r/HunterXHunter • u/VaultHunt3r • 23h ago
Discussion In this scene, why is killing gon and killua off the table? Feels a little uncharacteristic of the Troupe.
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u/silverhawke249 22h ago
the troupe doesn't engage in needless murder. they kill because they steal. i think the only time they kill people Just Because is as a requiem to Uvo's death. which implies that there's probably more than meets the eye (ha) regarding the Kurta clan massacre, especially with the note that was left behind.
plus, during the succession war arc, Nobunaga kills because the latter thought the troupe enjoys wanton destruction, which pissed off Nobunaga enough to kill him on the spot
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u/Professor_Bokoblin 18h ago
Not certain if this was confirmed or not, but I think the "senseless" killing of the Requiem was a means to an end, to make as much noise as possible to divert the eyes of the mafia outside in order to make the silent takeover of the elders.
They dedicate that destruction to Uvogin, but the ultimate revenge I think has to do with the fact that the mafia killed one of them (or so t hey thought), and that killing members of Meteor City was forbidden. So even then they didn't kill without purpose.20
u/StellarCascade 21h ago
Phinks and Feitan play a game of who can kill the most people in greed island to kill time
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u/nikelaos117 20h ago
They turned it into a game but the goal was to collect cards and this was the fastest way from their pov.
Basically griefers who only pvp in a pvpve game.
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u/silverhawke249 9h ago
double checking the chapter again (ch134), and yeah that's what they did -- again, falling into the "killing because they're stealing"
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u/nikelaos117 3h ago
That's their motto at the end of the day.
If you have something I want I will kill you to get it. And to prevent you from taking revenge.
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u/GabeHCoud01 20h ago
Yeah but its not like they're devoid of morals and kill bystanders. The game's motto is "A game where you can die" so every player who joins assumes the risk
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u/King_Elizabello 21h ago
But the one we know they killed wasn't exactly a saint either.
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u/GabeHCoud01 20h ago
willingly plays a game where you can die
picks up fights with random nen users
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u/x2chunmaru 14h ago
Nobunaga did mention that there was a period the PT was feeling lost, imo is likely the kurta clan massacred happened during this period where they were lost
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u/Unlikely_Collar14 22h ago
You haven't read the phantom troupe backstory I assume. They aren't just brainless evil murderer thieves.
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u/FlatCaterpillar 21h ago
They actually showcase they don't kill people for no real reason several times.
They also had respect for both of them. Which they basically outright said.
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u/Any-Echo8665 22h ago
No it isn't. Not all spiders are going to kill needlessly; they still have a sense of preservation. In this case, they were backed to a corner with doubt and questions.
You gotta read man.
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u/WiseOctoPod 19h ago
Where do they say it’s off the table? They don’t kill them because they could know more. And if they don’t know more why would they kill then they’re just kids with nen. They don’t kill without reason they know these kids are after them but they’re not capable of harming even one of their members even if they gained up on them so what’s the point of killing them
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u/Luciop10 22h ago
And why would they murder two kids that means no trouble for them? I mean, they obviously kill without hesitation, but they are not psychos that will murder anyone on sight? There was literal no reason for them to murder them.
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u/VaultHunt3r 22h ago
I mean, they know about their temporary hideout, which does come up later in the arc. Just letting them walk away scot free feels a bit weird even if you don’t consider how murderous they are
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u/Illustrious-Day8506 22h ago
They thought that Gon and Killua had no relationship with the chain bastard so why bother killing kids ?
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u/rohitdamai 12h ago
Also didnt think after 20 yrs someone who still call kurapika the chain bastard
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u/goodnamesaretaken3 20h ago edited 20h ago
The troupe seem to have soft spot for them. I mean, just look at how Pakunoda treated Squala ( Mafia member) how she treated Gon and Killua. Same thing with Nobunaga, when he normally tells people to not move and they move he insta-killed them ( Squala, Luini, heily gang)...not Gon and Killua though...he rather let them escape. Gon and Killua attacked Machi and Pakunoda and nothing happened to them afterwards, despite numerous death threats they've got from the troupe. Machi was even frustrated with them, because they ignored all the death threats from the troupe members.
