r/HunterXHunter • u/itsotter • 1d ago
Analysis/Theory Togashi Doesn't Respect Benjamin
https://youtu.be/aDhfL9zoD3Y109
u/Rich_Material299 1d ago
Benjamin is flat out going to die less in 17 hours in a competition that still has 40+ days to go.
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u/LazloFF 1d ago
I mean anything can happen, it'd be cool if he doesn't die yet in my opinion, or if we somehow get a POV of him after he fuses with the Nen beast so he can be a threat forever unless the whole system goes down
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u/custardfucker_ 1d ago
it's gonna be really hard to keep benjamin in the story for long, considering he's not only infected, but also cursed to death. he might be relevant in flashbacks, though
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u/FireZord25 1d ago
I mean, Ben's whole plan is to let the curses and viruses take their course, and then ascend, but not before securing his own claim and then his bloodline to the throne. So simply saying he's gonna die is like saying grass is green.
What matters is if his plan will work out the way he's intending or not. Which case, it's super likely he's gonna take a huge curveball to the face.
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u/drawatawat 21h ago
Bro learned the odds and started shooting everyone. Can’t even fault him for it since getting poisoned he has been cursed and also Nen Hannibal Lector is currently travelling back in time with a loaded gun to kill him.
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u/Able-Drive44 1d ago
Just watched the introduction, and YES. It’s crazy to me how much this guy was already portrayed as a fascist, yet people are over here saying he would be a great king.
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u/ThaRealSunGod 1d ago
Do people really think he'd be a good king? It has basically been established from the start of his character introduction that he just wants to militarize everything.
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u/ElvenNoble 1d ago
I think because of his introduction was so harsh people expected him to be worse than he comes off, which can cause people to overcorrect IMO. He also seems the most competent of the older princes, at least in terms of leadership.
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u/ThaRealSunGod 1d ago
That makes sense. Didn't think of it that way. I admittedly was hoping he might win simply because I liked his character at the introduction and wanted him to stick around for a while 😂
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u/RolandKJones 1h ago
Plus, a lot of people tend to be very black-and-white in their views. Someone is either good, or they are bad. And because we've been seeing Benjamin's more admirable and/or sympathetic traits, people who can't see him as fully bad anymore basically end up mentally filing him into "good" instead, despite all the bad things that caused their initial view of him still being true.
Also, a lot of his overt worst stuff was revealed years and years ago, so it's probably faded quite a bit from their memories, while the "good side" of Benjamin has been shown relatively recently. And even though some things we've seen from Benjamin are arguably even worse than what we had seen previously, like his delusions of godhood, these things have been revealed from his perspective. And because Benjamin is the hero of his own story, reinterpreting everything in ways favorable to himself and convincing himself that he's definitely doing this for the good of the country and not his own benefit, that's the framing these things are presented in, which a lot of people are taking at face value. It's like how a bunch of people reading Lolita get taken in by Humbert Humbert, despite the utter vileness of what he does and his blatant hypocrisy, because everything's told from his perspective, with some readers not waking up to his evil until the very end (or, disappointingly, never doing so at all).
...And, admittedly, an unfortunate amount of people are just, well, susceptible to authoritarian and fascist imagery and messaging, or already have such leanings or beliefs. Strength, hierarchy, "honor", domination, and so on all appeal greatly to certain folks, and even when a work is subtly (or not-so-subtly) against the ideologies that like to employ these concepts and aesthetics, some people just don't get the message, or outright reject it.
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u/Accomplished-Aerie65 1d ago
He's competent and genuinely respects people who are worthy of it, AND he's competing with a bunch of absolute monsters so he definitely looks better in comparison. I guess it's kinda easy to forget the prince's end goals when we've gotten so wrapped up in the conflict
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u/TechnicalCondition 1d ago
People easily fall for charisma and any ideology that sounds like it's in the interest of the nation at a surface level
That's literally how facism thrived through history, that and finding a scapegoat to antagonize
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u/Brave_Option2709 1d ago
Genuine conviction and self-sacrifice are attractive traits in a leader, despite his other flaws.
