Main characters in Hunter × Hunter

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This article is about the main characters of the fictional anime/manga series Hunter × Hunter

Contents

[edit] Gon Freaks

Gon Freaks
Japanese: ゴン=フリークス
Romaji: Gon Furiikusu
Alternate Names: Gon Freecss, Gon Freecs
Height: 154 cm
Weight: 49 kg
Date of birth: 5th May
Blood Type: O
Age: 12
First Appearance: Episode 1, Chapter 1
Nen Type: Reinforcement (Enhancer)

Gon Freaks is the protagonist of Hunter × Hunter. The story revolves around him and his search for his father.

Gon grew up on in the green and otherwise secluded Whale Island. The son of the legendary Hunter Ging Freaks, Gon was left in the care of his aunt Mito since infancy, and has never met his father since. Hating his father's constant travels away from Gon, she fought for custody over him in the courts.

During his youth, Gon met another Hunter, Kaito, Ging's only known apprentice. That fateful meeting made Gon all the more intrigued to meet his father, and also gave him the hope and inspiration to take the Hunter exam.

Talents: A naturally optimistic youth, Gon's friendliness and innocence has charmed and won many trusted friends to his side, including Kurapika and Killua. With uncanny and animalistic senses of smell, taste, and hearing, due to his youth spent playing in the forest, Gon's instinct has aided his friends through many tough obstacles during the Hunter exam. Gon has another remarkable talent; he is able to talk to and befriend animals easily. Gon also has the ability to heal at an unnatural (and somewhat superhuman) speed. It has been speculated it’s due to his youth but some consider otherwise.

Fighting Ability: Gon has an unusual choice of a weapon, which is a fishing rod once owned by his father. Though it doesn't deal much damage to his enemies, Gon is able to accurately swing and 'hook' it onto targets, proving itself to be useful time and time again. Despite his apparent slowness of head, Gon is able to adapt quickly, and can come up with new strategies in the middle of combat. However, he is limited simply by his inexperience in real battle. With training on the Gate of Trial, Gon’s has tremendous strength. Gon’s leg intensity allows him to jump high, and be very quick & agile.

Nen ability: Out of the 6 nen types, Gon proves to be of the reinforcement (enhancer) type. People belonging to such a category excel in attack and defense, and also have the ability to heal themselves quickly. Building on this type, Gon has sharpened his use of nen, and has managed to increase his attack power with his fists, dealing more damage than before.

His hatsu is a special punch called Jajanken .

  • Rock (Guu) - Used to attack on the outside of someone's body with his fist. It's a close range attack.
  • Paper (Paa) - Used to attack someone's inner organs, using his open palm. It's a long distance attack.
  • Scissors(Shi) - Used to attack a specific body part, done with two fingers. It's a middle distance attack.

Note on the name of his ability:

Gon originally did not intend for his ability to be called Jajanken; he originally named it Janken. However, when Knuckles asked him what his ability was called, he stuttered and said "Ja-janken" instead of "Janken", leading Knuckles to believe that the ability was called Jajanken.

[edit] Killua Zaoldyeck

Killua Zaoldyeck
Japanese: キルア=ゾルディック
Romaji: Kirua Zorudikku
Alternate Names: Killua Zoldyck, Killua Zoldick
Height: 158cm
Weight: 49 kg
Date of birth: 15th June
Blood Type: B
Age: 12
First Appearance: Episode 6, Chapter 6
Nen Type: Transformation (Transmuter)

Killua Zaoldyeck is Gon's best friend. He first appeared in the sixth chapter of the manga and the sixth episode of the anime.

Killua was born to a family of renowned assassins, the Zaoldyeck family. Showing great promise from birth, Killua has already mastered many killing techniques at a tender age, and is set to be one of the best assassins the family has produced. Bored and tired of killing, Killua unexpectedly rebelled against his family, injuring both his mother and brother, and ran away to join the Hunter exam. Meeting with Gon during the first obstacle, Killua saw Gon as a friendly competitor, and ended up becoming fast friends.

Family: The Zaoldyeck family are world-reknowned assassins so rich and powerful that they are said to employ more than 200 people and live and own Kukuruu Mountain and the vast surrounding forests. They are so fearless that they have never hidden their whereabout, and even tour buses take visitors to their "front gates" known as the Gates to the Underworld as those who enter never return.

