As far ashigh-quality animego,Hunter X Hunteris definitely in the top echelons of the category for many different reasons. The series also boasts some of anime’s standout arcs, specifically within the Chimera Ant arc. Throughout the arc, there are many eye-catching introductions of the arc’s opposing forces from the Ant-Queen to the Royal Guards and the Squadron Leaders.
However, the main focus of the piece rests on the seemingly but not-so-important Squadron Leaders ofthe Ant Colony. Not that they do not play a significant role in the arc, given their importance to the military force of the colony, but the overall contribution of the Squadron leaders in the arc does pale in comparison to the potential they apparently carried. In this regard, here are the roles of the notable Squadron leaders throughout the Chimera Ant arc.
Who Are The Chimera Ant Squadron Leaders?
Originally under the command of the Royal Guards of the colony, the Squadron Leaders are created to be the heads of the colony’s main military force. They are high-ranking officers who are only below the Royal Guards and the Ant-Queen/King. After the birth of the Ant King, the squadron leaders come under the direct command of the Queen. The office requires them to be in charge of at least 4-5 officers, while each officer is in command of at least 10-15 peons. This brings us to the hierarchical structure practiced in the colony.
Typically, a chimera ant colony operates a military-like chain of command with the Ant-Queen/King at the tip of the pyramid. The Queen, while in search of a suitable nest produces a significant amount of soldiers to help with food procurement. By doing so, the soldiers produced hunt for stronger species of food in order for the Queen to produce even more powerful soldiers. As the Queen produces more offspring, she divides them into ranks of responsibility, with their numbers inversely proportional to their level of strength and authority. The few who are the strongest among the soldiers become theSquadron leaders, while the others who seem somewhat strong becomeOfficersbelow the Squadron leaders, and the rest fill out between becomingPeonswho are the combat soldiers and theDrudges, who are the chores soldiers. After putting into place the main military force does the Queen spawns the eliteRoyal Guardswho are a rank above the Squadron leaders.
How Do They Tie Into The Story?
Being a major part of the Colony’s military force, the Squadron Leaders play quite an important part through theChimera Ant arc. At the beginning, the squadron leaders are tasked with the collection of human nutrition in order for the Queen to build up their forces, specifically, Squadron leader Colt and Alligator, both of whom always bumped heads regarding who had the better haul between themselves. At the same time, other Squadron leaders like Turtle are tasked with bolstering the defenses of the newly secured nest at NGL. What follows after is a series of encounters between the Squadron Leaders and their units and different hunters leading to different levels of concern for both opposing forces. While this is ongoing, the first of the Royal Guards, Neferipitou is hatched and through her, the main military force is forced to awaken their Nen abilities through a process called theNen initiation conferment. After the process, a good number of the Squadron Leaders, including Baital, Goran, Zem and Pokoro all die due to a trap set beyond the Nest, bringing the number of available squads and its leaders to fourteen. By this time, the King’s birth is already imminent.
The King is born shortly after in the presence of the Royal Guards and the remaining Squadron Leaders, which marks the beginning of dividing loyalties within the colony.
With the King finally born and the Queen no longer needed, the Royal Guards spare no attention or resource for her, which does not go down well with some of the Squadron Leaders who, unlike the Royal Guards, have their loyalty only for the Queen for some mysterious reason. Loyalty which got the Squadron Leader Peggy killed by the Ant King shortly after his birth. Effectively, it could be said that this singular action became the undoing of the Chimera Ants in a way. Out of loyalty to the Queen and the mixed reactions to her treatment by the Royal Guards, Squadron Leader Colt begins to act as a diplomatic representative of the colony with the Hunter Association under the condition of saving the Queen. By doing so, Colt reveals important information about the Ant King and the Royal Guards to the Hunters, even evaluating the strength of the Hunters in comparison to the Royal Guards and the King, stating that Netero,the strongest hunter, probably gets killed by Neferipitou before he can even get to the King, Meruem, sparking a mixed reaction of fear and excitement among the Hunters. During the meeting, the Queen reaches out to Colt telepathically in her final moments, asking about the King and his wellbeing, after which she eventually dies. The death of the Queen kickstarts somewhat of a meltdown among the remaining Squadron Leaders, as there is no fealty towardsthe King and his Royal Guards, with Cheetu and Alligator and some other taking on faux-King personalities and leaving the colony to establish their own colonies.
The Most Notable Squadron Leaders In The Series
While their impact on the series as a whole is significantly low, there are some of the Sqaudron Leaders who left quite the impression on the story, the cast, and even viewers alike.
Squadron Leader Colt:Possibly the most loyal of the Squadron leaders to the Queen, Colt is a chimera ant that resembles the mixture of a condor and human. Faithfully serving the Queen till her death, Colt became a significant source of information and knowledge on the Chimera Ants for the Extermination Team. Prior to becoming a chimera ant, he was a human child named Kurt who died while protecting his kid sister from the Queen. Despite being a chimera, Colt is relatively earnest in all his endeavors, particularly pertaining to the Queen. However, he is also incredibly efficient in his duties and carries out his duties with the seriousness it needs at all times. As a chimera and a Squadron Leader, Colt is considerably powerful in comparison to regular chimera ants and humans. The most shocking trait about him, however, is probably that he also has a value system which he will not bend form regardless of the threat. After the death of the Queen, Colt takes on the duty of raising the last chimera offspring of the Queen.
Squadron Leader Peggy:Another of the Squadron leaders and a somewhat close colleague of Colt, Peggy is a chimera ant resembling a crested penguin. Unarguably the smartest of the Squadron leaders, Peggy spent most of his time reading, accumulating knowledge, and examining most of the human weapons used. Also, like Colt, Peggy was also deeply loyal and devoted to the Queen, a devotion that resulted in his death at the hands ofthe Ant King, Meruem.
Squadron Leader Leol:One of the more disobedient and laidback squadron leaders, Leol was a Chimera Ant resembling an anthropomorphic lion. Prior to the death of the Queen, he was known better as Hagya. While seeming laidback, Leol had a rather cruel side to his persona, as he enjoyed killing humans far more than most chimera ants. After the Queen’s death, Leol was one of the first to leave the colony and attempt to start his own colony. As a Squadron Leader, Leolc was stronger than most chimera ants and could also use telepathy. He was also particularly charismatic, to the point where his subordinates were essentially devoted to him, the way the other Squadron Leaders were loyal to the Queen. Leol is ultimately killed by Morel.
Squadron Leader Cheetu:The fastest among the Squadron leaders, Cheetu was acheetah-humanoid chimera ant. Reliant on his speed, Cheetu was incredibly simple-minded and arrogant, overly believing in his speed to always prove reliable against his opponents. However, more than anything, Cheetu was content with just that, as he had no grand ambitions like Leol or even any feeling of loyalty or devotion to the Queen or the King. In terms of Nen usage, Cheetu was a conjurer, which allows him to make physical contact with his target to transport them into an alternate realm to play a game of tag with a time limit of approximately eight hours, making a rather dangerous use of his speed.
Other notable squadron leaders are Alligator, Baital, Bihorn, Bloster, Mantis, Melereon, Octopus, Small Bear, Turtle, Welfin, Yunju, and Zazan.
