Hunter x Hunter Hangout [00]

[sharingan_kakashi]

where did you hear that hunter? i think its false, until proven otherwise

[ttxdragon]

it's been a rumor and now it's been confirmed (by ritual scan forge --> www.raw-paradise.com ) that it's only a pause and not the end of the manga.

it'd be one hell of a bad point for them to decide to drop HxH, even with all possible tension between mangaka and publisher.

[kewl0210]

That thing some guy said it was ending was proven false a while ago, in the thread in the AP forums Battle Franky wrote it. It's just going on hold again, probably for about 3 months, like last time, after next week.

[hunter71485]

btw who reads Mx0? did you know it's ending in three to four chapters? along with hatsukoi, poseidon and HxH again, but this time jump is considering cutting HxH permanently! wah! two great series doing unsatisfying ends... jump standards are too high, series come and go... Mx0 is really great, if it was in another magazine it could last around 30 volumes. and HxH, dunno, it's a waste, but i like to think of it as punishment for togashi!
got it from yonie.

[sharingan_kakashi]

I hope that is not the case. HxH is more than a shonen at this point it has a lot of loyal followers. Where did Yonekai get that info?

[hunter71485]

I don't know, but he is a scanlator, and he got his sources.

[Galth]

It's true that Hunter x Hunter is going to take another break, as far as I know... but come on, if there was anyone that didn't see that one coming by now... >_>;

For now though, Hunter x Hunter ending is just a rumour, and unconfirmed. It's true that Shueisha is getting sick of the constant breaks, as evidenced by the earlier warning they gave Togashi, but nothing has been decided yet, and he will have cleared their three-months-without-pause-ultimatum by the time it goes on break again, if I'm not mistaken, so it wouldn't make much sense for them to discontinue it (seeing as it's still amazingly popular).

So, until we have some hard evidence, don't treat them as anything other that what they are - just rumours - and follow the Hitchhiker's Guide's advice: don't panic. :amuse

(And from what yoniekai wrote, it looks like he's referring to the information posted on the ritual-scan-forge forums a few weeks ago, but the one who posted that has later stated that it's apparently just a hiatus again, and not the end of the series -- and I don't think there're any other reliable sources at the moment, since BattleFranky/TheTouch got his information from the same source, methinks)

[TheGenius]

Business wise, even though they have tons of problem with Togashi, it's would be one of the stupidest move ever. They sold 36 millions copies of HxH, not counting international sales and derived products. It's like losing a winning horse. Somebody else will buy the license and continue the series, just like Shamo.

[Galth]

Somebody else will buy the license and continue the series, just like Shamo.

Even if they discontinued Hunter x Hunter, Shueisha would still be in control of all the rights. If they don't sell the rights to a different magazine/company, Togashi can't continue Hunter x Hunter for a different company, or even by himself: they'd just sue his pants off.

[TheGenius]

You think that even a major would still have this problem?

And when I said license, I really meant rights:p.

Or it could be a coup to re-attract Togashi to finish what he started.
[hr]
No Hunter this week?

[Host Samurai]

No Hunter this week?

I'm sorry to dissapoint you.... here is the spoiler:amuse.

thanks to BF,kewl



Originally Posted by Kewl0210
K, this seems to be a true spoiler but from a different source, or else eroijin wrote it in a different style... but I'll translate it.
I'll work from both ends.
煽り「絶対に諦めない!! いざぶっ殺死!!!」
Narrator: "I won't ever give up!! I'll kill you!!!"
　HUNTERHUNTER
　No.280?直撃
HUNTERxHUNTER
No. 280 Direct Hit
ナックル（〝天上天下唯我独損〟が発動してもうすぐ5分経�
��!!）
Knuckle ("Throughout Heaven and Earth Myself Alone's Only Loss" [a.k.a.
Hakoware] will very soon have been activated for 5 minutes.)
　　　（そうすれば貸したオーラは7000にせまる!!!）
(In that case, the loan is nearing 7000!!!)
　　　（この数値なら一括返済されることはないのか!?）
(With that amount, he wouldn't be able to pay it all back at once, right!?)
　　　（直撃直撃さえ避ければ!!）
(I just need to avoid a direct hit with my direct hit!!)
　　　（最悪なのは〝天上天下唯我独損〟が消滅し）
(The worst case scenario would be Hakoware deactivating.)
　　　（かつオレ自身がタ゛メーシ゛を受ける程の攻撃を�
�らう事）
(To win, the amount of attack damage I receive must be taken.)
　　　（そうなる位ならこのまま時間を稼いで奴がトぶの�
�待った方が断然いい）
(If it's with this much with time earned, having waited for this guy would
definitely be fine.)
　　　（けどそれだとまだ10分以上はただシ゛ッと時間が過
ぎるのを待たなきゃ
いけねェ!!）
(But in that case there would still be upwards of ten minutes but that's
provided I can wait for time's passage!!)
　　　（シュートはシュートはそれじゃもたねェ!!）
(Shoot... Shoot can't wait that long!!)
　　　（何としても奴をもう一回爆発させる!! でないと間に合わなねェ!!!）
(No matter what, I need to make that guy explode one more time!! Without
that, we can't meet that amount of time!!!)
　　　（ケリがつく前にシュートが!! 死んじまう!!!）
(I have to do it before he gets to Shoot!!! He'll die!!!)
　　【ユヒ゜ーの所へ駆けるナックル】
【Yupi runs to Knuckle's location】
ナックル「元気だな 化ケモン」
Knuckle "Feeling alright, monster?"
ユヒ゜ー「会いたかったぜコ゛キフ゛リ野郎」
Yupi: "I've finally met up with you, you cockroach.「
　　　（かかった!! オレの罠に!!! 偽りの怒りの演技に!!）
(He came to it!! To my trap!!! To the false performance of range!!)
　　　「この纏わりつくクソ蝿を黙らせろ!!」
"Silence this shitty adding guy flying around!!"
　　　「こいつがヒ゜ーチク喚く度にてめェのツラがちら�
�いてムカツク」
"For every time this guy has a pitchy scream your face will be scattered,
irritation." [I can't quite get that line. That's the gist.]
　　　（さあ!!いつでも爆発してやるぜ!! くくく正確には爆発するフリだがな）
(Now!! The explosion will be at any time!! Kukuku, exploding with accuracy
is a disadvantage, though.)
ホ゜ットクリン「時間です 利息がつきます」
Potclean: "It's time, the interest will now be added."
ユヒ゜ー「あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛ うるせェェんだよ!!!」
Yupi: "Au au au au au au shut UUUUUP!!"
　　　「今すぐ!!! こいつを外せ!!! さもねェと殺す!!! てめェら全員跡形も無
くすぞクス゛共!!!」
" Right now!!! Take this guy off!!! Or I'll kill you!!! I'll leave no trace
of any of you!!!"
　　　（オレが爆発する直前の膨張奴は必ずそのスキを突�
�てくる）
( In the expansion just before I explode, I have to take that time to strike)
　　　（だが!!!「冷静」に「平常」に怒れば必ずコントロールできる!!!）
(However!!! If with "calmness" and "normalcy" I get angry, I can definitely
control it!!!)
　　　（奴がオレのスキを突こうとして生じる奴のスキを�
�レが突く!!!）
(That guy will go for my opening and thereby open his own, where I will
strike!!!)
ナックル「そりゃ無理だデクノボー お前 ここではいつくばって死ぬんだよ」 Knuckle:
"Then I'm an unreasonable blockhead, you, grovel and die here."
　　　（次!!!次の利息宣言がコ゛ンク゛!!!）
(The next, at the next interest increase gong!!!)
　　　「どっちがコ゛キフ゛リか教えてやるよ」
"I'll show you who's the cockroach"
ユヒ゜ー「フ フ フ フフフフフフ」
Yupi: "Fu fu fu fufufufufufufu."
　0:05:03:00
ホ゜ットクリン「 」
Potclean: ""
　　【膨張するユヒ゜ーに向かい駆けるナックル】
【Knuckle faces the growing Yupi】
　0:05:03:37
ナックル（いける!!!このタイミンク゛なら確実に一発 いや二発!!!）
Knuckle: (Go!!! With this timing, certainly one shot, no, two!!!)
　　　（奴の顔面に渾身の拳をぶち込んで爆発前に回避で�
�る!!!）
(With all my might, I'll plow my fist into his face in the explosion before
he can avoid it!!!)
　　　（くらえフ゛タ野郎!!! まずはシュートの分!!!次もシュートの分!!!）
　　　（しかしおかしいなオレ アイツの事そんな好きじゃねーのに）
　　　（いやむしろいけ好かねー奴とか思ってたのにいつ�
�間にオレの中で）
　　　（親友までランク上がってなんでこんなムキになっ�
�仇うとーとしてんだ
ろ？）
　　　（仇っつーかアイツまだ死んでねーけど(多分)）
　　　（ま やっぱ一緒に死線くぐったのがテ゛ケェな命懸けで何かを�
�に闘れる
奴なんて無条件で親友だろ）
　　　（なのにこのクソッタレそんなシュートの覚悟を足�
�にしやがって）
　　　（死ぬ気で戦って殺される事すら覚悟している相手�
�無視!!?）
　　　（武士の情けもねェのか!!! 蟻野郎!!!）
　　　（うぉぉぉマシ゛増々むかついて来たぜ!! オレの分も含めて三発入れる!!!）
　　　（ってオレすげェな今人生で一番頭回転してんじゃ�
�？）
　　　（まだ拳振り上げてる途中？ おそらく300文字以上考えてっけど!?あれ？）
　　　（これってアレじゃね？時間がゆっくり周りがすげ�
� スローになるって死
ぬ前の）
　　　（！？）
　　　（膨張を途中で止めた!?）
　　　（やられたこいつ冷静だった!!）
　　　（止めらんねェ!!）
　　　（シュート!! 悪い失敗(しく)った!!）
(Shoot!! I'm sorry, I failed!!)
　　【ユヒ゜ーがナックルに渾身の一撃を放つ】
【Yupi releases an attack with all his might at Knuckle】
ナックル（これは利息分じゃ到底済まねェ終わった!!）
Knuckle: (With this, the interest amount cannot possibly be completed, it's
over!!)
　　　（シュートモラウ(ホ゛ス)みんな後は頼む!!!）
(Shoot, Morau (Boss), Everyone, I leave it to you from here!!!)

　　落雷(ナルカミ)!!!!
Thunderbolt: (Narukami)!!!! [I'm sure this has some crazy reasonable explanation
maybe in the manga raw... The only meaning I can find is it could mean
"Become God". It's not the attack from 260.]
　　【メレオロンに抱えられたキルアが上空からユヒ゜ー�
�ナルカミをかける】
【Meleon hugging Killua, soars from the sky to Yupi by the Narukami】
ユヒ゜ー「ッッ!!」
Yupi: "...-...-!!"
ナックル「うおをお」
Knuckle: "Uowo"
　　【ユヒ゜ーの顔面に一撃入れるナックル】
【Knuckle lands an attack on Yupi's face.】
煽り「砕け散れ凶獣!!!」
Narrator: "Smash the evil beast to bits!!!"

何とかがんばります。なるべ
I'll work hard somehow.
く早くに続きが出せるように
As fast as possible in order to get the continuation out
・・・。　　　　　＜義博＞
.... <Togashi>


OMG this is Epic !!! Killua has join the fight.

[TheGenius]

HoHoHo, thanks HS, I thought the Golden week would affect the release.

[Galth]

Golden Week did affect the release, since there was no chapter last week. Remember, the chapters from WSJ that we get on the internet on friday are the ones that're gonna be in store in japan the monday after that, we just get 'em early. :amuse

[CupofDice]

Hey. I need a question answered about something I wondered about for some time. Is the bird Netero, or was Netero the man. Also was that an emission attack he used against Pitou. It looked like an emission attack to me because it was beneath him. Also he seemed to have teleported his nen.

Bird or Man? - http://www.onemanga.com/Hunter_X_Hunter/243/09/
Netero's attack? - http://www.onemanga.com/Hunter_X_Hunter/264/14-15/

We know that transformation users can transform their bodies (Biscuit), and it would make sense for Netero to be a Reinforcement user (because of the way he trained) who has maximized his Emission and Transformation potential. This would also make Netero's nen punch a lot stronger than that Emission attack.

Edit: Just read the spoiler. Damn I can't wait to see Killua in a fight again. Hopefully he uses godspeed.

[eyesotope]

so Killua saves the day and gives Knuckle to plant his fist in Yupi's face?

nice.. thanks for the spoiler Samurai :)

although I have to say that I was disappointed when Knuckle fell for Yupi's trap, I thought he'll be cautious enough to account for it at least, specially after his "vast experience" was described in previous chapters..


Hey. I need a question answered about something I wondered about for some time. Is the bird Netero, or was Netero the man. Also was that an emission attack he used against Pitou. It looked like an emission attack to me because it was beneath him. Also he seemed to have teleported his nen.

Bird or Man? - http://www.onemanga.com/Hunter_X_Hunter/243/09/
Netero's attack? - http://www.onemanga.com/Hunter_X_Hunter/264/14-15/

We know that transformation users can transform their bodies (Biscuit), and it would make sense for Netero to be a Reinforcement user (because of the way he trained) who has maximized his Emission and Transformation potential. This would also make Netero's nen punch a lot stronger than that Emission attack.

Edit: Just read the spoiler. Damn I can't wait to see Killua in a fight again. Hopefully he uses godspeed.

I'll try answering your questions to the best of my knowledge:

-that bird is not Netero, it's just a bird that saw Netero meditating then ran away like hell, it was there to add dramatic effect :)

-it's possible that Netero's attack was indeed emission but then again it could be something completely different.. so until Togashi explains it's anyone's guess

-actually Biscuit being a transformation type was purely Hisoka's (possibly inaccurate) guess, I would say she's materialization type as her ability suggests (the massage lady who's name I forgot :) ), transforming form kid form to gorilla form could be her pre-nen ability like Gon talking to animals and Killua extending his nails.. but that was also never explained by Togashi..

[CupofDice]

Thanks for answering. I agree with the first two answers, but I still think Biscuit is Transformation. Her strengthening up reminds me of that part with Morau (who is obviously emission regardless of what wiki says :D) when he asks Gon to hit him. It seems more of a hint that both are right next door to Reinforcement because they would want to maximize their strength in that area. I'll admit that isn't alot to go on though.

[eyesotope]

Morou is manipulation type :) (although i didn't see wiki) he releases an (aura core) then he wraps it with real normal smoke which he manipulates using the aura core.. but any high level nen user will be adept at many catagories and basic skills kou and gyou etc.. does not mean they are in the neighborhood of reinforcement..

[CupofDice]

Just look at his emitting abilities. He was even able to keep his deep purple soldiers 'alive' when he was in another dimension. Also his manipulation is very simple, simple enough for someone who is not a manipulation concentrated user could use. Remember Gon's fight with that guy in the tower and how simple his manipulation was? And I know that users who are not reinforcement can use techniques like kou. What I was trying to get at was what Biscuit said about a pyramid (or something like that :)) and how a user next door to reinforcement might work out extra hard to compete in that area. But like I said, very shaky ground for an argument. The only thing I can think of going against Morau being a emission user and instead being a Transformation user (like stated on the wiki :D) is the fact that he can transform his aura into smoke, but transformation users have problems extending their aura (as noted by Killua).

[eyesotope]

in wiki they call Morou a transformation type??:blink what the hell are THEY smoking??

I think he's manipulation because he never projects his aura away from his body without the smoke.. manipulation users need an object/life-form to put there aura in it, once they do that they can control it through there aura even if it was at the other end of the world..

for example if Shalnark placed his antennae at some poor hap it won't matter how far away from him the guy is, he'll still be under the control of Shal's aura..

like Shal, I don't think Morou can project his aura away without a physical medium (in this case the smoke)..

[CupofDice]

So you are saying that the smoke is real, and not created by Morau's aura? I guess I never thought of that, but it would fit. I still think he was emissions though because being separated by the dimension from your smoke seems pretty high level.

[hunter71485]

Okay hands up who hasn't seen the hiatus coming?

Sheesh just when it starts to gets interesting, Killua "dropping by", Potclean ready to multiply its interest...

[eyesotope]

I assumed that the smoke is real since he always walks around with the a humongous smoking pipe, he would not need the pipe if the smoke was made of aura right? unless the pipe was the condition for materializing/emitting/transforming the smoke.. but I don't think that's the case..

as for the hiatus, it's now Togashi's protocol to do 10 chapters with mini hiatus afterwards, but thats much better than 1+ year hiatus with no official word what-so-ever.. he should have started this whole thing a bit earlier :oh

[CupofDice]

Grrrr I missed that part. And just when Killua was about to go godspeed on Montutuyupi. Maybe it won't be as long this time around.

@eyesotope

I really don't see how he could create smoke with his aura unless he was transformation, so the smoke is probably real as you said.

[eyesotope]

wow you actually wrote Yupi's full name, it's been a long time since I last saw that :D , all the royal guards' names are blown out of proportions..

it's definitely not the most convenient time for a hiatus but well, we'll just have to deal with it.. argh, Yupi is so going to get it now with invisible Killua joining the fight.

[CupofDice]

Actually I just copied it from wiki.:D Couldn't remember his name. :p

[eyesotope]

so what about his ability (Yupi)? looks like reinforcement with a twist?:blink

I originally thought that all the royal guards will be specialization but looks like Yupi is a simple minded punching machine..

[Umbra Wolf]

Well, Yupi is in so0meways special. He's a different hybrid than the other Chimera Ants if I remember correctly.

I thought his Nen type to be a special type of materialisation. So far we've only seen the materialisation of inanimate objects but why shouldn't be the spawning of muscles and other body parts be possible? Or maybe his Nen ability is simply shape shifting and it's indeed a specialisation type.

BTW: Reinforcement didn't include physical changes or did it? Neither Gon's nor Phinx' nor Ubogin's muscle mass increased as they use their Nen abilities or did they?

[eyesotope]

well think of it as reinforcement chimera ant way :amuse

I also considered the possibility of changing his aura to metabolism = specialization (:s)

or maybe he reinforces his metabolism?? :s:blink:s

[cacwoody]

wow, why did the thread die when the manga went on hiatus? you act like there is nothing to talk about.... ._. *cant think of anything HXH related to talk about* seriously guys, use your imaginations :p

[ibra87]

Actually, I was wondering about a couple of stuff.

Now that the Spiders have returned from Greed Island with the Nen remover, they've probably already removed Kururo's "curse". Did he fight Hisoka? Or did he manage to escape before?

Annnnd, when Hisoka is constantly searching for stronger opponents, why didn't he come to face the King? Sure, he stands no chance, but he doesn't care, does he? Is it because a) He died against Kururo (doubt it) b) he doesn't know (most likely) c) he knows, but decided to stay away from the ants because he has no interest d) he doesn't want to kill the ants when they can help Gon growing up...

Just wondering....

[Luckas]

I fear HxH will end with the Ant arc and so the sub-plot regarding Spider will never be solved and I will never know why Killua little brother (the paper/fan user) joined Spider to reunite all his family. And the same fate will suffer the grudge between Kurapica and Spider.

[TheGenius]

I fear HxH will end with the Ant arc and so the sub-plot regarding Spider will never be solved and I will never know why Killua little brother (the paper/fan user) joined Spider to reunite all his family. And the same fate will suffer the grudge between Kurapica and Spider.

+1, or it'll take years and years and we will have to endure a publisher change or something like that...Damn Togashi...

We will never see Hisoka VS Danchou...

We will never see Gin...

We won't see Netero again..

[mugen]

i never understood how those ants got be so strong...i know that was incorrect english..but yeah...anyways ....yeah...this manga got boring when this ant arc started...cancel it :jbya

[Galth]

Hmmm? I actually like the current arc a whole lot... I know there're mixed feelings in the fan community, but overal the current arc is pretty popular (though I believe most people still like the Greed Island arc best, from what I've read in polls).

Personally, I found volume twentyfive (the first few minutes of the charge, chapters 261-270) to be by far the best volume this manga had produced so far, in art and storyflow. But heh, I guess that doesn't go for everyone, eh... :amuse

[barbapapa]

I agree, mostly.
The ant arc sucked at first, but right about now, it's one of the most exhilarating reads in any ongoing shounen manga.

Anyways, to answer a previous question: When Gon and Killua first encountered an ant, they forcefully opened his nen-pores, or whatever the heck it was called.
The same way Wing did for G & K back in the tower arc. After that, it was a mere matter of the ants gathering enough information from both nen-experts Kaito and Pokkle; who got captured.

[redcometfm]

Hmm, guess Im the only one who didnt like Greed Island then. I think Chimera Ant and Hunter Exam arcs were some of the better ones. I really do hope that Togashi finishes this manga respectfully and it full gear (aka no more hiatus...unless the man is going through Alzheimer's or dying of Cancer, I can't see wtf is keeping him...unless anyone else can name equivalent diseases/illnesses lol).

[hunter71485]

I thought that the ant saga was a plot device used by togashi to rid HxH if his unwanted characters...

[zelllogan]

i never understood how those ants got be so strong...i know that was incorrect english..but yeah...anyways ....yeah...this manga got boring when this ant arc started...cancel it :jbya

I agree, the whole known HXH's universe became meaningless as soon as these fucking ants came in this mess. In fact, if togashi ever continue his manga, I'm not going to read it again.

It was my last attempt but I'm too disappointed to continue.

[cacwoody]

wow I cant believe that my one little post up there would have gotten this many people to post things. But to the two of you who are saying "cancel it"..... WTH?!?!?! yeah and along with it, one of your favorite mangas, just because you dont like the current arc or the entire manga for that matter, doesnt mean you should hate on it and ruin it for others. honestly..... =_=

[zelllogan]

wow I cant believe that my one little post up there would have gotten this many people to post things. But to the two of you who are saying "cancel it"..... WTH?!?!?! yeah and along with it, one of your favorite mangas, just because you dont like the current arc or the entire manga for that matter, doesnt mean you should hate on it and ruin it for others. honestly..... =_=
It's just an opinion. Don't be angry :). And why are you talking about the entire manga. The only thing needed to be cancelled is that arc. Now, if every one of you like it, it's good for you. I stop the troll here :)

[TheGenius]

I personally like this part of the chimera. Togashi stepped it up a BIG knot. Everything is just way more epic than before, the story, and especially the art(Can't forget that he does everything alone). The stakes looks huge and President Netero is involved!

[Host Samurai]

This Arc is pretty awesome Togashi introduced to us new characters like Knuckle, Shoot etc. We saw Kaito's awesome Nen ability and some character development for Gon: the negotiation with Pitou & his 'argument' with Killua was awesome and touching at the same time.

But we lack Leorio:notrust

[cacwoody]

we have had 'lack of leorio' the entire manga :p lol but yeah, this arc is definately far better than previous due to the pure epicness of everything, and the little sideplots are even pretty good, but one thing i didnt like is how such an awesome character like zitou gets smooshed without showing his new move. lame ._.

[Galth]

but one thing i didnt like is how such an awesome character like zitou gets smooshed without showing his new move. lame ._.

Ha ha, that was actually one of the things I liked a lot. :rofl

Zitou was one of my favourite new characters, and his fight against Morau was really awesome. That he would go out so anti-climacticly made me laugh out like crazy behind my pc. It had been a while since we saw some of the gory whackiness from the Hunter Exam Arc, and this was a great and unexpected way. 'Made me like the fellow even better. :amuse

If characters have an awesome death, they'll be remembered and become more popular. Think of a certain character from Fullmetal Alchemist or Pakunoda from the Genei Ryoudan. If you keep characters alive too long without an appearance, people get bored with them, though... :amuse

[eyesotope]

+1, or it'll take years and years and we will have to endure a publisher change or something like that...Damn Togashi...

We will never see Hisoka VS Danchou...

We will never see Gin...

We won't see Netero again..

PLUS we might have wasted our time reading an entirely useless chapter about Jairo?? :p


we have had 'lack of leorio' the entire manga :p lol but yeah, this arc is definately far better than previous due to the pure epicness of everything, and the little sideplots are even pretty good, but one thing i didnt like is how such an awesome character like zitou gets smooshed without showing his new move. lame ._.

actually I generally prefer stories when characters are on adventures pursuing their own motives and ambitions rather than your standard "save the world" motive.. :amuse

[Host Samurai]

Does anyone know if Togashi has ever mentioned Leorio's Nen affinity in the Manga?

He is just like Gon & co. a professional Hunter he too must have an Nen-Master, who taught him the basics of Nen.
When the group met in York Shin did he tell anything about his Nen?
I want to know his Nen affinity :blink

[TheGenius]

Another question.

Is the length of the hiatus defined?

[noonethere]

Does anyone know if Togashi has ever mentioned Leorio's Nen affinity in the Manga?

He is just like Gon & co. a professional Hunter he too must have an Nen-Master, who taught him the basics of Nen.
When the group met in York Shin did he tell anything about his Nen?
I want to know his Nen affinity :blink

It was mentioned during the ryodan arc that the only thing he learnt was ten and he did not know his affinity though it was hinted that he was from reinforcement(since he was as simple minded as Gon). I am not too sure of it myself but you can confirm it by rereading the ryodan arc. Also as far as i know, nothing has been mention about the duration of the hiatus.

[Luckas]

PLUS we might have wasted our time reading an entirely useless chapter about Jairo?? :pGood catch, I forgot about him :(

[sharingan_kakashi]

Does anyone know if Togashi has ever mentioned Leorio's Nen affinity in the Manga?

He is just like Gon & co. a professional Hunter he too must have an Nen-Master, who taught him the basics of Nen.
When the group met in York Shin did he tell anything about his Nen?
I want to know his Nen affinity :blink

http://www.onemanga.com/Hunter_X_Hunter/63/19/
based on this i believe he is a Manipulation guy. Maybe he can manipulate his dagger or something. But he is really weak so maybe he will get a special skill.

Who is Jairo?

[kewl0210]

Jario was a guy who had a chapter about him, giving him a backstory with him always in silhouette. He'd worshipped his father for helping him stay alive, and been told to stay out of people's way. But he learned his father was a liar and didn't care about him, and then went insane and killed everyone. Then he devoted his life to evil and made the drug D2 which was mentioned in the first part of this arc with Kaito.
He became a Chimera Ant, but maintained his self-awareness and memories and went off on his own. It was mentioned he was in the same town as Gon at one point, but he left without them meeting. At that time he was wearing a big coat so you couldn't see what he looked like. So he's been like the "mysterious guy" of this series for this arc. Like maybe some character is really him or else he'll show up eventually.

