The real reason Isaac Netero was so terrifying was his super-secret 100th hand, ‘Pin’, which pinned any comment it came into contact with. This of course leaves the victim open to any form of attack, so I sincerely hope I am not hit with such a terrifying ability.
Just a reminder that over 200 people died in the Hunter Exam arc, and Netero planned for this. I tell people that whenever they tell me that they don't like the Chimera Ant Arc for being too dark. The series was always dark, but the wool was still covering our eyes at the beginning.
I agree, but we can't ignore the tonal shift of the series once the chimera ant arc began. Yeah, dark themes were already present, so the show didn't forsake itself. But the presentation of those themes were definitely heightened and bolder in the Chimera Ant Arc. Also, A lot of those examiners didn't actually die. Rather, they just didn't finish, like those who didn't complete the run in the first phase and those who forfeited at the second phase. Many examiners did still die though.
@@denzeltaylor9336 examiner is much different than examinee, the examinees are the ones taking the tests and the examiners are overseeing/supervising the tests
@@denzeltaylor9336 I think a lot of the tone there is set but Gon. He may not be acting it a particularly different way, but events aren't perfectly bowing to his determination and the selfish parts of his nature, along with the potential outcomes, emphasised by the recent consequences, really create a different mood around him In the exam he lightened everyone's mood, later he drowns it.
Really interesting how Netero's disregard for human life in the Hunter Exam, is similar to Meruem's opinion that only talented humans deserve to be kept alive. It never crossed my mind before. Good video.
True, but you have the choice to take the Hunter Exam and can have an idea of what you’re getting into. Whether or not he believes only the strong should survive Netero wouldn’t go out and wipe out all the weak humans.
It's not even close to the same thing. "Only the strong deserve to live" is much different from "Only the strong deserve to pass the completely voluntary Hunter exam".
Kind of ironic isn’t it? A shonen with the main character of an excitable young boy that has a lot of potential with him has such a cynical message and the seinen with the main character of a sociopathic assassin teenager built from rage and hate has a pacifistic message in the end
Vinland Saga's core message is just so stupid that it borders being retarded. I am up to date, I know the story in and out. I have read lots of series but I have never witnesses such a stupid premise. Everyone, *EVERYONE* has en enemy in life. Even if you're the best, the most perfect person in the world, you have an enemy in some shape or form. It is the way of life. There's a famous proverb that goes "The ones who want peace, must be prepared for war". You *can not* just drop your weapon and say "I want peace" to the face of your adveseries. You'll just end up killed. It's that simple.
@@HyakuJuu01300 Foes are not enemies, just adversaries. An enemy is someone you despise illogically or wish to murder for killing's sake or vengeance. That's the deconstruction of the warrior that series represents, a true warrior is man capable of winning without inflicting murder or destruction on others. A pacifist is not something that is achievable, but something worth striving for.
Maybe Netero sees himself in his son and is trying to warn the Hunters? Like, he could keep his darker nature in check but he knows he's son can't so waving a red flag.
I think like beyond is a bit more of a hero don’t get me wrong he also doesn’t seem to have regard for most humans as he ignored the danger of venturing into the dark continent to the world but he still wants to bring the fruits of valour from the dark continent for the humans which would greatly help humanity as a whole so yeah beyond is a bit more good if we say that neteros main goal is to fight someone who can truly challenge him then beyond from what we have seen wants fame and probably wants to be remembered as a hero
i mean only the hunters really knew about the chimera ants and how dangerous they were to the world , other normal people only seen his resignation video and probably thought he just retired normally. For other hunters , we know that most hunters are incredibbly selfish and dgaf about anyone but themselves , as said by ging himself . Makes sense to me .
@@ignaciomartinez8501 Meruem would've ruled the world, Meruem was nearly 1 month old and was way stronger than Netero (who was also considered the most powerful human once) now just imagine how OP he'd get if it wasn't for Netero's sacrifice, he'd keep absorbing nen more and more until he becomes unstoppable lol
@@WestonEvans Powerful old characters, Old man Yama, Old man Roshi, Old man Hokage Huruzen, Old man Jiraya, Old man Madara, Old man Garp, Old man White Beard, Old man Kaido, Baki's dad. well written characters to be honest. The only thing comparable in western fiction is Lord of the rings, Harry Potter the older you are the more powerful your magic powers.
It's amazing how human the characters really are in this show. The line between typical protagonists vs antagonists becomes increasingly blurred over time, and then just... stops existing. Everyone has their desires and their own view on life, and what is right. That's what makes this show so amazing. There are no bad guys just for the sake of bad guys. It mirrors real life: everyone sees the world differently. It's this that makes Meruem seem more moralistic than Netero in the end - who uses the same weapon that kills millions of humans to defeat an enemy at all costs. Why? Because Meruem is something 'other', despite being more 'human' than many people on the show. It really sums up humanity. We're cursed with a fear of the unknown. It's the same thing that horror movies use to great effect. We believe we are right and that anything that we don't understand is too scary to confront. That's why whilst Pitou logically decides what the best action is, Gon is overcome with the singular desire to eradicate the person who killed his friend. Yet he doesn't bat an eyelid when thanking a serial killer for helping him to train during the Greed Island Arc. Togashi really created a masterpiece of conflicting human emotions. Everyone has something that drives them. It's both captivating and unsettling to see our true colors as humans laid out so vividly.
That's quite a vision of the anime you have,that make me wonder more about how zoldyck family is in the daily basis lifestyle,like it has so much to show us about the nen,characters,dark continent and everything,and already has a lot of things to explain us who apperaed in the anime/manga and continue to show more and more things. However nice comment though it made me think a lot!
@@lukestone7664 Good to know this,I never heard about it,but I have saw a pretty sinuluar thing about what you said,that authors in supernatural stories like anime or any fiction with abnormal things like nen or superpowers are just a metaphor for emotions e actions of our real society,most characters symbolize a image or a emotion so you can visualize with the power and the way the character interact with other in fictions,so it's a pretty good thing to search about it and find these relations,I really enjoy thinking this way.
dw I agree he definitely did, but I also feel like that doesn’t make him a positive/“good” character. His montage before his death showed how arrogant he grew as his skills progressed to godly feats.
I was re-wachting the series and I am just pass the NeteroXMeruem, and I was shocked to see the disgust in Netero thoughts when Meruem complimented him for his strengh, in stark contrast to the respect the King was showing
Meruem is an infant, born a few weeks before. He did NOTHING to earn his strength. He was born the strongest in the world, and given his royal guards who were also born close to perfection (and got insane Nen without trial). Why would the respect of a baby matter to Netero?
@@michaelmiller7465 It's not the fact that Meruem's respect doesn't matter to Netero, it's that Netero so utterly repudiates it. It shows a stark contrast how a (by-definition) baby like Meruem grew so quickly to show respect to Netero's dedication and perseverance as a fighter who had to grind for his strength while Meruem could've just stayed a baby and acted arrogant and snarky towards Netero's ultimately pointless resistance in the form of their fight. Even if Meruem did nothing to gain his strength, it is still a strength greater than Netero's (and that much he knows), which is why I find him showing such distaste for the King's compliments it as quite arrogant.
@@fernandoc5536 His disgust was less out of arrogance and more of the fact of what Meruem is. Netero, despite his selfishness, has a warped love for humanity (his love in humanity's potential), and thus despised the Chimera Ants.
He hates it because he sees Mereum as a monster, nothing more. He refuse to believe ants can fully comprehend human values like honor, courage, conviction etc. They may exhibit semblance of it but he considers it as merely superficial. If he were to rethink his thoughts, then their fight would have been premature at best and uncalled for at worst (since this will mean ants can be reasoned with and coexistence somewhat plausible [lol]) plus it will cause distraction.
@@lukecalumlyonwrath7723 you got it wrong, Netero USED to think that Meruem was just a monster, and so many other characters, but when he looked at Meruem with Komugi in his arms, he realized that he was more than that.
The weird thing about the hunters association is that it isn't really necessary to be a hunter. I'll explain what I mean, If you are strong enough to pass the hunter exam then you are also strong enough to get into any country and kill people and never get caught which are some of the major benefits of being a hunter, not being held responsible for a lot of serious crimes. The hunters licence kinda just legalizes the actions of people who were already going to do that. Most countries seem to respect and allow the hunters to do what they want. Not because of some license or because other nations allow them to also. But because you really can't stop them. The benefits of the hunters license just make it a little easier and it also mean that you can hire them and also get information of who these very strong people are. It's like making drugs legal, it isn't that you like having drugs in your population but it's that if you make it legal you have more control over the drugs.
Netero happily ignored candidates murdering each other outside of the exam’s rounds. He let his exam in a state where savagery and selfish are encouraged and teamwork is discouraged. He’s even given liscences to multiple members of the Phantom Troupe It just shows that the mindset he wanted his organization to have is “survival of the fittest”. Under his rule, Hunters barely have any structure at all and are given free reign to act on the public at will and no one could stop them. Netero embodies the absolute best and worst humanity in the setting and molded his organization around himself.
The Hunter Exam is a test of survival. In Tests of survival, it is up to humans to work together or not. That isnt Netero’s fault or anything, that is human nature. There is a consent form as well you must sign acknowledging the risks and anyone considered a child needs their parent’s consent as well. Hunters still have rules and despite have freedom, are subject to laws and punishment. One of the bylaws is those accused of heinous crimes are too be hunted. I will admit this is a bit confusing since Hisoka is a murderer and a serial killer but I guess it is reserved or proritized for hunters that help or become terrositist or threats to global and national security.
Shalanark is the only true member of the troupe tht has a license... As hisoka and illumi aren't really members bcuz they don't care about the goal of keeping spider alive
i think it makes prefect sense , a hunter isn't required to be a team player , most hunters seem to be selfish and working solo and need to actually be strong both mentally and physically to withstand the potential dangers you could face as a hunter , the best way to weed out the weak and only leave the worthy to become hunters is indeed " the survival of the fittest" approach to the exam , it would make no sense for netero to make a structured and safe exam that prevents and punishes any killing or violence and that doesn't even test the applicants mental and physical limits and then after the hunters get sent to a brutal world to which they weren't prepared at all and they end up dead .
9:57 I really hate that this wasn't transfered somehow into the anime translation. In the manga, the quote was:" you have no idea of man's infinte potential for evolution/malice" malice and evolution was written together with one Kanji. The point being, human's malice and ability to adapt are the same thing. The king of the ants, with his infinite physical capacity was brought down with a small product of human ingenuity driven by their limitless evil. Mereum or any other threat had no chance to beat humans if they are prepared. Because unlike the creature of the dark continet who only fight to survive, stuck to follow through their predetermined genetic code, humans have the potential to adapt, change and shape the world to do more than themselves could ever do... Especially when the primary motivation is to do something evil. I'm sick and tired of people only watching the anime and thinking thats the entire story. It is not just malice that lies in the human heart, it is also the potential to evolve beyond what they physically can accomplish.
Baltej Bains lolwat is a very rude way to enter into a discourse. There’s no right or wrong in forming a narrative opinion on novel concepts. It’s okay to disagree, I encourage you to do so, but only if you don’t try to diminish what others think or say. Try having an open mind. You’re both right, btw.
Cheers to that. For me hunter x hunter is an anime with sociology, psychology, political, economical , metaphysical and philosophical contents. Its almost an encyclopedia of the world translated into anime language
You know, the more I watch stuff about the dark continent and the hunter hunter world the more I just solidify a single thought in my head. Maybe, just maybe, humans aren't being saved by being on an island away from the dark continent. Maybe they were put there... like Ai and all the other things, like a sort of quarantine. Cause lets be honest, compared to everything else on those islands: humans are no different than an extinction level threat.
