronger opponent. The only point I can give you is that this theme has only come up now.

[Kraco]

I'm not accusing the story of significant inconsistency, far from it. We have seen, for example, Killua's flashbacks of the cowardly teaching by his brother before, plus it's true he has certainly put a lot of priority on escaping before. However, he has rarely been scared next to witless in front of an opponent he can't really judge but that shouldn't be anything impossible compared to his current state, like Neferpitou. He was so relaxed fighting the bomber sidekick that he could experiment new techniques at leisure. He was perfecly calm when they were captured by the Spider in the hotel, and far from this when they were captured for the first time. What I considered a slight inconsistency is how the contradiction in him now seems so concentrated suddenly. If he had always been like this, he couldn't have worked as an assassin in the first place nor pull off the adventures with Gon. He might now be more distressed for personal reasons, but his life hasn't exactly been a bed of roses up until this point either.

[David75]

I know what you mean.
After all, he even killed that ant that was supposed to be better than average, with ease and even with letting it make their moves on him... to the point he even let himself inject some poison.
How was he so over confident at the time is a mystery... or not.

I guess the very difference comes from Nen powers. Killua never rationnalized that power before he started training it with Gon/Wing.
But deep in his body and subconscious, he had been trained to fear it deeply by his brother. His brother did a good job instilling utter fear, without waking Killua's nen powers. I wonder what were his motives. Was it so that he isn't exposed to threats he would not overcome due to inexperience and young age, so the family needed to seal his powers and wait for Killua to overcome that barrier and show his monstrous powers?
Or was it just jealousy, brother sick love?
Maybe a mix of all that.

Then of course, there's the pitou meeting. I guess he felt an aura that triggered the instilled fear. And now he meets people with really strong nens and that fear is still there. He now needs to overcome that hurdle, the fight is more against himself, rather than against Shoot. And of course, the story is made so that Shoot is in a similar situation, having to first fight his fears so that he goes another level.

[Buffalobiian]

I think the knee-shaking comes from trying to forcefully break the habits, as opposed to "fearing" the opponent per se.

In the current fight, Killua will run and dodge as he finds out more about his opponent. He's also careful not to overpersue so that he won't fall into a trap. As Shoot pointed out, those are very good reactions and fighting skills. There's nothing wrong with that.

In trying to overcome his habits (and by extension: his thoughts - sometimes it's hard to say which follows the other), Killua is trying to do things he previously considered dangerous and suicidal (overpursuing, not backing out after taking damage) - and that scares him.

As for the stinger-girl before, I thought he overestimated the girl - it just turned out to do no damage. He really did screw up there. If we look at the beginning of that fight, he was dodging and sussing her out.

I get what Kraco's saying, and I think David's point about the current fear having to do with Nen may have something to do with it.

[DarthEnderX]

it feels like the plot is forgetting he's a fricking assassin who has slain god only knows how many people.I think the implication they are trying to give is that he could easily tell everyone before was weaker than him.

Being an Assassin has given him an excellent sense of his enemies strength, and he's completely collected when he already knows he's going to win.


Yet now he's suddenly too scared to stop his knees from shaking and can't take a step forward. If he really was consistently like that, we would have seen this behavior before. But it seems like it appeared out of nowhere in this arc.I think what you're seeing is a result of his inner conflict with himself.

We've seen him do what she's described all the time. When facing the Spiders, with Neferpitou, his brother. He simply bolts the instant he thinks he can't win. But he was at least confident that that was the correct course of action.

I think the reaction of this fight is a result of his instincts and training trying to force him to flee, but him forcing himself not to. And it's this that's causing him to look so unsteady. Because he's completely unsure.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 91 is out!!

[MFauli]

ugh, felt super short.

the ants dont make sense. isnt the king´s goal to reign over his kingdom? seems like he doesnt care about having any underlings.

also, damn, feels like watching knuckle walking right towards his death.

[David75]

So Colt really did turn to humans for help. Motives are a bit dull considering what he's been doing until now.
What does it change if there's a chain of command or not when you're similarly killing everyone/everything around?
The only difference would be speed/level of mass murder.
I do not think Colt cares for ecosystem balance...

It might suggest though, that hormonal control was a key factor. You could always think that when the Queen's reproductive organs were destroyed, she also lost hormonal control over her ant army, freeing them... even Colt who can now let some of his human parts take over.

[Kraco]

It seems to me that the best thing any really serious professional hunters and other heavy nen users could do would be to gain a technique to purge foreign nen. Considering that I find it unbelievable such skills apparently are rare. I know if I was now in Killua and Gon's shoes, seeking out and learning that would be among the first priority, no matter how many years it took. They have certainly seen enough to know the uber value such a technique would have.

The development in the ant colony seemed logical. It's not all up to pheromone control anyway; the ants are too intelligent for that. So, it was a combination of such chemical control and a chain of command. Even with the queen still alive, we already saw the chain of command was shaky at best, but it somewhat held together until the king was born. The king, naturally, doesn't give a shit since his purpose ought to be to move elsewhere and create more queens and thus more colonies. Well, going by real insect analogy he should breed with queens from other colonies, but I doubt he could find one close enough to a human, so I assume he's just going to rape human women and wish chimera ant queens were born from such unholy copulation. Unless he's so genetically flawed he can only kill and not breed at all, which honestly wouldn't surprise me at all after his introduction.

I don't see why the hunters would want to spare a single chimera ant. They have no human ethical qualities and only view humans as food. Although listening to Colt makes sense since it's free intel.

[Buffalobiian]

I do not think Colt cares for ecosystem balance...

He does in a way. During their forages, he was strict on taking only enough food for the queen and discouraged recreational killing.

It'd be cool if Pitou is actually the strongest out of the royal guards to offset her lack of flight. I'd suck for her to get the shit end of the stick just because she was born the earliest.

I really don't like how close to Cell the king looks, tail and all.