[noonethere]

Check the last page of chapter 203 and the whole of chapter 204 for Jairo's back story.(for those who forgot about it)

http://www.onemanga.com/Hunter_X_Hunter/241/13/
I always thought Meleron as Jairo because of the page above where he introduces himself to Gon.

[kewl0210]

He's not though, it's almost impoassible at this point. That name he says directly romanized is "Jeiru" Jairo's name directly romanized is "Jyairo", they're not close at all. Also Jairo had never served the Queen, Meleoron did, he was a commander. We hear Meleoron's thoughts in one of the last few chapters and he doesn't seem to be evil at all. He is angry at the king because his father had been killed by him, but Jairo hated his father. It's very unlikely, but still a debated theory.

[hunter71485]

The translation could've been mucked up at that point.

[eyesotope]

Good catch, I forgot about him :(


Who is Jairo?

looks like many people forgot about him, and thats pretty normal.. hell, I won't be surprised if Togashi had forgot about him as well :darn..

[sharingan_kakashi]

Oh him. He didnt seem like an important character. I doubt we'll ever get to see him again. Meleoron? maybe but isnt he a little too "gppd" to be the former leader or a NGL?

[hunter71485]

well... he didn't care when his whole battalion got ambushed...

[sharingan_kakashi]

maybe he is the same size as Jairo (dont know if that applies since hey change alot when they become Ants)
Anyone got any news on Togashi?

btw, Nice sig man.

[kaitoshinichi]

some reason i have a feeling that leorio will end up having a medical nen skill... super healing ... or something like that

[hunter71485]

damn now that i'm re-reading it i noticed that hisoka gets sexually excited in a prospect of battle...

[zelllogan]

damn now that i'm re-reading it i noticed that hisoka gets sexually excited in a prospect of battle...
He got an erection when he saw gon at greed island ...

[hunter71485]

yeah, in the yorkshin arc too... and battle tower...

[zelllogan]

conclusion: Hisoka got excited all the time :D

[sharingan_kakashi]

in front of Gon *wink* *wink*

[hunter71485]

even with kuroro...

[CopyNinjaKakashi]

My friend just introduced me to HxH and I was immediately hooked. It is definitely my favorite manga/anime. The character development, story arcs, artwork, style, voice acting are all amazing. There are characters with so many unique abilities. The nen battle system is definitely unique and original. I would gladly wait for a few months to get 10 really great chapters, but I'd much prefer not to. There is so much awesomeness in this series, my head might explode. I have heard they are releasing the series on DVD later this year here in the USA.

[Host Samurai]

How many weeks until the wait is over?

[kewl0210]

It's been about three months now, which is how long the last break lasted. So it'll probably continue soon.

[sharingan_kakashi]

Togashi is still making yuyu hakusho cause i just read chapter 170. i think he only does 1 manga at a time.

[kewl0210]

No, Yu Yu Hakusho ended in 1994. That group is just scanlating it really late, since a good scanlation was never really done of the whole series. It ends at 175 chapters.

[hunter71485]

Togashi is still making yuyu hakusho cause i just read chapter 170. i think he only does 1 manga at a time.


No, Yu Yu Hakusho ended in 1994. That group is just scanlating it really late, since a good scanlation was never really done of the whole series. It ends at 175 chapters.

Quite true. Yu Yu Hakusho ended before Togashi started Hunter x Hunter.

[sharingan_kakashi]

ahh i see. i thought it was weird that i saw the anime over a million times yet the manga is still not done :p
I wish togashi would continue Yuyu. Anyway, lets continue patiently waiting for the new HxH.

[Brid]

A stupid question (but which I've always wondered): Where do all the rumors about Togashi come from--that he's had a stroke, that he's playing certain video games right now, etc.?

It doesn't seem like there are any offical news sources about him: interviews? public appearances? Nothing in WSJ, beyond the fact that Hunter x Hunter was going on Hiatus. I can't find any evidence that he has a website or a blog, (or that his wife does either except for the official Sailor Moon site). So are all thse rumors just stuff from the Japanese 2chan boards? (It's frustrating that everything is being kept such a mystery. It would be nice to know how his health is doing, at least. I guess it's just a cultural thing not to elaborate on the situation further. -_-)

[Luckas]

I believe you summed up almost everything we know and imagine about the subject :(

[sharingan_kakashi]

On the first Hiatus i head he had a serious, perhaps even terminal, disease but then he returned. I really dont have a single clue on what happened to him. I also read some stuff about some of the fans wishing his wife would continue the series due to unforseen circumstances.

[CopyNinjaKakashi]

This series definitely deserves to come to a good completion. There are so many possible story lines that could be explored. Does anyone know if they will animate the Chimera Ant arc? Are they waiting for there to be a solid conclusion to it? I imagine that the ending of the Greed Island OVA is a nice ending if you don't read the manga. I would be in favor of seeing an OVA, even if this arc isn't complete. It is such a great arc. The battles that are going on now would be EPIC in anime form.

[ibra87]

AFAIK (I've read somewhere) another OVA was in the making, but for undisclosed reasons they decided to stop. My educated guess is they're waiting for this arc to finally be done, which may be years away with the rate Togashi is releasing his chapters at.

[Maxy Barnard]

well i think the recent thoughts on the breaks are based on the information that he currently works assisstantless (hence most chapters being quite basically drawn and improved for tankobon release) and the togashi-ism (as in special treatment of togashi) at the jump offices due to the high selling nature of his works and his intent to still have time for his family and wife, something the standard rigorous weekly schedule can damage.

[Shiro-kun]

^That understandable he has worked on two successful manga , had a terminal illness and so yeah he probably wants a lot of time off for himself and his family .... but hopefully this hiatus break doesnt last more than a year(at the least) :darn (with so many plot elements in the act The Chimera Ants, Ging , Hisoka and The Genei Ryodan).

[Heiji-sama]

Come Back in Shônen Jump #45 (06/10). The volume 26 will go out on 2nd or 4th October.
http://www.monsterup.com/upload/1219763785.jpg (http://www.monsterup.com)

[Alan Smithee]

OMG! Yay, thank you so much for the news now I have something to anticipate.

[hunter71485]

The art's back to it's prime! Hurray for Togashi!

[ibra87]

YES sir :D Can't say 1 month is a short wait, but it beats the crap out of previous ones. Thx for the news Heji :confetti

[Sherlock Holmes]

Anyone wants to bet how many chapters we are going to get before another hiatus? I say 5.

[hunter71485]

I say 10.

[kewl0210]

It's consistantly been 10. Enough for one volume. Also the volume that constains the last 10 completed chapters will be released the same week.
Though there could be more, it's not likely there'll be less.

BTW, he's been doing his "good art style" for a long time now. It's not suddenly coming back, or anything.

[hunter71485]

I was comparing it to Togashi's glory days. The latest chapters have too many unnecessary lines.

[CopyNinjaKakashi]

Seeing this just made my day! I can't wait. We have so many sweet battles going on.

[TheGenius]

Unnecessary lines?? Nah, we had to know, it's an epic battle, he can take as much time has he wants in his chaps, it's progressing fast enough....if you compare it to Gantz! :p

Ohhhh! I can't wait! Filled with joy! HxH is back!

[fxu]

I love this art:
http://read.mangashare.com/Hunter-x-Hunter/chapter-278/page003.html
http://read.mangashare.com/Hunter-x-Hunter/chapter-274/page002.html
http://read.mangashare.com/Hunter-x-Hunter/chapter-280/page007.html
http://read.mangashare.com/Hunter-x-Hunter/chapter-280/page015.html

[Host Samurai]

HxH is back baby xD
Only one month to wait so we can see Gon/ Killua in action again :).
I pray to God that this was Togashi's last hiatus...

[sharingan_kakashi]

Awesome!! thanks for the god news! Praise be to God!

[Shiro-kun]

Awesome!!
I thought this hiatus was going to last long, thank god!

But HunterxHunter coming back! :woot and Hopefully when it does come back it doesnt go back to hiatus for a while ( 10+ chapters).

We should have a countdown or something lol.

[descendant]

whut?? is this true
can't wait for the next chapter
i wonder when will the chimera ant arc will be finished?
i miss kurapika and leorio

[morten]

Yea. On 6/10 it will be back. Hopefully not only 10 chapters but constant...

[ssjohn]

My guess is just for 10 chapters :(

While that sucks it is better then nothing and we have gotten more chapters this year then last so i guess its all alright lol.

[pirate-hitman:L]

I just finished volume 21.
Does this arc seem to be wrapping up?

[barbapapa]

slowly... yes

[CopyNinjaKakashi]

We still have:

King v, Netero
Pouf v. Morel
Gon V. Pitou and getting Kaito back
Completion of Knuckle and Youpi fight
Ikarugo's search for Palm

[kewl0210]

Well, it's possible not all those fights will happen. Like how Pitou seems like she won't be able to fight, with the existence of Komugi.
Though Knuckle and Yupi's fight should end soon, hopefully.

[Galth]

Also, it's more than likely that Ou-sama will defeat Netero, and Gon (and Killua?) need(s) to reclaim their main character title and step up to the challenge in true shounen style...? >_>

(But rather than ending "soon", I believe that Yupi's fight just ended because of Killua. It had been going on for quite a while already, so I think the now-paralyzed Yupi will just be shown as defeated in chapter 281, allowing us to move on.)

[CopyNinjaKakashi]

I agree the fight is over thanks to Killua and the chameleon ant. They just need a few pages to wrap it up.

[hunter71485]

Wait, Netero, defeated by Meruem? Gon will intervene? Well, wasn't he waiting for an hour with Pitou? I believe Komugi will/can change Meruem's heart, and instead establish a chimera ant country.

[kewl0210]

Seeing as Knuckle's attack will not have actually damaged Yupi, only lent him more energy due to his Hakoware attack, he won't be defeated. The situation was that he would have to hit him to lend him more energy as well as cause Yupi to use his huge attack again to make him lose a lot of aura, and raising his debt. So it would be unable to be payed back soon and he wouldn't be able to use nen, and then be easily killed.

[Sagemaster2000]

FINALLY!!!!!! Yessss....I hope he will finish this damn arc before another break so we can get the OVA for this Arc WORKED ON ALREADY!!!!!!!!

[kaze1028]

WSJ #45 cover

Gon!

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/6018/wsj45qj0.jpg

Tankoubon Vol.26 cover (10/3 on sale in Japan)

http://books.shueisha.co.jp/search/book_image/978-4-08-874610-4.jpg

[Host Samurai]

Lol Gon has a huuugggeee head in that cover xD

HxH is back :D

thx Kaze for the cover

[Shiro-kun]

Woah its getting close :)
and thats a nice cover, so full of rage!

[Host Samurai]

Big thx to kewl0210 from nexgear

　HUNTERHUNTER
　No.281?神速（カンムル）
No. 281 Kammuru

ナックル（雷!?）
Knuckle: (Lightning!?)
　　　　（完全に硬直してる!!）
(He's completely rigid!!)
　　　　（チャンス!!）
(Now's my chance!!)
　　　　（膨らんでなきゃてめーなんざ）
(Since he didn't expand..)
　　　　「おおぉおお」
"OOoOO"
　　　　「何発でもォオォォォオオ」
"However many hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiits"
　　　【ユピーの顔面に何発も拳を入れるナックル】
[Yupi's face is hit by innumerable punches from Knuckle.]

煽り「打！打！打！」
Narrator: "Strike! Strike! Strike!"

ユピー「ッ」
Yupi "..."

　　　【ユピーの顔面に蹴りを入れその反動で後方へ跳び�
�走するナックル】
[Knuckle kicks Yupi in the face and with that he jumps over
him and escapes behind him.]

ナックル（やった!!やった!!やった!!）
Knuckle: (I did it!! I did it!! I did it!!)
　　　　（無理!!!もう無理!!!）
(Impossible!!! It's impossible!!!)
　　　　（やっべェ オレ完全死にかけた!!）
(That was dangerous, I was completely facing death!!)
　　　　（花畑見えた!!）
(I saw a flower garden!!)
　　　　（まずはシュートを病院に連れて行かねーと!!）
(First I have to take Shoot to a hospital!!)
　　　　（シャア!!8発入れてやったぜ!!）
(Sha!! I got 8 hits in!!)
　　　　「ひゃはははは」
"Hyahahahaha"


ユピー（何が起きた？）
Yupi: (What happened?)
　　　（完璧にハメたはず何が起きた？ 決まってる）
(I should've got in perfectly, what happened? I'm sure.)
　　　（別方向からの攻撃に気付かなかったのだ!!）
(I didn't realize an attack coming from another direction!!)

　　　（あり得るか!?）
(Is it possible!?)
　　　（あれ程の電撃を(おそらく)真上から喰らう直前まで
全く気付かないなど
!!）
(That level of electric attack (perhaps) from right above
me I took, I completely didn't realize!!)
　　　（その前もそうだ この目障りな生物も突然俺に憑いた）
(It's like before that. These eyesore creatures abruptly attached
this to me.)
　　　（何の前触れもなく）
(There was no kind of previous notice)

　　　【ユピーの前に現れるキルア】
[In front of Yupi Killua appears.]

ユピー（こいつは先刻階段で会った こいつか!!）
Yupi: (I already met this guy at the stairs, this guy!!?)
キルア「悪いけど」
Killua: "Sorry, but."
ユピー「？」
Yupi: "?"
キルア「これからアンタにする事全部」
Killua: "From here I'll get all of you."
　　　「ただの八つ当たりだから」
"Because it was just an outburst."

　　【電気を身に纏うキルア】
[Killua is clad in a body of electricity]

ユピー「!!!」
Yupi: "!!!"
　　　（消え）
(Disappear)

　　　【突如ユピーの目の前に現れ 電撃と超スピードでユピーを圧倒するキルア】

[Suddenly appearing before Yupi's eyes, with electricity and extreme speed,
Yupi is overwhelmed by Killua.]
ユピー「ぎ」
Yupi: "Gi"
キルア「〝神速(カンムル)〟」
Killua: "Goodspeed (Kammuru)"

　　吼える間も変形のスキも与える事無く
During the roar and the opportunity for transformation passing, nothing
else happened.
　　ユピーの自由を奪う圧倒的な初動の差
Yupi's freedom was snatched away with these overwhelming new movements.
　　キルアの〝神速〟は自身の肉体に電気の負荷を掛け
Killua's "Godspeed" gave his own body the credit of being loaded with electricity.

　　潜在能力の限界すら超越する動きを強制する技である
It is a technique that enforces a potential limit transcending of movement.
　　キルアはこれを性質上 大きく二つに分けた
Killua raises this nature higher. The big two separate.
　　自身の意思で肉体を操作する〝雷光石化〟と
He manipulates the body by his own intention.
　　相手の動きに感応して
He inspires the partner's movement.
　　自動的に肉体が働く〝疾風迅雷〟
Automatic body action "with lightning speed"
　　先の戦いで敵のダーツを止めた動きがまさに後者であ�
�
From the previous battle with stopping the enemy's darts certainly was the
latter.
　　予めプログラムした攻撃が敵の害意を示すオーラの「�
�らぎ」に反応する
Previously he responded with programmed attacks showed by the enemy's malice
and aura's "fluctuation".
　　脳の命令を省き反射のみで繰り出される攻撃は
The reverberation of his brain's instructions are more than enough to send
out attacks.

　　容易に敵の肉体の動きを追い越した
He was easily able to outstrip his opponent's movements.

　　　【ユピーを圧倒し続けるキルア】
[Yupi continues to be overwhelmed by Killua]

ユピー（一体こりゃあどういう事だ!?）
　　　（総合的な力でいえばどういつもこいつも確実にオ�
�の十分の一以下）
　　　（なのにわからねェ 手も足も出ねェ!!）


　　　【一時の対峙の後 お互い目に見えない程の速度で動き出す】


　　疾風迅雷
With lightning speed.


　　　【ユピーよりも速く一撃を入れるキルア】

ユピー（深いなオーラってやつは）
　　　（やべェなちょっと面白くなってきたぜ）
　　　（苦戦を楽しむなんざ 爆発前のオレなら考えられねェな）

　　ここでの心境の変化が信じ難い選択へとユピーを誘う�
�
　　まだ後の話である


　　　【キルアの纏っていた電気が尽きる】

キルア「！」
　　　「やべもう全部使い切っちった」

　　　【逃げるキルア】
[Killua runs away]

ユピー「！」
　　　「待て!!! てめェは逃がさねェ!!」
　　　「とことんつき合ってもらうぜ」
　　　「死ぬまでな」
　　　「!?」
　　　（消えた!!?）
　　　（これだ!!）
　　　（まるで存在が無かったみてェにこの場から消えや�
�った）
　　　（いる!!）
　　　（奴等の中に少なくとも一匹!!）
　　　（自由に出たり消えたり出来る奴が!!）


　　　【シュートの居た場所にたどり着くナックル】
[Knuckle arrives at the place Shoot was.]

ナックル「」
Knuckle: ""
　　　　（そんなあの体で一体どこへ!?）
(How, where the hell did that body go!?)
　　　　（シュート!!!）
(Shoot!!!)
　　　【〝監獄ロック〟の中】
[Inside "Jailhouse Lock"]

モラウ（!!）
Morau: (!!)
　　　（待てよもしも）
(If I wait)
　　　（こいつがユピーの問いかけに「応えなかった」の�
�ゃなくて）
　　　（「応えられなかった」のだとしたら!?）
　　　（蛹の中身はドロドロで生物の体を成していないは�
�）
　　　（奴が今 形態を変えるために全く無防備の状態ならば）
　　　（たたくのは今!!）

　　　「」

　　　（するか!? この場面でそんな文字通り致命的なミスを!?）
　　　（あり得ねェ!! これは何かの罠!!）
　　　（100%罠だ!!）
(It's 100% a trap!!)
　　　（）
　　　（しかし問題はオレが攻撃して発動する罠か）
　　　（オレが攻撃しない状態これがすでに罠か!?）
　　　（どっちだ!?）

プフ（迷うのは貴方が優秀だからです）
　　（しかしそれだけの事）

モラウ（攻撃すべきか否か!?）
Morau: (Should I attack or not!?)
　　　（どっちだ!?）
(Which!?)

煽り「疑問は困惑へ色を深める」
Narrator: "The doubt intensifies to the color of bewilderment"

Killua is back and kicks ass!!! :D


It's inexcusable for me to have kept you waiting. I've recently taken a
license, my own identification. It'll be fun. <Yoshihiro> [That's Togashi's
first name, if you didn't know.]
[And yeah, I don't get this. Hopefully there'll be a better translation
in the scanlation.]
He also said later that this would be another 10 week thing.

[Crude]

I really want to see this arc end already. It's actually a pretty great arc, but it's been going for so long now. I also want to see the OVA...

[TheGenius]

At last.....lord.....thanks! Is there any news about Togashi's situation? Or we're still left in limbo?

[Shiro-kun]

This looks like its going to be a pretty intersting chapter :)

[bleach91]

Oh! that hasn't been posted yet? here are some pics.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/6766/001yz2.jpg http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/2040/002dq3.jpg http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/5876/003sb1.jpg http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/3782/004mp4.jpg http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/605/005fp7.jpg http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/8757/006qa8.jpg http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/4192/007pt9.jpg http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/9783/008rq9.jpg http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/9216/009dp4.jpg http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/2531/010hj1.jpg

Added spoiler tag, please use them until the raw surfaces ;)

[Crude]

Looks amazing! Just think of what it would look like if he had assistants!

[hunter71485]

Well that puts Gon and Killua near Kaito's level.

[Host Samurai]

Killua is such a badass with his Godspeed. He is the truly the God of Lightning... He overwhelmed Yupi with it. That fight is going to be really interesting from now on can't wait for the release of the chapter. :D

[¬Bol]

I think this chapter will be a great return for HxH!
Killua seems to be very strong, even if I haven't understand if Yupi dies or not...
And I have a question: will we have only 10 chapters again?!

[hunter71485]

Yep. another 10 weeks of HxH. That means Togashi's got another arc waiting for us.

[Turtle Pirate]

what happened, did he get sick again?

[hunter71485]

Well I think he likes his special treatment.

[TheGenius]

After 20 years in the business you get tired...look at Berserk, it's been a very long road and there is only a few releases now and then...

[Sherlock Holmes]

After 20 years in the business you get tiredrich and therefore don't have to make new chapters...look at Berserk, it's been a very long road and there is only a few releases now and then...
Fixed.

[hunter71485]

Not to mention the TV deals, and your wife being the creator of Sailormoon and the creative consultant of the anime series.

[Shinic744]

I don't think it's like that! Togashi Yoshihiro loves HxH and there must be a real problem why he's taking so long with these chapters, if ''Sherlock Holmes'' were right, why didn't he stop bringing out chapters or makin' it end quick after G.I.?! the chance to do so was there.

That's my opinion on Berserk too. These manga will go on for a long time...

*sry for my bad english - grammar's not my thing anyway*

[ej619ako]

man killua looks so cool dominating yupi!! can't wait for the translation! :D

[Host Samurai]

Killua was fuckin awesome in this chapter. He speedblitzed Yupi and attacked him from everywhere until he ran out of Lightning. :p I think that he needs to recharge his Nen with an stungun in order to use Kammuru again. And Yupi seemed to like he found in Killua a worthy opponent.
Shoot dissappearance was unexpected I hope that Novu took him somewhere safe or that Wolf Ant found him.:s
And Morau should make a quick decision....and finally attack Pufu for everyones sake.:notrust

[The_Phoenix]

So Togashi revives again, i just hope he put some worth in this 10 weeks because waiting this long is hard.

[Shiro-kun]

Togashi is one of the more higher payed mangaka's in Shonen Jump as well, due to successes of Yu Yu Hakusho and HunterxHunter so thats probably one of the reasons why he leaves :(

Well this chapter was awesome with Killua zapping the living hell out of Yupi (Kanmaru is an awesome ablity ) and Morau is going to fight the Drama man Pufu (and hopefully get rid of him...)

[Franckie]

A good chapter. Killua's ability was pretty interesting. I just hope Togashi finishes this arc here soon because this arc is taking forever to be concluded.

[TheGenius]

@ Sherlock

Thanks for the correction! I forgot to add that for odd reasons....I'm out to read the new chap!

[moose8710]

I'm excited! (again) HxH for any amount of time is awesome. Already figured Killua's new move would be something like that, but he's gotta have something else up his sleeve. Too bad we prolly won't see the rest of that fight til Morau gets some action.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I don't think it's like that! Togashi Yoshihiro loves HxH and there must be a real problem why he's taking so long with these chapters, if ''Sherlock Holmes'' were right, why didn't he stop bringing out chapters or makin' it end quick after G.I.?! the chance to do so was there.

That's my opinion on Berserk too. These manga will go on for a long time...

*sry for my bad english - grammar's not my thing anyway*
He didn't stop because he didn't have to. It is fun to draw a manga when you don't have to worry about deadlines or money. Just my theory.

But what do I know? I'm just a great detective,after all.

[bax]

Eh? Where is this he gets rich and doesn't have to continue to draw comes from?

One of the reason is because he had problems with the publication. And also to redraw the manga for the volumes (there are chapters that were poorly drawn in the magazine).



Looking at Togashi's pace of drawing, in 2001 an emergency decision by the editors of Shonen Jump, the number of pages per chapter every week for HxH was reduced from 19 to 15 to ensure the manga's appearance in the magazine every week. However, after the decision was made, Togashi recessed the serialization again in order to redraw the manga for its volume releases. It would seem Togashi had the order of his priorities wrong.

By comparison, ever since Yu Yu Hakusho, there has been a big disagreement between Togashi and the editors of Shonen Jump. Togashi's previous work Yu Yu Hakusho ended in the middle of one of its storyline because Togashi was too hostile toward the story policy favored by his editor. The story policy, often called the "Jump system" among the fan, is an editorial strategy of Shonen Jump, which states that:



"The story of a popular manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump must continue uninterrupted."


The most well-known example of this system is Dragon Ball. However, nowadays it seems like Togashi has power than the Jump editors, because judging by Hunter X Hunter's number of breaks, the editors are permitting Togashi's breaks.


Lets not decide on our own why a mangaka is taking a hiatus. The last rumor I heard he had problems with his marriage too. I personally don't take rumors into account though. Whatever it is, I'm sure Togashi has a good reason.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Eh? Where is this he gets rich and doesn't have to continue to draw comes from?

One of the reason is because he had problems with the publication. And also to redraw the manga for the volumes (there are chapters that were poorly drawn in the magazine).




Lets not decide on our own why a mangaka is taking a hiatus. The last rumor I heard he had problems with his marriage too. I personally don't take rumors into account though. Whatever it is, I'm sure Togashi has a good reason.
We can't decide why he takes a hiatus...We can, however, make wild and slightly offensive theories that are completely crazy and do not have a single shred of evidence to support them! That is our duty as fans!

[Maxy Barnard]

well time to bring out my ole copypasta of reasonable theory! (btw i don't hold much stock in the marriage one bax, not sure why, just sounds off considering the timeframe)



The whole 'long term illness' thing, is and presumably always will be, rumour. The explanations that generally apply to the WSJ editions being in poor quality and far apart are pretty much easier to swallow.

In WSJ, the editors are often considered cruel, forcing series to continue on past their mark (e.g. dragon ball going past the frieza saga, against toriyamas original intentions), or offering little to no breaks a year. Now around the end of YYH it is said that Togashi's sheer popularity was at a peak, and he could hold some control over what he did, else he could stop drawing in readers, something crucial at the dark period WSJ was nearing, or in, i forget. As such, he gets a good payrate, more breaks, and through his own choice was allowed to work with no assisstants, and most importantly, broke out of the forced continuation thing.

Then came his next series, hunter x hunter. With this he was further in with his life with the sailor moon mangaka than before, and spent as much time as possible with her, and even more once he had a child some time later. These long absences are usually applicable to this, as hunter x hunter takes massive breaks and yet loses no ground with shueisha due to the popularity of the series.

And the quality of his art is rapidly produced, by himself, for WSJ, in whatever bouts he manages, and has the final versions worked on in his breaks to be released in tankobon format.

