Hunter x Hunter No. 415: Authenticity

We start with a flashback to the inception of Furykov’s curse. It seems he was cursed during the Seed Urn ritual. He immediately realises that Beyond Netero is behind the scheme. Beyond has staked his plan on Benjamin ascending to the throne. Furykov dying and empowering the prince was all part of his grand plan, knowing that Benjamin will preserve the Kakin status quo. Furykov attempts to figure out which prince he will kill when he dies, however the curse requires a year to crack, stopping him from being able to. Beyond tells Furykov to make Benjamin the sole survivor, leaving him scrambling to figure out just who the target of his curse could be, narrowing it down to one of the first eight princes.

Oito has written her letter in coded language, using the “Yamato” (Japanese) script. Kurapika is worried, a letter is an easy thing to lose, and it being decoded by the military is a huge risk to take. He is also worried that Oito’s sister won’t trust Gon and Killua. Just as the letter is sent, Martial Law is declared, the Princes’ bodyguards begin to panic. Tubeppa calls for calm among her staff and scientists, as her replacement guard tries to uncover the contract she made with Kurapika, and how exactly it works. Which, if you’ve forgotten, is a truce between Kurapika’s side and Tubeppa’s and Longhi, which will only activate under certain conditions, regarding breaking the truce, and discovering which Prince is actually Beyond’s child. Luzurus and Rice have gone missing, and the truth behind Benjamin’s guard’s actions have become clear, manufacturing a reason to eliminate Luzurus.

As we reach the end of the chapter, a nice surprise, the reappearance of Bisky. A fan-favourite character who I’m sure many have forgotten was aboard the Black Whale 1. As an experienced Nen user, she immediately notices the change in Benjamin’s guards; his aura has become extremely strong, indicating a potentially dangerous single-use ability. Bisky contemplates offensive action however as they currently stand, it seems barricading in and defending is the only choice. Prince Benjamin has decided to confine Oito to her quarters for treason, the Prince, as a baby, cannot assume responsibility. The Queen is safe as long as she doesn’t leave her room. Kurapika was right in thinking they’d be cautious in case the real Prince is still aboard, however Kurapika realises there must be another reason for the Martial Law.

This was a really dense chapter, almost too much. With some big blocks of text, this is the kind of chapter that many Hunter x Hunter fans struggle with. Sifting through the text to understand the stakes can be difficult, and with so many groups of characters and plotlines to keep track of, it can be hard to enjoy for some. The chapter also ends on a bit of a flat note, with us not yet being able to see Kurapika’s thought process. That being said, with the many different plotlines being forced to converge with the declaration of Martial Law, things are paradoxically also coming into sharper focus, I myself had to get a refresher on exactly what position Tubeppa was in regarding the overall story. There were some fantastically detailed panels this week, and the double-page spread of the ship was something special. I think this is one of those chapters that will sit better within the larger context of the story, or in volume format, while being a little more difficult to enjoy week-to-week.