“In the hands of an incompetent, power brings
nothing but ruin.” While an utterance of a perspective from a
character in a story does not necessarily equate to that story endorsing that message,
these words, said in the midst of an embarrassing display from the top of humanity’s totem
pole, are arguably this story’s most succinct encapsulation of Togashi’s message on the
subject of power. Or at least.. one half of that message. As described in a couple of really nice thought
pieces that are currently on screen and that I will link in the description, oftentimes,
and especially in the case of shonen, power is needed to achieve one’s goals or to bring
about necessary changes. In shonen, the youth tend to be possessed
of a desire to use their power to enact alteration. One of the primary mantras of a lot of these
types of stories, and of Hunter x Hunter in particular is the following: if you have power
- USE IT. If you have influence over societal patterns
or if you are positioned to cause some sort of change, You have no excuse to sit idle
and you have an obligation to either seek out your endeavours or change the world for
the better. Now, that “better” differs depending on
your personal views of the way the world should be, and certain characters in the series would
probably benefit the world by abstaining, but the point is that the presence of personal
power should motivate you to take action, to be proactive and shape the world in what
you believe is the most beneficial way - while obviously being smart and contextually realistic
about it. Humans have pure desires. butt humans are often upset at society or
their lives in one way or another, yet passive and decadent, not willing to get off their
asses and make a change in the world, and this is reductive. We all have a tiny amount of power and ability
to act at minimum, and it is up to us to use it. Now, this sort of philosophy is communicated
incredibly tellingly in the Chimera Ant arc, through the most important character in said
arc, because this is an aspect of life that the Ant King is acutely aware of. Perhaps due to being born into the world as
an intelligent, philosophical outsider with a fresh perspective, Meruem is consistently
aware of the nuances of his personal power from his birth. He initially plans to conquer the world and
wipe out humanity because he is essentially programmed to view this as the best course
of action, and due to this, he sees it as his duty. Though his mindset is one-dimensional and
shallow at the start, he is an advocate of the idea that power, which he initially conceptualizes
as pure physical strength, dictates the world, shown through his musings early on alluding
to how the weak are inferior and that the strong prevail. And being aware of his strength, Meruem knows
he must use it to create a paradise for his new kingdom, one that is beneficial, by his
perspective. But he proves to be flexible and absorptive,
taking in what he learns about the world as he is exposed to different things. He notes the cowardly, disgusting indulgence
that the leaders of the current order are characterized by, sees the illogical focus
on aristocracy and bloodlines instead of fitness to rule, and subsequently, he sees that humans
are pathetic; self-interested, hypocritical and incapable of seeing things beyond their
own needs. Meruem sees this and notes that this is the
way of society, and that he is not wrong for wanting to rip it up and start again. Yet, his learning does not stop there - because
he begins pursuing some alternate ideas apart from physical strength and eating - intellectual
games, philosophy, purpose, identity. He sees that he is not all-knowing, and he
is willing to have his philosophy molded by opposing and synergistic ideas. Because he comes to learn that humans - meaning
both others, and himself - are dualistic. And because he is a supreme demonstration
of how to wield power - deliberately and carefully, yet with conviction. What is notable and profound about Meruem
is that he has both the material power and influence and the physical strength to do
virtually anything he wants.. and yet he ponders. And he thinks. And he isn’t reckless with his power, because
he truly knows the totality of his influence and wants to learn about himself and the world
around him before choosing what to do. Even before he started truly showing the end
results of his development, his restraint is palpable apart from his early focus on
eating nen-powered brains and killing children. While his soldiers and minions organize the
plan for conquest, begin gathering military might and turning the world on it’s head,
Meruem is unconcerned and more occupied with learning about himself and the planet he has
come to inhabit through learning about others - something that initially started as a quest
to become the best at everything, but slowly evolved into a constant stream of comprehension
and an exercise in perspective. And what is amazing about his desire to learn
about others is that it’s a nearly subconscious thing - he broadens his horizons and begins
seeing other perspectives unintentionally at first. Thanks to a certain goongi master, he becomes
empathetic and sees that power is not as shallow a concept as he thought - that it can manifest
in different ways, not just brute strength. And in seeing a person who is physically weak
being injured by a representation of physical strength in the eagle, he rejects that philosophy
by choosing his emotions, and grasps hold of an unfamiliar philosophy. He isn’t arrogant and unbending, and that
is key to how he rules and lives. He doesn’t know what to make of the person
he is, of how he conceptualizes Komugi, and of how he subsequently views the world. So instead of destroying those weaker than
him in the ways he can comprehend, and instead of assuming that all of humanity is like the
worst of humanity, he decides to learn, wrestling with his inner desires in order to make the
