The Most Important Dynamic in Hunter x Hunter

[Music] what does the title of Hunter Hunter even mean in my last video on this story we explored togashi's obsession with the little details how his storytelling goes a long way to pack meaning into as many aspects of the story as possible and how this can even be seen when simply examining the very title of the series Hunter x Hunter I said the X there even though I usually wouldn't because it's where a lot of the value is found the general meaning of the title is pretty easily understood namely the fact that it references gon's position within the narrative a hunter always needs to be on the hunt for something as a prerequisite of the profession so to say and what gone is hunting is his own father who also is a hunter a very easily understood trajectory that takes us to the first meaning of the title Hunter Hunter one Hunter hunting another but I wouldn't be making a video on this if I thought that was all there is to say I do think there is further significance to the title as we've seen in his approach to chapter 1 one of the core aspects of togashi's writing style seems to be this obsession with imbuing his story with Jewel meanings on every level just as the title can be read as a hunter hunting a hunter the X in the title can just as well be seen as a mirror in which case it would be Hunter and Hunter the story of two Hunters looking at how the narrative has evolved particularly in the succession War this reading of the title most certainly holds true as both gon and Kurapika not only share a lot of traits and are treated similarly by the narrative but their Journeys also directly mirror the other using this story's peculiar title as a Gateway let's explore one of the most fascinating Dynamics I've seen in any story two close friends with little onscreen interaction who when placed side by side practically complete the other to say this is the story of gon and kurapica is a very big claim considering the prominence of kilua as the Jor Agonist of gon storyline as well as the very real chance that Kurapika does not survive this succession War to me the current Arc feels like the ultimate detour and if we're fortunate enough to see togashi's Vision come to life for the Dark Continent I'm of the belief that Jing will serve as our primary set of eyes for that story all of this makes arguing Kurapika to be the second most important character in The Narrative who has referenced in the title of the series itself a very difficult task but I ask you to bear with me as we take a deep dive into these two characters placing them side by side in 2013 alongside the release of the non-canon feature film Phantom Rouge Togashi released kurapika's memories also known as volume zero of Hunter Hunter this is a great place to start as the mere fact Togashi gave volume zero to Kurapika speaks volumes in of itself no pun intended digging deeper to the start of kurapika's Journey illuminates several interesting connections to the start of gon's Journey which we explored in my last Hunter Hunter video both gon and Kurapika were kids who lived in some kind of isolation surrounded by a small environment and living in tune with nature for gon this was whale Island a limited population with very few actual residents and barely anyone who he could call his peer besides noo the only other child on the island and this naturally resulted in gon spending a lot of time either by himself or living in nature and befriending the animals of the forest for Kurapika we have the CTA Village in the woods with 128 people who were completely isolated from civilization as a whole due to the intrinsic risk of genocide that the Kura have consistently faced and his only real peer comes in the form of pyro the circumstances of their childhood were similar orbe it due to different reasons which makes it no surprise that both of our main characters are enticed to leave their habitat to leave the small aquarium in which they have spent their lives thus far and venture out into the much wider much less familiar real world for gone this happens due to kites who not only informs him about his father's status and profession but also Sparks in him the desire to seek out his father and learn more about hunters and the World At Large for Kurapika the Catalyst happens to be Sheila who not only presents him the de Hunter book which Sparks kurapika's curiosity but also shares her own Ambitions to become a hunter which inspires Kurapika even further this is even further substantiated by the fact that both Sheila and kite were themselves inspired by another source for kite it is Jing for Sheila it is the author of De Hunter and there's a very real possibility the author of De Hunter is Don freaks who serves as the primary inspiration for Jing that's more of a theory than anything else but my underlying point is that there's a connection here in the generational Links of inspiration it's also important to note that our protagonists have to pass a test before being eligible to leave their home gone has to fish for the king of the swamp which was supposed to be an impossible threshold he wouldn't overcome since AO did not want him to leave and for kapika is to pass the exam by the Elder as well as the self-control exam he under goes which was actively sabotaged by the clan Elder so he wouldn't pass we can see their respective environment's reluctance to let go of them which both gon and Kurapika overcome through sheer force of will what really pulled me in on this interpretation of gon and kurapika's narrative relationship are the titles of each character's departing chapter as protagonists of their own Journeys for gon we have chapter 1 titled day of departure and for karap we have chapter 359 simply titled departure this signifies a massive turning point for the story as with 339 we have at least least for now concluded gon's journey and are instead actively following Kurapika as our main character the two chapters share key motifs that substantiate their parallel nature chapter 1 starts with gon whale Island which directly parallels the black whale ship in 359 right down to the