Yoshihiro Togashi - Blog Posts
catching up on hxh really makes me realise i forgot how brilliant of a writer togashi is. the way he's able to bring together so many characters, each with their unique goals, personalities, and abilities, and make ten different plot points converge in a beautiful web is absolutely crazy. while i do think that his hiatus helps him to some degree, i do NOT tolerate people who cannot recognize the massive creativity that goes into this manga. hxh is goddamn complicated, and every character in it is done justice in the way they're portrayed. some of the most mind boggling abilities i could never even imagine have been introduced by togashi while complying WITH the rules of the complex nen system (contamination, cat's name, bungee gum, rising sun, bodhisattva, emperor time, love dial and so many more are increasingly unique abilities which showcase how massive and nuanced togashi's power system is). every arc is consistently gripping with a healthy focus on action AND politics, wherein togashi forces you to face some of the worst deeds of society (with kakin empire being the most recent and perhaps the most disgusting example), and that is no easy feat. plus the way he's constantly able to resist the classic good triumphs evil narration, instead choosing to showcase gray characters who simply happen to have goals aligned with the "good side" and who still leave a trail of destruction in their wake?? selfishness is an extremely common theme throughout the characters, whether it's Gon's actions in Chimera Arc, Killua's possessiveness, Leorio's motivations, Kurapika's rage and grief that threatens to overpower even himself, or hell even Phantom Troupe's actions, and it really sticks with me as a reader. seriously, what an inspiration.
Best characters, best manga.
— You've got it backwards. I'm the one who's glad to have met you...
HUNTER×HUNTER »» New PV ft. Gon & Killua
<3
Hunter x Hunter // Yoshihiro Togashi
Killua Tokyo Ghoul Version :v >.> XD
why are my best sketches always in school notebooks n not my sketchbook ??
Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi
Hisoka: The Villain Who Surpasses Expectations
I recall going on a tangent about Hisoka's magical abilities before Togashi revealed nen to the audience, and I went on a bit of a rant about how he had me in a choke hold back when I was ten years old, and I'd like to continue that rant.
Hisoka is that villain who can never be outdone when it comes to creativity.
The first thing that got me was his appearance. I remember seeing him in the opening, where he wears an outfit that he's never seen wearing in any of the episodes (not important, but eh). I remember thinking that he looked like a Jester, mainly because of Harley Quinn. Hisoka never really struck me as a clown, and I remember getting triggered every time a fanfic referred to him as a clown.
I was used to villains who wanted to take over the world for whatever reason, or sympathetic ones who had a rough background or were doing evil things for someone they loved. Or villains who were evil because their job required it, like assassins and hit men. And then there were villains like Joker, who are evil just because. Hisoka was none of that. We are not given any motive for why he's the way he is until much later. When I was ten the pedo stuff flew over my head, and I was still pretty new to sex education. I thought to myself "Pretty weird that fighting is like sex for you, but whatever tickles your fancy." And it's not even in an "Ah, finally a worthy opponent" kind of way.
I remember being so entranced by him because he was so unusual. As a ten year old I interpreted things differently. In the clearing (during the 1st exam) I don't think he would've attacked anyone, but he was provoked into doing so. Kurapika and Leorio run off, so he calms down for a moment, but saw that Leorio wanted the smoke, so he delivered. When he was strangling Gon and stopped, I legit believed he thought to himself "Woah, I was about to kill a kid." I believed he had limits. (Later on with the Alluka thing I see that's not the case)
Hisoka is pure evil, but he isn't some Michael Myers. He has personality and doesn't kill everyone he comes across. When he warned Illumi I thought he was being protective of Gon, but expressed it the only way he was capable of. I was hoping for a future friendship between him and Gon, or at least Hisoka being a somewhat mentor figure of some kind.
There's also Heaven's Arena. He told Gon and Killua to go back downstairs. Instead of seeing it like "Get stronger first so that I can have more fun." I saw it as "It's dangerous for you here, don't come back until you're ready."
I remember seeing the spider tattoo in the bathroom scene, and I was surprised for a moment. Even with the him vs Chrollo situation, if you take that out of the equation, what's in it for him to be a part of the Phantom Troupe? I remember thinking "He's in a gang?" Hisoka didn't fit with the troupe, and I was curious as to how he met them, and why they accepted him. Hisoka didn't/doesn't seem to be the thief type. Once more, he didn't get along with most of the troupe, and they even seemed to avoid him despite being quite close knit. I figured that maybe Hisoka had a similar upbringing to them, which could be why they accepted him, but then there's Kalluto. Kalluto, whose father fought the troupe, and grew up in a beautiful (yet abusive) environment. Kalluto seems well off in comparison, and Illumi comes off as put together despite what he went through. So with the Phantom Troupe it's not about sympathy or trauma bonding. And no, I don't think Kikyo coming from Meteor city has anything to do with it. The only spider Hisoka arguably gets along with is Machi, but she merely tolerates him.
Hisoka worked better in a group setting with Gon and Killua, even though he is an open enemy to them. They were willingly welcome towards him, with Gon even offering him to accompany them. Even though Hisoka gave him the creeps by staring at their arse, Gon still seems to enjoy Hisoka's company (Somewhat???).
There's also that Dodge Ball scene.
Hisoka did that just because that wasn't how Gon wanted to win. He didn't need to do that, but he did. That's pretty damn interesting, and dare I say it, heroic and honourable. There is the potential that Hisoka started getting a soft spot for Gon.
Speaking of the Dodge Ball game, it was interesting seeing Hisoka suffer for once. It felt very out of character, especially since he always comes out on top. But this time the opponent was incredibly stronger, and less familiar. But of course, Hisoka is quick thinking, with one last trick up his sleeve.
When Illumi informs Hisoka about the Chimera ants fiasco and Gon being on his deathbed, Hisoka genuinely appears shocked and a bit fearful. The kind where you hear about something bad happening to a close friend. "What? (Insert name here) has (insert life threatening disease)?". He even put his life on the line to alert Killua of him and Illumi's whereabouts.
Hisoka is a villain that isn't just entertaining, he goes against the expectations of what a villain is presented to be, especially against shonen expectations. He doesn't have a tragic backstory, nor does he need one. While he isn't the main villain, he is very impact-ful to the story, and not just for the main character. Sometimes he can be a hero, despite having his own self-serving agenda behind it.
Hisoka: The Abilities outside Nen
Here's a rant from someone who's been a HxH fan since they were 10 (I'm 20 now)
Hisoka is one of my favourite characters if not my favourite villains next to Illumi. He immediately had my attention when I first saw him. I really saw him as a force of nature, and I loved how unpredictable he was. There would be moments where he came off as a psychotic killer, but also times where he seemed pretty chill. I could never quite figure out what was going through his mind.
These days I think the fandom, which is now filled with Gen Z-ers, have kind of turned him into a bit of a joke (not in a bad way), but I still remember him as the man who held a lot of mystery behind him.
Now there's just one thing I always wondered about him, and that was his abilities. We already know about Bungee Gum, and the fact that it has the properties of both rubber and gum, but I'm talking about before Togashi introduced nen to us.
We know that Hisoka is a magician, but are the abilities the result of bungee gum, or was he truly trained in some kind of trick? Does he have abilities outside of nen? One example I will use is the Zoldyck family. They are super humans, and have abilities outside of nen, like Killua's long nails and being immune to poison. Then there's the Freecss family. Even without nen, Gon was still a pretty damn strong kid, he broke Illumi's arm for crying out loud (I don't think that's spoken about enough). So we the viewers know that there's a handful of superhuman families, so it wouldn't be any surprise if Hisoka himself came from one.
We could say that it's just the 2011 version being creative, but the 1999 version has fun as well. In fact, I'll compare the two.
2011: When we are first introduced to him he burns off a guy's arm for bumping into him. His arms have turned into tiny petals. When Hisoka and Gon officially meet, he disappears into dust every time Gon tries to hit him. Usually, Nen users would blur when they move very fast. Hisoka has a bloodlust moment, and one butterfly becomes hundreds. When he takes the tag from Gon (after he punched him) he makes 4 copies of the tags.
1999: The guy seems to have melted into a wall instead of his arms being burned. Then there's his fight with the knife guy (ep 15, 1999), nothing too special, but it's what happens afterwards. In the 2011 version Hisoka still has the injury on his shoulder, but in the 1999 version he does a trick to make it disappear/heal instantly (most likely an illusion). The butterfly thing doesn't happen.
Not to mention Hisoka's bloodlust. Much like Illumi's, it gives a sense of unease to anyone who is of close proximity to it. Even going as far as to disturb nature. Hisoka is superhuman, even without the use of nen. Unfortunately, we don't see more of his 'magic' in the anime.
