Wow, what an amazing way to wrap up the arc. Not expected, but absolutely perfect 👌🏻 We finish HxH over on Patreon later this week! www.patreon.com/carlie_and_ange

One of the greatest antagonists in anime is defeated by love rather than hate.

meruem kept saying "komugi are you still there?" while playing because the poison turned him blind. this is one of the very few episodes that managed to make me cry.

Watching Komugi touch his face in the darkness for the first time, and recognizing that he isn't human... She still accepts him and holds him close in their final moments. Togashi is the GOAT

When the discussion is almost as long as the reaction… you know it’s one of those kinds of episodes.

One of the few times I've actually cried from watching a series, 135 hits hard

This is what makes Togashi's writing so brillant. Resurrecting Meruem might seem like a cheap cop-out at first whose only purpose is to deliver some more action scenes with an overpowered king. Instead, this turn of events serves to give him some emotional closure with Komugi which is not only beautiful, but subversive as heck. Plus, Netero's sacrifice didn't go to waste in the end due to the poisoning. This madlad of an author did actually manage to have his cake and eat it too :)

A king that bows is a huge deal in almost every culture in the world.

The most powerful creature asking a blind human girl to hold his hand and call him by his name as his last wish. And komugi becoming sad when she heard meruem was poisoned but happy when she realises it was contagious.

I love the characterization of Welfin a character you had absolutely no passion for and didn't even care or wonder why he was there ended up being the MVP of the whole arc.

I have heard that "I may not be worthy, but please allow me to join you." that Komugi says before they die, is an old-fashioned way for Japanese women to accept a marriage proposal.

One of the best anime arc closure...

The arc shows how evolution’s highest point ends up being compassion, all the ants start as monsters who only cared about carnage and survival and as they evolve they get more intelligent they learn emotion and at the end they all end up learning compassion to some degree, love is the highest form of humanity

Fun Fact : Togashi said that all the images use at the start of Episode 134 are all base on real photos...The soundtrack is welll named too "Kingdom of Predators"

I've watched this episode probably 25 times now and tears always flow. Always.

35:47 THANK YOU ANGE! THANK YOU! Many people don't see it, but Gon IS NOT a good friend when it comes down to it. He is selfish to a fault, and makes everyone do what he wants in the end. Gon is selfish and he is stubborn, like if he feels his friend has been wronged he'll be there, but when it comes down to it.... Gon is not a good friend. Also, I don't think anyone would hate you for this. I think why so many of us love Gon is because of this, because if we were to make a moral argument, Gon is not good. Gon is incredibly complex and painted in greys, he is not solely good, he's not evil either. But the reason why we love Gon as a character, is this complexicity.

"Epitaph." He was a nameless beast destined to kill and destroy Yet the crown and throne gave him no meaning nor joy For most of his life he was enslaved to a destiny But in the end he realized he was not born for tyranny He was born to bring light and hope to a fragile flower She was born to gift sight to a king blinded by power And so the mightiest of kings passed his final test And in the arms of the weakest creature, find everlasting rest

I will never ever forgive whoever is responsible for putting the goddamn end credits music/preview at the end of episode 135.

It's kind of crazy to consider that if Meruem had killed Netero and Zeno in the castle then the bomb would've gone off and immediately killed everyone. He got such a peaceful death because he showed mercy back then.

8:41 Beerus catching strays lmao

Kokoriko is the name of the Gungi formation she developed. Meruem used it on her, then she countered it and explained why she hesitated despite knowing how to counter it. It was a call back to ep 103 ish. This is significant because komugi is now using it against Meruem knowing that she already taught him the counter to it. But then she finds a way out anyway.

The reason HxH is my favorite Anime is, that is has everything i love about your typical Shonen, but its also so different and much deeper in many aspects. I would never ever thought i would shed tears for a Chracter that pretty much killed a innocent Child and ate the Brain of it 40 Episodes earlier. Togashis writing is on another level.

