On Kurapika and Pakunoda and the price of love - And Kurapika's ultimate fate
A discussion of the theme of love in Kurapika and Pakunoda's arcs, parallels and what I believe will become Kurapika's ultimate conflict
These are two characters who chose to save their friends, wrapped a chain around their hearts and collapsed at the end of York New from the weight of supporting that decision.
Kurapika's draining use of of emperor time is the primary reason he got overwhelmed by the end, however, the length and severity of his affliction were most probably a result of the inner turmoil and confict he felt after the events that had just transpired, as we see even in the manga, the effects of overusing his power aren't usually as severe as shown here.
Pakunoda's collapse is of course, her death. It's a harrowing scene, especially enhanced in 1999's tragically masterful portrayal that depicts the gentleness and humanity of a member of one of the most feared groups in the world. Her being enamored by a random stray, and the frivolity of meowing back captured her humanity in a way that immerses you so deeply, you could forget she is a murderer. A perfect mechanism to convey to us that these troupe members are not monsters, they are humans. Monstrous humans, capable of unforgivable evil, but humans nonetheless, and every bit as wistful, mysterious and lost as us.
The next scene, we see perfectly encapsulated the most gruelling curse of being a human. Love. In this final moment, Pakunoda's most desperate wish was for her to be the last casualty of the Phantom Troupe, in a sacrifice of her own life to fulfil the people she loves with restful assurance about the fate of the leader they all love.
Pakunoda did not need to save Chrollo, as the spider would have lived on without him, and he himself procreed that the survival of the head was not necessary, but in doing so, she was able to cling on to her own fragile emotions of care and admiration for Chrollo. Humans can try to imitate cold and emotionless monsters, but the fact remains that we are humans, and here we see this cold blooded killer latch on to that humanity she must have tried to bury so deep in herself, and make the emotional choice of a desperate friend, rather than the strategic choice of a criminal.
In the end, what was truly tragic was that this display of love for the troupe is pitifully meaningless, as an unpredictable wild card, Hisoka, ultimately marked their deaths regardless. Her confused trance of love did not produce strategically sound outputs, but it just felt right. And in the end, though that is tragic, humans are nothing without these fleeting, pitiful and frivilous emotions, for love is the most powerful source of joy in a bleak and bloody world, particularly one as dark as Hunter x Hunter's, and the only thing to give life meaning for so many characters.
Pakunoda had been uprooted into a harsh cruel existance since the untimely and violent death of Sarasa. The sadistic, cruel world gave her love for Sarasa back to her in a contorted twisted form, quite literally, of her mangled and abused body, twisting innocent love into hatred for the world.
Her power seeds out deception, through directly observing memories, because of the distrust she built for the world, and can only be shared using bullets, even to those she trust. It feels metaphorical, to me, for how she accepts her place in the toupe and accepts their love, but has walls put up making her difficult to read. Nobody could even understand her willingness to go with Kurapika's deal in Yorknew, even though it was obvious. Because she loved Chrollo.
Now how does this relate to Kurapika? Well, he like Paku, is driven by the tragedy of his childhood towards dark and sinful goals, avenging his clan who were massacred and choosing this path of revenge and darkness that brings peace not to him nor his friends and would probably be the opposite of what his dead friend wanted. But hate drives him forward anyways. Hate.
Perfectly stated by the fifth ending song of the anime, Hyori Ittai -
'Light and Darkness, Love and Hatred, all emotions of the same roots.'
They are two sides of the same coin, love and hate. Kurapika's hatred stems from a love that had nowehere to go, not unlike Pakunoda. Having anything to love as a human is so difficult becuase that which you loved can slip away, and leave the worst pit of emptiness and anger.
Kurapika had a dream independent from his family and home, of adventuring the world as a Hunter, but when the massacre occurred, it was clear what was the most important was gone.
Without Pairo, he would abandon their shared dream of adventure, and without his family, there would be no home to return to anyways.
I think the significance of the latter is especially evident when Gon returns home at the end of his journey, and we understand the privilege of safety, normalcy and unconditional love waiting for you somewhere in the world, despite the obstacles you face in life.
The troupe's tragedy could also be metaphorically considered to be about losing your home. They are a group formed as the clawing resistance against a world that would treat their loved ones as disposable nobodies, who might as well not have existed, and in fighting against it, they united and found a home in each other.
However, as that home has crumbled away, with the member's deaths, Chrollo has become similarly obsessed with revenge and miserable as Kurapika, and it certainly wounds the group's hearts to see him this way.
