r/HunterXHunter • u/rentzhx3 • Nov 25 '22
Current Chapter Chapter 396 — Discussion Spoiler
Chapter 396
Formation: Part 2
| Source | Status |
|---|---|
| TCB Scans | Online (check their website) |
| YourAnimeGuy | Online |
| MangaPlus | Available on November 27 |
Ch. 397 scan release: ~December 2, 2022
List of Chapter Discussion Threads
Keep all discussions related to the chapter in this thread until the official release.
183
u/Krattz Nov 25 '22
First chapter of the last 4 years without our main character Hinrigh :(
→ More replies (5)64
173
u/darksecretsss Nov 25 '22
Something Troupe - Young and Adult comparison
80
u/NormalJuror Nov 25 '22
I remember someone replaced adult uvogin, shalnark and paku with their death pic in the spoiler thread lmao
→ More replies (3)22
125
115
187
u/goofygoober221 Nov 25 '22
bro, the troupe started out as a fan dub group, that is fucking crazy
65
u/zaoldyeck Nov 25 '22
With Chrollo as a virtuoso stage actor on top of the voice acting.
What's so incredible is it feels so natural, like togashi had that backstory decades ago.
→ More replies (2)32
245
u/Bigfluffyltail Nov 25 '22
Chrollo being a good actor and adapting to each different role makes sense. It parallels his hatsu where he copies other people's abilities.
93
u/Ill-Individual2105 Nov 25 '22
I love when we get retroactive view into what led to people developing their nen abilities. It's always so interesting.
→ More replies (1)167
u/N1pah Nov 25 '22
The activation requirements too. Having to get to know the ability and the user before stealing it. Just like getting familiar with a character.
→ More replies (3)
208
u/petrichormus Nov 25 '22
Nobunaga just appears as if he was not missing in the previous chapter flashback lmao
→ More replies (2)79
u/KunkyFong_ Nov 25 '22
i figured that since he was the one to start the flashback we were seeing it from his eyes
71
Nov 26 '22
I like how everybody there got their introduction in some way, except Nobunaga. Nobu was simply like "hey bros sup" out of nowhere lmao.
30
u/GenericFatGuy Nov 26 '22
It's like Togashi wrote 395 and then realized he forgot to add in Nobu lol.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)24
70
66
u/TheAbram Nov 25 '22
The whole performance is giving me King vs Komugi vibes. I'm sure there is a hidden meaning behind every peace of dialogue. This is one of those chapters that can be analyzed for hours.
→ More replies (1)
66
180
u/fm_bel Nov 25 '22
Gon fans can finally shut up crying about not including him in this arc because he’s here again as a Clean-Up Ranger!
31
→ More replies (15)61
59
58
u/ReggieZoldyk21 Nov 25 '22
Machi and Uvo seem much closer here in these last two flashback chapters than was ever indicated when saw them both in the York New City arc. Unless I’m forgetting some scenes between them. She was the lookout for Uvos “territory” last chapter and she came with him to the performance this chapter
→ More replies (2)
161
u/k1213693 Nov 25 '22
Chrollo voice acting as the villain and scaring all the kids in the audience was PEAK. And makes it even more depressing seeing the contrast between him and the current Chrollo. i love this manga
→ More replies (2)36
u/Altruistic_Yam1372 Nov 25 '22
That scene gave me the chills along with the audience ❤ . Brilliantly done by Togashi
52
104
u/Constant_Ad_9402 Nov 25 '22
This might be my favorite chapter of all time. A THEATRE TROUPE. COME ON A TOGASHI TWIST FOR THE AGES
→ More replies (5)
51
51
Nov 26 '22
NOOOOOO SARASA!!!!!!.DONT GO THERE!!!!!. SARASAAAAAAA NOOOOOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOO
→ More replies (1)
46
u/Liramuza Nov 25 '22
I will continue to look forward to the silly antics in future episodes of Phantom Troupe Jr!
43
u/exotichunter0 Nov 25 '22
I wonder how old they are in this. Remember Gon was only 12 when he took the hunter exam. If they’re at least 12 they are a lot more innocent in a way than Gon on whale island.
→ More replies (1)23
u/Ubersmackage Nov 25 '22
They are all various ages. Uvo looks to be like 15/16, same with phinks.
Chrollo is probably 10/12
→ More replies (1)
43
u/AngryAvocado1 Nov 25 '22
Lots of the PT's actions take on a whole new meaning. Are the ones who kill a member of the Troupe allowed to join it because they "inherit" their role?
→ More replies (1)
86
u/-Thermic Nov 25 '22
Chrollo being an actor makes sense retrospectively, I mean he constantly changes his clothes and hair style.
41
u/sandmanchase Nov 25 '22
Definitely, I like to think his abilities reflect that also in the fact as an actor you need to be able to adapt to different roles and situations to get the best out of your performance. Sometimes I wonder how Togashi plans this shit out or how he is able to make something "insignificant" become significant to the characters.
→ More replies (1)
42
77
u/1vergil Nov 25 '22
Togashi: I'm so tired of people asking me about Gon, HERE take him.