I enjoyed the discussion at the end so much! Thanks for reaction.

I agreed so much with the Gon is not a good friend statement. Killua has always been a good friend in this relationship, but Gon is not, and he is not trying to be. Gon definitely loves Killua but he has always been selfish from the start, he is literally the embodiment of goodness in humanity turned into what a monster human can be (netero statement).

I just love when Ange shouts "Shit" in the middle of an emotional scene 😂😂

Props to Togashi sensei. This arc was peak in so many fields especially in romance in the final episode. Watched this episode like 10 times, cried every times.

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

dude i have watched hunter like 10 times and there is always something new!! so remember how kokoriko (her famous gungi move) was special to her, and then someone used it against her and she had to make a new technique; she said it felt like she had to kill her only child or something along those lines. but then in her game here with meruem, she begins with kokoriko, which meruem feels insulted bc shes using an old and inferior move he has likely learned to counter just like komugi. but the move right after the kokoriko move, it completely defeats meruem and is created from her nen, which is like giving birth to their new child; komugi and meruem's

Yuppie fell in love with the idea of becoming a dutiful knight, Puff was in love with an ideal ant king and Pitou loved Meruem so much that they preferred dieing to Gong over letting he harm their king. Cimera Ant is a masterclass in character writing.

I am glad that Ange figured it out before watching the episode. I was so happy that he finally put the puzzle pieces together and made the reaction better.

35:48 Wow, I love what Ange's sharing here. You are only few people (as a reaction creator) that think like me. Sometimes I find some of my close friends very toxic, but I really really love them. It's painful. So, sometimes I ended up telling them that they were toxic, and I din't think I deserves it. As same as Killua, I feel for him, Killua really is like me in some way, always look so confident but broken deeply inside, can't see the value in himself unless got approved from someone important. While Gon always reckless and depends on Killua to cool him down. Of course, we can't say it's 100% Gon's a bad friend, but some part of it is the truth, yet their friendship are one of the best in Anime, even it's not a perfect supportive friendship. ❤

the thing is, Hxh is the most shonen and the least shonen actual shonen anime. it has the blueprint of shonen anime but brought its own dark and suprising twist that elevates it so much

I remember watching this on tv, and vaguely remember what HxH is about because I watched it when I was 6 or 7. And yes I cried on that scene even when I don't even know them back then

Imagine a 1,86m dude, long hair, long beard, kinda bulky. Crying like a baby, everytime that he re-watches this 135 episode, multiple times. Thats me.

It's also so poetic that meruem's en reflects his name perfectly

Glad you mentioned the fact that Gon may not be a good friend. True friendship is only seen when that friendship is faced with some type of adversity whether externally or internally. Since the beginning they’ve portrayed Gon to be a pure and wholesome kid, but showed hints of the potential growth in the opposite direction. They’ve also showed many of times how selfish he can be. You can never know if a friendship is meant to last until there’s some type of conflict within it. But, Gon is a kid that grew up on a secluded island where it was hardly dangerous..HxH is well written; aside from the nen abilities and weird creatures in the show, the show has a high sense of realism. All the characters have distinct personalities, the journey of life and new encounters, the dangers in parts of the world, those who are born innocent can become evil, money, greed, pride,etc.

One of the best Anime Arcs Written for a reason

The firefly on Komugi's hand when she touch Meruem in the end --> Is like showing how she can see by touching. The light is on her hand, touching Meruem.

14:35 Ange's frustrated bursts at the wholesomeness of this scene kills me😂

One of the best if not the best reaction I've seen so far for the end of the Chimera Arc. Thanks, Carlie and Angelo!

Simply hunter x hunter, the best shonen.

U guys killed it with the discussion not gonna lie ❤

The only reason he fought Netero was so that he could answer Komugi's question. I sob.

One of the greatest story arcs in anime. One of the greatest endings in anime. One of the most emotional scenes in anime.