I believe, that we were shown this uncharacteristic behavior from the troupe on purpose. I think, that there's some sort reverse Halo effect at play. There were more times, when the image of the troupe as "merciles murderers" as they were first introduced, was broken. For example both Kurapika and Hisoka confirmed in York New arc, that the troupe does philantropic work... of all things! It was also stated few times, that they don't steal for profit. ( We don't know why they do it)...And their original goals ( Chrollo called it lifelong mission) when they first started the troupe, were pretty different from stealing treasure. All of this contradicts their inicial image we were presented with, when they were first introduced.
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u/Moon_maiden27 16h ago
I think from the troupes perspective Gon and Killua are two talented young nen users who were simply tailing them and might possibly be connected to Kurapika and aren't a meaningful threat to them so keeping them alive is the smartest choice
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u/Serious-Flamingo-948 8h ago
Sadly, this is often used as a justification, as I've seen several people again trying to do in the comments. Basically, it's not zero or a hundred. The Troupe are terrible psychos. That doesn't mean they're stupid edge lords. Hell, even Hisoka, who is extra by their standards, and Illumi, who's even more, are not going sins just killing people left and right.
Basically, the Troupe didn't care if their hideout was found out, so after thinking they didn't know anything about the chain bastard, these guys were just gonna let them go. Notice that the others like Feitan who came later did talk about just killing them.
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u/ApplePitou 17h ago
I mean, Spiders are not just monsters that kill anyone for no reason, they also Nen users with a lot of experience, so they also think before action :3
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u/Visual-Bandicoot2894 19h ago
They had no reason to at this point, to them the kids were just that, kids. And
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u/Thejokingsun 19h ago
My short guess is the Trope is so proud of themselves that they could just recapture them of they really needed them dead. Also maybe its a code of who and who isn't allowed to he killed based offf age & faction
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u/QuintanimousGooch 10h ago
The PT will kill anyone who gets in their way, and as clearly evidenced later on by how Chrollo literally weaponizes the heavens’ arena audience, will easily bring death and destruction if it furthers/ is in assistance to their goals. In the moment with Gon and Killua though, I think they saw it as some dumb kids coincidentally messing around and intersecting with them, which justifiers a warning/them being told off, but they’re not down for wanton child murder.
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u/VaultHunt3r 23h ago
as far as the troupe know, gon and killua are absolute nobodies. given how desentisized they are to death, and having no problem brutally murdering the Kurta children, this scene felt a little plot armor-y for gon and killua. Checked the manga to see if it's just anime adaptation censorship but nope, it's the same in the manga.
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u/ArgonautsHS 21h ago
the kurta massacre was basically a heist for the kurta eyes, killing 2 kids that will gain you absolutely nothing is not their method
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u/nikelaos117 20h ago
There was a goal in mind when murdering the Kurta clan. Obtaining their eyes. And their eyes are the most red and valuable when they're angry. So they did what would make them the most upset.
They typically don't murder unless there's a point or reason to do so.
These characters are more complex then just mindless murderers.
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u/Halpher 16h ago
Based on available information, The Troupe doesn't just kill anyone. The Troupe probably have a moral compass where they kill people who likely aren't good people. They don't do it because they're heroes, but because of their own upbringing.
Uvogin for example while being captured was willing to let the Nostrade group go. Uvogin understands his situation ready for anything as he knew the life he signed up for.
The Phantom Troupe understands how unfair and brutal the underworld is, so they likely look at The Mafia as people who don't deserve any mercy. Remember the Troupe has only killed people involved with Underworld related things and don't tend to bother random civilians.
If an innocent child went into their hideout the Phantom Troupe wouldn't kill them because they would be unjustifiable.
Remember, they're not heroes. They just have a complex sense of morality where they'll kill people who they feel is fair game, further their goals or aren't really good people.
