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As pure friendships go, this is one of the best in anime or manga anywhere, period. It’s innocent and yet at the same time, very complex and dark (the latter especially in Killua’s case). There are lots of other elements to this ep, but most of all it’s an expression of the deep affection those two have for each other. It’s reflected in Gon’s concern about Killua and the spell that was cast on him, and how he tries to smile his way through his fear so as not to worry his friend. It’s reflected in Killua’s good-natured patience with Gon’s fiery impulsiveness, in spite of what he might wish himself.
For the entire episode the boys express their friendship for each other in unspoken ways (which is after all what boys generally do) which are nevertheless totally obvious to the audience. And then in the end, Gon comes right out and does what boys generally don’t – tells his friend how he feels about him. Killua isn’t capable of that, but we get a rare direct glimpse inside his thoughts – and what we see is the pure gratitude he feels towards Gon for being the one to finally redeem him by believing in his essential goodness. I think Killua wants desperately to keep Gon from having to walk the dark paths he’s walked, and I think Killua would be willing to do anything at this point for his friend – the friend Killua believes is better than he is but, ironically, is the only one who saw past his darkness to the real person inside. Really, if you can’t get emotionally connected to this sort of relationship maybe shounen just isn’t the right fit for you, because I really don’t think anime friendships get any better.
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