As this is an article about a character’s death, expect spoilers ahead:
Who Is Meruem?
Meruem is introduced in the Chimera Ant Arc as the most powerful child of the Chimera Ant Queen.
As such, Meruem is also known as the King of Chimera Ants, and he serves as the main antagonist during the Chimera Ant Arc in the Hunter x Hunter manga and anime.
He has a hybrid but still humanoid space, and he’s just 40 days old, corresponding to insect rather than human life cycles.
Personality-wise, Meruem is seen as cruel and prideful for the most part, though he does show intelligence and the capability to learn quickly as well.
Towards the end of Meruem’s characters, as death approaches, we see his more vulnerable side, as well as the ability to accept defeat with relative grace, making him a rather interesting antagonist.
Who Killed Meruem in Hunter x Hunter?
Meruem was killed indirectly by Isaac Netero, 12th Chair of the Hunter Association.
Before Meruem’s death, the two had engaged in battle whereby Meruem originally had the upper hand.
If Netero had not demonstrated self-sacrifice, Meruem might as well have won, killing him anyway. Instead, Netero went for extreme action.
Netero was carrying parts of a Rose bomb inside his body. To show Meruem the strength and indomitable spirit of humanity Netero pierced his own heart to detonate the Rose bomb.
Meruem was seriously injured at that point but managed to survive the attack at the time. However, he couldn’t keep living in the long run as he was poisoned by the bomb.
While Meruem was an antagonist, he did not die alone and his last moments were bittersweet and oddly heartwarming.
Komugi, a girl who was the Gungi world champion, stayed with Meruem, playing shogi with him until the end despite the fact the poison was contagious.
Meruem gradually uses his sight as the poisoning gets works, and he keeps asking Komugi - who was already blind - if she is still there as they play.
Until the end, Meruem doesn’t manage to beat her and they die together holding hands.
What Is the Rose Bomb?
So, what exactly was the bomb that killed the Chimera Ant Arc’s main antagonist? Its substance, known as Poor Man’s Rose or Miniature Rose, is a weapon of mass destruction. It likely derived its name because it’s fairly inexpensive to make but it can cause really great damage, so it’s not to be underestimated. The anime made any similarities with the atomic bomb more prominent by having its fallout cloud shaped like a mushroom.
