The character of meruem is one of the most popular individuals in the entire series of Hunter Hunter
The ARc in which he is introduced the chimera ant ARc tends to be thought of as a series strongest Arc
Or at least one of the Top-two by the majority of fans
[marijuana] is a huge contributing factor perhaps the single biggest contributing factor [to] its success
Marijuana is a wonderfully realized and executed character with a truly special character Arc
What is interesting however is that this style of character is far from unique and actually quite common in fiction?
the transformation from inhuman and immoral into purely
Compassionate and human is a character arc that is explored greatly in all kinds of fiction
So what allows marijuana to stand out?
He's the highest quality
quintessential example of this kind of character archetype
Takashi clearly and meticulously plotted out his characterization at [Arc] to allow for a subtle and [natural] shift in character
We get to know [Marylin] intimately both in the Manga and the anime
The careful exploration and in-depth look at the internal workings of this man
Along with his development make him one of the most popular and loved antagonists in Modern anime and Manga
[Marilyn] is amoral
He was born into a destiny and a role that he accepted and took pride in at first
But that slowly became stale as he simultaneously learned of the depth and wonder that his existence
Thanks to a few factors the most important of them being a sweet young woman
from there Takashi's narrative took us on a tragic and wonderful emotional [rollercoaster] of a character Arc a
Fictional journey that I know I won't ever forget
in
My opinion due to the meticulous and careful development of Marilyn's character over time is
Most effective to [analyse] this character in a chronological fashion and note the subtle changes that occur in his characterization
The early Act of the chimera ant ARc is dominated by surprising and drastic shift in tone
Especially [in] comparison to the Greed Island Arc that had just been concluded
Here we are introduced to some important new characters like kite the chimera ants and eventually important figures like the royal guard
morale nog
Shoot and knuckle this introductory phase lays a lot of the groundwork for the drama to come
We learn all about the ng L the dynamics of the chimera ant colony and some interesting new nen properties
But in my opinion Maryland himself plays one of the most important roles during this first act, and he isn't even born yet
The first part of the chimera ant ARc is so effective because right from the Get-go
It is dominated by a foreboding atmosphere that is absolute
This is due to information that we are given at the start a queen ant is feeding feeding to give birth to an almighty King
One that will definitely cause problems [for] the Hunters and the rest of the world
The Stakes are immediately raised. We don't know anything about the king and what he will be like
But we know that it'll be unlike anything that we have seen in the series so far
And it won't be good the imagery of the queen and [rabidly] feeding in a dark cave
Was just a brilliant visual cue that immediately set a tone that was so dark and ominous
that it was nearly suffocated [a]
Bit later on we are given a clue about what the kings power will be like through the royal guards in
particular Peto
Through Pto's fight with kite and the resulting impact that that fight had
She has established as by far the biggest threat that we have seen
The [Watchers] perception of marijuana strength is hard to put into words when we consider that Maryland's power dwarfs that of [peto]
Taking all this into consideration
Marijuana is able to establish the overarching tone and atmosphere of the chimera ant ARc without even being present
This [build-up] is absolutely essential in preparing the audience for the impending birth of the [chimera] ant King
Maryland's birth was a pivotal moment in this series. It's interesting because despite the queen being entirely
antagonistic Up until this point the
[brutal] and ruthless way that marijuana almost disposes of his mother does paint the queen in quite a sympathetic light
Through the reaction of colt and some of the other ads to their queens death
It is here where we get some of our first glimpses of underlying humanity from these formerly seemingly irredeemable characters?
this juxtaposition between the newly sympathetic cult and a chillingly cold marrow [Am]
literally eating his own subjects
Establishes the ant king as an amoral and purely evil character
We are also told that maryland's. [main] literally translates to the light that Shines on everything
Which at this point in the story and with our limited knowledge?
Either sounds like pure irony or the chimera ants version of some sort of savior which obviously would not mean good news for our
protagonists
When [maryland] is born he is actually quite a [1-dimensional] in Shallow [billing]?
Eloquent he may be but his early characterization can be summed up by stating that he wanted to conquer
And he wanted to eat only the best human cuisine
Though Marrow [M] was well-written and unique and character design there was nothing particularly noteworthy or special about his character at this point
He was born and subsequently began embracing his role [on] purpose. He was conceived to rule the world
So he immediately begins planning for conquest with his [royal] [guards]
He never had any reservations
Or ulterior motives at this point. He was only interested in playing his role
Mainly because he didn't think of any alternative purpose to his existence. Which is key here
Throughout his early life marrow m holds a simple philosophy
Power is everything the strong can survive and the weak should either perish or live to serve the strong
It's really quite simple. He shows some respect to his royal guards because of their abnormal strength
But everyone else is vastly inferior to him
They're his lessers his servants his food
he and his guards swiftly take over the physical location of political machinations of the republic of East [quarto] and
Begin planning a royal selection in which they will plan to turn [the] worthy 1% of humans
into their powerful soldiers in order to take over the world at
This point this is [how] lowly Maryland thinks of humans?