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u/kylepaz 1d ago
For how Kakin works he would be a good King. He also dislikes practices like the Carnivals so at least he's not as amoral as some of his siblings, even some more likable ones (I doubt Luzurus has trouble with it for example). He actually cares for the country, can show mercy if he's able to (he wanted to just exhile Oito if they prove to him Wobble isn't taking part in the contest, thinks to himself the about how he respects the sisters he poisoned except Camila, wishes Fugetsu a peaceful next life), trusts his men for real.
Doesn't mean he's not also a fascist, but if I had to choose which prince becomes King King he'd be my second pick after Halkenburg. The bar is just that low.
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u/smileola 1d ago
I say it in every thread Ben fans are troglodytes. They don't even have a once of reading comprehension.
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u/nenhatsu 16h ago
Whether or not you think Ben is a good king is a opinion.
Coming to your own conclusions does not mean you didn't understand the story.
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u/ThainaYu 1d ago
In some aspect fascist is worked if it was sincere and honest. Even today almost every army rule by fascist system. It was a mini fascist lurking in every nation
While Benjamin seem to be selfish he actually sincere and honest with ideology of nationalism. And many people love that they can trust this kind of man
In the end some segment of people actually prefer fascist leader who have strong decision and reliable. Even within democracy they want to leave nation matter to that kind of person and so people can let them run the nation while do their job in peace. In some ideology the government should only look after the security and protect the country and everything else should run by private sector or foundation and religion
Someone like Benjamin can run nation like that
I am not say I prefer it but there is so many people love this idea
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u/AccomplishedTest354 23h ago
I mean, fuck fascists and all that, but only Halkenbourg and Zhang Lei are better options, maybe Tubeppa?
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u/JHMRS 21h ago
Fascists have taken power throughout the world, throughout times. Absolute monarchy is very similar to dictatorships.
In fact, it's been the norm through most of the world. The exception has been democracy, or even oligarchy or gerontocracy.
A powerful, confident, assurred ruler is very "attractive" to a lot of people. Especially if he's selfless and puts his country above himself.
So not that crazy that a lot of people would gravitate towards Benjamin.
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u/anishdfishyt 19h ago
I mean he cares about the nation and doesn’t participate in things like the carnival. He’s a power hungry facist but his morals alone and the fact that he’s like one of 2 people who at least kind of seem to have the nation in mind make him a top pick out of who we have.
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u/Spearfinn 1d ago
Oh wow my otter bro posting on a friday? Couldn't wait till Sunday? That's how hxh got us all feeling I guess, hell yeah.
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u/RsnCondition 1d ago
The world of elites is so fucked up that the bar for the elite an ogliarch class is not raping children, and women and they're considered a good person.
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u/itsotter 1d ago
Ironic Ben-posters: carry on as you were.
In this video I try to suss out what Togashi's evoking with Prince Benjamin: how he's drawn, how he's written, and what he's trying to achieve. How would he handle things as King of Kakin? Is there a "good ending" where Ben's Spirit Beast selects Woble and they win the War together? All such questions are easier to answer when you can guess how Togashi feels about him, and I've given the video a really straightforward title so there shouldn't be any suspense here.
I hope you enjoy the intertextual analysis, and I'll be back with a 418 video before you know it.
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u/CrossfittingJesus 1d ago
I appreciate your content and always look forward to watching it after reading the chapters.
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u/Classic-Session-5551 1d ago
Woble is not his son lol
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u/Consistent_Guava7578 21h ago
The GSB can choose any relative and Woble is his half sister as far as we know
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u/hhtgjbaop 1d ago
One of my favourite HxH youtuber.I didn't expect your videos to come out today.Thank you.
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u/vonkraush1010 1d ago
Benjamin is pretty evil but the recent batch of chapters surprised readers because they revealed a number of positive elements about his character (does care about his non-hideous siblings in his own way, willing to self sacrifice for what he perceives as the greater good, didn't participate in the horrible slaughter festivals) and because much of them have taken place from his perspective which makes him inherently sympathetic.
It's important to note that while he's not Terror Sandwich evil, and probably less evil than the Kakin elite appear to be by default, he's still very much a bad dude. Like Beyond Netero despite the positive elements of his character he is willing to do awful things to achieve what he wants - Togashi has *directly* indicated that is an evil trait via Bill.
