First Impressions / Hunter x Hunter (2011)

「オネダリ×ト×オネガイ」 (Onedari x to x Onegai)
“Scrounge x and x Wish”

There’s no such thing as a trivial detail in Toghashi Yoshihiro’s world.

Author’s Note: Please be very careful to avoid divulging any information about upcoming events from the manga. When in doubt, don’t post it – and even if it’s remotely possible to view it as a minor spoiler, please spoiler-tag it. Thanks for your cooperation.

I remember, mukashi mukashi, when Kurapika was thought to be androgynous by some viewers – it seems like such an innocent time looking back on it. Togashi has always loved his gender-bending male characters, but I believe this is the first time he’s ever confronted the matter so openly. And each succeeding Zoldyck sibling we meet seems stranger and stranger, building up to this last (though not youngest) and certainly creepiest brother.

But as highly anticipated as that character’s formal introduction was, there are other matters addressed first in this episode – namely the powder-keg of tension that is the Chairman election. Another round of voting has taken place, and again fallen short of the required 95% turnout required for validity. It did, however, see Pariston’s vote-share increase over the first round, and the tension in the conference room is amped up even higher as a result. Togashi is using these argumentative sessions as a way to slowly peel back the covers and reveal the essential nature of the Zodiacs.

The fault-lines are clearly becoming visible here, with Cheadle acting in the role of organzing the last line of defense against Pariston’s ascension. Mizaistrom is opposed too, though he seems to have his own agenda above and beyond opposing Pariston for its own sake – he’s a mystery, and clearly a man to be reckoned with (his presence on the field would have been welcome during the Brazil vs. Colombia World Cup match). Pariston is biding his time, goading and baiting the more manageable of his colleagues into doing what he wants and waiting out the others, that smile never leaving his face. What Cheadle is doing appears to be delaying the inevitable, and both she and Pariston seem to know that – she even wishes that Ging were present, an acknowledgement that she lacks the wherewithal to stem Pariston’s tide alone.

For his part Beans is allowing himself to question Netero’s wisdom in making Pariston Vice-chairman – an act the old man said he committed because putting someone he couldn’t stand in the role would be far more interesting than planting a yes-man there. In the heady pre-Chimera Ant days boredom seemed Netero’s greatest enemy, but it’s tempting to believe Beans might be right – though of course it still seems more likely that Netero was simply seeing so many moves into the future that we haven’t reached the endgame he envisioned yet. The rule changes Pariston and Cheadle eventually settle on will likely drive the turnout up to 95%, but there’s nothing in them to suggest the overall direction of the flow of events will change.

The main event of the episode, though, is the return of Killua to the Zoldyck compound. The Election Arc has more callbacks than a casting agency, and this time we see a couple of welcome faces from the “Zoldyck Family” arc – Seaquant and Zebro, two good-hearted family guards who think highly of Killua-bochan. Seaquant is a Hunter, of course, and he reports to Zebro that Killua hasn’t shown up to vote in the election – only to have Zebro tell him that Killua has already arrived home, and to ask Seaquant to tell Gon that Killua looks distressed. This is quite a sad and touching moment, really – Zebro always was a sweetheart when it came to Killua and his friends. But neither man is in any position to help the Bochan in his current crisis.

Kil has, as we know, returned home to seek help for Gon. And that help comes in the form of the sibling he refers to as his little sister, Alluka (Uchida Maaya). Alluka has been referenced twice in Hunter X Hunter – once in a photograph (in Episode 97) and once in a verbal reference to “five brothers”. And indeed Alluka is a boy, younger than Killua but older than Kalluto – this is quite clear, yet Killua and only Killua refers to Alluka as a girl for reasons that haven’t been explained as of yet (though if nothing else, Alluka performs the remarkable feat of making Kalluto – who I initially mistook for a girl – look veritably masculine). It’s also obvious that Killua looks upon Alluka as a family member while everyone else is more in the line of a monstrosity – when Killua meets his father Silva refers to Alluka as a “thing” and “not human”.

