When questioning what makes an effective villain,
we tend to limit ourselves and think within the box by assuming that there’s a checklist
of requirements that need to be met before a character can be considered “good.” It’s often thought that they need to be
realistic and show glimpses of their humanity, or that they need to have a unique personality,
or that they need to have an extensive background - and while characteristics like this often
help to make villains good characters, the truth is that they’re just bi-products of
a much simpler rule. This rule being that the villain needs to
be written in service of the narrative. A villain can be amazingly crafted and complex
if you look at them in a vacuum, but that doesnt necessarily equate to being a good
villain in relation to their story. On the other hand, some villains can be very
rudimentary, but if they service the story effectively then that doesn’t matter. Final Fantasy VII’s Sephiroth has a subdued
personality and hardly even speaks, but his backstory, motivations, and how they tie in
with the world are integral to a game with such a heavy plot and setting focus. Chrono Trigger’s Lavos is just an alien
parasite set on draining the world’s energy. It has no characterization and it is actually
more of a force of nature than a character - but it’s one of the most narratively powerful
villains in gaming history because of how it served as a stimulant for the game’s
plot, themes and character growth. A villain is good if they are written well,
they’re written well if they enhance the narrative, and what enhances the narrative
is dependent on the story. So there is endless potential when it comes
to this sort of thing. Having a deep backstory and an enticing personality
usually helps, but those traits alone don’t make a villain good and border on redundancy
if they don’t serve the narrative in any way. So - what could possibly make an ammoral,
serial murderer with very little backstory and a monotone personality one of the most
well-conceived and thematically rich characters in his story? Well.. good writing. But it takes some very good writing and a
very strange story for such a weird character concept to work. So I suppose it’s a good thing that we’re
talking about Hunter Hunter. The initial draw of a character like Chrollo
Lucilfer is a simple one. He is an enigma. There’s no clear evidence of him being an
exceptionally complex or deep character, but he is shrouded in uncertainty and this gives
him an alluring potential. He has an ominous, powerful aura about him,
and he is permeated by an indescribable feeling of something deeper - that there is more to
him than meets the eye, but that this aspect of him is difficult to uncover. There’s a reason that he’s one of the
most discussed characters in the series - simply put, he’s a mystery. Humans simultaneously fear and are drawn in
by the unknown. We seek the deepest truths, but are terrified
of what those truths may be. It’s endless potential, and when a character
seems to personify that, it’s exciting. But the truth is, while Chrollo does represent
the unknown, he is not directionless. He’s written in such a way that even if
he is a complete ambiguous entity, little hints in his behaviour and actions allow us
to make educated inferences about the type of man that he is. While you could accuse Togashi of being indulgent
when it comes to certain characteristics of his writing, he excels at using his most important
characters in moderation. Togashi knows that readers are naturally curious,
so he structures his use of certain characters with that tendency in mind to build an intrigue
around them. And Chrollo is a great example of building
gravitas and an aura around a character through a lack of exposure and through withholding
information, while giving just enough away to hint at the true nature of said character. Chrollo is not very fleshed out and his personality
is nowhere near as striking as some of the other characters in the series. What usually sells him to people at first
is his impressive character design, his dark and edgy demeanor, and his badassery in combat. But there is this moment that completely drew
me in and made me realize that this was a character that warranted a deeper examination. This moment could just be interpreted as a
cheap writing ploy to make the Spider more sympathetic, but I truly think that there
is much more to it. A more cohesive, grand idea for this character
that is first obvious here. The more you think about Chrollo, the more
interesting he is. He seems at first like a generic reserved
badass villain with a cool design, but there are little hints scattered throughout his
appearances in the series that add up to tell you exactly what he’s about. At face value, he is just a dark head of a
band of murderers who cries when his comrades die because that adds a bit of depth to the
Troupe. It would seem that he’s written as such
because thats just how you write a functional villain and leader of a villainous group. But the truth is that Chrollo is a stroke
of characterization genius - his personality, background information and narrative role
all integrated seamlessly with the themes of The Phantom Troupe itself and the Yorknew
arc as a whole. While he does bring some completely new ideas
to the series that we’ll take about later, what’s most significant regarding Chrollo
is that everything about him is woven in with the Spider and it’s members so tightly that
the moment you uncover something about the Troupe, you simultaneously discover something
about Chrollo and vice versa. It is exceptional integrative storytelling
when it comes to theme communication, with these moments almost subconsciously telling
us exactly who this man is. It’s so effective that the audience clearly
understands what the Troupe are all about and that Chrollo is more substantial than
he seems, but so subtle that the nature of the head of the Spider is completely mysterious..
unless examined very closely. The first thing to establish here is that
Chrollo cares for his fellow Troupe members. This may seem obvious, but some tend to believe
that Chrollo is a cold psychopath who uses the Spider members purely for personal gain
and doesn’t actually care for anyone but himself. And while he is deceptively selfish for reasons
we’ll get into in a bit, the notion that he doesn’t care for others is incorrect. The nature of that care is unorthodox, but
the strength of it is undeniable. And the evidence of Chrollo’s love for the
Troupe is there for all to see. He may have committed remorseless, evil actions
and caused countless deaths, but as is the case with the rest of the Spider, that doesn’t
mean that he is unfeeling. In fact, quite the opposite is true - his
fellow Troupe members are the most important things in the world to him, and he cares deeply
for them. We need look no further than the scenes where
he grieves the death of Uvo and ponders whether Uvo is experiencing an afterlife, or his recent
appearance in the manga where we see despair in his eyes as he likely reflects on the deaths
of Shalnark and Kortopi. I have seen the argument that he puts on a
caring mask to sell his grief to his Troupe members to strengthen their trust in him,
but this can be easily debunked because in every scene where Chrollo is mourning, there
isn’t a single Troupe member present. In fact, the opposite tends to be true; when
he’s with the rest of the Troupe, he tries his best to be rational and calm, because
that is what’s needed from a leader. So, it’s clear that Chrollo harbours feelings
of love for the members of the Spider. But the most significant question here is
about the characteristics of that love. What is the nature of his love for the Troupe
members? Does he love them just because he truly cares
for them? Or is there another reason for this attachment,
an explanation that goes a long way towards revealing just the type of person he is? The straightforward way to think of the man
is that he loves his troupe members as he would care for a best friend or sibling. And given how vague of a character he is,
this is totally valid and can’t be disproven yet. But there is another way to look at Chrollo
that not only makes him infinitely more interesting, but is also incredibly appropriate thematically. And this alternate explanation all comes down
to the theme of identity, and how it relates to Chrollo. As I said earlier, Chrollo is relatively bland. He does show a passion for combat and he does
let loose at times, but his characterization and personality are nothing to write home
about and I wouldn’t begrudge anyone for thinking that he is somewhat boring as a person. But that is the point. He is a blank slate, with an identity crisis
and no distinct sense of self. Not much is known about his past, but we do
know that he is from Meteor City, a place for the abandoned, where the inhabitants have
nowhere else to belong. Togashi has always been a writer that focuses
on environmental factors shaping who his characters become, and this is the case with Chrollo
as well. So from a young age, Chrollo has always had
an unstable sense of belonging. But as he grew up, this developed and manifested
itself almost pathologically - so much so that Chrollo became unable to identify who
he truly was. The reason why is unknown, but this is pretty
apparent and even his powers hint at this. Nen is known to be a combat system that’s
very personal, because any given ability reflects the personality of the user through it’s
elements. But what is Chrollo’s ability? A power that specializes in stealing other
abilities because he doesn’t have the identity to conceive a unique power of his own. It’s a distinct possibility that the name
“Chrollo Lucilfer” is one that he made up for himself because he never had one in
the first place. Simply put, he is a blank person. But this problem was even worse for him in
his past, and this blankness used to be emptiness. It’s very difficult to exist without an
identity; it shapes who we are, how we act and conduct ourselves, what drives us, and
subsequently, how we live. So Chrollo needed to find one desperately. And when one cannot create a sense of self
through internal mechanisms, what do they do? They instead search outward, project, and
latch onto some external thing that can make them feel whole. This is how the Phantom Troupe was created. Now, of course, a big reason for the Troupe’s
creation was to give it’s aimless members a place to belong. Chrollo is not without compassion, and he
realized that through creating a group in which everyone had a family, a role and a
purpose, this would fulfill all of the members needs. After all, he himself needed human connection
and a place to belong, so he could easily relate to the situation of the members. But I think that for Chrollo, an even bigger
motivation behind creating the Spider was a much more selfish one - solving his identity
crisis. Chrollo’s biggest goal in life is creating
an identity and understanding himself, and in order to compensate for his lack of understanding,
