~ a short analysis on the concept of *human weaponry* within the manga Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi, centering some of the recent chapters 401-402. Spoilers up to these chapters.
Hunter x Hunter utilizes the power system of Nen, applied with mastery by the titular Hunters of the saga.
Together, the characters & powers may resemble the heroes and “superpowers” of the rest of the fantasy genre, but only at first glance. Nen is much more complex and comprises the immense creativity of an author on a character-by-character basis.
Hunters are also more amoral & self-obsessed than you’d ever be able to anticipate, allowing their abilities to do all sorts of specific and infinitely intriguing things. Nen is built out of auras based on human motivation and human creativity, ultimately shaped by what a character seeks.
Throughout his manga, Togashi does the job of satisfyingly exploring his characters’ individuality by the nature of how they develop & use their Nen powers. Some characters fashion powers of knowledge & creation, while others seek to deceive, corrupt, or destroy. In this way, Nen provides a window into the soul of each user.
Much of the story of Hunter x Hunter becomes an art of using the power system created to formulate the most wonderfully *diabolical* uses possible for such powers.
Some such extreme uses: bombs x terrorism x curses.
For an older example: Genthru, the mad bomber on Greed Island, conceived of using Nen to create bombs that he could place upon people in order to perform exacting terrorism at his will and whim…for the sake of collecting all the cards. (Bomber was a tryhard gamer gone wrong)
As revealed in #HxH401, Beyond’s sacrificial children / sleeper cell agents are the next step in the evolution of such devilish inventiveness. Here is the monstrous usage of Nen to perform acts of destruction & terrorism in a most creatively singular — and secretive — way.
Beyond’s ability is especially devastating for the prospective psychological warfare of using human beings themselves as the bomb vehicle for assassination. There is no negotiation around death like with Genthru, there is only Beyond’s will and plan, to be achieved by his “Appetizing Sacrifices.”
The concept of installing a bomb into the body and soul of someone else without their knowledge — all in order to enact a secret plan of conquest — is fascinating and cruel and altogether heinous; now imagine doing it to your children.
As both villain and driving force of The Dark Continent Expedition x Succession War on The Black Whale — Beyond is plotting at a level that we can scarcely comprehend (just like Togashi himself). And he is doing it all from the shadows, imprisoned & watched yet with layers of pre-planning and seemingly myriad unknown conditional works already in play within the greater game.
For the sake of Togashi’s storytelling & characterizations, using such an ability also means creating situations of maximal drama: intelligence & determination from a character such as Longhi unfold a situation where Beyond’s children can deduce their situation and plot revenge!
Togashi is a maestro. There is no way to understand his mind beyond experiencing it in real-time on the pages of manga. This is what makes him one of the greats.
I cannot wait to see what else Beyond Netero has in store for the story. The Nen curses somehow feel like a *small* component of his overall character and the ultimate level of power he is wielding.
P.S. Aside from the Nen power system, Togashi employs x critiques the utilization of man-made weaponry such as nuclear bombs and bio-weapons, their prominence paralleling our own reality.
They too can be carried and activated by human souls ready for sacrifice (just like IRL). Their usage is crafty and can win wars on their own; their usage is arguably more monstrous for the potential scale of their destruction upon innocents as collateral damage.
The same unfortunate truth is in play in HxH as in our world: Humans can make for excellent weapons.
Thresholds of Transformation 