A good example of this would be when he returned last october. he did the poor quality chapters for 10 weeks, then had another ten weeks off, in which he produced the final quality versions for the tankobon, released when he returned, for, and i love this, another ten weeks. hopefully this pattern continues.

but basically there you have it. theres also some use of his time where apparently he gets addicted to rpgs, but i dont know much about that.

hopefulyl that gives you more of an idea of what COULD very well be the case, and seems the closest answer to the truth, considering Shueishas 'Togashi-ism'

keep in mind that the illness is by and large fan speculation, the more common reasoning people are looking at nowadays is this one, though nothing is really confirmed for sure

after all, we wouldn't want to feel too sorry for someone who's not sick or injured when we could be wondering when the mysterious absence of Koji Inada is due to illness/injury for sure and he could get our sympathy

That cover enough ground to give an idea?


+ extras from a previous occasion of repeating my speculation



That assistants rumor is probably one of the biggest hoaxes concerning Togashi.
I think I even remember one of his author's comments being a plea for help in that department.




really? well that adjusts the explanations considerably. admittedly in the direction of him being given few to none due to his unpredictable appearances, which....... well we've heard that shueisha and jump's editors are harsh, so it wouldn't be too far fetched


cause ya know........ any excuse to speak my mind is a fun one indeed XD

[bax]

We can't decide why he takes a hiatus...We can, however, make wild and slightly offensive theories that are completely crazy and do not have a single shred of evidence to support them! That is our duty as fans!


As a fan you need to support him, not making rumors out of him -_-;
Whatever his reason is, I'm sure it's not lazy.

[CopyNinjaKakashi]

Whatever his reasons are, he puts out an amazing manga. I would rather have to wait several months to get 10 chapters at a time than to not have this manga finished. I hope he can end HxH on his terms.

Anyone seen any spoilers for this week? I imagine it will focus on Morau and Pufu.

[Sherlock Holmes]

As a fan you need to support him, not making rumors out of him -_-;
Whatever his reason is, I'm sure it's not lazy.
...Uh I was being sarcastic.

[zelllogan]

This kind of chapter ... Is that really the manga I liked ?
Horrible in every possible way.

[TheGenius]

Why so? It's fighting!

I just find the the art is a little messy, but the plot is moving forward, enemies are being fought and not contemplated, like Pifu.

Thanks for the info bax, pretty useful!

[Host Samurai]

That chapter was kinda....boring and interesting at the same time.
I like it how Togashi develops, his character I feel for OckLee failing is no option for him or he'd lose his face in front of the others.

Here is the cover for Volume 26

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/7862/hh26001ayb7.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hh26001ayb7.jpg)http://img171.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)

[CopyNinjaKakashi]

I did enjoy the characterization of Ikarugo, or OckLee (that's a nice nickname for him!). It wasn't nearly as exciting as the previous chapter, but 281 would be almost impossible to top. Thanks for the cover Host Samurai! That is pretty sweet. I really hope there is an OVA for this arc.

[redcometfm]

What's the author's comments say?

[haruka9]

It's so sad I wasn't able to participate in this discussion, especially when Chpater 281 was released. I was really exicted because Hunter X Hunter is one of my favorite shounen series, plus, I like the Chimera Ant arc. I even spent some time getting back to the the beginning of this arc to relive how things progressed. It's also depressing to know that this is just a ten-week thing, meaning it will be put on hiatus again. Even so, I still love Hunter X Hunter. I am even dedicating my time to write chapter reviews for this one. Even if it's a ten-week thing, I guess it's worth it, especially when you share the same likeness with me.

[Sanji D. Blue]

when exit the next cap?

[Maxy Barnard]

I'm not too sure what you said, but assuming you're asking when the next chapter is, it's out later in the week, towards friday usually

[haruka9]

INTRODUCTION

Hey Hunter X Hunter fans. I am Haruka9 and I have done a series of chapter reviews about one of the most popular shounen series about pirates. A few weeks after a new Hunter X Hunter chapter was released, I have undergone a fun manga marathon of the entire Chimera Ant Arc to relieve how the breath-taking events unfolded. And that was where I decided to make reviews for this. My chief purpose for dedicating my time to make reviews for this series is to give it a more beguiling revitalization. Since it has been sunk in hiatus, its popularity seems to decrease and only its loyal fans appear to pay full attention to it. Personally, I do believe Hunter X Hunter should be given more justice in spite of its controversial hiatus, because it is filled with stupendous fights, themes, characters, stories, etc; it has even better edge than its predecessor, Yuyu Hakusho. Furthermore, I want to share my perspective about its chapter to my fellow Hunter X Hunter fans.


http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/59/introductionds7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

But before I start my reviews on Chapter 281: Kanmaru and Chapter 282: Sealed Off, I think it is necessary to reminisce what happened in the past – how things started and how the progress unfolded, by placing some of the highlights of the Chimera Ant Arc. Besides, I don’t want to express my manga-marathon for nothing. Don’t get me wrong, this is post is not just a summary, but a diagnostic recollection of the past events. Because it has been so ling since the arc started, this post can be very long.


The Queen
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/5265/firstpl1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The upscale breed of ant who started this all, the Chimera Ant Queen lands in a corner of Barusa Island with the purpose of giving birth to the new King. But before she carries her biggest mission, she must start to breed a kingdom first - strong enough to nurture her and protect her, and eventually to the king. In order to do this, she must find good-quality prey, where she start hunting from smaller to bigger creatures, until she finds her ultimate food: the humans. Her very first human food is the two siblings. This is one of the most disturbing events in Hunter X Hunter, where children are eaten by the Queen, leaving only their clothes plastered in the sand. It’s not common for a shounen series to feature this; usually the victims of torture and suffering are adult ones, sparing the innocence and purity of children. On the other hand, using the very young ones as the first human victims of the Chimera Ant is an effective medium to depict the harshness of the latter. The human characteristics encompasses superiority among all the other living species, making it an ideal part of new breed of creature - which embodies a fusion of animal instincts and rare qualities, and human intelligence and skill for adaptation. It signifies that there is more to the Queen Ant’s mission than merely giving birth to the king. The real mission of the queen is to deliver a new set of generation that will take control of the world. Since the human beings appear to dominate the planet, indulging them as foods is the first step to conquer and accomplish the real goal. Moreover, it serves as a clear mark of the future events in Hunter X Hunter, that this arc’s climax will unfurl to a battle of monsters versus humans.


The Quintessential Badass
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6972/secondkw3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The man who introduces the world of Hunters to Gon, Kaito comes back at the beginning of this arc. I once wondered when this guy will return, since he seems to play a bigger role rather than an apprentice who is searching for his teacher, Gin to complete his ultimate Hunter test. In his short appearance at the start of the series, his air of mystery triggers the idea that he is not just a mediocre character who happens to meet Gon by luck. The very thought of him looking for Gin is already a hint that we’ll get to meet him some time in the series. Will he find the famous hunter? Fortunately my question is answered at the end of Greed Island arc.

Using the Accompany Card with Killua, Gon reunites with him with the initial expectation of meeting Gin. Albeit he doesn’t meet their purpose, they decide to join Kaito and his group in their research for undiscovered specie, and later, the mission to exterminate the new hybrid army of Chimera Ants which resides in Neo Green Life (NGL). With his experience and talent that is even acknowledged by Gin, he leads Gon and Killua to fight them. Kaito’s style in fighting really suits him. His title, “Silent Killer,” matches his air of mystery and proves his expertise in defeating his opponents with graceful, powerful, and flawless demeanor. Like Kurapika he is part of the Materialization Group where he wields an extraordinary weapon named “Crazy Clown.” It is roulette with numbers one to nine, where each corresponds a specific weapon. Three of these weapons have already been revealed: No. 4 is a rifle; No. 2 is a scythe; and No. 3 is a staff. According to Kaito himself, he cannot choose which weapon to use; it depends on the choice of the talking Crazy Clown. As I think about this, I can’t help but to come with a conclusion that it is a condition stated by Kaito in order to wield his weapon with 100% efficiency. People from Materialization group cannot possibly produce an invincible weapon capable of gaining absolute victory. It can only become plausible when certain conditions are set. Since Kaito has to “materialize” nine different weapons, the necessary provisions/discipline can be very demanding. The conditions he must have set are these: (1) The Crazy Clown has the privilege to pick the number/weapon for me; (2) the chosen weapon is the only thing that I can use against my opponent; (3) it cannot disappear unless I meet these two conditions.


Deeply Disturbing
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/2605/thirdzi9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This is, by far, the most disturbing post I have ever seen. I have seen many brutal scenes, both in the films and even in the anime, but nothing is comparable to this one. I am disturbed for few moments (literally) and I even find it difficult to move on from this. Kaito is not the typical, goofy, adorable, fun character, but you get to like him very easily. Besides, with his badass weapon and powerful skill, you’ll definitely yearn for this character. This is why I am hoping against hope that he’d win, though the difference of power between him and his opponent appears enormous. With his eagerness to protect Gon and Killua, he deciphers the enemy’s strength in a bad way, leaving his arm instantly cut off. The entire battle is not narrated, but the result is shown, which, I strongly believe, caught every reader flabbergasted.

The disturbing picture is very effective to reach the readers’ emotions, but what really makes this scene very essential is that it becomes the turning point of the arc, where the crucial conflicts among the characters, especially Gon and Killua is rooted. Kaito’s death shows the real strength of the opponent. Though we’ve never seen him fight in detailed fashion, his weapon, personality towards battles, completion of Gin’s test, and pace in fights are enough to define him as a strong fighter. Now, appearing like a testing object for the future King’s Royal Guard named Nefelpitou, creates a picture of the real gap between a Chimera Ant’s terrifying capacity and a strong, experienced Nen user. Kaito’s defeat is also related to Gon’s viewpoint in fighting and strength. He never actually aims to become excellent fighter, he just “wants” to become stronger and better so he can meet Gin. But, his inability to save a good friend teaches him (the hard way) that he really “needs” to become strong…. That powerful strength is a necessity especially in times of crisis like this. It refers to Gon’s emotional turning point where he realizes that “being weak can be so resentful.” Meanwhile, Killua has his own self-issues to solve. His past experience in fighting as an assassin gives him a huge deal of knowledge. This is why he thinks that knocking off Gon and running away from Nefelpitou is necessary because they will also stand in Kaito’s way. But, as he reflects on this, he realizes that he runs away because of his tendency to fear stronger enemies. Furthermore, he learns the true meaning of Nen battles, where it doesn’t truly lie on the amount of aura, but on the conviction of winning – which, unfortunately, is Killua’s weakness. This also deploys three strong Nen users from the Hunters Association: Morau, Novu, and the chairman himself, Netero. I will discuss about them later….


Sadako's Twin Sister
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6735/fourthys0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Before I even discuss the three, let me focus on this mysterious, unstable, but famous Palm. She is the apprentice of Novu, who happens to be the object of her affection. Many would have seen an allusion to The Ring’s Sadako because of her long, black, disheveled hair, scary-looking eyes, and extreme mood swing. Her oddness have spooked both Gon and Killua at first, but later, they get used to her until the former decides to take her out on a date to make up for their defeat. Their first and last date becomes a blessing in disguise for Killua, but more importantly, it shows Palm’s hidden beauty and ability. Her character is a perfect example for the women who have been teased and judged by people because of their physical appearance, without realizing their true beauty within. She is from the Reinforcement group, but contrary to the typicality of the people on the same group, who usually delve into hand-to-hand combat type of Nen technique, her skills is very similar to witch’s. Perhaps it is also to complement her physical appearance. She even uses dolls to divert her anger into, stabbing them with her knife. Furthermore, she uses her blood and her dolls in order to track people whom she’s physically seen. “In” seems to be useless for her tracking ability since she can see any of her targets wherever he goes.


Bold and Brash
http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/5791/fifthiv1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Knuckle is the type of character who makes a shounen series more fun. His personality is very typical; in fact you can see the same talkative, brash, strong, idiotic (sometimes), yet funny character in any anime/manga, yet he can still captivate many fans easily, because of such persona. But what makes Knuckle more unique than similar characters is that he is soft and compassionate inside, and he is not ashamed to show it. His soft spot is often manifested with his concern for animals, especially the abandoned ones. He provides them food and care. In addition to that, he can easily be moved by touching moments, often shedding tears for it. Like Palm, his character mirrors real people and even famous characters who display the image of a “gentle giant” – where they look very tough in their exterior, but their inner sides are very gentle. He has a manner of taking off his top during a fight. I might be thinking too much, but I can’t help but to see the language behind it. Knuckle is very open and fervent to other people. Like the act of removing his top during battles, Knuckle wholeheartedly welcomes any type of living being that cross paths with him, just as long as they have a good heart. He doesn’t give any reservations and doesn’t have any hesitations to show who he really is. His Hakoware also has a meaningful symbolism. Since its main point is “giving your best shot” it mirrors Knuckle’s strong zeal for the idea of giving. If it weren’t for battle purposes, he would have given his aura willingly to his opponent without taking anything in return, like the way he teaches Gon during their fight.

Ability-wise, Kunckle uses his battle experiences in order to give himself the upper hand when engaging in fights. He has earned greater intellect, sharper instinct and reflexes, keener analytical skills, more brute strength, and even brasher side because of it. His Hakoware technique involves lending aura to his opponent. He executes this by landing a blow to his opponent and a cute, little, invincible creature named Potclean will then be attached to the latter. If Knuckle continues to attack the opponent, even if he doesn’t feel any physical pain, his debt will increase every ten seconds, thus giving him the disadvantage. And if the fight goes on (with Knuckle having the upper hand) and Potclean’s “earnings” exceeds the limit of his opponent’s total aura power, then the latter goes bankrupt and Potclean will turn into Toritaten. His bankruptcy results to Zetsu for 30 days and Toritaten will continue to follow him until the Zetsu period ends. On the other hand, in case the opponent gains the upper hand, Knuckle will also suffer with the same casualty. I do believe that the secret to Knuckle’s technique is to prolong the period of the battle, especially if his opponent possesses a monstrous amount of aura. With this, he will be able avoid any powerful blow that might lessen Potclean’s earnings and give back to what was lent by Knuckle. It isn’t clearly stated as to which Nen group he belongs to, but, analyzing his ability, he can be from Manipulation. There are three explanations to back up this idea: his ability to control both the opponent’s and his aura (through the process of lending); the “forced” Zetsu towards the losing side (with Potclean following him at all times); and his ability to control the effect of his attacks where the opponent cannot calculate the damage because he can’t feel the pain. The appearance of Potclean however can be influenced with properties of Emission.


Future Villain
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/9180/sixthkx6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This is the only appearance Jairo has made so far. No one knows how he looks or what horrifying casualties he can make, but, he is definitely a character to watch out for. An early narration of his bad past is a proof of this, where he’s never treated well by his father. It was a bully who revealed to him that Jairo’s secret pride was just a bunch of lies. This triggered him that he’d never be treated like a human being, thus he thought that going one with the nature might bring him better treatment. Fortunately, he was right. He formed a country named NGL where the residents shared the same ideals. However…. Despite finding good comrades, his hatred remained powerful. It fact, it stayed so powerful that he even carried the same disgust and hatred in his second life. For sure, he turns into a mixture of different creatures like his fellow chimera ants. He might also acquire Nen, though it is probable that he is not entirely aware it. But, because he sets off to an unknown place, he must have learned it in the process. If this turns real, then he can be considered as an opponent as frightening as the King and the Royal Guards considering that his powerful hatred, being the core of his psychology, can vastly influence his Nen. With his evil impression, it is apparent that he will become the future villain, which might appear after the Chimera Ant arc. His desire to be the only king and his plan to rebuild another kingdom are proof of this.


Silent and Suspicious Shoot
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/2752/seventhgp3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The idea of combining two contrasting forces for a team has been used in many stories, be it in films, TV series, anime, and in manga form. The idea behind it is to show the powerful complementary effect when two totally different sides are blended. It is tantamount to the depiction of Yin and Yang. This becomes the case of Knuckle and Shoot, where the latter becomes the opposite side. Unlike his teammate, Shoot is very timid, suspicious, silent, and has a weak personality. In spite of his low self-esteem, he has a pride of warrior, where he fights with his best. He doesn’t hold back to signify that he also respects his opponents and takes care of his pride as a fellow fighter. Somehow, his team-up with Knuckle is comparable to Gon and Killua’s combination where Gon is similar with Knuckle’s impulsiveness and compassion towards others while Killua and Shoot both have careful, sneaky, and reserved personality.

Shoot comes from the Manipulation Group. He wields an extraordinary type of weapon called Hotel Rafflesia and three levitating hands. With his hands, he’s able to respond to long-range combats very well. Shoot targets a vital body part of his opponent and uses his hands to get them, thus, creating a blind spot for the latter. It is not necessarily that the targeted body part is physically taken away from the owner; with Shoot’s Manipulation Nen, he leaves his targeted area erased. And with certain amount of attacks, the opponent will be locked inside Hotel Rafflesia and will not have the power to get out. This is a manifestation of Shoot’s forced Zetsu towards the latter. Aside from its uniqueness, what I really like about Shoot’s weapon is its symbolical influence to him. His weak personality locks him inside his own cage, stopping him not only from advancing his skills but also from developing closer bonds with others. Like Knuckle, I believe Shoot’s appearance has figurative meaning too. We first see him dressing like a samurai from the Edo period, only that he has a scarf and cape worn at his left side. His clothes practically cover his entire body – a powerful depiction of his overwhelmingly reserved side which stops people from getting to know him better. Like his very covered body, he doesn’t show what he truly feels; I guess Knuckle and their master, Morau only gets to know him through their psychological analysis.

Notes:

This will be the first part of my “Introduction.” I think it’s better to divide this “diagnostic recollection of the Chimera Ant Arc” into few parts to avoid an excruciatingly long post. Besides, this is more mouthful and more time-consuming than I thought and if I finish this first before posting, I might have reached the day of the third release of Hunter X Hunter’s new chapter. I will save my general opinion about this arc at the last part of my “Introduction,” then I will start to write my real chapter reviews.

[haruka9]

INTRODUCTION

This is the second part of my introduction. Hopefully, I will finish this on the third part, then I’ll proceed writing reviews about the current chapter.


http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/945/introec0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Since I get to post this much later than I expect, I guess I’ll start my real chapter review on Chapter 283 (I still don’t know how that chapter will turn out. By the time I post this, Chpater 283 is not yet released.) As soon as I finish it, I will review Chapters 218 and 282. It is late, but I guess it’s still worth paying attention to.


Cell + Freeza

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/4282/firstec2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Finally! The King of the Chimera Ants is born. I’m sure many Hunter X Hunter fans like me have thought of Cell the moment they see the king. With his alien-like body and tails, it is very easy to compare him to Cell’s final form. But, the king has a human face, which to me is similar to Freeza’s face. While the former appears more good-looking than the lizard-like Freeza, I can’t help but to see the huge similarity of their face. It only happens that the king’s lips is thin (unlike Freeza who has a dark one), but the resemblance of the expression and the shape of their eyes are very striking. Since he’s the last breed of the Chimera Ant Kingdom, and with all the special foods (human with Nen) fed to him, it is natural to predict that he wields the eeriest and the strongest aura among them. After all, he will become the founder of the new hybrid kingdom, so he really should possess not only brute strength, but intellect as well. His evilness is immediately displayed when he forcibly gets out of the queen’s womb earlier than expected. He just then ignores her like a piece of trash and even kills the Chimera Commanders with his overwhelming whip. With the quality of the “food” that was served to him back when he’s still in the womb, he’s definitely the most upscale breed among the other. Besides, his very meticulous taste in food, habitat, and even in servants already describe that he can be a quite selfish leader. No one knows what he can really do with his power, but it’s stated later in the chapter that he adopts the power that he gains from his “food.” Estimating the amount of his “quality food,” his intellectual capacities, and natural brute strength, this villain is something that will give even Netero a very troublesome time.


Mereum's Pets
http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/6982/secondjn4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The Three Royal Guards have been officially introduced in this chapter. So far, it’s Nefelpitou who’s gained the most popularity among the three, being the first one to appear, the eerie creature to defeat Kaito, and being the sole target of Gon and Killua. Shuapufu has made casual appearances but nothing is known to him except his good looks and bizarre interpretative dance. Montutyupi has been a mystery until he finally made his own entrance in this one. It has been widely speculated that the names of these three are combined names of Caroline’s pets (a French children series) and Egyptian gods. Though it cannot be confirmed, I still make the initiative to research about it and hopefully, find something related to it.

Nefelpitou is a combined name of Nefertum and Pitou. I made some research about Pitou, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find some facts about it. On the other hand, I find interesting information about this Egyptian God Nefertum which literally means “beautiful Atum.” He is often associated with water lily and because of this, he becomes the god of perfume and luck. Furthermore, he represents sunrise and is portrayed by a lion or a cat. I guess this Egyptian God’s visual portrayal of being a cat can be connected to Nefelpitou’s physique, whose cat-like characteristics are dominant. Because of his androgynous physical appearance, many get mistaken of his gender. His round eyes, long eyelashes, and curly, bob hair, not to mention, her tight clothes make her look very feminine. But it is confirmed that he is a male. Ability wise, Nefelpitou can create an overwhelming size of En. It doesn’t follow its conventional round shape, but rather, looks like an amoeba which can be extended up to two miles. His horrifying aura and speed immediately gives her the upper hand from his fight with Kaito, but his real Nen skill is not yet revealed until the later portions of the Chimera Ant arc. He is from the Specialization group, which can wield different types of technique: Corpse Puppeteer where he can revive a dead body under the condition of his total manipulation (like the one he did on Kaito, the president of East Golto, and soldiers). This also manifests Nefelpitou’s playful personality where he can get easily carried away to things that strike his interest him and play with it; Doctor Blythe, a gigantic female doctor, has the ability to cure any wounded patient. Despite its healing efficiency, Nefelpitou cannot use his En while wielding Doctor Bylthe; it might lessen its healing power when another Nen skill is used. The process of curing also depends on the damage of the victim. Analyzing this, I believe that Doctor Bylthe and Corpse Puppeteer go hand in hand. Kaito’s condition can be an example of this, where his chopped body might be stitched together by Doctor Bylthe, and then gains the ability to move again by using the Corpse Puppeteer.

Shuapufu, on the other hand, is a combination of “Pouf,” Caroline’s pet and “Shu,” an Egyptian primordial god who represents air. Shu, which literally means “dryness and he who rises up,” is very calm, cool, and a pacifier. Contrary to Shuapufu’s butterfly-like appearance, the Egyptian God Shu is portrayed in arts with ostrich feather. On the other hand, his calming personality can depict Shuapufu’s gentle features and cool-headedness. He is the most intelligent and logical among the three, perhaps because of his behavior-oriented Nen ability. His “Spiritual Message” allows him to read his target’s thoughts and feelings. This technique affects him as well, making him too emotional to certain situations and too loyal to the King because he fully understands the psychology behind it. Shuapufu is also the source of Leol and Zitouh’s Nen, which leads me to a speculation that it is also the former’s ability. It has been explained that Nen is strongly affected by one’s psychological condition and with his Spiritual Message, Shuapufu is able to grant one’s desired technique by reading the latter’s mind and nourish it with Nen.

Like Nefelpitou and Shuapufu, Montutyupi’s name can be rooted to Yupi, which is also Caroline’s pet and Monthu, an Egyptian God which literally means “nomad.” He is the manifestation of sun’s burning effect and is acknowledged as the falcon god and of war. He gains this title because of his destructive power – a comparable trait of Montutyupi when he discovered his strong capacity for destruction when angered. He even obliterates a huge portion of East Golto’s palace in a whim during his fight with Knuckle and Shoot. The god Monthu is believed to manifest himself to a bull, which is another parallelism to Montutyupi’s physical appearance; the lower portion of his body is similar to that of a bull. Among the three, he seems to be the most clueless, often following Shuapufu’s directions because he is too brute to think of anything. But his selflessness is his redeeming value, which makes him fully prepared to all types of battle in order to shield the king. He is the perfect example of a dumb brute who usually acts on impulses before thinking the consequences of his actions first. But that doesn’t mean that he is just a big bag of muscle; he proves that he can also be a frightening opponent as far as cleverness is concerned. He even manages to deceive Knuckle (who is analytical) and almost lands a fatal blow to the latter.


Resentment
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This is one of the most emotional turning points that I’ve seen. Gon finally surrenders his stubbornness and faces the reality – a harsh fact that his own weakness has hindered him to save a friend. His optimism sometimes stops him to turn a blind eye to the cruelty of the truth. The good side of it is that it uplifts the spirit of the people around him, and that it becomes his own source of motivation to achieve his goal. On the other hand, he becomes too far fetched from the truth – that there are things that cannot be achieved by optimism alone. His fight with Knuckle is a proof of this. It’s not that he didn’t fight with his full power, but just like Knuckle said, he lacks experience, making his monstrous amount of aura of less help. And because of his head strong personality, Gon sometimes fail to see the true danger that lies if he continues to charge impulsively. This can put not only him in lethal strength but also to his friends.


Despair
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“Gon…. For the next 30 days, while you can’t use Nen, I will protect you. I will do anything, at any cost to protect you. And after that…. It’s goodbye.” It is very rare to see Killua express what he truly feels. His coolness is always displayed, acting even at the most troubled times with level-headedness. In their team, it is Gon who is impulsive, open, and expressive, which is why it is very surprising and catchy to see Killua display his emotions. But this one is nothing compared to his admittance that he treasures his friendship with Gon more than anything. Like his best friend’s resentful condition, Killua feels the poignancy of regret and despair for being weak. While Gon resents the fact that he is physically weak, Killua is hurt by the fact that his self-esteem cannot match his real strength. As stated by Biscuit, his true weakness is his mental state, where he gives up too quickly and possesses an enormous tendency to run away from a battle with stronger opponents. She even slaps the truth in his face by contending that if he doesn’t manage to conquer his conflict, he doesn’t have the right to stay at Gon’s side, because it will only result to him leaving behind his best friend during the most crucial times. During his fight with Shoot, he displays a promising strength to finally finish his inner turmoil by accepting them and using it as his motivating force to push himself to fight. But in the end, he succumbs to Illumi’s twisted manipulation and gives up.

His surrender turns as the answer to the promise he made with his father during the Zoaldyeck Arc. Before Silva lets him pursue his wishes, he makes a pact with the former, stating that he’s not going to betray his friends. Being the father who chooses Killua as the heir of their family business, he must have known from the beginning that Illumi has planted a needle in his mind that controls his behavior during fight. While this is a protective measure done by his elder brother, this also pushes Killua to leave those who are willing to fight stronger opponents. Silva’s true intention is ambiguous; he seems to understand his son’s wishes (even making him promise not to leave his friends behind), yet he wants him to fulfill his role as their heir (believing that he will come back). One thing is clear though. Killua has to fight Illumi’s manipulation, otherwise, he will be forced to come back to his family and continue something he doesn’t truly want. This act also mirrors betrayal to his friends, something that breaks his promise and something that will put him into real emptiness.