Smoke being emitted out of the whale's blow horn it marks a transition going from a stationary whale Island to a mobile whale ship as well as further showcasing the scale and proportion the story has taken on whale Island had very few permanent residents and was mostly a Harbor Island for fishermen while the black whale despite being a ship houses around 200,000 people all with the goal of arriving at the new continent on another note the final scene of kurapika's memories is titled day of departure identical to chapter 1 further substantiating the connection to gone and strengthening my belief that Togashi clearly wants us to place these characters side by side Kurapika leaves and returns to a village completely massacred presumably by the Phantom troop which transforms him from someone practically no different to gone at the start of the story to something completely different both Kurapika and gon also start their respective quests with the goal of retrieving something they may be stepping into an unknown world but what they're hunting after is incredibly familiar Incredibly Close to them as close as you could possibly get family tires for gon it's his father Jing and for Kura it's all the eyes of his dead clansmen both of these end goals expose a lot about these two characters while gone deals with abandonment issues and a lack of self-worth in part due to his father's absence Kurapika suffers from survivors guilt and The Uncanny realization that it was his own selfishness to leave the village that might have played a part in the eradication of his entire Clan the nature of the things they are hunting after are similar yet different in a sense both are chasing their family in hopes of being reunited with them but whereas gun's father is very much Alive and Kicking which presents a sort of fertile ground from which things can be further developed Kurapika is quite literally chasing ing the body parts of his dead comrades and family quite literally a dead end while gon has ant Meo to return to at the end of his story Kura has no such home something else that undoubtedly establishes a strong parallel between gon and Kurapika is their usage of nen Oaths despite being a rather commonly known mechanic among nen users the only characters in the entire story We actively see utilizing this mechanic just so happen to be gon and Kurapika and the context which leads to their resp Ive decisions further stresses the trajectories of their characters Kurapika and gon fall on opposite ends of the nen Spectrum gon is an enhancer whereas kurap is a conjurer specialist when his eyes turn Scarlet looking at the neng graph it's immediately noticeable that enhancers and Specialists are on exact opposite ends which adds a lot to the inversions and parallels both in body and Kurapika being a conjurer as well is incredibly pertinent while enhancers excel at fortifying and strengthening their natural abilities conjurers excel at materializing objects the dichotomy here speaks for itself it's internal versus external and manifests very apparently in their abilities while gon primarily utilizes his enhancement for his rock paper scissors technique kapika materializes chains with unique abilities that are also able to enter his enemy's body this is symbolic of their respective nature gon being a rather selfish child who primarily cares about his own desires and follows his whims whereas Kurapika is far more stoic an individual burdened by respons responsibility that has sacrificed his personal dreams and Ambitions in the wake of a ultimately self-imposed holy war the contrast can be summarized as one of selfishness versus altruism obviously it's not quite so clearcut and there are indeed enough nuances to not view this as a strict categorization but rather as a simple generalization we know of course that a lot of gon's actions stem from feelings of inadequacy something that speaks to how he defines value through the affirmation of others and we also know that kurapika's Quest is not as selfless as he might personally believe as it really stems from an innate frustration he has with himself and the World At Large another interesting piece of this is that both of our main characters are right-handed which is part of a larger Motif Togashi obsessively follows through on in the manga and which speaks on their respective trajectories and psyches I might dedicate a whole video to this train of thought in the future but for now if you're interested check out this thread which I have Linked In the description written by my good friend NF who is also the co-writer of this video shout out my guy I also don't think it's a coincidence that both G and kurapika's Main Rivals are Hoka and K respectively who also complete each other in a similar fashion to gon and Kurapika going back to the nen Oaths let's look at the circumstances under which the characters make them kapika Stakes his life on the fact that he will solely utilize his major abilities against members of the Phantom troop going so far as to wrap a judgment chain around his own heart ready to kill himself if he breaks the oath this greatly enhances not only the abilities of his several chains gives him access to chain jail against the Phantom troop but also enhances the density and output of his Aura in combination of course with his Scarlet eyes this makes it so he can bridge the gap between himself and far more experienced refined Fighters such as those of the Phantom troop his desire to kill far outweighs his desire to live and that is why this type of oath with such incredible benefits is even feasible in the first place as Kurapika himself says I'm willing to stake my life on it the stricter the limitation the more power your ability will gain from it in an almost identical fashion gon went faced with the realization that kite is TR dead and the desire to Snuff out peto's life seeps in enters an oath with himself that forcibly makes him deplete all the potential of his future to enter a state of absolute power and dominance we once again see a desire to kill far outweighing the desire to live and what gon sacrificed in return is his usage of