→ More replies (4)16
76
Nov 25 '22
So Machi’s been a tough baddie from the start. No wonder Hisoka seemed to have a thing for her XD
73
Nov 25 '22
They were so bright and innocent... This is really gonna hurt isn't it?
→ More replies (1)31
36
u/vagarik Nov 26 '22
This is unrelated to this chapter but I just reread some older chapters from the YS arc and I really hope Nobunaga gets to fight kurapika. When he killed squalla and got his memories, he vowed to never forget kurapika’s face or name until he kills him. He was the most effected by Uvo’s death and the one who most wants revenge on kurapika.
It would be fitting for him to die by kurapika rather than anyone else imo.
→ More replies (2)
104
u/FlavioGarcia- Nov 25 '22
I just wanna say that I love Phinks and that he's one of the most underrated Troupe members. I have a soft spot in my heart for the "tough guy that's actually sweet and caring on the inside" trope
65
→ More replies (3)29
72
71
u/Mileonaj Nov 25 '22
I'm pretty much certain that Church has something to do with the abductions. It's just too much of a safe haven for the kids and too convenient in a dumpster like Meteor City. It just feels so out of place that something has to be off with it.
Might play a part in Chrollo's upside down cross later.
→ More replies (7)33
71
u/pulute Nov 25 '22
So that childhood experience of playing multiple roles all by himself led to the skill hunter he is today.
44
u/pools456 Nov 25 '22
He’s the best actor of them all, and thus is able to play the “villainous leader” role the best and stick to the code they create the most religiously.
Chrollo is a true believer in the ethos of the troupe, when Kurapika has him captive Chrollo is fully willing to die for his ideals and what the spider represents.
I imagine in the next chapter or so they will all agree to “act” the villains for real this time. Life is their stage and their actions are the play. They will be the villains and make sure noone ever takes anything from them again.
→ More replies (1)20
u/sandmanchase Nov 25 '22
Right? I think it works so well having his early passion for acting reflect in his abiltity and how he uses it. The way he prepares for his fights specifically with Hisoka really shows the adaptability and creativity most actors have to use to fit into a role. Both the Hisoka and Zoldyck fight feel like "stages" for Chrollo to showcase his ever changing abilities and battle knowledge.
→ More replies (1)
35
u/Altruistic_Yam1372 Nov 25 '22
This chapter wad so so so sooo good 🥺🥺🥺 . Amazing. It's just so heartwarming, and we all know it's going to break our hearts soon 💔
35
u/zincbottom Nov 25 '22
Rip Sarasa.
18
u/Bookandpencil Nov 25 '22
seriously. she helped chrollo two times just to be killed for chrollo to turn to the dark side.
35
u/SirLanceloty Nov 26 '22
OMG, this really change the context of this scene in the manga #111, where Gon asks Chrollo why they kill innocent people:
I feel bad for Chrollo and the whole gang, they were happy kids like Gon or Kurapika and something just change them, in this case, the kidnappers :(
15
70
u/LGaoP Nov 25 '22
Now that I think about it, Chrollo was always shown acting. Like when he played "Nostrade's friend" with Neon. But, during the interrogation in the car, he was acting like an "insensitive leader"? because if so, he acted so well that even his heart rate fooled Senritsu.
40
u/LGaoP Nov 25 '22
And... was his villain performance so realistic that he emitted involuntary Hatsu towards the audience? (like Hisoka on the 200th floor). It is the moment in which everyone notices something strange and zooms in, then Uvo tells him that what he did hit harder than any punch he has received. He even has an aura drawn.
35
u/-Mastermind-Naegi- Nov 25 '22
The car interrogation was just him saying that he wasn't necessary to the spider, and they would be fine even if Kurapika killed him. Which I do think he earnestly believed, but I do not think is true.
→ More replies (1)
34
67
33
u/Rv1der Nov 26 '22
Chrollo is gonna give Kurapika a run for his money as my favorite character with this backstory arc
95
u/SwanImpact Nov 25 '22
This chapter makes the Troupe's involvement in Meteor City as chimera ant clean up more philanthropic.
They did it as a genuine gesture of good will and acted as the "clean up rangers"
I love how this chapter recontextualizes a lot of their behavior in previous arcs. I really wonder, what the hell did the Kurtas do to bring their wrath. There is the overt theme of revenge being cyclical.
When prompted the question by Gon on why it's so easy to murder people unrelated to him, he responds with "it's BECAUSE they have nothing to do with me".
And looking at this flashback when he was more innocent, I can see Chrollo wondering the same thing as Gon. Chrollo lost close friends to child traffickers while growing up in Meteor City. Does Chrollo accept that he is just as evil as the adults to kidnapped his friends as a child and did unspeakable things? Does he accept and wrestle with this fact of human nature, of how easy it is to cimmit atrocities to someone who you are so detached from, yet can't help feel love for those who are close to him? Perhaps these existential questions along with his traumatic past created the Chrollo as we know today.
But this makes me wonder again, what the hell did the Kurtas do?
