Hunter x Hunter - Episode 135

This is still the only thing that has made me ugly cry since I was a child. And it somehow still does it no matter how many time I've rewatched this show.

Spicoli

It’s simply masterful. One of the most beautiful moments in anime. Play together in the sky forever ❤️

Alex Palmer

To me this is the bet death in all anime. I think he had one of the best redemption arc. He also plays a role in exposing how we hate what lives in side of us and we all could use some change

Darknessfearslight1

I believe that the ants are a very clever parallel to humans. It's just as you and Meruem said, most humans don't bat an eye when eating animals, because we're on top of the food chain. The ants represent something that's just one step higher on the food chain, so they have the same mindset about us that we have about animals. In a way only vegans and vegetarians are able to criticize the ants without being hypocritical lol

Noctislolig

Facts

im the poll waiter im what they call pollarity

i gotta stick to how i see things,(yo been out the patreon for a bit💕needed 😉🤑💲) but basicaly i gotta stick to my opinion being that ants cant live with humans or atleast those 4 ants because the king for example said im hungry in this ep i think and he was about to eat somebody like you cant just ignore that thing living with you and even the smaller ants(squadron leaders and such) even them if you guys remember the start of the arc the squadron leaders literaly hater horse meat and said humans are tastier now you might say what about the octupus well he is under complete subordination of killua so yes we prolly can keep him alive hes not that strong after all but basicaly my point is when netero and meruem were talkin for example like meruem is smart and all but theres nothing he could say that netero will be like oh alright so you want "nen/aura/human aura meals every monday and thursday but thats just my very observable analysis everyone can probably agree on this so yeah but just to be clear the writing on this is 10/10 thats why it makes us think hard and contemplate because it make sense from even meruem pov to say that he wishes to coe-exist with humans on som level and its all the more why it makes sense for netero to say they cant coe-exist sure netero's argument is stuborn in a sense like he just "cant be convinced" but he is still convincing and at the same time as observers of the show we want to belive meruem we want them to coe exist with komogi and happy forever but let me ask you this what does human say to lamb or cow (quoting meruem, well he said cow without lamb but you get the point) heres what we say it is their category in other words the category of food sure we can say its unfourtunate but that makes it all the more true

Gggg Hhhh

This episode literally changed my life

Dublin

Call me heartless but I didn't cry at all for this episode ; with that being said, I thought it was a beautiful ending ; the ost, the voice acting, everything was beautifully done. I particularly loved the fact that they didn't put the opening in it, nor the usual ending. For the manga readers out there, how was this scene in the manga, please? I'm curious to know if there was anything different. I found some parts of this ending pretty predictable but I still loved everything about it. I wouldn't call it the best episode that I've ever seen but definitely one of the best out there. This arc in itself is harsh and beautiful lesson for humanity.

Nessa.

The fact that after Komugi touched Meruem's face for the first time and knew about his ant's features, she still held his hand means she accepted him wholeheartedly. After all these years, I still can't move on with this. 

Iziii

This episode never fails to destroy me. Meruem x Komugi ❤️

Anakin

Thank you for sharing this reaction! I’m with you both - this arc with specific regards to the MeruemxKomugi relationship is one of the most impressionable media-watching/engaging experiences I’ve ever had. I cried SO hard my first time watching it, and tear up a bit every time I rewatch it. I see this now as Togashi driving social impact—prompting readers and viewers to think twice and thrice about “enemies,” “antagonists,” and the like; as well as to think about how games can facilitate connections between people (or creatures?) of starkly different backgrounds and identities.

keniskandar

Yup, this one is probably one of the saddest episodes I've ever watched. The last time I cried on an anime episode was on Nelo's and Patrasche's scene in the snow (A Dog of Flanders) and that was decades ago.

Carl Andrew Bianzon

randall we are on this ride together

Michelle Lam

even rewatching the reaction makes us cry

Michelle Lam

This episode never fails to bring me to tears man fr

B-Rai

No matter how many times I watch this episode, it always brings me to tears

Jamie

Without a doubt, my favorite Hunter x Hunter episode ever!

Michael Vega

This arc was just beautiful.. one of the best arcs in anime, it’s just sad that the author cannot continue the story as much as we want to 🥲

Nick Obeso

I know, regardless of how some people feel bc he was awful at first I liked the king & his character development. Amazing plot twist bc was not expecting that & amazing writing

Bertha

This arc was already one of the best arcs in anime, but this ending solidified it as a masterpiece.