[TwisT]

The King looks like Cell to pay homage to DBZ. So it is deliberate.

[DarthEnderX]

Penguin! Noooooo!!!

Gotta say, did not expect Gon and Killua to lose. For a second I thought I had missed an episode somehow.



the ants dont make sense. isnt the king´s goal to reign over his kingdom?As much as it is the commanders' goal to serve in the best interests of the queen and the hive.

But like the rest of the ants, the King is now made up of shithead humans.


So Colt really did turn to humans for help. Motives are a bit dull considering what he's been doing until now.
What does it change if there's a chain of command or not when you're similarly killing everyone/everything around?They explained this already.

The soldiers, commanders and royal guard serve the queen until she gives birth to the king, at which point the king and the royal guard leave to found a NEW hive.

But the queen and all the lower level ants are supposed to stay and keep the current hive thriving.


It seems to me that the best thing any really serious professional hunters and other heavy nen users could do would be to gain a technique to purge foreign nen.I don't think you're allowed to pick a whole bunch of unique nen abilities you can create. Most people seem limited to one, or at least, variations on a theme.

If you choose your ability to purge other's Nen, you're giving up your ability to have any other kind of ability.

[Buffalobiian]

I think you DO choose the ability, but it depends on whether or not it falls into your original type.

[Archangel]

You build your own ability based on your type and your fighting style, it should be something comfortable to you.

Why are you discussing facts again? This has been explained by Kurapika's teacher, go rewatch that episode.

[Buffalobiian]

You build your own ability based on your type and your fighting style, it should be something comfortable to you.

Why are you discussing facts again? This has been explained by Kurapika's teacher, go rewatch that episode.type, yes. I don't think he specifically talked about fighting styles however. Kurapica never used a chain before he started Nen training. He used sticks prior. I agree with the comfortable bit. Pitou for example just developed her technique based on what she wanted after she learned what type she was.

[Archangel]

Kurapika based his ability around his needs, he wanted to trap the spider. Your ability is what you make of it, this is a not my opinion but something that we've been explicitly told.

[DarthEnderX]

I think you DO choose the ability, but it depends on whether or not it falls into your original type.You obviously choose the ability.

My point was, if you choose your ability to be "I purge other people's nen" then you have an ability that has almost no combat applications.

Given that most Hunters choose their abilities for fighting, it's not at all surprising to me that Nen purging is rare.

[Kraco]

I think you people are looking at this far too stiffly. Far too. We have already seen two specialists whose abilities allow them to use techniques from any category (Kurapika in her spider hunter mode and Chrollo the technique thief). That alone reveals that a human body is perfectly capable to overcome the religious sounding dogma that the few teachers we have seen have been preaching. That whole system is inherently flawed with the specialist category being thrown in there, so it seems like it's taught to serve the needs of the averages who greatly benefit from being able to believe in something systematic that allows them to focus on one or two things and actually get good at them, in time, instead of wasting their time infinitely trying to be masters of everything.

Gon and Killua are, however, one in a million people. If they just forgot the diagram and pushed forward, they'd probably discover there's nothing holding them back and find out Gon's old man is waiting for them beyond such doctrines. In the first place, there's no single technique to purge foreign nen. You can already reject, to a degree, some nen attacks simply by concentrating your own nen to the part of the body getting hit. For all we know, there might be some very simple guru technique of purifying your body from all nen, be it your own or someone else's. Mainstream dogmatic people just would never realise such a thing, being bound by their own rules. It would probably take someone as eccentric as Ging to discover the whole truth.

[Buffalobiian]

Your ability is what you make of it,

What are you trying to say? You can choose, or you can't? I'm saying that you can choose your ability, and the closer it matches your natural affinity the easier/more powerful it will be.


You obviously choose the ability.

My point was, if you choose your ability to be "I purge other people's nen" then you have an ability that has almost no combat applications.

Given that most Hunters choose their abilities for fighting, it's not at all surprising to me that Nen purging is rare.

The whole idea of a nen-purging ability isn't to make it good for combat. It's to make the other person suck. You give yourself a nen-purging ability while training your own fighting ability without Nen. If Killua had Nen-purging as his ability, he'd turn other people into normal folks while he remains a top assassin. Imagine Rock Lee with an ability that seals Ninjutsu/Genjutsu.

It's not useful against non-Nen beings (say, physically strong chimera ants), but it specifically makes you a Nen-user assassin. In the regular human world, strong nen users are likely to be the strong people around.


Gon and Killua are, however, one in a million people. If they just forgot the diagram and pushed forward, they'd probably discover there's nothing holding them back and find out Gon's old man is waiting for them beyond such doctrines. In the first place, there's no single technique to purge foreign nen. You can already reject, to a degree, some nen attacks simply by concentrating your own nen to the part of the body getting hit. For all we know, there might be some very simple guru technique of purifying your body from all nen, be it your own or someone else's. Mainstream dogmatic people just would never realise such a thing, being bound by their own rules. It would probably take someone as eccentric as Ging to discover the whole truth.

I'm sure the system was discovered by some Nen Sage of the past and not some mainstream Hunter Administration Hotline. The categories are designed to tell you what you should do to maximise your potential. You're right that Killua and Gon are 1-in-a-million progidees and can do different things. If Gon went to become a specialist instead of an enhancer though, he might as well be a normal specialist instead of being a 1-in-a-million Enhancer.

As for the "specialist" thing, specialists are people who don't fit into the aforementioned categories. You use the water divination technique to find out. They're the outliers. As far as we know, while Gon and Killua are good they aren't these "outliers" who do weird and wonderful things. They're good - but a specific type of good.

[DarthEnderX]

We have already seen two specialists whose abilities allow them to use techniques from any category (Kurapika in her spider hunter mode and Chrollo the technique thief).Because they're Specialists. And Specialist abilities don't have to follow the rules.


