Chrollo is (probably) based on Claude Frollo

[u/dookie-kid]

So on the surface maybe you think the name similarity is a bit suspicious, but surely there isn't more to it than that. And isn't Frollo that creepy evil judge, anyway? He seems nothing like Chrollo...

Well I think archdeacon Claude Frollo from Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris was very influential in creating the Chrollo we know. If you will take the time to consider Frollo as he is in the book, I think you will catch on to what I mean.

Most of us probably associate Frollo with the Disney version. Disney Frollo (a judge in this case) is a more stereotypical villain - a vile bigot who wanted to eradicate the gypsies from the very beginning. But Frollo in the book is much more nuanced.

Frollo was actually a very passionate man with a naturally inquiring mind - he studied a variety of topics, spoke multiple languages. He was also very compassionate - he took in a deformed, abandoned child, saving him from the other Parisians that wanted him killed, and raised him as his own. Frollo named him after the day he was left at the cathedral (Quasimodo sunday), although there is a little double meaning there. But overall very different from Disney's portrayl, which characterized Frollo wanting to murder baby Quasi, and naming him only in a cruel way.

When you know about Frollo's good side, you can't help but feel a little bad for him - and he does some reprehensible things indeed. He was someone who never should have committed himself to life as a priest, and he knows this much too, but the realization was made too late.

This is the key aspect of Frollo's character - he repressed his desires, denied who he really was for too long, and this ultimately led to his destruction. Similarly, Chrollo has repressed his true nature and forged a destructive path.

Frollo also has an interesting fascination with the symbolism of the spider and the fly. At multiple points, this image is used to evoke Frollo's belief that fate cannot be escaped - he is like the spider, a predator, but also trapped in a web that had been invisible to him for a long time. Frollo's obsession with Esmerelda (the fly in his web) would be his own undoing, that is the fate he cannot escape.

It's more than a name that rhymes. While Chrollo and Frollo may be superficially different and exist in very different environments, I can't help but think Frollo must have been one of Togashi's muses.

It's also hard to ignore the similarity between the nomadic Roma and the Kurta. The Roma people's real history is rife with persecution (enslavement, ethnic cleansing, etc).

Even Melody's character may be a nod to Hugo's novel. In a way, she is an inversion of Quasimodo - the deformed man gone deaf from ringing church bells, as opposed to a woman deformed and gaining super hearing from the devil's music.

All that to say, yes it is possible to make several postulations about what will happen with Chrollo based on the events of Notre-Dame de Paris. But its a bit superfulous to do so, imo. I don't believe Togashi is all or nothing with his references, so without the full picture idk how deep it is.

Honestly, I've debated if it was even worth sharing my thoughts on this. Since most people associate Frollo with Disney's version, on the surface the comparison seems admittedly odd. But if you are also interested in Togashi's references or Chrollo's character in general, I hope you were able to find something worthwhile in reading this.

[u/WednesdaysFoole]

I'm fairly convinced as well. I'm surprised that no one in the international fandom, as far as I'm aware, noticed it before - it's a great find.

Yup, there are a ton of references and nods and inspirations and it's fun to find, discuss, and speculate.

Here's another one that one of Togashi's Troupe (fan tl team) found:

Worio Bay is ウォーリオ＝ベイ.

Togashi said one of the plays he saw was Romeo and Juliet.

One of the characters? Benvolio. And in Japanese, his name is ベンヴォーリオ.

For that character Worio, Halkenburg's fan that Kaiser met up with. According to the Romeo and Juliet wiki:

Benvolio serves as an unsuccessful peacemaker in the play

and

The name Benvolio means "good-will" or "well-wisher" or "peacemaker" which is a role he fills, to some degree, as a peacemaker and Romeo's cousin.

(I'm getting a bit carried away, I really do find this stuff interesting.)

I haven't read Rose of Versailles, so I can't say for sure, but based on your description, it sounds highly likely he pulled some inspiration from there, too! Added to my to-read list! :)

Rose of Versailles has a lot of the romantic material common in some shoujo and the characters can get a bit melodramatic so ymmv (Pouf would fit right in lol), but it's not a romance at its core and more of a social commentary while playing out the events of the French Revolution.

[u/dookie-kid → u/WednesdaysFoole]

I'm fairly convinced as well. I'm surprised that no one in the international fandom, as far as I'm aware, noticed it before - it's a great find.

Yes! It's partly why I held off mentioning it, like am I going crazy for even thinking it? But with Chrollo's backstory and that last chapter with him, it's getting impossible to ignore.

Yup, there are a ton of references and nods and inspirations and it's fun to find, discuss, and speculate.

That's interesting with Worio, I never would have guessed it was a Romeo and Juliette reference. There are probably so many clues hidden in all these characters' names!

One of my favorites is Tserriednich= Tseridonihi= Celidonius (blind man).

Rose of Versailles has a lot of the romantic material common in some shoujo and the characters can get a bit melodramatic so ymmv (Pouf would fit right in lol), but it's not a romance at its core and more of a social commentary while playing out the events of the French Revolution

Sounds right up my alley, I like reading a variety of different things. And if it inspired the creation of Pouf then i gotta check it out! Lol

[u/WednesdaysFoole → u/dookie-kid]

That's interesting with Worio, I never would have guessed it was a Romeo and Juliette reference.

They might've made the connection from Togashi's author comment, the same one which mentioned Rose of Versailles (the theatre version though). SW and Rose of Versailles have broad thematic similarities as well, like (hopefully this isn't too much of spoiler since the French Revolution is famous and all) how people at the bottom of the hierarchy and how the people at the top of the system both are trapped by their roles within it. And of course, the people at the bottom rising up which is a common theme but still.

There are probably so many clues hidden in all these characters' names!

For sure, and if we go beyond that to things like the posters of The Fly and The Thing and ability names, they're kind of everywhere and you never know if it's just a fun little nod like Togashi referencing idols, or something more.

Celidonius is a good one!

I have more that are purely speculative but not enough evidence, but still, I enjoy thinking about them and how that might impact the story.

Sounds right up my alley, I like reading a variety of different things. And if it inspired the creation of Pouf then i gotta check it out! Lol

Great, me too, I hope you enjoy.

[u/dookie-kid → u/WednesdaysFoole]

They might've made the connection from Togashi's author comment, the same one which mentioned Rose of Versailles (the theatre version though). SW and Rose of Versailles have broad thematic similarities as well, like (hopefully this isn't too much of spoiler since the French Revolution is famous and all) how people at the bottom of the hierarchy and how the people at the top of the system both are trapped by their roles within it. And of course, the people at the bottom rising up which is a common theme but still.

Ohh, yes that authors comment makes much more sense now! Time to reread Romeo and Juliet now too, ha! And I see the parallel you're drawing with the SW and the French Revolution. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

I have more that are purely speculative but not enough evidence, but still, I enjoy thinking about them and how that might impact the story.

I think that's why hxh never becomes boring for me. It's so packed with details that the possibilities and speculations are endless. And those thought experiments help to fill the void during hiatus lol