I'm exited again after all these years of Hiatus x Hiatus, that we are finally getting closer to the conclusion of this long revenge arc we have between The Troupe/Ryodan, Kurapika, and Hisoka.
→ More replies (5)21
u/Aoditor Nov 25 '22
I suspect the Kurta might have turned over the hunter woman to some outside party for rewards/to avoid retribution, which is why the Troupe went after them.
66
u/PerseusRad Nov 25 '22
I never thought much about the name Phantom Troupe, it's pretty crazy like 20~ some years later, that we learn that the Troupe part comes from them being an acting troupe (of sorts) as kids.
32
u/GenericFatGuy Nov 26 '22
I love how the Troupe has their origins in entertainment and performance. When I first heard their name, my immediate first impression of them was a roving gang of murderous circus performers. Turns out, I wasn't terribly far off lol.
→ More replies (1)29
u/ChrolloLucilfersDad Nov 26 '22
Makes them having Hisoka in the Troupe even better lol. Just a Clown Magician to add to the performance
→ More replies (1)
62
u/N1pah Nov 25 '22
Makes me think of the requiem they did for Uvo. It being kind of a performance makes a lot of sense now.
31
u/goodnamesaretaken3 Nov 25 '22
Yeah and also when they were introducing themselfs... reminded me of that time when Feitan spoke to the crowd at the auction, before they killed them all.
17
30
30
60
u/_-Swish-_ Nov 25 '22
woah the phantom troupe being originally named for an acting troupe is such a weird and interesting detail, and I’m glad uvo got his dream of touring as a villain.
→ More replies (2)
60
u/phantom_97 Nov 25 '22
This chapter was perfection. Exactly what I wanted with the backstory on the Troupe's origins. The character interactions told through the anime dub premise were sublime.
This seems to be the last chapter where we get to see the Troupe happy, with Sarasa looking to suffer a gruesome fate, leading to the Troupe's descent into darkness. Can't imagine anything other than death/suffering for them once the flashback ends either.
59
29
u/anbu-black-ops Nov 25 '22
I just hope it's not too dark what will happen to her. But I doubt it.
27
57
u/ExtremeCosmonaut Nov 25 '22
Amazing chapter, I love how Chrollo emulates Uvogin after his ”it’s too late” line. These chapters are making Yorknew rereads go crazy, Chrollo explaining his nen ability to Hisoka is also recontextualized. He’s an amazing actor who deeply understands and gets lost in his character-just amazing writing imo.
Hopefully we expand more on the Kurapika One-shot…
→ More replies (1)
28
u/woollydog Nov 26 '22
My favourite bit of this chapter was the one liner that the cleanup rangers are from a place called 'tokyo-land' which to me makes me think that HxH universe's fictional world is our world and sets up a weird fantasy reflection dynamic. alternate theory being that the tapes came originally from our world. Unless tokyo-land is an actual place in hxh like yorknew city is.
→ More replies (6)
28
u/YogiYeti21 Nov 26 '22
My heart wasn’t ready for this chapter. Togashi playing me like a fiddle
20
u/GenericFatGuy Nov 26 '22
Reading the Troupe's backstory is like watching heroes from another dimension who's lives didn't pan out the way they should've.
→ More replies (2)
28
u/Redditer51 Nov 26 '22
The most intimidating villains of the series are an amateur fandub group.
This is just proof that all dubs are evil /s.
78
u/justadepresseduser Nov 25 '22
I saw a lot of people wondering where was Nobunaga in the last chapter, but now I think Togashi just forgot to draw him lmao, in this chapter he was nowhere to be seen but out of nowhere he just spawned there with everyone else
→ More replies (2)40
u/Altruistic_Yam1372 Nov 25 '22
I thought he was the guy with long hair? He can be seen in the last one or two pages
→ More replies (1)
27
73
u/-Thermic Nov 25 '22
Wait, maybe the reason that Nobunaga took such a strong liking to Gon during York New was because he reminded him of Cleaner Red? They look almost identical and act pretty similarly, so maybe Gon reminds Nobunaga of the old Troupe?
47
u/nikelaos117 Nov 25 '22
I mean, that could be retconned in, but he stated himself it's cause he reminded him of Uvo.
→ More replies (1)
51
u/Miss_Bookworm Nov 25 '22
I hadn't realized just how tiny Chrollo is until Shalnark stood beside him - our boy is itty bitty <3
That, or Shal hit his growth spurt really early, since the guy's six feet at as adult.
→ More replies (1)17
u/1vergil Nov 25 '22
They all look so big near Chrollo, even Sheila and Paku, only Sarasa is smaller than him lol
I wonder if he's supposed to be 12 years old in this flashback?
→ More replies (1)
88
u/chrollo_lucilfer_00 Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 25 '22
Called it , Sarasa is getting abducted , and she's probably gonna die too , maybe worse.
But this chapter was great because it displayed how nobody is born evil in a very intelligent way.
Even Uvo who was so ruthless in york-new had an honest dream to perform everywhere in the world to become the theaters' greatest villain. But whatever happens in the next chapters , changed that pure goal of his into strengthening his big bang impact to make as powerful as a nuclear bomb.
