Over the years, the Chimera Ants Arc in Hunter X Hunter has received a huge amount of hatred, to the point of being titled as the worst arc in shonen history. For some, it even ruined the show, made them feel like they were watching a filler rather than the biggest arc of the series thus far.
On the other hand, some articles have been popping up recently defending the opposite, how amazing this arc is. Perhaps the focus should more on a middle ground, bringing up the good things while also acknowledging the things that made the fans feel that way.
Entry Plot and Growth Passage
The Chimera Ants Arc kicks off when Gon and Killua, after completing Greed Island, are sent to Kite, as part of Ging's plan for him if he used the card Accompany in an effort to find him. Kite, Ging's longtime friend and former apprentice is investigating the Chimera Ants, a dangerous species that could cause some trouble in the near future.
Without many second thoughts, Gon and Killua tag along with Kite's group hoping they would learn more about Ging while also getting stronger and doing some real Hunter work. Not long into this chapter the show pivots into showing the Chimera Ant Queen's perspective. Although necessary to some extent, perhaps not the greatest decision.
The amount of time given to the Chimera Ants development remains one of the biggest complaints. A great amount of characters introduced that didn't really show up later, a very slow pace and building, and not much to like about them. A quick summarize of this would be more than enough to understand the Chimera Ants growth. The overall feeling was similar to a filler arc, at least until Neferpitou showed up.
Unbalanced Power Levels
This could sound like an issue, but in this case, it was genius. At this point there was a bit of a bitter taste with the Chimera Ants, and suddenly giving them an unmatched power to anything seen before in the series didn't sit well with many fans. However, it was the beginning of a process to broaden the world of Hunter X Hunter.
The threat of the Chimera Ants surpassed all expectations. Gon and Killua didn't stand a chance when Neferpitou attacked them, neither did Kite. The Hunter Association had to send Chairman Netero to deal with them, accompanied by top level hunters like Morel and Knov. Definitely great to see them in action, but, before that, another heavily disliked plot line.
While nothing is wrong with Gon and Killua needing a power-up, it's clear that the pacing in their training with Palm and Biscuit and duels against Knuckle and Shoot was once again way too slow. Everyone wanted to see the pro hunters infiltrating the Chimera Ants kingdom, as well as Gon and Killua coming back stronger, but instead had to arm themselves with patience and push through a long training session.
Memorable Battles
Coming back to the positive side of things, with a massive change in the power system it also often comes a good deal of amazing fight scenes. The group of Hunters finally launched their attack to the Palace, with the extra help of Killua's grandad, Zeno.
During the attack, fans had a chance to see Netero's final attack, Killua's new power, and Gon going berserk and unleashing all his power to crush the one that killed Kite. A lot of different and exciting battles, the Royal Guard plotting against the King's wishes, an unexpected ending and a few heartbreaking moments.
The final part of the arc compensated in a lot of ways the disappointment carried over by the beginning and settled the ground perfectly for what was about to come. Still, it ultimately showed that in order for Gon and Killua to keep being relevant, they would need a few more of those training sessions as the power of the enemies just kept escalating.
The Komugi Element
It would be unfair reaching the end without stopping to talk about Komugi. She is more than likely the biggest reason behind the division between the ones that hate the Chimera Ant Arc and the ones that want to redeem it. Loved and hated in equal measure, Komugi acts as the disruptive element in the fight between humanity and the Chimera Ants.
It all started when the Chimera Ant King, bored by his stay at the Palace, decided to start challenging the best in the world at different board games. When he started with the game called Gungi, his disciples brought him Komugi, a blind girl who was supposed to be the best in the world.
Until this point, he was undefeated, mastering instantly every game. However, no matter how hard he tried he kept loosing against Komugi time and time again. After days of playing, the King started to develop a sense of respect and admiration for her skill and calm presence. At the end, he ended up only caring about her safety and forgetting his mission to conquer the world.
All the deaths could have been avoided if he just started playing with her earlier. To some, her entire figure was just a Deus ex machina scenario. A way to put an end to a being seemingly impossible to defeat. What they are missing is the message behind it, the true human nature withing the Chimera Ants, and how his personality changed after meeting someone he could respect besides his weak physical strength. Sometimes, words are indeed more powerful than the strongest man in the world.
A Buildup Saga
To understand the full picture of the Chimera Ant Arc is important to keep in mind its role as a buildup saga. For sure, some things could have been done differently, but no matter what, it had to create the path for the main story which involves Ging, the Freecs family and the Dark Continent.
Netero's death led to Ging's first appearance, as well as a lot of important figures in the Hunter Association, it revealed the existence of the Dark Continent, where the Chimera Ants where from, Killua's sister, also connected to the Dark Continent, was needed to heal Gon, and fans finally got the father and son reunion moment, where Ging told Gon about his desire to explore the world beyond the maps.
Thanks to the events of the Chimera Ant Arc, the series was able to shift the main story to a completely different and unexpected plot which one of the many examples of Togashi's unparalleled world-building. It might not be Hunter X Hunter's best arc, but it certainly isn't the worst.