His fight against meruem revealed so much more about his personality than you touched upon. Meruem wanted to talk. He wanted Netero to convince him that his world view was wrong and give him an excuse to stop being the ant king. Meruem actively refused to fight at the beginning and sat down demanding a conversation believing that Netero of all people would be able to give him what he wants. An excuse to call off his ants and to try and live side by side with humans. But Netero would not allow this amazing opportunity at a fight that could push his limits to pass by. He pushed the Ant King over and over until he found the one thing that could force meruem to fight. The promise of his name. And even then meruem had no intention of killing Netero. He simply wanted to beat netero into submission, find out his name and then force him to have the conversation meruem so deeply desired. Netero could have ended the entire war with a single debate. Meruem would have called off his ants and would have tried to live alongside humans, not as shepherd and cattle, but as equals. Meruem was willing to have the conversation where they was a possible outcome. But no. Meruem was too powerful an opponent for Netero to just give up an opportunity of a fight just to end things peacefully
first of all he did end the war and eradicated the ants and no mereum didn't say he would live peacefully with humans he said he can spare some a d that was his opinion for the moment because he have just met komogi and even if he did day that he'll live in peace with the humans who can garantee that he commits to his words , netero can't leave the human race under the mercy of a brutal power hungry ant that gets stronger and smarter by the second ! hh just image if netero agreed to peace and left the ants thrive and get stronger and then someone kills komogi or maybe the king just defeat her at chess or whaterver and he simply gets bored what do u think would happen
Counterpoint: during the episode he was almost swayed by meruems words, as said in his inner monologue. Also when meruem told netero that they can just talk this out, neteros response was: "If things were so simple, I wouldn't have to do this!", And he then proceeds to attack the king
Sacrifice did not increase his power by much. Netero, unlike Gon, was that strong thanks to his unbelivably trained body, owned skills and experience. The sucide nuke does not count, Leorio would have been able to do the same
@@digi5711 digi You don't get my point man... Didn't he sacrifice time and energy training his body and mind? Then afterwards he kept sacrificing himself much further. He did not eat, he just trained 10.000 punches and then felt asleep, every single day. Then he did the same but added meditation. I guess he didn't expect to get more powerful doing that. But he indeed sacrificed a lot of time and energy training and perfecting himself. If you ever start practicing a sport (for example I'm doing boxing) you will use/sacrifice your time to get better, to reach a stronger self and see amazing results overtime. You always pay a price, but it's the end goal that's worth it. That's what sacrifice is. Not the bomb.
Hell yeah, I would just add to your comment that is both, sacrifice and gratitude, I believe the later one is the one that helped the most in Neteto surpassing his human limits
Well he is not chaotic neutral. Just because you didn't harm anyone doesn't make you good. People may ask you for help and you tell them to go die cause it would be entertaining. You did not harm them or order them you just asked them to do something . Evil with lot of steps is still evil.
@@pravinrao3669 That's not how Netero works, chaotic neutral perfectly describes him. Yes he had his own selfish desires, those of which had him lead the Hunters Association with the savage laws of nature. Key word here "nature." Nature does not care if you are the most innocent being out there, it is survival of the fittest point blank period. He was fair above all else, if your abilities can't take you forward then that's on you. Furthermore he never deliberately sent anyone to their doom as you claim, if he believed you can't handle it then another hunter gets the job. He took 2 hunters that not only had his full trust but were who he also believed capable of handling the ants. He didn't even allow Killua and Gon to go with them unless they got stronger. At the end of the day he cared bout his goals and the purpose of his job as seen when he gave his life to kill Meruem. He didn't care bout bringing peace or darkness to the world, just his job and desire of besting powerful opponents thus chaotic neutral.
@@pravinrao3669 Just gotta point out that you're applying the standards of being Good to Chaotic Neutral. Chaotic Neutral isn't Good just as it also isn't Evil. Neutrality as a moral alignment is tricky because you have to figure out where it stops from being Good and where it stops from being Evil. But where Netero was more about doing what he wanted without any particular malice towards anyone, he leans more towards (Chaotic) Neutral than towards Evil.
@@jeffjohnson419 If anything Netero is lawful neutral by the definition I provided a couple months back cause Hisoka would be more of a chaotic neutral type person
To be fair he’s not an official enhancer. The author never stated it, not even in the official databook... but in some databooks (which isn’t overseen by Togashi) says he’s an enhancer.... for some reason. His Nen affinity is still debated amongst ACTUAL fans of the series. Those who go solely on 2011 anime aren’t apart of this. But it’s accepted that he is either an Emitter, manipulator, or a conjurer. Enhancer just wouldn’t make sense for him. What is known as a fact is that Zero hand is an Emission technique, and the other hands are manipulation. What’s argued is that since Zero hand is the only technique that requires him to give up all his Nen at once and drain him is a covenant. Which can back up him being a conjurer... since emission is his natural opposite. But through and through he is a Manipulator in my and most people’s opinions. He conjures a Buddha statue by praying. (Meaning it’s not his Nen affinity since there’s a cost) and manipulates the 1000 hands with simple hand motions (his natural affinity)
@@Binks129 Interesting. I didn't know that the prayer is actually a cost. Though, now that I think about it, it's the only sensible reason for him to do something so useless in the middle of a fight. What reward does the prayer give him? Yeah the enhancer thing only existing in unofficial data books, sounds more believable. It just sounded really hard to believe that he was so incredibly powerful and skilled *outside* his speciality, cause we all know there was no way the Buddha statue was an enhancing ability. I'd say he was likely an emitter. Firstly, because of the Zero Hand you mentioned, and secondly, because you don't need to be a manipulator to produce and control something like that statue. Goreinu's apes during Greed Island, were said to be emission-based. I think manipulation has more to do with controlling objects that *aren't* Nen-based, since everybody technically manipulates their own aura anyways. Examples would be things like "ko", "gyo", "ryu" or "en".
Lalrivunga Hnamte Well if he is a Manipulator then he’s have 100% Manipulation, 60% conjuration, and 80% emission. It’s the only category he can have that makes sense for his Hatsu to be what it is and as powerful as it is. He has to pray to Conjure since he only has 60% efficiency. Not official but it’s just a theory.
If you pay attention to nen type personalities. Youd see Neteros personality is an enhancer. He is very single minded with his goal to get strong and look for stronger opponents to challenge him.
I love this video because I always thought Netero was kind of a dark character after finishing HxH. Especially after his final words to Meruem and him pointing out where Pitou was to Gon. He was fully aware how strong Pitou was and that Gon was nowhere near strong enough to kill them. While also understanding that if Gon truly wanted to kill Pitou, he would have to sacrifice everything to do it. He sent him on a suicide mission to test his resolve, and that alone shows you what kind of person Isaac Netero was.
Considering what kind of person Netero was and what we know about his “morals”, imagine Gon in such a position of power with his own “morals” as we know them.
Netero interests me because i believe he's a very dark deconstruction of Shonen as a genre. He's the individualistic selfish impulses that permeate the genre who's lived totally by those impulses. He's the logical conclusion of a Goku type who seeks powerful enemies near compulsively: Elitist, domineering, and lacking in empathy, and those impulses were encouraged and seen as the height of human power by all around him. Maybe once he could have changed, but he's seen first hand humanity values the beliefs he holds, and been rewarded for his selfish desires. And i think him giving Meruym that whole speech about humanity couldn't have been delivered by a better person cause who better to understand humanities excesses then a man who's an example of the power of indulging his excesses and has been rewarded over and over for it?
I agree that many times people will misplace their understanding of Netero in the series. It's one of the best things about the series in that you have so many characters that have their own individuality. Such as Knuckle who wouldn't even fight Youpi after sparing Morel's life, Knov who lost all his hair by just seeing some murderous aura, then you have Netero who is willing to go to the depths of Earth to kill this ant, more so because of it being his strongest opponent but also I believe the element of doing the job that was tasked to the Hunter Association. Always fascinating how the roles of humanity and monster switch with the hunters and ants as the arc progresses.
Honestly great points all around Liam. His son is basically on the Zodiac’s most wanted list. Plus he named his son Beyond. I’m sure there’s something self serving about that as well.
This is one of my favorites videos from you. Your ability to explain in such eloquent detail, the way that our beloved Netero is really the behind-the-scenes villain. Bringing to light his using of the Hunter Association for the sole purpose of grooming all the world to hopefully one day bring forth a challenger for him is superb to say the least. Going back and rewatching HxH, it is noticeable the amount of shade Netero throws toward weak characters. Watching again after watching this video, it completely changed how I viewed the Hunter Association and Netero and it made my viewing experience much different than the first go around. Being able to spot all the small hints pointing at Neteros true nature.
Netero wasnt a villian, an antagonist, he is a human, looking for what he wants, just like everyone else, doing what must be done if necessarily, and having fun as much as he could. The Hunter x Hunter world is not as flat as saying somebody is evil or good, as you said, most of the time he acted for the common benefit, even if you think he just was being selfish, Netero wasnt the president just because of his power.
I wouldn’t call him an antagonist because he never becomes a roadblock for the main characters or anybody that’s good at all and you can never see him doing said things.
o ' lmfao yea he’s a MC of the second half...but that in no way makes him a Protagonist 😂 Which would mean that Netero wasn’t his antagonist. If we want to use that definition then every protagonist ever has also been the antagonist to the antagonist of their series
anAccountMustHaveAName well the hunter exams weren’t something the main characters saw as a roadblock considering they willingly entered so it’s not what you would call a roadblock especially for gon he really wanted to do it and killua didn’t view it as a challenge in the way you are suggesting because he just entered for fun.
the reason the chimera ants were only listed as a B level threat was because the association knew there were ways they could be dealt with (like the rose bomb). Netero just saw the opportunity to finally face an opponent as strong or stronger than him and decided to intervene personally and fight Mereum. the infiltration squad and Zeno were used to allow Netero the opportunity to fight the king 1v1. Netero probably knew this would be the only chance in his remaining lifetime to face a worthy opponent. but he also knew that no matter what he had to kill all the ants, hence the bomb in his chest in the case that he lost. and which is why he refused to negotiate with the king because they had to be exterminated regardless.
@@hicks8686 0:59 "Even our protagonists are also often the subject of intense question and scrutiny in regards their own actions. Which is particularly true in the cases of Gon and Kurapika, who are very potentially going down that road of living so long, that they see themselves actually becoming the villains.". So, yeah, my dude, that's where I got that from. And just to be clear. Kurapika is not evil. He might go a bit too hard at it here and there, but he's a good champ. He's just the kind of friend who leaves you as "read" when you ask him for help with your homework. Do you get me now, yeti bro?
@@trackmaniaIIDX the abilities he uses arent exactly enhancer abilities so it wouldn't be obvious unless you go based on the personality of an enhancer
Towards the end of the ball game with Killua and Gon, Gon tried to headbutt Netero for the second time and the latter concluded that if Gon's head would connect then that would crush his skull. He then used his right hand to dodge gon and let him hit the wall instead, even though the point of the game was for him not to use his right hand. So Netero actually preferred to lose to Gon over letting him die. I don't think he's that much of the selfish guy you're setting him up to be.