most informed decisions for both his own personal happiness, and for those he is destined to
rule over. As previously stated, Meruem was born into
a set role wherein he would destroy all humans. He was arguably genetically coded to follow
these principles, but his humanity is what gave him pause. It is what granted him empathy and deep, complex
thought, and what made him consider what his great power and authority meant. As he said, “in the hands of an incompetent,
power brings nothing but ruin.” So Meruem’s personal journey throughout
Chimera Ant is a combination of his quest to understand himself and what he wants in
life, and it is also his method of finding out how to be competent. How to use his power responsibly. It is his duty, and his countless matches
with Komugi, his self-reflection, his very human desire for a name and an identity, his
reflections on the stupidity and wonders of mankind, his musings on kingship, and finally,
what he learned about humans through his bouts with Komugi and Netero - these all factor
into his role. He had never really put any thought into the
specifics of his rule prior to learning from Komugi and Netero, but he formed a proper
idea for the way forward once he had gathered enough knowledge, wisdom and experience. The first time, the literal first instance
that Meruem proclaims his plan for the world going forward, apart from the one that was
thrust onto the soulless title of king, was when he decided that he would allow certain
select humans to live - and later on, that the ants would re-evaluate their strategies
and allow humanity to live in certain sections in his new world in larger quantity. Yes, it is still a form of oppression and
yes, it is still a little bit past what most would consider reasonable, but perspective
is needed here. Meruem started at a point where he came into
this world thinking that he had to totally destroy all humans, that there was no choice
there. He was exposed to the hilariously inept way
that the world was functioning - how hypocritical people are, how self-destructive and top heavy
the world is, how those in power are totally ill-suited. He took all of that into heavy consideration,
and still decided that the human race deserved to exist. This very fact is HUGE given all that he was
programmed to do and all that he learned. He states that these designated human survival
areas are solely for special people - people like Komugi and Netero, who excel and are
extraordinary in some manner. But this isn’t necessarily as hierarchical
and brutally meritocratic as it seems, because what he also admits during his journey is
that people can be skilled in various, nearly inummerable fields. It is essentially his way of beginning to
conceptualize the idea that people can be special in any number of ways. It’s very significant that the only two
humans Meruem ever met and got to know properly were ones that he grew to deeply admire. Now, obviously not everyone is as special
as Netero or Komugi, but regardless - Given that, I think it’s conceivable that he would
allow, in his hypothetical world, more people than it initially seems. He would come to learn and understand that
others can be extraordinary in even more different ways. I think that this was his starting point,
and that he would come to be a tad more lenient if he were to continue developing his philosophy
had he not died. And at the same time, he clearly meant to
stomp out injustices and redundancies like the false Deigo, to ensure that those in power
not only use that power, but use it properly and build a prosperous world. In the midst of his fight with Netero, Meruem
was in the process of becoming a terrific demonstration, personification and extension
of the ideal way to wield power. Due to his growing self-understanding, empathy,
perspective, and most importantly, humanity - he has the ideal amount of intelligence,
deliberation and restraint, but he has systemic plans and the ability and intention to use
his power as he sees fit. After all, he was entirely unwilling to fight
Netero, not wanting to use his strength for what he perceived as a useless excuse for
bloodshed - until Netero offered up something of deep value to him. And in terms of his plans for society, he
was clearly approaching that with similar tact, as I explained. So, what does all of this mean with regards
to Togashi’s messages about humanity? Well, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist
to see that he very much chastises the human race for various reasons evident particularly
in the Chimera Ant, Election and Dark Continent arcs. He is very adept at using his characters as
powerful emotional vehicles to display his thoughts about the darkness of mankind. Yet, he isn’t a cynic at all. For some more elaborate thoughts from me on
where, why and how Togashi presents his more positive ideas on humanity, I’d direct you
to my videos on Killua, Leorio or Shaiapouf, but there is a flip side evident with regards
to this topic too. Chimera Ant in particular is a story all about
the differing perspectives and subtleties of humanity - the good, the bad, the painful,
the dark, and the hopeful, and we can see that through Meruem - not just through his
journey to finding happiness through human connection and love, but through his use of
power. I’ve already established how Meruem is a
brilliant display of how to wield authority through his malleability, restraint and deliberation. Yet, why does he have these layers to him
in the first place? Because he’s human. Without any humanity within him, Meruem would
not have bent or felt or taken in opposing or contrary ideas. He would have simply destroyed and mindlessly
oppressed, as he was programmed to do. But he didn’t. And through this, we can see that we, as a
people, are more than capable of being empathetic and thoughtful and using power properly - it’s
just that hubris and self-interest often cloud that. Meruem could see crystal clear, dropped into
a very flawed world with open eyes and a fresh perspective - and through his humanity, he