nen with the words marking this being I don't care what happens to me I need all the power I'll ever have very blatant parallels here another facet of their characters in which they display similarities is in their resp Ive relationships with kiloa and Melody both function as a kind of safe haven for them an anchor that constantly reminds them of their task at hand and prevents them from being led astray by their emotions there are several key scenarios in which kilua and Melody set our protagonists straight during the Kima Anar kilaa had to be the voice of reason as otherwise gon would have fallen entirely to the darkness within himself kilaa even does this at the cost of his own well-being almost like a sacrificial offering so that the light that gone is can keep on radiating this was of course incredibly unhealthy for the both of them in the relationship and it inevitably led to immense suffering for the both of them similarly Melody also calms Kurapika down during several situations in which he might have lost his cool otherwise such as when tailing The Troop Melody's words and flutes alleviate kapika from his agitation while not as apparent as with kilua self-sacrifice for gone it's important to remember that Melody's sense of hearing is so Advanced that she can tell one's emotional state simply from their heartbeat and her empathetic nature on top of this puts a ton of stress on her by simply being in kurapika's vicinity at these times of intense emotional stress in a sense Kurapika like gon can be viewed as a light one that radiates and desperately struggles to overcome the darkness in their path on the flip side though you can definitely view both as said Darkness themselves as evidenced by the imagery frequently associated with them and several dialogues across the series gone is often called a monster by those that encounter him and Kurapika is adorned with imagery relating to the Devil Himself the Cort used to be called The Messengers of the devil the red eyes speak for themselves from an imagery perspective but they also evoke an intense rage a primal Instinct that Kurapika has no control over Melody compliments this nicely with her own backstory regarding the devil Sonata having come into contact with what might possibly be the Devil Himself and living to tell the Tale Now finding themselves as one of kurapika's closest companions in general there are many Christian references and imagery surrounding Kurapika like his relation to the dolphin which is a significant symbol in Christianity to his Soliloquy in chapter 344 right down to the shape of his judgment and steel chain which incorporate the cross in their designs and lastly his greatest Target is the character with the most blatant references to Christianity besides Melody kiloa also serves as a parallel to pyro both kiloa and Pyro are the first and most significant peer of our respective protagonists and both not only behave and conduct themselves in similar ways but are also somewhat exploited by their best friends this is obviously not intended with malice but gon as well as Kurapika both insist on their presence not budging until pyro and kiloa are on board with their Ambitions there's a key scene for both that encapsulates this brilliantly during the dodgeball game with Razer gon insists on kiloa being the one to hold the ball fully aware that he has already badly injured his hands and might do permanent damage if he keeps it up and yet kiloa follows along willingly Kurapika does practically the exact same thing himself with his unwillingness to compromise on anyone but pyro accompanying him to the outside world despite the inherent risk of danger particularly due to Pyro's disabilities in his injured leg and fading eyesight clearly showing how both are willing to offer themselves up if it makes their respective light happy pyro saving Kurapika from falling off a cliff in the past was one of the factors that led to his bodily impairments down the line Togashi makes it very easy to see the similar nature of these Dynamics the shared themes and ideas at play while the interesting little parallels between G and meruem have been discussed at length in this community what has not been talked about enough is kurapika's presence in this picture at the very beginning of the story we see gon's backpack with the kanji for all meaning King which compliments how gon projected himself onto K the king of the jungle which he named himself we go into this in depth in my previous video If you haven't watched that which I'll leave a link to in the description below this could also be an illusion to his eventual parallel with meem gon is also described as light by kiloa and various other whereas meow's name means light that illuminates all which makes for a more obvious tire but interestingly kurapika's name too is related as the Pika in his name is the onomatopeia for the sound of Sparks or glittering that's where we get Pikachu from and the Kur can mean Darkness his full name invoking the idea of a glint of light in the dark which is very fitting for his entire character Arc in internal conflict it's also important to note that while all three are titled after royalty there is a key difference that places Kurapika on an even greater pedestal gon and meruem are Kings but Kurapika is an emperor a position that Reigns Supreme above even Kings which very much ties back to the childhood versus adulthood theme we've addressed as both gon and meam are children with the latter only being 40 days old at the time of his death to add to the ti Queen oo or alternatively Prince wble could very much serve as kurapika's own kugi being the person to truly challenge his worldview and enable him to overcome the psychological inh inhibitions that so deeply tie him to his trauma and again self-imposed holy war meam was also a being that had his life's goal more or less programmed into his being he was conditioned with a single goal to accomplish and a position to fulfill in service of his species which are descriptors that appropriately describe Kurapika as well with the main difference coming in that meow's purpose was truly an ingrained