This video isn't terrible but it's pretty shallow and flawed. Below are two additional videos that elaborate on the concepts explored here: For an updated and far superior video covering this topic, check out my proper analysis on Pouf and what distinguishes him from both the other Royal Guards and as a character in general: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i-BxnqymrNLUo4U.html And the same thing, but for Pitou: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/adphpaii05nbgKM.html And lastly, for Youpi!: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/lcefe5qLvqyRdWw.html

My favorite moment of the Royal Guards is when Meruem asks them what his name is. In only a few minutes, their responses perfectly encapsulate their characters and subtly foreshadow their development. Pitou says she thinks how the King feels is what's important, and should choose his own name, showing that she prioritizes emotions and revealing the empathy within her loyalty; Youpi responds that he believes he doesn't have the capacity to answer the question, showing that he only does what he feels he should, and thus revealing his hidden dedication to duty; and finally, Pouf responds that Meruem's name is King, and that the name is who he is and what his destiny is, betraying the truth that his loyalty is not to Meruem, but to his idea of who Meruem should be.

Remember, each of the royal guards are about a month old when they died, yet they experienced so much character development. It makes me wonder what sort of people they will become if they lived.

Real talk: When pouf splits into mini versions of himself, he looks like a Fairly Oddparents character.

Pitou is easily my favorite Royal Guard, the way she defended Komugi against Gon was so damn human, it was unreal. Great video!

HXH is such a masterpiece.

Pouf, Pitou, Youpi, Meruem. Loyalty, Empathy, Honor, Humanity. In the end, it was these virtues that ended up becoming their fatal flaws. the question remains. Had there development been positive, or had only lead to their demise? Is the human psyche a curse or a blessing?

I miss this show so much.

I think the only reason why hunter x hunter isn't as popular in the west as one piece, bleach and naruto is because of the constant hiatuses togashi has gone on

Pouf is my favourite character from hxh and from all of anime, watching him I at last understood Hamlet and his big 'To be or not to be'. He is the best villain and one of the simplest yet complex characters I have ever seen, simply because his inner conflict absolutely cannot be solved, would require him to abandon his nature which is impossible.

This is such a great analysis. Please don't hesitate in making more.

Beautifully done. The character development in this arc is leaps and bounds over anything else I've seen. For the "heroes" and "villians" alike. Nice job on this, looking forward to more. Subbed.

I really like how Pitou is the only guard that ACTUALLY acknowledges Meruen as an individual, not only for his title and position, and yet she's the only one of the guards that never knew his own name. Togashi is such master in this little details...

I think Pitou character comes from characteristic of an average cat. Cats are playful and like to play with their pray before killing it. When they, or someone they care about in danger they will do anything to protect them, this is even shown when Pitou protecting that girl (forgot her name), she looks exactly like a cat protecting her kittens. What I'm trying to say that personality development we see in Pitou is her born instinct that got activated, which makes her different from other royal guards and Meruem. And again this is all speculations.

Youpi is a samurai or knight, unquestioning and bound by honor. Pitou is a caretaker, almost motherly at times. Pouf is like a zealot or obsessed lover, projecting a hyper-idealized image of Meruem.

Pouf is my favorite for sure. He's portrayed as the intellectual, but he's the most resistant to change out of the three. He's the most independent and so I think he underwent the largest shift in character when he finally understands Meruem loves Komugi.

I think there is an interesting point about pitou that hasn't been brought up, that really shows her respect for gon for letting her heal the girl even when she couldnt heal kite. When she got the message that the girl was safe she didnt immediately kill gon like she could have, but waited to at least try and keep her promise and heal his friend. She has seen how dangerous he could be and he even used a hostage to pressure her, but she still was honest with him and deeply felt sorry for his loss. That alone to me shows more than humanity and care for the king , but also respect and recognition of gon

I only just noticed something @5:01 For the first time ever, Gon's eyes are completely glazed over. You cannot see his pupils. The same choice was made when depicting Killua killing Bodoro during the Hunter Exam arc. I think this was a conscious choice made by the illustrators. Our pupils are what we see through, so a lack of pupils could be perceived as blindness. Action without thought or planning. At this point Gon can no longer be reasoned with because he can't see the situation clearly.