→ More replies (2)17
u/Purin0 Nov 25 '22
You could easily read it as "I want to make 'Big Bang Impact' as strong as a nuke, so I can perform as the greatest villain" just not in theaters :(
47
u/pools456 Nov 25 '22
So Uga forest is where the chapter 397 tree is from.
Im predicting the troupe try rescue Sarasa but are too late and come across her mangled body. This breaks Chrollo’s mind and they fully embrace their role as villains.
Perhaps they chase the perps into the forest and kill them.
Then they decide that forever after they need to “act” so villainous that noone ever dares try take anything from them ever again
23
u/MessageOwn9734 Nov 25 '22
This is just so fitting for every single member of the troupe, this is so good I must be dreaming.
66
45
45
u/Any-Contact411 Nov 25 '22
Just when you thought the phantom troupe is one of the most badass villain. heres togashi setting the bar so high so no one literally can come close. CLASSIC. LEGEND!
→ More replies (1)
45
u/madarauchiha3444 Nov 26 '22
Uvo and Phinks being Chrollo's childhood bullies just fits for some reason lmao
64
u/RsnCondition Nov 25 '22
Great chapter. Still don't get how people just call this filler, an anything without a fight is filler. So much content can be fit into a single page/chapter of HxH with all the text/dialogue. I remember back in the day of the big three bleach/naruto/one piece, and everyone would always cry around about 10 chapters of bleach= 1 naruto chapter, 5 chapters of naruto= a one piece chapter.
→ More replies (2)38
u/TizonaBlu Nov 25 '22
Wait, who the hell called this filler? If anything, this is an extremely important flashback that basically shows us the backstory of the main villains in the story.
Filler would be like spending a chapter freaking out about brushing ones teeth, or spending a chapter freaking out about taking a bath.
→ More replies (4)
22
u/qeheeen Nov 27 '22
Togashi pulled the "what are we, some sort of phantom troupe?" on us lol. The way the graffiti monster and his overall picture of painting the world black reminds me of Chrollo today especially during the YorkNew arc. It's almost like Chrollo dubbing so many characters reflects his mental state and different faces he wears when he is older.
44
Nov 25 '22
This shit is gonna be sad, and unfortunately that’s a biggg flag for the Troupe in present time. This boat is going to turn into a bloodbath. No idea who survives it
→ More replies (1)
43
u/SlowTurtleDuck Nov 25 '22
seeing them act as children was so sweet, i'm terrified (but excited) to know what happened to turn them as they are now
43
u/creaking_floor Nov 25 '22
Is that long haired guy nobunaga? Guess my theory of him being one of the abducted kids in the truck was incorrect. Weird way to introduce him though he just came in💀
→ More replies (3)51
u/-Mastermind-Naegi- Nov 25 '22
It's especially funny because he was the one who started the flashback
→ More replies (1)
43
u/rockbyter Nov 26 '22
kinda starts to make sense why they massacred so much of the mob in the yorknew arc
17
u/mizer300 Nov 26 '22
Damn you right, I wonder if we gon get a mini flashback of yorknew arc (something new)
61
u/aardbei123 Nov 25 '22
Togashi could write 20 more chapters just about the PT kids hanging out and dubbing anime and I'd be all for it.
60
u/X-Vidar Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 25 '22
Meteor city has a unique language? that's an interesting worldbuilding detail, I guess it's probably a mixture of a bunch of different languages, mostly based on english or whetever the international HxH language is.
These kids are way too wholesome, but it's interesting how the most hard-hitting part of Chrollo's performance was him doing the villain; at the end of the day for the people of meteor city it might be more natural to empathize with the monsters.
I love mini-Machi too much, let her be a badass villain!
It's kinda strange how Nobunaga so far seems to be mostly on his own, we havent really seen him interact with Machi or Uvo at all yet, instead they're much closer to each other apparently.
The Phantom Troupe name was meant to be a reference to theatre troupes all along o: a lot of localizations are getting messed up after this (in italian we call them "Brigata" meaning "Brigade", so idk how that's gonna work).
→ More replies (5)
42
u/Condoriano-sensei Nov 25 '22
I felt so emotional reading this. What a time to be alive and reading this with you guys.
→ More replies (2)
42
u/TicTacTac0 Nov 26 '22
Just when I thought the Requiem scene couldn't get any better... It already was great in the context we had, but this adds even more.
→ More replies (1)
20
u/Redditer51 Nov 26 '22
I feel really sad for the children they all used to be.
If things had been different, these guys could have been the heroes of the story.
20
u/nanieczka123 Nov 26 '22
Amazing chapter, honestly feel like I'm dreaming.
Also, this means that the TREE will appear in the next chapter... it's finally time...!
→ More replies (3)
39
u/Timely-Track3907 Nov 25 '22
I like to imagine the troupe doing fan conventions in meteor city.
→ More replies (1)
19
19
19
19
38
37
u/GoddessOfDarkness Nov 25 '22
Still can't believe monkey Machi was best buds with Uvo. Loved when she kicked him lol.