Killua divulges that since his youth, he has been constant training, having been left in the Celestial Tower (a tournament arena) at the age of 6, and swimming in pools of electric eels being amongst his everyday trails.

From the grandmother, grandfather, father, mother, and five sons, all are assassins.

Grandfather - Zeno, Father - Silva, Older brothers - Illumi and Milluki, Younger brothers - Karuto, Alluka

Attributes: From the outside, Killua seems just to be the boy next door; cheeky, cheerful and full of mischievous ideas. However, his ruthlessness and aptitude in killing shows the other side of him--deadly, violent and bloodthirsty. Having been repeatedly tortured since birth, Killua has been conditioned to possess extreme tolerance for poison, electrocution, and pain. Possessing both extraordinary agility and strength to match, Killua is one mean killing machine--definitely not one to be trifled with, as many of his adverseries had seen. However, until recently his greatest flaw was to fear characters more powerful than him, such as his elder brother Illumi. Killua had been trained as an assassin by his brother to be extremely cautious and engage in combat only if victory was virtually certain. This impeded him as a Hunter, as it is stated more than once that victory is never certain, and that depending on the circumstances, someone has the potential to defeat a stronger opponent. Killua struggled with these conflicting ideas during the latter half of the series, as he started to encounter stronger opponents. However, his brother's teachings remained firmly entrenched in his mind, to the point that Biscuit prophesized that he would one day abandon Gon because of this. Biscuit gave Killua an ultimatum: Defeat Shoot for the right to go with Gon to fight the Chimera Ants, or leave his side. Killua lost, and resolved to leave after Gon had recovered from his fight, protecting him in the meantime. However, Killua finally had to face Biscuit's prophecy when he encountered a Chimera ant, while Gon (who couldn't use nen) wasn't far off and had no way of defending himself. Killua, preoccupied with his internal battle, was losing to the Chimera ant. At the last moment, Killua found that Illumi had planted a needle in his head with his ability, all the way back in the first Hunter Exam. This needle was responsible for Killua not being able to let go of his assassin lessons. Upon extracting the needle, Killua was freed from this restraint, and now has much more confidence in battle.

Fighting ability: Killua does not usually use any weapons in combat. Instead, he uses his hands that change into razor sharp claws at will, delivering a swift and fatal attack, that can rip out beating hearts or behead opponents in a split second. However, during Greed Island, he experimented with using twin yo-yo's, made of a special alloy, as weapons. The yo-yo's are extremely durable and heavy, and can be used in conjunction with his Nen ability. In the current arc, he is relunctant to reveal them to his opponents, as he wants the enemy to know as little about him as possible.

Nen Ability: As a transformation type who can transform the nen into any substance at their will, Killua is busily practising this ability. So far, he has managed to successfully transform his surrounding nen into an electrically charged form, producing volts of electricity. The inspiration for this has been attributed to the daily doses of shock therapy he received at home, a favourite torture device of his brother, Milluki.

[edit] Kurapika

Kurapika
Japanese: クラピカ
Romaji: Kurapika
Height: 171cm
Weight: 59 kg
Date Of Birth: 4h April
Blood Type: AB
Age: 17
First Appearance: Episode 3, Chapter 2
Nen Type: Materialization (Conjurer)/Specialization (Specialist)

Kurapika is another one of Gon's friends, and supplies the incentive for Gon and his group to interact with the Genei Ryodan.

Kurapika is a member of the Kuruta tribe, a reticient group of people that chose to live in obscurity. They possess eyes that turn flaming red in times of anger or emotional agitation - a colour which remains eternally in the iris if scarlet at the time of death. The legendary brilliance of such scarlet eyes caused them to be in high demand as a collector's treasure. A few years ago, the Genei Ryodan came to Kurapika's hometown and massacred all the members of his tribe, leaving behind scores of dead bodies with eyes gorged out in their wake. As the last surviving member of his tribe, Kurapika vows to gain back all the stolen eyes of his people, by tracking the Genei Ryodan down and seeking revenge, even if he must sacrifice his life in the process.

The name of Kurapika's tribe, "Kuruta", is often used by many fans as his surname. The manga neither confirms nor contradicts this (Kurapika's surname has never been mentioned.)