The whole idea of a nen-purging ability isn't to make it good for combat. It's to make the other person suck. You give yourself a nen-purging ability while training your own fighting ability without Nen. If Killua had Nen-purging as his ability, he'd turn other people into normal folks while he remains a top assassin. Imagine Rock Lee with an ability that seals Ninjutsu/Genjutsu. We've only seen one Nen-purger so far in the series, and his abilities are completely unusable in combat.

If increased limitations = increased power, given how complicated the limitations on his ability are, I think it's safe to say that Nen-purging is considered an incredibly powerful ability. And creating one that you could actually use mid-battle would probably make the limitations on it ridiculous.

[enkoujin]

Episode 92 is out!

----------------------

The ongoing dramatic irony of Gon still believing that Kite is still alive is pretty gloomy...

[MFauli]

The ongoing dramatic irony of Gon still believing that Kite is still alive is pretty gloomy...

the moment i watched gon going on about kite still being alive, it went back to super depressing again :(

but damn, this anime is so fantastic, and ill repeat this as many times as i need to. i want a hxh-fighting game, an action-adventure game, and then an mmorpg. such a fantastic world/setting.

btw. isnt it all over now? chimera ants are spreading all over the planet now.

next week gives the impression of being filler.

[Kraco]

No matter how I look at this, the Hunters utterly failed in their operation. Although I'm not even sure anymore what their operation was. Apparently it wasn't to stop the chimera ants. But then again, it's nothing but a single private association, so it's not like it would have had any particular duty to stop the ants. I guess it's now up to each country's armed forces to stop the invasions, as would be natural. But then again, considering how DB the King looks like, I guess armed forces would be nothing but fodder and this King will rule the world unopposed until somebody comes with a can of Raid.

[David75]

Since the King is homage to DBZ's cell, coult it be that powerless little baby is meant to be some kind of Goku?

Just saying, from how Goku was so weak at birth compared to Brolly (I think)

Enough with DBZ.

So the association really teams up with Colt.
Netero too weak to fight the King... and calling some mysterious acquaintance.
Somehow that ep was a little weak. It happens once in a while

[MFauli]

Btw. I´d gladly accept Scorpion girl as my queen :>

[shinta|hikari]

Based on anime plot patterns, Netero will do something incredible before this arc is over, so yeah, I am not worried about the world at all.

[David75]

Btw. I´d gladly accept Scorpion girl as my queen :>

Just be careful with your a$$, unless you like it like that of course :D

[Buffalobiian]

The original operation was espionage and assassination. Now that the king is born, it should move to:

a) Containment, and/or
b) Search and Destroy.

Netero said that it's been ages since he was amongst the strongest Nen users. Being chairman though, I bet that even if he's not one of the strongest - he knows the strongest (ones).

That girl looks like Palm after a Bisky-makeover. Still not as good as Bisky though. I thought Killua would have had to defend Gon from Palm and prove himself that way since she's so murderous and all, but it seems that he'll have to do it against some ants instead. Perhaps it'll be against Rammot since he has a bone to pick with them.

[shinta|hikari]

Netero was being modest. He is probably at least in the top 5, if not 3.

[Buffalobiian]

Netero was being modest. He is probably at least in the top 5, if not 3.

Assuming he's not lying when he said he's currently less than half his prime strength.. you'd hope the are currently some "Prime-time Neteros" running around the planet that you can call upon to fill the top spot - and everything in between.

I have a feeling you could be right (top 3 and top 5 would correspond to having 2 generations of "Netero-class" youngsters ahead of him, along with their rivals [one each]).. but if all we've got are 2x Young Netero class, 2x Middle Netero class and 1x Old Netero class (<50% strength).. that's pretty sad.

[shinta|hikari]

He is the leader of the association, and obviously not by some political tactic. He must be right up there. Him being at half strength is also a lie. Fake modesty is something even real people do all the time.

[Kraco]

If fricking days old ants can be super strong in nen, it would be statistically utterly impossible for there not to be super hyper strong nen users among humans. All things considered, there wouldn't be any reason for them to hang around the Hunter association bureaucracy, rather they would be chasing their own ambitions and dreams wherever, like Ging, so it's natural Netero wouldn't have had them at hand when they went to hunt the ants in a hurry. Even if their raw potential wasn't as big as the monster ants have, they would have years of research, meditation, fighting, and drinking under their belts, making them far more deadly even with less hp. The King even has such a rotten personality that it will surely backfire sooner or later.

[shinta|hikari]

I agree. I think this arc is trying to show the audience that Nen aura is not enough to judge the fighting ability of a being. Netero will probably have some imba skill that will compensate for the difference in raw power. Even Knuckle's skill is incredibly annoying and effective. Just cast it then run to the ends of the earth. Eventually, the enemy will lose due to the interest and won't be able to use Nen for a month.

[MFauli]

Even Knuckle's skill is incredibly annoying and effective. Just cast it then run to the ends of the earth. Eventually, the enemy will lose due to the interest and won't be able to use Nen for a month.

unless it´s like dragonball, where boo was trapped in another dimension ... and simply used enough raw energy to blast a hole back to the original dimension :o

[Buffalobiian]

I agree. I think this arc is trying to show the audience that Nen aura is not enough to judge the fighting ability of a being. Netero will probably have some imba skill that will compensate for the difference in raw power. Even Knuckle's skill is incredibly annoying and effective. Just cast it then run to the ends of the earth. Eventually, the enemy will lose due to the interest and won't be able to use Nen for a month.

Except they could be physically faster than you.. and have an inhumane output that isn't bottlenecked like humans.

I'm not convinced that he's lying. The other two certainly don't think so either.

[shinta|hikari]

I was making a comparison with Netero using the Knuckle example. Knuckle is a disciple of a hunter who views Netero as "special." Needless to say, Knuckle and Netero are not even in the same dimension when it comes to ability. If even someone who faints from Gon's punch can have some cheap ability like that, it is only logical to assume that the head of the organization (along with all the shounen character build up) is going to have something much more powerful.

