#also yea im aware personality isnt the same as intelligence but in this case i want 2 say youpi being earnest simpleminded & straight4ward

[gorteaus]

Apart from being an appreciated, though however brief touchup on the concept of altruism as a type of behavior not purely exclusive to humanity (an analysis for another day) I truly think that Youpi may be an initial spin on the “powerful nen user with impeccable intellect” trend.

Within the world of hxh, every nen user worth their salt has been incredibly intelligent and demonstrative of the fact that they have at least more than a couple brain cells to rub together; from Kurapika to the adult Zoldycks to the Phantom Troupe and Genthru, the list goes on. Pitou and Pouf and Meruem as well, follow along this line, with the sole exception to their family being Youpi.

And sure; every skillful nen user has been shown to possess their own varying levels of wit, but Youpi is perhaps the first in a long line of users who’s been demonstrably shown to be straight up dumb. Like, can’t-tell-the-difference-between-Pouf-and-Pitou’s-en-type dumb. His opponents (Knuckle and Morel) even call him out on this to his face.

I once again point out the apparent with this neatly falling in line with his personality being a direct contrast to Pouf and Pitou’s for the first half of the arc (y’know, before he goes batshit berserk with rage). Both are scheming and calculative whereas Youpi sits around all day and must ask questions in order to get answers. He receives information painfully at face value and his thought process is consistently linear and straightforward in a world where being quick witted can mean a difference between life and death. He is only able to survive as long as he does, in part due to the fact that the title of “royal guard” actually meant a little bit of something in his particular situation, and that sometimes strategy is moot in the face of raw power. In spite of this, his circumstances end up forcing him to seek new tactics and adapting when push comes to shove.

If I'm able to say that Togashi’s divergence from the overpowering, scheming mastermind in this instance is played particularly well or interesting? Hard to say, especially when we weren't given enough time with the royal guard (I say this as I am biased), but I find his evolution and progress as someone who could hardly be trusted to tell his right from his left or tie his own shoes (if he ever wore them) to a character fully capable of deducing Meleoron’s ability and keeping his calm whilst doling out instructions to Pouf in a dire situation as something really charming.