Chrollo formed the Troupe. And he not only formed it, but he poured himself
into it, quite literally from his perspective. From Chrollo’s viewpoint, he IS the Spider. He is a man who is defined by the Spider and
seeks personal value through it’s actions. They’re one and the same. Chrollo was so completely empty that he made
his identity the Phantom Troupe itself. Due to this, he thinks of himself as less
of an individual and more as the abstract entity that is the Phantom Troupe. It’s existence validates his existence,
and through it’s well-being, he thrives and has something to live for. This is why he places so much important on
jobs, rules and structure - to ensure that above all, the Spider survives. It’s not just because he has pride in the
symbolic resonance of what the Spider stands for; it’s that he feels that he is spiritually
a part of it; it fuels his sense of identity, and since identity is what he values above
all else, he wants to make sure that the Spider lives on. So while Chrollo undoubtedly cares about his
members, he uses them, along with the Troupe as an entity, as a way of perpetuating self-recognition
to interact with the world. One of the most unique and important things
about Chrollo is that in a sense, the members act as parts of his identity, because they
themselves are legs of the Spider. It’s a collective identity that is shared
here. And it’s doubtful that they’re aware of
this, but they surely wouldn’t mind given how the Troupe has enriched their lives. So if we adhere to this, we know that Chrollo
thinks of his Troupe members as not just close friends, but as parts of himself. He seems to be a character modeled after one
of Togashi’s other popular characters, Shinobu Sensui of YYH, who also had a severe issue
with identity. But while Sensui’s identity was shattered
into seven seperate pieces within him, maybe Chrollo has a similar case of a *collective*
sense of self and just expresses it outwardly, pouring his identity into an external concept
and a literal group of people. Now, with this in mind, we can go all the
way back to the original question I asked earlier with a new mindset. What is the nature of his love for the Troupe
members? He deeply mourns their deaths, but does he
grieve because he truly loved them and was losing dear friends and family members? Or does he mourn because a part of himself,
a leg of the spider, has died, lamenting at the fact that a piece of his identity has
been destroyed? Was the stunning requiem for Uvo an act that
was simply mourning a lost friend? Or one that also agonized at the loss of a
part of himself, on a level so profound that there was no other way to communicate his
pain other than destruction on a grand scale? I personally think of it as a mix of both,
because he clearly cares for his brethren, but he also clearly uses the spider to absolve
his identity crisis. And this subtle, underlying characteristic
of Chrollo is not only significant just because it adds depth and a very interesting element
to his characterization, but because it provides extra justification for another aspect of
Chrollo - his fearlessness of death. And understanding how these two characterization
pieces integrate is key to fully understanding Chrollo. Towards the end of the Yorknew arc, after
capturing Chrollo to use him as leverage, Kurapika is unconvinced when Chrollo tells
him that he’s got no worth as a hostage. He just can’t bring himself to believe that
the leader of the Phantom Troupe seriously thinks that his own life is worthless, and
he thinks that Chrollo is bluffing. However, after listening to his heartbeat,
Melody confirms that Chrollo is telling what he believes is the truth, and that he has
no fear of dying. Of course, there is the possibility that he
just didn’t feel any risk of death in that particular moment. As someone well versed in the potency of Nen,
Chrollo believes in the reliability of Neon’s fortune telling, and her predictions made
no mention of this kidnapping, so he deemed the situation to be completely insignificant. He also has a knack for reading people, and
he could tell that Kurapika would not do anything that would put Gon and Killua at risk. So this logical outlook can account for Chrollo’s
lack of fear in the moment. However, independent from this specific situation,
Melody says that he has accepted death, and walks with it every day of his life. But why is this so? Why is he so unafraid of dying in general? Well, the straightforward and obvious answer
relates to his upbringing. He grew up in a place where no one belongs
and no one cares for you, a place where the prospect of death looms. He has probably been familiar with the risk
of death from a young age, and he has been surrounded by death his entire life since
then, so it’s natural that he would be unafraid of it. But with a character that has so much underlying
nuance, this explanation feels a bit too simple. Obviously, in looking for alternate explanations,
there is always a risk of confirmation bias and reading into something that isn’t there. However, I think that there’s more to this