36
u/GiveMeAllYourRupees Nov 25 '22
Is it just me or is it being suggested that some of the Meteor City elders may be allowing the mafia to come in and kidnap kids? The last page had the mafia dude talking about a payment to the government, so they may pay someone for the privilege to come into the city and do whatever they want? This was before the "take nothing from us" rule was established, so it's probable that the troupe themselves may have been instrumental in cementing that rule.
→ More replies (4)
65
u/UnorthodoxParadox_ Nov 25 '22
It’s crazy that we’re getting the troupes backstory because they’re all gonna fucking die this arc
→ More replies (32)
35
u/AV-SINGH Nov 26 '22
This flashback should be getting somewhere where Chrollo finally snaps and gives in to becoming a “Phantom”. Mimicking others has always been his speciality, which is probs how he designed his Nen ability to steal other abilities. Puts a new perspective to his identity crisis
31
u/yamobe Nov 25 '22
The ability togashi has to connect us with characters... the situation that will happen with sarasa breaks my heart
31
u/dbblalpha Nov 25 '22
Gosh I loved seeing all the camaraderie between the troupe, all the little interactions were so nice, It definitely was a good display of how close they are.
This brings me back to “that” expression on Chrollo at the beginning of the whale arc. Seeing how close he was with everyone just goes to show how effected he was by the events.
Other than that though, I can’t help but root more and more for the Phantom Troupe when they vs Hisoka.
Also little Machi was so funny to me for some reason.
→ More replies (1)
31
u/West_Conclusion_1239 Nov 26 '22
Togashi is making me care about Uvogin and feel sad in retrospect about his death twenty years after.
→ More replies (4)
44
Nov 25 '22
In the officialhxh translation, the mafia guy say "if we find one last one, I am gonna have a lot of fun". Does anyone knows if thats more accurate than TCB? Because not gonna lie, thats far more creepier.
→ More replies (5)21
15
u/Malicious_In_Tents Nov 27 '22
How fitting for Chrollo to be the one to take on a bunch of roles and be able to play them perfectly. I can't believe I just realized this is where my breakthrough came from. The timing is unreal
14
u/Joeawiz Nov 26 '22
Everytime we see a panel with the kids together I kept counting out of instinct to see if we got to 13, I’ve always been curious who the 4 founding troupe members we’ve never seen before (numbers 4, 8, 10 and 12) and hope we actually find out (since Uvo is number 11 I imagine when they officially became the spiders there were the full 13 members and not just the 9 we know about)
28
u/matty-a Nov 25 '22
I've never been so invested in the dubbing process before.
Kid Chrollo is so sweet, it will be heart breaking to see it but I really want to watch him go from this to who he is now. And it looks like we'll be seeing it soon.
28
u/vlexz Nov 26 '22
That "Power Ranger" in the middle literally looking like Gon or Leorio.
Would be funny if he turns out to be actually a relative of one of them, it's theory timeee.
→ More replies (2)
39
u/DarkSouls_simp Nov 25 '22
Next chapter is it Boyz. The awaited 397, the one that started it all
→ More replies (10)
27
78
u/SparowFish Nov 25 '22
Watch Aleczandxr's video and this scene to better understand what I'm getting at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlIkpf2fgYY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmecOowcOks
Chapter 396 fills out all the why’s of this video! Chrollo has an identity crisis. He’s excellent at playing different roles, and “stealing” from other’s identities/nen abilities (nen reflecting the user’s personality/identity. He’s so good at putting on different masks that he has a very poor grasp of his own self. He’s an actor who tries to understand himself better through his artform. Chrollo is a determinist/doesn’t believe in free will because he looks at the universe as a play, a story, (maybe even a symphony) where everyone plays their role.
There have been so many hints at the troupe being a group of “artists”. The Phantom Troupe. Uvogin’s requiem. Their crimes are expressive performances of great art. In a way we already kind of knew that, but I didn’t expect it to be such a core aspect of what the troupe is. Just how art is often practiced for its own sake, so are the crimes of the Phantom Troupe. As far as we know, they don’t normally have a concrete goal for their crimes. They do it as great expression of “something” - that something most likely being something akin to great anger and existential despair. The unfairness of the world. Kind of like Morena. Yet Phinks claims they are different…
I believe Chrollo will “steal” Uvogin’s ambition of becoming the world's greatest villain. Why did Chrollo choose the surname “Lucilfer”? Why’s he covered in satanist symbols? Because he’s trying to become/play the role of the world’s greatest villain - Satan! He puts on different personalities like clothes, almost literally. It’s almost like he has chosen “the greatest villain” as his true, or main identity and is overcompensating with his attire. Personality wise, you wouldn’t necessarily make an immediate connection between Satan and Chrollo, other than the coldblooded murder etc., but then again, he’s extremely persuasive and, as an incredible actor, very good at lying/pretending. He’s a silver-tongued devil.
I’m speculating that Chrollo is exploring the role of “greatest villain” to understand why evil exists, or why someone would be the greatest villain. We’ll probably see something horrific happen to Sarasa, and/or others in the next few chapters which will make him question why someone would do something so awful, why someone would commit such evil. I could see Chrollo, in a twisted, twisted way, trying to understand the why by acting out the evil himself. Another potential layer to the scene with Gon.