Got in to watching this show not to long ago and I love it, definitely has become my favorite anime of all time. I really hope we got more animated episodes soon, but I will finally be reading my first manga with this series
Its not that he always wanted to fight powerfull oponents. His years praying and training in the mountain was done out of gratetfulness for surviving the dark continent. After finishing that training he started his nen dojo and out of fighting the many people that came to contest hin he started to fell that "i want to fight strong people" desire on hin. Remember that he had the desire to fight strong people but yet he closed and prohibited any travel to the dark continent because he wanted to save the lives of hunters and others that would probably try go there just to die... In the Hunter exam he toyed with Killua and Gon because he knew their parents and wanted to see if both were strong, not because he wanted to fight them in the future but instead out of curiosity as he knew they had potential and soo he wanted to see if gon was as smart as his father and if killua was as skilled as his grand grand father etc.
H x H 344 shows young Netero with apprehensive looking at the landscape of the Dark Continent and in this page it tells what, years later, he did: Banned travels to the dark continent due to the high mortality that people suffered there and because of the threats they brought back with them. H x H 265 shows a 46 Netero training/praying, this takes place after his travel to the dark continent. He started that training after realising the limits of his body and techniques (again this takes place after his tripe in the dark continent...). 199 - 234 we learn that the only reason Netero went to the NGL fight against the Quimera ants was due to the V5 ordering that he did it, he had alread asked them to ban travels to the dark continent soo he probably wanted to return the favor. H x H 291-292 Shows that he liked to fight and he fought against weak opponents but until that time he did not realized hinself that he wanted a really powerfull adversary to fight, thats why he spent his time as chairman toying with people, he did this to pass time because he would not get any excitement over fighting people he deemed as inferior. That's one of the reason Pariston became vice chairman instead of getting kicked on the spot... No Netero is not the same as Hisoka, looking to fight powerfull people. He banned people from going to the DC because too many had died still in his administration (at least one expedition with only 6 survivors). He made the hunter test hard to make sure the new hunters would be able to put a fight (this mentality is shown tho Morel and Knov in chap 199). If you want a Netero that is a Antagonist just look at Beyond Netero and his inspiration: Issac Netero represents the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion (said in cap 265 by the dojo's owner)(also his nen ability is kinda shaped like that). Beyond Netero was inspired by Guan Yu that is also a bodhisattva but is associated with war and protection.
Wow this is an amazing vid. I always felt like Netero was the antagonist to meruem’s character, but this really shows how the duality of humanity can make a character a protagonist to one person’s view and an antagonist to another
Killua has the ability to determine the strength of his opponents. Remember the time Isaac Netero played with Killua and Gon. Killua didn't know how strong Netero is. This is just a testament of Netero's abilities . He can conceal his power.
Netero is an interesting character, and mushing it up with your "What did Netero find in the Dark continent" video, we could say that he gave the book specifically to Ging so that Ging gets stronger and closer to his potential, as he will need to be strong to survive the DC, therefore he can finally have a strong opponent which he desires.
this man is walking paradox such a complex character to break down.. the biggest reasons why i call him a paradox... his nen power is represented by a buddah statue which usually represents peace and prosperity its used for exactly the opposite which is war... to say the least he is a religious man because prayer and meditation are a big parts of his development and growth.. the thought alone of a man thanking martial arts for his self growth and throwing 10000 nen punches daily without a purpose simply as a self tribute to the thing that made him mature and taking him to where he is in that date and time simply because he feels that is the way he can repay this practice is outstanding.. its kinda like if an artist dedicates a song to music for taking them where they are and giving them what they have.. netero reached a whole new level without even trying to he was only doing it because to him it felt right to do it... it wasnt really training all that time was only a tribute to martial arts and prayer.. but my question is this.. what if he didnt see results and he just kept on doing that over and over? what was he planing? why was he in the mountains in the first place? because him reaching the next level was through alot of hard work but it was accidental... i mean did he plan on doing this over and over and over until he just died because he tought he had already reached his limit and he didnt have another purpose or would he just come down from the mountains and look for something new to do? because he was up there without food and water doing the same thing for years until he passed to the next level.... when he explodes the nuke he tells meruem that if there is a hell he will see him there implying that after all that prayer it didn't make him righteous enough for heaven... part of why i think he wouldnt think himself righteous and saying ill see you in hell is this.. after him thanking everything for allowing the both of them to meet in battle was because netero couldnt believe that after all he did and all that training to get to the next level he couldnt find a worthy opponent he felt empty without a purpose keep in mind this mans only purpose in life as far as we know it is power so him being over a century old with that feeling must feel like his own hell maybe thats why he was in the mountains in the first place just to die paying tribute to what drove him there because he had already hit his limit and didnt have a purpose anymore... so when he met meruem in battle he thanked him because he after all that time he finally felt some sort of self comfort, peace and most importantly purpose thats why mid battle he has an epiphany and says that he forgot when was the last time he was the first one to make a move in other words he forgot the last time he actually had a challenge... now the paradox comes when his ego and pride get the best of him... even though he was really thankful for that moment.. he couldnt bring himself to admit defeat to something he deems as inferior.. he lost to meruem he never really admits it directly he instead tells meruem that the king knows nothing about the bottomless malice of the human race and proceeds to embody that malice and blow him up along with himself.. i took that as his pride/ego of a warrior or his pride/ego of a human not allowing him to admit defeat after thanking everything for their meeting to be possible he simply cant allow himself to loose or admit defeat to an ant that being his last thought is frightening and really selfish because instead of thinking that his sacrifice was for the future of the human race he instead thinks and says if there is a hell ill see you there...going out for humans with the help of the most inhumane creation ever created an atom bomb... that is what i belive made him unrighteous in his own eyes implying that he would be going to hell despite sacrificing him self for a good cause in the eyes of the human race.. one of the best characters ever written
Oh mh god. This videos was amazing ! I've had my suspicion about netero's true nature for a while. And this just proves that am not alone in my thinking. Honestly, this is one of the best anime channel's on youtube period.
This was a pretty fantastic flip on the general perception of this beloved character, you did an absolutely wonderful job demonstrating your point but you left out the most critical part of your argument... The indisputable fact that bungee gum has both the properties of rubber and gum.
I couldnt SMASH that like button hard or fast enough! Another awesome video. You're scratching the itch of not having Hunter X Hunter while at the same time making me miss it so much more!
I love how Netero saved the lives of many humans by doing a horrible thing but also killed many humans by doing a good thing which is recruiting more hunters who can help defend humanity. So much gray in this series I love it.
I often find myself saying “100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva” ever since i finished the show a few weeks ago. I wish I didn’t take so long to get into this show... i literally binged it within a month. Never watched an anime so consistently before lmao.... love this show. AND love the intro bro, the subscribing joke made me laugh. Too bad I subbed dozens of videos ago 😁
I love this video. I feel like a lot of people who talk about Netero downplay his worse attributes because they are still under the impression he’s meant to be in that “quirky, old but powerful mentor” archetype. This is a selfish, amoral and sometimes malicious man; he doesn’t care if “weak” people die around him as long as he gets to fight someone he considers strong. In any other manga, that description would make him a major villain.
Jonathan Dauterman togashi just doesnt use archetypes only to fool you. Its dumb trying to push this masterpiece into rules that were made up by worse storys
I kinda feel the same way about Ging. I don't understand why the fandom seems to like a sociopathic hedonist, who would abandon his son, not visit him on his deathbed, create a video game that kills countless people for the sole purpose of training his son, etc. I know this is all some sort of "Boy Named Sue" scenario where Gon's entire life is being structured to create some sort of super being to likely save the world, but the man is still a colossal piece of crap.
@@moonjelly5 I think the majority of the fandom hates Ging, I may be wrong though but I'm just saying this for my personal experience, I've honestly never comed across someone that likes Ging as a person. PS. I like Ging as a hunter, as a character, but I would not like to be friends with him honestly.
Maybe Netero had a second goal in mind for his style of the hunter exam; finding those who could survive against crazy odds in hopes of finding people to go to the dark continent
It's brilliance on the part of Togashi, creating the best villains in the entire world of manga. Shinobi Sensui of yuyu Hakusho is another example of this, as is younger toguro. Neither character is objectively evil, they are merely antagonistic from the point of view of our protagonists, and by extension, us the readers. Meruem follows this pattern as well. From his birth as a truly chaotic evil character, into his growth as someone less monstrous and more humane than his ultimate rival, Netero, who doesn't change, but our understanding of him changes, in the reverse. As time goes on, he becomes less and less humane, and more monstrous
Screw that I think Netero's take on the exam is what one needs to be a Hunter, strong, capable, high tolerance for pain, ability to adapt and a curiosity for life.
Netero's exam favored brawn too heavily over brain. Being a hunter is not only about combat. There are hunters who specialize in curing diseases, preserving wildlife, solving crimes, and much more. Cheadle definitely went too far in the opposite direction though, the perfect hunter exam would have a healthy balance of both intelligence and power or possibly just have different exams depending on what you want to specialize in.
@@squilliamfancyson1080 the actual exam was made by other hunters that werent netero but the concept of killing off 200 candidates each exam was netero’s
Netero was amused sending Gon at Pitou knowing not only his rage and bloodlust, but how much stronger Pitou was compared to him. He could have never known about the Nen Vow he used
@@Wiverr How's he a villain? If he actively went out of his way to sabotage the chimera ant operation or directly aided the ants then yes. Just calling him a villain doesn't do his character justice. He's more nuanced than that.
@@Wiverr and antagonist is someone who opposes the protagonist, netero and gon are allies. Netero is not an antagonist, hes not evil but he definitely isnt good
I think its worth mentioning using the hunter association to serve is own needs and wants is exactly the platform that Leorio was running on. I just thought that was interesting considering he was a front runner in the race. There is definitely something interesting going on with what the hunter association represents in the story when compared to other ideas of governance like the ants, the phantom troupe, kakin, ngl east gorteau and even by extension greed island itself.
I always did find it weird during the final test of the Hunter exam he didn't do anything when Gon was getting beaten by Hanzo but then I just thought he didn't intervene due to the fact it's somewhat showing the mental stregnth of the participants fighting.
Lunar the whole thing was weird at least in the 2011 version. The music is upbeat while people are dying and at times deaths are treated comedically, it’s bizarre because normally in anime the first death in an event like the Hunter Exam would be treated totally different, the music would get low and somber and dark shadows would envelop the characters but in Hunter X Hunter it was like “lol this guy got carried away by birds and is gonna be eaten alive.” Very jarring because it seemed so tone deaf.
@@juliandavidhoffer2022 I think it was kinda foreshadowing in a why little hints showing the show was going to get darker with time. On my first watch I was weirded out that random people died and nobody seemed to care but then I thought about it if these hunter licenses are as valuable as we are told the test must require huge risk
@@juliandavidhoffer2022 yeah , i think it was done on purpose tbh , because we're seeing everything from gons lense at the beginning . And we know Gon doesn't really give a shit about anyone but himself and his close circle of friends.
The thing that cracks me up is that during the hunter exam, they state that the exams exists to stop people who would misuse the license. This same exam gave Illumi and Hisoka licenses, while getting several decent people killed.