[DarthEnderX]

btw. isnt it all over now? chimera ants are spreading all over the planet now.Yeah, I was totally getting the impression that this arc basically just ended, and the Chimera Ants are going to end up being a problem for some future arc now.

Or at the very least, Meurem will be a future big bad. But the other commanders will probably just be an ongoing part of the HxH world from now on.

[Buffalobiian]

Yeah, I was totally getting the impression that this arc basically just ended, and the Chimera Ants are going to end up being a problem for some future arc now.

Or at the very least, Meurem will be a future big bad. But the other commanders will probably just be an ongoing part of the HxH world from now on.

Compulsive rapist/murderers all over the world?

[MFauli]

Compulsive rapist/murderers all over the world?

well, nothing new then.

lol

[DarthEnderX]

well, nothing new then.This.

The world already has plenty of beings like that(this arc along introduced us to an entire country built around drug trafficking), it doesn't really change the status quo of the series that much.

[Carnage]

I think an army of unstoppable mutants raping, pillaging, and eating humans is a little different than organized drug crime.

[DarthEnderX]

I don't understand why that bonus ant wasn't in an egg.


I think an army of unstoppable mutants raping, pillaging, and eating humans is a little different than organized drug crime.The rest of them though aren't really a threat on a global scale because they aren't powerful enough.

What will happen is some squad leader will go on a rampage in some area, and some hunters will show up and kill him. They were so dangerous before because there were hundreds of them all in one place. Now they're going to be spread out all over the world in groups of, like, 1-3.


Containment was important before because their entire society was built around expansion of the colony.

But now that they've started absorbing humans, all of them have just become shitty humans. Super strong humans, but humans none the less. Most of them don't even CARE about creating a new generation of ants. They just want to kill, or eat.

Absorbing humans, while making them more powerful, has made them much less of an ecological threat.

[shinta|hikari]

The bonus ant was in an egg. I think it hatched inside of the Queen. I faintly remember seeing egg fragments from where it popped out, not sure though.

[Buffalobiian]

The bonus ant was in an egg. I think it hatched inside of the Queen. I faintly remember seeing egg fragments from where it popped out, not sure though.

There were indeed egg shells.

And as for the ecological threat thing.. don't forget that the raped women/animals will give birth to new queens, who would start a new army. If the ants are as human as we say they are, then what's a "king" without a harem (or at least, his queen)?

[DarthEnderX]

And as for the ecological threat thing.. don't forget that the raped women/animals will give birth to new queens, who would start a new army. If the ants are as human as we say they are, then what's a "king" without a harem (or at least, his queen)?*shrug* Again, this world has dragons the size of mountains. It really doesn't seem like the world is going to be that much worse off than it was before.

[MFauli]

I don't understand why that bonus ant wasn't in an egg.

Alien 4: Ressurrection :D

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 93 is out!!

[Kraco]

Haha. Gon is pretty awesome in his own way. He's certainly very natural and doesn't need to put up an act, which gives him that much more impact.

It doesn't look like the ant king found an overly prosperous country if the ruler was such an idiot and the soldiers had no military training whatsoever. But then again, in less developed countries the lower standard of living generally means a high birth rate, which of course would be optimal for the ants' purposes.

I reckon in more developed countries there ought to be special forces with heavy nen users. Otherwise great many countries would be dictatorships ruled by nen users as nobody could stand against them. After all, the Hunter association doesn't seem to amount to much based on this arc, and, as opposed to the grand image the beginning of the story gave to it, seems more like an interest group for likeminded people, plus a few freeloaders who join just to get visa exempts, database accesses and such, like Hisoka & Killua's brother. So, it's certainly no world police against super criminals or dangerous beasts.

[MFauli]

like, every scene was cruel and gruesome, wow. dont know where to start.

the king telling the bunny-girls that they´re no more than cows or pigs to him, was fantastic. i had thought Gantz did that kind of theme well already, but HXH does it way more "in your face", and it´s great.

the cheetah eating fingers like fries, oh my. and just how cruel his appearance in the town felt to me as the observer. I KNOW what a monster he is, but all those civilians just look at him curiously, even enjoying it. And yet, I know they´re all as good as dead.

last but not least, I keep wondering about Kite´s "life status". Is he gone or not? If he´s dead, then this elaborate lead-up to finally finding out about it, will have been the most cruel shit I´ve ever seen done to an innocent shounen-hero. Gon keeps happily annoncing how Kite will be okay, how Knuckle will bring him back and all. And then ... dead? omg. He´ll go all "NO KRILLIN!" -> BAMM!

And now Killuah versus an old "friend". I´m not sure how to judge either´s strength. Both got significant upgrades. The chimera-guy went from "no nen" to "nen". Killuah underwent the whole nen-endurance training to raise his base nen power, and we know how hard it is to improve here. Still, .... Well, being one of the heroes, I´ll give Killuah the upperhand. And he has a lot to prove by defeating this monster.

Palm is now my waifu. Cutest girl in the whole series. You Biske-loli fans can suck it! :P Weird date, though. Sitting next to the shore and watching a tree without saying anything. if only dating was that ease.

[Kraco]

And now Killuah versus an old "friend". I´m not sure how to judge either´s strength. Both got significant upgrades. The chimera-guy went from "no nen" to "nen". Killuah underwent the whole nen-endurance training to raise his base nen power, and we know how hard it is to improve here. Still, .... Well, being one of the heroes, I´ll give Killuah the upperhand. And he has a lot to prove by defeating this monster.