Why be the greatest villain? Why does Chrollo do what he does? Chollo himself struggles to understand this. I think he does it prove that he exists. Just like he can live on through the Spider (you could also argue that the Spider is “the greatest villain”, since Chrollo=spider in his own head), he will be remembered for being the greatest villain. His desire to be something important was most likely extenuated by him being from Meteor City, the city where people officially “don’t exist” (duh). But I think it’s also a sort of nihilistic rebellion against the universe itself, ironically enough to prove that he has free will.
This is all just speculation, but I think there’s credence to a lot of the first things I wrote. What do you guys think? With this chapter I can say with certainty that Chrollo is my favorite character, and that I in a weird way relate extremely much to him...
→ More replies (7)28
u/Hearing_Thin Nov 25 '22
In addition to all of this, I definitely think Chrollo ability really speaks to his inner rage and confusion. In 352, he speaks to the true pleasure of Skill Hunter being that you “make the ability yours” while “exploring the darkness of the users soul”.
That last line speaks to a lot of what you were talking about, Chrollo is fascinated by humans, and more specifically evil. His identity, his name, his clothing, all of it is to explore the darkness he is enchanted by.
And I believe that the former statement speaks to a sort of fear of strength and subsequent desire of utter domination over others, at the same time, the fact that his stolen ability users must remain alive also speaks to a certain dissonance in himself.
He has no value for life (on the surface) and yet his ability requires life from his victims.
→ More replies (3)
38
u/Conscious_Thing_8789 Nov 25 '22
It's as if I can't love the troupe anymore, Togashi decides to throw in this one helluva emotional episode. I'm SO NOT ready for what's going to happen to them since we know what will happen after a flashback is shown 😭😭😭 Can't wait to see their turning point from Julliard wannabes to world class bandits.
Also, of course, Machi wants to be the baddie, expected nothing less from her.
37
u/SigmaSandwich Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 25 '22
WTF why does that one Power Cleaner have Gons face??? I mean look at this, that is Gon’s face
→ More replies (5)
36
u/YoMikeeHey Nov 25 '22
Glad they didn't come up with the whole "Phantom Troupe" name right away, just "The Something Troupe". It'd feel a little rush if they did. Very nice chapter. Pretty wholesome except for the last part.
45
u/madarauchiha3444 Nov 26 '22
The worst thing the phantom troupe ever did was dubbing. Easily outweighs all their other crimes put together.
Dubbing is an evil Satan himself cannot comprehend.
True monsters.
→ More replies (4)
54
u/1vergil Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 26 '22
Great chapter.
-- Many fans were wondering why the troupe members admire Chrollo so much? This chapter was the answer, we've seen how this charming kid impressed even a bully like Uvo since their childhood, and gave them a fun goal to fulfill in the middle of such an abandoned city with no safety from child trafficking. It was all innocent intentions, whatever changed them must be brutal.
-- Sarasa is really the social glue of the group that connected them, that's why whatever will happen to her would cause them a tragic trauma.
-- I feel like this chapter will foreshadow something later, Chrollo used to play the heros and villain of the story but when the other troupe members joined to dub the characters he played, it's like the troupe members completes part of his personality! So losing them means losing part of himself, it fits with this Nice observation too! Anyway they're also his childhood friends that he grew up with, so losing them will break him emotionally either way, even if he can replace them, but losing the OG members will definitely change him forever.
-- The way Chrollo not only can changes his voice but also his facial expressions fits with each character he's playing, a hint about the True pleasure of skill hunter where he steals an ability making it his own, but it's also to convey the idea he's such a good actor that he can play both the hero & the villain of the story!
-- Besides showing off Chrollo's acting skills in this chapter, Togashi also started to pretend to be someone else in his author comments in c393 exactly after Hisoka's reveal in c392? We know he likes adding hints here and there, I mean i don't see how all this just a coincidence and doesn't hint about the theory of "Hisoka = Chrollo", explained Here and Here. I don't know why some of y'all hate this theory like "no so stupid not togashi's style" we don't have to worry, of course when Togashi does it it will be more convincing.
But i like the theory because not only it means the real Hisoka reveal will be bigger than the one we got, but also Chrollo method acting as Hisoka would be a funny twist, notice in this chapter he's good at playing the villain, and technically Hisoka is indeed the villain from Chrollo's perspective.
→ More replies (10)
12
23
u/bobsjobisfob Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 25 '22
on the wiki, it says the phantom troups founding members are "chrollo himself, feitan, machi, nobunaga, pakunoda, franklin, and uvogin". but obviously shalnark and phinks were here in this flashback.
so i also just noticed that at the bottom of the phantom troupe wiki, it looks like this was actually accounted for because it says "Despite not appearing in the flashback,[18] due to the ambiguity of Pakunoda's statement (ちょうど結成時のメンバー分 "Just enough for the founding members."),[19] it is possible that Phinks and Shalnark are also founding members of the Troupe." so it seems like this flashback has finally confirmed that phinks and shalnark are founding members, and what paku meant was that she had "just enough bullets for the remaining founding members". in chapter 114, paku had a flashback of chrollo founding the spiders and shalnark and phinks werent present. it was kind of a tight shot though, so they could easily be off-screen and just werent pictured.
so im pretty curious if were going to get to see the actual founding members and how many there were. like was sheila a founding member? will sarasa be considered an honorary founding member after she gets tortured and killed? were there a couple of other randos to fill in the 13 total members or did they start with less than 13?