Just for you guys to understand a bit deeper in this legendary writting by Togashi. Kokoriko is a technique developed by Komugi that focusses in isolating the king from the other pieces and killing it off to win the game. Brilliant arc and outstanding writing here. Love your reaction!!

I’ve seen these episode so many times from many different reactors and EVERY TIME Mereum asks “can you hold my hand” I choke up uncontrollably 😭

This is what distinguishes Togashi. At the beginning of the war, he made us all wait for the moment in which he would defeat the evil ant king, but when that moment came, we found ourselves sympathizing with him and wanting him to remain alive. The damned Togashi put us in a big contradiction.How can you cry over good and evil at the same time? What a philosopher this writer is

i burst with laughter when Ange took that Berus comment personally xD

I am happy and respect the fact that you stand by your opinion on the shows you watch / the characters in the stories. This is one of the reasons why I love you both as reactors. Having your own opinion and thinking process are what make these reaction videos good. As a viewer, I appreciate it a lot!

Damn, episode 135 although I watch it over and over, it make me cry over and over again. So damn good arc, for me the best arc in HxH.

この最後のシーンは何度観ても泣く。 個人的にこのメルエムとコムギの最後のシーンと、「それが遺言であると理解した者は、極々僅かであった。」って所と、ディーゴの詩のくだりが好き。 ほんと135話はいいシーンが多い。

This is my favorite episode of hunter x hunter. Had me crying like a baby even as a grown man. Also a small yet important detail on the intro to 134 and the we are no different from the ants scene actually features many (horrific) recrations of real life historical photographs. Really adds a whole dark layer level to this incredible heavy arc. Ange I have so much respect for being able to resist crying this was the closest ive seen you come to crying i think. 😂 Also also watched this episode with my sister and her boyfriend and was embarrassed as I had a few tears leaving my eyes and I turned to check on then and they were both quietly sobbing. Genuinely beautiful writing and a true humans death. Relative to both Gon and Netero who went showed just how low humanity will stoop for a win.

one of my favorite parts is at the very end, we see her feeling his face to finally know what he looks like, and even knowing that he's not human and looks the way he does, she still stays by his side, and lets him know she wont leave him, and he loses his sight as well, and seems to be scared, and asks if she's there, it shows that she brings him comfort and makes him feel safe, the strongest character we see up to this point, and his one fear is being left alone, it's rare to see a villain in such a vulnerable moment, but a moment that to me at least, stands out among all anime/manga

imagine crying for a villain who even killed and ate a child .....thats how powerful the story telling in this anime is

jesus! i have watched this more times than i can even remember but i cryed so much right now... must be because its been a while since the last time i have seen this scene... this never gets easy to see...

Netero must be laughing in his grave right now, he basically took out the king and two royal guards all by himself lol

How am I still crying after so many years

One of my favorite episodes of anything ever

The eps we’ve been waiting for 😢

I love you guys for this ❤

Not the taking off the ring move for forgetting the Boo Saga in that moment!

It is really interesting as the words of Netero "the infinit capacity for humans to evil" , humans are defenetly worse than Quimera Ants, but it was the human side of Meruem the one that show us the most beautifull part of human being , the love, the compation , the empaty and the joy. Like showing us the worse of humans by Netero and the best of humans with Meruem.

RIP Pouf, Meruem & Komugi 😢

This episode will never not make me cry, one of the greatest anime episodes for me

I have watched this ep like 10 times and it still makes me cry... truely one of the greatest anime ep

The end of 134 will remain my favorite HxH moment. The moment the protag (Meurem) beat the antag (Pouf). The words he said to Welfin as he passed Pouf was the victory. It wasn't until that moment we knew Meurem could develop enough to close that gap and think as a human. But he did, and in doing so recontextualizes himself as the lead of this arc. It changes everything and makes it all make sense.

Man this always gets me.

😭😭😭 what a beautiful anime episode and ending to the arc. Thank you for your reaction.

