15 Years Ago on This Day, Hunter x Hunter Showed Even a God Can Bleed

When Hunter x Hunter Chapter 314 was published 15 years ago, Yoshihiro Togashi executed the most heartbreaking narrative twist in manga history. Instead of defeating the god-like King Meruem through a typical Shonen power-up, Togashi made him a victim of the lethal radiation from Isaac Netero’s Poor Man’s Rose.

Rather than seeking vengeance or world domination in his final moments, Meruem, in his final moments, humbled himself, as he wanted to spend his final moments with the person he loved. To this day, it remains one of the most profound demonstrations of absolute power bowing to pure humanity.

What Led to Hunter x Hunter Chapter 314

After surviving Netero’s overwhelming 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva and Zero Hand, Netero was forced into a corner during that battle. Netero detonated the “Poor Man’s Rose”, which is a weapon of mass destruction that can be mass-produced as well. It ended up poisoning Meruem with lethal radiation.

Though Royal Guards Shaiapouf and Menthuthuyoupi revived their dying King by sacrificing their own flesh and Nen, they only bought him borrowed time. Unaware that the poison was consuming him from within, a resurrected, omnipotent Meruem returned to the palace with expanded photon-based En, searching for his missing memory and setting the stage for Chapter 314’s emotional resolution.

Meruem’s Bow to Palm Shows a King Choosing to Kneel

A panel from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha

After his defeat against Netero, Meruem was desperate to see Komugi. However, only Palm knew where she was. Meruem’s bow to Palm, to let him meet her, marks the most important moment of the Chimera Ant arc, shifting his motivation from tyranny to love.

This simple gesture that he made directly dismantled the predator mindset that previously defined his existence in the manga so far. Togashi, the author, used this moment to demonstrate that Meruem’s true evolution was never about expanding his overwhelming Nen or conquering the human race, but rather discovering his own mortality and capacity for love.

By choosing to kneel, the King rejects his biological destiny as a conqueror, proving that his humanity eclipsed his monstrous origins before his life slipped away.

Yoshihiro Togashi Subverts Power Scaling in Shonen Anime

A still from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Madhouse

By resolving the Chimera Ant arc with the “Poor Man’s Rose,” Yoshihiro Togashi practically shattered the tropes of battles in Shonen manga. Standard tropes in similar arcs in other anime dictate that an invincible antagonist must be defeated through training arcs, hidden power-ups, or dramatic spiritual awakenings from the protagonist.

One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball– all followed those tropes. In fact, even Hunter x Hunter followed similar tropes at times, such as when Gon had a massive power-up to defeat Neferpitou.

However, in the Chimera Ant arc, Togashi pitted the absolute peak of martial art and Nen mastery – Isaac Netero – against Meruem, only to reveal that individual strength is utterly meaningless against the cheap, mass-produced cruelty of human technology. This thematic twist is just one of many reasons that make this arc one of the best in shonen anime.

Meruem was not defeated by a righteous hero, but by a low-budget, highly contagious dirty bomb, framing humanity’s triumph not as a noble victory, but as a reminder of humanity’s boundless capacity for malice.

Where does Meruem’s tragic fate rank among your favorite anime moments? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

Hunter x Hunter is available to read on VIZ Media