This theory is only viable if we postulate Meruem as the protagonist of season 3--which isn't too much of a stretch, all things considered--but his role leading up to the ant arc can't technically be antagonist. Let's suppose your reply points me to the season 1 moment, in which he played keep-away with the volleyball--regardless of any theorized ulterior motives, he wasn't a driving force attempting to thwart our two protagonists' dreams. Rather, he was aware of their lineage being legendary Nen users and chooses to interact and bond with them in order to test their coordination, teamwork, progress, potential, and ensured their spirits remained high in order to avoid one of them going AWOL. Also, you repeatedly state that his sole motivation as Chairman was to locate strong Nen users in order to find opponents worthy of fighting--the parallel you drew was Hisoka, and you state Hisoka is the lesser evil of the two because he broadcasts his intentions rather than hides them. This is just blatant slander. When do we see Netero fighting or murdering high-ranking hunters? Was this not his ulterior motive the entire plot? No--his motives include preserving the human race, organizing a democratic republic consisting of strong and competent hunters, and becoming both the political and physical martyr of the Hunter's Association (if I remember correctly, he was scapegoated often for things he either didn't do or wasn't aware of, and he shouldered the criticism so that the other levels of government maintained credibility and were able to continue their positive contributions). He was a mentor with hubris--both for the human race and his own strength. As the leader of the Hunter's Association, and the only human able to match Meruem's strength, it was his duty to end Meruem's life at any cost. Had he lost this battle without fatally wounding the King, the human race would've been reduced to livestock (according to Meruem...of course, as viewers, we know characters such as Hisoka, Illumi, Chrollo, Ging, etc., would've most likely been able to kill the King in either a coordinated attack or through assassination, but this is only speculative). The mentor always has to die in order for the protagonists to grow and eventually surpass them. A recent example being One for All vs. All for One; although neither one of them physically died, their ability to ever battle again and be an actual threat was taken away. Events like these are necessary for protagonists to grow. They assume all of their mentor's responsibilities and burdens and the immense pressure drives them into becoming the hero of the story.
This take actually makes me look at the "good" characters and what they did in establishing their place in their perspective worlds in *hindsight* to what was actually caused by their actions. Now for some reason I gotta read one piece AGAIN.
Althoug majority of this video is truth, its wrong to call him a antagonist, "antihero" is much more fitting term, because while he has some "questionable" morals, he is not actively harming people, yes, hunter exams were brutal, but why would you need a weak hunter, he would serve no purpose in his role and everyone who entered the exam was aware how dangerous it is. Edit: plus his quote "do not underestimate the infinite potential for evolution of humans" proves he he cares for the humanity, and the fact he vaules strenght does not mean he completely neglects the weak
the quote you mentioned is actually wrong the correct one is : you know nothing of the bottomless malice within human heart, my source is of course the original manga So no he doesn't care at all about humanity he completely neglects the weak and only use his status for his own purpose and not to protect them edit: You can call him antagonist since Meruem actually changed and wanted to create the most peaceful world ever, becoming a protagonist, while Netero cared more about killing him
Like the guy above me said, the anime subs botched the translation somewhat. The intended meaning was malice but it can also be read as evolution. In the manga they went with malice, so no your quote actually proves my point rather than yours.
@@NewWorldReview Still call the villain a man who alone protected humanity from threats from the dark continent(stopping any attempt to organize expeditions) and blamed himself for all the sacrifices that his son 's failed expeditions brought, I think, very strange.
I came into this video with my eyebrows raised, but you really managed to change my conception of the universe. Since Netero did not get a ton of screentime, I didn't take much regard of what an important figure he was and how he really shaped this antagonistic, morally dubious world we were introduced to in the Hunter Exam arc. He really is on no different a level than Hisoka.
I think Netero did find worthy opponents in his liftime. We already know he met his match in Maha and Netero admits that he is no longer the strongest nen user so it is safe to assume there is someone stronger out there.
That doesn't make sense. During his fight with meruem Netero clearly said that he has always dreamed of giving his heart and soul to battle a powerful opponent. And thanked for everything that led him to meruem who is the ultimate opponent he dreamed for. Also there is nothing that indicates that Netero fought Maha after attaining the ultimate strength from his 10000 punches. He probably fought Maha before gaining his ultimate power. Netero was just joking during the whole conversation about not being the strongest. He also said that Morel and Knov are equal to him which was clearly not the case.
I very much needed this kind of explanation after just watching the anime for the first time, I've been so confused if I'm understanding the series correctly when I saw Netero as the villian and Mereum is actually good
Tokashi takes the traditional model of a bildungsroman (a literary genre focused on the moral/literal growth of a protagonist from childhood/adolescence into adulthood), and takes it into creative and unique areas. Instead of ONE protagonist, we watch four. And instead of a single path, we see three initially (Gon/Killua running off on their journey to find Gon's father & grow their friendship, Leorio prioritizing - and by the election arc regretting to a point - his education, and Kurapika prioritizing vengeance). It presents an interesting result... Killua's arc starting as dark and being drawn into Gon's light. Gon loosing sight of his bigger goals in the painful loss of Kite (brought back to the light by Killua/Nunika). Leorio 'losing the forest for the trees,' as New/Nen World Review pointed out in another post, by growing his medical/nen knowledge in. And Killua playing something of a Sasuke-esque roll, essentially losing himself to the darkness in his desire to avenge his dead family (living for the dead more than the living, as it were). All the while, Tokashi is throwing in other commentary (that fits the character development) as well: the election arc taking shots at politics, greed island playing with gaming tropes, etc. It's just a rare level of literary growth, pushing multiple directions and messages which are interchangeable.
Its important to notice Netero was never an antagonist tho A person with ambiguous morals? Sure But an antagonist must be someone constantly opposing the protagonist through the plot, Netero never did that in any instance, directly or not Someone like Hisoka, fighing Gon through the heavens arena is an antagonist, like the Spiders ready to destroy Kurapika through Yorknew city, those are antagonists Netero is never truly present in the main plot as a defining factor until the Chimera ant's arc when he acts as a deuteragonist And to start, even tho he has truly selfish ideals, someone can say that he was never a monster, he didnt hate or despise the weak, it just happens that he is always searching strong targets and is in a full time commitment with the association, so obviously he would never have time or reason to associate himself with common people And for the hunter exams? Yeah sure he has his agenda, but the exam is necessary, being a Hunter is brutal, you are always dealing with death and murder, why the exam should be any different? Those candidates accepted the exam aware of the consequences and risks, and as you said Cheadle mainly changed the exam as a way to filter candidates to the expedition, also she isnt truly experient and her apparently good intentions in those reforms can -and probably will- backfire hard (Something Pariston really wanted when he resigned) So selfish? Sure. Twisted? As Bisky said, absolutely. But not a monster/psycho like Hisoka killing every foe on his way for the sake of self pleasure, Netero was a bad person, but around the same level as every Hunter is, even Killua/Gon
Hmm interesting. Yes he did make the Hunter Exam brutal, but that was because life as a hunter is fairly brutal. Netero never struck me as antagonistic, but he was a person that knew he had to do what he had to to win. Maybe the manga is different. I'll never know
The real reason Isaac Netero was so terrifying was his super-secret 100th hand, ‘Pin’, which pinned any comment it came into contact with. This of course leaves the victim open to any form of attack, so I sincerely hope I am not hit with such a terrifying ability.
Smart way to get pinned there
Could somebody send me a link to a site where I can read the hunter x hunter manga? I watched the anime but I can't find a good site for the manga.
A terrifying intellect
Just Some Guy without a Mustache my lord I find u in every hxh video. Respect
Bruh I took this so seriously for 1sec 😆
Remember when Killua give up on stealing the ball from Netero because he's afraid he might kill Netero in the process. Such innocence
I remember
fr netero would curbstomp him with his pinky even without nen abilities
The funny thing is, if he managed to do that, he would insta kill everybody in that damn Zeppelin, including himself xd
Cemf nah bro Netero takes no fall damage
@@TheCEMF if you are referring to the Poor mans rose, Im like 90% sure Netero got it implanted for the Chimera ant extermination mission.
Just a reminder that over 200 people died in the Hunter Exam arc, and Netero planned for this. I tell people that whenever they tell me that they don't like the Chimera Ant Arc for being too dark. The series was always dark, but the wool was still covering our eyes at the beginning.
You're right it's always been dark we just slowly realize how dark actually is Arc after Arc
I agree, but we can't ignore the tonal shift of the series once the chimera ant arc began. Yeah, dark themes were already present, so the show didn't forsake itself. But the presentation of those themes were definitely heightened and bolder in the Chimera Ant Arc.
Also,
A lot of those examiners didn't actually die. Rather, they just didn't finish, like those who didn't complete the run in the first phase and those who forfeited at the second phase. Many examiners did still die though.
@@denzeltaylor9336 examiner is much different than examinee, the examinees are the ones taking the tests and the examiners are overseeing/supervising the tests
@@denzeltaylor9336 I think a lot of the tone there is set but Gon.
He may not be acting it a particularly different way, but events aren't perfectly bowing to his determination and the selfish parts of his nature, along with the potential outcomes, emphasised by the recent consequences, really create a different mood around him In the exam he lightened everyone's mood, later he drowns it.
The chimera ant arc was dark in a “damn nature you scary” kinda way... the hunter exam was more of an every man for himself kind of thing
This mans nen ability is so busted that everyone was surprised when the author said he was a enhancer
lol
imagine if he was a full conjuror
Is personality was one of an enhancer.
🤔 I don’t recall him using any enhancer techniques
Could somebody send me a link to a site where I can read the hunter x hunter manga? I watched the anime but I can't find a good site for the manga.
He was an ANT-tagonist
😐
take my like and get out JEKDIWJFK
👁👄👁
Bro you fucked up ANT-agonist*
....
Really interesting how Netero's disregard for human life in the Hunter Exam, is similar to Meruem's opinion that only talented humans deserve to be kept alive. It never crossed my mind before.
Good video.
That's why he wanted it to end fast because Meruem may sway his mind
True, but you have the choice to take the Hunter Exam and can have an idea of what you’re getting into. Whether or not he believes only the strong should survive Netero wouldn’t go out and wipe out all the weak humans.
Allan Jr Mesa mmmm interesting 🤔 I have never thought about that damn this anime I hate it makes it hard to watch other anime
@@JeffersonSteelflexx exactly.
It's not even close to the same thing. "Only the strong deserve to live" is much different from "Only the strong deserve to pass the completely voluntary Hunter exam".
I really want to see Netero's battle with Maha Zoldyck
I have curiosity toó, but, without context, it will be a meaningless flashback, so, may be better to ever watch the fight
Silly goose Netero is dead.
@@masomamakes2004 Silly goose, the fight happened before his death.
That would be dope but id settle to see hisoka vs chrollo animated
I am slowly losing hope with hxh, only vídeos like this keep me alive
Vinland Saga: “No one is your enemy.”
Hunter x Hunter: “Humanity’s survival depends on its bottomless capacity for malice.”
Kind of ironic isn’t it? A shonen with the main character of an excitable young boy that has a lot of potential with him has such a cynical message and the seinen with the main character of a sociopathic assassin teenager built from rage and hate has a pacifistic message in the end
Vinland Saga's core message is just so stupid that it borders being retarded. I am up to date, I know the story in and out. I have read lots of series but I have never witnesses such a stupid premise.
Everyone, *EVERYONE* has en enemy in life. Even if you're the best, the most perfect person in the world, you have an enemy in some shape or form. It is the way of life.
There's a famous proverb that goes "The ones who want peace, must be prepared for war". You *can not* just drop your weapon and say "I want peace" to the face of your adveseries. You'll just end up killed. It's that simple.
Hyaku Juu - yeah, it’s a useless message... whereas HxH has mature and philosophically competent messages.
@@HyakuJuu01300 oooh. I see. You haven't become a true warrior yet
@@HyakuJuu01300 Foes are not enemies, just adversaries. An enemy is someone you despise illogically or wish to murder for killing's sake or vengeance. That's the deconstruction of the warrior that series represents, a true warrior is man capable of winning without inflicting murder or destruction on others. A pacifist is not something that is achievable, but something worth striving for.