This show us anyone can change if you meet the right person at right time

8:42 "Awwww he looks like beerus 😥" Beerus catching stray dogs out here

Ty for getting and understanding all the subtext in the arc. Its been beautiful to rewatch a lot of this and to hear your thoughts. I also agree and love how Gon was made. It used to look like the bright shinnying light, knight in armour save the day guy, but we see how that's not the case. He is not "bad", and he is not "good", he is human. Also agree he is not a "good friend" and I do stand by that statement. I'm not completely convinced he is a "bad friend" either. He is a.... idk, a friend.

It was after this arc that hxh really solidified itself as amazing storytelling for me cus I didn’t expect it to end the way it did at all And after each rewatch I see hints towards events I never noticed especially in terms of character growth But the last episode of the entire show hit so hard for me When we get there we will talk about it but yh hxh is peak fiction One of the best anime of all time 🐐

This wrap-up of the arc is still to this day my favourite moment in HxH, that was pure peak. This is the reason why I still tear up whenever I hear Hyouriittai

The fact Togashi blended shoujo genre of forbidden love into this shonen arc so well always transcends me.

Im glad how Ange picked up Gon and Meruem's parallels so well Gon burned away his humanity and his life to become a monsters and avenge Kite Meruem, whose life was already burnt, decided to live like a human, spent his last moments as a "human" I use quotations here becasue this arc is also a challenge to our morality. Were chimera ants monsters? They were animals, who upon absorbing more and more humanity, developed an imperialistic ideology. Netero himself warned Meruem about the cruelty of humankind: The Atomic Bomb, there's no need to say more, look at we do as manking. Calling ourselves animals is an insult to animals, we're basically a plague. Netero himself wasnt exactly the most goody two shoes person, the hunter association isnt some sort of organization that function for the collective good, they're a self-indulgent group of individuals with extraordinary power (both physical and political) which allow Netero and other hunters freedom to pursue whatever pleases them with very little oversight, i mean who's stopping a group of people who can so what hunter do. The way the exams are held are a great example, it's not just to weed out the unfit, because, again, morality is not take in consideration, you could be the noblest of people or a serial killer, if you fit in what the Hunters want, you're in. I love the take about Gon's mentality, his moral compass is much more dark than we perceive. If you watch some of his "badass" moments, you see that he acts like a sociopath sometimes, he's an extremely black and white person, the only moment he shows any consistency is his absolute loath for dishonestly, think on how the reason he snapped at Pitou was because, in his head, Pitou was a liar, he never intended to revive kite, more like he never had the ability to do so, but he had to let Gon believe he could, for the king's sake. Gon would 100% murder Komugi if negotiations didnt go smoothly. He acts normal in situations that shouldn't be normal. It's a childish behavior bestowed in a person with the strength to do something about it. It's fun how we see Gon and the sunny happy kid and Killua is the one that gives up the creeps, i mean he rips off a man's heart not too long after his introduction and Gon acts like he just saw someone disassemble a lego. And later we see Killua gaining "humanity" (or purity) while Gon's humanity just take a different path or becoming a hunter just lets his natural dark humanity bloom, in a world where killing isn't uncommon and the methods to do so are pretty much infinite.

they really went peak on this arc

The fact that the king and the main character never met face to face in the entire arc yet it stil managed to weave a satisfying story is why I love this series.

you guys are the best

Everytime i watch reaction of this episode, I try so hard but still end up crying Reaction was great btw😊

Its still fun to watch pplz reactions to this episode even after years lol

When Netero said "Never underestimate humanity's potential" he truly did mean it. Meruem was killed by Humanity's greatest weapon, not a nen abilty but a radioactive bomb.

loved this episode, such a great time!~

that episode broke me the first time i saw it, truly a magical series

good catch Carlie, Welfin was totally Bills right there XDD

This is my favourite episode. I love it so much

Just ignore the criticisms, you're both doing great Carlie & Ange as an Anime Reactors

135 is my favorite episode in any anime, it makes me cry every time and Meruem is my favorite antagonist because of how well written he is

from the first episode of this show. i already admired how togashis writting makes us love and even root the villains' more than our actual protagonists

I cry every time I watch these episodes. Truly beautiful 😭

I don't cry for ANYTHING. I get a wound, I lose my dog or even a loved one, a relationship gone bad, sad/beautiful films, etc. I. do. not. cry. This episode made me cry an embarrassing amount on first watch and almost every time I see it after. I relate so much with Meruem - hes my favorite anime character - so much that his end just really hits home for me. I could write a whole essay on that ending alone. Anime just hits different.

