List of Hunter × Hunter characters

The Hunter × Hunter manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Yoshihiro Togashi. The series takes place in a fictional universe where licensed specialists known as Hunters travel the world taking on special jobs ranging from treasure hunting to assassinations. The story focuses on 12-year-old Gon Freecss and his quest to become a Hunter in order to find his father, Ging Freecss, who is himself a famous Hunter. While on his quest, Gon meets and becomes close friends with three other members who are also on a quest to become Hunters for their own reasons.

Protagonists

Gon Freecss

Voiced by: Rica Matsumoto (Pilot OVA), Junko Takeuchi (1999 series, Japanese), Elinor Holt (1999 series, English), Megumi Han (2011 series)

Gon Freecss (ゴン＝フリークス, Gon Furīkusu) is the main protagonist of the Hunter × Hunter series and is known for being an athletic, rustic, and friendly boy. Having spent a lot of time in the woods as a child, he gets along very well with animals. Gon is an Enhancer, who are known for being simple-minded and determined. This determination and talent leads to both potential allies and potential enemies trusting in him and taking his side. He has inhuman senses such as heightened sense of smell and sight, as well as very keen taste. Gon wants to become a Hunter because he wishes to find out the depths of an occupation that would cause a father to choose the profession over being with his own son.

Simultaneously, his flaws lie in his temper and impulsive nature. Gon sometimes fails to think things through and such actions lead to him suffering. His will is stronger than most and he can be very level-headed, but this clear mind can also make him very cold at times. Though possessing talent far beyond the norm for his age, anytime his abilities are challenged he feels as if he has to prove his antagonist wrong. He continually strives to obtain greater power, often becoming exceptionally stronger in his anger. But Gon's anger also leads to extremely reckless tendencies. When his emotions are ignited, Gon becomes irrational and completely oblivious to anything else.

Gon is extremely confident in his abilities. Sometimes, he does not realize when the opponent is far stronger or even after he knows the opponent is stronger than him; regardless, he will continue to fight. He refuses to accept himself as inferior to any opponent that he disagrees with, including those clearly stronger than him. Togashi initially portrays this as naïveté. Aside from becoming a Hunter and finding his father, Gon desires strength above all else. Gon's greatest insecurity lies in his own weakness and not being able to protect those close to him.

Gon's Nen is an Enhancer-type, which gives him his great strength and recuperative abilities. His Hatsu is called Jajanken (ジャジャン拳) a play on the Japanese word for Rock-paper-scissors, "Janken".

Killua Zoldyck

Voiced by: Kanako Mitsuhashi (1999 series, Japanese), Annika Odegard (1999 series, English), Mariya Ise (2011 series)

Initially, Killua Zoldyck (キルア＝ゾルディック, Kirua Zorudikku) is introduced as a character who seems similar to Gon; cheeky, cheerful, and full of mischievous ideas. He is also one of the most quick-thinking characters in the series and Gon's best friend. He is confident in his own abilities, often being humble about it. But when somebody compliments him, especially Gon, he gets easily embarrassed. However, his ruthlessness and aptitude in killing shows the other side of him — deadly, violent, and bloodthirsty. Having been trained to be an assassin since birth, Killua has been conditioned to possess extreme tolerance for poison, electricity and pain. He possesses extraordinary agility and strength that makes Killua a one-man killing machine. Although Killua fails during the first Hunter Exam by killing an opponent due to his elder brother's Nen skills (manipulation), he attends the exam again the following year, earning his license by eliminating all other applicants in the very first trial.

Conflicting with Killua's predisposition to kill is his unyielding loyalty to his friends and natural kindness. Often, Killua suffers immensely in attempts to help his friends without a single complaint. Killua puts others before himself without being concerned about his own health or even his life. Previously, Killua's greatest flaw was his fear of those seemingly more powerful than him (one of whom being his elder brother, Illumi). Killua had been trained as an assassin by his brother to be extremely cautious that he only engages in combat provided that victory is absolutely certain. This impeded him as a Hunter, as Biscuit stated more than once that victory is never certain, and that depending on the circumstances, a person has the potential to defeat a stronger opponent.

Killua was born as the middle child to a family of assassins, the Zoldyck 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 ever produced. At the age of three, he started on training by tailing other people. He was forced to join in battle in the Tower of Heavens martial arts tournament at the age of 6.

Kurapika Kurta

Voiced by: Noriko Hidaka (Pilot OVA), Yuki Kaida (1999 series, Japanese), Cheryl Mcmaster (1999 series, English), Miyuki Sawashiro (2011 series)

Kurapika (クラピカ) is the sole survivor of the Kurta (クルタ, Kuruta) clan, a race with treasured irises that turn scarlet in times of anger or emotional agitation. In his childhood, the entire Kurta clan was eradicated by a band of thieves known as the Phantom Troupe. The Troupe desecrated the bodies of his race by stealing their scarlet eyes following the genocide, thereafter selling them on the black market. He participates in the Hunter Exam alongside Gon in order to become a Blacklist Hunter and gain the power to take vengeance for his race. Despite being a vehement moralist, Kurapika is not above adjoining himself to society's underworld in order to accomplish his own desires—aligning himself with a mafia family as soon as the opportunity presents itself. As part of his plan of revenge, Kurapika has created a special chain able to bind any member of the Phantom Troupe, rendering them defenseless at the cost of forfeiting his own life if he uses it against anyone who is not a member of them. Kurapika's Nen type is Conjuration. When Kurapika sees the symbol of the Phantom Troupe (a spider), he becomes enraged. It is also known that he hates regular spiders, too. He is later invited to join the Zodiacs by Leorio's recommendation and only accepts upon being given an important clue about someone who bought a large batch of scarlet eyes. Kurapika was inspired by the Ohmu in Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.^[1]

Leorio Paradinight

Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna (Pilot OVA), Hozumi Gōda (1999 series, Japanese), Jonathan Love (1999 series, English), Keiji Fujiwara (2011 series)

Leorio Paradinight (レオリオ＝パラディナイト, Reorio Paradinaito) is a young adult who befriends Gon during the Hunter Exam. After losing a friend to a curable illness that he could not afford the treatment of, Leorio dedicates himself to becoming a Hunter in order to pay for the costs of medical school to treat the impoverished for free. Though he is often outshone by the genius combat abilities of Gon and Killua, compared to the average man, Leorio is indeed very talented. Absent from the story since the "Greed Island" story arc, Leorio makes a reappearance after Gon is hospitalized. He finally displays some of his Nen abilities, using them to punch Ging in the face despite standing far from him after he declined Leorio's plea to pay a visit to his son. Killua observes Leorio to be an emission-type Nen user, with the ability to project force/energy blasts. Some time after Gon recovers, Leorio is invited to join the Zodiacs in their expedition to the Dark Continent.

Antagonists

Hisoka

Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi (1999 series, Japanese), Brendan Hunter (1999 series, English), Daisuke Namikawa (2011 series)

Hisoka (ヒソカ) is a magician, as well as a serial killer. Hisoka is deceitful, playful, and narcissistic by nature; he acts only according to self-interest. Hisoka combines his magic tricks with violence, and delights in battling against those he considers strong to the point of sexual arousal. In the manga, his sentences within speech balloons typically end with a suit symbol. Hisoka takes an interest in Gon and his friends after encountering them during the Hunter Exam; although he initially is posited as an antagonist due to affinity towards murder, he spends much of the series acting as both an adversary and comrade to Gon. Nen type: Transmutation

Phantom Troupe

The Phantom Troupe (幻影旅団, Gen'ei Ryodan, lit. Phantom Brigade), also known as the Spiders (蜘蛛（クモ）, Kumo), is the name for a gang of thieves that originated in the slum Meteor City. People who live there do not exist in any official records, and the existence of the city itself is known to very few people. The group consists of thirteen members, each with a numbered tattoo of a spider on their body. Those wishing to join the group can do so by killing a member, thereby replacing them. If a vacancy opens due to a member leaving or dying of other causes, the leader of the group, Chrollo Lucilfer, is responsible for finding a replacement member. Although they mainly steal and kill, they occasionally do philanthropic work.^[2]

• Note: Hisoka was previously member number four, before being replaced by Kalluto Zoldyck.

Chrollo Lucilfer

Voiced by: Yoshikazu Nagano (1999, Japanese), Richard Meen (1999, English), Mamoru Miyano (2011)

Chrollo Lucilfer (クロロ＝ルシルフル, Kuroro Rushirufuru) is the founder and leader of the Phantom Troupe. He forms the group with six other homeless children in Meteor City in his youth, thereafter leaving it. The Troupe was joined by more members, in accordance with Chrollo's idea of a group with exactly thirteen members, including himself. He organizes the Phantom Troupe mainly to commit acts of theft, though it is unknown what the group does with the stolen objects. His Nen ability also allows him to directly steal the abilities of other users of Nen. He led the genocide on Kurapika's clan, the latter thereafter stalking Chrollo and neutralizing his Nen ability as punishment. Nen type: Specialization

Bonolenov

Voiced by: Chō

Bonolenov (ボノレノフ, Bonorenofu) is covered in bandages and wears boxing gloves. These bandages cover up a large number of holes throughout his body. During the Chimera Ant arc, he was seen fighting with the other members of the Phantom Troupe against the Chimera Ants. His physical power ranks eighth among the Troupe,^[3] and he is the thirteenth Troupe member. Bonolenov is a descendant of the Gyudondond, a small wild tribe that was chased out of their lands by development. When males of the Gyudondond tribe reach the age of three, they are circumcised and needles are inserted in various parts of their body. Over time, these needles are replaced with thicker and thicker sticks, and the holes are stabilized with bamboo stalks or stones. Using these holes, Gyudondond males are able to create a variety of sounds. They are called "Bap", the dancing warriors, and fulfill the role of shamans and performers in their tribe. Before combat, they use their bodies to play songs of battle. The Gyudondond believe that the more beautiful a sound that is played, the greater the spirit it can summon.^[4] As a member of this clan, Bonolenov possess this as his Nen ability, titled "Batte Le Cantabile". Nen type: Conjuration

Feitan

Voiced by: Akari Hibino (1999, Japanese), Meredith Taylor Parry (1999), Kappei Yamaguchi (2011)

Feitan (フェイタン, Feitan) is one of the original members hailing from Meteor City and currently the de facto leader of the Phantom Troupe. He is attired in what one would expect from a bandit — dark clothes partnered with a skullhead scarf that covers his mouth. He seldom speaks, but when he does, it is full of grammatical errors, giving the impression that he is not speaking in his native tongue. During the Phantom Troupe's fight with Chimera Ants, Feitan reverts to his native language, which was shown with Chinese characters. After Feitan's victory over Zazan in Meteor City, he is crowned temporary leader of the Phantom Troupe. Feitan's movements are incredibly fast, being able to leave afterimages of his body. He wields an umbrella that conceals both a sword and a gun that fires out of the tip.

His Nen ability is called "Pain Packer: Unforgiven" which transforms the injuries he has received from his enemy into an attack. The more pain he receives, the stronger his attack is. Currently, only "Rising Sun: Burnt by the Sun" has been revealed, a miniature sun that burns anyone around him disregarding even allies, as shown by the rest of the Phantom Troupe fleeing from the scene when he uses this ability. Only Feitan is unaffected by the attack, presumably because of the armor that is formed on him. Nen type: Transmutation

Franklin

Voiced by: Yoshinobu Kaneko (1999), Steve Olson (1999, English), Kenji Nomura (G.I. OVA Series), Hidenobu Kiuchi (2011)

Franklin (フランクリン, Furankurin) is very large, with multiple facial scars similar to that of a Frankenstein. His ability is called "Dual Machine Gun", and is capable of shooting countless bullets composed of Nen from his fingers (which he himself modified). Franklin ranks fourth in physical power among the Troupe, and he is among the original members hailing from Meteor City.^[3] Nen type: Emission

Kortopi

Voiced by: Umi Tenjin (1999), Shinya Hamazoe (2011)

Very little is known about Kortopi (コルトピ, Korutopi). Exceptionally short in stature, he also has a thick and messy mane of hair covering his entire head, obscuring everything except for an occasional glimpse of his left eyeball. He is the weakest in the Troupe in terms of raw physical power.^[3] In fact, his Nen abilities so far suggest that he is not involved in combat at all, but rather theft and subterfuge. His Nen ability is called "Gallery Fake: Divine Left Hand, Demonic Right Hand", which allows him to make perfect copies of any object by touching it with his left hand and producing the copy with his right. The size of the object doesn't matter. He can also make copies of living humans, but they'll be immobile and lifeless. He's also able to know the exact location of any copy he has created by touching the original object. The copies vanish after 24 hours have passed. Nen type: Conjuration

Machi

Voiced by: Noriko Namiki (1999), Marcy Lannan (1999, English), Takako Uemura (OVA), Rena Maeda (2011)

Machi (マチ) is incredibly loyal to Chrollo, and is one of the original Phantom Troupe members from Meteor City. Hisoka seems to have an occasional interest in her, although it is hard to see whether it is genuine. Her ability is to form aura into thread, the strength of which is inversely proportional to its length: a thread as long as the diameter of the Earth would be as strong as cotton, but a one meter-long thread can lift a ton. Besides attacking it can be used to track people, but was also shown used to stitch severed limbs back on. Physically, she is the strongest woman in the Troupe and the sixth strongest overall. She also has an extremely keen intuition (the other members of the Troupe say that she has never been wrong about her intuitions).^[3] Nen type: Transmutation

Nobunaga Hazama

Voiced by: Takashi Matsuyama (1999), John Knight (1999), Naoya Uchida (2011)

Nobunaga Hazama (ノブナガ＝ハザマ) has a similar appearance to ronin warriors in Edo period Japan, complete with a long katana that he uses with great finesse and skill. Nobunaga specializes in combining nen with the use of his katana in executing enemies. His best friend is Uvogin, and the two bring out the best of each other during combat. Seeing some of Uvogin's personality in Gon, he expresses interest in having Gon join the Troupe, though Gon adamantly refuses. Nobunaga ranks ninth in physical power among the Troupe, and is one of the original members from Meteor City.^[3] Nen type: Enhancement

Pakunoda

Voiced by: Yoshiko Iseki (1999), Romi Park (2011)

Pakunoda (パクノダ) is an original member of the Phantom Troupe from Meteor City. She is fully loyal to Chrollo, even going against the Troupe in order to help him. She is killed by Kurapika's Judgement Chain in the climax of the Phantom Troupe arc by violating the restrictions placed upon her. Her main nen ability is to read the memories of people she touches by making specific questions. Her secondary ability allows her to transform these memories into the shape of a bullet which she fires into the heads of her companions from a gun, thereby giving them that information. Pakunoda is buried in the Troupe's Yorknew hideout. She is eleventh in physical strength.^[3] Nen type: Specialization

Phinxs

Voiced by: Yoshiaki Matsumoto (1999), Lucas Gilbertson (1999, English), Kenichiro Ohashi (2011)

Phinxs (フィンクス, Finkusu) uses his hands in battle, which has been shown to be extremely powerful. He is one of the original Phantom Troupe members from Meteor City and wears an Egyptian Pharaoh-like outfit in battle. Phinxs seems to get along best with Feitan, and is almost always seen partnered with him both in and out of combat. His nen ability is called "Ripper Cyclotron", the strength of which is dependent upon how many times he rotates his arm; the more rotations, the more powerful his attack will be. In terms of physical strength, Phinxs is ranked second among the Troupe members. His name is an anagram for "Sphinx".^[3] Nen type: Enhancement

Shalnark

Voiced by: Yasuhiro Takato (1999), Jordan Schartner (1999, English), Noriko Hidaka (2011)

Shalnark (シャルナーク, Sharunāku) is member number six of the Phantom Troupe, and from his appearance, he seems to be a normal boy. However, he is one of the most intelligent and quick-thinking members in the group, being highly adept at using computers and information gathering. Shalnark is also a licensed Hunter, so he has access to certain information that could be potentially useful to the Phantom Troupe. His main ability revolves around remotely manipulating the actions of others using his cell phone by sticking a specialized antenna into their bodies. His secondary ability involves applying the antenna upon himself and putting his body on autopilot, resulting in an enhanced state with enough power to devastate most opponents. However, he dislikes this ability because he is subject to immense muscle pain for several days after its use, and as he has no control over the process and retains no memory over what has transpired he can't derive any pleasure or satisfaction when he uses it to win a fight. Shalnark ranks tenth in physical power among the Troupe.^[3] