Following the events of Greed Island, Hunter x Hunter’s Chimera Ant Arc marks a major tonal and narrative shift, introducing the most morally complex and emotionally devastating story in the series. After finishing the game, Gon and Killua use a special card to locate Ging, but instead reunite with Ging’s former apprentice, Kite.
Their reunion quickly turns grim as Kite reveals the emergence of a new species called Chimera Ants, monstrous hybrids capable of consuming and assimilating the traits of other creatures, including humans. This meeting sets the stage for a long and dangerous mission that will test the boys’ resolve, friendship, and humanity.
While Gon and his friends discuss their next move, the narrative shifts focus to the Chimera Ant Queen, who has found refuge on the NGL continent. Initially feeding on sea creatures, she soon develops a taste for human flesh after her soldiers begin capturing local villagers.
The Ant colony expands rapidly, and the Queen’s obsession with creating the perfect offspring drives her to devour hundreds of humans. Hunters sent to investigate, including Pokkle and Ponzu, meet gruesome fates, signaling how terrifyingly advanced these creatures have become. When Kite and his group discover the colony’s size and power, they realize that the Chimera Ants represent a global threat unlike anything before.
As the Chimera Ants continue to evolve, certain individuals begin manifesting Nen, the life energy used by Hunters. Rammot, an Ant soldier, awakens his Nen powers, prompting the colony’s leaders to experiment on captured Hunters to understand this new phenomenon. Through the horrifying dissection of Pokkle’s brain, the Royal Guard member Neferpitou learns how to wield Nen.
When Kite’s group confronts Pitou, tragedy strikes. Pitou severs Kite’s arm, forcing Killua to retreat with an unconscious Gon. The loss of their mentor shatters Gon emotionally, sowing the seeds for his eventual self-destructive obsession with revenge.
Hunter x Hunter Chimera Ant Arc (Viz Media)Gon And Killua’s Resolve Deepens As Meruem’s Rise Reshapes The Human Struggle
After their narrow escape, Gon and Killua join an extermination team assembled by Chairman Isaac Netero to combat the Chimera Ants. Before they can participate, Netero challenges them to undergo intense Nen training and prove their readiness. They study the Four Major Principles: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and In, and learn to refine their aura control. Despite progress, both lose in combat trials, forcing Gon to spend 30 days in total Zetsu, cut off from his Nen. These hardships strengthen their determination, turning their grief into fuel for the coming war against the Chimera Ants.
Meanwhile, in the Ant colony, the Queen gives birth to three Royal Guards: Pitou, Shaiapouf, and Menthuthuyoupi before the monstrous King, Meruem, tears his way out of her body, killing her in the process. His birth marks a turning point: the Ants’ hierarchy shifts as Meruem asserts absolute dominance.
Cold and arrogant, Meruem slaughters his own soldiers to demonstrate superiority. Some Ants, like Colt, reject his cruelty and seek help from the Hunters. Though the Queen dies, her final act is to name her son Meruem, while her loyal followers entrust her unborn twin to the Hunters. With the Queen’s death, the war between humans and Ants officially begins.
Meruem conquers a palace in East Gorteau and devises a horrific plan: on “Selection Day,” he will gather citizens under the guise of celebration, then slaughter them to awaken Nen in the survivors. However, his encounter with Komugi, a blind Gungi board-game prodigy, changes everything.
Initially dismissing her as weak, Meruem is humbled by her mastery of the game and indomitable spirit. As they play countless matches, Komugi’s purity and resilience slowly awaken empathy within the King. This relationship becomes the emotional core of the arc, challenging Meruem’s belief in superiority and redefining his understanding of strength and humanity.
Hunter x Hunter Chimera Ant Arc (Viz Media)The Final Battles Unfold Through Sacrifice, Vengeance, and the Tragic Fall of Kings
With Selection Day approaching, Netero and the extermination team prepare for a coordinated strike on the palace. The attack begins with an explosive entrance. Netero and Zeno Zoldyck descend from the sky, battling Pitou and scattering the Royal Guards. Chaos ensues as Hunters engage Ant leaders in fierce duels.
The invasion takes an unexpected turn when Komugi is injured during the assault, prompting Meruem to call for a temporary ceasefire so Pitou can heal her. This moment reveals Meruem’s growing compassion and shakes the morale of both sides. Gon and Killua, entering the palace, confront Pitou and witness this act of kindness, forcing Gon to confront the complexity of his enemy.
After Komugi’s recovery, Netero accepts Meruem’s request to move their battle elsewhere. The two engage in one of anime’s most iconic duels — a clash between human will and evolved power. Despite Netero’s masterful use of the “100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva” technique, he is unable to harm Meruem significantly.
Realizing that humanity’s survival depends on drastic measures, Netero sacrifices himself by triggering the Poor Man’s Rose, a hidden bomb implanted within his body. The explosion nearly annihilates Meruem, but his surviving Guards feed him their flesh to revive him, transforming him into a stronger, winged form but unknowingly infecting him with a deadly poison from the Rose.
Elsewhere, Gon forces Pitou to accompany him to heal Kite, threatening Komugi’s life if she refuses. When Pitou reveals Kite is beyond saving, Gon’s suppressed rage erupts. Overcome by grief and guilt, he sacrifices his own potential, transforming into his adult self, a being of immense power fueled entirely by vengeance. In a brutal and tragic confrontation, Gon annihilates Pitou, fulfilling his revenge but destroying himself in the process. The cost of his rage leaves him in a coma, symbolizing the devastating consequences of losing one’s humanity to anger and obsession.
While Gon lies unconscious, Meruem returns to the palace, slowly dying from the Poor Man’s Rose’s poison. His Royal Guards, equally infected, try to hide his deteriorating state, but Meruem regains his memories and seeks out Komugi one final time. Accepting their shared fate, they play Gungi together as the poison takes hold. Meruem dies in Komugi’s arms, finally at peace, followed soon after by her death beside him.
Their ending serves as a haunting reflection on empathy, mortality, and the meaning of strength. The Chimera Ant Arc concludes as both a tragedy and a meditation on evolution, not of species, but of the soul. Its depth, emotion, and philosophical weight cement it as one of the greatest arcs in anime history, showcasing Togashi’s unparalleled storytelling mastery.