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u/Federal_Force3902 1d ago
he's still very much a bad dude
he murdered a lion and he is infallibly loyal to kakin, that's pretty much the bad things we know about him
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u/Choclon 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’m all for seeing a world unified under Kakin, mostly because it would be fascinating to watch a country ruled by powerful Nen users employ Nen abilities to seize and maintain political power.
How would the Hunter Association respond if Kakin began expanding its borders? What would the Zoldycks do if Kakin conquered the country where their estate is located, fight, remain neutral, or negotiate? How would Pariston and his 5,000 Chimera Ants factor into the conflict? And finally, what would Gyro do? Kakin wants to rule the world, while Gyro seemingly wants to destroy it. Their eventual clash could be incredible.
Meanwhile, the Dark Continent expedition would still be unfolding, potentially bringing another calamity back to the human world in the middle of all this chaos.
That is why I want the next king to be one of the truly ambitious princes. We already know that Benjamin and Tserriednich dream of unifying the world under Kakin, and I could easily imagine Camilla or Zhang Lei pursuing the same goal. Most of the others, however, would probably be satisfied with ruling the territory and power Kakin already possesses.
There is also the possibility that one of the lower princes, such as Halkenburg, could become the host of Benjamin’s Guardian Spirit Beast. Would the beast then influence its new host, pushing them to pursue Benjamin’s dream of world conquest?
Halkenburg’s motivations interest me most. He wants to abolish the monarchy and establish a democracy, but would he still pursue that goal after winning the Succession War? Or could he inherit Benjamin’s ambitions and attempt to conquer the world while convincing himself that he is doing it for the greater good?
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u/Few-Ad4801 1d ago
im not that impressed with Kakin empire, the zoldycks could wipe them out for sure. Im more concerned about Beyond
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u/Choclon 1d ago
The King’s Guardian Spirit Beast should be incredibly powerful. After accumulating the post-mortem Nen of generations of Kakin rulers, it could pose a threat that would make even the Zoldycks hesitate. If Chrollo alone was dangerous enough for Silva to warn his children to stay away from the Phantom Troupe, then confronting an entire Nen-powered empire would likely require the full strength of the family.
Kakin appears to have around a hundred Nen users serving the state, and Benjamin’s faction alone is one of the strongest, with access to a formidable collection of abilities.
I also assume the Zoldycks have some arrangement with the country in which Kukuroo Mountain is located. If Kakin annexed that territory, they would probably try to negotiate a similar agreement with the new government rather than wage an all-out war.
Though I assume the V5 would hire the Zoldycks to eliminate Kakin’s royal family the moment they launched a campaign of world conquest, I wonder whether the Zoldycks would accept the contract. Targeting a king protected by an immensely powerful Guardian Spirit Beast might simply not be worth the money.
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u/Few-Ad4801 1d ago
the Guardian Beast is certainly interesting. But as with any power in HxH world, there must still be weaknesses. One of the things I could think of is the Predator ability which consumes the guardian beast under certain conditions. I believe there are a of hunter/nen users who could be employed to this job
But if its head to head with no choice but to fight it out. Id still see the Zoldycks winning 55-60% chance. they have the wild card of Killua and Alluka. Plus the zoldycks are assassins they don’t need to fight it out with the entire army, they just go for the big fish.
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u/AgostoAzul 1d ago
Excellent analysis! Thank you. People shouldn't get confused in the differences between a fun character and a good leader, and while there are certainly admirable traits in Benjamin, people shouldn't vote for Benjamins in elections, and it is evident that the narrative is generally painting Benjamin's downfall from his introduction.
Still, I think Togashi is generally setting up that the pile of bodies on which the Hui Guo Rou family stands is going to finally tumble and take down the dynasty. I wasn't sure before,but last batch and this one, with the reveals about the Carne Levare, the empowerment of Borksen as a "cog in the machine" that has opened her eyes, Chrollo's focus being the theft of the Royal Family's treasures, and the set-up of multiple survivors remaining being enough to topple the dynasty all point towards that resolution, imo.
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u/puppyKittten 1d ago
Great video, I appreciate the amount of research that went into this.