When I watched HxH the first time it hit me hard. I was a young teenager and I thought I understood everything. Now, more than 10 years later, living in a country which is in the largest war since WW2 I know I understood then not more than 10% at best: "We are no different from the ants... No we are far worse"

It's the beautiful contrast of the protagonists humanity was fading into nothingness and the antagonist fostered and ultimately found his.

This arc was so peak and Meruem & Komugi's last moments were so beautiful

I'm not crying, you are...😭 😭

The ONLY anime episode that made me cry and Ive watched a lot of anime and even purposefully chose sad animes to watch to see whether I would cry but nope. This was it for me and Im not sure why...

this is legit one of the greatest episodes of anime ever made

This episode has created enough tears to form a sea

Gon is a good friend. He gave Killua that freebie toy robot from a snack 😂

Meruem always said "I wont repeat myself." Now he's openly repeating hiself just to see Komugi

Moves they play in Gungi signifies more in-depth meaning, read this if you want to cry more: Kokoriko is an advanced Gungi technique developed by Komugi that centers around isolating the King (as in the Gungi piece, not the Chimera Ant), separating it from the other pieces and killing it off. Just like Netero and the Hunters were planning to do to Meruem. However, Komugi unexpectedly develops a counter to this technique in the middle of a game, meaning that the King piece (representing Meruem) no longer has to die (since he unexpectedly survived the nuke). Then, later on, when Komugi uses Kokoriko again, she actually develops a counter to the counter ("she reversed my reversal???"), representing that the King piece (Meruem) apparently actually does have to die after all (because of the Rose's poison). However, immediately after beating Meruem using Kokoriko (symbolizing his imminent death), Komugi and Meruem start one final game together, a game that they never finish. 1-5-1 Black King -> 9-5-1 White Lieutenant General, I believe, or something to that extent. Immediately afterwards, they die together, leaving on the board Meruem's one black piece and Komugi's single white piece, together in Gungi forever. This represents that the two were always united through Gungi, and will continue to be together even after death, undisturbed and united for all eternity. Meruem places his piece down, symbolizing his death, and then Komugi responds by placing her piece down next to his, showing that she is perfectly willing to die at his side.. The black screen/black panels in the manga show that the Rose's poison has made Meruem go blind. That's why he has to keep asking Komugi if she's still there, because he can't see her anymore. This is ironic because his name means "the light that illuminates/shines upon all". He even got some godlike light-related photon-based powers before his death, allowing him to fulfill his name. In addition, as they are playing in the bunker before their deaths, Meruem sees a blinding light radiating from Komugi as she "reverses his reversal", making her "the light that illuminates even the all-powerful light". Despite being far weaker (and blind to boot), her light shined far brighter than his. Then, as he dies, Komugi holds him and feels his head, allowing her to finally "see" or know what his face is like. Thus, as they die, Meruem joins Komugi in blindness as she joins him in death. Meruem can finally see what Komugi has been seeing all along, and knows what it feels like to be blind like her, and Komugi finally knows his face, allowing each to understand the other more as they fade away (the OST used during their death scene is called "Understanding"). Touching, isn't it? Togashi is a mastermind, and this entire story, especially this arc, is a masterpiece, a beautiful work of art, a canvas depicting love, hatred, innocence, corruption, happiness, suffering, loyalty, betrayal, anger, sadness, life, death, malevolence, destruction, resolve, determination, avarice, sacrifice, "true" power, truth, and understanding.