In Hunter x Hunter, the 19-year-old Leorio is obsessed with one thing: money. As a boy, he lost his best friend because neither of them could afford the expensive medicine for his rare disease. His drive to be able to pay for any and all healthcare in the future takes him a long way. He passes the nearly impossible hunter exam and wins the license that’s like a cheat code for printing money.
Leorio’s friend Kurapika is even more zealous. His entire family was killed for their precious, scarlet-red eyes, making him the last living member of the Kurta clan. Kurapika’s desire for vengeance is boundless, and he regularly puts his own life on the line just to hunt down the Phantom Troupe responsible for the massacre.
Some people turn a lack in younger years into fuel for decades to come. Scarcity can be a powerful motivator. “If only I’d had money, strength, influence.” But in most cases, this source of energy runs out before its owners do. Scarcity fades with every piece of gold you attain. Sooner or later, you’ll realize you have enough.
Gon and Killua, the last two members in Hunter x Hunter‘s main character quartet, have different inspirations from the start. They’re curious, free, and not always sure what they want—but they do know one thing: They love their friends, and they would do anything to protect them. They’re fighting to keep, not to get. That’s why neither Leorio nor Kurapika will ultimately surpass them. Even the latter, for all his anger, eventually realizes it’s better to save your alive friends than to avenge your dead ancestors.
“A real soldier does not fight because he has something that he hates in front of him,” G. K. Chesterton wrote in the 1910 New Year’s Eve edition of The Illustrated London News. “He fights because he has something that he loves behind his back.”
Know why you’re marching, and don’t be ashamed to admit you’ve found better reasons.