Darkness and Silver Lining
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This is a breath of fresh air after a long series of dark and emotional events that happened in the past. Korugo is a reincarnation of the first victim of the queen – that young nine-year old boy who vows to protect her sister Reina at all cost. His kindness is revived despite the mixture of beast in his body, making him one of the first Chimera Ants who truly cares about his comrades. Because of his failure to protect Reina at his past life, he risks his life to reach the help of the opposing side (Netero and the other Hunters) just to save the queen. He even expresses his strong resentment after failing to protect the one he cares about…. again. But what I like about Korugo is that he promises a good side among these beastly creatures – that despite the darkness of their creation, there is something bright that’s born. It is their human side that reigns among them, giving them a second chance to live with those who share the same compassion with them. Korugo is not the only one who has humanly characteristics. Melereon, a chameleon-like Division Commander even lends a hand, shows his true ability, and trusts Gon’s team with his life in their final stand against the King and the Royal Guards. Ikarugo is just like them as well. He is an octopus who’s given a second chance by Killua because he sees such a promising friendship with him. I’ll expand this thought later….


Confident and Compassionate
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Knuckle and Shoot’s master. His broad and muscular body, light-shaded shoulder-length hair, wide forehead, distorted nose, and shades fit perfectly well to him. His character design is so well-done that you can easily get his personality the moment you see him: confident, strong, and compassionate. He seems to vastly influence his apprentices, especially Knuckle who admits that he gets his soft side from his teacher. It appears like he taunts both Gon and Killua the first time we meet him, but as the story progresses, you get to understand his reason behind it. Being a master of his craft, he believes that victory in Nen battle lies in an unbent will to win. Since Nen mostly relies in the psychological aspect of the user, showing any spot of weakness is tantamount to admitting defeat. Of course, Morau practices what he preaches. He doesn’t show any hint of weaknesses despite knowing the irregularities in his strength. Before they charge in the palace, there is at least 30% left in his strength, yet his confidence and belief in winning remains unparallel.

Morau uses his inhuman strength in breathing to complement his gigantic pipe as his weapon. He puffs out Nen smoke from his pipe to manipulate various shapes of objects and creatures. He can also make a smoke version of himself to trick his opponents and smoke shield. Deep Purple, being his most complex technique, is composed of dolls that carry his commands. He can span it into maximum of 216, but with a condition of simple structure. If, however, Morau wants to manipulate his dolls with much complex orders, he can only maintain 50 dolls. His Manipulation nature and his cleverness usually give him the advantage in fighting, even when faced with a very bizarre Nen user. He can fight effectively in both close and long range combats, but is more likely to become vulnerable without his pipe.


Cool and Charming
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Palm’s master and true love interest. Novu’s character design flawlessly fits his personality. His sleek, sophisticated, and serious side can be seen in the way he graciously carries his well-pressed black suit, his dark hair, and eyeglasses. Just like the teams of Gon and Killua, and Knuckle and Shoot, he and Morau are a good combination of two opposing sides. Morau displays a fun-loving side which seems to get untidy sometimes, whereas Novu appears to be calm and cold while maintaining his lavishness and neatness at all times. Being one of the chosen two who accompanies Chairman Netero in NGL, he seems to be quite strong and also a master of his craft, especially with the intimidating air he emits. This is why it is very astounding to see him falter after seeing Shuapufu’s aura. I once thought that maybe, he’s in Zetsu form when he intruded the palace. This might stop him from protecting himself from an evil aura. But then again, Novu wasn’t a reckless idiot who’d just charged in the enemy’s territory without protection. And this led me to a conclusion that he wasn’t just the strong type that I thought he’d be. His will gets easily bent, showing a weakness that he can’t seem to conquer. The moment he realizes the opponent’s frightening aura, he just quits and gives up, thinking that he can no longer pursue his goal further. This mirrors his hidden side – a weak spirit that disables him. He even gets jealous of Gon and Killua, who, despite their Nen weaknesses and lack in battle experience, remain strong and courageous, willing to risk their lives against their evil enemies. But I do hope he will be able to really pull himself together and free himself from his psychological decapitation and help the others accomplish their goals.

Novu’s true weakness, the lack of strong will, is connected to his Nen ability. Being a Materialization user, he can create a four-dimensional Nen room. It looks like a four-story apartment with windowless rooms of various sizes. He creates a Nen portal from surfaces from the real world like walls of the building and pavements in the street. This portal will then lead him to his Nen apartment. He can store anything he wishes like his possessions and even people. On the other hand, since it is created by purely Nen, a person inside Novu’s apartment cannot receive any sort of communication from the real world. Since the rooms are separated from each other, an outsider can only use a certain door to go back to the real world. This door is also the portal that Novu created for it. (entrance door of the Nen room = portal to the real world). Being the person who wields this, he possesses the “Master Key” where he can enter and exit to any room without losing direction. Like Shoot, Novu’s ability depicts his weak side. He has his “psychological rooms” and use it to isolate and hide himself from the things that frighten him outside.


The Spider's Return
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This is a very special feature for those who have come to appreciate and even love the members of Genei Ryodan. Their own arc back then (Genei Ryodan vs. the Chain User) shows us that there is more to them than being a bunch of big-time murderous thieves. I begin to like them when I start seeing their vulnerability (Nobunaga crying for Uvogin; their desire to rescue Kuroro; their tendency to fall apart when they have different opinions), hilarity (Phinx cracking a joke during an intense moment and his mouth being shut by Kurapica when answering the phone, their face faults), and soft, human side (Uvogin preferring death than selling his comrades and Pakunoda sacrificing herself to save the Spider). Their downfall creates an idea that even the most violent criminals will bow down to something precious to them. Now that they are back in Chimera Ant Arc, they will showcase not only more depth to their character, but also to their Nen abilities. I do believe that this is the best time to show off what they’re truly capable of, especially the ones who weren’t given the chance to share the limelight back then (like Bonolenov).

I’ll start with Bonolenov. His fight against a Combat Grunt displays the essence behind his mummy looks. His body, is in fact, covered in holes which are able to create music and can be used for defense and offense. Being a member of Gyudondond tribe, he can create powerful music-based attacks by doing certain movements. The speed of sound nullifies the physical strength of his opponent, crushing him with his Battle Cantabile:Prelude and Jupiter. Shalnark and Shizuku have already showed their abilities back at the Genei Ryodan arc. However, Shalnark has displayed another ability up his sleeve, with his “Auto-Mode” where he manipulates himself to finish the job of killing the opponent, rather than manipulating others. Shizuku seems to be weaker especially in the offense side because her “Deme-chan” is primarily used to suck inanimate objects. What I like about this two is that they both seem to look very innocent and average type of people, while their alter ego has displayed a terrifying power. This is also the debut of Killua’s youngest, cross-dressing brother, Kalluto. His paper-oriented Manipulation technique can be used as sharp weapons and resourceful tools to search and listen to conversation. It is revealed in the later portion of their mini arc that finding his brother is his primary reason for joining the Spider. It is widely speculated that he’s referring to Alluka, being the only missing Zoaldyeck in their family. I’m still unsure whether it is Alluka or Killua whom he wants to get back. But I’m certain that he’s using the Spider as a stepping stone to achieve his goal, especially that this group does activities that bring them to different parts of the world, acquiring knowledge and even gaining underground connections. Bearing a resemblance to Yuyu Hakusho’s Heie, Feitan’s crowning glory is his speed. The so called “queen” who forcefully resides in Ryuuseigai finds it difficult to catch up with him because he moves so fast that he leaves mirrors of himself. Furthermore, Feitan is famous for being expert in torture, which becomes the source of his Pain Packer. He uses his own wounds to transfer it into a massive ball of scorching heat. This ability depicts his sadistic/masochistic side; the more damage he acquires, the more he can cheerfully and brutally torture his opponent. I do believe that his Pain Packer has variations, and that the “gigantic ball of fire” he wields to kill the “queen” is just one of it. But what I enjoy reading/watching the most is Phinx and his Ripper Cyclotron. His special Reinforcement ability must be inspired by a real-life particle accelerator called Cyclotron. With high-frequency, the charged particles move into spiral form. This explains why Phinx moves his arms in circular motion, and just like the real-life Cyclotron, the damage he creates with his fist depends on how many times he rotates his arms. Just like Feitan, his Nen technique suits his personality well - brash and strong. His character displays leadership, though it is really Feitan who gains temporary role as their leader. What I also like about him is that he expresses his opinion in their government with complete honesty and that he shows concern among the residents of the Ryuuseigai. It gives more depth to his character, showing that he is more than an impulsive, strong brat. (*His moving line about the resident showing their spirit had been my signature for some time. On a personal note, I think Phinx is smoking ---- both literally and figuratively ^__^).

Notes:

My third post will be the last part of my Introduction. There only remain few more things that I’ll cover (Netero, Komugi, and other highlights of the fights). I will also express there my stand on this arc, including its spectacle and its downside.

[haruka9]

INTRODUCTION

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Third part (the last one) is finally done. The first two parts are merged. It’s longer than the previous two because I have my final stand expressed here. But hopefully, you appreciate reading my thoughts about this.


Chances
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Long before Gon and Killua separate their paths in East Golto, the latter has finally managed to remove Illumi’s Manipulation needles. It’s due to his precious friendship to Gon that unexpectedly led him to discover such Nen implanted in his brain. Because somewhere in his mind, despite the nagging control done by his elder brother to just run away, Killua was completely aware that he wanted to protect Gon at all cost…. Thus, leading him to fulfill his true wishes without any twisted manipulation.

With his new found confidence and freedom, Killua volunteers to do the job of saving as many people as he can by warning them and telling them about the “sorting,” and also by defeating Nefelpitou’s puppets. Because he’s tracked by the latter with his En, Leol (formerly known as Hagya) and his army set to capture him…. And this is where he meets the kind-hearted squid-wannabe Ikarugo, a battle grunt who has the power to take over a corpse and use it as his new body and weapon. Before their fight ends, Killua proposes a deal in regards with Ikarugo’s information about his comrades in exchange for the latter’s life. But because he possesses a human-like concern for friends, he chooses to just sacrifice himself just to keep them safe. What I really like about this event is Killua’s display of his openness to second chances. Back when he’s still controlled by Illumi’s needles, he keeps himself reserved. In fact, among the four (Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio), Killua is the most reserved, keeping his distance from anyone. It just so happens that Gon has a unique charm, which keeps him quite interested, that Killua openly bonds with him. He has a suspicious mind, thinking that everyone is capable of hurting him, so to protect himself, he keeps himself distant from other people. With his freedom, he can now see the goodness of others – just like the way he sees the goodness in Ikarugo. Besides, Ikarugo bears similarity to Killua’s three friends, the type who does not hesitate to put his life on the line for the sake of a comrade. Furthermore, he also offers second chances to those who especially deserve it. Seeing Ikarugo’s promising life as a comrade, he saves him by letting himself live and forgetting that they’re once enemies. With this, Ikarugo gets another second chance to live the way he wants it…. And the kind of life which he truly deserves – filled with friends who also deeply care about him….


Mereum's Soft Spot
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A young, blind girl who acts like an idiot in general, but instantly turns into a genius monster when it comes to Gun-gi. Initially, you’d think that she is just a random extra who will be annihilated by the king as soon as she gets defeated, especially that the king seems to become more adaptable and more intelligent than ever. The moment I saw Komugi, I thought about it. But I paused when I skim her looks again…. She’s a young girl with perpetual snot coming out from her nose and she’s blind…. I got suspicious because such characteristics wouldn’t fir in the category of “normal”…. It’s something that you realize when you observe about the environment more – that people who don’t look like a normal/average human being have something surprising – something to watch out for. This was parallel to Komugi’s case, which made me think that there’s a special reason as to why Yoshihiro Togashi created her that way. From then on, I’ve become watchful to her appearance and to her encounter to the king.

Perhaps, some of you will relate to the feeling of sympathy towards her…. Because you know that the king will kill this poor little girl when she loses. I always feel the same, wishing that she’ll remain unbeatable. Good thing she keeps her genius mind and surprisingly, she has created a glitch in the king’s unbent evilness by continuously defeating him in their battle of Gun-gi…. and by courageously offering her life to him when she loses. She has shown to the king that she is definitely not a normal human being who gives in to the nagging temptation of fear and desire. With this, the king starts to open his human side. He even finds himself surprised when he protects her when he initially means to kill her. Moreover, he takes back his words to give Komugi special treatment; he even tells her that she’s never a nuisance, but will always remain a special guest. This gesture is a form of kindness that disturbs the Royal Guards…. And this leads the king to question himself…. His existence….his purpose.


Changes
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Without realizing it, he has shown many forms of kindness and concern to Komugi, and above all, he catches himself in a situation where admiration lies from someone who is inferior to him. He realizes this admiration when Komugi offers her life if she loses to their bet and this drives Mereum to cut his own arm as a symbol for his apology…. As a symbol for admitting his own foolishness. I really love this scene…. I believe it’s very powerful because it creates an edge to a strong, villainous, greedy king who unexpectedly bows down to a blind, silly little girl. At first, you’d think that Mereum is a typical villain who just wants to destroy the world. But with surprising means like Gun-gi and Komugi, he suddenly turns into someone you’d never expect him to be. Though he still has his evilness with him, I guess this panel still gives a different edge to his character – an edge that separates him from other villains. This is one of the things that reaaaalllly impresses me. I really admire Togashi for this


The Old Acquaintance
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Finally, the mystery is solved. Speculations regarding Netero’s “old acquaintance” flood many Hunter X Hunter conversations. I took a wild guess back then that it might be Zeno or Maha but I couldn’t support it with any logical explanation. I just thought that Netero’s acquaintance would be someone with the same caliber, and with Zeno’s impressive performance during their fight against Kuroro, he clearly projected and proved that he’s someone you shouldn’t mess with. Like many fans, I wished to get to see more of him and his ability, and thankfully, such wish was granted…. Errrr, a little….

Zeno seems to be really fond of dragons. His Dragon Head was first seen with his fight with Kuroro where his strong Nen was attached to both of his hands and created a mid to long range dragon-shaped aura as its effect. At first, it looks like an Emission type of technique, but he’s actually from Transfiguration, which explains why his real Nen is attached to his hands and moves them to control the movements of the dragon. His entrance together with Netero is one of the badass things I’ve ever seen. They are sent by a gigantic bird, then, Zeno creates another variation of dragon ---- Zoaldyeck style. It’s a gigantic one where the two “geezers” are riding…. Or surfing…. and even before it reaches the premises of the palace, it splits into huge numbers. Such skills are variations of his dragon-based Nen technique and like his Dragon Head, they promise such a great power. I was really yearning to see him fight with all his might, but I get disappointed to realize that he didn’t finish his job due to certain circumstances (Komugi’s involvement to the King becomes the most “unexpected turn of events,” catching both Netero and Zeno off guard. Because such humanly compassion is shown by Mereum himself, Zeno doesn’t have to get himself involved in the assassination since he’s initially hired to kill an evil king, not a king with a caring side. Besides, he’s wounded “an innocent bystander.”) This makes me realize that Zeno only gets himself involved to situations related to his business. Like what he said in fighting Kuroro, “there’s no way I’d risk my life without profit.” This event proves it more with his departure; he doesn’t give a damn as to what happens in the palace nor will take the initiative to help them despite knowing the seriousness of the situation. As long as he accomplishes his job description, then he can start to loosen up.


The Monster Within
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The chairman finally shows off his true strength…. Well, not entirely, but we catch a glimpse of how frightening his power can be. Nefelpitou, who is in Terpsichora – a term which implies that he is in full battle mode, gets dragged by Netero’s dreaded Nen in just a swift. Such is called Hakushiki Cannon, a strong cannon-like blast of Nen that comes out underneath Netero. Before he wields it, Nefelpitou feels like he’s trapped in a time warp, a sign of Netero’s mastery of martial arts where he can alter the time and make his opponent feel like he’s in a slow-motion dimension. From the Royal Guard’s point of view, after being drawn into Netero’s slow motion, a powerful blast of Nen suddenly appears. Zeno explains this, and he does it in a fashion where he’s seemingly proud of the “geezer.” This Netero whom we see in Chimera Ant arc is far different from the Chairman of the Hunters Association in the first arc. Back then, he seems to be a friendly, benevolent leader with unbelievable powers – more like the Third Hokage in Naruto. But this time, we see a totally different side of him – competitive powerful fighter who has aged with wisdom and skill of a true master. His past is also shown, narrating how he completes his mastery of martial arts and how he expresses his gratitude. His appreciation of the arts paves way to make him become even more powerful. However, his real fight with Mereum is not yet shown, and I can’t wait to see the other wonders he can do.


Freedom and Transcendence
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Despite their logical exchange of thoughts and careful preparations, the teams are still caught in the chain of unexpected events. Aside from Yupi’s guard in the main stairway, they are surprised by Zeno’s Dragon Dive. With a situation so intense that their sharp reflexes are not even able to comprehend the situation, they get paralyzed with the shock…. And it is only Yupi and Gon who remain focused. Shoot, being weak-minded feel guilty and indebted to Gon for taking a course of action that should be initially done by the former. And surprisingly, he feels a new sense of will surging inside him, finally freeing him from the cage he’s built to protect him.

Like Killua, Shoot finally manages to conquer his weaknesses. Both of them had very fragile will which could be easily broken by any threatening circumstances. But that’s all in the past now, and both of them have finally found a new sense of themselves, much stronger and much determined than ever. I guess this is very historical for Shoot, and this will mark him as a character which you can dearly love. On a personal note, this is the first time I get to see him as a very memorable character – a fighter which will largely contribute to the epic of this arc. Now, it’s only Novu who needs to transcend himself and become someone as powerful and as epic as the new Killua and Shoot. (*There is a strong parallelism between the three main teams: Gon and Killua; Knuckle and Shoot; and Morau and Novu. I’ll discuss that at “the spectacle” corner.)


Frustration and Rage
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Gone are the days when Gon appears so adorable. Gone are the days when he looks so innocent about things he doesn’t understand. And gone are those days when he is filled with moving conviction and inspiring will. This is one of the key points of this arc, where we see a totally different side of Gon – a monster created by his regret and rage. In fact, it’s something that you’d not expect, because despite being stubborn, he always remains to be “that Gon” whom we’ve always known. But this time, he is no longer the person who can just smile and stay optimistic. If it were a normal Gon who’d appear before Nefelpitou, he’d give the Royal Guard a chance and listen to his pleadings, trusting that he will keep his promise. And if it were a normal circumstance, it’d be Killua who’d be suspicious. However, this is not a “similar” situation. Gon is completely taken away by his resentment for being so weak that he’s not able to save his friend. His rage fills him up like a wild fire, feeling that it is never fair to see Kaito inhumanly beat-up while some girl is given a special treatment. He even seriously snaps to his best friend, hurting him in the process. It’s a good thing Killua keeps his cool and reminds him to stay as level-headed as possible, otherwise, Gon would regret being so enraged and resented in the end. He might have forgotten his real intention because of his overwhelming frustration.

The Spectacle…. http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/3193/spectaclegr4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This is the corner where I’ll enumerate the strongest points of the Chimera Ant Arc. I’ll reason out the things that make it very epic despite some of its glitches.

The first thing is Gon and Killua’s Nen transition. It isn’t like in Greed Island where they were formally trained by Biscuit, or any other typical shounen-like display of how the main characters get strong with strenuous trainings. What I really like about their transition is they get it from real battle…. The very first essential thing that they lack. Right after they get separated from Kaito, Killua realizes the difference of real Nen battles. What they experience in Greed Island (Gon’s team vs. Gensuru’s team) is nothing compared to what they face in this arc. Their fight against Gensuru is a matter of victory, and vengeance, where their goal is to save themselves from being bomb victims and get the cards, whereas their fight against the Chimera Ants is a matter of not just survival, but transition that they really need in order to save someone from the enemies…. The latter idea is definitely a much powerful source of strength because the life of their precious friend lies on them. Using real Nen battles and Kaito’s defeat as tools to get Gon and Killua stronger are really upbeat and breath-taking.

The second one is the transition of the characters in terms of their personality. I usually look for characters’ development because it gives them more depth than being just a fun, colorful bunch of people. Since shounen manga/anime is targeted at young audience, you don’t usually find subtlety in their persona. They are very readable which tends to make the series predictable…. And in the process, it makes it dull. It is very rare to see a shounen series showcase subtlety and depth among the characters…. And it gives them much color, not because they become stronger fighters, but because they turn into powerful individuals who have conquered the worst set of adversaries…. Be it low self-esteem, regret, despair, and fragile mind, The Chimera Ant Arc has displayed it more than ever and it absolutely has more depth than the three previous arcs (Hunter Exam, Genei Ryodan, and Greed Island Arc). Killua, who has shown iota of weak-mindedness, has finally faced his biggest adversary and conquered it. Yoshihiro uses the main theme of a shounen series, which is friendship, as Killua’s primary source of motivation in order to beat his inner monsters…. And I really love that. Moreover, secondary characters are given more justice. It’s not very often where you see secondary characters get their main spotlight because they are mainly “support” for the main characters. Usually, they are just bunch of colorful allies who help the main ones to reach their goal. On the other hand, secondary characters in this arc, like Shoot, are given emphasis and depth. He’s like Killua who has beaten his inner conflicts and has turned into someone more dignified and more powerful. Aside from that, you wouldn’t see a character as strong and as veteran as Shoot to display a great deal of weakness. In this Chimera Ant Arc, you’ll find really powerful characters possess weaknesses (because usually secondary characters are portrayed as someone strong and indestructible and the main characters are the ones who have weaknesses). And they have shown how they dealt with it.

The parallelism of the three main teams, Gon and Killua, Knuckle and Shoot, and Morau and Novu, is very evident. Gon, Knuckle, and Morau mirror one another – determined, confident, and compassionate…. Whereas Killua, Shoot, and Novu look cool, serious, and suspicious, and even seem superior to their partners, yet they are the ones who really have weak mind and serious inner conflicts. It’s a good idea that fights between very similar characters were established (Gon vs. Knuckle and Killua and Shoot) because it creates balance. Killua and Shoot have already conquered their inner demons. I’m just waiting for Novu to establish his own spotlight and beat the odds. I’m really excited to see how he’ll deal with it. I also notice that Gon and Killua might be looking at their future with the appearances of these secondary characters (Knuckle, Shoot, Morau, and Novu). When Gon reaches his late adulthood, he will become brasher and more compassionate (like Knuckle). He will get pissed off more easily when someone is wronged by a twisted individual. But he will become more analytical during the battles and be more creative with his moves. And when he’s in middle age, he will become really confident and decisive, without losing his sense of compassion of course (like Morau). On the other hand, when Killua reaches his late adulthood, he might become more reserved and suspicious, careful to what he says and what he does (like Shoot) and even if he’s sharper and more cunning, he’s more fragile than ever, and a small hint of irregularity will weaken him. And when he reaches his middle age, he will be filled with a lot of hesitations even before he makes his moves (like Novu).

The villains. Okay, using a hybrid set of villains is not a breath of fresh air; it has been used ever since…. But what separates them from other villains is that they have a soft, human side. Genei Ryodan, who have been portrayed as merciless and brutal have shown their care in their city and the residents. Mereum has expressed his soft spot and pure care to Komugi. Nefelpitou even feels happiness when he realizes that his king is relying on him. Even if he is born to protect the king, having a sense of joy is still a showmanship of his human side. He’s even willing to give his limbs to Gon just to fulfill the wishes of the king…. Because later, saving Komugi will give him a great sense of achievement and joy. Montutyupi, despite being a dumb brute, has shown a good side, which is selflessness. Distorted psychology has been used to depict the core of a villain. Even so, Shuapufu becomes different because he has displayed poor sense of self-esteem…. Mocking himself as some stupid, worthless worm gives him the edge among other villains because the typical ones usually have superiority complex.

The narration. The battles scenes become more climactic because Yoshihiro establishes narration. It gives the readers more vivid details about the events that unfold. I believe it’s hard for a mangaka to display breath-taking battle scenes because it has to select the best angle in order to send their message very well. How it actually unfolds is left to the readers’ imagination. Sometimes, it becomes hard to comprehend the entire situation, especially if the characters are split and have their own fights to deal with. Despite the action-packed scenes, fights tend to become gray because it lacks dialogues. You just see someone kick a brute enemy and that’s it. But, with narration, we can picture much clearly as to how the entire battle unfurls (like how Zeno and Netero jumps into the air with Dragon Head while Gon’s team is headed to the main stair way). It creates more intensity.

The Downside…. http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/4486/downsidevj9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This is the corner where I’ll express the glitches in the arc. I am no mangaka, that is why I can’t really analyze the technicalities of this manga (panels, shading, angels, etc.), but I can express the glitches in general sense. There are two main hitches in the series. Of course, you’d agree that these are the hiatus and the drawing.

The hiatus of Hunter X Hunter has been a big controversy among the fans. Though it is not clearly stated, Yoshihiro temporarily stops from making this manga because of some sickness. No one knows if this is terminal or an average injury, but it is clear that its popularity decreases because many fans have grown tired of waiting for its next release. Hunter X Hunter is not getting the justice it really deserves since many have given up on it. I can’t blame them, because such a series needs continuity especially if it is in the middle of its climax. You need to have a sense of appreciation and loyalty in order to keep your nose on this series. Maybe I’m being biased here because I am a writer, but storytellers in general have their own set of pace. When they move according to this “pace,” they are able to produce the best of their abilities. Of course, if you choose this department as a profession, you have to have a staggering amount of creativity and professionalism so you can still do your job even if you’re not “in the mood.” But, if Togashi is really sick, well, I guess we can still spare him from harsh criticisms.

The next one is the drawing. There were releases that looked clumsy which lessened the impact of the story. The lapse can be seen from the later part of Greed Island Arc to the beginning of the Chimera Ant Arc. Then, it came back to normal few chapters later…. Only to look clumsy again during Genei Ryodan’s mini arc. Fortunately, it starts to look decent again, and hopefully it will continue that way. I don’t know if this lack of quality is the result of Yoshihiro’s sickness, or lack of assistants, or maybe, the result of being pressured because it’s been in hiatus. But, if the art begins to look “sketchy” again, then fans just have to focus on the story in order to see the legend in this arc.

Final Notes….