Hunter exam 9/10 Zoldyke family 8/10 Tower arena 9/10 Yorknew city 10/10 Greed island 9/10 Chimera ant 11/10 Hunter election 9/10

Pouf only cared for the king, not Meruem.

Idunno about Pitou being that "evil" at the start. Fighting and killing Kite was just it defending the queen, probing Pokkle to learn how Nen works made total sense since they needed to figure out what the humans were doing this time to beat them. Brain probing him was probably more humane than some tortue they could've done. Pitou's somewhat sadistic, sure, but I think that's just the stuff it inherited from cats. Cats are really cruel to their prey.

Pitou emphaty is soo strong that she did something that wasn't very ant like. She left the king.Out of all the characters I feel like Pitou truly evolves as Meruem evolves.

I hate how everyone says this is the first arc to have a dark tone like they never saw the yorknew arc

The beauty of this arc is that there are no villains or heroes, they are just creatures fighting for survival. The arc shows when humans become beasts,and when beasts become human. It is a great example of "survival of the fittest".

I just realized that Pouf & Youpi are in many ways reflections of Knov and Morel. When first introduced, Pouf is clearly made to seem more intellectual which can also be said for Knov. However, as the plot progresses, both prove incapable of handling well under pressure and go mad whilst Morel and Youpi remain much more level headed in battle. It's also quite similar to the dynamic between Light and L in Death Note. Great video by the way.

Pouf, that guy I swear.

Shiaipouf is my favorite character. It wasn't the poison that killed him, it was his broken heart.

7:22 "He had to think harder than he ever had to" has got to be one of the better insults out there

I loved pitou from the start because she was so fucking cool

Someone told me online about what each Royal Guard member does protect the King, but prioritizing that protection in different ways. - Pitou: Protects the Well Being of the King (healing the King and Komugi for his happiness and health). - Pouf: Protects the Image of the King (Hating Komugi because he loses to her and doesn't act like a mighty King, seemingly becoming human with feelings). - Yupi: Protects the Physical Form of the King (Doing everything in his power to protect the Kings body, at least before the castle siege).

what realy sad is. if they live longer probably they end up in the good side (expect the butterfly he totaly crazy) they have just a short ammount of time but as they grow they realise more and more. probably if The king and the old guy talk instead of suicide bombing he change his mind and slowy try to find a more moral way to reach his goal.

i'm a writer myself, and a HxH fan. Man, your videos are absolute GOLD! I watched the show three times, and now I realise I haven't even scratched the surface of Togashi's brillhant. And as a writer, I can vouch that you're not overthinking any of this. The signs are all there, the traces left by precise brushes from a master storyteller. To think I failed to notice all that... I underestimated Togashi.

Yea i really liked Pitou by the end and she definitely didn't deserve to die the way she did and i honestly almost hate Gon for doing what he did to her even though from his perspective it was somewhat understandable but still cant help but not be kinda pissed at Gon. its kinda crazy how one of my favorite characters (Pitou) killed one of my other favorite characters (Kite) and yet i still love both of them and also how i went from absolutely despising Pitou to her becoming one of my favorite characters in the entire show