acceptance of death, and I think that it all relates back to his identity. Chrollo’s internal situation in terms of
his individuality makes accepting death completely easy for him. As touched upon earlier, since he created
the Troupe and made his identity synonymous with it, Chrollo has structured the rules
around it such that the survival of the Troupe as a collective entity is of utmost importance. The Spider itself, rather than any individual
member, is the main priority, and the group’s complementary roles and principles are structured
to ensure this. Because
of these standards, Chrollo has secured that the Phantom Troupe will continue to function
even if he dies. And from the surface, this seems like a pretty
selfless and honourable thing for him to do, but it’s very possible that there are selfish
motives behind this. If this group were to fall apart the minute
their leader died, Chrollo’s identity would fall apart with it. However, with the Spider being insured to
survive no matter what, Chrollo ensures that the closest thing in the world to his identity
is able to remain even if he dies. So in a sense, he isn’t truly dead even
if his heart stops beating. As such, not only is he okay with the prospect
of death, but he actively encourages prioritizing the Troupe’s well-being ahead of his own
if it ever comes to that. He desires this so badly that it has become
the strictest of codes within the Troupe - and he expects this rule to be honoured above
all else. What’s notable as well is that Chrollo’s
bigger picture philosophy is one that his followers also believe in. While there aren’t as many hints to THEIR
sense of self, perhaps they too feel like part of their identity is within the Spider
itself. After all, they are desensitized to death,
being all too willing to die for a greater cause. Though, of course, it could be that they’re
so selfless simply because of love and loyalty. With regards to this, Chrollo himself encapsulates
the self-fulfilling philosophy of the Spider. He gives the members an identity and a place
to belong through the Spider, and in return, they strengthen the one thing that he identifies
with, giving him a stronger sense of self and allowing him to live on. It’s a give and take relationship. Yet again it must be stressed that he still
cares for his members apart from his self-interest. He wants to make sure of their personal satisfaction
and well-being, and he cares about their own interests very much. But to bring things back to the original point,
Chrollo isn’t afraid of dying because he IS the spider. As an individual person, he is just one part
of his broader self. So his death is unimportant in the grand scheme
of things. His will will continue on within the spider
and he believes that he has drilled his followers, his legs, in a way such that if the head is
cut off, another can grow back. Of course, him as an individual dying is a
blow to his greater self, but he doesn’t grieve for this because he is not losing a
friend or sibling. And this is all part of what makes Chrollo
so alluring as a character. Such a bizarre sense of self, hidden so far
beneath the shadowy unknown of his persona that it isn’t easy to tell who this man
really is. But when you look at him this way, a lot about
his actions, personality and demeanor make sense, and strongly reinforce the themes of
the Yorknew arc and the Phantom Troupe. Along with harbouring a subtly presented identity
crisis, it’s clear that Chrollo is tied to themes that are completely unique to him
within the story of Hunter X Hunter, ideas that you’d probably expect more in a series
like Berserk than this one. Simply put, Chrollo is a nihilistic believer
in fate and causality, and this integrates with his identity issue to form the core of
his characterization and the force behind so many of his actions. He believes that life events are entirely
out of mankind’s control, and predestined by some sort of unknowable, omnipotent cosmic
force. He believes that struggling against the tides
of fate is meaningless and pointless, and he doesn’t believe in the existence of free
will. This is a form of determinism that Chrollo
adheres to, and it explains so much about his behaviour. As stated in the recent chapters of the manga,
Chrollo believes that there are no differences between human beings and puppets. In describing his newly revealed nen power,
he says that “the ability’s owner was the elder of Meteor City. Someone from the outside was going to attack
the residents, so he turned his bretheren into bombs and had them deliver a message. The elder saw no great difference at all between
humans and puppets.. Well.. I suppose I don’t either.” And this makes perfect sense if Chrollo believes
that humans have no control of their future. If we have no free will and our lives are
simply the result of uncontrollable forces, we are just playing out our roles with no
purpose. In that sense, Chrollo reasons that there
is no difference between humans and puppets. These deterministic beliefs are particularly
telling with regards to his attitude towards those that he and the Spider kill. Chrollo doesn’t enjoy killing that much,
