Waifu Wednesday: Palm Siberia (Hunter x Hunter)

It’s no secret that Hunter x Hunter is one of my favourite anime shows — although it’s one I feel I don’t talk about enough. While I have previously celebrated one of my top husbandos ever from the series, I felt it was only right to highlight my favourite female character from it this time around. Better late than never, right?

This article is spoiler-free.

Who is Palm Siberia?

Our heroes Gon and Killua encounter Palm during the Chimera Ant arc. She is affiliated with the Hunter Association as well as working under Knov as his assistant. She relays instructions to them from the 12th Chairman of the Hunter Association, Netero, in order to work towards joining the Extermination Team and help wipe out the Chimera Ants. Palm organises the training that is to be overseen by Biscuit, with the end goal being that Gon and Killua will be able to defeat Morel’s apprentices, Knuckle and Shoot.

Palm has an unusual power as an Enhancer. She utilises Merman Clairvoyance using a crystal ball that allows her to observe her target, although this evolves over the course of the arc.

Why we love Palm

Palm’s whole vibe is a massive mood, and as soon as she is introduced within the Chimera Ant arc, getting to know her feels like a warm blanket of familiarity and peculiarity. Much like how Knuckle Bine maintains hope and sheer optimism in the direst of situations, Palm expresses how personal growth can come from desperate and tragic events.

Her subtle development, growth and character arc manages to put a positive spin on the horrors that transpire, no matter how minor a benefit it might be to her. Something good really did manage to come from it.

Let’s backtrack from here. From the get-go, Palm’s particular quirks are on full display, be it her rather dishevelled appearance or her “difficult” behaviour. Said behaviour involves her inability to keep her thoughts and mind on track when holding a single conversation, her tendency to activate her Hatsu when her emotions are heightened, and her simple flaw of taking things just a bit too seriously. In particular, her fixation on those who are the apple of her eye is something she prides herself on and lives for.

While these moments tend to be played up for more comedic purposes, the meaning behind her obsessive nature and violent tendencies makes Palm a lot more complex than one would initially expect.

Why you will love Palm

This stressed out, Sunako Nakahara lookalike embodies everything you can expect from her character design. Palm looks and acts like a mess – she fumbles a lot when she talks, fails to hold conversations and is socially inept. But most notably, she struggles in appreciating herself.

Her attire and demeanour are spruced up when she is getting attention. She wants this affirmation from others, when in reality, she needs to see it and appreciate it within herself first. Palm is used by those around her and is unable to see the good in herself, and this causes her to act out as much as she does. This can be traced back to how Knov only sees her as useful for her blood, and the time when she is placed under Bizeff as a secretary when the infiltrating plan begins.

It is a theme that runs throughout her character arc despite the fact that she plays such a minor role in the grand scheme of things. Without going into spoilers, Palm never breaks out of this mould that others put her in until her self-harm becomes self-acceptance — and this is marked by a time she successfully interacts with Killua in the healthiest conversation that they had ever had together.

In the end, Palm regains control of herself and breaks out of the constraints everyone around her both figuratively and literally have been putting her in. She is an empowering and poignant character in a harrowing and haunting arc — and one you would have not expected to see come out stronger from the experience.

Watch Hunter x Hunter on Crunchyroll.

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