When it came to Pitou, I never considered her evil. I saw her as cat and ant before anything human. That never surprised me in anything that she did. Curious, playful, independent...focusing on what was going on in King's head and worrying about it was too much of a drag and too pointless for her. The King is the king, she serves him and fulfills his every wish, whatever his wish might be. It never even once crossed her mind to try to imagine what King should be thinking, it was neither in her capacity, nor her role to figure that out. The growth that I liked in her was empathy and humility. When she went after Kite and used him as she did, it wasnt intentionally disrespectful, sadistic or evil. It was just a cat going after a rat. Later on she came to view others as equal, even if they arent strong, they can be a threat or they can even be important. When Gon asked her how can she talk of saving after all that she did to Kite, it was because she was a toddler who just didnt knew any better. Youpi was most like an ant, he never addressed his emotions or even sense of who he is till they fought. He has just begun to discover himself and his role. Like Pitou, he liked to keep things simple, but I wouldnt credit it to his personality like I would for Pitou. He had none till that battle forced him to evolve. Yeah, I hate Pouf, but I get him too. He is the helicopter parent. He has devoted completely to the person he love so much that he cant see him failing in anyway. Even if he has to sacrifice himself, even if he has to make himself into a villain or hated figure, he shall protect King, thats some intense love. Thats his ultimate sacrifice, not his life that he would consider worthless, but betraying king for king's own sake. It annoyed me to no end, cause I have people who would do the same for me. Its incredibly touching how much they care, but at the same time its infuriating how that love is used as an excuse. I consider that all 3 guards ended up gaining an aspect of Meruem himself. Pitou obviously learned to care, Youpi gained pride that would even let him admire and wish well for an honorable enemy, Pouf unfortunately got the worse part..regret...not realizing what was really important until it was too late.

Neferpitou is deeefinitely my favourite character in all of HxH, save possibly for Kurapika. I started out merely tolerating her and the other royal guards, to see where the story went. Boy was I pleasantly surprised when the komugi-pitou-king moment came. Out of all the royal guards, I find her the most loyal, as she strove to protect his wishes and those he cared for.

Pitou FTW.

this entire channel is quite literally 24 carat, butter sweet gold

loved Pouf's analysis, he's really underrated !! i'd love to see what you have to say about Killua !!

Shiaipouf disgusted me so much once Komugi was introduced. It even infected Menthuthuyoupi's development is backslide. Pouf's death was a little to merciful for him. But its because of his character the beautiful ending we got from the Chimera Ant arc, that he desperately tried to stop, was THAT much more beautiful and enjoyable. He's up there on the list of necessary characters to a story without being artificial.

Youpi really is underappreciated glad you brought that up. I liked Youpi a lot by the end, and all that he went through. Also I despise Pouf but uh...he's a great character, that's for sure.

I feel Pouf was the most complex, the moment when he had that breakdown you could tell his devotion to the King was driving him insane

Thank you,. Really amazing characters, Pitou's apology gave me goosebumps, such a heartfelt scene.

Can't wait for the evil magician character analysis

I loved how you beautifully point out Pouf's playing violin in this arc and it makes hxh a masterpiece

this was an incredible watch! I LOVE Pouf's character. He is so complex and well-written, and I especially love that you mentioned the whole thing about the violin being so prominent in this arc. Truly a masterpiece story!

we need more appreciative people like u

personally Pouf is my favorite chimera ant because I just really want to give him a hug and tell him everything is ok and I relate to him wanting to make people change (like those bakas who are rude to my friends) and his wings they are so pretty

Man Youpi was awesome. What a developement . Easily my favourite Royal Guard .Simple , honourable , and evolutionary. Turning out to be more deep and intellectual than all of them.

Pitou's growth is even more shocking when you realize that Komugi and Kite both have the same first consonant in their name and also both have white hair.

man I fkin love Pitou, dunno why

Youpi and Meruem had a very similar development . Both of them start very reckless and seing humans as insects but then encounter a human ,or , in the case of youpi : several , that makes them change a lot . Now that I think of it ,even Pitou created her nen ability ,not for the king ,but to bring Kaito back and to enjoy a fight with him once more . The only of the four who didn't meet a huma that changed him was Pouf

Cant stop watching your videos about hxh over and over again. You are one of the only ones who seems to understand the full magnitude of this series.