Killua could probably defeat the dude with relative ease if he didn't have his psychological barrier installed by his dear brother and brought to the edge by Biscuit. Rammot is just a beast, even if equipped with rudimentary nen this time, but a beast nonetheless. Killua is a highly trained killer plus with decent training in nen as well. Unfortunately you could see from his expression already that he started to hesitate and get full of doubt immediately. Rammot won't hesitate, being a beast.

Considering Killua and Gon did beat Rammot to the brink of defeat during the previous meeting, I find it troublesome Killua didn't look confident at all. Biscuit really did wonders to crush his self-esteem utterly. Hunters prefer quite Spartan training methods...

[Buffalobiian]

Considering Killua and Gon did beat Rammot to the brink of defeat during the previous meeting, I find it troublesome Killua didn't look confident at all.

That was the point though.. that Rammot didn't die from Gon's punch. And now the guy's back - with Nen.. and without Gon.

[Kraco]

That was the point though.. that Rammot didn't die from Gon's punch. And now the guy's back - with Nen.. and without Gon.

He didn't die but he would have been dead the next moment had Colt not rescued him. It doesn't exactly make somebody tougher if he needs to be saved by somebody else; normally, it makes a fighter look more pitiful. If Killua wasn't so obsessed with his own imagined weakness, he could very easily get under Rammot's chitinous skin by asking who's going to save him this time when things get tough.

Killua hasn't exactly been sitting on his hands since the last meeting. He has been training very hard, much much harder than Rammot for sure, since Rammot never even had an instructor, unless you count one loser who had sticks jammed into his brain to spill the very general beans.

[MFauli]

yeah, but i think the point is that gon´s jajanken-attack is insta-fatal normally. yet rammot survived it, without nen.

[Kraco]

yeah, but i think the point is that gon´s jajanken-attack is insta-fatal normally. yet rammot survived it, without nen.

Says who? I think it would be pretty arrogant for mere brats to think they have mastered nen to the level of having sure bet one-hit-kill attacks. Jajanken is nothing but Gon's strongest attack. Who knows how high it would rank, at the moment, among all the nen users in the world, but I very much doubt it would be anywhere near the top 10. It's not even anywhere near Uvo's similar attack, I reckon. So, Gon still needs to work hard to make it insta-fatal.

[MFauli]

rammot didnt have nen back then. yet he withstood a powerful nen-special attack. that´s what i meant. i didnt say that jajanken was a onehit-ko-attack against nen-users.

[Buffalobiian]

Kraco: the "Without Nen" part is of particular importance.

Gon's punch was about the same as Razor's decapitating, back-breaking spikes. Knuckle got knocked out when he guarded with Nen. There's no denying that it's one damn strong attack. I doubt Killua has anything like that in his arsenal (not that he necessarily needs something like that, but it shows you that it's not a raw damage output that is easily attainable).

[Penner]

Shit, Palm cleans up real good ;)

Is Palm related to Hisoka or something with the whole weird pedo-crush on Gon going on lol

[DarthEnderX]

What...the fuck...did I just watch.


I guess the ant thing isn't over for now after all.

I feel so bad for Gon, he's so happy about Kite and I just know he's gonna be devastated when he finds out he's some kind of zombie puppet.


Shit, Palm cleans up real goodI bet Bisky used her Nen stylist on her.


Is Palm related to Hisoka or something with the whole weird pedo-crush on Gon going on lolIt's not them. It's Gon. He has Shounen Hero magnetism.

[Buffalobiian]

Availability Information

Due to a TV special airing this week in Japan, episode 94 of Hunter x Hunter will air next Saturday, 8/31, at its normal time.
-Crunchyroll

Today is a sad day. :(

[MFauli]

today is the worst :/

[LaZie]

I don't know if this has been posted yet or not but there's a Hunter x Hunter movie released.


Kurapika became a Hunter to take vengeance on the Class-A crime group Phantom Troupe who massacred his clan for their unique eyes (which are one of the 7 treasures of the world). The eyes of the Kurta clan turn scarlet in times of anger or emotional agitation and are considered the most beautiful treasures in the world. Kurapika continues to pursue the Phantom Troupe but an unknown party has stolen his "scarlet eyes". With the help of Gon, Killua and Leorio, Kurapika's life was saved. However, the Phantom Troupe shows up before them and blocks their way. The true identity of the one with the No.4 spider tattoo is about to be unveiled.

[S-A] Hunter x Hunter - Phantom Rouge 1080p (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=458809)/ 720p (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=458812)

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 94 is out!

[miyama_ryu]

Was it explained better in the manga why Killua knew there was a needle in his brain? That came out of nowhere.

[DarthEnderX]

Man, Gon is such a smooth mother fucker.


Was it explained better in the manga why Killua knew there was a needle in his brain? That came out of nowhere.I don't think it really needs to be explained.

Obviously, it was meant to control his behavior.

If only all existential crisis could be solved as easily as finding out you're being controlled by a pin in the brain and removing it!

It's good having cool, overly badass Killua back. Fuck you Rammot!

[Buffalobiian]

Was it explained better in the manga why Killua knew there was a needle in his brain? That came out of nowhere.

I'm reasoning that Killua really wanted to stay, but the needle was telling him to run, and the clash gave him a headache right at that spot (he showed signs of that a few times this episode), so he jammed his finger in due to annoyance and instinct. Right after that, control was suddenly relinquished and his body responded as Killua himself wanted. The needle came afterwards. It's not "well explained" by any means, but I can live with that.

The the fight overall that let me down a bit. Rammot was way too easy (but thanks for giving Killua the time he needed to wake himself up). Gon's punch didn't kill Rammot before he got nen, but Killua's "face palm" technique worked out better? That seems to be a double-take on their resilience.

Things look hopeful for the humans. It seems that aside from the royal guards, the other ants know jack shit about Nen. I can't hypothesise just yet that they can only use it to boost their physical abilities though, because that's just Rammot and he's an enhancer by default. Cheetah seems pretty confused about the whole thing. At least that fight looks promisingly entertaining.