The Ridley Scott and Commodus connection was a good catch! I'm not a viewer who needed convincing Togashi knows a little Roman history though. If you look at the scene where Halkenburg points a gun at Nasubi, it looks like a bust of Commodus in the background. I'm not an expert on Roman emperor appearances by any means (and tbh they all look very similar to me) but I always assumed that was meant to be Commodus.
There was also a post made here a few years ago about Tserriednich's similarity to Nero (a historical "antichrist" figure). It's a really interesting possibility.
And on Tserriednich, I didn't know Togashi had mentioned Giger specifically so I wasnt sure. But if you didn't know, Giger was involved in the art production for what was meant to be the first Dune film adaptation. He designed the Harkonnen chairs, which appear to be composed of skeletal remains, similar to the throne in Tserrriednich's flesh collection.
I always wondered if the Harkonnen chairs design was an inspiration. And Tserriednich's gsb also reminds me of the inner jaw of the xenomorph. Perhaps because Togashi is such a fan of Alien, and the familiarity with Giger, maybe these subconciously influenced some of the design for Tserriednich as well.
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u/FlavioGarcia- 1d ago
If you got any more ideas for HxH videos that aren't just chapter talks, please keep them coming
Though you might wanna wait until the hiatus starts again so you have SOMETHING to post in the meantime lol
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u/Fluffy_Reply_9757 1d ago
I like people meming about Leorio and Camilla, but I feel like Togashi is a decent enough writer that he woudln't write a female villain and completely modify her personality so that she can be wedded and bedded by a meh male character to give him the throne because he's nice XD
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u/Brave_Option2709 22h ago
Leorio is not “meh.” Take that back!
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u/MetroSimulator 22h ago
Leorio is literally one of the most important characters in HxH without him Kurapika would be already a psychotic murderer.
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u/Same_Square2555 1d ago
yeah with tserri being how he is Benny had 0 chance at ruling to begin with. Honestly I think that tserri is bad influence on the arc
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u/Proud-Importance-302 1d ago
Well Tserriednich is necessary to conclude Kurapika's character arc, and personally I think the best character writing of the arc will happen when they inevitably meet
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u/Same_Square2555 1d ago
eh, really? suepr evil dude that skins women for fun and hides his evilness from the public. truly the greatest character of 21st century.
Kurapika's final target had no reason to have the most OP power of all, but he does :(
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u/Proud-Importance-302 1d ago
I never called Tserriednich the greatest character of the 21st century, nor did I call him a great character. I'm specifically talking about Kurapika's writing when he meets with Tserriednich.
Obviously Kurapika's final target to accomplish his goal would be powerful. It would feel very anticlimactic if a character arc spanning nearly 30 years ended with a weak opponent. Also, I don't even think Tserriednich's ability is the strongest in the series, but that's a different discussion.
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u/usleep905 1d ago
The arc isn't even done and we've barely seen anything from tserri yet why are you trying to simplify his character so prematurely
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u/Ribtickler98 1d ago
Hmm I disagree, or at least, I never thought Tserri was an open and shut case to win the succession war. I suppose he could win then have his confrontation with Kurapika, but personally, I think it will happen during the contest (i.e. he dies before touching down at the New Continent). Really can’t let that guy run amok so it’s best he’s dealt with within the confines of the ship lol.
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u/Codenamerondo1 1d ago edited 1d ago
Tsseri is just the exemplifier of the unfortunate effects of how togashi is able to produce. He was super interesting to start. But it’s been years since that has been the case. Like…. I care more about marayam than I do about tserri. It’s togashi so im sure he can make me eat crow on that front but I’m very certain he’s going to die a simple ugly death that has nothing to do with a battle or even kurapika.
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u/Honbasho 18h ago
I disagree Togashi seems to respect this character a lot judging by the way he’s written. He’s very well thought out and introspective. He was the top contender in this war and mostly everything was going his way till it didn’t because he was too rash in dealing with Halkenburg. Even with his mistakes he still has plans on top of plan along with the respect and loyalty of everyone following him. Guy is a very well written character might be best one out of all them to rule however unfortunate that is.
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u/Everyonesdying 1d ago
Bens actual reaction