but he clearly has no qualms with murder if the job calls for it, if his followers want
to kill or if he needs to kill. He has a very nonchalant attitude towards
killing; he doesn’t sadistically enjoy it like Feitan or Hisoka do, but he also doesn’t
really care that he’s ending the lives of others. And he has this distinct apathy because of
his views on fate and humanity. For obvious reasons, he cares about the lives
of his followers. But with regards to strangers, if humans are
puppets with meaningless lives as Chrollo believes, then it’s natural that he would
feel no concern for their lives and no guilt in killing them, since there was no point
to their lives anyway. However, on the other hand, he does find certain
humans to be quite fascinating, frequently marvelling at how interesting they can be
(flash manga panel). Because of his attraction to Fate, Individuals
that act in a way to seemingly defy the destiny that seems set upon them fascinate Chrollo. For him, the only purpose of a human being
is to carry out the roles that destiny has chosen for them, yet some act like this isn’t
the case and fight against this fate. And this fruitless struggle is something that
puzzles and intrigues him. There is also a very subtle allusion to Chrollo’s
beliefs in predestiny through something that he says about Judas, who is commonly known
that the man who sold out and betrayed Jesus in the story of the Bible. After Uvogin brings up the possibility of
a traitor, a Judas, in the group, Chrollo says that Judas was not a traitor. And this line of his, while intriguing and
mysterious, initially seems pretty innocuous. But it’s actually completely appropriate
that Chrollo would think this way about Judas. Since Chrollo thinks that all in life is predestined,
he would then also believe that Judas did not have the personal agency or free will
to prevent himself from betraying Jesus. It was not his choice, it was out of his control,
and therefore, he was not actually a true traitor. Now, both Chrollo’s thoughts on fate and
his fixation on identity converge to dictate one curious aspect of his - his strong desire
to obtain a certain nen power. During the Yorknew arc, Chrollo takes a detour
from the Troupe’s current issues to obtain the nen ability of the mafia head’s daughter,
Neon Nostrade. Her power, Lovely Ghostwriter, allows her
to predict the future through telling fortunes for people, and Chrollo found this ability
to be incredibly enticing, so much so that he went through great lengths to secure it. Now, obviously this sort of power is one that
basically anyone would love to have, but it represents something extra special to Chrollo. Since he believes that he has no free will
and that the future is set, he has complete confidence in the accuracy of Lovely Ghostwriter. But the fact that Chrollo says that the fortunes
told of the troupes fates were just one possible fate that can be avoided if the right path
is taken shows that while he believes in Fate and predestiny, he also believes that there
are multiple predestined paths that humans can walk, and that they are usually just unaware
of the mechanisms that can switch which path they’re on. THis doesn’t mean that he now thinks human
are more than puppets, but it does mean that with Lovely Ghostwriter, he can transcend
his insignificance just a little bit and choose which predestined path to walk in order to
avoid the most undesirable future. But the other main draw of Lovely Ghostwriter
to Chrollo is this: since he has such a preoccupation with what his identity is, he seeks insight
to understand the path that his life is on. Where is he going and what will he do? Knowing these things will help him solidify
his sense of self in a way that not even the Spider can. The Spider provides him with identity, but
as much as he values it, he’s aware that this is not true self-comprehension. Even with the strange identity that he has
achieved, Chrollo strives for more, for a complete truth that he has not yet reached. He is trying with all his might to get there,
but he even admits to Gon and Killua that he is still not able to properly understand
himself. He ponders Gon’s question with much more
thought than anyone expects him to, because it strikes a personal chord with him. Why do they do what they do? Maybe the Troupe’s actions could give Chrollo
insight to who he truly is. Or maybe there is no reason to it. Either way, he knows that he has not yet reached
his complete identity and his truth yet, but knowing what is to come is a big step towards
that. And that’s why he was so desperate to obtain
Neon’s power. But this scene with Gon brings an important
question to light that Chrollo himself doesn’t seem to fully know the answer to: Why do the
Spider murder, pillage and steal? Pure enjoyment is an obvious reason, but is
there anything else? It’s been said many times that material
goods hold no value for anyone in the Troupe, so why do they do it? Well, Chrollo has plenty of reasons for living
and continuing to carry out jobs with the Spider. As a man without a true identity, the simple