[DarthEnderX]

Rammot was way too easy (but thanks for giving Killua the time he needed to wake himself up). Gon's punch didn't kill Rammot before he got nen, but Killua's "face palm" technique worked out better? Because when Killua actually acts like an assassin, he's much deadlier than Gon. Always has been.


Cheetah seems pretty confused about the whole thing.I just assumed his super speed WAS his special ability.

[Buffalobiian]

Because when Killua actually acts like an assassin, he's much deadlier than Gon. Always has been.

I just assumed his super speed WAS his special ability.

I thought that was his physical ability (due to his Cheetah genes) and wasn't Nen related, much like Killua's speed is due to his training rather than his Nen.

[DarthEnderX]

I thought that was his physical ability (due to his Cheetah genes) and wasn't Nen related, much like Killua's speed is due to his training rather than his Nen.Could totally be that I guess.

[miyama_ryu]

I'm reasoning that Killua really wanted to stay, but the needle was telling him to run, and the clash gave him a headache right at that spot (he showed signs of that a few times this episode), so he jammed his finger in due to annoyance and instinct. Right after that, control was suddenly relinquished and his body responded as Killua himself wanted. The needle came afterwards. It's not "well explained" by any means, but I can live with that.
I guess I didn't notice or considered the possibility that Killua had a headache, because Killua never had that before. I think its a little sudden to suddenly introduce this symtom against Rammot. At least have it happen in his fight against Shoot so that there is time for this concept to sink in. All I remember in that fight was Killua getting shaky legs and hands, nothing to indicate he felt any pain in this head.

In the end though, Im glad Killua is his cool self again.

[DarthEnderX]

I think it likely didn't pain him before because in the past, whenever the thing told him to run, he just did it.

This is the first time he REALLY tried to fight it. So when it tried to make him run, and he didn't, it started to cause him pain.

[David75]

I think it likely didn't pain him before because in the past, whenever the thing told him to run, he just did it.

This is the first time he REALLY tried to fight it. So when it tried to make him run, and he didn't, it started to cause him pain.
And it acted as a safety pin.

Killua not strong enough->escape
Killua strong enough to get rid of the pin->should be strong enough

[Buffalobiian]

And it acted as a safety pin.

Killua not strong enough->escape
Killua strong enough to get rid of the pin->should be strong enough

It has to do with strength instead of willpower though. The headache came about becase Killua refused to run. If we're talking about strength, he already had the body-piercing ability back in the Hunter Exam.

Given that the pin was put in place to preserve Killua's life (and to win via relative strength), I'd say that it was never intended to be removed.

[Archangel]

I don't know if this has been posted yet or not but there's a Hunter x Hunter movie released.



[S-A] Hunter x Hunter - Phantom Rouge 1080p (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=458809)/ 720p (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=458812)

That was fucking terrible

[MFauli]

always thought that speed >>>>>> power. it´s as old as dragonball lol. boosting up your power into becoming an ultimate saiyajin didnt work so well against Cell. That´s why Goku trained himself until he reached super sayajin level 2, less power than at the ultimate level, but much more speed and agility. :>
It´s still surprising that even Knuckle´s boss seems to have problems against Cheeta. I guess mankind is really fucked. At best, Netero might be able to defeat one of the royal guard. The king? lol, no chance.

Regarding Killua, im not sure. Right now he seems too strong. Once he overcame his brother´s bs, he finished off Ramott like it was nothing. And the next power level are the royal guard members, right? Weird.

One thing I re-learned from this episode: Never let a girl´s make-up fool you.

[Kraco]

After seeing that needle, I really think Killua should kick his older brother's ass whenever he goes back home. That douche really deserves a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

But yeah, Rammot getting defeated so easily after Killua got rid of the artificial restriction was natural. Rammot has probably zilch proper nen training and very little any training at all. He has spent his time killing ordinary civilians and horses. The first time he fought against someone worth anything he got defeated very quickly. It's not like awakening nen would be any huge power boost if you haven't got a clue what to do with it.

[TwisT]

Colt and the cheetha would be the step up. Rammot was an underling to Colt after all. So Killua is not Royal Guard material just yet.

[Buffalobiian]

always thought that speed >>>>>> power. it´s as old as dragonball lol. boosting up your power into becoming an ultimate saiyajin didnt work so well against Cell. That´s why Goku trained himself until he reached super sayajin level 2, less power than at the ultimate level, but much more speed and agility. :>

The assumption is that one is fast, but has enough residual power to do enough damage. If you go back to the episode where Killua fought the tough-skinned Rhino, he had to fall back on using electricity to deal enough damage. Speed alone wouldn't have been enough.

I suppose in real-world scenarios, speed generally requires space to move to.. so if you lose that advantage you're screwed. In the anime-world, you run into the problem where you mind can't keep up with your speed. While fast, your movement becomes predictable. The opponent then just has to get the timing right.



Regarding Killua, im not sure. Right now he seems too strong. Once he overcame his brother´s bs, he finished off Ramott like it was nothing. And the next power level are the royal guard members, right? Weird.
.

I think this scene either depicted Rammot as being too vulnerable, or Killua as having too much destructive ability. Otherwise though, Killua is still more or less unchanged. He was severely handicapped since he was consciously aware of his struggling self, but he fought the bee/stinger-ant without a problem. All it means now is that he'll actually try fighting a strong ant instead of running away. He's still the same guy strength-wise.
After seeing that needle, I really think Killua should kick his older brother's ass whenever he goes back home. That douche really deserves a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

I don't feel the same way. That guy saved both Gon and Killua against Pitou. I'm sure it also saved Killua in the past as well. It doesn't make Killua a fighter (which is what he wants to be now), but it made him a survivor. I wouldn't say it's something that deserves a punch to the face.