The weakest of the species are not even good enough to be food and the strongest are [Miglia] means to an end
Above all [Marilyn] only believes in and thinks about power
He has astonishing power that towers over everything else in this world
So of course he should be king he is newly born and granted overwhelming Power Beyond belief
So it's entirely realistic that he thinks in this way at
This point marijuana does not expand his thinking Beyond these shallow ideals
simply because he was not stimulated to
Beyond the simple aspects of his characterization that I noted
Marilyn is not especially complex or layered at this point. He is rather one-dimensional and lacking in development
However the potential for change was always there and one important variable triggered this change
To display his intellectual dominance as well as [this] physical
[Marilyn] sets out to defeat the best player of every mind based board game in the world
He ruthlessly disposes of these former champions even driving some to suicide though
This is not really a surprise to the watcher as they have grown to know Marilyn as a sadistic tyrant by this point
However after coming in contact with the champion at East Cortos Gungi Camus [B]
Marin would never be the same
He is fascinated with [co] movie because he cannot beat her through their seemingly endless games
Marilyn begins to realize that there is another power other than strength
What I especially like about how marijuana grows to care for Kaimuki is his perception of that care
Due to marijuana limited view on the world
He interprets his growing connection to [Kaimuki] as a fascination with her power when it's much more than that
But he cannot comprehend love or compassion
So he views his care as a fascination with her skill
Just a subtle little touch there, but I really appreciated it
Marilyn begins to voice his opinion that it's possible that physical strength is not the Be-all and end-all of life
Here he starts to grasp how complex life is and his humanity begins to show just a little bit
He sees that there is more to life. He begins enjoying losing [Takumu] [V] though he cannot yet understand. Why?
he loses focus on the selection and becomes fixated on Komui and
Unbelievably even bothers to learn her name while lamenting at the fact that he does not know his own
He begins to grudgingly respect Kamui as we see in the scene where he apologizes in quite an unorthodox way
after initially questioning, the young woman's resolve
Soon we arrive at one of the big moments in Marilyn's development after?
[a] discussion with his royal guards in which he initially seems to display remorse for needlessly ending young life and potential
He seems to have regressed back to his original ideology
He exclaims that he is all-powerful and [dominant]
After all he does have the power to end the life of virtually anyone as long as he wills it
But that is the key here as long as he wills it
He decides that he will kill Kaimuki to display his dominance and might
Her skill in a simple board game is absolutely meaningless when she cannot best anyone in combat
She is nothing she is helpless
However as soon as miriam enters her room and finds her being attacked all of his prior thoughts quickly leave him in
This moment camus he is nothing
Kimochi is helpless
She's being attacked
So he decides that he must be the [one] [to] help her
When kou [mugie] says that she didn't call for help because she didn't want to bother anyone
Marijuana is overcome with [worry] and to his own surprise states that she is a special guest
The amazing irony here is that [Komui] Tearfully says that this is the nicest she has ever been treated
The king of the Chimera ants the one who is destined to eliminate humanity who kills children and eats his own comrades is
The nicest person Kaimuki has ever met
Marijuana is absolutely bewildered he cannot explain these feelings of attachment and protection that he has towards Kaimuki
He thought he knew his place in this world, but he has since learned that there is more to life
Now he wants more than a monotonous reign of power
The entire concept of ruling over mindless subjects in a trivial reign of power is so boring and immaterial to Maro em now
He is now completely disillusioned with his so-called destiny in
Complete contrast to his earlier attitude and to the shock and horror of shia poof
[Marihuana] Son tells Peto to protect [Kaluga] Safety
He does not know why but [he] is upset when he sees this girl in harm's way
He does not yet grasped the concept of human attachment, but he's beginning to at
This point he could not care less about the impending Royal selection
[I] guess you could say that here Marilyn is experiencing an existential crisis
He is stuck between his [ant] instincts and [his] humanity
He strives to understand himself his identity his place in the world and why his purpose feels, so shallow and empty
What he didn't know was that this understanding of his feelings would emerge quicker than he would have anticipated