Hunter x Hunter 2011

[Buffalobiian]

How do you explain that comment he made that he'd like Gon to survive if possible? That's an internal monologue, so he doesn't need to lie. If he just stopped helping Illumi, then Gon's survival seems to be 100% possible. Then there's that image where Gon's merely one of Hisoka's many playthings. Gon's a particularly promising one, but the very reason Hisoka doesn't even bother fighting Illumi shows that having Illumi has a role that makes him more important than the mere enjoyment the others provide.

[DarthEnderX]

Killua is a brother to Illumi and Illumi is some sort of special ally/friend of Hisoka's though, so those two relationships would both take priority over Gon/Hisoka.

Well, the plaything scene you mentioned kind of makes it clear that he doesn't regard Illumi as much different than Gon.

HisokasToys.JPG

Gon, Killua, the Zoldyks, the Spiders, the Zodiacs, his exam instructors. They're all his playthings.

Much like his membership in the Spiders, it's obvious his alliance with Illumi is a means for him to get to fight the other Zoldyks eventually.

[Buffalobiian]

That's true. I agree then that Illumi isn't indispensable. I also agree that Illumi is beneficial in that he'll allow Hisoka access to more targets, while Gon will only provide himself.

[Kraco]

How do you explain that comment he made that he'd like Gon to survive if possible? That's an internal monologue, so he doesn't need to lie. If he just stopped helping Illumi, then Gon's survival seems to be 100% possible.

Like I said before, I don't think Hisoka is that helpless and I very much doubt he would consider himself helpless; he would hardly be chasing big shots to fight if he did. But he's also a magician playing with cards, so he must understand odds and based on his personality he's not only satisfied with 100% favourable prediction. In fact that would be far too boring for somebody like Hisoka. Thus, he helps Illumi but if it comes down to it, he might help Gon as well, depending on which would lead to the most amusing outcome. He seems to genuinely enjoy hanging around with Illumi, so for the time being he wouldn't fight Killua for real. It's likely he wouldn't anyway since Killua (or Gon) is not yet mature enough. He would rather fight the Gon that killed Pitou, no doubt.

Gon will only provide himself.

Dunno. He might be aiming for Gon's old man as well. Seems like a potentially promising target.

[MFauli]

all this talk about hisoka searching for strong opponents makes me think: just how strong is he really? is he simply a total loon, indifferent about his own survival, or is he actually capable of winning against Crolo, Netero, Ging and other uber strong characters that he´s always trying to fight?

[DarthEnderX]

My favorite moment from last week.



Noses are for scrubs.

He might be aiming for Gon's old man as well. Seems like a potentially promising target.

Again, judging by the playthings image, he definitely is.

all this talk about hisoka searching for strong opponents makes me think: just how strong is he really? is he simply a total loon, indifferent about his own survival, or is he actually capable of winning against Crolo, Netero, Ging and other uber strong characters that he´s always trying to fight?

I'm also curious about this exact thing. I mean sure, Bungee Gum is useful and all, but it honestly doesn't seem ridiculously powerful. Those other guys are monsters. I'm honestly curious if he's been hiding abilities.

[poopdeville]

He's stupid strong. He came in third place at Genei Ryodan arm wrestling. Kuroro came in at 7th.

So, in a fight, Kuroro would have trouble keeping up with him. Which is bad, because Bungee Gum would let Hisoka do the kinds of things he did against Goteau. Indirect, high speed, opportunistic attacks.

Contrast this to Silva and Zeno. They doubled up on him with direct, high speed, opportunistic attacks. Zeno and Silva effectively traded the role of being a distraction to Kuroro and attacked when they had an opening.

Hisoka could be the distraction and the attacker at the same time. He would be at least as effective as those two against Kuroro. If not more so.

So yeah, Hisoka probably lives up to the hype.

[Penner]

I had to check google who the fuck Kuroro was, lol. I've only ever seen him called Chrollo.

I've always wondered how strong Hisoka actually is. I really want to see him in a full-on life or death type fight.

[poopdeville]

I had to check google who the fuck Kuroro was, lol. I've only ever seen him called Chrollo.

That's funny. "The Hunter × Hunter Character and World Data book spell his name as Quwrof Wrlccywrlir."

[MFauli]

I really want to see him in a full-on life or death type fight.

But that´s what I´m contesting: Hisoka didn´t care much about losing an entire arm in his fight against the doppelganger user in the battle tower arc. You could argue that he knew the spider girl would re-attach it, but still ...!

Ao while Hisoka definitely IS strong, I fear he´s more on the lunatic side, all things considered. Meaning, we won´t ever be able to judge, if he´s in a life or death-situation, because he himself won´t treat it any differently than a fight where he´d have no troubles with.