I’m finally done with my Introduction. It’s much later than I expected and I’m getting far behind the schedule. Chapter 283: Resolve is already released by the time I post this. I guess my next post will be my real review on this chapter. When I’m done with it, I will start reviewing the previous two, Chapter 281: Kanmaru and Chapter 282: Seal Off. It’s late, but I guess, I can still do it. Hopefully you enjoy reading my Introduction.

[haruka9]

CHAPTER 283: RESOLVE

My real chapter review starts here. I jump to two conclusions and decide to proceed here just to catch up from the latest updates (since I finished writing my Introduction very late). I am also going to post some of my favorite panels/pages to relieve the legend of Hunter X Hunter (I’m really a huge fan!).


Filled with Friendship
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/3201/introsn1.jpg

This is one of the most touching parts in the Chimera Ants Arc where Knuckle realizes that Montutyupi insults Shoot and his pride. Being free from his cage, Shoot decides to put his life on line and surpass his limits to fight Yupi. But it seems that the Ryal Guard doesn’t give a sh*$ to his pride and honor as a warrior. With this, Knuckle gets more pissed and vows to avenge his comrade. Shoot wants to do the honors himself, but since he’s way beyond his limits and that pushing himself too much is creeping on him, he accepts the idea that he can no longer do it…. So he entrusts the task to Knuckle. I really like the friendship that they show here. It’s very heart-warming.


Intervention
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/3541/firstfd7.jpg

Before going into the battle field, Ikarugo has formed his resolve to save Palm. Despite her message, he is determined to find her, believing in her new ally. To accomplish his goal he has to eliminate every adversary he’ll face, and this time, it’s Brouvuda who has come to face him. The shrimp hybrid is clearly stronger than him. This triggers Ikarugo to use available resources in full advantage to gain the upper hand in fighting. Because he’s in the monitor room, he already gets the advantage into looking for things he needs, with convenience. He can control anything he likes with just ticks and clicks in the computer. This time, he uses a tank, which proves to be more convenient because of its hardness. Brouvuda’s gun-like attacks are futile, which is already a plus point to Ikarugo’s plan. And with his determination, it seems that this tank is used not just for physical protection; this massive vehicle appears to have more purpose….


Double Purpose
http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/2900/secondol0.jpg

This panel reveals Ikarugo’s real intentions for using tank. Back then, it appeared that Ikarugo was confident with his plan because he already figured out the possibilities of Brouvuda’s escape in the basement. Because he can’t fight the shrimp head on, he uses the tank not just to distract him into thinking that the tank itself is used to eliminate him, but to actually cover the elevator – which is the only passageway to his escape. Brouvuda hasn’t realized it until it’s too late; he deduces that the ceiling in the elevator can be used as his exit to the basement. It seems that he gets carried away with the appearance of the tank and the possibility of multiple enemies, stopping him to fully analyze the situation. This proves that Ikarugo gains the upper hand when it comes to cleverness and with this, he can definitely beat his enemy.


Flexible and Clever
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/6449/thirdfy4.jpg

Ikarugo has definitely more clever plans up to his sleeves. He uses his ingenuity, his body, the surrounding, the available tools, and the current situation to beat the brute opponent. By saying “Objective 1: Clear” is already a proof that he has made a careful scheme in just a snap. More importantly, everything goes according to his plan. His creativity and cunningness are his ultimate source for victory. Not that Brouvuda is an idiot, but he thinks many steps ahead of him. This time, he uses the advantages of his octopus body to get into the safe place, which is inside the elevator. Since octopuses are invertebrates, they can sneak to small and thin compartments by bending their bodies. Because Ikarugo traps Brouvuda outside, there is no way for the latter to attack him, especially that the entrance to the elevator is just a few inch wide. Furthermore there is sleeping gas surrounding him, so there’s no need for Ikarugo to break a sweat just to knock him out.


Systematic Scheme
http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/1997/fourthbo4.jpg

With his systematic plan, he sets four main objectives for the accomplishment of his goal: (1) cover the elevator with the tank; (2) set a fire inside the tank, then proceed inside the elevator; (3) wait for the sleeping gas to knock Brouvuda out; (4) kill Brouvuda and take over his body. The first three goals are already accomplished. All that’s left is the fourth one, which will give him enormous advantage. After realizing that Ikarugo has made some lapses with his alibis, he faces Brouvuda who has directly exposed his mistake: calling Leol by his first name (Hagya). With this, Ikarugo must have learned that other Chimera Ants have already set their suspicions on him. This is why he spends his time to kill the latter so he can take over his body and save Palm without the other ants stopping him. If he hasn’t thought of this, Ikarugo would have escaped to the ceiling of the elevator to get out of the surface and start to look for Palm. He knows time is of the essence which is why he’s using it with the best and the most helpful moves.


Hesitations
http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/5202/fifthot9.jpg

The moment he hesitates to pull the trigger, it has become apparent that a conflict would be established in his situation. I once thought that the conflict which would occur in Ikarugo’s situation is facing Chimera Ants who’re far stronger than him. But, I realized that I was wrong when I saw him hesitating to kill Brouvuda. Back in the previous chapters, Ikarugo expressed his unconditional care about his comrades. This was how he earned Killua’s trust. His determination looks that he’s not going to bend to any adversary…. Well, he doesn’t, and so far, he has performed a tremendous greatness in his work…. And this only happens because he hasn’t realized his true weakness yet. But, as he fulfills his most important objective, he finally becomes aware of the thing that might stop him from accomplishing his ultimate goal. He’s too soft and he still has this concern for his former comrades. Since his new friends’ enemies are the hybrids which used to be his pals, he has to eliminate them. But, if he can’t get over with the fact that these Chimera Ants were once his buddies, well, he’ll have a hard time saving Palm.


Succumbing into Weakness
http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/3346/sixthhk4.jpg

Okay, he can’t obliterate Brouvuda with his own tentacles, so he resorts to do it in a less scrupulous way. He goes back to the monitor room to let the technology finish the job for him. As he’s about to switch to the “on” section, he gives in to his weakness. Ikarugo is caring, no doubt about that…. But in this situation, he’s become too caring. Like what I said earlier, Ikarugo has calculated every possible moves/scenarios that might occur in saving Palm. He deduces the extent of this possibility when he faces Brouvuda who has seen his deception. This is why he spends his time doing and using his clever mind to eliminate the hindrances…. But, what he hasn’t deduced that his kind nature might stop him in doing so. Even if he’s not actually going to kill Brouvuda, the thought of him finishing the latter’s life is an immense burden for him.

There is a huge difference between the previous panel and this one. When Ikarugo stands before Brouvuda, he is aware that he can’t kill him but…. He hasn’t fully accepted that fact…. That is why he goes to the monitor room, believing that he’ll manage to do it with the usage of other means. This panel however, shows that Ikarugo has finally sunk in his weakness, completely accepting and facing the fact that he can’t really do it. This might turn into huge disadvantage on him, not only because it threatens his life, but it can also affect on his way to save Palm.


Broken Resolve
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/1396/seventhtb1.jpg

I finally understand the reason for naming this chapter, “Resolve,” because of this panel. Ikarugo says he’s a coward because he can’t pull the trigger. Before they charge in the palace, Ikarugo is one of the characters in their team who projects a strong will. He’s so determined to save Palm in order to prove to himself and to everyone that he’s a real ally… and a reliable one too. These are also to show it as a sign of appreciation for being given a second chance by Killua and to mark this event as his birth rite for becoming an individual who has started to reach his dreams. But since he has sunk with his weakness and can’t find a way to solve it, he contends that he’s coward because he can’t even eliminate one enemy. Despite his smartness, he can’t think of a way to gather enough courage to accomplish his objective. Saying to himself that he is just a coward is a symbol of Ikarugo’s broken resolve. This chapter focuses not on his cleverness (though it’s a worthy note to discuss), but it mainly emphasizes how Ikarugo’s seemingly firm resolve starts to break because of his weakness.


New-formed Resolve
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2986/eighthje3.jpg

We finally get to see what’s happening inside Morau’s smoke jail. Since he has isolated himself with Shuapufu, we haven’t gotten any clues in regards with the progress of their fight, except for the tiny insects that sneakily gets out of his smoke screen (which can be interpreted as Shuapufu’s ability.) Morau is not yet aware of his opponent’s ability except for his hypnotizing scales. What makes it worse is that the melodramatic dancer continues to read his mind, already gaining an enormous advantage in their fight. With Shuapufu’s Spiritual Message, he’s able to deduce Morau’s plan. He knows that the pipe-wielding Morau is going to do everything in his might to separate him from the King and the latter must have set some plans in doing it. Even before they entered the palace, he already established his mission and decided to stick with it. Morau also introduces himself as a character who has tremendous amount of confidence on his strength and his analytical mind. This is where he draws his excellent plans from and once he establishes it, he sticks with it until he accomplishes his goals. This is why Shuapufu gets surprised when Morau releases his smoke jail. This very act showcases that he has thrown away all of his previous plans and decides to fight Shuapufu without a back-up plan. He just thinks of surviving an unknown attack and hopefully, draws some ideas from it so he can fight more decently.

Morau’s surprising action is also a representation of this chapter’s title. He has formed a new admirable resolve. By abandoning his organized plot, he displays an unparallel determination that he will fight a strong enemy despite his uncertainty towards him. This is a powerful turning point for Morau. Back in his previous fights with Zitoh and Leol, we see Morau’s style in fighting: he takes a short moment to observe the enemy’s behavior and skills. As he learns about it, he forms a plan to defeat him and he performs it very well. It also seems that he lets the opponent do the first move so he can observe better. But, those proved effective because both of Zitoh and Leol’s attacks were less lethal. On the other hand, Morau is fighting a Royal Guard…. The one who frightens his partner Novu. So, any attack from him can end the former’s life. With his decision to fight the Royal Guard without using his conventional style in fighting, Morau transcends himself in that very moment, forming a new resolve.

After his short praise, Shuapufu ends this chapter by saying “15 minutes.” This cliffhanger opens speculations among readers. Being one of them, the initial thought that comes to my mind is the period where their fight will last. This is a prediction stated by Shuapufu where he thinks that within fifteen minutes, the result of their battle will be known. With Morau’s new resolve, he might not prolong the fight, especially that he’s not in his best condition. Furthermore, forming a new resolve also means that he might no longer be using his conventional style in fighting. He might not buy some time just to figure out Shuapufu’s real ability. Besides, it seems that Morau is decided to defeat him so he might do the first move this time.

The Spectacle….http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/7303/spectacleuc0.jpg

The title fits perfectly with the two featured characters: Ikarugo and Morau. One’s resolve is broken whilst the other is newly formed. The consistency is present with Ikarugo’s continuous showmanship of impressive moves. I also like the fact that such consistency turns into instability in a graceful manner. The transition of his situation is really amazing. Ikarugo starts to show his instability after performing consistently excellent moves and begins to get drowned at such at his most crucial objective, making the impact more palpable.

The Downside….http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/8186/downsideci3.jpg

I miss the narration and the usage of the stopwatch. The two previous chapters seem to be dull because these are absent. This chapter is similar to that. While I really love the development in Ikarugo and Morau’s situation and character, I think this chapter will create bigger impact if the narration and the stopwatch are established.

Final Notes:

Despite the absence of two ingredients for the intensity of the chapter (narration and stopwatch), this chapter is still promising. Another conflict is shown, with Ikarugo’s difficulty for being too kind. I have been waiting to see the obstacles in the fights of Ikarugo, Morau, and Netero because they are the ones whose real situation is not yet addressed. This is why I am really glad to see that Ikarugo’s real adversary is shown. All that’s left is Morau and Netero. Also, Novu has yet to make his grand entrance. I don’t think his inner conflicts would be established for nothing. There must be a way for him to show how he deals with it and conquers it. Hopefully, we also get to see some progress in Morau and, with fingers crossed, Netero’s current situation will be shown. Those two might be sharing the limelight for the next chapter. Hopefully, my wishes will be granted.

[Host Samurai]

OMG!!! This chapter is going to be awesome.:tem
Here's the spoiler for chaper 285
thx kew0210 for the translation
HUNTERHUNTER
　No.284?15分
HunterXHunter
No.284 15 Minutes

プフ「そう15分」
Pufu: "Yes, 15 minutes."
　　「貴方が「煙の結界」の解除を決断し」
　　 "Your decision to cancel the "smoke barrier""
　　「実行するまでに消費すると踏んだ時間」
　　"The time expended until the execution and the step forward."
　　「その間「私」はそっと煙をすり抜け自由に動き回る�
�定でした」
　　"In that time, "I" secretly slipped through the smoke so I could freely
move around."
　　「私を結界に閉じ込めたのは王との分断の為でしょう�
�」
　　"Locking me up in the barrier to separate me from the king, right?"
　　「つまり煙の牢獄が在る限りそれを見て貴方の仲間は�
�
　　"In other words, the smoke prison existed as the best of your ability
you saw for your allies."
　　「「まだあの中に『私』がいる」と判断する」
　　"You judged that "'I' am still inside that".
　　「その誤解を突き 貴方の仲間を静かに始末していく」
　　"That stab of misunderstanding, your allies are being dealt with peacefully.
"
　　「実行するのに充分の時間 貴方は迷っているだろうと」
　　"Your execution still took plenty of time, aren't you puzzled?"
モラウ「15分もの間ぬけがらを前にか？」
Morau: "15 minutes of stupidity before that?"
　　　「ずいぶんと見くびられたもんだな」
　　　"You've extremely underestimated me."

プフ「いいえ」
Pufu: "No."
　　「私は買いかぶっていたのです」
　　"I have overestimated."
　　「貴方をっ」
　　"About you."

　　　【上空に翔び「ぱぁん」と花火のように弾けるプフ�
�
　　　[Flying into the sky with a "Paan" Pufu bursts into what looks like
fireworks.]

モラウ「!!?」
Morau: "!!?"
　　　「.........」
　　　"........."
　　　（一瞬にして超細かい粒子に.........!!）
　　　(In a moment, to super-small particles.........!!)
　　　（これで〝監獄ロック〟をすり抜けたとしたら一粒�
�粒は目に見えねェわ
けだ）
　　　(If this is how he slipped through my "prision lock" (smokey jail),
then he can bit by bit become invisible before my eyes.)

プフ「くす」「くす」
Pufu: "Kusu" "Kusu" [That doesn't mean anything. It's a sound affect.]
　　「くす」「くすくす」「くす」「くす」「くす」
　　"Kusu" "Kusukusu" "Kusu" "Kusu" "Kusu"
　　「貴方はもっと待つべきだった」
　　"You should have waited more."
　　「くす」「くす」
　　"Kusu" "Kusu"
　　「なぜなら」
　　"Why?"
　　「くす」
　　"Kusu"
　　「このすり抜けは」
　　"This slipping through is"
　　「くす」「くす」
　　"Kusu" "Kusu"
　　「苦肉の策」
　　"a last resort."
　　「正直 私は困っていたのですよ 閉じ込められている状況に」
　　"Honestly, I was worried. I was trapped."
モラウ「下手な陽動だな 矛盾してるぜ」
Morau: "Such an unskillful diversion. You're really contradictory."
　　　「お前はちゃんとすり抜けただろうが」
　　　"You could probably only slip through."
プフ「〝それだけの事〟だったのですよ」
Pufu: " It was 'could only'."
　　「くす」「くす」「くす」
　　"Kusu" "Kusu" "Kusu"
　　「あの時点ではね」
　　"Not at that point."
　　「私は貴方がもっと優秀な兵士だと思っていました」
　　"I thought I was a superior soldier to you."
　　「初志を貫徹 任務に忠実しかし」
　　"I realized your original intention. Though I'm loyal to my duty."
　　「拙い理に走り 結界を解いた」
　　"You ran an clumsy reason, to undo the barrier."
　　「ホントに有難う」
　　"Really, thank you."

　　　【無数のちびプフがモラウの周りを取り囲んでいる�
�
　　　[Countless Chibi-Pufus surround Morau.]

ちびプフ「くす」「有難う」「有難う「くす」「有難う」�
�くす」「有難う」
Chibi-Pufu: "Kusu" "Arigatou" "Arigatou" "Kusu" "Arigatou" "Kusu" "Arigatou"
　　「有難う」「くす」「有難う」「くす」「有難う」「�
�難う」
　　"Arigatou" "Kusu" "Arigatou" "Kusu" "Arigatou" "Arigatou"
　　「くす」「くす」「有難う」「有難う」「くす」「く�
�」「くす」
　　"Kusu" "Kusu" "Arigatou" "Arigatou" "Kusu" "Kusu" "Kusu"
　　「有難う」「くす」「くす」「有難う」「くす」
　　"Arigatou" "Kusu" "Kusu" "Arigatou" "Kusu"

モラウ「〝紫煙機兵隊〟!!!」
Morau: "Purple Smoke Machine Soldier"!!! [I assume this is Deep Purple,
I dunno the kanji for it. For whatever reason, nobody ever writes the kanji
meaning for attack names whose normal pronunciation is English.]
ちびプフ「キャハハハハハハハ」
Chibi-Pufu: "Kyahahahahahahaha"
　　「逃ーーげろーーーー!!!」
　　"Ruuuuuuun Awaaaaaaaaay!!!"

　　　【紫煙機兵隊の一撃で数体のちびプフはバラバラに�
�れる】
　　　[With Purple Smoke Machine Soldier's attack, a number of Chibi-Pufus
are beat up.]

ちびプフ「キャーーーー」
Chibi-Pufu: "Kyaaaa"
　　　　「キャハハハハ やられたーーーーー」
　　　　"Kyahahahaha he got us-----"

　　　【バラバラになったものの粒子になりまた元の形に�
�るちびプフ】
　　　[Though they were beat up, the Chibi-Pufus became particles and returned
to their original form.]

ちびプフ「キャハ」
Chibi-Pufu: "Kyaha"
　　　　「キャハハ」
　　　　"Kyahaha"
　　　　「キャハキャハ」
　　　　"Kyahakyaha"
　　　　「キャッハ!!」
　　　　"Kyahha!!"
モラウ（破壊できねェ!?）
Morau: (I can't destroy them!?)
　　　（分裂し!!また集まるだけ!?）
　　　(Broke up!! But they assembled again!?)
　　　（無敵!?）
　　　(Are the invincible!?)
ちびプフ「キャハハハハハ」
Chibi-Pufu: "Kyahahahahaha"
　　　　「サンキューバイバーイ!!」
　　　　"Thank you, bye bye!!" [Said in english. These sorta english words
are used as colloquialisms
in japanese.]　　

　　　【そのままどこかへ飛び去っていくちびプフ達】
　　　[At that moment, the Chibi-Pufus fly away somewhere.]

モラウ「......」
Morau: "......"
　　　（だまされるな!!コレは奴の心理作戦!!）
　　　(Don't be decieved!! These are is his psychological tactics!!)
　　　（あの時点での蛹への攻撃はベストの宣託!!）
(Attacking the chrysalis at that time was the best time to entrust a proclamation!
!)
　　　（いや終わったことを考えてる時点で奴の術中）
　　　(No, the point of thinking about afterwards is his trick.)
　　　（次にやるべき事.........!!）
　　　(I'll do it next time.........!!)
　　　（分散した奴の目的を予想し阻止する!!）
　　　(I have to stop his expected changed goal!!)
　　　（他の護衛団との接触!!）
　　　(To contact the other guards!!)
　　　（オレ以外の敵を発見・殲滅!!そして王との再会!!）
　　　(If he discovers the other enemies, annhilation!! And a reunion with
the king!!)
　　　（間違いねェ!! すべてオレの利害と一致する）
　　　(There's no doubt!! It all agrees with my interests)
　　　（問題ねェ.......!!!）
　　　(There's no mistake......!!!)

　　　【紫煙機兵隊と共に走り出すモラウ】
　　　[Morau starts running with the Purple Smoke Machine Soldiers]

モラウ「！」
Morau: "!"

　　　【モラウの背後でちびプフから元のサイズに戻った�
�フがキセルを奪い取
る】
　　　[From behind him, a Chibi-Pufu returns to its original size and steals
his pipe.]

プフ「キャハハハハハハハ」
Pufu: "Kyahahahahahahaha"
　　「いただきィイイイイ」
　　"I got iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit"
　　　【キセルを奪ったプフはもの凄いスピードで飛び去�
�ていく】
　　　[The Pufu that stole the pipe flees with amazing speed.]

モラウ「くっ」
Morau: "Kuh."
　　　（速い!!）
　　　(Fast!!)
プフ「キャハハハハハハハ」
　　"Kyahahahahahahaha"
　　「こいつは大事に捨てておくよーーーーーー!!!」
　　"This guy's lost his important thing-------!!"
モラウ（やられた.........!!）
Morau: (They got me.........!!)
　　　（もう新たに技は出せねェ...）
　　　(I can't use any more new techniques...)
　　　（〝紫煙機兵隊〟を解除したらオレは丸腰）
　　(If I cancel Purple Smoke Machine Soldier I'm unarmed.)
　　　（もう〝紫煙機兵隊〟だけでしのぎ切るしかねェ!!）
　　　(I can't let any Purple Smoke Machine Soldiers be cut!!)

　　　【モラウの前にユピーが現れる】
　　　[In front of Morau, Yupi appears.]

ユピー「よォ手前か？エスパーは」
　　　"Yo, this side? Do you have ESP?"

　　　【ユピーの背後から憤怒の形相でナックルが現れる�
�
　　　[From behind Yupi, an angry-looking Knuckle appears.]

ナックル「シュートどこやったコラ」
Knuckle: "Where's Shoot?"
ユピー「あ？」
Yupi: "Ah?"
モラウ（紫煙機兵隊89体!!今の体調で出せたMAX!!）
Morau: (89 Purple Smoke Machine Soldiers!! With this physical condition,
put out your MAX!!)
　　　（これでナックルを全力でサポートする!!!）
　　　(This way I can support Knuckle with all my power!!!)

　　　【紫煙機兵隊がナックルの姿に変わりユピーを取り�
�む】
　　　[The Purple Smoke Machine Soldiers change to Knuckle's form and surround
Yupi]

ユピー「!!」
Yupi: "!!"
　　　（狙いは理解った 一発はくれてやる）
　　　(I understood the aim, I'll give one shot)
　　　（代わりに命をもらう!!）
　　　(Instead I'll take life!!)

煽り「命を懸けた最後の共闘!!」
Narrator: "With their lives on the line, the final struggle!!"

[kewl0210]

The spoiler pics are here:
http://www.nexgear.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20405
They all match the script I translated, by the way.
For some reason though those scripts tend to have a couple broken characters like that when I post them on that forum. Though really it is a script of the whole chapter, maybe missing one or two frames, when it's there. And the translation tends to be a bit rough for me trying to do such a complex manga, especially without pictures, anyway.

[haruka9]

gosh. the appearance of Knuckle and Yupi is a bit surprising to me. i am expecting to see THE fight between Netero and Mereum but I guess Togashi will save the best for last. Ngggg.... I will write reviews right after I am finished with my works and projects. I really love the things that take place in this chapter

[Oni_James]

had watched the anime long time ago, in the last two weeks i read the manga from 185 to 283:p and i have to say i find this part of the manga much better than GI or Hunter exams^^

great! Morau and Knuckle vs Yupi and Pufu, can't wait for the chapter to be out
i'm expecting to see how Ikaguro will advance and... what's Killua doing? XD he isn't with Knuckle, Yupi, Morau, Pufu, also not with Gon, Pitou, why doesn't he keep helping like when he used Kanmaru vs Yupi?

[haruka9]

I think Killua tries to to save his strength in case a fight between Gon and Pitou takes place. He will serve as Gon's back up force. In addition to that, he's running out of aura from Kanmaru.... I guess this is the effect of his new technique being used not just to help Knuckle but also being wielded like an experiment. He hasn't used it since he discovered it. He just made calculations in regards with its capacity. He might also be buying some time to escape from Yupi so he can charge again and be ready to any fight

[siegfried]

Really nice review. Wow quite long too. You must be a good writer to be able to write so.

Btw HXH deserves its own sub forum imo.

[kewl0210]

Yeah, the review was really well done. There might've been one or two errors. We don't know if Nefelpitou is a boy or a girl. And it doesn't that anywhere that Knuckle will "suffer the same punishement" if his technique fails, it just ends and the opponent can harm him again.
Also, it says [ I M G ] [ / I M G ] next to all the pictures.
And yeah, HXH should have its own subforum. Course NexGear's forum has served fine. Though the group is long dead, despite efforts to revive it.
But with Eyeshield 21 ending pretty soon, maybe there'll be space.

[haruka9]

Wow thank you guys for your responses. Originally, these are divided into three parts. The moderator must have merged it (I really thank you for doing that).

I really believe that Hunter X Hunter should have its own section here, but it doesn't seem like there are as many Hunter X Hunter fans here than the other shounen series.' But who knows, maybe they like to read Hunter X Hunter too.

Siegfried: Thank you very much. I initially thought that it should be separated into three parts so it wouldn't look too long and it wouldn't tire the readers. It might look boring because of its length. However it's also amazing that they are merged because these parts just fall into one category. It's really great.

Kewl0210: Thank you very much. I also appreciate your corrections. Nefelpitou's gender is really confusing. I once thought that Pitou's a girl, but due to the others' way of addressing him and with Wikipedia's reference, I decided to label him as a guy. The "[IMG] [IMG]" is the result of my confusion in regards with posting pictures. Anyway, I finally get the hang of it, and there won't be such thing the next time I do it.

[Bomber D Rufi]

This was extremely well done. To be honest I'm one of those people you commented on, the ones who got tired of the hiatuses and gave up on HXH. However when Togashi returned 20 chapters ago, I had just found Taiyo wa Yoru mo Kagayaku with a bunch of old MP3's (If you don't remember it's the TV series's 2nd OP), and decided to head back into the world of Hunters. I was lost though because I had been away so long, but then I found your reveiw and it cleared everything up. Now I can go and enjoy this series fully again. Thanks ^^

Hmmm if only Gintama were more popular, I'd do a primer on it too, as I'm a writer and in love with that series....

[haruka9]

Thank you very much. I also have my collection of anime soundtrack. I usually get the ones that I like and one of them is Taiyo wa Yoru mo Kagayaku ^__^. I thought that doing this is prudent since it's been so long since the last chapter was released. Making this review really consumed my time, with the result of me having some "backlogs" on Chapter 281, 282, and even 284, but it's really worth it. Besides I'm already working on my review "backlogs."

