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Alluka/trans coding

Rewatching hxh with a friend and going through my old posts about Alluka and getting mad at hxh dude bros yet again.

There is this very weird opposition to even the thought that Alluka is trans that some ppl have in this fandom that is so truly baffling. Like even if its not rooted in transphobia as it so often is, people are just so weirdly iffy about it. 

This isn't in a trans headcanon kind of way either, like where a person is having fun and there isn't any actual in text inclination of it. HXH does have multiple instances of proof and yet still people are very "ehh" towards it? Like it makes them uncomfortable or something? Several years ago I talked to my other friends + brother about her being trans and they disagreed with me, they had no reason to outside of "the japanese language is weird" which in of itself isn't even a good argument. I didn't argue it at the time bc i didn't know enough to and i wasnt as smart lmfao. they all agree with me now because we're older and less stupid and i can actually argue my point now. (the original convos were like, 4 years ago so I was like 14 or smth and my friends/brother were all 14-16. We are 18-20 now).

All right now to the actual argument ig. gonna organize this sorta weirdly. also its messy and not good and kinda short bc im stupid tired rn.

What is trans-coding?

Trans coding/queer coding is when a narrative uses subtext to allude to a character as queer. Such subtext includes stereotypes, traits, or just general common queer experiences that give an audience inclination to believe a character is queer, or meant to portray queer experiences, without explicitly stating so. It exists due to censorship of queer characters in film (mostly around 1930, as the Hay's Code banned 'perverse' subjects, which included homosexuality). 

How is Alluka trans-coded?

Alluka's experiences mirror the experiences of a trans person in a transphobic household, with the added element of standard hxh fantasy. She is locked away by her family due to her nen ability, Nanika, and constantly treated lesser by her family, to the point of being seen as an object. Her family, who are repeatedly established as abusive, refer to her as either "it" or "he." They dehumanize and weaponize her. 

Then take Killua, her older brother, and the only person who genuinely cares about her for herself. Who repeatedly refers to her as his "little sister" and with "she/her" pronouns. Even going so far as to declare "Because Alluka is a girl, stupid!" When Gotoh asks why they brought Canary with them. Alluka presents herself as a girl, she refers to herself with female pronouns, the people who care about her as a person do as well. The only people who do not are those who do not care for her as a person, but as a weapon. 

This mirrors trans identity in a transphobic household pretty solidly. the dehumanization and misgendering by her very abusive family are pretty obvious parallels. There is obviously the added wrench of Nanika, who is sort of a separate person from Alluka, but I'll get to that later. 

"Japanese is just weird!"

def the weirdest argument ive seen by far. Just for the simple fact that this type of pronouns change doesn't occur anywhere else in the show, or in any other anime. In all honesty, japanese has a more specific usage of pronouns than english, and makes it even less likely to be "just weird/mistakes." Gender neutral pronouns are used often, and aren't even necessarily used in a queer way (such as someone being non-binary, although they could be). And pronouns are used much more often than in english (words like "I" are gendered, for example). Its just dismissive to label this as an entire language being weird when this doesn't occur outside of this example.

The switch in pronouns only occurs when Alluka is referred to by the other zoldycks (excluding Killua). The narrator, which is unfiltered through a characters pov, also refers to her as a girl.

"Nanika is a girl, Alluka is a boy, and dresses as a girl to make Nanika more comfortable"

Also a weird argument, because there is 0 proof of this anywhere in the show. No where does Alluka refer to herself as a boy. Killua does not refer to Alluka as a boy at any point when just speaking to her. If this was the case, Killua would have no reason to refer to Alluka as a girl, because her and Nanika are separate entities. 

Moreover, if this was the case, Killua would refer to Alluka/Nanika as his "siblings" rather than his younger sister. As the term encompasses both of them. And if he was to exclude one of them, it wouldn't be Alluka, as he is shown narratively to prioritize her over Nanika. The narrator would also refer to her as a boy if this was the case, as it is an objective voice in the narrative. But it still refers to her as a girl.

"Alluka is a child/hxh isn't about that/its just an anime"

You don't need a reason to include queer people in shows or media. They exist without reason, so they would be written in without reason. HxH being a shounen anime doesn't change that fact, and shouldn't, because the genre has no effect on the diversity of characters. If this was the case, then no romance would be included, because hxh is a fantasy/action anime and has no room for that. But obviously there are romance subplots. Stories don't fit in a binary of what they can/cannot include based on genre.

Also, Alluka being 11 has no factor into whether or not she is trans, and it is not "weird" to think of her as such. So often I see people use this as a "gotcha" because "you're forcing children to be trans/shes a child/etc." Except they forget, they are the ones using real world standards on a story like hunter x hunter, which repeatedly establishes that it is outside the realm of real world possibility and standards. Several characters were assassins at age four. Gon was allowed to become a Hunter, a profession renowned for being dangerous as all fuck, at age 12. There is no reason why Alluka being trans at age 11 should be a problem here. (especially when that's around the age of puberty and when many kids start questioning their identity anyway, so in comparison this is the most believable thing to happen). This is also just an issue with any lgbt headcanons on characters that are children, people deem them problematic but don't actually care if a story has romance with children, so as its straight. But suddenly people innocently shipping younger characters is "sexualizing" them. Which isn't the case, obviously, unless someone is actually sexualizing them. Being gay isnt inherently sexual i thought we moved on from that cmon now

There also is no reason to believe Togashi wouldn't include a trans character in his narrative when he has done so several times before, in varying degrees of success through the years. (Miyuki in YYH, Mikihisa in Level E, as well as other LGB characters) Look, Togashi is not a saint, his writing of trans characters has been problematic. However, he has steadily improved in their portrayal through the years, and I can appreciate the fact that he is trying and improving. 

Togashi has never shied away from queer characters. He has even said he enjoys exploring gender in his stories.  He also has mentioned in a note within YYH that he wanted to write a sports anime will a nearly all gay cast. And, lo and behold, that project, while rejected by Jump, contains many similarities to HxH.

What I am trying to prove with this part is that Togashi is not an author that would 1. intentionally or unintentionally queer bait an audience, and 2. knows what the fuck he is doing with his subtext. This man is METICULOUS with his writing. He knows what the subtext he is supplying means.

"Alluka is a cis girl"

Somewhat better argument than the actual transphobes because at the very least they are calling Alluka a girl. I definitely see this argument the least. But, like, there is just no way to look at this character and brush it off and say she's cis and not trans. Idk man its just obvious. 

Conclusion/final points

Like, her being trans is the most obvious conclusion. I have seen different arguments trying to use hxh weirdness as an example of what could be happening, but none of these examples (like nen being used or smth idk) have any founding. Her being trans undeniably has the most proof and is the most realistic explanation as to what is happening. I have never understood why people have been so adamantly against the idea. Also, Alluka isn't a "trap" and its fucking weird and gross for people to use that word, especially about Alluka. Not only is it transphobic as hell, but it has a sexual connotation that is so fucking gross to apply to a character that is literally 11 years old.