[Buffalobiian]

@Kraco: I'm talking about IF/when he had to choose. Your suggestion of > 100% works both ways.

And as for Gon's dad, I'm not all that sure that Hisoka would need Gon for that, especiallu when Ging doesn't give a shit about any of it.

[Kraco]

@Kraco: I'm talking about IF/when he had to choose. Your suggestion of > 100% works both ways.

And as for Gon's dad, I'm not all that sure that Hisoka would need Gon for that, especiallu when Ging doesn't give a shit about any of it.

You know, it's only in the B drama where people have to make that choice. In better fiction they don't choose either alternative but the third option for the smart people. Illumi holds no power over Hisoka whatsoever. I kind of doubt he's even paying him anything for helping with his little personal project of trying to get rid of Alluka. Hisoka is merely playing along with nothing better to do, but he has no reason whatsoever to compromise his own fun for the sake of Illumi's goals. Yet he can naturally never know what will happen with people of Illumi's caliber being involved, that's what his internal monologue meant. Whether he has to do anything at all, is a different thing. It could be that everything will go smoothly (for Gon) or they will never get anywhere near him in the first place.

Ging doesn't seem to care that much right now, having lots of faith and trust in his kid, but if Hisoka killed Gon in a fight, things might be different. He could actually fight and not slip out of the confrontation. Naturally we as the audience know we will never see that, but from Hisoka's pov it's a possibility.

[DarthEnderX]

On that subject of Ging, I think the reason he doesn't go to see Gon is because he knows it's Gon's life quest to track him down, and if he goes to him, he's basically robbing his son of his accomplishment.

[shinta|hikari]

He is robbing his son of making far more meaningful accomplishments by doing so. It's not like Gon is going to just rot and die after he meets his father. If anything, that is the start of his own journey.

[DarthEnderX]

He is robbing his son of making far more meaningful accomplishments by doing so.

No, he'd make his son a failure by doing so.

Hunting down his father is the first real hunt Gon has decided to undertake(possibly 2nd after returning that badge to Hisoka). If he goes to see Gon, then Gon failed to catch him, Ging came to him.

If Gon fails at one of the first real hunts he decided to pursue, then it's going to undermine whatever he attempts to do afterward.

Yes, once Gon has caught his dad, what he does next IS the start of his own journey. But whether Ging goes to see him or not will determine whether Gon starts out that journey as a successful hunter, or as a failure.

[shinta|hikari]

Shounen bullshit.

If Gon became a failure because he met his father (sweat drop), he really doesn't amount to much does he?

Actually, I think I am looking at this from the wrong lens.

Indeed, for shounen stories, you are correct. Ging cannot meet with Gon of his own volition. The fact that he is parading around in public while his son is dying is an insult to whatever value Gon's hunt has though.

[DarthEnderX]

Indeed, for shounen stories, you are correct. Ging cannot meet with Gon of his own volition. The fact that he is parading around in public while his son is dying is an insult to whatever value Gon's hunt has though.

I'm sure to Ging it's the exact opposite of that.

That's the kind of man Ging is. He feels the same way Netero did, where the adventure of the hunt is the most important thing in the world. More important even than your life. I mean, you're talking about the character that abandoned Gon in the first place to pursue his own personal adventures.

Spoiling Gon's hunt would devalue everything Gon has worked for up to this point in Ging's mind.

[Buffalobiian]

Ging doesn't seem to care that much right now, having lots of faith and trust in his kid, but if Hisoka killed Gon in a fight, things might be different. He could actually fight and not slip out of the confrontation. Naturally we as the audience know we will never see that, but from Hisoka's pov it's a possibility.

Ging is a fatalist. If Gon survives this, then he's naturally strong enough to. If he dies from this, then he's simply not worthy of being his son. The same goes for Gon surviving against an encounter with Hisoka.

Ging just left Gon as a baby and thought "My son will grow up nice and strong because, you know.. he's my son."

[shinta|hikari]

What a useless father LOL.

It sounds cool in anime, but logically speaking he is utter trash. I'm glad Leorio called him out for it, showing that not everyone in the show is a self absorbed fool.

[Buffalobiian]

(Forgot to add this conclusion to my previous post. It's kind of implied, but I should say it properly):

Ging is a fatalist. If Gon survives this, then he's naturally strong enough to. If he dies from this, then he's simply not worthy of being his son. The same goes for Gon surviving against an encounter with Hisoka.

.. and that's why killing Gon personally doesn't mean Hisoka will have a fight with Ging.