SoySauce

I think its a great act of subverting expectations on the part of togashi. the characters have a long standing structure and he quickly breaks the structure and plays around with the form. what to do about an overpowered, omnipotent antagonist. simple, give him a functioning brain. Meruem is so smart instead of becoming cell from dragon ball z he literally figures out the meaning of life. Togashi said that he wrote this for people that like stories that deal with grand narratives and he pulled it off . A literary work of the highest regard.

Edward Worrall

Not controversial,it's one of the best arcs of all anime let alone hxh

k; Guz

Damn I was in tears then ron exhales i laughed and back to getting sad again lol

Gene-Nius

"something, somewhere, changed ever so slightly..."--Meruem. One of the most impactful lines I've ever heard/seen in a show. Gets me everytime. Also I want to steal something from a YT comment: "How poetic is it, that "The light that illuminates all" (the meaning of Meruem's name) has his world illuminated by a girl that has known nothing but darkness her whole life. Togashi is a g@ddamn genius."

Killua X

Love that Ron tries to hold the tears back but let em out big dawg thats the beauty of anime, gives you these great emotional moments and its kinda bitter sweet also but its the best possible ending for both. This scene is one of the best its in my top 10!

Kokyloco7

It's like being married without the exchanging of vows, beautiful.

Mo za

This, Rengoku scene and Escanor scene are the three anime parts that I cried like a baby. its insane because I don't cry literally well I guess except for these parts

Acelemagne Lopez

Been waiting for this episode since you guys started hxh, well worth the wait XD

B Tang

Trust the community, it's such a sad scene. I think being born in a world that seems so alone and finding someone that makes it feel less alone and enjoy some happiness makes it wholesome. But happy to see you see this! And then it goes on

Jacob Limoñ

i've seen this episode 12 times. I've cried 12 times. Togashi is an amazing writer

Orangeplum

Myself and several others have found Naruto way more emotional than One Piece or HxH, there’s no right or wrong answer. But you prob won’t understand as you’re one of those one piece kids

The Dark Knight

No wayyyyyyy you just said Naruto ........ I know you smoking 😂 Naruto doesn't even come close - you not ready for that conversation

ShaquanVirse

Naruto…

The Dark Knight

I've seen this arc many times and it still amazes me on how well Yoshihiro Togashi wrote it. The contrast between the 2 main characters of this arc, humanizing Muruem towards the end and turning Gon into a monster. Masterpiece.

AteManz

this was what I was waiting for :') I was literally crying with snot bubbles like komugi and michelle when i watched this the first time too. couldn't put myself together for shit. this might be a lil controversial, but Chimera Ant Arc was the best HxH arc for me personally. It was beautiful.

bluemilk

Damn! This is deep…I never thought about this

The CulturedGentleman

So meruem was there, in his dying moments, trying to isolate her “king” and kill him off? That has to be one of the most ironic things I’ve ever heard. Also, excellent breakdown. Just 🤌

The CulturedGentleman

In terms of character development, I don’t think any other anime beats this one.

The CulturedGentleman

Yep. I can already imagine just how much One Piece is gonna break them. 💧💧💧💧💧💧💧😉

The CulturedGentleman

Dude I’m happy I watched this alone first time. I rarely cry for anything, yet there I was, bawling over an ant king and a little blind girl 😂

The CulturedGentleman

What a beautiful bond, to invoke so many emotions T_T

Viicsta

One piece is my favorite anime but there’s only one arc in it that I’d rank above this arc that I’d say is better or at least on par with this one. This story was beautifully written. It’s a masterpiece

The CulturedGentleman

Btw I can’t watch this episode without crying lol. I’m right there with u guys

The CulturedGentleman

Guys, Meruem is my favorite character in all anime. I do not think there is a more beautifully written character than the king. He represents absolute power, yet died one of the most humble deaths u can get.

The CulturedGentleman

Not togashi making us cry over a love story between an Ant and a blind girl

Ashley hui

RIP Komugi and Mereum~🤍🖤 😭😭😭

Phyllis

you said that i am objectively wrong and gave 0 proof,instead just pushing your point on personal bias which was accounted for with the "maybe".

k; Guz

Mereum and komugi rest and peace and love for ever

Tini loves-NOYA❤️ #remsubaru

Not sure if you caught it, but Komugi says Meruem without the honorific sama at the very end even though Meruem never won a game.