one not one that he has imposed upon himself like Kurapika and therein lies the lesson meam was a born King and even postr he was someone with a clear purpose befitting of his nature whereas kurapika's entire path is dictated by a nauseating purpose that is not aligned with his sense of self that drenches him in Blood and darkness and obscures his light that does not satisfy him with the gift of connections but rather suppresses exactly that it's a path that inches him closer and closer to death by his own choice as is being shoved down our throats with his extensive use of Emperor time killing him slowly what kurapika's goal and path signify are all the wrong things when considering the messages and lessons of Hunter Hunter a goal as conveyed by Jing needs to be one that leaves itself open to be superseded one that doesn't end your aspirations and drive to live once reached but opens A New Path and sadly kurapika's goal is a dead end a destination that leaves him nowhere to go no home to go back to does collecting the eyes reunite him with his family does it settle the pain of losing them enabling him to move on does it do anything to improve his life or circumstances he's aware of it to some degree as seen during his monologue in chapter 344 but still in denial about the ultimate vanity of his aspirations all this is to say Kurapika and gon's Journeys are similar yet fundamentally different to the point where core facets of their characters feel like direct inversions of the other they are two sides of the same coin I don't think it's a coincidence that gon is a child and Kurapika a young adult as different ramifications and objectives are explored through their initially similar paths at the ages of 11 and 12 on their respective days of departure gon's Quest conduct and the way he engages with people generally tends to align with the theme of enjoying the detours in the story as seen through the many distractions on his journey to find his father as well as the numerous friends and acquaintances he makes along the way he is constantly learning growing with Limitless potential as an individual completely disconnected from his core purpose of finding Jing on the other hand kurapika's path is one more so defined by Solitude an obsession that deres him of pleasure they are both Hunters drawn by a single thing but this manifests in largely different ways given the differences in their approach because gon is not as defined by his goal as Kurapika which enables him to enjoy himself and personally dictate the path he takes that quote from the first page the mysterious unknown gon is captivated by that spell he doesn't know where he's going and he's enjoying the journey there as such he has more agency in the sense that he doesn't let himself pass upon an opportunity even if it deviates from his plans contrary to Kurapika who sacrifices enjoyment and his personal fulfillment to dedicate each waking moment to the pursuit of his Clansman eyes fully dedicated to this holy war of his I think it's also very possible that the CTIC Clan Massacre was a detour for the Phantom troop a step along the way in the spider's Journey for their own Vengeance which ended up being the Lynch pin for kaba's Journey what's interesting is that the word that appears twice in the title the concept this entire setting is based upon the hunter as outlined in the first page of the manga is Holy explored by these two protagonists gon sees the strange beasts and Monsters the mystical places the unexplored Frontiers and kapika is dedicated to retrieving the eyes considered secret treasures a path that has the dark King of the story himself on kap's Hit List while gon's Journey takes a relatively lighter tone besides the kumara antar Kurapika has been one of Darkness from the very beginning in this sense what Togashi encapsulates in these differences between our protagonist is the perspective of the story itself in a rather meta way it isn't merely reflected in the story structure but the nature of the story itself we begin with the child gone and follow his Coming of Age after which we transition to Kurapika who represents the next stage of life being adulthood these are the different perspectives these two characters offer us but there's a less obvious flip side to this dynamic as well since gon's Journey was one of coming of age what the narrative explored were the shortcomings of being a child the realization that the world does not remain this untainted sandbox and that things indeed have consequences which is made clear in painstaking detail towards the end of gon's Journey but this all has a very positive outcome for the boy ultimately accumulating in the realization that the world is much bigger than he thought it to be earning gone some much needed maturity and having him become more of an adult in the process yet there's still a reversion and sharp reminder that gone is still a child after all as the last we see of him as his return to studies and normal education back home at whale Island and that leads me to think kurapika's in entire shtick his unsentimental nature and destination oriented Outlook are what will be dissected over the course of the succession War Arc showcasing the flaws in his ways much like was done for gon in the Cima ant Arc and possibly accumulating in Kurapika regaining some of the childlike qualities we saw from him in his backstory with wble and oor likely serving as the Catalyst gon and Kurapika are the two main characters of Hunter Hunter and there is nothing that will showcase that as well as the future of the succession War thank you guys very much for watching and I cannot wait to see kapiko once more when the next batch of chapters finally hopefully release Togashi is back tweeting regularly and that feels amazing but I need 401 in my hands dog I need that [ __ ]

Channel: Radman

Views: 23,294

Keywords: hunter x hunter, hxh, hxh 2011, hunter x hunter 2011, gon, kurapika, gon freecss, ging, phantom troupe, chrollo, hisoka, chrollo vs hisoka, meruem, melody

Id: iZeked4xiE8

Length: 22min 15sec (1335 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 05 2024