functioning of the Spider is his saving grace. He desires to exist through interacting with
the world through the Spider, and the way that the Spider interacts with the world is
through the jobs that it carries out. In a sense, this is like a sort of maintenance
of Chrollo’s self-identification. While he does desire more, this is what truly
makes Chrollo happy. The Phantom Troupe can be thought of as a
sort of twisted fulfillment of Chrollo’s need to exist and identify, so a preservation
of that is surely a goal of his, and stealing and killing is an easy way to do that. But if this is the case, it’s not surprising
that Chrollo couldn’t find the words to articulate why they do what they do, because
it’s not an easy concept to talk about. It’s also possible that through this accruement
of material wealth, the Troupe are trying to benefit their hometown. Meteor City has been looked down upon and
stepped on for years, so maybe the goal of the Spider through this pillaging is to bring
respect back to their home, and those who reside within it. But aside from these secondary priorities,
it’s clear that Chrollo’s main goal, above everything else, is to truly self-identify
in this world on a level that he has not achieved yet. There are three elements to Chrollo that are
most important: Firstly, That He has a bizarre identity crisis
that causes him to think of himself as the Spider
Next, That He has a strong belief in fate and predestiny
And lastly, that If Chrollo had one goal, it would be to understand himself at the most
intimate level possible. If these elements are kept in mind when observing
Chrollo’s actions, then he makes sense and is no longer shrouded in mystery. While there is plenty of background information
lacking and no specifics given regarding why Chrollo is so unique, it is entirely possible
to understand the person he is now, independent from all of the reasons behind how he became
that person. He is a strange character completely unlike
anyone else in this series, but he isn’t someone whose actions have no explanation
and whose motives and thoughts can’t be understood. Chrollo vs. Hisoka is one of the most intriguing
ongoing conflicts in the entire series, but it’s always been a relationship classified
by two distinct perspectives. The first is Hisoka’s attitude which is
simple - he just wants to have an intense fight with Chrollo to the death because he’s
Hisoka. But Chrollo’s perspective is much more layered,
and it’s not outwardly clear why he acts the way he does towards Hisoka. However, with the aspects of Chrollo’s characterization
that we’ve established, we can also completely explain his behaviour concerning our sexually
charged psycho clown. It is pretty obvious from early on that Chrollo
gives Hisoka an unusual amount of leeway to do whatever he wants. He is oddly forgiving of Hisoka’s antics,
and it almost seems like a bit of favouritism. The other members take note of this as well. While Nobunaga is probably correct in saying
that chrollo needs Hisoka’s skills, I think this too relates back to Chrollo’s unique
perception of his identity. As said earlier, all of the legs of the Spider
are part of Chrollo’s identity, including Hisoka. So even though Hisoka does things that were
looked down upon by the rest of the Troupe, and even though he was suspected to be a traitor,
Chrollo never stopped thinking of him as a piece of himself. Regardless of whether or not he acted appropriately,
Hisoka is a cherished part of Chrollo’s identity, and this explains why he’s so
forgiving of his antics. If the other members did the erratic things
that Hisoka does, Chrollo would probably let them do so as well because they’re all parts
of him. This can also be looked at from the determinist
aspect of Chrollo similarly to his thought process in assessing Judas. Since all things are out of human control
and there is no free will from his point of view, Hisoka has no choice in the matter,
so naturally Chrollo is very lenient. And there is another element to the Hisoka-Chrollo
relationship that might be a contributor this leniency - Chrollo finds Hisoka incredibly
interesting. This much is obvious just from his general
demeanor towards him, but he says it as well during the beginning of their battle in Heaven’s
Arena. After telling him that he was no chance of
beating him, Chrollo asks Hisoka if he still wants to continue with the fight. Obviously, Hisoka says yes, and his response
makes Chrollo reflect once again on how fascinating humans are. But why? As you might expect, once again this is about
Chrollo’s deterministic world view. Given that Chrollo has told Hisoka with 100%
certainty that he will lose, Chrollo cannot comprehend Hisoka’s willingness to fight
anyway. It sort of relates to why he finds certain
humans to be interesting; both they and Hisoka fight and struggle, knowing that it is not
going to yield any reward. But Hisoka’s idea of a reward is far from
traditional, and he takes this to an extreme, actively trying to find situations that could
lead him into death. In a sense, his intentions are opposite from
everyone else’s - almost embracing the prospect of death as Chrollo does, but in a completely