Pakunoda sadly could not honour Chrollo's wishes to die, and I fear now Chrollo will not be able to honour her wish for the Troupe to survive. He no longer appreciates detours, as he is obsessed with his goal.
Without that privilege of a home, Kurapika also had no reason to enjoy the small detours, because there was no one to enjoy his life for. I think part of the reason he may not accepted a goodbye from Gon was to avoid an expectation of growth of improving his life, like Pairo had once given him as he departed, because he couldn't bear upholding another friend's impossible wishes.
Paku cannot use her power on Chrollo, and Kurapika never used his power of Gon. A sense of observing the ones they care about, but not creating the connection, because they fear the conclusions and understandings they will gain, and dread losing someone else.
One of the cruellest things I think we see in Hunter x Hunter is how many characters loose their best friends, often at a very young age. Chrollo, Pakunoda, Kurapika, Leorio, Nobunaga, Fugetsu and even Killua in a way.
They all have different trauma responses, but without his love, without the connections and bonds of other people, Kurapika had nothing left to loose. He was overcome by the darkness, being free to abandon his morals and values without a second thought, and killing Uvogin so coldly.
This had been until his a connection re-appereared in his life. His friends. Suddenly, they were wrapped up in this treacherous mess, captured by the phantom troupe, and he again was pulled in by this most frustrating emotion of love that wouldn't allow him to forsake them, despite evrything he had done up to this point to consider himself completely changed and driven towards revenge.
There must also have been something triggering, of sorts, of the same group who killed his clan to threaten his friends, that when coupled with the implied survivior's guilt he feels, probably deeply influenced his actions emotionally in this arc.
Afterwards, once again, he is that confused boy, swirling with love and hate and uncertain to what extent he can ever let go of his principles again. That turmoil and personality shift is so deeply confusing and exhasting, it bleeds out in the form of fever.
In the end, Kurapika did let himself fall into darkness once more, severing the connections that held him back, but he teeters on the edge of a tightrope, trying to become a monster but unable to let himself fully go. Half angel, half god of death describes him perfectly, because his is torn between the loving, observant and supportive friend and the murderous vessel of revenge towards the troupe.
Kurapika, to me, is a character who wants to love again, to form meaningful connections and be loved, but the pressure to keep his friends safe and his unhealthy obsession with his goal prevents this, and so he pushes his loved ones away to protect them, and his own fragile heart.
'And yet... reality is never so simple'
This moment, to me, cannot symbolise anything other than Woble taking the place of Gon and Killua in this arc, and most definitely preparing to once again offer him the final decision between revenge or his loved ones. Togashi clearly intends to highlight the prominence of Kurapika's love for Woble, by placing him right beside characters like Gon and Killua.
There are other characters he may have bonded with, like Melody and Mizai, but I feel this sequence is to show Kurapika's most dear friends, the ones that could never be servicable pawns under any circumstance, and who he has 'unfortunately' grown to love.
With all the ways this arc parallels YorkNew, from the heavy focus on Kurapika and Chrollo, the distinct focus on Chrollo losing his loved ones and seeeking out the murderer, and Kurapika chasing his goal recklessly once more. I am led to believe the climax may also parallel it, but this time, with Kurapika taking Paku's place, accepting terms of a condition detrimental to him.
A choice between his love for our dear baby prince, or his thirst for revenge, likely in a sense that he only has so much power left to give, and life left to loose, so he will sacrifice it for only one of these two objectives.
If he sets his previous goals aside to focus on what really matters, I can only assume the same situatuion as Yorknew will occur, where the child/children he protects bring his own salvation by protecting his morals and personhood, so he does not fall into the cycle of a anger, violence and regret. I think when Pakunoda walked alongside the boys, who told her they wanted to protect their friend from becoming a murderer, a part of her was overcome with despair, deeply wishing she could have done the same for Chrollo.
A decision from Kurapika to avoid conflict against Chrollo or Tserri may seem underwhelming or disappointing to some fans, but I think the severe inner turmoil of rejecting his revenge could be even more emotionally riveting and complex than either of these fights, and it just feels like something subversive of our expectations that Togashi would write.
Taking the reins of a goal more important than revenge, fuelled by compassion and love, so that he can end the succession war, and be the 'last' in this cycle of hatred and revenge. Even still, he may not succeed, but if he can protect his own values and morality he once distanced himself so far from, that's all his friends would have wanted for him. And to survive of course, which I do actually think he will do.