I think the fact that Netero is shown with the Yin Yang as his symbol tells a lot about who he is as a character.
The yin yang is netero and zeno
@@asdasdbinaltiapayansa24ora94 think we can agree Netero is arguably worse imo. Zeno doesnt agree with Neteros idea of power.
@@godtierlee5540 uh, no, netero might be twisted. But zeno isnt any better when he killed countless of people for money.
To think that, after all of this, his son Beyond is considered WORSE.
Maybe Netero sees himself in his son and is trying to warn the Hunters? Like, he could keep his darker nature in check but he knows he's son can't so waving a red flag.
Could somebody send me a link to a site where I can read the hunter x hunter manga? I watched the anime but I can't find a good site for the manga.
@@yungfaas6688 Manga Reader app is pretty good. They have every chapter
I think like beyond is a bit more of a hero don’t get me wrong he also doesn’t seem to have regard for most humans as he ignored the danger of venturing into the dark continent to the world but he still wants to bring the fruits of valour from the dark continent for the humans which would greatly help humanity as a whole so yeah beyond is a bit more good if we say that neteros main goal is to fight someone who can truly challenge him then beyond from what we have seen wants fame and probably wants to be remembered as a hero
Afro Shinobi thank you I'll check it out
I love the fact that Netero saved humanity and barely anyone cared
😬sad
i mean only the hunters really knew about the chimera ants and how dangerous they were to the world , other normal people only seen his resignation video and probably thought he just retired normally. For other hunters , we know that most hunters are incredibbly selfish and dgaf about anyone but themselves , as said by ging himself . Makes sense to me .
he didn't, he barely saved the population of East Gortheau
@@ignaciomartinez8501 Meruem would've ruled the world, Meruem was nearly 1 month old and was way stronger than Netero (who was also considered the most powerful human once) now just imagine how OP he'd get if it wasn't for Netero's sacrifice, he'd keep absorbing nen more and more until he becomes unstoppable lol
@@zord90x58 no the V5 could have bombed East Gortheau, the ants were never a threat to human dominion.
They say Togashi went to the mountains to seek gratitude, and that he is drawing a 1000 panel a day. Hopefully someday he will comeback
Todays the day brother
Don’t let this distract you from the fact that Hisoka’s nen has the properties of both rubber and gum
You couldn’t even get the quote right, for shame
Why?!
Why did you have to torture me like that?
I stg i choked on my water. This is the 3rd time this happened
He is one of the most badass old men not just in Hiatus x Hiatus, but in entire anime
Hey bro it’s you again!
Lmao 😂 hiatus hiatus thug life over here lol
Well he’s dead so. That goes to Zazan Zoldyk or whatever his name is. Or Roshi. Or Baki. Or fuckin Garpu
@@WestonEvans who?
@@WestonEvans Powerful old characters, Old man Yama, Old man Roshi, Old man Hokage Huruzen, Old man Jiraya, Old man Madara, Old man Garp, Old man White Beard, Old man Kaido, Baki's dad. well written characters to be honest. The only thing comparable in western fiction is Lord of the rings, Harry Potter the older you are the more powerful your magic powers.
It's amazing how human the characters really are in this show. The line between typical protagonists vs antagonists becomes increasingly blurred over time, and then just... stops existing. Everyone has their desires and their own view on life, and what is right. That's what makes this show so amazing. There are no bad guys just for the sake of bad guys. It mirrors real life: everyone sees the world differently. It's this that makes Meruem seem more moralistic than Netero in the end - who uses the same weapon that kills millions of humans to defeat an enemy at all costs. Why? Because Meruem is something 'other', despite being more 'human' than many people on the show.
It really sums up humanity. We're cursed with a fear of the unknown. It's the same thing that horror movies use to great effect. We believe we are right and that anything that we don't understand is too scary to confront. That's why whilst Pitou logically decides what the best action is, Gon is overcome with the singular desire to eradicate the person who killed his friend. Yet he doesn't bat an eyelid when thanking a serial killer for helping him to train during the Greed Island Arc. Togashi really created a masterpiece of conflicting human emotions. Everyone has something that drives them. It's both captivating and unsettling to see our true colors as humans laid out so vividly.
I don’t blame the author for taking hiatus as much as this because that’s one hell of a standard he’s set for himself.
That's quite a vision of the anime you have,that make me wonder more about how zoldyck family is in the daily basis lifestyle,like it has so much to show us about the nen,characters,dark continent and everything,and already has a lot of things to explain us who apperaed in the anime/manga and continue to show more and more things. However nice comment though it made me think a lot!
@@lukestone7664 Good to know this,I never heard about it,but I have saw a pretty sinuluar thing about what you said,that authors in supernatural stories like anime or any fiction with abnormal things like nen or superpowers are just a metaphor for emotions e actions of our real society,most characters symbolize a image or a emotion so you can visualize with the power and the way the character interact with other in fictions,so it's a pretty good thing to search about it and find these relations,I really enjoy thinking this way.
Fear of the unknown kept your ancestors alive
Few
The fact that he knew where gons father was when they were starting the exam showed me how morally gray he is
hey ging wants his game of tag to last awhile...
dw I agree he definitely did, but I also feel like that doesn’t make him a positive/“good” character. His montage before his death showed how arrogant he grew as his skills progressed to godly feats.
I was re-wachting the series and I am just pass the NeteroXMeruem, and I was shocked to see the disgust in Netero thoughts when Meruem complimented him for his strengh, in stark contrast to the respect the King was showing
Meruem is an infant, born a few weeks before. He did NOTHING to earn his strength. He was born the strongest in the world, and given his royal guards who were also born close to perfection (and got insane Nen without trial). Why would the respect of a baby matter to Netero?
@@michaelmiller7465 It's not the fact that Meruem's respect doesn't matter to Netero, it's that Netero so utterly repudiates it. It shows a stark contrast how a (by-definition) baby like Meruem grew so quickly to show respect to Netero's dedication and perseverance as a fighter who had to grind for his strength while Meruem could've just stayed a baby and acted arrogant and snarky towards Netero's ultimately pointless resistance in the form of their fight. Even if Meruem did nothing to gain his strength, it is still a strength greater than Netero's (and that much he knows), which is why I find him showing such distaste for the King's compliments it as quite arrogant.
@@fernandoc5536 His disgust was less out of arrogance and more of the fact of what Meruem is. Netero, despite his selfishness, has a warped love for humanity (his love in humanity's potential), and thus despised the Chimera Ants.
He hates it because he sees Mereum as a monster, nothing more. He refuse to believe ants can fully comprehend human values like honor, courage, conviction etc. They may exhibit semblance of it but he considers it as merely superficial. If he were to rethink his thoughts, then their fight would have been premature at best and uncalled for at worst (since this will mean ants can be reasoned with and coexistence somewhat plausible [lol]) plus it will cause distraction.
@@lukecalumlyonwrath7723 you got it wrong, Netero USED to think that Meruem was just a monster, and so many other characters, but when he looked at Meruem with Komugi in his arms, he realized that he was more than that.
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Congratulations, you're now pregnant with Uvo's child.
😂
🤣🤣🤣👍
The Poor man's rose possesses the properties of both Poor man and rose
The overarching mastermind whenever he is bored
The weird thing about the hunters association is that it isn't really necessary to be a hunter.
I'll explain what I mean, If you are strong enough to pass the hunter exam then you are also strong enough to get into any country and kill people and never get caught which are some of the major benefits of being a hunter, not being held responsible for a lot of serious crimes.
The hunters licence kinda just legalizes the actions of people who were already going to do that.
Most countries seem to respect and allow the hunters to do what they want.
Not because of some license or because other nations allow them to also. But because you really can't stop them.
The benefits of the hunters license just make it a little easier and it also mean that you can hire them and also get information of who these very strong people are.
It's like making drugs legal, it isn't that you like having drugs in your population but it's that if you make it legal you have more control over the drugs.
Netero happily ignored candidates murdering each other outside of the exam’s rounds. He let his exam in a state where savagery and selfish are encouraged and teamwork is discouraged. He’s even given liscences to multiple members of the Phantom Troupe It just shows that the mindset he wanted his organization to have is “survival of the fittest”. Under his rule, Hunters barely have any structure at all and are given free reign to act on the public at will and no one could stop them.
Netero embodies the absolute best and worst humanity in the setting and molded his organization around himself.
The Hunter Exam is a test of survival.
In Tests of survival, it is up to humans to work together or not. That isnt Netero’s fault or anything, that is human nature.
There is a consent form as well you must sign acknowledging the risks and anyone considered a child needs their parent’s consent as well.
Hunters still have rules and despite have freedom, are subject to laws and punishment. One of the bylaws is those accused of heinous crimes are too be hunted.
I will admit this is a bit confusing since Hisoka is a murderer and a serial killer but I guess it is reserved or proritized for hunters that help or become terrositist or threats to global and national security.
Shalanark is the only true member of the troupe tht has a license... As hisoka and illumi aren't really members bcuz they don't care about the goal of keeping spider alive
Shelby Williams yeah, and Shalanark is dead, so it doesn’t matter anymore.
@@shelbywilliams5912 but they are members though, doesnt matter if they dont care about the spider
i think it makes prefect sense , a hunter isn't required to be a team player , most hunters seem to be selfish and working solo and need to actually be strong both mentally and physically to withstand the potential dangers you could face as a hunter , the best way to weed out the weak and only leave the worthy to become hunters is indeed " the survival of the fittest" approach to the exam , it would make no sense for netero to make a structured and safe exam that prevents and punishes any killing or violence and that doesn't even test the applicants mental and physical limits and then after the hunters get sent to a brutal world to which they weren't prepared at all and they end up dead .
9:57 I really hate that this wasn't transfered somehow into the anime translation. In the manga, the quote was:" you have no idea of man's infinte potential for evolution/malice"
malice and evolution was written together with one Kanji. The point being, human's malice and ability to adapt are the same thing. The king of the ants, with his infinite physical capacity was brought down with a small product of human ingenuity driven by their limitless evil. Mereum or any other threat had no chance to beat humans if they are prepared. Because unlike the creature of the dark continet who only fight to survive, stuck to follow through their predetermined genetic code, humans have the potential to adapt, change and shape the world to do more than themselves could ever do... Especially when the primary motivation is to do something evil. I'm sick and tired of people only watching the anime and thinking thats the entire story. It is not just malice that lies in the human heart, it is also the potential to evolve beyond what they physically can accomplish.
lolwhat. The ants epitomize adaptation and evolution. If not for netero and the bomb, ants win period.
Baltej Bains lolwat is a very rude way to enter into a discourse. There’s no right or wrong in forming a narrative opinion on novel concepts. It’s okay to disagree, I encourage you to do so, but only if you don’t try to diminish what others think or say. Try having an open mind.
You’re both right, btw.
Cheers to that. For me hunter x hunter is an anime with sociology, psychology, political, economical , metaphysical and philosophical contents. Its almost an encyclopedia of the world translated into anime language
@Generic128 Username67 apparently 6 people and counting cared, maybe try his advice rather than berating him
You know, the more I watch stuff about the dark continent and the hunter hunter world the more I just solidify a single thought in my head. Maybe, just maybe, humans aren't being saved by being on an island away from the dark continent. Maybe they were put there... like Ai and all the other things, like a sort of quarantine. Cause lets be honest, compared to everything else on those islands: humans are no different than an extinction level threat.
Oh yea interesting theory cuz only humans can use Nen and the beast in DC are born with strong abilities so don is a beast from DCc
His fight against meruem revealed so much more about his personality than you touched upon.