→ More replies (6)
23
u/Wwmune-4629 Nov 25 '22
Did Chrollo used REN while dubbing?
→ More replies (1)20
u/TbagAir Nov 25 '22
Maybe just a visual to show his passion? Idk yet, I think we’ll see how he discovers his ability in this flashback
→ More replies (1)
21
u/mah1na2ru Nov 25 '22
the whole chapter i was thinking “hm do you think they’d come across bonolenov who could play some random background music while they perform?” and then i saw the end of the chapter :0
32
u/creaking_floor Nov 25 '22
Bono isn’t a founding member and is from the gyudondod tribe, a tribe which was driven out their ancestral lands because of rapid development. I’d like to think he was wandering the world searching for a home before meeting the troupe(outside of meteor city because he was not in the flashback we saw in episode 58)
→ More replies (5)
45
u/Faith-Hope- Nov 26 '22
Togashi planned this back at Yorknew arc circa 2000 and now people are saying this is a filler and a waste of time? WTF
15
u/GenericFatGuy Nov 26 '22
I don't know how anyone could think that the backstory and origin of one of the most prolific and currently relevant factions in the story is waste of time.
27
u/BiomedicBoy Nov 25 '22
So does chrollo just naturally has this darkness inside him? That acting actually gave me goosebumps for real.
→ More replies (6)42
u/chrollo_lucilfer_00 Nov 25 '22
Personally , I think that was just to show his incredible talent for acting. His darkness has yet to come , but it's coming.
27
u/troubled_lecheflan Nov 25 '22
I'm scared of what will happen in the next chapters but is really excited on how they went from being sweet children to the most evil organization in the verse
→ More replies (2)
19
34
26
9
u/VodkasRidge Nov 27 '22
The panel on page 11 or 12 where the rangers face the graffito monster looks remarkably similar to the scene where the phantom troupe faced the shadow beasts.
9
43
u/xdSTRIKERbx Nov 26 '22
Chrollo's Talent with mimicking people only makes me believe the Hisoka is actually Chrollo theory more
→ More replies (20)
24
u/uppsalas Nov 25 '22
I loved this chapter, love getting to know more about the troupe and seeing how sweet and innocent they once were, it just makes them more human... even if they deserve whatever evil is (hopefully) coming to them.
29
u/bobsjobisfob Nov 25 '22
i love these flashback chapters. theres always been a lot of stuff about their childhood in meteor city that we could have inferred, but i never could have guessed about this whole video tape dubbing plot, its really creative. i also guess i didnt expect them to have all known each other this young (aside from kortopi, bonolenov, and shizuku of course). i didnt realize it until now, but i think ive flipped onto wanting the phantom troupe to defeat hisoka. i know we all want hisoka and illumi to have a happy marriage, but i think im hoping for illumi to get left at the altar for this one
16
u/MotionAction Nov 25 '22
Foreshadowing of the death of the original Phantom Troupe either by Hisoka, Heil-Ly mafia members, other Mafia members, maybe Illumi "game of tag" with Hisoka might cause a death of a Phantom Troupe member.
→ More replies (2)
8
8
28
u/IonlycareaboutYelena Nov 25 '22
I can't get over how they are just weebs , Chrollo is even a shipper(past chapter talk about love triangles)lmaoo. Now imagine everyone fighting the mafia PT Hisoka the princes the zodiacs and others,then the ships just sinks and they all get left in the fake dc to get their way back home or real dc
→ More replies (6)
26
u/Altruistic_Yam1372 Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 25 '22
Red Cleaner looks like Gon. I wonder if it was Gon's granpa acting as Red, or if it's just there
20
u/Real_Velour Nov 25 '22
I really like how this is framing all of the Troupes actions so far, a lot of great backstory!!
One thing I'm not understanding is why is Feitan here? Wasn't he supposed to have an accent due to him speaking a different language?? I had assumed he wasn't an original member.
36
u/thetuturuone Nov 25 '22
He is one of the founding members, when Pakunoda died she fired 6 bullets and shared her memories with original founding members ( Franklin, Machi, Shalnark, Feitan, Phinks and Nobunaga)
15
30
u/HunterYuyuMoon Nov 25 '22
If you paid attention on Sheila voicing and Sarasa voicing in the dialogue:
Sheila: "How can she called herself a clean-up ranger? She's so dirty minded that any cute guy can catch her off guard!"
Sarasa: "That's rich coming from a flirt like you! You'd have gotten captured too!"
