Among the most prevalent ideas in Hunter Hunter’s Palace Invasion is this element of deliberation.
Of a very careful consideration, of slow and precise movement or thought - both in-universe
and in the style of the presentation.
And while this description can most easily be applied to the slowed down and meticulously
examined nature of this part of the story, it can also be found in the little details
surrounding that as well.
The Hunters’ plan is dissected down to an exact science, with the members trying to
prepare for every possibility and every action that can be taken even knowing that it simply
isn’t feasible to predict every eventuality.
It’s an invasion conducted with cold precision, and a systematic scheme that was meant to
be pragmatic in order to contain, isolate and quell the Chimera Ant uprising.
But there is no way to prepare for the unknown, and what was largely overlooked by the squad
was the possibility of humanity within these enemies, a possible common ground that could
be shared.
Yet one person who did indeed think of this, and in fact, hoped for it, was Knuckle Bine.
And in the end, it seemed as if Knuckle had the most accurate expectations, or at least
hopes, out of the entire group.
While Killua, who is seen by many to be the emotional soul of the story, was going over
strategy, calculations and possibility, even if it was for the sake of protecting the things
he cared about, Knuckle was fantasizing about the possibility of appealing to emotion in
his enemies.
Of understanding one another, and of connecting with them, heart-to-heart.
And that is the most appropriate way of summarizing the type of person he is.
Apprentice to the endearing Morel, a beast hunter with an absolute heart of gold, Knuckle
is emotional and impulsive, quick to rage and prone to *attempting* to be prickly, but
anyone with a lick of sense can clearly see that he’s full of love and good intentions
underneath that thin facade.
He continuously helps Gon improve and learn under the guise of being tough on him, he’s
a dog lover who can’t help but care for the needy creatures, and as has been well-documented
by many, even his nen is indicative of his good nature, since Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is
an ability that, while incredibly beneficial in combat, both nullifies any physical damage
or pain Knuckle does to his opponent, and lends his nen to them.
To sum him up, he’s a softie who consistently wears his heart on his sleeve and uses this
instinct to guide his actions towards helping others and following what he believes is right.
But this puts him in contradiction with the plans he goes along with, despite agreeing
with their end goal.
He’s uncomfortable letting the relative few die or be harmed even if it is a stepping
stone to saving the many.
He wants to appeal to the heart of those who most assume have no heart.
He doesn’t want to hurt anyone if possible.
Knuckle lives in the moment, not all too keen on grand plans, and is, along with Ikalgo,
the most likely in the group to believe in the good in people - and that is key.
As is the case with every single other character of note in the arc, the Palace Invasion is
where Togashi takes the opportunity to examine and push Knuckle further, taking his ideals
and psychology to the furthest extreme.
Chimera Ant is, as always, fixated on dualism with regards to all aspects of humanity, and
we can see this through Knuckle as well through his decision to protect his and Shoot’s
pride.
In the midst of a fierce battle with Youpi, during a break in combat where he has an opportunity
to hide his mortally injured friend and wait things out a little to allow APR to do it’s
thing, he realizes that Youpi had to have walked past Shoot to go where he was located
at the time.
Yet Shoot was unharmed.
The fact that the both of them were alive means that they weren’t considered anything
approaching a worthy threat, even though Shoot put his entire life into fighting back.
And as a result, Shoot is.. demoralized.
Knuckle takes this slight against Shoot as the greatest dishonor - he wasn’t even worth
Youpi finishing off, not even worth the second it would take to end his life.
But arguably more significant is that fact that Youpi looked down upon his beaten opponent
as a piece of trash.
It is the biggest way to dehumanize Shoot, who had put everything to this fight, and
Knuckle cannot help but want to restore his friend’s honor and pay Youpi back for this
humiliation.
In terms of the group’s plan, his goal of simply punching Youpi in retaliation was an
objectively bad move - him being hit back in return would’ve rendered most of the
time spent using APR useless, Youpi wouldn’t have gone bust, and in the worst case, Knuckle
would’ve died, completely losing the group’s ability to use his power and depriving them
of his great assets and friendship.
He had an essential role in an operation that was, no exaggeration, being done to save the
world, so he had a responsibility to carry out his duty.
And at this time, Youpi was fruitlessly trying to break through the unpassable Smoky Jail,
trying to defend an empty throne room, so this was a prime opportunity to follow logic
and retreat, at least temporarily.
In a battle of endurance, evasion was key here, since there was no conceivable way for
any of them to beat Youpi in a straight up fight.
Yet, he ignores that cold logic in this moment in favor of what his heart was telling him,
with some encouragement from Shoot.