Meruem wanted to talk. He wanted Netero to convince him that his world view was wrong and give him an excuse to stop being the ant king. Meruem actively refused to fight at the beginning and sat down demanding a conversation believing that Netero of all people would be able to give him what he wants. An excuse to call off his ants and to try and live side by side with humans. But Netero would not allow this amazing opportunity at a fight that could push his limits to pass by. He pushed the Ant King over and over until he found the one thing that could force meruem to fight. The promise of his name. And even then meruem had no intention of killing Netero. He simply wanted to beat netero into submission, find out his name and then force him to have the conversation meruem so deeply desired.
Netero could have ended the entire war with a single debate. Meruem would have called off his ants and would have tried to live alongside humans, not as shepherd and cattle, but as equals. Meruem was willing to have the conversation where they was a possible outcome. But no. Meruem was too powerful an opponent for Netero to just give up an opportunity of a fight just to end things peacefully
Fuck the ants, some were ok but most were after power I loved every second of Morel and the gang fucking them up
Pain fr
first of all he did end the war and eradicated the ants and no mereum didn't say he would live peacefully with humans he said he can spare some a d that was his opinion for the moment because he have just met komogi and even if he did day that he'll live in peace with the humans who can garantee that he commits to his words , netero can't leave the human race under the mercy of a brutal power hungry ant that gets stronger and smarter by the second ! hh just image if netero agreed to peace and left the ants thrive and get stronger and then someone kills komogi or maybe the king just defeat her at chess or whaterver and he simply gets bored what do u think would happen
His mission was to kill the ant king, plain and simple. If the ant king was alive by the end of the mission, he failed.
Counterpoint: during the episode he was almost swayed by meruems words, as said in his inner monologue. Also when meruem told netero that they can just talk this out, neteros response was: "If things were so simple, I wouldn't have to do this!", And he then proceeds to attack the king
The only thing I love about that character is that he is an overpowered character done right. Sacrifice = Power
Sacrifice did not increase his power by much. Netero, unlike Gon, was that strong thanks to his unbelivably trained body, owned skills and experience. The sucide nuke does not count, Leorio would have been able to do the same
@@digi5711 digi You don't get my point man... Didn't he sacrifice time and energy training his body and mind? Then afterwards he kept sacrificing himself much further. He did not eat, he just trained 10.000 punches and then felt asleep, every single day. Then he did the same but added meditation. I guess he didn't expect to get more powerful doing that. But he indeed sacrificed a lot of time and energy training and perfecting himself.
If you ever start practicing a sport (for example I'm doing boxing) you will use/sacrifice your time to get better, to reach a stronger self and see amazing results overtime. You always pay a price, but it's the end goal that's worth it.
That's what sacrifice is. Not the bomb.
Hell yeah, I would just add to your comment that is both, sacrifice and gratitude, I believe the later one is the one that helped the most in Neteto surpassing his human limits
@@alfredogonzalez9420 you are right! I forgot
I mean, netero sacrificed his life to put the bomb in the range of meruem
He's more indifferent than evil IMO.
Ambiguous is actually a good description
Here's a mininalistic character analysis of Issac Netero: Chaotic Neutral.
Well he is not chaotic neutral. Just because you didn't harm anyone doesn't make you good. People may ask you for help and you tell them to go die cause it would be entertaining. You did not harm them or order them you just asked them to do something . Evil with lot of steps is still evil.
@@pravinrao3669 That's not how Netero works, chaotic neutral perfectly describes him. Yes he had his own selfish desires, those of which had him lead the Hunters Association with the savage laws of nature. Key word here "nature." Nature does not care if you are the most innocent being out there, it is survival of the fittest point blank period. He was fair above all else, if your abilities can't take you forward then that's on you. Furthermore he never deliberately sent anyone to their doom as you claim, if he believed you can't handle it then another hunter gets the job. He took 2 hunters that not only had his full trust but were who he also believed capable of handling the ants. He didn't even allow Killua and Gon to go with them unless they got stronger. At the end of the day he cared bout his goals and the purpose of his job as seen when he gave his life to kill Meruem. He didn't care bout bringing peace or darkness to the world, just his job and desire of besting powerful opponents thus chaotic neutral.
@@pravinrao3669 Just gotta point out that you're applying the standards of being Good to Chaotic Neutral. Chaotic Neutral isn't Good just as it also isn't Evil. Neutrality as a moral alignment is tricky because you have to figure out where it stops from being Good and where it stops from being Evil. But where Netero was more about doing what he wanted without any particular malice towards anyone, he leans more towards (Chaotic) Neutral than towards Evil.
If anyone in hunter hunter is chaotic neutral (or really any character ever), it’s definitely Hisoka.
@@jeffjohnson419 If anything Netero is lawful neutral by the definition I provided a couple months back cause Hisoka would be more of a chaotic neutral type person
Still can't believe this guy was actually an enhancer.
To be fair he’s not an official enhancer. The author never stated it, not even in the official databook... but in some databooks (which isn’t overseen by Togashi) says he’s an enhancer.... for some reason.
His Nen affinity is still debated amongst ACTUAL fans of the series. Those who go solely on 2011 anime aren’t apart of this.
But it’s accepted that he is either an Emitter, manipulator, or a conjurer.
Enhancer just wouldn’t make sense for him.
What is known as a fact is that Zero hand is an Emission technique, and the other hands are manipulation.
What’s argued is that since Zero hand is the only technique that requires him to give up all his Nen at once and drain him is a covenant. Which can back up him being a conjurer... since emission is his natural opposite.
But through and through he is a Manipulator in my and most people’s opinions.
He conjures a Buddha statue by praying. (Meaning it’s not his Nen affinity since there’s a cost) and manipulates the 1000 hands with simple hand motions (his natural affinity)
@@Binks129 Interesting. I didn't know that the prayer is actually a cost. Though, now that I think about it, it's the only sensible reason for him to do something so useless in the middle of a fight. What reward does the prayer give him?
Yeah the enhancer thing only existing in unofficial data books, sounds more believable. It just sounded really hard to believe that he was so incredibly powerful and skilled *outside* his speciality, cause we all know there was no way the Buddha statue was an enhancing ability.
I'd say he was likely an emitter. Firstly, because of the Zero Hand you mentioned, and secondly, because you don't need to be a manipulator to produce and control something like that statue. Goreinu's apes during Greed Island, were said to be emission-based.
I think manipulation has more to do with controlling objects that *aren't* Nen-based, since everybody technically manipulates their own aura anyways. Examples would be things like "ko", "gyo", "ryu" or "en".
Lalrivunga Hnamte Well if he is a Manipulator then he’s have 100% Manipulation, 60% conjuration, and 80% emission.
It’s the only category he can have that makes sense for his Hatsu to be what it is and as powerful as it is. He has to pray to Conjure since he only has 60% efficiency.
Not official but it’s just a theory.
@@Binks129 Damn you the only person that got this right so far.
If you pay attention to nen type personalities. Youd see Neteros personality is an enhancer. He is very single minded with his goal to get strong and look for stronger opponents to challenge him.
Now imagine Beyond Netero's darkness.
True_ wonder besides his darkness being beyond his father's ye think he also has own version of gunnun Buddha Hand statue
I love this video because I always thought Netero was kind of a dark character after finishing HxH. Especially after his final words to Meruem and him pointing out where Pitou was to Gon. He was fully aware how strong Pitou was and that Gon was nowhere near strong enough to kill them. While also understanding that if Gon truly wanted to kill Pitou, he would have to sacrifice everything to do it. He sent him on a suicide mission to test his resolve, and that alone shows you what kind of person Isaac Netero was.
Considering what kind of person Netero was and what we know about his “morals”, imagine Gon in such a position of power with his own “morals” as we know them.
Netero interests me because i believe he's a very dark deconstruction of Shonen as a genre. He's the individualistic selfish impulses that permeate the genre who's lived totally by those impulses. He's the logical conclusion of a Goku type who seeks powerful enemies near compulsively: Elitist, domineering, and lacking in empathy, and those impulses were encouraged and seen as the height of human power by all around him. Maybe once he could have changed, but he's seen first hand humanity values the beliefs he holds, and been rewarded for his selfish desires. And i think him giving Meruym that whole speech about humanity couldn't have been delivered by a better person cause who better to understand humanities excesses then a man who's an example of the power of indulging his excesses and has been rewarded over and over for it?
Stfu ur wrong sorry
I agree that many times people will misplace their understanding of Netero in the series. It's one of the best things about the series in that you have so many characters that have their own individuality. Such as Knuckle who wouldn't even fight Youpi after sparing Morel's life, Knov who lost all his hair by just seeing some murderous aura, then you have Netero who is willing to go to the depths of Earth to kill this ant, more so because of it being his strongest opponent but also I believe the element of doing the job that was tasked to the Hunter Association. Always fascinating how the roles of humanity and monster switch with the hunters and ants as the arc progresses.
one of the best characters in anime industry, this “human”
@Suleymen Amanzholtegi pffft
@Suleymen Amanzholtegi you got too carried away. Fiction is a huge world
@Suleymen Amanzholtegi He's def up there with Guts and Griffith for me
@Suleymen Amanzholtegi thats a big stretch. 😂
Isaac Netero...the only said person that survived against Maha Zoldyck.
Honestly great points all around Liam. His son is basically on the Zodiac’s most wanted list. Plus he named his son Beyond. I’m sure there’s something self serving about that as well.
This is one of my favorites videos from you.
Your ability to explain in such eloquent detail, the way that our beloved Netero is really the behind-the-scenes villain.
Bringing to light his using of the Hunter Association for the sole purpose of grooming all the world to hopefully one day bring forth a challenger for him is superb to say the least.
Going back and rewatching HxH, it is noticeable the amount of shade Netero throws toward weak characters. Watching again after watching this video, it completely changed how I viewed the Hunter Association and Netero and it made my viewing experience much different than the first go around. Being able to spot all the small hints pointing at Neteros true nature.
Netero is so goddamn weird but i love him so much
Same
@100 subscribers without videos challenge humans*
He's a little mysterious as I expected
Netero wasnt a villian, an antagonist, he is a human, looking for what he wants, just like everyone else, doing what must be done if necessarily, and having fun as much as he could. The Hunter x Hunter world is not as flat as saying somebody is evil or good, as you said, most of the time he acted for the common benefit, even if you think he just was being selfish, Netero wasnt the president just because of his power.
Netero even said "if there is a hell then I'll see you there"
Amen
Right on time like always lol every morning. Love it.
How hard do you want to make the missions for hunters?
NETERO-YES!
I wouldn’t call him an antagonist because he never becomes a roadblock for the main characters or anybody that’s good at all and you can never see him doing said things.
Meruem is main character in the second part of Chimera Ant arc
@@user-cz3qr4vc9k yeah thats never debated bro
o ' lmfao yea he’s a MC of the second half...but that in no way makes him a Protagonist 😂 Which would mean that Netero wasn’t his antagonist. If we want to use that definition then every protagonist ever has also been the antagonist to the antagonist of their series
The hunter exam is his handiwork, so the first arc is literally Netero being a roadblock for the main characters.
anAccountMustHaveAName well the hunter exams weren’t something the main characters saw as a roadblock considering they willingly entered so it’s not what you would call a roadblock especially for gon he really wanted to do it and killua didn’t view it as a challenge in the way you are suggesting because he just entered for fun.