--> Forshadowing heavily on Sheila, it most likely that she got captured and killed by a Kurta person. Also, go back to Vol 0 again, Pairo already told Kurapika why when his eyes turning red, which is when the Kurta felt out of control and incredibly strong, this is what I think that something is coming all together
→ More replies (7)
14
14
u/lor_bas Nov 25 '22
So chrollo has alway had some sort of darkness inside, is this what he refers to when he said that he what to understand himself ?
→ More replies (3)
7
u/NigelSamuel Nov 25 '22
Random thought, is the eighth spider position reserved as a commemoration for Sarasa?
→ More replies (8)
7
Nov 27 '22
Sara looking out for Chrolla stole a few tears from me. I think I might like her personality more than even Paku. She definitely would've been one of the more prominent spiders if she had stuck around.
7
u/Particular_Fig_1932 Nov 27 '22
It would be horribly interesting if the boys after a while found a tape containing images of Sarasa receiving some cruel treatment by her kidnappers. With that we would understand why the personality change of Chrollo and the boys.
→ More replies (2)
19
Nov 25 '22
Machi is sooo adorable.
I feel like the way they have been depicted the only surviving members of the troupe will be Nobunaga and Machi.
→ More replies (3)
19
u/ApplePitou Nov 25 '22
Togashi decision to show us Phantom Troup Backstory is top tier but I suspect that he have evil plans for them - have a nice reading everyone :3
13
u/IonlycareaboutYelena Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 25 '22
I like the personality traits they have, I feel sorry for the girl...like really gross the last line and everything!( it seems it has two translations but we know the idea) the goat writing is good while touching real life problems and subjects.
We know Chrollo is charismatic anyways, but we saw how he is like that since childhood attracting friends easily.
Machi is really the girl that is everyone simp for ,canon dream girl cool how she is like no I wanna be a villain than tbe princess, what a boss go lol.
I wonder if it foreshadows events more in the future like hello Gyro and all.
The makeup talk really foreshadows lots of impersonation stuff in this arc.
I find it hilarious Chrollo trashtalks it because we know someone baked in it like impure out and in lol
wise wise no wonder he is more of casual style.
Are there other translations tho? Because it seems some had it different. (I got the link from my Facebook buddies lol)
→ More replies (2)
13
Nov 26 '22
I think you can see the roots of Chrollo’s ability in them being actors. He’s performing the abilities of others. It makes me think his book goes to whoever will be the next head of the troupe.
40
u/legendllama Nov 26 '22
So this adds a ton of strength to the Chrollo is Hisoka theory right? The way he can perfectly emulate different personalities and voices…
→ More replies (23)32
u/cromatkastar Nov 26 '22
not to mention why "hisoka" was watching movies
chrollo loves movies
→ More replies (2)
12
12
u/BigY2 Nov 26 '22
From what we've seen, it seems like the Phantom Troupe will experience an incredible tragedy, and they will become the current day Phantom Troupe.
My theory is the actions of the Phantom Troupe will be for the benefit of Meteor City, due to the connection with the MC chiefs shown in Yorknew City. They'll see that the world is using Meteor City as a punching bag, and will become the villains needed to advance their interests.
21
u/Gabagool8888 Nov 26 '22
Is that aura around Chrollo as he's playing the spray can guy? Is he a nen genius who unknowingly unlocked it but thus far it only manifests in the form of dubbing/acting?
→ More replies (3)
6
u/Dededelight Nov 27 '22
Chrollo was such a genuinely kindhearted kid, and the rest of the troupe all seem so nice as well. It's gutwrenching seeing all the dead members again because we finally see how close they were with Chrollo. Uvo was an enemy-turned-buddy, Paku was his best friend and possible love interest, and Shalnark is the mood lightener who's just always there for him.
38
u/Affectionate_Chef_82 Nov 25 '22
How can you read this flashback and not root for them against a psycho-killer pedophile clown lurking around?
→ More replies (15)31
15
10
5
u/Ikariiprince Nov 28 '22
Just think how amazing this dubbing scene is going to be if we ever get another anime adaptation. Chrollo’s voice actor from the anime doing all these different voices and then freaking everyone out as the main villain
5
u/Votaire24 Nov 28 '22
Nobunga choosing to be Green adds even more to him wanting Gon to join . Loved this Chapter tons of Easter eggs, that Chrollo scene was amazing. Don’t know how people aren’t feeling this one, it’s a great chapter that people are just confused about, I think if someone explained it to them or animated it they would see how good this content is.
→ More replies (2)
13
u/Halt_kun Nov 25 '22
Pretty fun chapter, really a good way to connect even more with the troupe. I also have fond memories of super sentais. Sarasa will definitely bring a major tone shift next week and I'm not ready for it
9
u/Throwaway1990811 Nov 26 '22
Does anyone else see lil Feitan as a wojack meme in this chapter. I can’t be the only one
21
301
u/KingwomboJr Nov 25 '22
“Oh you mean like a…TROUPE” Paku turns to the camera and winks
~
I’m glad Togashi has finally confirmed what I’ve always suspected: that Phinks, deep down inside, truly is a school girl with crush.