WEBVTT

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Hey guys, I hope you’re ready for another
crazy Hollow Knight lore video!

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So what fun topic are we going to talk about
today?

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Well, it’s a good one.

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You and everyone you know and love is going
to die.

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Now I know what you’re thinking.

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Oh great, here comes another one of mossbag’s
crazy conspiracies.

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What’s next?

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Is he gonna argue that Silksong is prequel
again?

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Well, how about I give you an example of a
beloved character from Hollow Knight that

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actually does die: Quirrel.

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The last time we see Quirrel ingame, he is
sitting at the Blue Lake after the Knight

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kills Monomon the Teacher.

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After that, Quirrel disappears, leaving behind
his nail sticking out of the ground and his

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ultimate fate left uncertain.

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Except not really, because Quirrel is definitely
dead.

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Now technically, the question of “What happened
to Quirrel?” is left open to interpretation.

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And Team Cherry even said as such in an interview
with the reputable news source Kotaku.

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Kirk Hamilton: Okay next question.

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What happened to Quirrel?

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William Pellen: We don’t know.

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Ari Gibson: Yeah, we’re not sure.

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Kirk: Okay.

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But if you are a regular to my channel, you
know that Team Cherry are a bunch of liars.

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And William and Ari know damn well what happened
to Quirrel.

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But even still, once we look at the evidence,
having Quirrel die makes the most sense both

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logically and narratively.

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So what I am saying?

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That Quirrel killed himself in some sort of
reverse-Jeffery Epstein maneuver?

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Did he drowned himself in the Blue Lake?

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Well, I can’t really say how he passed away,
but when looking at the evidence, it’s clear

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that Quirrel was ready to die.

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So before we start talking about what’s
actually in the game, it’s worth pointing

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out something particular about the art asset
for Quirrel’s nail that we see after he

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disappears.

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Within the game’s files, this piece of art
is called “quirrel_death_nail”.

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Now obviously, there are a lot of different
ways you can interpret what this means.

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But if I were to hazard a guess, I would say
that Team Cherry thinks Quirrel is dead, or

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at least they thought so at one point.

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Now of course, this evidence isn’t canonical.

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But as we dig into what is canonical in the
game, I think most of you will end up agreeing

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with Team Cherry.

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There are two main reasons why Quirrel is
probably dead: his age, and the fact that

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he abandoned his nail.

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Let’s start with his age.

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When Quirrel first arrives in Hallownest,
he has completely forgotten about his past.

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He doesn’t remember being Monomon’s assistant
or her participation in the sealing of the

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Hollow Knight.

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He is exploring Hallownest as a traveler,
drawn to the kingdom by stories of wonder

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and horror.

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Eventually, Quirrel arrives in the City of
Tears, remarking on how he’d like to see

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the source of the rain, saying:

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I'd like to see where it all comes from before
I leave this Kingdom.

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What a sight it must be!

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Now, Quirrel mentions that he plans on leaving
Hallownest here.

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But we have to remember that Quirrel doesn’t
remember his past yet.

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He’s going through what we would call a
“character arc”.

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And we can see that his mood will drastically
change once he makes it to the Teacher’s

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Archives.

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Quirrel mentions how he remembers the Archives
and how he helped Monomon become a seal.

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After the Knight smacks Monomon with the magic
stick thing and murders her, Quirrel mentions

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how he begins to feel his age.

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Finally, at the Blue Lake, we see Quirrel
quietly looking out over the waters.

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He mentions how he feels at peace.

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Even his voice lines here reflect how old
and tired he is.

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At this point, Quirrel has no more reasons
to continue his exploring.

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He’s lived an age and seen the glories of
Hallownest twice over, which I assume includes

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Flukemarm.

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So he’s basically seen Flukemarm twice.

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Anyone would be ready to go after that.

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And now we come to the second argument.

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Why in the fuck would Quirrel leave his nail
behind?

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As we will see, Quirrel is constantly talking
about the importance of having a weapon.

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For him to just leave one behind implies he
had no intention of walking out of Hallownest

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alive.

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In the Temple of the Black Egg, Quirrel mentions
that the Knight’s old nail is too weak to

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handle the challenges awaiting in the kingdom.

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While in Greenpath, Quirrel also mentions
the importance of the Knight getting a better

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nail when he says:

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Your nail looks a fine instrument, but it's
showing signs of wear.

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I'd wager up there it would take you far.

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Down here however, I suspect you'll soon meet
dangers the surface world can't match.

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In fact, in the very first encounter we have
with Qurriel, he strongly foreshadows his

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own death, remarking:

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Plenty have come before us and most have met
their grisly end, many more equipped than

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you and I. I'm sure they wouldn't mind were
a fellow explorer to relieve them of their

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tools.

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It's a kindness really.

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The dead shouldn't be burdened with such things.”

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So at the end of his journey, Quirrel is choosing
to leave his nail behind so that he may not

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be burdened by it in death.

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He knows very well that abandoning his nail
spells certain death, but he doesn’t mind.

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And while there’s nothing we can do to stop
Quirrel’s passing, besides just not talking

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to him at the Blue Lake I guess, we can still
remember him.

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At the heart of every red-blooded human being
is an adventurer's spirit.

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The same spirit embodied by Quirrel.

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Let’s keep that spirit alive, for his sake.

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So go ask that cute girl out.

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Go push that coworker you hate down the stairs.

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Go Go Power Rangers.

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Let’s remember to explore the world in which
we live.

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Let’s remember to appreciate the wonders
that surround us.

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And most importantly, let’s remember to
always remember that we should remember Quirrel.

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[♫Appropriate Music for Honoring the life of Qurriel♫]