BrianMcFadden

I was crying the hole ep long it doesn’t matter how I watch this ep I cry in the end

Tini loves-NOYA❤️ #remsubaru

my 6th time watching this moment still devastated. not a single anime has hit me this hard after aot

bort

Best fight in all of anime is a stretch lol

ShaquanVirse

The twin gets off screened by Joe Rogan. Saddest moment.

Davis Dambergs

Lowkey better than "see you later, Eren"😭

Usher

My point is that everyone will have subjective bias. But not to be able to think that in the vast library of anime, there isnt at least 1 different anime that can offer a stronger value for any of those statements is just ignorant. Its like thinking that in the infinity of the universe, across all the different solar systems and galaxies, there isnt even 1 other sentient species of any kind out there. Anything I offer will likely have subconscious bias attached to it. But I can say right now that doesnt matter what I think. Theres something out there that will be just done objectively better than what I feel about any of the shows I have seen. I can say …. is one of the best. I would be wrong if I said ….. is THE best.

Davis Dambergs

Because we literally see his whole life span and how he goes from one end of the spectrum to the other bros just an amazing character

HappyHattori

Togashi just wrote a masterpiece of love standing above all. I allways get tears rewatching this somehow :P bless both of you | you will get tears one more time the next episodes, it was a huge journey we nearly reached the end

Boosted Inferno

what was said was 3 maybe statements that if you were to say were objectively wrong youd have to offer up alternatives and we can weigh who actually has the better judgement.

Edward Worrall

wait. your not going to make a statement that someone is objectively wrong without proof are you

Edward Worrall

This is kinda like the ultimate love, but i also see this like a friend's love, or smth. This is like the scene in Angel Beats. Also ngl. i'm seeing you cry in every anime recently. It wasn't long for us, since the sad Naruto scenes, i think you were totally devastated back then, Ron couldn't even talk back then. But as for me, now i think i actually cried more on specific episode of the next Arc of HxH. I'm even more vulnerable to scenes like the one in the end of Clannad - showed father's regret & love.

Taiga

I also can’t understand why the king and komigi’s death hit me so hard. Started off hating the king & then feeling humanity. Ik he murdered a lot of people, idk.

Bertha

No, you definitely havent seen enough if you deem those to be the best ever moments respectively. Or can’t see past your bias. Subjectively, for you - sure. Objectively, you are wrong.

Davis Dambergs

I have watched this ep atleast 10 Times now, but i ball my eyes out everytime it's just perfect. Absolutely loved the Reaction. Love from Germany

Hive

this episode and 131 (or chimera arc in general) are what make hxh equal to attack on titan and one piece for me personally :( also, i had to keep rewinding throughout this reaction vid because i kept tearing up again, even though i had just rewatched the episode before this reaction haha. goes to show how beautiful this episode is 😢

gdnsx

So If a guys goes around killing hundreds of people with no regard for life, then finds love your cool with that? It's ok then. Then gon loses his father figure, someone he cares so much for and goes after his killer and he's the bad guy. Ridiculous.

Phil K

don't be ridiculous.

Toasted Toad

Daamon

I've watched enough

k; Guz

001. You need to watch more anime

Hussaw

This anime is so deep we can’t expect how is this end will be this way soon soo good

อัครา แสนสม

People still don't understand the importance of double drop, this could have 2x more impact if was watched like 134-135.

NOOB

126-Maybe the best fight in all anime 131-Mabye the biggest shock in all anime 135-Maybe the most emotional episode in all anime

k; Guz

this episode hits harder every time i watch it 😭

BowlCutNinja

beautiful reaction , this episode is so deep

atoure32

Interesting parallel between Gon and the King. They essentially switched roles where the King became more human while Gon became a monster fueled by rage. Also, as some people have already said... its crazy that the main character doesn't even fight the main villain a single time. In fact, they didn't even get to talk to each other. It makes me appreciate the creative writing of the author even more. He really made us cry over a green ant monster that murdered a ton of people.

ABC

I really really loved their relationship. One of the sweetest ever..

Itscurlyman

Ying and Yang concept. Love it.