Personality: Kurapika is a level headed and intelligent individual, possessing knowledge of a great variety of things. Of sound judgement, his in-depth and cool analysis has saved his friends from the brink of death many times. Needless to say, his quickmindedness and bargaining technique has also saved him from being killed by oppressively powerful enemies like Hisoka.

Fighting Ability: Kurapika is a great, balanced fight in any environment. He has two large tanto hidden below his over shirt. Sometimes (usually when his emotions gain altitude) Kurapika activates the “Red Eyes Technique” which allows him to become stronger, faster, and more knowledgeable about his surroundings. Though, after learning Nen, it’s is rarely used. Kurapika’s great horizon of knowledge is also an asset in duels.

Nen Abilities: Kurapika is a materialization/specialization type, one that can fashion objects that act according to his imagination. The weapon that he creates is a unique one--extending from his fingers of his right hand are five chains, which were specially created to deal vengeance upon the Genei Ryodan. Then Kurapika's eyes turn red, his nen type shifts from being materialization to being specialization. His attack, defense and accuracy in all nen abilities would be increased to 100% efficiency, making him virtually invincible during this span of time. This is called Emperor Time, or "Absolute Mastery".

To increase his effectiveness against the formidable Genei Ryodan, Kurapika places strict restrictions on the usage of his nen blades:

Use of each chain:

  • Thumb - Holy Chain
Shaped like a cross, it cures wounds by drawing from the reinforcement ability. When Kurapika is in his specialization state, it can heal serious injuries in seconds.
  • Middle finger - Chain Jail
Wraps around enemies, restricting movement. Also forcefully causes captured person to enter zetsu. This chain is restricted in that it can only be used to deal with members of the Genei Ryodan, and if the restriction is violated, Kurapika will die.
  • Ring finger - Dowsing Chain
Kurapika uses this frequently under normal situations, for defense and attack purposes. It is also useful for other investigative activities, like determining the location of missing individuals.
  • Little finger - Judgement Chain
A small nen blade enters the victim's body and stabs the heart. Kurapika sets a condition and if the victim breaches it, he would lose his life. Only can be of use when Kurapika is in the Specialization state.

The purpose of the chain on his index finger has yet to be revealed.

[edit] Leorio

Leorio
Japanese: レオリオ
Romaji: Reorio
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 85 kg
Date of birth: 3rd March
Blood Type: O
Age: 19
First Appearance: Episode 2, Chapter 2
Nen Type: Emission (Emitter)

Leorio meets Gon just as Gon leaves Whale Island to take the Hunter Exam. Much is unknown about Leorio. What we do know is that he once lost a close friend, Pietro, to a debilitating illness. Leorio feels deeply remorseful about being unable to save his friend, due to lack of money and knowledge in curing the illness. Thus, he aspires to become a doctor--one that not only cures the ill of their disease, but also waives the fee for the poor. In this light, his outwardly superficial reason to join the Hunter Exams in the pursuit of great wealth has a nobler justification--the money he gains is used not only to fund for his medical school fees, but also to pay for the medicine and other miscellaneous expenditures when treating the poor.

Personality: Leorio is not one who balks and retreats when faced against overwhelming odds in battle. A loyal, trustworthy ally who greatly values the ties of friendship, he acts like the 'big brother' of the group. However, his impulsive and brash nature has sometimes caused more trouble to people around him. Another flair he has is his ability to 'straight-talk' past any situation at hand.

Fighting Ability: Leorio is a good fighter in his own state. His weapon of choice is a long pocket knife which he can use very quickly.

[edit] Hisoka

Hisoka
Japanese: ヒソカ
Romaji: Hisoka
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 91 kg
Blood Type: B
Age: 26
First Appearance: Episode 6 , Chapter 5
Nen Type: Transformation (Transmuter)

Still a great mystery, no one knows where he came from or who he really is. Even Hisoka may not even know himself, preferring to forget his past.

Attributes: An erratic, volatile, killing machine that enjoys the act of killing, especially people whom he has targeted as victims, one being Gon. He believes himself to be the best fighter in the world, and always seeks to challenge anybody who appears to be equally powerful as him. He has set his current sight on Kuroro, the leader of the Genei Ryodan, finding him to be a worthy opponent which he would want to kill with relish. Hisoka is number four in the Ryodan, having joined it by killing off the previous fourth member.