Like ging said Hunters are selfish people they always try to get what they wanted ignoring the others feelings
the reason the chimera ants were only listed as a B level threat was because the association knew there were ways they could be dealt with (like the rose bomb). Netero just saw the opportunity to finally face an opponent as strong or stronger than him and decided to intervene personally and fight Mereum. the infiltration squad and Zeno were used to allow Netero the opportunity to fight the king 1v1. Netero probably knew this would be the only chance in his remaining lifetime to face a worthy opponent. but he also knew that no matter what he had to kill all the ants, hence the bomb in his chest in the case that he lost. and which is why he refused to negotiate with the king because they had to be exterminated regardless.
1:06 Kurapika is protecting a baby, man. He's no villain. I don't even read the manga. I learned that watching your videos.
He never said kurapika is evil tho so I don’t know where you got that from
But vs the troupe he kinda forgot everything in pursuit of vengence
Genocide tho lol
@@hicks8686 0:59
"Even our protagonists are also often the subject of intense question and scrutiny in regards their own actions. Which is particularly true in the cases of Gon and Kurapika, who are very potentially going down that road of living so long, that they see themselves actually becoming the villains.".
So, yeah, my dude, that's where I got that from.
And just to be clear. Kurapika is not evil. He might go a bit too hard at it here and there, but he's a good champ. He's just the kind of friend who leaves you as "read" when you ask him for help with your homework. Do you get me now, yeti bro?
@@ChiePet_ Jacob here gets it.
Today is my birthday and this video is one of the first good things I get to enjoy today.
Happy birthday man
I still can't believe he was actually an enhancer🥴🥴🥴
why? it was pretty obvious
@@trackmaniaIIDX the abilities he uses arent exactly enhancer abilities so it wouldn't be obvious unless you go based on the personality of an enhancer
he was damn near a specialist
He isn't an enhancer, the databooks weren't written by togashi.
Towards the end of the ball game with Killua and Gon, Gon tried to headbutt Netero for the second time and the latter concluded that if Gon's head would connect then that would crush his skull. He then used his right hand to dodge gon and let him hit the wall instead, even though the point of the game was for him not to use his right hand. So Netero actually preferred to lose to Gon over letting him die. I don't think he's that much of the selfish guy you're setting him up to be.
yeah hes just mad for some reason
I love how you’re able to give us HxH content when HxH hasn’t given you content. You are a hero!!
But if Netero was like this imagine if Ging had taken the mantle as chairman
Got in to watching this show not to long ago and I love it, definitely has become my favorite anime of all time. I really hope we got more animated episodes soon, but I will finally be reading my first manga with this series
Its not that he always wanted to fight powerfull oponents. His years praying and training in the mountain was done out of gratetfulness for surviving the dark continent. After finishing that training he started his nen dojo and out of fighting the many people that came to contest hin he started to fell that "i want to fight strong people" desire on hin. Remember that he had the desire to fight strong people but yet he closed and prohibited any travel to the dark continent because he wanted to save the lives of hunters and others that would probably try go there just to die...
In the Hunter exam he toyed with Killua and Gon because he knew their parents and wanted to see if both were strong, not because he wanted to fight them in the future but instead out of curiosity as he knew they had potential and soo he wanted to see if gon was as smart as his father and if killua was as skilled as his grand grand father etc.
H x H 344 shows young Netero with apprehensive looking at the landscape of the Dark Continent and in this page it tells what, years later, he did: Banned travels to the dark continent due to the high mortality that people suffered there and because of the threats they brought back with them.
H x H 265 shows a 46 Netero training/praying, this takes place after his travel to the dark continent. He started that training after realising the limits of his body and techniques (again this takes place after his tripe in the dark continent...).
199 - 234 we learn that the only reason Netero went to the NGL fight against the Quimera ants was due to the V5 ordering that he did it, he had alread asked them to ban travels to the dark continent soo he probably wanted to return the favor.
H x H 291-292 Shows that he liked to fight and he fought against weak opponents but until that time he did not realized hinself that he wanted a really powerfull adversary to fight, thats why he spent his time as chairman toying with people, he did this to pass time because he would not get any excitement over fighting people he deemed as inferior. That's one of the reason Pariston became vice chairman instead of getting kicked on the spot...
No Netero is not the same as Hisoka, looking to fight powerfull people. He banned people from going to the DC because too many had died still in his administration (at least one expedition with only 6 survivors). He made the hunter test hard to make sure the new hunters would be able to put a fight (this mentality is shown tho Morel and Knov in chap 199).
If you want a Netero that is a Antagonist just look at Beyond Netero and his inspiration:
Issac Netero represents the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion (said in cap 265 by the dojo's owner)(also his nen ability is kinda shaped like that). Beyond Netero was inspired by Guan Yu that is also a bodhisattva but is associated with war and protection.
"Cheadle san if you make the association boring I will feed you chocolate." -Pariston Hell (hired by Netero)
Real talk. Togashi had a nen curse ever since the hiatus and he's still finding a capable nen exorcist.
Wow this is an amazing vid. I always felt like Netero was the antagonist to meruem’s character, but this really shows how the duality of humanity can make a character a protagonist to one person’s view and an antagonist to another
My boy coming with that heat
2:02 If they go around killing innocents they'll fall foul of the 4th hunter commandment.
Killua has the ability to determine the strength of his opponents. Remember the time Isaac Netero played with Killua and Gon. Killua didn't know how strong Netero is. This is just a testament of Netero's abilities . He can conceal his power.
Netero is an interesting character, and mushing it up with your "What did Netero find in the Dark continent" video, we could say that he gave the book specifically to Ging so that Ging gets stronger and closer to his potential, as he will need to be strong to survive the DC, therefore he can finally have a strong opponent which he desires.
My phone can't keep up with my SPEED!
this man is walking paradox such a complex character to break down.. the biggest reasons why i call him a paradox... his nen power is represented by a buddah statue which usually represents peace and prosperity its used for exactly the opposite which is war... to say the least he is a religious man because prayer and meditation are a big parts of his development and growth.. the thought alone of a man thanking martial arts for his self growth and throwing 10000 nen punches daily without a purpose simply as a self tribute to the thing that made him mature and taking him to where he is in that date and time simply because he feels that is the way he can repay this practice is outstanding.. its kinda like if an artist dedicates a song to music for taking them where they are and giving them what they have.. netero reached a whole new level without even trying to he was only doing it because to him it felt right to do it... it wasnt really training all that time was only a tribute to martial arts and prayer.. but my question is this.. what if he didnt see results and he just kept on doing that over and over? what was he planing? why was he in the mountains in the first place? because him reaching the next level was through alot of hard work but it was accidental... i mean did he plan on doing this over and over and over until he just died because he tought he had already reached his limit and he didnt have another purpose or would he just come down from the mountains and look for something new to do? because he was up there without food and water doing the same thing for years until he passed to the next level.... when he explodes the nuke he tells meruem that if there is a hell he will see him there implying that after all that prayer it didn't make him righteous enough for heaven... part of why i think he wouldnt think himself righteous and saying ill see you in hell is this.. after him thanking everything for allowing the both of them to meet in battle was because netero couldnt believe that after all he did and all that training to get to the next level he couldnt find a worthy opponent he felt empty without a purpose keep in mind this mans only purpose in life as far as we know it is power so him being over a century old with that feeling must feel like his own hell maybe thats why he was in the mountains in the first place just to die paying tribute to what drove him there because he had already hit his limit and didnt have a purpose anymore... so when he met meruem in battle he thanked him because he after all that time he finally felt some sort of self comfort, peace and most importantly purpose thats why mid battle he has an epiphany and says that he forgot when was the last time he was the first one to make a move in other words he forgot the last time he actually had a challenge... now the paradox comes when his ego and pride get the best of him... even though he was really thankful for that moment.. he couldnt bring himself to admit defeat to something he deems as inferior.. he lost to meruem he never really admits it directly he instead tells meruem that the king knows nothing about the bottomless malice of the human race and proceeds to embody that malice and blow him up along with himself.. i took that as his pride/ego of a warrior or his pride/ego of a human not allowing him to admit defeat after thanking everything for their meeting to be possible he simply cant allow himself to loose or admit defeat to an ant that being his last thought is frightening and really selfish because instead of thinking that his sacrifice was for the future of the human race he instead thinks and says if there is a hell ill see you there...going out for humans with the help of the most inhumane creation ever created an atom bomb... that is what i belive made him unrighteous in his own eyes implying that he would be going to hell despite sacrificing him self for a good cause in the eyes of the human race.. one of the best characters ever written
I think you missed something in the ball game. Netero was blatant in his internal thoughts that he was only doing the game for entertainment.
Oh mh god. This videos was amazing !
I've had my suspicion about netero's true nature for a while. And this just proves that am not alone in my thinking.
Honestly, this is one of the best anime channel's on youtube period.
This was a pretty fantastic flip on the general perception of this beloved character, you did an absolutely wonderful job demonstrating your point but you left out the most critical part of your argument...
The indisputable fact that bungee gum has both the properties of rubber and gum.
I couldnt SMASH that like button hard or fast enough!
Another awesome video. You're scratching the itch of not having Hunter X Hunter while at the same time making me miss it so much more!
I love how Netero saved the lives of many humans by doing a horrible thing but also killed many humans by doing a good thing which is recruiting more hunters who can help defend humanity. So much gray in this series I love it.
oh
wow almost as if life isnt a good and evil fairy tale
I often find myself saying “100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva” ever since i finished the show a few weeks ago. I wish I didn’t take so long to get into this show... i literally binged it within a month. Never watched an anime so consistently before lmao.... love this show. AND love the intro bro, the subscribing joke made me laugh. Too bad I subbed dozens of videos ago 😁
Bruh I've gotten buddhism tattoos and prayed like netero. I need to be put down
I love this video.
I feel like a lot of people who talk about Netero downplay his worse attributes because they are still under the impression he’s meant to be in that “quirky, old but powerful mentor” archetype. This is a selfish, amoral and sometimes malicious man; he doesn’t care if “weak” people die around him as long as he gets to fight someone he considers strong. In any other manga, that description would make him a major villain.
Jonathan Dauterman togashi just doesnt use archetypes only to fool you. Its dumb trying to push this masterpiece into rules that were made up by worse storys
I kinda feel the same way about Ging. I don't understand why the fandom seems to like a sociopathic hedonist, who would abandon his son, not visit him on his deathbed, create a video game that kills countless people for the sole purpose of training his son, etc. I know this is all some sort of "Boy Named Sue" scenario where Gon's entire life is being structured to create some sort of super being to likely save the world, but the man is still a colossal piece of crap.
@@moonjelly5 I think the majority of the fandom hates Ging, I may be wrong though but I'm just saying this for my personal experience, I've honestly never comed across someone that likes Ging as a person.
PS. I like Ging as a hunter, as a character, but I would not like to be friends with him honestly.
@@SEMJ4 My biggest yes of the show was Leorio punching him.
Maybe Netero had a second goal in mind for his style of the hunter exam; finding those who could survive against crazy odds in hopes of finding people to go to the dark continent
It's brilliance on the part of Togashi, creating the best villains in the entire world of manga. Shinobi Sensui of yuyu Hakusho is another example of this, as is younger toguro. Neither character is objectively evil, they are merely antagonistic from the point of view of our protagonists, and by extension, us the readers. Meruem follows this pattern as well. From his birth as a truly chaotic evil character, into his growth as someone less monstrous and more humane than his ultimate rival, Netero, who doesn't change, but our understanding of him changes, in the reverse. As time goes on, he becomes less and less humane, and more monstrous
Toguro is a great villain. 👌 The best of Togashis villains in my opinion.
yeah sensui is actually my favorite antagonist in yuyu hakusho
"If Hell is actually there, let's meet again" - Netero, a man that pray more often than most of us
Screw that I think Netero's take on the exam is what one needs to be a Hunter, strong, capable, high tolerance for pain, ability to adapt and a curiosity for life.