I would go so far as to say Togashi humanized Pitou in part to contrast with Gon's headfirst dive into crazy town lol

THEORY: It’s entirely possible that Komugi’s nen ability is to influence life around her using Gungi because, at Synonymous times she used the soldier piece that in kanji can be read as leopard when Cheetu started fighting morel and then she used the bow piece when he unveiled his second nen ability. Not to mention the direct parallels in the casts operation and the Gungi match between her and Meruem. I always thought it was weird that Togashi would show that she had nen like he did and not explain it through the story. But if this theory is correct then he set up the most tragic love story of all time right under our noses and we had no idea... Komugi killed Meruem (using Gungi)

This analysis was phenomenal. Made me look at these characters in different perspective. Hope you make more videos like this soon.

my favorite character in hxh is pitou,at first i kinda didn't like her and i wanted her to die,but when I watch her more in other episodes i started to love her and when gon killed her i admit it but (please no hate) that i KINDA hate gon a LITTLE and i also admit that when pitou died i cried, and in my opinion pitou deserves a happy ending or a comeback (like if you agree) (PLEAS NO HATE AND DONT FIGHT ME)

I really enjoy your videos. I didn't think someone monologueing with a passive montage would be so compelling but your arguments and insights are captivating in their depth. Plus, you're doing a lot of my fave animes so it makes me happy and feel justified. So with this vid you're going over three ways Togashi has characterized devotion to a leader: Pitou: devotion to the leader as a person, values the person behind the authority and considers their feelings Youpi: blindly devoted because that's what they're supposed to do Pouf: fanatic and idealizing the leader, putting them on a platform beyond them as a person Nice, I always wondered why Togashi chose such conflicting personalities between the three guards who theoretically should have been cookie-cutter guardians/servants for the King.

Heh, Youpi is my favorite.

pouf was the absolute best. Don't fight me on this. lmao

Let me just point out, I have both versions of the violin saved as my ringtones and alarms. This means the moment I heard the first note I automatically synched in. Nice touch.

I like how perfectly timed the ending song is. Using that fantastic ending from even the same arc really makes the end of this video feel satisfying.

Please don't stop your job, it was a such video!!! I hope to see a video about killua and his family

After watching this arc, I started to see my dog in a new light. He isn't just something that's there, he's a living being. So, I hope he never leaves me and we can have one moment of peace before her inevitablely dies.

Pouf is easily my favourite royal guard he's so well written and such a complex charecter, i also love his violin music it's a masterpiece and so is hunter x hunter, the manga is continuing but no news about the anime, i hope it continues! Hxh is my favourite anime of all the time out of all the animes i have watched.

I love these three so much especially Pouf. He's underrated imo

Why is pitous gender ambiguous? Its face, voice, body and manners are very feminine, it looks 100% girl to me

Pitou is bae

Watching this hxh playlist from the start, you surely came a long way the content you created back then vs what you create rn

Pouf is just like an asian parent with high expectations

Pitou is my favorite.

Woot! You just made my Saturday. I'm guessing you already will but please do an episode on the king as well. Youpi was my favorite of the guard. I really like the intensity of the while fight. it just kept building and changing over time till he was a totally different person. Hunter x hunter is so awesome!

Looks like a new gem of a channel has popped up, have a sub, bumped into your Guts & Griffith video and then on to your religious symbolism in Hunter x Hunter, so I like your content for sure, keep it up, my man.

Awesome video. Had to find out why you considered Pouf one of your favorite characters. I hated pouf at the end as well and because of this didn't take the time to carefully analyze him. I understood his character but didn't really care for it until this video. I agree that he was really poetic and I especially enjoyed the analysis of the violin which I had never really considered. However the Royal Guard I still like the best is Youpi. This video helped put into words what I thought of him. I knew he had become "gooder" I just couldn't pin the right word. It was honor. I don't know why that didn't come to mind as the description, but it fits really well.

Who else REALLY wanted see the Pitou vs Kite battle.I'm interested because she said something about reliving that "miracle moment" with Kite.What went down?

Your commentary has gotten so much better.