Fighting Ability: Arguably one of the best fighters in the world, Hisoka is not only deadly in normal attacks, but has many tricks up his sleeve--his deviousness and volatility has made many opponents difficult to anticipate his next move, and this has led to him winning many battles. Using poker cards as his weapons, he throws them with ease and deadly accuracy, which cut into enemy flesh like a knife to butter.

Hisoka's nen abilities has served him well on numerous occasions, and especially compliments his devious nature. While fighting with Kastro, he once fooled everyone by masking his supposedly chopped arms with nen. Unlike most nen users who only have one Hatsu, Hisoka has developed two:

Texture Surprise (Dokkiri Texture): With this Hatsu ability, Hisoka can take an ordinary sheet of paper and transform its texture to look like another object. But despite the change in appearance, the substance does not change from paper into anything else. Hisoka once changed the words on the prediction written for him by the Lovely Ghost Writer nen ability (Stolen by Kuroro at this point), in order to fool the Genei Ryodan into thinking that he was innocent of betrayal. He did the same thing in Greed Island to fool Gon and Killua into thinking that the Genei Ryodan weren't on Greed Island. Also known as "Flimsy Lies."

Bungee Gum: Hisoka uses nen to alter its consistency into a incredibly sticky substance (Somewhat akin to bubble gum, albeit much stronger), to pull back opponents within punching range for a flurry of rebound pummels. It can also attach to objects and pull them backwards. When detached from Hisoka, it will tear after a maximum stretch of 10 millimeters. Hisoka's Bungee Gum is impossible to see, unless his opponent can use Gyou. Also known as "Elastic Love."

Relationships: Although Hisoka is an enigma, there are marked attitudes towards the characters he meets.

  • Gon and Killua: Hisoka refers to the two as "unripe fruits" and wonders why "unripe fruits look so delicious." Hisoka lives to fight and for the thrill of killing and feels that the two have great potential to become amazing fighters--and when they have become strong enough to offer a truly satisfying duel, Hisoka plans to kill them. However, in order to allow them to reach this stage, Hisoka refuses to allow them to die, demanding that the only way they will die is by his hand. In several scenes in the manga, Togashi points to the possibility that Hisoka may be sexually excited by their potential.
  • Kurapika and Leorio: During the fourth stage of the Hunter Exam, on Zebile Island, Hisoka also refers to the two as "unripe fruits", however, his interest in them is minimal compared to his interest in Gon and Killua. This may be because he sees less fighting potential in them.
  • Illumi Zaoldyeck: The two are comfortable with each other in the way two men of remarkably high ability would gather in a world of lesser beings. They may even be friends, though it is not known how they met, although they can call upon each other for favors. When Illumi is ready to kill Gon, he thinks that he can apologise to Hisoka later despite Hisoka having said that anyone who kills him "will not be let off lightly." However, one card wielded from the shadows stops Illumi in his tracks. Later on, he even asks Illumi to look like Hisoka so he could sneek out and meet with Gon and the others.
  • Kuroro Lucifer: The sole reason Hisoka masqueraded as a Genei Ryodan member was for the purpose of defeating Kuroro in a battle. Just as this is alluded to with Gon and Killua, Hisoka may be sexually aroused by the thought of battling with Kuroro as well. Near the end of the York Shin City arc, Hisoka finally gains the chance to fight Kuroro. However, Kurapika has already stripped Kuroro of his nen ability through his use of the Judgement Chain. Thus, Hisoka loses his desire to fight against Kuroro until he can gain his powers back.
  • Machi: Both being members of the Genei Ryodan, Hisoka and Machi spend some time together, although it is generally short in length. Their first encounter is after Hisoka's battle with Kastro, in which she sews his arms back on for him. Hisoka asks Machi out for dinner in one scene, and she denies him immediately. Machi is quite indifferent towards his advances. Her only known thoughts about him are when Hisoka asks how she'd react if he killed Kuroro, whereupon she replies that she'd hunt him to the ends of the earth and kill him. Hisoka replies that he'd like that.

[edit] External links


Hunter × Hunter
List of Hunter × Hunter episodes
Characters: Hunters | Main | Minor | Genei Ryodan | Zaoldyeck family
Other: Greed Island | Nen | Yoshihiro Togashi