Hunter x Hunter has always stood apart for how deeply it explores the human condition. Unlike most shonen anime that draw clean lines between heroes and villains, Yoshihiro Togashi’s universe offers something far more unsettling and profound. Here, morality is not a matter of allegiance but of interpretation. Right and wrong are not absolutes but constantly shifting values that adapt to the harshness of the world. The farther the story delves into its darkest corners, the more it forces viewers to confront the grey space between heroism and cruelty.
Characters like Isaac Netero and Beyond Netero serve as the best examples of this moral ambiguity. Isaac was introduced as a powerful elder, a symbol of wisdom and strength. But as the Chimera Ant arc unfolded, his ideals grew darker. He unleashed a weapon of mass destruction in the name of victory, treating his own death as a calculated tactic. He was willing to sacrifice himself, but more importantly, he was willing to sacrifice everything. That moment redefined Netero not as a hero, but as a man who abandoned righteousness for necessity.
Beyond Netero continues that legacy in even more extreme ways. While his motives remain shrouded, what is clear is that he challenges the norms set by the Hunter Association. He does not seek balance through discipline like his father. Instead, he seeks transformation through disruption. He curses infants, defies order, and surrounds himself with unpredictable allies. It is no coincidence that he appears in the Dark Continent arc a part of the world that exists outside the known and the lawful.
Rather than labeling Beyond as evil, Togashi uses him to reflect an uncomfortable truth: survival sometimes demands decisions that morality cannot explain. Beyond’s methods, though disturbing, may be his way of forcing humanity to confront the unknown before it consumes them. Just as Isaac Netero detonated the Poor Man’s Rose to halt Meruem, Beyond might be preparing to make even darker sacrifices to prevent extinction.
This idea of necessary evil becomes central to the story’s evolution. Hunter x Hunter does not reward idealists. Gon, once an embodiment of innocence, descends into rage and self destruction when faced with the death of Kite. Killua, once an assassin, chooses kindness through struggle. Meruem, the Chimera Ant King, is introduced as a monster but ends his arc as a tragic figure whose humanity outshines many humans.
Every major character in the series undergoes this confrontation with moral complexity. Some grow from it. Some break under its weight. But none escape it. That is what makes Hunter x Hunter such a psychologically rich and narratively bold series.
In this universe, judgment is never final. Characters are constantly evolving, and so is our perception of them. Beyond Netero is not meant to be admired or despised. He is meant to be studied, questioned, and even feared not because he is wrong, but because he might be right in a way that feels wrong. That tension is the heartbeat of Hunter x Hunter.
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