Whatever else one might say about the Zoldyck clan, it’s always seemed plain that Silva values and probably loves his children – so for him to take this attitude should be a clear signal something is seriously amiss. And indeed, in a way, Alluka may be the out-and-out creepiest character in the series’ annals. Via flashback (ingeniously framed) we see what makes Alluka so terrifying. We meet Alluka as a cute and seemingly normal little boy, playing with butler Mitsuba. When she grants three of the child’s innocuous requests (“Lift me up!”, et al) Alluka’s face changes into a terrifying death mask. Little Killua (and seemingly only little Killua, and just how that came about is interesting to ponder) is aware of this phenomenon (Bullseye!) and explains it to his worried parents after Mitsuba spills the beans – if you complete three of Alluka’s requests Alluka will grant you a wish and his face will return to normal. But if you refuse four requests in a row, you – and the person you love – will die. And that’s the fate of Mitsuba and another butler (presumably a lover) after she complies with mother Kikyo’s order to refuse Alluka’s requests as an experiment.

We’ve seen a lot of strange Nen abilities in Hunter X Hunter, but in Alluka Togashi has given us one of the strangest and most seemingly random – and one that’s apparently completely inborn in Alluka. As always there are various supplemental rules – the greater the wish, the more difficult the requests (which leads to ones like “Give me your duodenum.” to the poor woman Illumi selects to be a guinea pig after one of the butlers greedily asks to be made a millionaire (next time talk to Regis). And the person whose wish was granted need not be the one cursed with the subsequent requests – or the cost if they’re unmet, which apparently expands exponentially to include more people as the previous wish’s scope expands. I wouldn’t seeing some sort of rationale behind all this at some point, but for now it stands as one of the scariest and weirdest abilities in the entire series.

It’s plain to see where this is headed, and it’s certainly unsettling given that what Killua seems likely to request is a much bigger deal than having a million Jenny fall out of a passing airship. He’s effectively wishing for the return of a life, no less – and though Silva relents and allows a visit to Alluka when Killua recalls his words about never betraying a friend at the time of their last meeting, the cost for granting such a request would be almost unimaginable based on what we were shown this week. There’s another story here too, Alluka’s story – that of a child seemingly totally isolated from human contact and loathed and feared by their family (who don’t fear a hell of a lot, it must be said). Only Killua seems to really care for Alluka, and given who Killua is now thanks to his friendship with Gon, it’s unthinkable that he’d walk away and leave Alluka to that terrible fate whatever else happens.

 

Preview

51 Comments

    1. So Alluka’s ability is like a pyramid scheme, such as capitalism, the latecomers pay for whatever the early birds take. if the debt is not paid off, then all the latecomers are screwed. that really sounds scary to me. I guess only QE can save her ( and Gon (who is currently “broken”) ).

      os
      Reply

      2. you could make the argument that the current use of capitalism is indeed a pyramid scheme, where it’s an unsustainable scheme that allows the ones at the top to make money off of the ones at the bottom by exploiting them. the modern day workforce in many parts of the world, in both first world and developing nations, certainly can be viewed as being exploited by those at the top (banks, corporations, conglomerates). and it’s beginning to become apparent to some analysts that it’s an unsustainable path, which is why we’ve already had one financial crisis in the last decade.

        and the situation only continues to grow worse as costs of living sky rocket while income levels for the most part stay at their current levels for us regular folk, yet the average CEO’s income have increased steadily in that same time span. but that’s also why there’s a growing debate in the US to raise the minimum wage, so that the economy can receive an jolt of capital (as workers will have more money to spend on things other than living expenses, unlike the reasons opposing it which state that raising the minimum wage will result in job loss and weaken the economy). but that’s one of the reasons why some believe it’s an unsustainable business model.