Daniel Gonzalez

The king going blind is why he was asking Komugi if she was still there, and Komugi reassuring the king that she was, while Komugi being able to finally see the king, with her hands 🥹

Daniel Gonzalez

Thank you for reacting to this anime, it’s been a pleasure. I’m not cry, you are. 😭😭😭

Daniel Gonzalez

It's so hard to not cry 😭

dmc 1219

Such a beautiful reaction to one of the best stories you will ever watch.

Scar

In my opinion this is probably one of, if not the best conclusions to an arc in any anime. I've cried on my first watch thru also and never fail to cry with each reaction, that's simply how beautifully written this ending was. So glad the writers took a different route than the usual 'MC beats final boss' trope. In this arc we see Gon losing himself and Meruem finding himself, both while never interacting with one another. I also wanted to say thank you for reacting to the ending sequence exactly how I imagined you would/should. No disrespect, but I binge a lot of your reactions and sometimes the pausing or prolonged conversation during key moments can be infuriating, but this was everything I could have hoped for. Thank you for sharing this beautiful moment with us and congrats to you two newlyweds!

Tay

This is what I have been thinking all this time. A love story without the characters ever uttering the word “love”, and yet you can still feel so much love coming from them. But narratively, it makes sense because neither of them is really aware of the concept of “love” due to their special upbringing. In other words, you can say they’re experiencing “love” without even know what “love” is. I guess this is why the episode feels so touching. It’s because their relationship is so pure. Togashi-sensei freaking a turned shounen manga into a love story and make it better than any romance manga out there.

Aiyuu

This was the episode that really made The Ant Arc my favorite in HxH. Seeing it go from a dark/no hope situation to a beautiful story between the king and Komugi, very well written character. Very sad to lose them both. Either of those tattoo ideas would be nice.

SirGeel

hxh a story about love and how much you will give up or sacrifice for it. gon loves so much he would shed his humanity to become a monster. the king who loves so sincerely he would gladly die a human. and... spoilers Yada yada

William Glasgow

I always think about.. how did we get here? Show started about a kid who was fishing and wanted to find his father. Some how we ended up here. It's infinitely impressive.

Reddd Hunter

recommend to watch Kimchi and Tofu reacting this episode.

Yuan Z

ty guys so much for watching this show. I told my therapist about this episode whev i first watched it because i have issues about crying and this episode ABSOLUTLY DESTROYED me. Meruem asking Komugi if she was still there really twisted the knife. Suddenly hes the blind little boy while Komugi is as reassuring as ever.

LJ

might be the best episode of anything. I cant think of anything that has had such a profound impact on me. the way he prostrates himself in front of Palm the way the writing gets out of the way of whats going on doesnt feel the need to switch to main characters. the careful way in which all this was set up. the plot was so carefully constructed to demonstrate his feelings changing over time and the internal conflict that people go through to finally figure out what is important to them. the theme of gratitude is throughout the whole final part of the arc and i really believe he is now human and with that has everything he needs to be complete and happy. i like to think hes in heaven and running a convenience store reading the paper with a smile on his face because hes watching komugi teach kids how to play gungi. we think we need so much and the truth that this teaches is that we already have everything we need.

Edward Worrall

Also I feel that a good, and not so obvious tattoo, could be the two chips of the game, like at the end of the credits in this episode, the black and white chip.

Tomii

Did you guys thought you would be crying this much to the villain of the arc lol. That is why I love the author, he always make so good characters, it's the same with phantom troupe, they are the “bad guys” but at the same time you seems to cheer them up sometimes.

Tomii

the chimera ant arc, was so well written. the ending hits verry deep even after seeing it a bunch of times. this scene put it up there for me. even the credits were so well done. hxh is just unpredictable

zeeroBullets

I think for me what makes the king and komugis death so powerful is that the king is a super genius who sees more than anyone and understands more quickly than anyone. But it still takes his impending doom to know what truly matters. And his conclusion about life is so touching. The important thing about life is doing what you love with who you love but the cruel joke is we often don’t understand that until the end.