[Kraco]

I don't feel the same way. That guy saved both Gon and Killua against Pitou. I'm sure it also saved Killua in the past as well. It doesn't make Killua a fighter (which is what he wants to be now), but it made him a survivor. I wouldn't say it's something that deserves a punch to the face.

That it saved him/them in the past is nothing but speculation. It's equally possible that very same needle would have resulted in Killua's death during this battle if he hadn't removed it. In fact the only reason it didn't already get Killua killed is Rammot being such a miserable sadist and not a real fighter.

But even forgetting that, I think getting a punch to the face is still quite soft compared to implanting a foreign, personality changing object inside someone's skull. Besides, I'm sure Illumi would be perfectly ready for that the moment Killua finds out.

[Buffalobiian]

That it saved him/them in the past is nothing but speculation. It's equally possible that very same needle would have resulted in Killua's death during this battle if he hadn't removed it. In fact the only reason it didn't already get Killua killed is Rammot being such a miserable sadist and not a real fighter.

That's true, but at the core the reason Killua acted this way was because he learned from a different teacher who tried to make him do otherwise.



. Besides, I'm sure Illumi would be perfectly ready for that the moment Killua finds out.

He would be. I'm totally expecting a "hoh... so you found out" type of response. I think he sees Killua pulling it out as a possibility but not an inevitability. Illumi will still be stronger than Killua as well I'd imagine, somewhere along the lines of Hisoka. Maybe Killua will manage to land just one punch as you say, since Illumi wouldn't expect Killua to try something so risky.

[Kraco]

I think he sees Killua pulling it out as a possibility but not an inevitability.

I'm not too sure of that. In the end Killua would have needed to remove the limit sooner or later, even without such a pressing situation where running would have resulted in the death of his only friend. It's somewhat safe to assume the needle was there to keep Killua alive until he grows genuinely strong enough. After all it was there well before he knew anything about nen but still thought he's a badass already, when in fact he was actually weaker than the run of the mill crippled nen users at the arena, for example. But in the long run he couldn't have worked as a full assassin of the family with the needle in place. Even the strongest people have a weakness, and an assassin is one who knows how to exploit that weakness, so always running is not even necessary. Just like his old man and the geezer were fighting Chrollo until Illumi informed he has taken out the employers.

Whether this is too soon for Illumi (or perhaps their old man if he's the one who told Illumi to do it), who knows. They might have expected Killua to only realise the situation much older and with much more knowledge and skills - because I doubt the Zoldyck family really anticipated Killua to do it for the sake of a friend.

[shinta|hikari]

The Zoldyck family totally does not understand shounen mechanics. The hot blooded friend loving types usually live the longest.

[DarthEnderX]

always thought that speed >>>>>> power.I mostly agree. Being so fast you can't be hit makes your opponent's power irrelevant.

But you still need SOME power, because all the speed in the world doesn't matter if you can't even hurt your enemy.


Once he overcame his brother´s bs, he finished off Ramott like it was nothing. And the next power level are the royal guard members, right? Weird.No, Rammot wasn't even a Squad Leader. Remember that Colt was his superior. So there's another level of ant separating Rammot from the Royal Guards.

[Kraco]

I mostly agree. Being so fast you can't be hit makes your opponent's power irrelevant.

On the other hand that speed can be turned against him as well. The faster you move, the more it hurts when you bump into something blocking your way. Like a lariat.

[David75]

Also, speed means nothing if you get caught...

[shinta|hikari]

What is haxxx about that cheetah ant is not just his speed. It is his vision. He is not just moving fast, he is seeing and thinking/reacting fast. He is seeing the enemies in slow motion.

[DarthEnderX]

Also, speed means nothing if you get caught...If you get caught, then you weren't really that fast.

[Buffalobiian]

If you get caught, then you weren't really that fast.

You can trap a speedy guy by limiting his options (space) and predicting his movement patterns (strategy).

Also, traps in general like nets (in HxH world, say Hisoka's bungee-gum) or wide area attacks that cover the battlefield (Morel's smoke) would ensnare an opponent who doesn't know what they're walking into.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 95 is out!!

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 95 is out!!



------------------------------








"Sorry, I really was about to kill you". You crack me up Gon. I think I can like that (almost painfully) naive and honest side of you too.

Damn I can't wait for that attack to hit. The teams are kind of funny though in terms of power level (the two masters are teaming together), but if they play along with the whole "power isn't everything" theme, then the current team could be the best in terms of cooperation and sync.

It seems all of our discussions about the strengths and weaknesses of speed were pretty much on the mark as well.

[David75]

At least that Cheetah has some brains and knew to run for its life instead of fighting to its death.
I wonder if it eventually will develop some nen that works agains APR and become a strong fighter.

[MFauli]

worst teams ever, lol.

I can see Morel and Glasses put up a fight against butterfly. I can also see Gon and Killua take on Pitou, for plot reasons only. But Knuckle and his team mate against devil? No chance. IF they really go through with the "special abilities trump raw power", then maaaaaaybe. But no. This is a disaster in the coming.

Although Morel seems kinda weak anyway, no more powerful than Knuckle. So maybe the two masters will die, too.

Next episode looks filler-ish. Even if it´s not. Wonder if the Spiders will do more than just off some ants elsewhere in the world. I´m thinking about who should fight Cheeta, hm. Cant remember any specially fast characters. Maybe Hisoka using his bungie gum-ability to bind him?

Edit: ALso, I kinda don´t want Cheeta to die :( He acted more like a hero-character than mere villain-fodder in this episode. I like him.

[Buffalobiian]

At least that Cheetah has some brains and knew to run for its life instead of fighting to its death.
I wonder if it eventually will develop some nen that works agains APR and become a strong fighter.

He was actually trying to find Morel and Knuckle to beat the shit out of them (which is the correct course of action if you wanted to get rid of APR). He just couldn't find them. Then he tried outrunning APR. I imagine he'd actually be pretty freaked out, since he's always had the security in knowing he could run away from anything he couldn't beat.

