Hunter x Hunter No. 418: Hypothesis

Tserreidnich has officially become our point of view character. A very interesting and exciting prospect. The man who I deemed essentially the main villain of this storyline has now become the protagonist, as he explains to us the extent of his Nen ability. Essentially, he can get a vision of the future, and do things to prevent that future from happening, within a very strict limit of what he can pick up or move, there is a hard cap on just how much he can change the future on top of that. Whatever Tserreidnich does to change the future, the previous “future” still plays out in the eyes of other bystanders until he leaves the perimeter of his ability. This also means that given enough distance from him, an observer would see his actions play out without being fooled.

Tserrednich has no doubts about his strength. This is the power that will let him take over the world. Hunter x Hunter’s abilities always have a lot of limits and drawbacks, which is what makes it such a compelling and long-lasting shonen series. Once you understand that the villains have as many weaknesses as the hero, the chess game becomes all the more thrilling. Martial Law is the perfect distraction to allow the 4th Prince to enact his plan. He also states that pain is the one thing that will break his concentration due to his heightened senses through Zetsu, something to remember no doubt. We then see Tserreidnich’s side of the assassination, annoyed that Benjamin didn’t spend more time on killing him! He allows his “body” to be taken, for Salkov to truly believe he’s dead, and to make sure his body isn’t on display in his casket (filling it with guns) before writing a will.

Vantein blames Salkov for letting Tserreidnich die, which he finds distasteful so shoots at him, which has no effect. Tserreidnich crosses paths with Salkov and Theta, now fully in disguise. Something shakes the 4th Prince, that Theta could potentially see him? He writes this off as impossible, though she is the only one who could really pose a threat to him, which he finds attractive… Gross! Now Tserreidnich’s escape plan truly begins.

The hope being, that no-one double checks his casket other than his father, who has no reason to undermine his gameplan as the one pitting his children against each other. When he’s out of range, I do wonder if Salkov will try anything. He seems pretty shaken by the events of the murder, even though he is trying to convince himself that it is an illusion. Did Theta really see anything? Can Kurapika be informed of any of this? Where is this going? Tserreidnich intends to make his move through Route A, the same as the military, who will shortly be confronting the Zodiacs along with Prince Benjamin. Will Tserreidnich reveal himself to his brother, or wait out the clock? Time will tell. The way the 4th Prince is disguised can’t help but remind me of Gyro, that mysterious character introduced all those years ago during the Chimera Ant arc, but has yet to appear again.