Shizuku To Be Blamed For Chrollo's Capture?

 

Chrollo's abduction by Kurapika has been two decades since it first happened in the manga and the 1999 anime series. We've also re-watched the 2011 scenes repeatedly, and we admit that we're crying over spilled milk for writing about this. However, it's an essential piece of history that suggests the Phantom Troupe is prone to making mistakes due to missing out on some crucial details, especially now that they are on the edge of their practicality over the death of Shalnark and Kortopi.

If we may remember, Gon, Killua, and Leorio held out an arm-wrestling contest in one busy street of Yorknew City. The gimmick attracted many challengers who are interested in getting the diamond ring prize. Apart from the normies, they also caught the eye of Shizuku Murasaki, who's with other Genei Ryodan members Feitan and Franklin at that time. She liked the ring, and maybe the challenge, but lost to Gon after giving out a good fight.

Leorio was there the whole time.

Fast forward to the heart-stopping chase to capture the chain user, the Phantom Troupe decided to rendezvous with others in the Beitacle hotel. There, Leorio made a scene that could have cost him his life. Not because Chrollo hates noisy people, but because Shizuku could have recognized him at that instant. 

Instead of telling others that Leorio is with the two kids, she only offered to eliminate him. 

If Shizuku informed her companions, that would only increase the suspicion about the two kids and Leorio. Chrollo would have acted swiftly without hesitating. 

Or could it be because she forgot already?

When the kids were first caught and brought inside the Phantom Troupe hideout, Gon immediately recognized Shizuku, but she denied remembering what happened. Looking into the timeline, it was just a few days or weeks since the arm-wrestling event. How easy is it to forget a fight for something you want and only to lose to a kid?

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It's either her memory can only remember as much, maybe a limitation due to her nen ability, or Shizuku is just plain in-denial. We're inclined to believe the latter reason, and that she chose her ego until the end. It's too neglectful for one of the group's brains to forget about such events.

When she asked the troupe if they also think that Leorio could be an accomplice, it's already too late. A disguised Kurapika was able to capture Chrollo, and the rest is history. Ultimately, the troupe paid with Pakunoda's life.

We don't think Shizuku would risk her teammates, but she was too overconfident about their ability to handle the situation. Is it because they are with Chrollo? Therefore, she did not reveal that she recognizes Leorio but was eager to eliminate him because she knows that he's about to do something.

If Shizuku Only Admitted or Remembered

Let's think of alternative scenarios. If Shizuku didn't hold back and informed Chrollo right away, plenty of things could have happened. Before we list them down, here's their situation:

Leorio is making a scene while Chrollo and Shizuku are looking at him. Machi holds Gon and Killua with her Nen threads. A few minutes before seven sharp, Pakunoda, Kortopi, and Nobunaga will arrive.

Leorio is making a scene over the phone.

Shizuku: Shall I kill him (asking Chrollo)? - what she said

Shizuku: I remember now, he's with them. - what she didn't say

1. Chrollo would act fast and try to kill Leorio. Machi can't do anything apart from not letting the two kids escape. Shizuku acts as support in killing him, but Kurapika won't let it happen. Lights would go out prematurely, Chrollo will be distracted and captured by Kurapika by a very slim chance. The same fate, different levels of risks.
2. Chrollo would ask Machi to escape with the captives while they follow. Lights would turn off, but it would be harder to capture Chrollo or a Phantom Troupe member once they start fleeing. Kurapika risks his life of chain-jailing someone who is not a Spider.
3. Chrollo decides to give up the captives because the chain user might be there and not alone, escapes, and asks the others to return to their hideout. By that time, Pakunoda already has the chain user's identity, and they would be able to launch a deadlier comeback. However, this might lead to the fulfillment of their prophecies, which indicates that half of them will die.
4. While keeping an eye out for possible tricks and the huge possibility that all of them are accomplices, Chrollo kills Gon and Killua before escaping. It's an eye for an eye. He's used to killing people who have nothing to do with him anyway so it wouldn't matter if they're not really acquainted with the chain user. I think he'll be good with that for the meantime. 

Why is this scene still crucial at this point?

Apart from having nothing to do except to wait for the manga's continuation, personal interests and emotions can lead to the entire group's demise in the next chapters. As we know, slight hesitation and neglect can cause death. Here are other careless situations involving Phantom Troupe members when they could have done better:

1. Chrollo could have checked by himself and double-tapped Hisoka's corpse by crushing the head or decapitating.
2. Machi, Shalnark, Kortopi could have brought stronger troupe members with them to protect the weaker ones in case.
3. Chrollo could not have allowed Illumi Zoldyck to join, as this makes them vulnerable to being blindsided.

But even so, I don't want them to be perfect. I don't want any of the protagonists to die, and dying would be a waste at that stage. Characters do make mistakes, and everything in Hunter x Hunter is as genius as it is. We want to clarify that we're happy with its direction, but we have to point out the could-haves and the would-haves.

We'll stop creating a mountain out of this molehill at this point and think of something HxH related to write. Any suggestions?

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