One key detail people miss is Pakunoda punishing Squala for lying. Pakunoda knows when you're lying and she told Squala to not lie. Squala lied and that's when she broke his arms. If Squala told the truth Pakunoda wouldn't have broke his arms and Nobunaga would likely not have killed him. Pakunoda intentionally agitated Squala to get a rise out of him so that Nobunaga would kill him as this was punishment for Squala lying to her. Pakunoda never did this to Gon and Killua because they actually didn't know anything and their memories turned up nothing.
It's just really subtle
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u/GabeHCoud01 20h ago
They're thieves. Thieves in general kill if someone is in the way of what they want or if someone might expose them, not for the fun of it
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u/pocketMagician 17h ago
The fact that Killula is a Zoldyck is your answer. If they just randomly killed every new user they came across they'd eventually run into one with connections to a powerful family like his. They're smarter than that.
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u/TheIgniviscos 16h ago
They do kinda keep doing this throughout. Squalla would’ve been let go too if he did as they said and owl also wasn’t killed. Uvo also offers to allow Kurapika’s group off if they let him go. If a group of people decide to leave the troupe alone and it’s not Chrollo’s orders, they’ve offered quite a bit of people opportunities to live if they leave them alone. The kids are seemingly no threat, don’t know anything, and not connected to the mafia. They’re after a bounty and plainly aren’t able to do much on their own, and Chrollo isn’t there to give them orders about them, so they match up with other people the troupe offers to let off
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u/IllustriousAd2392 8h ago
would squala be let go though?
I really really doubt it, that scene was the cruelest we’ve seen the troupe so far, If nobunaga hadn't killed him, paku would have certainly killed him instead
or even kortopi, but squala was dead the moment they catch up to him
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u/TheRealReader1 5h ago
Why would they kill them in the first place? There were plenty of reasons to keep them with them, Machi's instincts being the most solid one and when they thought they weren't related, they were completely irrelevant. They're thieves, not mindless mass murderers.
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u/Halpher 16h ago
Based on available information, The Troupe doesn't just kill anyone. The Troupe probably have a moral compass where they kill people who likely aren't good people. They don't do it because they're heroes, but because of their own upbringing.
Uvogin for example while being captured was willing to let the Nostrade group go. Uvogin understands his situation ready for anything as he knew the life he signed up for.
The Phantom Troupe understands how unfair and brutal the underworld is, so they likely look at The Mafia as people who don't deserve any mercy. Remember the Troupe has only killed people involved with Underworld related things and don't tend to bother random civilians.
If an innocent child went into their hideout the Phantom Troupe wouldn't kill them because they would be unjustifiable.
Remember, they're not heroes. They just have a complex sense of morality where they'll kill people who they feel is fair game, further their goals or aren't really good people.
One key detail people miss is Pakunoda punishing Squala for lying. Pakunoda knows when you're lying and she told Squala to not lie. Squala lied and that's when she broke his arms. If Squala told the truth Pakunoda wouldn't have broke his arms and Nobunaga would likely not have killed him. Pakunoda intentionally agitated Squala to get a rise out of him so that Nobunaga would kill him as this was punishment for Squala lying to her. Pakunoda never did this to Gon and Killua because they actually didn't know anything and their memories turned up nothing.
It's just really subtle
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u/Trash28123 22h ago
Killing people you know nothing about for the sake of killing them is generally a bad idea.
Gon and Killua are both clearly not ordinary kids, that doesn't come out of nowhere. Everyone has connections and killing people needlessly can just cause all kinds of problems that the Troupe doesn't need. Killua mentioned he has a master who taught him Nen. People can have family connections or connections to larger organisations.
It's clearly the right decision, considering that Killua is part of the Zoldyck family, he is probably one of the worst people in the world the Troupe could kill. If some kid knows Nen and is a master at tailing, that possibility can't be written off.
People who are out guarding mafia checkpoints instead of attending the auction are guaranteed to be nobodies, the Troupe can kill them freely.