Animators portray the story with the help of both visuals and dialogue. I’d love to share some personal notes on the visuals for Killua and Gon, and how these visuals unravel the dynamics in their friendship.
Killua’s two main colors are blue and violet (eye color, favourite clothes), other colors that belong to him are black and white. Gon’s colors are green (clothes) and sunshine yellow / red (for aura).
In episode 37 Killua occupies Gon’s bed. Killua’s move is dominant behavior and it is emphasized by the prevalence of blue and white colors in this frame. This image forshadows the next scene.
The next scene: Gon and Killua are decoding Gin’s message. Gon, dressed in green & white, sits on a small green & white square and keeps his items inside this square. Killua sits “outside” on the blue part of the carpet. Gon is surrounded by blue in this frame, and all subsequent frames, with an exception of some green furniture. Maybe Gon’s aunt just likes blue and green? But it is more likely a visual expression of Killua’s friendship and guidance. Gon’s room is his world, and Killua dominates in this world. The camera also shows two little birds in the foreground - a sweet metaphor of the two boys’s interaction. Rewatch the whole scene to enjoy Green & Blue color play (Episode 37).
Let’s fastforward to Chimera arc, Ep 85. Killua covers Gon with his blue shirt to protect him (literally and metaphorically) and sits with a lowered head.
In the hotel Killua covers Gon with a blue blanket instead of a blue shirt. He sits in the same position, this time by Gon’s feet like a house cat. This frame mirrors the previous one. But the room has Gon’s colors: red wallpaper, green chairs, curtains, green carpet, weirdly green bed linen. Is it time for Gon to dominate?
As Gon wakes up, he gets out of Killua’s blue blanket (”I am not vulnerable”). His movement exposes more green color, which extends all the way to Killua. In this scene Gon justifies Killua’s actions - and takes the lead.
Killua is surrounded by Gon’s “red aura”. The light that falls on his face is pure white and soft. While it may indicate Gon’s innocence, hope and kindness, it creates an intimate atmosphere, similar to the interior in a church. The light and shadow are important in this scene, they are visible (the title of the episode is Light and Shadow).
A blue bird sits outside of the window during Killua’s inner monologue. When Killua says “Let’s go”, the bird flies away towards the Sun. It symbolises Killua, who regains hope and follows Gon’s light.
(A similar imagery is used in the hospital scene, Ep 136. Killua regains hope, and the camera rushes above his head towards the Sun, as if his spirit is flying up to bring back Gon.)
And riiiight in the next episode 86 Killua, who had covered Gon with his blue shirt, is now wearing a green shirt. This could be interpreted as accepting Gon’s beliefs, or feeling closer to him. In the manga, the color is not indicated, so green was at least a conscious artistic choice. Also, a heterosexual couple at an empty table in the back makes a nice contrast with our pair and a table full of tasty food. Gon ordered sandwiches, Killua ordered pasta, but the juice is in the middle since they share it. Hey, Killua, what about the cake - do you intend to share it with Gon as well?
Returning to the topic of clothes, I might be overthinking, of course. Still, there is room for speculation, so why not speculate? In the previous Greed Island arc Killua appeard in a pale green t-shirt after he paired up with Gon to finish the game. In Chimera arc Gon wears a pale green shirt in NGL zone. After that Killua wears this chequered pale green shirt in the frame above. And THEN Killua wears a pale green t-shirt during the final battle when he is expecting to be treated as a teammate and a friend. Anyway, even if the choice of green was not an indication of “Team Gon”, it looks good on Killua, and let’s leave it at that :)
BONUS FRAME (an honourable mention)
I am afraid to be too biased here, but this frame in Ep 85 is so nice. It is Killua’s POV. He is carrying Gon around the city. He is tired, his walking is slow (as shown just a moment earlier). In this frame, time finally stands still. Killua looks so tiny and insignificant in an unfamiliar city, which towers above his head. He is the only kid in the street and looks weird with Gon over his shoulder. The music is intense, voicing his internal despair.
The frame is split in two halves: single people and couples. Killua stands in the left half with single people, by the shade, which probably emphasies his loneliness. As the camera zooms out, the couple to the right emerges, dominating the screen. The girl holds to the man’s arm, while Killua carries unconscious Gon over his shoulder. They date, while Killua and Gon are in trouble. Killua feels depressed, and camera focus on this happy couple is a painful reminder of what he will lose, because Gon may never fogive him. This frame is not present in the manga, but it reveals a lot of Killua’s feelings and thoughts.
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Color science is common in storytelling. For example, color Blue - when Tom dates a blue eyed girl in “500 days of Summer” , background surroundings become blue. Color Red - “Whispers and Cries” by Ingmar Bergman. More on color science here.
This post does not describe the animators’ actual ideas :) It’s merely my personal attempt at analysing the show’s visuals. Discovering and interpreting artistic details is a lot of fun! If you noticed more visuals that support the storyline, feel free to share! Artists who work in animation industry deserve so much love and appreciation.