different way. Hisoka’s crazed passion for this is totally
inappropriate and out of place in a world that follows a planned flow of events, and
Chrollo is struck by this and admires it. However, despite all this, it seems that Hisoka
has crossed a line through his constant desire to destroy Chrollo, and even more so through
his murders of Shalnark and Kortopi, so Chrollo probably does not feel the same way anymore. It’s very hard for him to deal with the
idea that a part of himself has committed so much self-harm, and it must have taken
a huge toll on him to come to terms with this sort of internal conflict. This wasn’t always the case, but it is now
completely obvious from where we are in the manga that Hisoka is the single greatest possible
threat to what Chrollo holds most dear. Whereas before, Chrollo could deal with Hisoka’s
fixation on him because he could handle him and he wasn’t scared of death anyway, Hisoka
has now shifted targets to Chrollo’s only 2 weaknesses - his connection to the only
family he has, and his sense of identity. Hisoka is now going after each individual
Troupe member, with the goal of taking the Spider apart piece by piece in mind. To Chrollo, destroying the Troupe is far worse
than killing him. Through this, Hisoka is not only killing Chrollo’s
loved ones, but destroying all of the aspects of Chrollo himself that he’s projected onto
his followers, which is literally the worst thing that can happen to him at this point. It’s not clear as of yet whether Hisoka
shifted his approach because he realized this, but it is possible. And this all signals great promise for the
future chapters in the manga. Chrollo is as unhinged and agonized as he’s
ever been, and with Hisoka dead set on continuing his extermination of the Troupe and Kurapika
on the boat as well, things are sure to come to a head soon due to the foundations that
were set by this character. By crafting Chrollo the way he is, Togashi
has made it so that there is an extra dimension behind his situation, even more impetus to
defend his creation, and even more focus on why the Troupe is literally life saving for
those within it. And this all strengthens the themes of perspectivism
that define the story beats of the Yorknew arc, while also causing a cascade effect through
his design of the Spider that shaped the moral landscape of future developments in the series. After forming the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo
did not proclaim himself to be head. (The source for this is in the description)
He did not seek leadership. Instead, his comrades nominated him for the
job themselves, because while they were not clued into his internal struggle, they sensed
this aura of conviction and purpose surrounding him. It was obvious that he was just like them,
that he needed this as badly as they did, and that he would do whatever it took to protect
it. Chrollo accepted their decision as his fate,
and this drew them further into his aura. This quality of his is why he’s such a popular
character among fans, despite being so vague. The subtle little moments are what make Chrollo
what he is; a melancholic stare, a shed tear, a strange quote - they’re aspects of his
characterization that can’t be explained independently at first and as such, they add
up to make him a character that you can’t quite put your finger on initially. Without them, he’d come off as quite run-of-the-mill. BUt with them, he’s elevated. And while the interpretation of him put forth
in this video is one that is pretty unorthodox and abstract, at heart it is actually quite
simple. In conceiving Chrollo Lucilfer, Togashi has
created a deterministic leader of a bunch of murderers in a complex and unfamiliar internal
identity struggle. This is a character who shouldn’t really
be relatable to the vast majority of Hunter Hunter’s audience. And yet, the way all of these aspects integrate
make him someone that is incredibly easy to identify with and understand Because in spite
of all of the murdering, the stealing, the cruelty and the strange rhetoric, the true
essence of Chrollo still peaks through. And at the rawest level, Chrollo is just a
person that’s truly at peace when he’s with his loved ones - the people that literally
and metaphorically complete him. He’s struggling to find a role in the world,
desperate to understand himself and desiring a true purpose and identity. Why was he put on this earth? Who is he? These are questions that most people ask themselves,
and these are the questions that Chrollo has been seeking his entire life - the questions
that mean more to him than nearly anything in the world. But they are at risk of forever being unanswered,
and the only people in the world that matter to Chrollo threaten to be taken away from
him. How far will he go to hold on to what he loves
and so desperately needs? What will he do to keep himself whole? Will he finally try to fight against his fate
to protect himself? These questions will be answered in the future,
and I suspect that they will add even more pieces to the puzzle that is Chrollo Lucilfer.