Netero's exam favored brawn too heavily over brain. Being a hunter is not only about combat. There are hunters who specialize in curing diseases, preserving wildlife, solving crimes, and much more. Cheadle definitely went too far in the opposite direction though, the perfect hunter exam would have a healthy balance of both intelligence and power or possibly just have different exams depending on what you want to specialize in.
@@squilliamfancyson1080 the actual exam was made by other hunters that werent netero but the concept of killing off 200 candidates each exam was netero’s
3:20 when I saw that smile, that’s when I knew Netero wasn’t the noble old man I was expecting
Don’t forget when Netero was slaughtering chimera ants to warm up for the invasion
Netero was amused sending Gon at Pitou knowing not only his rage and bloodlust, but how much stronger Pitou was compared to him. He could have never known about the Nen Vow he used
Calling Netero an antagonist is like calling Gaara a comedian
Loved your video btw!
I would call Netero a villain but not really an antagonist
@@Wiverr How's he a villain? If he actively went out of his way to sabotage the chimera ant operation or directly aided the ants then yes. Just calling him a villain doesn't do his character justice. He's more nuanced than that.
@@Wiverr he's most certainly not a villain.
@@Wiverr and antagonist is someone who opposes the protagonist, netero and gon are allies. Netero is not an antagonist, hes not evil but he definitely isnt good
I think its worth mentioning using the hunter association to serve is own needs and wants is exactly the platform that Leorio was running on. I just thought that was interesting considering he was a front runner in the race. There is definitely something interesting going on with what the hunter association represents in the story when compared to other ideas of governance like the ants, the phantom troupe, kakin, ngl east gorteau and even by extension greed island itself.
For some reason I thought you were gonna say he brought the chimera ants back with him on purpose
Your channel has given me a different perception on the series. Thank you!
I always did find it weird during the final test of the Hunter exam he didn't do anything when Gon was getting beaten by Hanzo but then I just thought he didn't intervene due to the fact it's somewhat showing the mental stregnth of the participants fighting.
Lunar the whole thing was weird at least in the 2011 version. The music is upbeat while people are dying and at times deaths are treated comedically, it’s bizarre because normally in anime the first death in an event like the Hunter Exam would be treated totally different, the music would get low and somber and dark shadows would envelop the characters but in Hunter X Hunter it was like “lol this guy got carried away by birds and is gonna be eaten alive.” Very jarring because it seemed so tone deaf.
@@juliandavidhoffer2022 I think it was kinda foreshadowing in a why little hints showing the show was going to get darker with time. On my first watch I was weirded out that random people died and nobody seemed to care but then I thought about it if these hunter licenses are as valuable as we are told the test must require huge risk
@@juliandavidhoffer2022 yeah , i think it was done on purpose tbh , because we're seeing everything from gons lense at the beginning . And we know Gon doesn't really give a shit about anyone but himself and his close circle of friends.
idir bouchdoug i wouldn’t say Gon gave 0 shits about ppl not his friend. 1 example being the gun girl in the phantom troupe
I've never though of him in that way to be honest, but now that you say it it makes perfect sense
The three dislikes are from Pitou, Pouf, and Youpi.
The thing that cracks me up is that during the hunter exam, they state that the exams exists to stop people who would misuse the license.
This same exam gave Illumi and Hisoka licenses, while getting several decent people killed.
This theory is only viable if we postulate Meruem as the protagonist of season 3--which isn't too much of a stretch, all things considered--but his role leading up to the ant arc can't technically be antagonist. Let's suppose your reply points me to the season 1 moment, in which he played keep-away with the volleyball--regardless of any theorized ulterior motives, he wasn't a driving force attempting to thwart our two protagonists' dreams. Rather, he was aware of their lineage being legendary Nen users and chooses to interact and bond with them in order to test their coordination, teamwork, progress, potential, and ensured their spirits remained high in order to avoid one of them going AWOL.
Also, you repeatedly state that his sole motivation as Chairman was to locate strong Nen users in order to find opponents worthy of fighting--the parallel you drew was Hisoka, and you state Hisoka is the lesser evil of the two because he broadcasts his intentions rather than hides them. This is just blatant slander. When do we see Netero fighting or murdering high-ranking hunters? Was this not his ulterior motive the entire plot? No--his motives include preserving the human race, organizing a democratic republic consisting of strong and competent hunters, and becoming both the political and physical martyr of the Hunter's Association (if I remember correctly, he was scapegoated often for things he either didn't do or wasn't aware of, and he shouldered the criticism so that the other levels of government maintained credibility and were able to continue their positive contributions).
He was a mentor with hubris--both for the human race and his own strength. As the leader of the Hunter's Association, and the only human able to match Meruem's strength, it was his duty to end Meruem's life at any cost. Had he lost this battle without fatally wounding the King, the human race would've been reduced to livestock (according to Meruem...of course, as viewers, we know characters such as Hisoka, Illumi, Chrollo, Ging, etc., would've most likely been able to kill the King in either a coordinated attack or through assassination, but this is only speculative). The mentor always has to die in order for the protagonists to grow and eventually surpass them.
A recent example being One for All vs. All for One; although neither one of them physically died, their ability to ever battle again and be an actual threat was taken away. Events like these are necessary for protagonists to grow. They assume all of their mentor's responsibilities and burdens and the immense pressure drives them into becoming the hero of the story.
This take actually makes me look at the "good" characters and what they did in establishing their place in their perspective worlds in *hindsight* to what was actually caused by their actions.
Now for some reason I gotta read one piece AGAIN.
Althoug majority of this video is truth, its wrong to call him a antagonist, "antihero" is much more fitting term, because while he has some "questionable" morals, he is not actively harming people, yes, hunter exams were brutal, but why would you need a weak hunter, he would serve no purpose in his role and everyone who entered the exam was aware how dangerous it is.
Edit: plus his quote "do not underestimate the infinite potential for evolution of humans" proves he he cares for the humanity, and the fact he vaules strenght does not mean he completely neglects the weak
Slavomír Baník i think he used this term because meruem became an protagonist even tho its not that easy to pin these 2 character down
the quote you mentioned is actually wrong the correct one is : you know nothing of the bottomless malice within human heart, my source is of course the original manga
So no he doesn't care at all about humanity he completely neglects the weak and only use his status for his own purpose and not to protect them
edit:
You can call him antagonist since Meruem actually changed and wanted to create the most peaceful world ever, becoming a protagonist, while Netero cared more about killing him
Netero sees the weak like ants (not chimera ants, literal ants). He wont kill ants but he wont stop others who activately killing them.
Like the guy above me said, the anime subs botched the translation somewhat. The intended meaning was malice but it can also be read as evolution. In the manga they went with malice, so no your quote actually proves my point rather than yours.
@@NewWorldReview Still call the villain a man who alone protected humanity from threats from the dark continent(stopping any attempt to organize expeditions) and blamed himself for all the sacrifices that his son 's failed expeditions brought, I think, very strange.
I came into this video with my eyebrows raised, but you really managed to change my conception of the universe. Since Netero did not get a ton of screentime, I didn't take much regard of what an important figure he was and how he really shaped this antagonistic, morally dubious world we were introduced to in the Hunter Exam arc. He really is on no different a level than Hisoka.
I think Netero did find worthy opponents in his liftime. We already know he met his match in Maha and Netero admits that he is no longer the strongest nen user so it is safe to assume there is someone stronger out there.
That doesn't make sense. During his fight with meruem Netero clearly said that he has always dreamed of giving his heart and soul to battle a powerful opponent. And thanked for everything that led him to meruem who is the ultimate opponent he dreamed for. Also there is nothing that indicates that Netero fought Maha after attaining the ultimate strength from his 10000 punches. He probably fought Maha before gaining his ultimate power. Netero was just joking during the whole conversation about not being the strongest. He also said that Morel and Knov are equal to him which was clearly not the case.
I very much needed this kind of explanation after just watching the anime for the first time, I've been so confused if I'm understanding the series correctly when I saw Netero as the villian and Mereum is actually good
meruem isnt good at all lmao he wanted to commit genocide cause humans are boring
Netero was a sociopath that loathe mediocrity.
While yes he does loathe mediocrity, he doesn't fit the psychological profile of a sociopath
Tokashi takes the traditional model of a bildungsroman (a literary genre focused on the moral/literal growth of a protagonist from childhood/adolescence into adulthood), and takes it into creative and unique areas. Instead of ONE protagonist, we watch four. And instead of a single path, we see three initially (Gon/Killua running off on their journey to find Gon's father & grow their friendship, Leorio prioritizing - and by the election arc regretting to a point - his education, and Kurapika prioritizing vengeance).
It presents an interesting result... Killua's arc starting as dark and being drawn into Gon's light. Gon loosing sight of his bigger goals in the painful loss of Kite (brought back to the light by Killua/Nunika). Leorio 'losing the forest for the trees,' as New/Nen World Review pointed out in another post, by growing his medical/nen knowledge in. And Killua playing something of a Sasuke-esque roll, essentially losing himself to the darkness in his desire to avenge his dead family (living for the dead more than the living, as it were).
All the while, Tokashi is throwing in other commentary (that fits the character development) as well: the election arc taking shots at politics, greed island playing with gaming tropes, etc.
It's just a rare level of literary growth, pushing multiple directions and messages which are interchangeable.
Netero was my favorite hunter x hunter character. Its such a shame he died, but at least I've still got feitan. 😆
Same
So true and I never thought of this. You might wanna do more of the different characters.
Its important to notice Netero was never an antagonist tho
A person with ambiguous morals? Sure
But an antagonist must be someone constantly opposing the protagonist through the plot, Netero never did that in any instance, directly or not
Someone like Hisoka, fighing Gon through the heavens arena is an antagonist, like the Spiders ready to destroy Kurapika through Yorknew city, those are antagonists
Netero is never truly present in the main plot as a defining factor until the Chimera ant's arc when he acts as a deuteragonist
And to start, even tho he has truly selfish ideals, someone can say that he was never a monster, he didnt hate or despise the weak, it just happens that he is always searching strong targets and is in a full time commitment with the association, so obviously he would never have time or reason to associate himself with common people
And for the hunter exams? Yeah sure he has his agenda, but the exam is necessary, being a Hunter is brutal, you are always dealing with death and murder, why the exam should be any different? Those candidates accepted the exam aware of the consequences and risks, and as you said Cheadle mainly changed the exam as a way to filter candidates to the expedition, also she isnt truly experient and her apparently good intentions in those reforms can -and probably will- backfire hard (Something Pariston really wanted when he resigned)
So selfish? Sure. Twisted? As Bisky said, absolutely. But not a monster/psycho like Hisoka killing every foe on his way for the sake of self pleasure, Netero was a bad person, but around the same level as every Hunter is, even Killua/Gon
this guy is just soft and basic so his brain can only categorize a complex man like Netero this way
That's why he did a nen thing that was counter to his native affinity; he was truly monstrous on his own based on where he was on the 'weaker' aspect
Ha, I get it, his name is a play on Issac Newton.
Hmm interesting. Yes he did make the Hunter Exam brutal, but that was because life as a hunter is fairly brutal. Netero never struck me as antagonistic, but he was a person that knew he had to do what he had to to win.
Maybe the manga is different. I'll never know
NWR: Hisoka
Auto Generated Caption: You soak her
Wait for real?? 😂😂😂
That scene with him and Meruem about the true darkness in humanity…chilling.
~_~