About the Gintama. I am really curious about this. I have read a thread here in Mangahelpers with a short discussion about Gintama. The members think highly of it and that sparks my interest. I guess I'll check this too after I'm done completing and updating my Hunter X Hunter Reviews.

[siegfried]

Siegfried: Thank you very much. I initially thought that it should be separated into three parts so it wouldn't look too long and it wouldn't tire the readers. It might look boring because of its length. However it's also amazing that they are merged because these parts just fall into one category. It's really great.


Well, I just noticed that they were written in different days. :blink

[Tomgoood01]

when i found your introduction review it felt like uncovering buried treasure. Thank you for it i appreciate it quite much being I'm a fan of your writing and as well of HxH.

One point i noticed that you did well was the the formate you used of instead of going through a big overall of the Chimera arc you did an in depth character outline ex pointing out their weakness and strengths as well how they developed in the arc and possible how they will be as they will progress. . This way you showed new points about the charters that even if someone that already read HxH would not be bored and plus not be hearing the same thing.

At the same time you were able to go through a story review but one that is not in chronological order. If someone were to read the intro instead of reading the Manga they would be confused and not be able to grasp the full story but for someone that did already read the latest Arc worked very well for them. You tacked this intro with personal and a knowledgeable approach by doing your homework an putting your own two cents into it. I hope you continue with your reviews and do the the best you can.

[demy]

Spoiler chapter 285
ＨＵＮＴＥＲ×ＨＵＮＴＥＲ　
No.285◆波乱

　　【猛スピードで飛ぶプフ】

プフ「キャハハハハハハハ」

　　【飛んで行くプフを見つめる充電中のキルアとメレオロン】

メレオロン「!!!!!」
　　　　　　「おい今のって……!!」

煽り「行く先に……!!!」

　　【監獄ロックのあった塔を見た後、逆の方向を見るキルア】

キルア「やばい!!」
　　　　「あっちにはゴンがいる!!」
メレオロン「ちょ…」

　　【メレオロンを背負って走り出すキルア】

メレオロン「監獄ロックがなくなってプフが飛んで行ったという事はモラウやられたのか!?」
キルア「いや…」
　　　　「プフはキセルを持っていた」
　　　　「モラウが死んでいたらわざわざキセルを持っていかない」
　　　　「プフに逃げられただけだろう」
キルア（くそ!!）
　　　　（ゴン…）

　　【治療中のピトーとゴン】
　　【ずっとピトーを睨み続けるゴンに額から汗を垂らすピトー】

ピトー「ゴン…だっけ」
　　　「治療に集中したいんだ…」
　　　「そのオーラを抑えてくれないか?」
ゴン「ダメだ!!」
ピトー「………」

ゴン「カイトは……」
　　「あの時……」

[kewl0210]

That spoiler was fake, you can see the real ones with my approximate translations here:
http://www.nexgear.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20453&st=20
The ones labled "fourth spoiler" and "fifth spoiler" were real. Also it has the camshot pictures.

We're trying to estimate how long it'll take until Yupi goes bankrupt from Knuckle's Hakoware attack, it's interesting, really.

[haruka9]

CHAPTER 284: FIFTEEN MINUTES

As much as I wanted to update my Hunter X Hunter Reviews, I didn’t have such opportunity to do so due to my younger siblings’ projects and exams. Being the eldest, of course I had the responsibility to assist them, thus consuming all of my time. But now that they’re on vacation and I have all the time I need, it’s time to go back to my sharings/analysis on the latest chapter.


Reflections
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/3233/intromd6.jpg

But before I start my chapter investigations, let me share one of my favorite pages in Chapter 260. This was the time when Gon and the others prepare to charge in the palace. It has been a custom to feature the characters’ inner thoughts or emotional responses before indulging into grand battles. Be it optimistic or degrading, the readers learn their current disposition with their reflections. Such account is displayed into various ways. Some of them just gather around a bonfire and reminisce while some just save their energy and sleep. On the other hand, the heroes of this arc display their reflections in a more conventional way. They just take a moment of silence and think about the situation with their own adaptation of conviction. Some of their thoughts are predictable like Knuckle, being a compassionate man that he is, wishes to have a heart-to-heart talk with Mereum, whereas some appear somewhat surprising like Shoot who seems to be very concerned with the fate of the human race. Another thing that I like about this is the manner in which their reflections are portrayed. The first character makes a short appearance as another character starts to contemplate on things. That adds drama to the scene. I really love that.


Decision-Making Process
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/2915/firstgo6.jpg

Okay. My speculation in regards with this controversial “15 minutes” was wrong. I thought that it would be the duration of the battle between Pufu and Morau. I even took a risk by guessing that there was this enormouuuus time skip that happened and Morau released the Smoke Jail after “15 minutes.” Of course, the latter would not only appear less probable but it would also create a huge inconsistency in Togashi’s part.

This controversial “15 minutes” is in fact, Pufu’s estimated time for Morau’s decision to release the Smoke Jail. While it sounds condescending on Morau’s part, I perceive this prediction differently. He charged in the palace with the plan to only stick with the mission. This way, he would not only gain more chances of winning but also buy time for his friends to separate the other Royal Guards from the king and defeat them. This kind of resolve was strong – but not strong enough. Despite his confidence and strength, Morau has displayed a hint of hesitation, thus creating an opening for Pufu. With his Spiritual Message, he realizes that by transforming himself into a cocoon and sneaking out of the former’s Smoke Jail, this hesitation would eventually turn into confusion. With that, Morau would spend his time deducing his steps that will go according to his mission. In other words, he avoids taking risks due to his conditions. That contemplation could span to “15 minutes,” and that’s where he would only realize that it’s useless to play safe and keep his movements within his smoke barrier. And that “15 minutes” will give Pufu enough time to obliterate his friends and get back to his king.


Chibi Pufu
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/5066/seconded1.jpg

After showing off his Spiritual Message and displaying hints about his Nen-giving ability, Pufu parades another form of his Nen. He can divide himself into “miniscule parts,” not only separating himself into tinier pieces, but also by showing his “small” or chibi version. However, it doesn’t seem like his chibi version is his weaker version. In fact, he displays his crazier and more unpredictable self, making it harder for Morau to decipher the situation. Since it proves stronger than his Smoke Jail, he then releases his Deep Purple to catch up with the (god knows how many) Chibi Pufus and defeat them. However, it remains invincible since slicing his smaller versions can lead to just dividing him into much tinier parts. This leads me to think that: Pufu can separate himself into many parts and all of these parts are essential to his survival. Unlike Naruto’s Kage Bunshin, if one chibi Pufu is attacked, it doesn’t die or wither, it merely divides himself into more pieces. It remains “alive” because the other chibi Pufus are still….alive. Because Morau’s smoke soldiers attacked only certain number of chibis (for example five of them), his Deep Purple prove to be futile. I guess the key there is to attack all of these chibis at the same time. With that, the chances of actually killing Pufu are much higher.


Crazy and Unpredictable
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3551/thirdnp7.jpg

The “15 minutes” prediction sounds as if Pufu is underestimating Morau, where in reality, he feels as if he has overestimated the latter. Apparently, this is not an overestimation of his Smoke nen. What Pufu actually overestimated is Morau’s personality regarding mission. Being mission-oriented, Morau has shown his unparallel will to achieve his goal with his confidence, strength, and analytical skills. This is similar to a Royal Guard’s characteristics which sets the priority and sticks with it no matter what. Since the three have vowed to protect the king at all cost, they stick around the palace to ensure Mereum’s safety. Even if Killua and the others have intentionally shown their threat against the “sorting process” the three still choose to remain in their position because they think that Mereum is far more important than anything else. Morau has displayed similar characteristics. His conviction to carry out the priority is firm, impressing Pufu to the fullest. However, Morau’s decision to take risks rather than being glued to the mission brings Pufu to disappointment, thinking that he has overestimated the former. In his point of view, Morau’s new formed resolve is similar to that of a Royal Guard abandoning his duty.


Analysis vs. Hesitation
http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/7074/fourthuf4.jpg

It seems like Morua’s current position hasn’t changed – in psychological state, that is. While he showcases a very impressive analysis on the opponent, he still has hesitations in his mind. This has been triggered with Yupi’s appearance outside his Smoke Jail and Pufu’s supposed metamorphosis. Any slight changes in the situation automatically urge him to deduce the next, best moves and other possible scenarios. What makes this worse is that the Royal Guard he’s facing against is a very unpredictable one. He continuously analyzes Pufu’s intentions and moves and has shown no errors in his analysis so far. However, as he continues to calculate, the pressure that he feels becomes stronger – making his hesitations bigger. I guess this is the reason why he isn’t able to comprehend his encounter with chibi Pufu immediately.


Stolen
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1906/fifthyx0.jpg

Pufu’s Spiritual Message continues to become more useful as he has taken the most important ingredient in Morau’s success: his gigantic pipe. Despite being guarded by his Deep Purple, Pufu manages to sneak behind him and steal his weapon. With the aura surrounding the latter, this creates a stronger support with my speculation regarding Pufu’s “chibi versions being all essential parts to his survival.” He goes back to his original form with this Nen surrounding him, without any chibi Pufu on the scene. Aside from his Spiritual Message (which might have help him to decipher Morau’s thinking), he uses the “miniscule parts” of his chibi ability to successfully sneak behind Morau and steal his pipe. Adding insult to the injury (and to my surprise), Yupi makes a shocking appearance behind Morau. This puts Morau into tighter pinch: (1) he is not in his best condition; (2) his pipe is taken away; (3) another fight is about to begin – and it’s a fight against the most brute one. Now the question lies as to how Morau will use his Deep Purple in order to survive and win.


Surprises
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/2411/sixthsc7.jpg

It seems that Yupi is not the only one who makes a surprising appearance. After asking if Morau is the “esper” Knuckle shows up, enraged. Shoot is still nowhere in sight and Knuckle has set his suspicious eyes on Yupi. With this surprising scenario, the battlefield shifts into another turn, erasing all the intended moves and the initial plan. As Knuckle saves his master from completely losing the upper hand in the nick of time, the fight is now focused on Morau and Knuckle vs. Yupi. It seems that ideas and speculations regarding Pufu and Morau’s fight should be saved for a moment (who knows, they might end up battling again) and focus on this current scene.

A little information regarding “esper.” This word, in fact refers to a person with the ability of telepathy, or those who can communicate in mind. The character of an esper has been used widely in sci-fi masterpieces, games, and even in anime/manga. If an esper is not telephatic, he/she has the ability to wield other magical powers. And if I’m going to connect this short explanation to Yupi’s question, I cannot see any sign of Morau being an esper. Unless Yupi sees the Deep Purple as some sort of magical manifestation, then the esper here is actually referred to Pufu. His mental communication must be another variation of his Spiritual Message. I don’t know why Yupi refers this to Morau. It’s either he sees Deep Purple as magic or he must have mistaken Pufu’s mental message for being Morau’s “telepathic abilities” especially that Yupi seems to be an idiot.


Knuckle's Kage Bunshin
http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/8656/seventhbz0.jpg

After adapting to the changes in their plans and realizing that Shoot is missing, Morau immediately adjusts to the situation and vows to help his student. By manipulating the appearance of his Deep Purple, all of his 89 dolls turn into Knuckle’s form. This Nen version of Kage Bunshin no Jutsu will give the real Knuckle a good opportunity to find an opening to attack Yupi while hiding behind his Nen look-alike. Morau’s immediate plan has its own “pro-con” sides. The advantage it offers is that it can deceive Yupi very well. Since all of these Nen soldiers carry his order and that he knows his student’s personality and ability, he can ask his Deep Purple soldiers to act like Knuckle with such effectiveness. The real Knuckle can also attack him as many times as he wants by utilizing the usage of Deep Purple to the fullest. However, its “con” side offers more risks. Even if the smoke soldiers can copy his movements, it’s easy to predict that these “copies” are merely buying some time so the real Knuckle can do his attack. If Yupi manages to grow more eyes on his body , even transcend his mental ability and decipher the trick behind Nen bodies, then he will be able to find the real one. With that, he could do the same tactic he did back at Chapter 280 (he almost killed Knuckle by pretending that he’s still on a rampage). He can pretend that he is confused with numerous Knuckles surrounding him and wait for the real one to approach him. After that, he can carry out his real intention to finish the real Knuckle off. It seems that Yupi is thinking such an idea, which explains his confidence in this chapter.

Deep Purple has also its own disadvantage. It can carry out orders and appear to be proficient in fighting. However, this usually works on average fighters and those who do not have sufficient amount of aura/skill to combat it. Since Yupi has proven to be a dreaded opponent, the soldiers might not have the upper hand in terms of brute strength alone. If Morau can make up to his Deep Purple’s lack of brute power, then he has to do these three things well: (1) he has to give tighter orders to his smoke soldiers; (2) he should manipulate them calmly and cunningly; (3) he should not let his guard down. The first condition seems to be manageable whereas the second and the third ones can be problematic. The second idea creates a psychological conflict in him because he has shown hints of hesitation/confusion. He has to deduce all the best moves to fight with 100% efficiency. The third condition is even more troublesome because he is unguarded (his Deep Purple is served as Knuckle’s support) and that he doesn’t have his pipe. In case another opponent appears (Werefin for example), Morau has to get some of his smoke soldiers in order to protect him…. And he has to do it while maintaining his support to his student. Yupi on the other hand, seems to be so sure of his next move that he’s willing to give his opponents a free hit because he can ascertain that the exchange will be their lives. Whether my speculation is accurate or Yupi has a different cunning plan on his mind, this “free hit” is very crucial. Knuckle has to choose the best “opening” that the smoke soldiers will provide for him, thus increasing Yupi’s loan and hopefully making him bankrupt.

The Spectacle: http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/2214/spectaclegi9.jpg

Perhaps the best part of this chapter is the showmanship of Pufu’s ability. Among the three, he’s the one who hasn’t showcased his combat-oriented techniques. His short but sneaky encounter against Morau displays his real threat as an opponent. With the addition of his Spiritual Message, he becomes more invincible. Yupi and Knuckle’s surprise appearance also adds more color to this chapter. Togashi is able to astound his readers by changing the expected battles and turning them into more complex and troublesome ones. As this epic develops, more problems occur, eventually leading to characters’ dilemma. These conflicts are introduced very well, now all that is left is for Togashi to maintain the flow of his unpredictability and creativity. With this, the speculation prowess of the fans can be extended further with countless of possible scenarios pouring down. All the waiting will be worth it.

The Downside:http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/1851/downsideaq1.jpg

I still miss the narration and the stopwatch. However, if I am going to write the same stuff as I did back at my Chapter 283 review, then this section will be pointless. But to make this “downside corner” valuable, I will express not the glitches of this chapter, but the conflict that is present here. This way, it will help us understand the current story much better.

Some of the conflicts here have already occurred it the previous chapter. Shoot’s sudden disappearance, Killua’s current disposition, and Morau’s next move. The previous two aren’t answered yet; Morau already shows us his most predictable move, which is wielding his Deep Purple. However, I do believe that the main conflict of this chapter lies in his disposition. Even before they intruded the palace, Morau has already displayed his two predicaments: his lack of strength and Novu’s absence. He’s aware that there are other troubles that might occur in his way…. and these things are emphasized in this chapter. His pipe is stolen, he has to rely on 89 Deep Purple soldiers, Yupi faces him and his student, and he has to support Knuckle while maintaining his composure and safety. If Morau stayed inside the Smoke Jail, then he’d be safer, but that would fail him as a hunter for not being able to complete his mission. Worse, it would cause failure on his responsibility as a master and as a friend because he wasn’t able to protect his friends and students. He surely takes higher risks when he releases his Smoke Jail. Hopefully, we’ll get to see how far his new-found resolve can go in the next chapter.

Final Notes:http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/3669/finalnotesdf4.jpg

Even if my expectation to see a glimpse of the looming and the exciting fight between Mereum and Netero, I am very impressed to spot subtleties in this chapter: Morau’s tight pinches and the rippling effect of his new resolve. It shows more depth to his character and more density to his situation. Togashi also manages to show to his readers that he hasn’t lost his genius by surprising us with Yupi’s and Knuckle’s appearances. I am looking forward to see what turns out on this epic battle.

[haruka9]

Siegfried: I completed those parts on different days, but as soon as I was finished, I posted it here.

Tomgoood01: Thank you very much. Your comment is really flattering. I am soooo glad that you like my introduction. :D And I'll keep on writing reviews for Hunter X Hunter and One Piece and do it as best as I can. :D

[Shiro-kun]

Interesting chapter, cant wait until comes out :)
Morau and Knuckles vs Yupi hopefully the defining factor in ending this battle against Yupi is near.

[Tomgoood01]

Oh by the way when will your next review be finished and where can i find the posts

[haruka9]

I'm done with Chapters 283 and 284. Here are the links:

http://mangahelpers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42377 (Chapter 284)

http://mangahelpers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41498 (Chapter 283)

Chapters 281 and 282 are still in progress. I post my reviews here in "Shounen" section and I'll keep you updated as soon as I finish writing them.

[Oni_James]

damn it that battle with yupi is going so far and we don't know if it's ending soon (i have my hopes on the "yes") and we can't hope that hakoware will seal yupi's nen in less than some hours
seeing that any other battles are being shown, i think netero battle will be shown as a flashback, althought it's not so HxH of doing a flashback battle

[badcompany777]

Honestly, I'm sick of this arc. It's been going on for too long!
I want the other fights to start already Togashi!

[kewl0210]

According to the math we did, the fight against yupi at least, should end soon. As it would seem, every battle is going on at once, so it's not like it will take another 30 chapters before Pufu is defeated, or anything.

[sharingan_kakashi]

dam i thought that spoiler where Morau died was real. That would have been a cool thing to see. Sucks but cool.

they only managed to fight for 7minutes. What the heck is happening to Hawakore (or whatever that things name is) its been a while since we saw it do something.

[Tomgoood01]

Hey this might seem old new but i was re watching the York shin City Arc and i was watching the fight between Zeno Silva and Kuroro and i noticed Kuroro's inside plan. I might be wrong but this what i think happened.

Kuroro plan was never to defeat the Zoldyck pair but set up a brief encounter to steal their ability's, he had it setup so that the fight would end when the 10 godfathers were dead which he hired llumi to kill so when the fight was over he would have some new ability's and have the 10 godfathers killed all done by the Zoldyck family.

At the same Zeno and Silva knew that Kuroro planed on using llumi to kill their Clients. Which i am aware that they new the fight was just for show and were on their guard not to slip up being that the encounter would be brief which would defeat Kuroro's stealing ability's plan. As well Kuroro knew that they about his plan being that Illumi told Zeno and Silva. Even though Kuroro must have just given it a shot at trying to get a ability during the fight. Kuroro knew that the confrontation was inevitable so getting the Zoldyck family to kill the 10 god fathers was Kuroro's only option when he knew the the Zoldycks were after him instead of having an all out fight to the death. Kuroro instead of just defending himself until the ten god fathers were killed he got greedy and tried to get an ability which coast him a bruise or too. That was probably his worst case scenario he thought for his greed.

But until that appointed time Zeno and Silva would have to keep their arrangements with the god fathers to kill Kuroro maybe they have been paid in advance if they were going on with the fight. So being that they were getting doubled paid must of been a sweet deal. Or that they did not know that their clients the 10 godfather were to be killed until they were looking for Kuroro and they could not break their policy.

I am not sure if this really have any importance but it's a neat bit of info. I could be wrong but before you reply watch the fight and see if i'm confusing something or missed something anyway thanks for reading.

[hunter71485]

Zeno and Silva wasn't paid yet. That's why they dropped their mission without hesitation.

[haruka9]

CHAPTER 285: YUPI'S END

Chapter 285 is finally out. I’ve been craving to see this chapter after reading some spoilers. I even thought that this is going to break all the previous four, bringing us to the climax of this arc. However, there were certain events that didn’t turn according to my expectations. Even so, I am still happy to see some progress in Morau and Knuckle’s situation and even a prelude to another imminent “affair.”


Puppet
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6726/introlx9.jpg

One of my favorite pages in this arc. After his fatal and disturbing encounter with the dreaded Pitou, it was marked that he’d be revived with the Royal’s Guards ability. His Specialization skill was not yet revealed, yet it appeared very clear that he’d be resurrected. I doubt that he’d be the same kind-hearted, but bad-ass Kaito, but I knew his next encounter with his friends (especially Gon) would be something to watch out for. It was stirred much further when Knuckle showed anxious expression upon seeing him. So, I had truly waited for this.

When this came out, I felt that Gon and I had the same feelings. The sadness, the shock, the resentment, the rage, and the regret – they were beyond words. Even if he wasn’t given much spotlight, Kaito has been portrayed as one of the Hunter X Hunter’s lovable characters. This was why I felt that this page created such a large impact upon the readers that it could mark as one of the arc’s best points…. Kaito had been used as a training material or test object for the ants…. that, itself, was ghastly. And what made it more awful was that he appeared neither alive nor dead, “insulting/bastardizing” him to the fullest. The effect of this to Gon was so huge that it made became his primary or maybe, his only source of motivation to beat Pitou.


Jyonen Ant
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6868/firstww0.jpg

Just when I thought that this girl would be ignored in this arc, she finally made her way to prove that she wasn’t just an “extra character” as she seemed to be. She decides to escape along with her servant, thinking that the palace is no longer a safe place. She doesn’t know that both of her superiors are already dead; she made an assumption that her boss, Leol (formerly known as Hagya) and Flutter are dead because of failed communication and Zitoh, having the same fate, because of Nen reaction in her stomach. I don’t think I include it in my Introduction, so I’m taking this opportunity to give Hina a spec of justice and explain her abilities. Her Nen skill is similar to that of a Jyonen. She can remove Nen imposed on someone, by “eating” it and storing it in her belly. The strength of the imposed Nen will be determined on the change of her figure – the stronger the imposed Nen is, the more deformed she becomes. Her ability must be used to remove Zitoh’s Hakoware. As far as I remember, it was Leol who made the negotiation with Zitoh. He lured the latter, saying that he had someone with the ability to remove Potclean, with the condition of granting favors. Because Hina was his subordinate, he must have ordered her to remove the hybrid cheetah’s imposed Nen. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem like it is completely eliminated. She has the ability to (technically) remove it from the individual, but she doesn’t have the power to (actually) get rid of it. It will stay in Hina’s belly if that individual is alive. That is why she uses Hakoware (Zitoh’s imposed Nen) in her stomach to determine his status. It seems that Hakoware is completely eradicated in her stomach when he’s killed by Silva. It is not yet confirmed if she sets similar Nen-removing conditions as Abegane.


Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/4661/secondiq3.jpg

It doesn’t seem like her former boss is the only one who is skilled in negotiations. Secretary Bizef, who had been M.I.A. for a long period, also made an appearance here. In fact, he is trapped from huge debris and can’t get himself out due to its weight. So, he seizes the opportunity and asks Hina a small favor in exchange of a big reward. With the thought of countless buckets of shimmering objects waiting for her, Hina immediately removes the debris. However, this doesn’t change Secretary Bizef’s situation at all. In fact he becomes more trapped in the situation. He’s been anxious with Palm’s disappearance and the consequence of the Royal Guards’ discovery of his harem is lethal. Werefin sets a loose alliance with him and that suspicious wolf will monitor his movements. And now he sets negotiations with another Chimera Ant who threatens to kill him if the reward turns unsatisfactory. The allied forces can’t help him; it even serves as another threat to his life. To save himself, he succumbs to using his two last resorts: the promising amount of his treasure and his unlimited access to the palace. But these things are powerful only in a fight against a greedy individual. In a situation where physical power is the main instrument for survival, I believe this form of bribery can’t be of much help. Yeah, it can grant him another minute of his life, but he will end up in a graver situation, no matter what. He will either be captured and incarcerated by the allied forced or the Chimera Ant will do the honor of restraining and killing him. Between the devil and the deep blue sea, the only solution that he comes up is to escape from both forces alive. I have no idea how he’ll achieve his goal. His “ero-power” won’t clearly help him (unless his wide array of harem offers to act as his shield) so, he can only utilize his “bribery power” to assist him. I wonder how far this power can go.


Yupi's "Cleverness"
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/2764/thirdud5.jpg

I’m glad to know that my speculation is correct, but I am not proud of it since reading Morau and Knuckle’s plan and even Yupi’s line of thinking are piece of cake (sheesh!). Deep Purple is used to create an opening for the real Knuckle. Yupi thinks the same way so he just waits for the real one to approach him. Although there are only 89 smoke soldiers (which means each of them is much stronger), the Royal Guard still gains the upper hand because of his brute strength. The smoke soldiers disappear one by one, making the situation more critical. At this point, Morau gets into bigger trouble. If he continues to attack Yupi without his student assisting him, he’ll lose his smoke soldiers in no time. Even if he commands them to escape or to shield him, the latter’s speed and strength can surely obliterate them in an instant. With that, nothing will be left to Morau except huge miracle. This is why Knuckle should get the perfect timing to punch the much alert Yupi.


The Raging Idiot
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1516/fourthgx2.jpg

It seems that Yupi automatically turns into an ugly monster when he’s enraged. He initially thinks that the situation is very manageable since he already predicts his opponents’ plan. In addition to that, he prepares himself for any surprise attack that might appear. But it turns out that his confidence and his “brilliant” plan (to lure him and act like he’s confused) are disrupted by Morau’s cleverness. He realizes this when he powerfully attacks a smoke soldier, thinking that it’s the real Knuckle. Followed by Morau’s taunting remark, Yupi immediately turns into a horrifying creature. This time, his rage doesn’t seem like an act. Like a Reinforcement user, he loses his cool when something uncontrollable occurs. He lets his boiling blood control him. Being an impulsive idiot that he is, he only focuses on destroying his object. This is why he becomes helpless upon facing a calm and clever opponent because the latter can establish a good plan to make up for his lack of power. If Yupi didn’t possess a stupendous amount of aura, he’d surely be beaten in a whim. Anyway, it seems like he lets his guard down when he is in destruction mode. He must have thought that the real Knuckle was never there in the first place and that Morau just lured him into thinking that Deep Purple acted as a diversion so the real one could attack him. With this thought, he set his eyes on Morau alone and lets his guard down because the smoke soldiers don’t stand as a threat. He just has to eliminate him, then start to look for the real one. What he doesn’t realize is that the deception truly lies on Morau’s comment: “Have you finally realized you fool? The real one was never here to begin with.” And that is why he gets stunned when the real Knuckle punches him.