        a box like hippo
        Reply

  2. as i understand it of what we saw/heard:

    unknown wish/none at all == 1.carry / 2.climbstairs / 3.liftup(success=rdy for wish)
    killua’s wish to be lifted == 1.carry / 2.shake hand / 3.piggyback /4.liftup(fail=death)
    millionaire == 1.liver / 2.duodenum / 3.spine / 4.brain(fail=death)
    new pc == ??? (3 things killua will have to do for alluka)
    gon healthy == ?? (next person’s tasks)

    Aapjuh
    Reply

    1. Remember 60 odd people died for the millionare wish too. How many would die if Gon were saved? 100? 1000? 10000? And I wonder how Gon would feel knowing that innocent people died to save him. Probably not very good.

      asdf
      Reply

      1. the 60 ppl probably died trying to get alluka to “reset”.
        alluka prolly kept asking for things in the magnitude of the millionaire wish (1.liver / 2.duodenum / 3.spine / 4.brain) which could include some tasks that are doable but stil l within the magnitude of the millionaire wish

        tho noone would have to die, if after killua makes his wish alluka gets locked-up for good without anyone contacting her/him/it or killed for example, noone will have to perform tasks(which will be based on the previous wish magnitude) for alluka in order to make a new wish rdy

        Aapjuh
        Reply

      2. If Kil’s intentions are to get Alluka to revive Gon, no matter what price Gon has to pay, there’s absolutely NO WAY Gon would just allow Alluka to be locked up again. Anyone who knows Gon just simply knows its not going to happen. I can already imagine Gon having to scuffle with one of the Zoldycks, just to prove this point. Between him and Kil though, I’d doubt even Silva would take them down easily(ultimately, he probably would).

        frubam
        Reply

  3. overall, I liked the episode, and I find Alluka’s powers to be really interesting (and sinister), and the conditions of the power to be quite fascinating. she reminds me a little bit of the Twilight Zone kid who wished people into the cornfields, but a reverse sort of one.

    Having said that, I don’t know how I feel about this type of power in the show. Clearly it’s a way to heal Gon or revert him or whatever Killua wishes for, but I dunno know if it sits well in the world of HxH. I think that’s also the reason I found the Chimera Ants powers too unsettling in the world Togashi had built, it just makes it too crazy. I think Pre-Greed Island, or maybe even Pre-York Shin, the world seemed more grounded, but now with Alluka’s ability to grant wishes, I just don’t know.

    and I wonder why the mother told the butler not to fulfill any requests, as that just seemed like a death sentence. Not to mention why doesn’t anyone tell the kid asking for a brain or spine will kill someone, so don’t ask for stuff like that? I get they’re a family of assassins, but they still have boundaries to teach.

    and is it just me, or does Pariston just seem like a sleazy used car salesman?

    also no Ging or Hiskoka this week. bah!

    and Zodiac Panda bear? yes please!

    a box like hippo
    Reply

  4. Random question. Is this a woman? The voice is definitely by a female seiyu.

    https://randomc.net/image/Hunter%20X%20Hunter/Hunter%20X%20Hunter%20-%20138%20-%20Large%2036.jpg

    Illumi told this butler, obviously a woman, that he would spare her and her lover’s lives for the mistake, most likely the millionaire wish.

    https://randomc.net/image/Hunter%20X%20Hunter/Hunter%20X%20Hunter%20-%20138%20-%20Large%2041.jpg

    Just something that stood out for me.

    Raijin
    Reply

  6. I think you may be a little mistaken about Killua’s mother, Enzo.

    I don’t think she was performing an experiment. Killua only told his parents “half” the rules regarding Alluka’s ability. That his/her face goes creepy after granting three requests.

    Killua’s mom told the butler to just not grant any request in order to prevent Alluka’s face from changing. She had no idea about the other half of the rules regarding if 4 requests are not fulfilled.