Ohhhh my god. You did it to me again. What I was hoping to get from this video most of all was an in-depth exploration of Youpi, since I (along with many others, as you mentioned) viewed him as the least interesting of the three guards. And as with your other videos in this series, while you didn't necessarily tell me anything I didn't already know about the events that the character (in this case, Youpi) takes place in, the way that you contrasted those events against others made a huge difference in my understanding of the character. Before watching the video, I would've said that Youpi's entire character development could be summed up as "He learns about honor for one's enemies, which is cool and everything, but not nearly as in-depth as the personalities that Pitou and Pouf have from the get-go." Which is still *true* , but is so much more important than the way I summarized it when cast in your light: All three of the Royal Guards exhibit one particular human trait, a traditionally *good* human trait--- for Pitou, it's empathy, for Pouf, it's devotion, and for Youpi, it's honor--- which, in their situations, turns into a character flaw that ultimately leads to their downfall, though in some cases that is more literal and direct than in others. In other words, what Youpi's "minor revelation about honor" really does is show how he was just as human as the other two Royal Guards.

Pouf is my fav XD

Subbed! Agreed. HxH is nothing like One Piece or Naruto. It exceeds the Shounen Fighting Genre. The Chimera Ant Arc alone is narrative at its most complex and fascinating. Compared to this, any OP or Naruto arc seem written by children.

Bruh! Your videos are dope. I'm watching anime I haven't seen yet partly to watch these epic breakdowns. And I feel you on Pitou; I didn't want her to die either, lol

Long time fan, my friend. Love the critical analysis you put into your videos. I started writing character dissections for fun and was curious how you approach these types of videos. Keep up the good work.

do kurapika

The reason why Youpi was so enraged when he finds out the miniture rose is ironically because it was such a cheap shot in contrast to his honor. Also, youpi wins the fight and spares the hunter is in direct contrast to Netero loses the fight with Meruem but intend to cheap shot Meruem to kill him.

This analysis was well done. I congratulate you on this piece. I do live how you added that mjsic did make the arc very tense and dramatic because there were moments where viewers are just glued to the screen. Waiting to see what would happen. Again, keep it up sir!

When Gon figts Pitou, that's when the violin is at it's "loudest".

Would love to see a video for the Phantom Troupe too!

I love pitou and youpi but i find pouf legendary

HxH is so incredible, I feel honored to have seen it. Which is why I appreciate this channel so much. Thabk you for all this amazing content. On my way to marathon every single HxH video you've done

I kind of got emotional when Meurum was about to die and komugi thought that he saved her when it was the Royal guards (mainly pitou) but meurum thought it was all of them bc he didn’t find out the truth then it showed a little flashback of the moments they had when they were alive I felt like crying.

There owns humains traits, who make them stronger, make them failure as a kamira ant.

Menthuthuyoupi is by far my favourite like if you agree

awesome job wow that really pointed out a lot of themes and things that i missed but felt when i watched it. I'm pretty sure i'm gonna binge all of your videos now thanks for putting these out there. this is my favorite series and these videos just reinforce why I love it so much

Pitou is my favorite and i dod not understand why. I think when I saw her cry, I felt so strongly for her.

Honestly, I don't agree with you about Pitou. She not evil. Much like us when we eat animals, we think nothing of it, it is the same with her. She doesn't see us as anything worth a damn, unless we can put up a fight. If we equivalently don't have a problem with how we treat animals, then by extension, there should be no problem with how she treats us.

pitou got the worst out of the bunch sadly. I think pouf should of gotten it the worst. I fell in love with pitou strangely lol. She's no normal Neko who's all moe and shit. I really liked this neko

I was eating chips so I switched on captions to help me hear what you're saying. I almost chocked when I read Pete Oh, Poop, and You Feet.

An incredible analysis you made. I am teased to watch all your other videos now :) and hope for more in the future. Thank you!

Pitou can become extra thincc by just flexing

I feel like they based this on a shakespearian story or some rennaissance material have you found any similarities?

Pitou is literal perfection.

I honestly had no sympathy for Pitou. I may be biased because I really liked Pokkle, but the way she tortured him made her irredeemable in my eyes. It was one thing with Kite, he was a strong combatant and a genuine threat, and he was more than ready to fight back, and she presumably gave him a quick death. Pokkle was a kid, and he was naked, afraid, and defenseless, and she tortured him before leaving him to a slow and painful death.