The Spectacle:http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3223/spectacle2en9.jpg

I guess many will agree that the best part of this chapter is Knuckle’s successful punch. Last chapter, it was impressed that it was very crucial since Yupi planned to make a lethal counterattack afterwards. I’ve been wondering how the two would manage to land a big blow on the Royal Guard without being injured and thankfully, my bewilderment is ended in this chapter. I love the part where Morau taunts and deceives Yupi into thinking that the latter’s expectations are just pieces of imagination, where in fact, he predicts Morau and Knuckle’s movement very accurately. And it’s already late when he grasps the realization that Morau just lies to him. In Yupi’s point of view, the two uses “double deception” method in order to complete their attack. This trick really works on someone idiotic and impulsive like Yupi…. if the opponent is someone cool and clever, he would have contemplated on Morau’s movement and would have considered that the real one is actually there (just waiting for the right moment to attack). Oh yeah, the stopwatch is established once again and it also builds intensity on this chapter. It makes you ponder on the other events which unfold within that period. Furthermore, the entire area is shown. You can see the place where Yupi first rampaged (which was also the place where Killua attacked him with his Kanmaru). It appears that another explosion occurs. It can be the result of another episode of Yupi’s rampage or maybe, a different fight is taking place.

The Downside:http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2826/downsidecz7.jpg

I maybe saying this too subjectively, but I am appalled with the outcome of this chapter. I was expecting this to become one of the highlights of this arc, but it turned out to be something simple. Yeah, another conflict is featured (Secretary Bizef’s dilemma) and progress is established in Morau (and Knuckle) and Yupi’s fight, but it isn’t as exciting as it should be. This explains why I emphasize only four pictures in this review. There are plain pages that can be omitted and should be replaced by something more significant; it conveys only one meaning where it can feature a new progress in the arc. I believe some of these panles/pages can be compressed into one.

Final Notes:http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2420/finalnoteskc8.jpg

Even if we see more illustrations in this chapter, I’m still glad that we witness some monumental events in this chapter. Morau’s talent in analyzing his opponent remains unparallel (he must have figured out that Yupi is an idiot and an impulsive type) and his cleverness becomes the real diversion for Knuckle’s winning punch. I hope that we see more of Hakoware doing its magic and see Yupi’s real end. This must be the shortest review I’ve ever made. But then again, I had fun writing as much as I enjoyed seeing their fight.

[kewl0210]

Something I should mention, though there are several possible spellings for names, Zitoh was incorrect, an error by the old Nexgear translator. He had a small "u" in his name, menaing it should be pronounced "Zitu", as in like "Nel Tu".
If the u is large, it means you pronounce the "to" kana it's attached to, makes it "tou", with how he got the "oh" sound. With it being a small u, which happens rarely because it's not a natual sound in japanese, it replaced the "o" in "to" and makes it "tu".
Carlosnet spelled with Djitu. I guess Dj makes a Z sound, somehow...

Hina said before that "the stronger the ability, the larger my stomach gets". Which might be some indication. Also she reffered to herself as a girl, if there's still any question that there are no girl ants.

And though nen isn't supposed to disappear just because someone dies, I dunno how it would work on "if host nen is imposed on dies, imposed nen also dies". But it wasn't on him anymore at all, it was on Hina, so it makes it seem unlikely.

It might also be worth mentioning that Bizef was off looking for "that woman" which he'd lost track of in his last appearance, then went off to look for a bomb that Welfin pretended existed, in order to extend his own power.

It should also be noted, that Yupi using his strongest attack again should be taking off a large chunk of his 700,000 aura MOP. We were estimating on Nexgear that it was about 100,000, and with the effect being Haokware takes about a minute less to get up to the point where he can't pay back.

[Host Samurai]

Here 's the spoiler for chapter 286!

　HUNTERHUNTER
　No.286?本体
No. 286 Real Body

　　　【どこかの川へキセルを捨てるプフ】
　　　[Pufu throws the pipe into a river somewhere.]

プフ（これで煙使いは脱落...！）
Pufu: (With this, he loses the ability to use smoke...!)
　　（後は宮殿に戻り現状を把握し王の元へ!!）
　　(Next I'll return to the palace, assess the current situation, and return
to the king!!)
　　（おそらく私がお側についても王は五月蠅がられるだ�
�でしょうが）
　　(Probably, if I'm at least at the King's side, I can at least be a May
Fly.) [That's what he says...]
　　（〝蝿の王〟(ベルゼブブ)!!）
　　("Lord of the Flies" (Beazelbub)!!) [So, for those who don't know the
pattern of how this works yet, the first line in the kanjis describing the
attack, which is how it's refferred to in the spoilers. The second name
is the katakana reading of the attack, it's name.)

　　　【プフがちびプフに変体する】
　　　[Pufu changes into Chibi-Pufus]

プフ（さあ我が一部達!!）
Pufu: (Now, my parts!!)
　　（宮殿にいる者の位置・状態を知るのです!!）
　　(Learn of the current situation of those in the palace!!)
ちびプフ（キャハハハハハーーー!!!）
Chibi-Pufu: (Kyahahahahahaaaaaa!!)

　　プフの〝蝿の王〟は自分の体を最小ナノサイズまで
　　Pufu's "Lord of the Flies" is an ability with which he is able to
　　分解することが出来る能力である
　　 break down his own body until to the smallest nano-size.
　　自身を様々な大きさ・数に分割する事が可能で
　　The selves' sizes vary. With the number of possible divisions,
　　サイズが小さければ小さい程 その数は増える
　　if the size is small, to the degree the size is smaller the more the
number multiplies.
　　ただし司令塔となる「本体」は最小でも
　　However, though the control tower, the "Real body" is smallest,
　　ハチ程度の大きさを維持しなければならない
　　it has to maintain the largeness of a bee.
　　[This doesn't make sense to me... if it's the smallest and has to be
the size of a bee, how can he become nanometers in size... Maybe it means
"right now it's the smallest"]

プフ（煙の人貴方が結界を解除しなければ）
Pufu: (If the smoke guy hadn't let down his barrier)
　　（「本体」は脱出できませんでした）
　　(The "Real body" could not have escaped.)
　　（それは「私」の戦闘力の半減を意味します）
　　(That would have brought the fighting strength of "me" to half.)
　　（ぬけがらと自身の力量比べるべくもない事は）
　　(Without that, it wouldn't have compared to my own power.) [This sentence
is weird... it's something like this.]
　　（分身を扱う貴方ならばよくお解かりでしょう）
　　(Dealing with my replication would've been a better solution for you,
probably.)
　　（本体が解かれた私に死角なし！貴方の負けです）
　　(Being able to find a solution for my real body there are no blind spots!
You lose.)
　　（貴方はもっと慎重に迷うべきだったのです）
　　（そうすれば少なくとも蛹が蛻だと気付いた後も）
　　（「消えた中身が結界の外に出たのかどうか」で迷え�
�はず...!!）
　　（さらに「私」が結界の外から声をかけたとしても）
　　（それが「本物かどうか」で迷えたのです......!!）
　　（先程 貴方に吐露した作戦は私にとっていわば決死の策......!!）
　　（いくら「私」が外で貴方の仲間を撹乱しようと所詮�
�「蛻」）
　　（貴方と同等程度の手練が数人いれば）
　　（多少の犠牲は出してもいずれは気付く）
　　（こいつは偽物だ!!と）
　　（それが発覚し貴方が真実を知った時に）
　　（まだ「本体」を結界から出していなければ）
　　（貴方は私の能力の本質を悟り苦もなく「本体」を探�
�出したでしょう） 
　　（そうなればこの姿の私には貴方に抗う術はもうなか�
�た）
　　（要するに最初の目的のまま結界を解かなければ）
　　（仲間の痛みは伴うものの おそらく私を倒し得たのです）
　　（そして私は10％ほどはそれを覚悟していた）
　　（それほど貴方の感情図は優れていたのです）
　　（直前の大爆発で心がぶれたのでしょう 残念です!!）
　　（しかしお陰で私は自由!!!）
　　（次は宮殿の状況を掌握します!!!）


（西等二階にピトーとコムギ）
　　（コムギを修理中の様子!!すぐ側に敵とおぼしき少年一名!!）
　　（地下シェルター入り口付近に三名!!）
　　（ヒナと兵隊蟻一匹そしてビゼフ!!地下へ向かうかも!!）
　　（その背後にウェルフィン）
　　（前の三名を尾行している模様!!）

　　（.........）
　　（コムギは龍の矢にやられたらしいですね）
　　（しかしなぜ側の敵はピトーを攻めない？コムギの知�
�合いか？）

　　（東塔兵隊蟻用控え室に一名!!）
　　（数日前に捕えた人間!!もうすぐ産まれる模様!!）
　　（うおっここはすげェ!!敵がいっぱいだ!!）
　　（ひーふーみーあ でもユピーがどんどん消してる!!）
　　（宮殿北部にユピーと敵役50名!!）
　　（煙のおっさんと沢山のヤンキー達!!）
　　（あと変なトンガリ頭のデブ!!敵味方不明!!）

　　（トンガリ頭はユピーの新能力？）
　　（ヤンキーは一人だけ本物で他は煙の分身でしょう）
　　（消えた分身が増えないのはやはりキセルが能力の要�
�ったから!!）
　　（ユピーならば一分とかからず本物にたどり着くでし�
�う!!）
　　（王がいない!? 一体どこへ!?）
　　（皆さん一旦戻ってくるのです!!）

　　　【物陰に隠れていたキルアとメレオロン】
　　　[Hiding in a shelter are Killua and Meleoron.]
キルア「行ったな」
Killua: "He went."

　　突入前の段階ですでにモラウが
　　万全の体調からは遠い状態にあったのは間違いない
　　そのモラウが極度の緊張状態の中プフとの神経戦に臨�
�
　　疲労と焦燥から早まった判断に身を委ねたのも確かで�
�る
　　しかし
　　ユピーとナックルの一騎打ちを防ぎサポートできたの�
�
　　あの場面以外にはなかった
　　結果的には〝監獄ロック〟を解くタイミングとして唯�
�無二
　　絶妙の判断だったといえる
　　それは偶然の産物によってのみ生じたのではなく
　　モラウの数多の経験にも助けられたと解釈するのが妥�
�であり
　　仲間がギリギリ持ちこたえられる時間が予想以上に短�
�という負の情報と 
　　モラウは突入直後実際に目の当たりにした敵の戦力と�
�間の戦力とを
　　量りにかけ当初の読みが甘すぎたことを無意識下では�
�じていたのだ
　　そのために自分が〝監獄ロック〟を解いてまで助けに�
�く是非との
　　葛藤から避けるために理屈を蛹への攻撃に転嫁したに�
�ぎない
　　モラウの老獪な戦場での処世術が仲間の窮地を救った�
�だ

プフ「!!」
Pufu: "!!"
　　（オーラの爆発!?ユピーの!?）
　　(An explosion of auda!? Yupi's!?)
　　（あの状況から使うほどの技ですか!?）
　　(The situation there is to the degree of using that technique!?)
　　（......気にはなりますが優先すべきは王の行方を知ること!!）
　　(......There's energy, but the priority should be knowing the whereabouts
of the king!!)

　　　【蝿の王を解除するプフ】
　　　[Pufu cancells Lord of the Flies]

　　　【宮殿北西部】
　　　[Northwest in the palace]
ナックル（助かったぜボス!! あの「条件づけ」がなかったらキレて突っこむとこ
ろだった!!）
Knuckle: (You saved me, Boss!! Without that "conditioning" I would've been
cut and stabbed!!)
過去モラウ「いいか？オレがお前の「怒った顔の分身」を�
�すのは」
Past Morau: "Alright? I will put out an "angry-faced" replication of you."
　　　　　「お前がぶち切れて周りが全く見えてない時だ�
�だからな」
　　　　　「それを見たらお前は一旦分身に混じって一息�
�いて現状でやるべき
事をちゃんと考えろ！」

ナックル（頭冷やして考えてみりゃあ ユピーがシュートを連れ去れるわけがねー
んだった）
　　　　（かといって もう自力では動けないシュートを一体誰が!?）
　　　　（くそっ 考えるな!! 集中欠いて手に負える相手かよ!!）


　　　【何処かの医療施設？ベッドで処置を受けているシ�
�ート】
　　　[Medical facilities(?) somewhere. Shoot undergoes treatment on a bed.]
シュート（.........ここは.........どこだ）
Shoot: (.........Where..........is this?)
　　　　（......あれは...）
　　　　(......That's...)
　　　【ノヴ？がドアから異空間へ出て行く】
　　　[Novu? goes through a door to a different space.]


　　　【地下シェルター入り口付近 塔が崩れ倒れてくる】
　　　[Near the underground shelter entrance, the ruined tower collapses.]
兵隊蟻「キャーーーーーーー」
Soldeir ant [I guess it means Shidore, Hina's caretaker.]: "Kyaaaaaaaaaa"
ビゼフ「ひいいっ」
Bizef: "Hiiih"
ヒナ「やばー!! 急いで早く!! ふさがっちゃう前に入るよ!!」
Hina: "This is dangerous!! Hurry up!! Get busy and go forward!!"
ウェルフィン（クソビゼフはオレの獲物だぞ!!）
Welfin: (Damn, Bizef is my prey!!)
　　　　　　（能力さえわかれば手が打てるんだが）
　　　　　　(As long as I know the ability I can strike my hand, but)
　　　　　　

　　　【キルアとメレオロン】
　　　[Killua and Meleoron]
キルア「オレは充電終えたらゴンとこ戻る お前はナックルんとこ行ってくれ」
Killua: "When I finish recharging my electricity, I'm going back to Gon.
You go to Knuckle.]
　　　「プフが結界から出た以上ダンナがやられた可能性�
�高い」
　　　"After Pufu has escaped from his barrier, it's very likely master
will have been defeated." [I assume by "master" he means Morau, no one else
makes sense...]
　　　「状況みて撤退含めてナックルと決めてくれ」
　　　"Depending on the situation, decide with Knuckle to evacuate."
メレオロン「おお前らは？」
Meleoron: "What about you guys?"
キルア「ゴンはああなったらテコでも動かねーから 最悪心中だな」
Kllua: "With Gon like that we won't be moving there's nothing that can leverage
him to move, it's the worst, in my mind."
メレオロン「.........」
Meleoron: "........."
キルア「ウソだよ！」
Killua: "I'm kidding!"
　　　「だーーいじょーーおぶ オレには「カイト」っつー」
　　　"Daaaaai jyooo bu. ["It's okay" with the syllables stretched out.].
For me it's 'Kaito'."
　　　「最強の呪文があっからな こっちは任せろ」
　　　"The strongest spell from there, I'll leave this side to you."
メレオロン（ホントかよ...？）
Meleoron: (Really...?)
　　　　　（なら なんでお前あの時）
　　　　　(Then why at that time)
　　　　　（あんな哀しそうな顔してたんだよ？）
　　　　　(did you make that kind of sorrowful face?)
　　　　　（.............）
　　　　　(............)
　　　　　（いいんだな.........？）
　　　　　(Is this alright.........?)
　　　　　（言えねーし 言わねーんだよな？）
　　　　　(You're can't saying anything, you aren't, right?)
　　　　　（......じゃあ聞けねーし 聞かねーよ？）
　　　　　(......Then, you can't here anything, you aren't hearing, right?)


　　　【西塔二階 ゴンとピトー】
　　　[West Tower Second Floor, Gon and Pitou]
ピトー「それ以上こっちへ来るなプフ!!」
Pitou: "Don't come any closer, Pufu!!"
プフ「.........」
Pufu: "........."
　　「なぜですか？ 貴方が声を発しなければ私は彼を仕留められた」
　　"Why? If you hadn't called out, I would've been able to finish him."
　　「何を不必要に怯えているのですか？」
　　"What is this unnecessary fear?"
ピトー「......」
Pitou: "......"
　　　「このコは気付いていたよ プフが殺意をもって近づけば」
　　　"This child noticed. With your intending to kill getting closer."
　　　「このコは迷わずコムギの方へ突っ込んできた」
　　　"This child came immediately when Komugi was hit."
　　　「そんな一か八かはゴメンだ」
　　　"Sorry for that kind of gamble."
プフ「解せませんね その娘を助けたいから彼はそこに居るのでしょう？」
Pufu: "I don't understand. If you wanted to save that girl, why is he there?"

　　「それがまるで彼女に危害を及ぼすかのような口ぶり�
�体」
　　"That is completely a way to cause danger to her."
ゴン「お前には関係ない」
Gon: "This doesn't concern you."
　　「黙ってろ!!!」
　　"Shut up!!!"
煽り「揺るがぬゴンにプフは...!!!」
Narrator: "Gon unwavered by Pufu!!!"

[hunter71485]

Gon kills Pufu = WIN.

[Host Samurai]

Here are some spoiler pics.

http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/408/001vt51mv1.th.jpg (http://img386.imageshack.us/my.php?image=001vt51mv1.jpg)

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/2240/002mp81bx9.th.jpg (http://img375.imageshack.us/my.php?image=002mp81bx9.jpg)

http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/5213/003ig71hr4.th.jpg (http://img390.imageshack.us/my.php?image=003ig71hr4.jpg)

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/1826/004lb61rl5.th.jpg (http://img223.imageshack.us/my.php?image=004lb61rl5.jpg)

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/3632/005do31lx9.th.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=005do31lx9.jpg)

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/9362/06bn81uu8.th.jpg (http://img517.imageshack.us/my.php?image=06bn81uu8.jpg)

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4826/007he81ai4.th.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/my.php?image=007he81ai4.jpg)

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/9056/008pi71oh0.th.jpg (http://img523.imageshack.us/my.php?image=008pi71oh0.jpg)

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/6461/009nv81no3.th.jpg (http://img519.imageshack.us/my.php?image=009nv81no3.jpg)

Gon's expression on the last page is WIN!!:p

[CopyNinjaKakashi]

I can't wait! This chapter looks like it has a lot going on.

[ophidial]

I can't wait! This chapter looks like it has a lot going on.

Its definately wordy and sounds kinda confusing so far but
the little snippets of Gon are definately worth it!!

[kewl0210]

Most of it is exposition of Pufu examinig what's going on with his ability Beazelbub. There actually are one or two "new" things in it. It has a lot of pages talking about the situation between Pufu and Morau that had just ended, too.
Then it takes like one page for each of the current situations with every group of characters.

[admirenkiwi]

i wanna see some hisoka vs gon. ilumi?(kirua's bro) vs. kirua, and the revival of the ryodan! i just hope they are gonna get back on track. =/

[SwordKirby537]

I want to see Gon vs Nefelpitou, and the old guy vs the King. There is still a lot to wrap up in this arc.

[hunter71485]

i wanna see some hisoka vs gon. ilumi?(kirua's bro) vs. kirua, and the revival of the ryodan! i just hope they are gonna get back on track. =/

well when ryodan gangs up on kurapika we know what's gonna happen =)

[admirenkiwi]

well when ryodan gangs up on kurapika we know what's gonna happen =)

lol the more you'd wanna read it! xD
just hope they continue with it =]

[Optimist]

wow what a chapter !
Gon in the last page saying to Pufu "Keep your mouth shut", he realy has no fear... the story is realy getting interesting

[Optimist]

wow Great review! please continue for the next chapters, I would never like you to stop, please...
this serie deserves more love

[kurz]

i just started reading back HxH since i stopped at vol 18..
man the story is getting better n better..
love his way of describing the story during the fights..
full of interesting stuff..
oh yea i wonder y during the early ants arc his drawing was kinda like very..mm "lazy"?
gd thing now back to normal :D


edit: ahh..i found the answer regarding the drawings in 1st page :)

hmm i wonder if netero will tell the king his real name..
since netero knows the name from the mother..
im pretty sure the king will know his real name from netero..
thus that might change sth in the outcome of the fight..

[Luckas]

It took me at least a year, maybe 2 or even 3, to convince myself Togashi wasn't foreshadowing Killua death and now he did it again :crying

[redcometfm]

How so?

[admirenkiwi]

HE BETTER NOT DIE! :mad

[hunter71485]

Who also believes that the new awakening ant is Palm?

[kewl0210]

Msot people think that in these discussions on NG becasue there's no one else for it to be. Palm was probably captured, since she never got back to the group in any form of communication.

[TheGenius]

Hey Hunter conoisseurs...

I got a question, there was a character that was a build up in the Ant arc that was a man who's unknown to mankind or something like that....What is it all about?

[hunter71485]

That'll be Meleoron by now.

[sharingan_kakashi]

yup. that Meleoreon before he became an ant.

@new chapter: did you guys see the end?!?! That was awesome. I always like looking at a pissed Gon. i hope they fight so we can see how much Gon has improved, Killua has improved so much since the beginning of the arc now its time for Gon to show his stuff.

[hunter71485]

funny how killua is running on the palace's power in a literal sense.

[kewl0210]

Wait? Who was Meleoron? If you're talking about Jairo it's almost impossible for him to be Meleoron, because Meleoron's had inner monologues and doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives or contain any of the qualities of the "world hating monster". And the thing about Meleoron giving a name similar to "Jairo" when he appeared is incorrect if you read the katakana.
I think we're talking about the same thing. The guy who was wearing a big coat and walked through the area near where Gon was, they gave his backstory without showing his form. I'm fairly sure they didn't mention Meleoron as someone "unknown to mankind" or anything...

[hunter71485]

He WAS. He changed.

[sharingan_kakashi]

funny how killua is running on the palace's power in a literal sense.
Hahaha that was awesome. I didnt even think he can do that. He can convert his Nen to Electricity and vice versa. That is awesome. That skill of his deplete his tank so fast. Just like a supercar running at 8mpg.

Wait? Who was Meleoron? If you're talking about Jairo it's almost impossible for him to be Meleoron, because Meleoron's had inner monologues and doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives or contain any of the qualities of the "world hating monster". And the thing about Meleoron giving a name similar to "Jairo" when he appeared is incorrect if you read the katakana.
I think we're talking about the same thing. The guy who was wearing a big coat and walked through the area near where Gon was, they gave his backstory without showing his form. I'm fairly sure they didn't mention Meleoron as someone "unknown to mankind" or anything...
so you think Meleoron is not Jairo? i was pretty sure he was then again i cant read katakana. i have to reread that part again now. This discussion has come up once before and the conclusion was Jairo=Meleoron.

Edit:
Found this page
http://www.onemanga.com/Hunter_X_Hunter/241/13/
so you're saying he said something different in the raw?

[kewl0210]

Yes, I've explained this like 10 times before, but I'll do it again.
That line Meleoron is about to say whatever his name was before he chose a new name. The commanders all chose their own names once they left the queen.

The name he starts to say there is ジェイル (lit. Jeiru)
While Jairo's name is ジャイロ (lit Jyairo)
It's written in that page as "Jail" because it's pronounced like the english word "jail". Not "j-eye-l", which is how Jairo's name is pronounced.

There are countless other arguements, everyon one says he is not. It's not 100% until we've seen Jairo himself, since Meloron doesn't show up until after the "Jairo story". But Meleoron would need to be completely putting on an act and making his personality totally different, including crying when no one can see him and making his own thoughts be compassionate towards people when they can't read his mind.

Jairo is said to hate all people. Meloron said he wanted revenge on the king for killing Peggy who, once he'd regained his human memories, found out was his father originally. Jairo hated his father for lying to him when he had trusted him above all else, and killed him himself.

Uh... let's see... Also Jairo would need some motivation for killing the king or getting close to Gon's group, which we haven't heard of yet.

Jairo was said to have never been under control of the queen because his human emotions were so strong he never lost his memories. Meloron is seen in an early chapter fighting to gather people for the queen along with a koala guy. Chapter 189.

There could've been more, but really with just one of these I'm satisfied.

[TheGenius]

Good explaination kewl....[runs back to re-re-re-read the chaps...]

Also, do you think the king has a brother? Maybe a little sprout that ran-off mama's vagina? I have some vahue memories of the ants taking another baby and protecting it....maybe I'm studying too much...

[hunter71485]

the first-born general was raising it, if memory serves me right. he got permission from netero.

[SwordKirby537]

That bird guy had the Queen's fetus.

[TheGenius]

So...maybe he'll fight the King?

Oh and i think I found Togashi's inspiration for Netero...it's spooky...

http://flickr.com/photos/16992017@N06/2065901686

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2204/1904914821_ce00757c35.jpg?v=0

[sharingan_kakashi]

who is that? is he someone famous in Japan or did you just found a look alike.

@287. awesome we finally get to see Netero and the King. Yupi's fight is almost over, Pitou is not gonna fight anymore, Pufu is up to something. We might see him fight Gon and Killua. i cant wait till next week.

[hunter71485]

well i wanna see pufu find out he's got a hole in his chest...

my bad that's raikiri hole.

[TheGenius]

who is that? is he someone famous in Japan or did you just found a look alike.

Dunno...his name is Mario Netero....even weirder...

[Host Samurai]

Here's the spoiler for chapter 288 thx to kewl0210

Narrator: "The ant's expectation... at that intersection is Gon!!"

　　ピトーはプフの要求通り襲撃直後
　　Pitou, in accordance with Pufu's request, immediately following the
raid
　　つまりプフと別れた時点から語り始めた
　 breifly, starts talking about from when she separated from Pufu.
　　ゴンが知らない部分をあえて説明する事で
　　when parts Gon didn't know about are reached in the explanation
　　ゴンが「話を聞く事に集中」するよう仕向ける狙いで�
�る
　　Gon makes "Focusing on listening to the story" an aim.

　HUNTER×HUNTER
　No.288◆賞賛
No. 288◆Commendation

　　コムギを抱きかかえた王の事を意図的に話さなかった�
�は
　　She purposely does not mention about how the king was holding Komugi
in his arms.
　　あの状況を言葉で忠実に再現する言葉を持たなかった�
�らだ
　　Because she did not have the words to faithfully restore that situation.
　　ゴンに際立った変化は無い
　　Gon has no significant change
　　━━が
-------But
　　ピトーはゴンの視線の揺らぎに企みの成功を見た
　　Pitou's plan to make Gon's stare tremble looked like a success.

ピトー「王は…自らの意思で敵とそこから出て行った」
Pitou: "It was the King's... own intention to leave to there with the enemy."

　　　「ボク達が行く必要はない」
　　　"It's not necessary for us to go."
プフ「…成程」
Pufu: "...I see."
　　（南へ…）
　　(To the south...)
　　「よくわかりました」
　　"I've understood well."
　　（ファインプレーです ピトー）
　　"Fine play, Pitou."
　　「ならば私達はここで待ちましょう 王の帰還を」
　　"So, let us wait here, for the King's return."

