Just before the 2011 series of hunter x hunter Going on indefinite hiatus in 2014, protagonist Gon encountered the scariest villain of his young life: Meruem, the Chimera Ant King. Meruem was the last great antagonist. hunter x hunter saw, and possibly the most impressive.
Chimera ants were a feared enemy species that caused the Hunter Association to send an elite team of hunters to eliminate them; Meruem was the most powerful of all. Meruem is hailed by fans as one of the best anime villains and there are many arguments as to why he is the best.
10 It brought with it a genuine sense of dread
Meruem was not born: she freed herself from her mother, leaving her in a near-death state in the process. In a matter of minutes she had killed two of her own without remorse and instead she only cared about feeding herself to gain more strength. When her food was not of the proper quality, she used to kill one of her royal guards.
According to most characters standing or approaching within a certain distance of Meruem, not only is he a truly terrifying foe, but his powerful Nen initiates a fight or flight response in his opponents. Meruem wasn’t just intimidating, he was chemically terrifying.
9 The concept of Meruem distinguishes it
Compared to other anime villains, Meruem’s concept is unique. She is an anthropomorphic, insect-like creature who begins her arc as wanting little more than sustenance and dominance. He later finds humanity through a game called Gungi and the woman who teaches it to him, a small blind person with a runny nose.
never directly confronted Hunter x Hunter’s protagonists because his power level is already much higher than theirs. This places Meruem as an almost inconceivable threat to viewers, as they normally see him through the protagonist’s eyes. However, in this case, Gon and Killua aren’t even allowed to consider the idea of facing Meruem.
8 Its incredible but disturbing design
It’s no secret that Meruem’s insect-like design makes more than a few uneasy. hunter x hunter fans, but there’s also no denying how impressive its design is. Viewers believe that Meruem is an amalgamation of deadly parts and that every element of his body is optimized to keep him alive.
From its prehensile, needle-tipped tail to its chitinous armor, its design intrigues the eye and audience. Everything about Meruem is incredibly recognizable, and while he takes inspiration from traditional anime villains, viewers will have a hard time mistaking him for anyone else.
7 He is the strongest of a very strong species
The chimera ants themselves are not such an easy foe to defeat. It’s easy to forget that ants strike fear in the average person after watching Gon and Killua decimate them in several episodes, but the two boys are incredibly strong, and even fight normal ants at times.
Meruem is stronger than any of them, including his royal guards. Even though Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, and Menthuthuyoupi were raised to protect Meruem, he still far surpasses any of them in power and skill, with the guards commenting that his beloved king could easily dispatch them if he so wished.
6 A whole variety of skills are at your disposal
Meruem not only possesses the typical abilities of an anime villain, such as super strength, speed, agility, and proficiency in close combat, but is further enhanced by his prodigal talent in Nen.
Meruem can absorb the auras of others to expand her reserves and gain her powers, she can cover wide areas with her aura, allowing her to sense everything that happens within her, and after absorbing parts of their royal guards, Meruem can even fire destructive energy blasts. . She is not limited to one technique or strategy and has enough power at her fingertips to change her plans on the fly.
5 didn’t always win
only one person in the hunter x hunter The universe was appropriate to face Meruem, the president of the Hunter Association, Isaac Netero, a man considered to be the most powerful Nen user in the world. Netero and Meruem’s fight ended with Netero’s death, but Meruem’s died soon after from the effects of the poison.
However, before that, Meruem was still not undefeated as Komugi was consistently beating him when it came to Gungi. Meruem’s gracious acceptance of both defeats and the completely different kind of strength his opponents had shows Meruem to be an intelligent and oddly respectful foe.
4 His weakness was genuinely heartbreaking
All the great anime villains have their weak point: the one thing that makes them question all their ideologies and beliefs. For Meruem, that was Gungi’s sweet, sleepy, slightly strange champion, Komugi. Meruem finds a kindred spirit in Komugi, who cares a lot about Gungi and believes that his life would be worthless if he lost.
Through Gungi, Meruem and Komugi formed a powerful bond, and at the end of the arc, she chose to stay with him and play his beloved game as he succumbed to a contagious poison. Komugi’s incredibly naive yet energetic disposition won him many admirers and their love for each other was so genuine that her deaths are considered something out of a tragic love story.
3 The moments of humanity were unique
The Chimera Ant King’s relationship with Komugi wasn’t just a weakness for him; he allowed her to start showing humanity in a unique way not often used in anime. Meruem didn’t need to save Komugi or lift her out of a life of poverty; the two came together for something so simple: a board game.
Showing that Meruem’s humanity came about through something so simple was a great move by Yoshihiro Togashi. He didn’t need any kind of redemption or save anyone else from a horrible fate. All Meruem needed to show the human side of him was a simple board game with someone he admired and loved.
two He only lived 40 days
Despite everything, Meruem only lived 40 days. From the time she broke free from her mother to the time she succumbed to the poison with Komugi, only forty days had passed. However, she Meruem certainly made a formidable impact with the little time she had.
Other anime villains live for years, reincarnate multiple times, or fail to make an impact in less time than Meruem was alive, but he had none of those issues. He dominated his screen time for hunter x hunter and cemented himself as an iconic anime villain.
1 His character arc was satisfying and well written
Above all, Meruem’s entire arc as a villain and as a character was very satisfying. Nothing happened too quickly or out of place, despite his short life, the relationship between him and Komugi never felt rushed, and all of his motivations and confusions made sense.
When Meruem was first introduced, he was a hideous creature. Viewers despised him not only for the way he treated his relatives, but for the ruthless way he devoured a family almost immediately after birth. However, developing him was so exciting that Meruem almost felt loved when he died. Meruem was an anime villain who left an impression as an almost tragic character who never asked to be made into the monster that he was.
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