Avishai Pinckney

"the spy who has been doing nothing until now suddenly controls the entire board!" - meruem. this lowkey described komugi. she was just there to play a game for her life, with no idea the influence she would have on his fate and vice versa. <3

Jay rellim

I was anticipating this episode reaction so much and it delivered so well and it's just as sad in the manga too with black panels

HappyHattori

This is the immediate episode I think of when I think of this show as a whole. The creativity of this arc and making you feel a way that you never thought you would set this show apart from all the others in this genre to me. HxH is always in my top 2 anime, but I usually tell people it’s my favorite because it’s not afraid to try 4 or 5 different ideas and actually nail them haha Think about how different all the arcs in this show are from where it ended up. The Hunter Exam, Killua’s family, Heavens Arena, York New and the Phantom Troupe, the freaking auction shit with Zepile, Greed Island. I just love this show for trying new stuff

Jake Turner

Komugi? Hai Hai, nan-desuka? 😭 and the fade to black. This Arc finale was my favorite across anything Ive watched. I haven’t watched it a second time until now and I still bawled my eyes out. Perfect. A komugi/meruem at the bottom center of your tattoo piece would be an amazing tribute. Oh haha you just mentioned it 😂

Mu Nanyo

To me, my conclusion was always that Meruem went beyond both humanity and ants. It's something that nobody, except him, achieved in this arc alone. While Gon, we can at least say he lost his humanity or even went to the deepest darkness of humanity, along with Netero's malice. And Killua is left in pain all by himself after watching his only dear friend committed suicidal action. Humanity's malice that hurts people, yet it saved them countless time. While Pouf, who always shows his humanity side all the time, but never realized it was there within himself, until he accepted it after Meruem told Welfin to live as human, but that was too late for him. Youpi and Pitou we saw both of them developed towards the enlightened side of humanity. And at this point, we never saw both Kurapika and Leorio for 70-80 episodes, but it's seems like not a mistake at all! PS. Interesting that both Komugi and Meruem never ever say the word "Love" even once, but look at how much both of them brought the best out of each other. It's pure madness and beautiful.

Hisoka Morrow

jeez i’ve watched that ending so many times and it still tears me up

jaycee2003 chavez

Looking from where we came who would have thought we would mourn the king's death after everything that happened.

Kerel D.

In the end, when Meruem keeps asking if she's still there, that's what gets me. He can feel himself dying and that's SUPER scary but being next to Komugi gives him a sense of peace before he passes on. People shouldn't die alone...

Stew

One of the best stories in anime history, couldn't have been written any better than that.

Dan Richa9097

It’s beautiful really, Meruem became human while Gon became a monster. Without ever meeting each other they were such beautifully written parallels to one another.

WRam

It should also be pointed out, at the start, the King used Nen particles to find the location of where they are hiding, instead of previously just using En, which can be harmful, also shows how gentle he was at that stage

Damien Lee

Michelle I feel you 🥹🥹🥹

mamimumemo

The most powerful character introduced in Hunter x Hunter was hopeless and powerless against the weakest character. Love it.

Kee

This is the outcome that I never imagined for any series, especially a shonen series. That the main villain didn't even fight the MC, Gon. But still parallels between them, like how they sit in this arc, while Meruem gained his humanity at the end and Gon lost his.....

mamimumemo

I was born to be here today hits so hard

ZomBe Creative

Do you guys feel like they made Komugi's design with snot running down her face so that we could relate when we finally watched this episode 😔😔😔

Guest39147

me when i first read and watched this moment :’)

Jay rellim

Komugi's backstory is tragic, that even her family never cared of her, she was only being used for her Gungi ability. The only one who took her seriously was the King... Komugi didn't know he was an ant, but at the end when she touched him I think she now knows he is not human...

mamimumemo

The Supreme leader we saw on his porch reciting poetry wasn't the one that we saw in the palace, the one in the palace was a fake. The real supreme leader had lived out his life in peace, in the subtitle it says "after 30 years of retirement" meaning that he hadn't been in control of anything for 30 years. Also just in case no one else mentions it. At the end when Meruem kept asking if Komugi was still there, the reason he kept asking was because the poison caused him to go blind so all the games they had played after that were just in their heads. Sorry my more recent comments haven't been that well written. I've gotten super busy with school and haven't had as much time to fully elaborate all my thoughts. I love this series and I just try to add stuff that I think would heighten your enjoyment of the series because I can see how much you guys love it too. I'm truly glad I found your reactions and I'm so happy this series means so much to you guys

ChocoBoshi

Meruem found light, Gon found darkness

The Dark Knight

Meruem and Komugi’s conclusion is fking phenomenal. Thank you Togashi Sensei

The Dark Knight

I'm actually crying really hard rn not gonna lie, this is my first time watching HxH and am glad to be going through it with yall. I legit thought I was all good until after the ED credits. With Meruem asking if she was there every other sentence until he got tired and couldnt ask anymore, that's where the tears just wouldnt stop. I now have Komugi snot. Mannnnn