　　　【背中から一匹のちびプフを放出するプフ】
　　　[From his back, Pufu releases one Chibi Pufu]

ちびプフ（私の外殻だけを残すなら1/7の蝿で充分!!）
Chibi Pufu: (If I just leave behind my shell, 1/7 fly is enough!!)
　　　　（残りの6/7で…王の元へ!!!）
　　　　(As for the remaining 6/7... return to the King!!!)

　　　【兵器実験場 ネテロと王】
　　　[The Weapons Testing Site Netero and the King]

[I'm gonna try my best with this... but as I said, these guys talk astutely, and there's a lot here to understand.]
王「負けを覚悟の戦いか」
King: "A fight were you're prepared to lose?"
　「理解できぬな…人類という種のためか？」
　"I can't understand... for the so-called mankind idea?"
　「ならば余の行為はむしろ〝協力〟だと言っておく」
　"In that case, my actions could be said to be more like "cooperation"."
　「例えばお前達の社会には国境という縄張りに似た仕切�
�があろう」
　"For example, like how your society's so-called countries rope off your
areas"
　「境の右では子供が飢えて死に左では何もしないクズが�
�てを持っている」
　"On the right side, children starve to death and on the left side carries waste that doesn't do anything."
　「狂気の沙汰だ」
　"It's an unbelievalbe act."
ネテロ「……」
Netero: "......"
王「余が壊してやる」
King: "I'll break it down."
　「そして与えよう」
　"And I'll give."
　「平等とはいえぬまでも」
　"Though not as far as equal"
　「理不尽な差の無い世界を!!」
　"A world without unreasonable differences!!"
ネテロ「ん～～～～～～…」
Netero: "N~~~~~~~..."
王「始めのうちは〝力〟と〝恐怖〟を利用する事を否定し�
�い」
King: "The original setup was "power" and "fear" being used without negotiation."
　「だが あくまでそれは秩序維持のためと限定する」
　"But to the end, we are restricted to that to maintain order."
　「余は何のために〝力〟を使うかを学習した」
　"I studied for what what reason to use "power"."
　「弱く…しかし生かすべき者を守るためだ」
　"For weak... but what ones that should live, to protect them."
　「敗者を虐げるためでは決してない」
　"Never to oppress the loser."
ネテロ（………こいつは厄介だな）
Netero: (.........This guy's troublesome, eh)
　　　（奴は揺れている）
　　　(He's shaking)
王「貴様とは戦わぬ」
King: "I won't fight you"
ネテロ（蟻と人との間で!!!）
Netero: (Amoung ants and humans!!!)
王「場所の移動に異をはさまなかったのは」
King: "I didn't object to moving to another place."
　「忌憚なく論を交わすために過ぎぬ」
　"Not so much as to argue without reserve."
　「近う寄れ」
　"Closely approach."
ネテロ（そしてまだ気付いていない）
Netero: (And he still isn't recognizing.)
　　　（その二つが絶対に混じわらない事に!!）
　　　(That those definitely can't mix!!) [I think I might've decoded how Netero talks. わらない is the equivalent of the normal られない. Or at least that's what I'm assuming. Someone tell me if I'm wrong.]
　　　（どちらにも傾きうる…しかし例えどちらに転んで�
�）
　　　(Both have bias.... But both examples still fall down.) [This line
I don't get so much...]
　　　【過去ネテロとお偉いさん】
　　　[Flashback of Netero and Celebrated-san]
[Celebrated-san seems to be another one of Eroi-jin's placeholder names.]

お偉いさん「頼んだよ 我々が望むのはただ一つ」
Celebrated-sam: "I beg of you. We have only one request."
　　　　　「危険生物の速やかな駆除だからね」
　　　　　"The speedy extermination of dangerous creatures."
ネテロ「すでに多くの犠牲者が出ています」
Netero: "Many victims have already appeared."
　　　「手段を選ばず…という事で宜しいのですかな…？�
�
　　　"If we have a means of selection... kind of thing, would that be okay...?" [Netero talks funny. I'm not sure what 選ばず means.]
お偉いさん「そこは君ィ専門家に我々がどうこう言えんよ�
�
Celebrated-san: "That is your specialty, we'll tend to what you say."
　　　　　「ともかく我々は一刻も早く」
　　　　　"In any case, we are immediate."
　　　　　「危険生物が根絶される事を望んでるんだ」
　　　　　"We wish to see the dangerous creatures eradicated."
ネテロ（絶対にありは根絶やしにして）
Netero: (The ants will absolutely be irradicated.)
　　　（批判は全てH協会がかぶれという事ですな）
　　　(It's a judgement the entire H association will bear.)
　　　「………承知しました」
　　　".........I agree."


　　　【兵器実験場 ネテロと王】
　　　[Weapons Testing Site Netero and the King]

ネテロ（結論は変わらない）
Netero: (The conclusion has not changed.)
　　　「王よ」
　　　"King."
　　　（早めに闘っちまった方がいい）
　　　(If we fight sooner, it would be better.)
　　　「お互い大変だな」
　　　"This is difficult for us both."
　　　（心がぶれる前に）
　　　(Before my heart is shaken.)
王「？」
King: "?"

　　　【合掌するネテロ】
　　　[Netero puts his hands together in prayer]

　　〝百式観音 壱乃掌(ひゃくしきかんのん いちのて)〟
　　"Hundred Style Kanon One Palm"
[Kannon is the Buddhist Deity of Mercy. This attack is pronounced just as it's written.]

　　　【ネテロの背後に現れた巨大な観音が王に攻撃をす�
�】
　　　[Appearing from Netero's back, a giant Kannon attacks the king.]

　　　【宮殿北部 モラウとユピー】
　　　[Palace North Tower Morau and Yupi]

ユピー「ひゃはは」
Yupi: "Hyahaha"

　　　【ナックルの分身を軽快に壊していくユピー】
　　　[The Knuckle clones are casually broken down by Yupi]

モラウ（…………）
Morau: (............)
　　　（残り10体…!!）
　　　(10 remaining...!!)
　　　（いよいよ土壇場だな………）
　　　(Getting closer to the last moment.........)
　　　（やつはどうやらオレを最後に料理する気らしいな�
�）
　　　(This guy somehow seems finally have me cooked...)
　　　（ならば…一秒でも長く足掻いてやる…!!）
　　　(In that case... I'll struggle to lengthen it even one second...!!)

　　ユピーの目の届く範囲に全兵士を配していたのは
　　Yupi's eyes had reached the scope of every soldier's arrangement
　　モラウからもユピーの動きが把握できるからであった�
�
　　And Morau was able to grasp Yupi's movements, but
　　兵士を広範囲に産卵させるのが不可能な程
　　the level of expansively spawning soldiers was impossible.
　　モラウの疲労が深刻なレベルに達したからでもあった
　　That means's Morau's fatigue has reached a serious level.
　　気を抜けば兵士が煙に霧散してしまう
　　If he removed his energy, the soldiers would disappear completely.

モラウ（もう少しのはずなんだ……!!）
Morau: (Something a little more......!!)
　　　（ユピーだって無限のはずがねェ…!!!）
　　　(Not even Yupi doesn't have a limit...!!!)
　　　（……なのに）
　　　(......though)
　　　（なのにクソッ…!!）
　　　(Though, dammit...!!!)

　　なけなしの精神力を振り絞っても
　　Even mustering mustering his very small emotional strength
　　立ち上がることさえかなわない文字通りの限界は…
　　He couldn't make himself stand up, literally his limit...

モラウ（体が…精神が動かねェ…）
Morau (My body... my mind won't move...)

　　ユピーの破産よりも早く訪れた
　　It came earlier than Yupi's bankruptcy
　　0:09:29:53
　　　【最後の分身を壊すユピー】
　　　[Yupi breaks the last replication]

モラウ（……残り…0…）
Morau: (......remaining...0...)
ユピー「一言……お前に言いたくてな」
Yupi: "I'd like to say... one word to you."
　　　「途中でお前に気付いたが全て片付けてからにした�
�なった」
　　　"On the way, you noticed it, but I put everything in place." [Or something like that.]
　　　「……」
　　　"......"
　　　「…ふん どう見ても死にかけの子蝿だぜ」
　　　"...Hn However you look at it, you little flies have bet your death."

　　〝怒り〟のエネルギーを別の部位に
　　Storing the "Rage" energy in a different part
　　貯蔵する術を覚えたユピーの頭は冴えていた
　　Yupi's mind wad stayed clear.
　　戦闘の最中に驚異的な速さで進化し
　　In the middle of the fight he progressed with wonderful speed.
　　モラウ達との実力差を更に大きく引き離したはずのユ�
�ーが
　　And Yupi expected the difference in real power between Morau and others
to become bigger.

ユピー「なのに」
Yupi: "Though"
　　　「すげェな………お前ら」
　　　"You guys.... are awesome."

　　抱いていた感情は敗者への賞賛であった
　　He had embraced feelings to commend the loser.
　　自身がユピーに持つ印象から考えればおそらく
　　Probably an impression from what Yupi had personally considered.
　　この場に最もそぐわない言葉だった事で
　　In this place, these were extremely out of place words.
　　逆にモラウは偽りのないユピーの本心が出たのだろう�
�
　　Conversely Morau felt that, that a not-lying Yupi's true feelings were probably coming out.
　　素直に受け入れる事が出来た
　　And he was able to obediently accept it.
　　

ユピー「……上手く言えねェが」
Yupi: "...I'm not good at talking, but"
　　　「すげェって思ったから……こそ」
　　　"I really thought you were awesome... for sure."
　　　「キッチリ殺らなきゃな………ケジメっつーのか？�
�
　　　"If I didn't precisely kill you......... isn't there's a hell of a distinction?" [I doubt this is right... but it might be.]
モラウ（ゲームオーバーだ）
Morau: (It's game over.)
ユピー「ま……一撃で楽にしてやるから」
Yupi: "Well...... I'll comfortably do it in one attack, then."
　　　「動くなよ……？」
　　　"You won't move.....?"
モラウ（今のこいつなら殺られてもいいか…って思っちま�
�てる）
Morau: (I'm fine with being killed with him how he is now... I think completely.)
ユピー「じゃあな」
Yupi: "See ya"

　　ドッ…
　　Doh...

煽り「モラウ絶命!?」
Narrator: "The end of Morau's life!?"

This is going to be another EPIC chapter! The King keeps to suprise me with the latest chapter.;)

[hunter71485]

Epic. Seems Togashi's aiming for a new H association.

[kewl0210]

It says "H Association" which obviously means "Hunter". That section was kinda hard to understand though. I'm doing all these translations without the visuals of the manga so I could get misled. Plus sometimes the way people speak is hard to get, which I mentioned in there.

[hunter71485]

yes, I know that. but with the chimera ants getting conscious of fairness and equality, would you still root for their total annihilation?

[Host Samurai]

yes, I know that. but with the chimera ants getting conscious of fairness and equality, would you still root for their total annihilation?

I think that I would root for their total annihilation because these chimera ants are way too unstable in their behavior or concious, look at Hagya aka. Leol he remeberred that he was a Lion before turning into an chimera ant. The same thing could happen to the King or the other Ants and that worries me.

[sharingan_kakashi]

yes, I know that. but with the chimera ants getting conscious of fairness and equality, would you still root for their total annihilation?

these ants are powerful. Genetically engineered superfreaks. They become so powerful in a short amount of time. That just makes someone egotistic. Netero spent half his life to get to where he is (power wise), and the king was just born with his powers. He is like a kid with a Ferrari. Nothing good would come out of that.
That said, i wanna see them anihilated, actually i wanna see Gin do it.

[Oni_James]

Narrator: "The end of Morau's life!?"
he can't just die like this...he was one of the coolest new characters presented in the Chimera Ant arc, i'll only be happy if he dies in an epic way

[hunter71485]

he can't just die like this...he was one of the coolest new characters presented in the Chimera Ant arc, i'll only be happy if he dies in an epic way

Someone's gonna come save his ass. ;)

[kewl0210]

Well, it's still unclear if he's dead. He could survive somehow.

And the king's idea of "equality" still involves "killing about everybody". It's just except for the ones he thinks are worth keeping alive.

[hunter71485]

Meruem's ideal world isn't fit for everyone. Yeah I love your reactions guys. Whatever the case, Togashi can't give everyone a happily ever after shit just like what he did with Yu Yu Hakusho.

If your ability is kammuru, which means your reflexes are the speed of light, do your strength increase? I don't think so. But Killua is strong enough to take Morau away right?

[kewl0210]

Killua wasn't going to where Morau was, Meleoron was. Killua was heading to where Gon is.

[sharingan_kakashi]

We still havent seen Knuckles. He sould be able to save hims Master because he failed to do it for his friend. He is simplemided like Gon. And if he can use God's accomplice he can damage him from an unknown location. They only need 3 minutes and Yupi is gone.

question: btw, does anyone know how much power is lent by Knuckles little friend? i forget if it doubles the power level or just adds a percentage.

[kewl0210]

His name is Knuckle. He isn't a Sonic the Hedgehog character.

Potclean adds 10% of the total in interest every 10 seconds. We've been calculating how long it would take for Yupi to go bankrupt for a while now on NexGear. It'll be at some point less than the 11:43 mark, depending on how much aura he uses.

[sharingan_kakashi]

lol. my bad. that was a bad joke on my part.

cool. if he keeps this up, he has less than 4 minutes left but if he decides to conserve energy he got 11:43 left. it doesnt look like he is about to conserve energy, especially since he has not figured out what potclean has been doing. Since he is so powerful, its probably hard for him to tell.
These 3 guards are so powerful, at first i thought Pufu is the most powerful followed by Pitou and Yupi is last. But now it looks like Yupi has the most nen.

i think we have done this here but which fields do the three guards belong to?
it looks like:
Yupi - reinforcement
Pitou - specialization
Pufu - specialization (?)

[Host Samurai]

i think we have done this here but which fields do the three guards belong to?
it looks like:
Yupi - reinforcement
Pitou - specialization
Pufu - specialization (?)

I would say that Pufu is Manipulation because of his powder scales the other two are right in my eyes.
<hr noshade size="1">
I'm sorry for double posting but it's necessary. Enjoy these EPIC spoiler pics my friends :D.


http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/231/01kb1xb5.th.jpg (http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=01kb1xb5.jpg)

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/9101/02gl8sf7.th.jpg (http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=02gl8sf7.jpg)

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/6282/03lk2mh6.th.jpg (http://img140.imageshack.us/my.php?image=03lk2mh6.jpg)

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2410/04fy9ui8.th.jpg (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=04fy9ui8.jpg)

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6777/05gp6jl8.th.jpg (http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=05gp6jl8.jpg)

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/9972/06xc2ev9.th.jpg (http://img211.imageshack.us/my.php?image=06xc2ev9.jpg)

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/817/07hp4ui4.th.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=07hp4ui4.jpg)

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/9085/08it3st5.th.jpg (http://img513.imageshack.us/my.php?image=08it3st5.jpg)

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1460/09ij6sk0.th.jpg (http://img512.imageshack.us/my.php?image=09ij6sk0.jpg)

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/7807/10cu4zr1.th.jpg (http://img407.imageshack.us/my.php?image=10cu4zr1.jpg)

It's official Netero is an Materialization user.;)

[kewl0210]

Yeah, it seems Morau isn't SHOWN being hit, so it's possible he will live. We'll figure out next week, I guess.
And it does seem like he's decided to actually start Netero's fight, the attack does hit the king. Should be interesting from here.

[Host Samurai]

I think that Morau will die in the next chapter. I have that feeling that something will happen to him.... and Netero attacking the King first is something that I didn't expect. I thought that he would wait a little. And now Pufu who is on his way to the King is weaken himself by using Beelzebub to find him. His worst case scenario will become true when Killua makes his appearance.

[sharingan_kakashi]

as expected of the Kannon-sama. That was an awesome attack.
so if we place him in materialization then he can also do attacks from transformation and manipulation. if i remember correctly, specialization is not included because one cannot train to develop that skill. i bet the King isn't harmed, that looks more like a greeting than a real attack.
I dont want Morau to die, he is Coo! the chapter where he asked Gon to show him his resolve was one of my favorites. Knuckle better do something or maybe that is also smoke and Morau is already inside God's accomplice along wit Knuckle.

@Pufu. manipulation does fit. beezlebub and powder scales are from that category.

[Jack Van Burace]

Well, since Netero has been seen using all but manipulation Nen, I'm going to assume he is actually transformation type. He has powerfull and fast punches, like the one he used to send Pitou flying away (intensification), and now he has this huge materialization. The closest call imo would be that he is actually transformation type, and since intensification and materialization are the neighbouring nens, he could in theory use those two rather well also if he is transformation, although not perfectly.

Just as sharingan_kakashi said, this might be just a greeting card. So his actuall power may be something like the uber transformation type technique, and these would be his accessory skills (the fast punch and the huge Shiva materialization). Just like Gon has paper as emission and scissors as transformation, Netero might actually be transformation type, so strong that he has these as acessory skills.

Oh, and I think that Pitou might be materialization, and has such a huge Nen that he can use healing and manipulation through his materializations quite well. I mean, both his skills have that huge doll, one that controls Kaito as a puppet, the other that heals. And although intensification is the healing Nen, and quite far from materialization, when using it he is quite vulnerable, and that might be the condition for him to use healing so effectively, increasing his intensification Nen ability for that purpose in exchange for all of his Nen being temporarily occupied.

[sharingan_kakashi]

Pitou is specialization. He did the water test in the cave after he abducted one of the hunters that passed along side Gon. The short guy who uses a bow and arrow.

@Netero. His first attack he used against Putou was Emission(Kannon). That was fairly strong but it didnt really do any damage, it merely slowed pitou down. And his second attack is Materialozation (Buddha). these 2 are at the epposte end of the spectrum. so if he is materialization he has 0% skill on emission. doesnt mean he cant use it, its just that it wont be as strong compared to someone who belong in that category.

@Gin. anyone have a theory on which category he belongs to?
ill give my theory. i think he falls under Reinforcement like Gon. So far we know that he is straightforward and simple minded. Im basing this in the fact that he is loved by animals. The one time we saw him riding a big dragon riding on the head of an even bigger dragon.

[Ruhina]

Just a quick insertion. Did you notice how Novu defied his fear of the Royal Guards and saved Shoot in the last chapter? The last thing Shoot saw of him was him exiting his "mansion". I'd say there's a good chance Novu will make an appearance to either get Morau out of there or challenging Yupi himself. Fears are meant to be conquered right? ;)

[Host Samurai]

Just a quick insertion. Did you notice how Novu defied his fear of the Royal Guards and saved Shoot in the last chapter? The last thing Shoot saw of him was him exiting his "mansion". I'd say there's a good chance Novu will make an appearance to either get Morau out of there or challenging Yupi himself. Fears are meant to be conquered right? ;)

To me it looked like Novu just helped out it bit, because he was observing the palace through an binocular. But he still hasn't conquered his fear of the Royal Guards because if you want to conquer your fear than you usually face you fear from face to face which he hasn't done yet.

http://www.onemanga.com/Hunter_X_Hunter/288/01/Scans are out!!!!:tem

[sharingan_kakashi]

how do you know it was Novu that saved Shoot? didnt he desert them a long time ago? i dont get why Morau didnt say anything about it because Novu was supposed to be his back up to take on Pufu.

[dragonmas]

It's official Netero is an Materialization user.;)



No hes not he s an emision user . Emission abilities are commonly mistaken for Materialization abilities. The two, however, are fundamentally different. Objects created by Emitters are made of pure aura, believed to be invisible to normal people, and requires Manipulation skills to control.
source: wikipedia

[haruka9]

almost everyone assumed that it was Novu who saved Shoot; the latter looked like he's inside Novu's Nen mansion. I don't think Morau will die. Knuckle is just somewhere near him and I don't think he'll let his teacher fall in Yupi's hand. Or, Novu can do the honor of finally doing something admirable like saving his teacher right before he meets his end. He, who hasn't solved his conflict yet, should make an astounding appearance to transcend himself. Almost everyone has gotten better. Even Yupi starts to look smarter.

Netero is the man!!!! Geez, his technique is awesome. And I believe he is from materialization, or at least, his 100 palm technique falls under that category. I once thought that he belonged to Emission group because of his (something) Kannon.

[Host Samurai]

how do you know it was Novu that saved Shoot? didnt he desert them a long time ago? i dont get why Morau didnt say anything about it because Novu was supposed to be his back up to take on Pufu.

Because of his Nen Door, Novu is the only who has the ability to create this doors. And because he is the one who is supervising the palace so he knows what's going on there. He didn't 'participate' in the invasion because he is still too scared of the Royal Guards. Morau doesn't need him because he wouldn't be a help at all.

[dragonmas]

Netero is the man!!!! Geez, his technique is awesome. And I believe he is materialization, or the at least, his 100 palm technique falls under that category. I once thought that he belonged to Emission group because of his (something) Kannon.
He is an emision user we know it from the data books and emision users are weak at materialization its like Razors ability to summon dodgeball players

[Host Samurai]

He is an emision user we know it from the data books and emision users are weak at materialization its like Razors ability to summon dodgeball players

Databooks?!..Which databook?...I didn't even know that Togashi made one:p. Can you please link me to it and is it translated? Thanks in advance.;)

[dragonmas]

sorry i dont have link I have only read about it somewhere that is writen in some book that nefelpitou is male and netero was emision user

[kurz]

i bet the King isn't harmed, that looks more like a greeting than a real attack.
i think netero really wanted to finish it asap..
so the 1st attack should be his best..hmm

[Host Samurai]

sorry i dont have link I have only read about it somewhere that is writen in some book that nefelpitou is male and netero was emision user

ah nevermind...no problem.


i think netero really wanted to finish it asap..
so the 1st attack should be his best..hmm

I think Netero wanted to judge Meruems power with his attack. Instead of finishing him off with one move.

[sharingan_kakashi]

If thats the best Netero can do, its not much. a blunt attack wont work that well on an armored enemy. If he fired a piercing attack then i would believe he wants to kill him asap. it is much stronger than his Cannon but it doesnt strike me as a finishing move.
and i thought pitou was female because he looks like one, he looks like Kurapika and we know he is a she. but the translations lately all refer to him as he.

btw, anyone know why the King looks a lot like cell from DBZ?

[kewl0210]

The king doesn't really look a ton like cell, he's just reminiscent because he also has that sorta body that looks like it's a "superior lifeform" sorta thing, that "evolved from a bug". he might've been insipred by Cell but they're pretty different, really. Besides that they're both green, and there's been only like 3 pictures of the king in color.

And people assumed that Nefelpitou was a boy for stupid reasons. It's because she uses "boku" to address herself and because in the data book it reffers to her with the pronoun "he" (kare). Though that pronoun is very rarely used in japanese and does not necessarily mean "male" like it does in english. The female version "kanojyo" also means "girlfriend" so it's not used much to mean "she", and as I said, they're not specific.
Also "boku" is a male way to reffer to yourself, but it's not used a whole lot, most characters use "ore". Often girls use it to sound tomboyish, which fits Nefelpitou's personality.

Also, there was one theory that "all the ants are male except the queen", but Hina is clearly shown to be female when they show her in the bath in chapter 261, and specifically says that she's a girl, which is why the nen-erasure is hard on her.

Plus a few chapters ago in the last 10-group Killua said Pitou looked "like a mother". Which makes little sense if she's a boy.
Also she looks feminine... has wide hits, big eyelashes, sort of a chest, etc...

And yet, people debate it on...

[hunter71485]

Also, there was one theory that "all the ants are male except the queen", but Hina is clearly shown to be female when they show her in the bath in chapter 261, and specifically says that she's a girl, which is why the nen-erasure is hard on her.

Right. Remember the generals themselves can start their own colonies if they want to. It was elaborated upon the infestation of the Genei Ryodan's homeland.

[ANBU4U]

The king doesn't really look a ton like cell, he's just reminiscent because he also has that sorta body that looks like it's a "superior lifeform" sorta thing, that "evolved from a bug". he might've been insipred by Cell but they're pretty different, really. Besides that they're both green, and there's been only like 3 pictures of the king in color.

And people assumed that Nefelpitou was a boy for stupid reasons. It's because she uses "boku" to address herself and because in the data book it reffers to her with the pronoun "he" (kare). Though that pronoun is very rarely used in japanese and does not necessarily mean "male" like it does in english. The female version "kanojyo" also means "girlfriend" so it's not used much to mean "she", and as I said, they're not specific.
Also "boku" is a male way to reffer to yourself, but it's not used a whole lot, most characters use "ore". Often girls use it to sound tomboyish, which fits Nefelpitou's personality.

Also, there was one theory that "all the ants are male except the queen", but Hina is clearly shown to be female when they show her in the bath in chapter 261, and specifically says that she's a girl, which is why the nen-erasure is hard on her.

Plus a few chapters ago in the last 10-group Killua said Pitou looked "like a mother". Which makes little sense if she's a boy.
Also she looks feminine... has wide hits, big eyelashes, sort of a chest, etc...

And yet, people debate it on...

What are you talking about? That thing looks JUST like cell, from the helmet like dome, to the framed face to (most tellingly) the tail.

Identical? No.

Highly reminiscent? Yes.

To be frank though, the resemblance is such that I have a hard time taking it for coincidence. Yoshihiro is likely paying homage to Toriyama 's epic series with the king.

[dragonmas]

To be frank though, the resemblance is such that I have a hard time taking it for coincidence. Yoshihiro is likely paying homage to Toriyama 's epic series with the king.
Maybe there's a hidden message that he wants stop hunter x hunter . Toriyama was forced to continue after the Frieza saga...
There are 2 traps in hxh (kurapika and killuas brother ) theres high posibilty that Nefelpitou is a trap ( I don't like traps I wish he were a she )

[sharingan_kakashi]

Illumi is a guy. Kurapika is a woman.

Well the King didnt have to be insect form. i mean the others are taken from other large mammals. And they were reminiscent of the animal they came from. Leo for example looks like a lion, the 3 generals look more human and the king. im not sure what he is supposed to be.there really is no animal that i know with a tail like that.

[Host Samurai]

Illumi is a guy. Kurapika is a woman.


I think he meant Kalluto instead of Illumi:amuse. And Kurapica is our pretty boy.:mad

[Optimist]

The king's tail is like a scorpion's tail...

[dragonmas]

I think he meant Kalluto instead of Illumi:amuse. And Kurapica is our pretty boy.:mad
Illumi is not that girly by normal anime/manga standards but he is in hxh :) btw I meant Kalluto