displayed what the world needs. His mother said that his name meant “the
light that illuminates all,” and she may have been correct if he had lived. Again, please don’t mistake my position
here as one stating that Meruem’s proposed plan to Netero was the perfect plan. As I said, it was still too extreme to be
reasonable. Meruem did not have everything totally figured
out, but the trajectory of his development - his growing humility, empathy, and understanding,
his patience and deliberation, his his continuously desire to learn and expand his horizons - it
all lends evidence to the idea that he would eventually be the ideal king for all. The ending song for the second half of the
Chimera Ant arc presents the prevailing idea here: the title of that song, Hyori Ittai,
can be directly translated to “Two Sides of a Coin” in English. Incredibly indicative of the different aspects
of the arc I’ve talked about in the past, but arguably most so here. Humans are capable of turning the world into
the very pits of hell itself and creating such monstrosities as the Miniature Rose,
but it is also capable of all of the beauty displayed through the characters that we see
throughout. Chimera Ant is not a cynical, nihilistic story
by any means. It is a multifaceted, layered work of overarching
and branching perspectives, of duality and depth, and, arguably most importantly, of
light, accentuated and thrown into sharp relief BECAUSE of the darkness. Hunter x Hunter is full of individuals who
use whatever bits of material or physical power they have to change the world around
them in ways they see fit. It’s a story of people full of personal
agency. Kurapika maximizes his abilities to carry
out what he believes is his duty, Leorio uses what little influence he has to set out to
positively impact the world in his own way. Killua uses his power to free his little sister
from captivity and save his best friend, the anti-chimera ant squad do what they can to
protect humanity, and Hisoka constantly strives to get his nut. And appropriately, Netero is one of the best
and most interesting displays of power and conviction as well, as his final stand and
battle are the prevailing outcome of his life’s ideals - a combination of his ambition to
remain at the peak of strength and his duty to humanity. And Meruem’s existence provided him with
the opportunity to use all of his power in a way he purely yearned for - fighting with
all he had using his martial arts mastery to defend his race - something that was acknowledged
by his expression of thanks in the midst of their fight. As I’ve said before, Togashi rarely moralizes
in Hunter x Hunter - but this instance is one of the cases where it can be argued that
he does, with a mix of the ideals carefully developed by Meruem over time, the nearly
protagonistic nature of Meruem by the climax of the Chimera Ant arc, and Netero himself’s
acknowledgement that what he was doing may have been wrong showing that Meruem was the
one in the closest thing to the right here. And that’s why it was with such a heavy
heart that Netero had to do what he did. He knew that Meruem held wholehearted desires
for a just world, and that he was equipped to do that and become a great leader. And in the deepest foundations of his soul,
he probably wanted to see Meruem carry out his goal. But Netero had a responsibility - a method
of quote unquote “winning” that unfortunately undercut all of the things that he represented,
other than his trepidatious pride in his race’s penchant for cynical victory. By his use of the Rose, he destroyed both
his desires for a true victory as a result of his strength and skill, and Meruem’s
honest motivations for a better world. And him piercing his heart is a symbolic representation
of that. Netero spurned the things that his heart yearned
for, becoming what many may perceive as ant-like in carrying out what he had to do. He did what he did with reluctance but conviction,
because it was his duty. It is absolutely cowardly to sit by and expect
one’s ambitions and goals to fall in one’s lap, and to expect the world to change without
enacting that change. It is quite an empowering idea - yet I must
stress that this is obviously not a story ENDORSING using power recklessly and psychopathically
as people like Hisoka do. It is not championing any single philosophy
or ideal held by any character in the story, other than arguably Meruem’s - not outwardly,
at least. It simply displays these different characters
and shows how they use their influence with regards to their motivations to muse on and
sort of study the nuances of power in the hands of different types of people. In this regard, Togashi does not baby the
audience and as I’ve said, he often avoids moralizing - partly to ensure that his perspectivism
is carried out in full force, but also in order to allow readers and watchers to think
for themselves and form their own opinions given what he presents. This is a story advocating ACTION AND AGENCY,
one full of people who strive to use whatever means possible to make the world better - with
varying definitions of “better” depending on whose viewpoint it is. But this very aspect reinforces the aforementioned
perspectivism that permeates the narrative - everyone has their own story, their own
ideals and their own motivations and desires, and everyone sets out to affect and shape
the world. There is very little passivity in Hunter Hunter,
because virtually the entire cast has a means to impact the world and views it as their
duty to do so. From psychopaths looking to use their power
to have some fun, to those killing as a means, an end, and a method of identity in and of
itself, to a young boy, curious and wide-eyed and determined to discover the answers he
seeks - power is a necessity to achieve one’s goals and impact society. Power is a responsibility, and must be handled
with care yet UTILIZED. And no one in this story realized this to
a greater extent than Meruem. Many thanks for watching.