Randall

Pouf died alone is so symbolic. He didn't die attacked by the enemy, not while protecting his King, nor died with his King, but alone. He deserved that but still quite sad.

mamimumemo

I've not watched this back since I first watched hunter x hunter back in september... and this is the strongest emotional reaction I've had whilst also watching someone react. Normally its easier to keep it in when I'm watching someone else, but watching Michelle literally break the same way I did back then really did it for me. I can't really put it into words how much I love this arc but man... its just so special

Ryan Borthwick

Omg

isayyu

Remember Meruem always said "I won't repeat myself" and kill/beat everyone who made him repeat? And now he keeps repeating what he said. He really changed. Also he keeps asking if Komugi was there during the game because he couldn't see anymore just like Komugi...

mamimumemo

It's so bittersweet. And like Michelle said, unconditional love is certainly a theme. I completely sobbed like a baby too. I can see why Togashi snagged Sailor Moon's mangaka, Naoki Takeuchi lol.

botanbutton

In a way, this was the best possible outcome. Humans would not allow the King to be alive, and Komugi would never find another person that can play better

Damien Lee

If you watch Hunter Hunter's ending song now, you'll have a different feeling than when you first saw it. it wasn't twins

豆 タピ

Meruem did not like repeating himself, but komugi was the only exception

Jonathan

after all the death's these ant's have caused, the king did not deserve peaceful death.

Anthony Chavez

Everytime I watch this I always tear up. Peak!

heavyweightyoe

man that was soooo good and sad i cried for the first time in a long time watching anything wow hunter hunter needs to come back

Jboo

Time for tears on a Saturday night 😔

LJ

got the next 30 mins lined up

Guest39147

A thumb is not a finger - Michelle 2024

Fernando

To Watch this just before the travel to Korea for your weddings I find it so crazy. Congralutions, and cherish the moment.

To To

This is literally over my 100th rewatch with reactors and this episode definitely hits every single one in the feels. I think it speaks lengths about the writing of this when I also feel the same even tho I've seen this show so many times it's ridiculous since i discovered it about 8 years ago.

Justin Peacock

I shouldn’t have watched this at the park. I had to hide cuz I was at the verge of ugly crying in public lmfao Jesus what a sad and beautiful story.

LeNiarfe

Dammit here i go again 🥹

BTTR call MIKE

WOW

rin okumura

Loved your reactions to this episode! I cry every time I watch it!

Justin Anglemyer

While Meruem gained his humanity Gon lost his

america

This episode NEVER fails to make me sob so bad, no matter how many times i rewatch it.

rin okumura

Ahahah !! I was so waiting for this type of reaction ! Amazing !

To To

rip the king and komugi

Jordan Crawford

I was flabergasted through my tears the first time i saw this arc's ending and feeling like that for the king who was so ruthless at the beginning. God I loved it, still sad every rewatch haha

Wadabadada

no matter how many times I watch that end scene it always makes me cry

TRQ

beautiful ep . meruem easily in my top 10 anime chars of all time

firepingu150XD

This is the best anime episode ever in history! I cry every single time I watch it!! Only thing that comes close is One Piece in terms of emotion

ShaquanVirse

Funny enough to think when Meruem has brought to the story, I hated him so much. Never think even once that Togashi would made me feel so sad and deep to me for a whole month afterward. And that's how the character development and great storytelling is all about, has so many great things in every layers of the story.

Hisoka Morrow

Know Pain! Wait... Wrong anime.