So Knuckle goes back to fight, even if this was a terrible idea.
Because he believes in his heart that there are some things that just have to be done.
He puts the fate of the world on the back burner and at risk, to prioritize protecting
his friend’s pride and honor as a human being.
It’s incredibly characteristic of Knuckle, a display of heart over mind, and it is actually
a representation of the stereotypically classic Hunter mentality - that mindset that many
hold of prioritizing their own needs and using their power for *their* desires.
However, it is a more emotional, earnest and heartfelt twist on the concept compared to
the common reputation of that ideal.
He very quickly decides to retreat, but it takes nothing back from the gravity of that
decision, since it is one that is fundamentally ingrained in his psyche and remains unchanged.
In that moment, there is something more important than humanity.
It is, as the narrator says, a misjudgment of priorities, but that misjudgment is both
who he is and an extremely meaningful and valuable thing.
And he carries it into arguably his most defining moment in the arc, where he completely forsakes
his mission - through deactivating APR in order to save Morel, and through refusing
to fight Youpi due to the latter showing the respect and honour to them that he didn’t
show earlier.
And so he finds the heart that he was searching for within these so-called monsters, and finds
himself unable to fight his adversary.
He sees Youpi as a genuinely decent person, he understands and respects his perspective.
For Knuckle, the things that matter most to him in the moment - his ideals, his pride,
his brothers - are what dictates his actions.
His decisions here were, from an outside perspective, foolhardy and stupid, potentially capable
of ruining the carefully laid plans that everyone put together.
But this humanity in his thoughts and actions in the midst of such a brutal series of events
helps him straddle the line between losing himself, and maintaining his integrity and
the reason he fights in the first place.
One of the prevailing themes of the arc is that of perspectivism, and there are few characters
that portray it better.
People sometimes describe Chimera Ant as nihilistic or grimdark, but there are a surprising amount
of shining lights within it.
Killua’s unrelenting spirit, Meruem and Komugi, Palm’s 180, Ikalgo’s ideals, the
concept of the torch of kindness.. but Knuckle is the one whose role sticks out to me the
most in terms of being a light.
And while an extermination squad full of a bunch of Knuckle’s would probably fail the
mission before really starting it, there is so much meaning and value in his inclusion
through balancing out the cynicism.
He’s a counterargument in that sense, and to me, he is one of the most prominent beating
hearts of Chimera Ant.
While Gon’s role in this arc shows the uncomfortable negatives of an instinctual mindset, Knuckle’s
inherent compassion and pride balances and shows the flip side of that through displaying
why following your impulse can be righteous, even if it is more than a little idiotic.
Netero and Zeno felt that if they interrupted Meruem’s care for Komugi, then the spirit
of their cause would be lost.
And that is something similar to what Knuckle feels when he makes these impulsive and heartfelt
decisions.
But he also contrasts Netero in a way, in that Netero would sacrifice anything - his
underlings, his pride, his ideals, his heart - to gain victory over the ants due to a sense
of duty.. but Knuckle cannot stomach victory if it goes against what he stands for.
He didn’t want to beat Youpi if it meant that a loved one would die.
Or that his ideals would be tarnished.
Or that his friend would be humiliated.
Our protagonists needed to win, but they also needed a sense of light humanity to be intact
when all was said and done.
This operation needed the likes of Netero, but it also needed this hope.
Knuckle Bine adds this extra dimension to the cast of the Chimera Ant arc, that lovely
sense of heart and soul to balance the darkness and tragedy.
He is sentiment over logic and reasoning.
His friends, philosophies and pride are more important than the world, and their importance
consistently overpower the significance of his mission.
He is pure and guided by his emotional instinct, but he also possessed by a maturity and sense
of perspective that separates his instinct from the animalistic darkness that is explored
elsewhere.
To be clear, Knuckle isn’t aimless or 100% naive - he’s fully aware of the consequences
of his actions, and yet he values ideals over logic anyway.
For him, there is value in sentiment, and sentiment itself can be reason.
Because if you lose this pure emotionality guided by understanding, guided by a primitive
pride, guided by the heart and by love.. then what is the point of succeeding?
What are you fighting to preserve?
Ever the consistent example of the better side of humanity, Knuckle is one of the most
vital balancing tools in the entirety of the series, one who allowed the Chimera Ant arc
to say the things it said with such tact and balance.
But most importantly, he is a genuinely good person who never let his ideals and heart
be swayed by cynicism, and an example of the side of the coin that the story explores that
we can all aspire to be like.
Many thanks for watching.