Just before the 2011 series of Hunter x Hunter went on indefinite hiatus in 2014, protagonist Gon encountered the most terrifying villain of his young life: Meruem, the Chimera Ant King. Meruem was the last major antagonist Hunter x Hunter saw, and arguably the most impressive.
The chimera ants were a feared species of enemy that caused the Hunter Association to send in an elite team of hunters to eliminate them; Meruem was the most powerful of them all. Meruem is hailed by fans as one of the greatest anime villains and there are plenty of arguments as to why he’s the best.
10 He Brought With Him A Genuine Sense Of Dread
Meruem wasn’t born — he ripped himself free from his mother and left her in a near-death state in the process. Within minutes he had already murdered two of his kind with no remorse and instead cared only about feeding himself to gain more strength. When his meal wasn’t of adequate quality, he tended to kill one of his royal guards.
According to most of the characters that meet or come within a certain distance of Meruem, not only is he a genuinely terrifying foe, his powerful Nen initiates a fight-or-flight response in his opponents. Meruem wasn’t just intimidating — he was chemically scary.
9 Meruem’s Concept Sets Him Apart
Compared to other anime villains, Meruem’s concept is unique. He is an anthropomorphic, bug-like creature who begins his arc as wanting little more than sustenance and domination. He later finds humanity through a game called Gungi and the woman who teaches it to him, a small, blind individual with a snotty nose.
He never directly faces Hunter x Hunter’s protagonists either because his power level is already so much higher than theirs. This places Meruem as an almost inconceivable threat to the viewers, as they’re typically watching via the protagonist’s eyes. However, in this case, Gon and Killua are never even allowed to consider the thought of facing Meruem.
8 His Incredible But Unsettling Design
It’s no secret that Meruem’s bug-like design unsettles more than a few Hunter x Hunter fans, but there’s also no denying how impressive his design is. Viewers believe that Meruem is an amalgamation of deadly parts and that every single element of his body is optimized to keep him alive.
From his needle-tipped, prehensile tail to his chitinous armor, his design both intrigues the eye and the audience. Everything about Meruem is incredibly recognizable and while he does take inspiration from traditional anime villains, viewers would struggle to confuse him with anyone else.
7 He Is The Strongest Of A Very Strong Species
The chimera ants themselves are not a foe so easily defeated. It’s easy to forget that the ants strike fear into the average person after watching Gon and Killua decimate them over multiple episodes, but the two boys are incredibly strong themselves, and even they sometimes struggle with regular ants.
Meruem is stronger than any of them, his royal guards included. Even though Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, and Menthuthuyoupi were bred to protect Meruem, he still far exceeds any of them in power and skill and the guards comment that their beloved king could easily dispatch them if he so desired.
6 A Whole Variety Of Abilities Are At His Disposal
Not only does Meruem possess the typical abilities of an anime villain such as super strength, speed, agility, and proficiency at hand-to-hand combat, his prodigal talent in Nen enhances him even further.
Meruem can absorb the auras of others to widen his reserves and gain their powers, can cover wide areas with his aura which allows him to sense everything happening within it, and after absorbing parts of his royal guards, Meruem can even fire destructive blasts of energy. He isn’t limited to one technique or strategy and has enough power at his fingertips to change his plans as he goes.
5 He Didn’t Always Win
Only one person in the Hunter x Hunter universe was appropriate to take on Meruem — Hunter Association Chairman Isaac Netero, a man considered the most powerful Nen user in the entire world. Netero and Meruem’s fight ended in Netero’s death, but Meruem’s died not long after from the effects of poison.
However, before that, Meruem was still not unbeaten, as Komugi consistently won against him when it came to Gungi. Meruem’s gracious acceptance of both of these defeats and the completely different type of strength his opponents had show Meruem as an intelligent, oddly respectful foe.
4 His Weakness Was Genuinely Heartbreaking
All great anime villains have their weak point — the one thing that makes them second-guess all of their ideologies and beliefs. For Meruem that was the sweet, sleepy, and slightly strange Gungi champion, Komugi. Meruem finds a somewhat kindred spirit in Komugi, who cares considerably about Gungi and believes her life would be worthless if she were to lose.
Through Gungi, Meruem and Komugi formed a powerful bond and by the end of the arc she chose to stay with him and play their beloved game as he succumbed to a contagious poison. Komugi’s incredibly naive yet spirited disposition garnered her a lot of fans and their love for each other was so genuine that their deaths are considered something out of a tragic love story.
3 The Moments Of Humanity Were Unique
The Chimera Ant King’s relationship with Komugi wasn’t just a weakness for him; it allowed him to begin to show humanity in a unique way not often utilized in anime. Meruem didn’t need to save Komugi or pull her from a life of poverty; the two bonded over something so simple — a board game.
Showing that Meruem’s humanity came out via something so simple was a great move by Yoshihiro Togashi. He didn’t need any kind of redemption or to save anyone else from a horrible fate. All Meruem needed to show his human side was a simple board game with somebody he grew to admire and love.
2 He Only Lived For 40 Days
Despite everything, Meruem only lived for 40 days. From the moment he burst free from his mother to the moment he succumbed to the poison with Komugi, only forty days had passed. However, Meruem certainly made a formidable impact with what little time he had.
Other anime villains live for years, get reincarnated multiple times, or fail to make an impact in even less time than Meruem was alive, but he had none of those issues. He dominated his time on-screen during Hunter x Hunter and cemented himself as an iconic anime villain.
1 His Character Arc Was Satisfying & Well-Written
Above all else, Meruem’s entire arc as both a villain and a character was very satisfying. Nothing happened too quickly or out of place, despite his short lifespan his and Komugi’s relationship never felt rushed, and all of his motivations and confusions made sense.
When Meruem was first introduced, he was a horrifying creature. Viewers despised him not only for the way he treated his kin, but for the heartless way he devoured a family almost immediately after being born. However, his development was so enthralling that Meruem found himself almost liked by the time he dies. Meruem was an anime villain who left an impression as an almost tragic character who never asked to be made into the monster he was.
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