S.C.A.V.A

Meruems death and rengoku’s death have been the worst to take in

Andrew Gutierrez

THE GENIUS ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION from the guy called "Guy Bruh" here, READ IT PLEASE, it's worthy of your precious time. Guy Bruh Kokoriko is an advanced Gungi technique invented by Komugi that centers around isolating the King (as in the Gungi piece, not the Chimera Ant King, obviously), separating it from the other pieces and killing it off. Just like Netero and the Hunters were planning to do to Meruem. However, Komugi unexpectedly develops a counter to this technique in the middle of a game, meaning that the King piece (representing Meruem) no longer has to die (since he unexpectedly survived the nuke, Miniature Rose). Then, later on, when Komugi uses Kokoriko again, she actually develops a counter to the counter ("she reversed my reversal???"), representing that the King piece (Meruem) apparently actually does have to die after all (because of the Miniature Rose's poison). However, immediately after beating Meruem using Kokoriko (symbolizing his imminent death), Komugi and Meruem start one final game together, a game that they never finish. Immediately afterwards, they die together, leaving on the board Meruem's one black piece and Komugi's single white piece, together in Gungi forever. This represents that the two were always united through Gungi, and will continue to be together even after death, undisturbed and united for all eternity. Meruem places his piece down, symbolizing his death, and then Komugi responds by placing her piece down next to his, showing that she is perfectly willing to die at his side. The black screen where we could only see Meruem's "aura particles" and everything else was dark shows that the Rose's poison has made Meruem go blind. That's why he has to keep asking Komugi if she's still there, because he can't see her anymore (honestly, it broke my heart everytime he asked her that). This is ironic because his name means "the light that illuminates/shines upon all". In addition, as they are playing in the bunker before their deaths, Meruem sees a blinding light radiating from Komugi as she "reverses his reversal", making her "the light that illuminates even the all-powerful light". Despite being far weaker (and ironically blind as well), her light shined far brighter than his. Then, as he dies, Komugi holds him and feels his face, allowing her to finally "see" or know what his face is like. Thus, as they die, Meruem joins Komugi in blindness as she joins him in death. Meruem can finally see what Komugi has been seeing all along, and knows what it feels like to be blind like her, and Komugi finally knows his face, allowing each to understand the other more as they fade away. Even the OST that played during their death scene means "Understanding". Touching, isn't it? Togashi really is a mastermind, and this entire story, especially this arc, is a beautiful work of art. Depicting love, hatred, innocence, corruption, happiness, suffering, loyalty, betrayal, anger, sadness, life, death, malevolence, destruction, resolve, determination, avarice, sacrifice, "true" power, truth, and understanding. Like seriously I already thought Hunter x Hunter to be an excellently written Anime but still I expected nothing of whatever happened in this arc, I was in awe with my mouth open wide after it ended. I was like "is it the same anime!?". https://aminoapps.com/c/anime/page/blog/the-true-meaning-behind-meruem-and-komugis-final-gungi-game/2gtN_uxR5g3j53RgGn1agqneK1EZmq

Hisoka Morrow

meruem was a real one them tears gone fall everytime

kai

In all the anime I have watched, nothing has ever peaked what the end of this arc managed. This is just genius character devolpment from Togashi, masterpiece of storytelling

JD

Meruem...

Dos Santos

Meruem 🐐

AugieM

Meruem, the light that illuminates all and Komugi, the girl who lived in total darkness found her light in Meruem… bro… THIS NEVER GETS EASIER TO WATCH. I’m in a puddle 😭 SUCH BEAUTIFUL STORYTELLING FAM LIKE CMON

Abigail Jerry

This arc introduced ants as something different. Throughout this arc the idea was that the enemy was the ants, the villain, the bad guy, that species, the ants were the issue and we as humans set out to eliminate them. In retrospect, the ants evolved, sought food, and expanded, colonized, and claimed titles and territories as their own, especially one that didnt initially belong to them. A good scene to go back to was when Meruem first entered his palace, the girls begged the King to spare their lives. The King replied "These humans are idiots...Think as hard as those weak brains of yours can manage. Have you ever spared a pig or a cow as it begged for its life?" And that was when the two parallels between ants and humans began. Everything the ants did, the humans have done. Yet they are worse? I believe Netero knew this, and before he died he knew that although Humans and Ants may be similar, Ants are still ants... and Humans have had lifetimes to do 10x worse.... and the result of that is... Nuclear bombs used on each other in the name of war waged for nothing less of trivial profit and gain. Humans stood atop the food chain, and now we wonder if the ants lost because they were too much like humans.. or too much like ants..

Cyr

Komugi trying to feel Meruem’s face for the first and last time just so she can have a visual idea of what Mereum looks like really broke me 💔

Instinctz

Sadness. That ending is PERFECTION

Abigail Jerry

here we go

T K

TIPPITY TOP PEAK FINALLY, this is my favorite episode of the whole series

gdnsx

Meruem ,, what a character he was RIP!!!

Shaampoi