I wonder if Pitou's power only works on dead people. If not, she could make Killua and Gon fight each other.


Cant remember any specially fast characters. Maybe Hisoka using his bungie gum-ability to bind him

Feitan the executioner seemed pretty fast. Nobunaga might be able to cut Cheetah down samura-style...


Although Morel seems kinda weak anyway, no more powerful than Knuckle. So maybe the two masters will die, too.

I really liked how they both tried testing out Gon's punch, only to be shitting themselves right afterwards. xD

[shinta|hikari]

Gon is a shounen hero. With this level of resolve, he is now over 9000!

This is indeed the best shounen battle story ever made.

The Nef and Chairman fights are probably one of moments that I have ever most looked forward to in anime.

[MFauli]

The Nef and Chairman fights are probably one of moments that I have ever most looked forward to in anime.

looking forward to the chairman being offed in like 1 second. :D

[shinta|hikari]

You are such a kid.

[Buffalobiian]

The OP has the chairman with the kanji "heart" in the background. Combined with what this episode showed us, I'd say he could well have mind-reading (or heart/soul-reading, if you will) powers. That could well be his trump card for beating the king.

[Carnage]

Or, all shounen heroes are powered by the heart. And thats what it will take for the Team Gon to beat Team Ants.

[DarthEnderX]

The teams are kind of funny though in terms of power level (the two masters are teaming together)I agree.

It's possible though that Colt has given them enough information on the Royal Guards and their powers that they're assigning the people best suited to fight the right opponents.


I can see Morel and Glasses put up a fight against butterfly. I can also see Gon and Killua take on Pitou, for plot reasons only. But Knuckle and his team mate against devil?Uhh, Knuckle and Shoot beat Gon and Killua. Why do you think they'd do WORSE than them? Other than the obvious fact that they Gon and Killua have protagonist immunity.

[MFauli]

Uhh, Knuckle and Shoot beat Gon and Killua. Why do you think they'd do WORSE than them? Other than the obvious fact that they Gon and Killua have protagonist immunity.

i think its fair game to assume that, as of now, gon and killua have surpassed knuckle and his team mate. killua overcame his biggest hurdle, and gon got an emotional motivation that raised him another level, too.

also, it´s also fair to assume that pitou is the weakest of the royal guard. yes, still freaking strong, but weaker than the butterfly, and even weaker than the devil. it seemed that the longer their birth took, the stronger.
so:

gon and killua + power up + weakest opponent
versus
knuckle and team mate + strongest opponent

i dont want knuckle to die, but damn. my hopes are very low.

[DarthEnderX]

i think its fair game to assume that, as of now, gon and killua have surpassed knuckle and his team mate. killua overcame his biggest hurdle, and gon got an emotional motivation that raised him another level, too. While true, I don't think the people making the teams know all that.


also, it´s also fair to assume that pitou is the weakest of the royal guard. yes, still freaking strong, but weaker than the butterfly, and even weaker than the devil. it seemed that the longer their birth took, the stronger. I just assumed they were hatched later because their eggs were laid later. Given the size of the eggs, I doubt the Queen laid all 3 at once. I don't think it's related to their power.

Otherwise, yes, like you said, it would be silly not to put the two masters up against the devil.

Like I said, I think they chose the teams based on who's special abilities they think would match up best against the special abilities of the Guards.

[Buffalobiian]

I've been thinking that Pitou's actually the strongest of the guards based on her appearance. She can't fly, and neither can the king.. so they've got to be strong to make up for it.

Butterfly doesn't look very tough, and Devil seems kinda stupid.

[shinta|hikari]

Even the Chairman recognized how strong Nef is. He might be modest in saying that she might be stronger than he is, but one would never say that to a weak opponent.

[Buffalobiian]

Even the Chairman recognized how strong Nef is. He might be modest in saying that she might be stronger than he is, but one would never say that to a weak opponent.

I think the chairman was truthful when he said that Pitou was stronger than him in terms of aura output. That crazy En field proves it I think.

[shinta|hikari]

Yeah, but he did not specify Nen output. He just said stronger. He definitely has many tricks to overcome that though.

And I think the main reason why Gon and Killua are pitted against Nef is because they requested it. The big guy said so himself.

[Buffalobiian]

Yeah, but he did not specify Nen output. He just said stronger. He definitely has many tricks to overcome that though.


I equated aura-output to be Nen output. Wouldn't you agree?



And I think the main reason why Gon and Killua are pitted against Nef is because they requested it. The big guy said so himself.

Yep, agreed. I'm not entirely sure that Colt would have that much information on all of the Royal Guards, especially if most of them just sat around waiting for the king. The big guy didn't even venture outside or else he'd figure out how to fly.

[DarthEnderX]

Yep, agreed. I'm not entirely sure that Colt would have that much information on all of the Royal Guards, especially if most of them just sat around waiting for the king. The big guy didn't even venture outside or else he'd figure out how to fly.They seem to have created their Nen abilities before the King was born, so if they know what they are, Colt could as well, since they didn't seem very secretive.

[Penner]

Hmm, we don't know any ability the King might have, right? The only thing i can recall him doing so far is smacking or stabbing people with his tail thing.

I wonder what crazy shit he can do... man, the fight with him and the old man is going to be awesome! Atleast i hope it will be, unless the King actually is as overpowered as Colt says he is, and he just beats the old man super fast...

[Archangel]

Hmm, we don't know any ability the King might have, right? The only thing i can recall him doing so far is smacking or stabbing people with his tail thing.

I wonder what crazy shit he can do... man, the fight with him and the old man is going to be awesome! Atleast i hope it will be, unless the King actually is as overpowered as Colt says he is, and he just beats the old man super fast...
They've already explained, he's a specialist who can acquire the abilities of whomever he eats. That and the green color is what led to so many Cell comparisons.