    It was Illumi who performed an experiment. He must have manipulated Alluka to use words like liver, spine, duodenum and brain knowing that the woman would never be able to fulfill those requests.

    Overall, this episode was pretty damn creepy. The first time we see that face sent chills and then the final ear-shattering scream from that woman. But I think the biggest mystery is whether Alluka is a boy or a girl lmao. He/she certainly looks like a girl with the hair and clothes and Killua does specifically use the word “imouto.”

    EamonX
    Reply

    2. No, Illumi didn’t manipulate Alluka. The rules we’ve been told is that the bigger the previous wish was, the more difficult the next requests are. The previous wish was about being a millionaire so the difficulty of the requests next time became harder in that Alluka is now asking for those organs. Twisted I know but Alluka really asked for those.
      That’s why Killua asked for the previous wish(Milluki’s computer) so that he would know how difficult Alluka’s requests would be now.

      belatkuro
      Reply

  7. Welcome, one and all, to Togashi’s, arguably, most infamous mindf*** in the world of HxH. Is Alluka a boy or a girl?

    You may proceed with your head exploding now.

    Ryan Ashfyre
    Reply

      1. Whenever one says that it’s been “confirmed” that Alluka’s a boy, generally they’re referring to the fact that the Zoldyck children are always referred to as the “five sons” or something like that.

        Well, that’s true, and maybe you can just chalk up Alluka and Kalluto’s female gender-bending to Togashi just being a sadistic troll who gets off on confusing his fan base. Heck, I thought Kurapika might’ve been a girl for a while at the beginning, but that’s obviously not true, is it? Right? …Right?

        Anyhow, I argue that because they’re raised in a family of assassins who kill for money, even a girl wouldn’t be allowed to be treated as such, hence why they’re always referred to as boys. This is, after all, a family that has no problem whatsoever putting its children through unspeakable tortures to raise them as soulless killing machines. Is it such a stretch to think that they’d force them to be something that they aren’t if they felt it would further that goal?

        Also, to further illustrate my point, I have to spoiler a bit. Very minor one though:

        Show Spoiler ▼

        Ryan Ashfyre
        Reply

  9. Alluka’s ability is quite interesting. Alluka could be your greatest ally or foe depending on the when you meet him/her. It does make me wonder about a few things though.

    When someone dies because they refused Alluka’s requests 4 times in a row, does everything get reset? Or does it partially pay off the “debt” and the remaining debt is directed to the next person. Or does it does the “debt” remain unaltered until someone properly fulfills the request?

    Also, if the Alluka’s requests are too much, what would happen if:
    – you run away from Alluka before all 4 requests given?
    – you kill Alluka before all 4 requests are given?

    As for the scope of the requests that Alluka can grant, what happens if you requested:
    – to destroy the universe (lol, keep Alluka away from psychopaths)
    – to grant your wish without repercussions (or does that count as 2 wishes :P)
    – for Alluka to lose his/her ability
    – for Alluka to change his/her ability so that there is no repercussions
    – revive someone that’s already dead
    – insert some other paradoxical or infeasible wish

    I suppose the scope of her requests is limited by Nen and since Nen’s limits (still) isn’t clearly defined, her power is still subject to the author’s whim.

    PS. please refrain from answering, spoiler tagged or not if it it wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the anime.

    Hats
    Reply

    1. Ah, and how did I forget the classic Dragon Ball wish. Immortality. Depending on the type of immortality you gain, wouldn’t you become immune to the repercussions of not granting Alluka’s subsequent requests?

      Hats
      Reply

      1. Actually, I think that’s just about the worst kind of wish you could make of Alluka. Your mind should shudder at the mere thought of answering repercussions with a body that can never die and know no end to pain or suffering.

        Ryan Ashfyre
        Reply

      2. Ah I see your point. Judging from this episode, I thought that after ignoring 4 requests, you would simply be pulverised once. But I can easily see the repercussion “changing” to ensure that actual “damage” is done. Such as continuous crushing until the victim dies. So if the victim is immortal, he’ll simply be crushed forever.

