Meruem was, quite simply, on another level in Hunter x Hunter. The Chimera Ant King picked up Nen at a ridiculous speed, learning techniques in days that would probably take an experienced human user years to properly master. Then there was his fight with Isaac Netero, which made it pretty clear just how far ahead he was in terms of strength, speed and sheer combat ability. But Meruem’s death didn’t necessarily mean the end of that power ceiling. Yoshihiro Togashi has introduced a few characters who, given enough time, could potentially get there.
Meruem was interesting for another reason, though. He wasn’t just a character who kept getting stronger for the sake of being stronger. As the Chimera Ant arc went on, he slowly developed a sense of empathy, particularly through his relationship with Komugi and their Gungi games. At the same time, he remained an incredibly dangerous ruler, and after absorbing parts of his Royal Guards, his abilities increased even further. That’s a pretty difficult standard for anyone to beat. Still, the current Succession Contest has brought a new group of possible contenders into the story, especially among the princes of the Kakin Empire.
Tserriednich May Be the Biggest Threat
The Kakin princes all have their own Guardian Nen Beasts, and some of their abilities are seriously dangerous. Camilla, the Second Prince, is a good example. Her ability, “Cat’s Name,” allows her to come back to life after being killed, with the person who killed her paying the price. That’s already a nightmare to deal with, even if it doesn’t necessarily put her in Meruem’s class when it comes to raw combat power.
Fourth Prince Tserriednich is a much more worrying prospect. What makes him frightening isn’t just the ability itself, but how quickly he learns. He had only just begun discovering Nen when he started picking up advanced techniques at an absurd rate. His Specialist ability, “Parallel Future,” lets him see a vision of what is about to happen and then act in a way that takes advantage of that knowledge. It’s the kind of ability that becomes scarier the more skilled its user gets, and Tserriednich is already developing at a speed that should concern just about everyone around him.
Then there’s his Guardian Nen Beast, which only adds to the problem. We still haven’t seen the full extent of what Tserriednich could eventually become, and that’s probably the unsettling part. Meruem was already extraordinary before he reached his peak. Tserriednich seems to have that same terrifying combination of natural talent and an almost disturbing ability to improve.
What About Beyond Netero?
Beyond Netero is another obvious name whenever the conversation turns to the strongest characters we haven’t properly seen fight yet. Being Isaac Netero’s son doesn’t automatically make him a monster, of course, but Beyond has spent years exploring dangerous parts of the world and has built a reputation that suggests he’s far from an ordinary Hunter.
The problem is that we still don’t know enough about his actual combat ability. Togashi has revealed very little about what Beyond can really do, especially when it comes to Nen. So putting him above Meruem right now would be mostly speculation. There is certainly potential there, but we haven’t been given enough evidence to say how close he actually is to the Chimera Ant King.
Can Anyone Really Surpass Meruem?
For now, Meruem remains the benchmark. Very few characters in Hunter x Hunter have come close to what he was capable of, and even Netero ultimately couldn’t defeat him through sheer force. The interesting thing is that Togashi doesn’t seem particularly interested in simply introducing another character who is “stronger than Meruem” and leaving it at that.
Tserriednich is dangerous because of how quickly his Nen ability is developing. Beyond is a mystery because we haven’t seen his full capabilities. And the Succession Contest has introduced plenty of strange Nen abilities that could become much more dangerous as the story moves forward.
So, could someone eventually surpass Meruem? It’s certainly possible. But until Togashi gives us more to work with, Meruem is still sitting comfortably at the top of the mountain. And honestly, that’s probably where he should remain for now. Making somebody stronger just for the sake of topping the old strongest character would feel a little too simple for Hunter x Hunter.