        Hats
        Reply

    2. For the sake of argument, I’m just going to refer to Alluka as a girl. I think she is, no matter what anyone says.

      Moving on…

      Killua said in this latest episode that Alluka can grant any wish, and for the most part that’s true. It’s never touched upon in the manga, but the simple fact that there are rules for her wish-granting should imply limits for her power.

      As you already alluded to, Alluka probably can’t grant a wish that would contradict her own rules, rules which she seems to have absolutely no say in. Now that’s not to say that she can’t destroy herself, but if she were to try to grant a paradoxical wish, there would probably be a HUGE backlash. As to what that would entail, your guess is as good as mine.

      All that aside, it doesn’t seem like Alluka’s wish-granting has much of anything to do with Nen. Could you see any signs of Nen could be used in this latest episode? I sure couldn’t.

      Now, yes, she does seem to be constrained, at least so far as we can tell, by reality itself. She can’t just magically make millions of dollars appear from out of nowhere – she has to get it from somewhere. That said though, her wishes just kind of happen. How do you reconcile that with some form of Nen usage?

      Ryan Ashfyre
      Reply

      1. It’s an unconcious type of Nen, she was born with it and still doesn’t understand it fully. I wonder what kind of stuff Killua will need to get through to ask for the wish of saving Gon.

        fordalels
        Reply

      2. @fordalels: Even granting that Alluka’s power is an inborn one – which I don’t really disagree with – how do you reconcile that with being a form of Nen? Whenever she grants a wish, it doesn’t seem to take any particular burden on her.

        Nen is the manipulation of one’s life force. The more one uses it, depending on the degree and duration, the more one exhausts one’s self. However, Alluka doesn’t ever seem to be burdened by the use of her power; and given the sheer scale of her abilities, how can that possibly be?

        Now, yes, one could make the argument that the repercussions following any given wish could be seen as Alluka’s own personal form of exhaustion, but that would be like comparing apples and oranges. Satisfying those repercussions, whether by fulfilling them or dying, is the condition for using Alluka’s power again, not a specific burden on Alluka herself.

        Furthermore, if this is a kind of Nen, then what type is it? The only one that makes any sort of sense is a Specialist-type, but even then that doesn’t explain how a single girl who, for all we can tell, hasn’t had a day of training in her life can do something as miraculous as granting people’s wishes. That is WAY and above any kind of Specialist technique we’ve ever seen until now. That’s treading on the power of a god.

        Ryan Ashfyre
        Reply

      4. @fordalels:

        You mean Neon? Couple problems with that comparison:

        – You could actually tell that she was using Nen. That is not the case with Alluka.

        – Predicting the future, while certainly incredible, is nevertheless a specific ability that one can attribute as being a Specialist-type. How can you say the same of Alluka’s wish granting power when it’s essentially all over the place?

        – Neon’s ability was just that, an ability. It only existed to serve its function and nothing else. Alluka’s power on the other hand would seem to host a personality all its own.

        Ryan Ashfyre
        Reply

  13. hehehe the Mizaistrom yellow card had me bawling. Wonder what he does when he pulls out a direct red!!! Or a second yellow?

    Anyhow Alluka is one cute and creepy charachter. I really dont see the power as being unbalanced, considering the grater the wish the more effed the next requests. Now that the Zoldyk’s know the rules to this power they’ve locked her up (im going with her!) behoind how many doors? LIke 5 security checks? Jeeebus.

    The battle between Pariston and Cheadle is very intriguing! He is clearly winning the battle of the election, for now. And it’s fairly clear he’s willing to kill to get it (lost licenses, hunters remaining hunters, his pause to accept that rule)….This political manuevering is a welcome change of tact for the show. Keep it up!

    Miaminights
    Reply

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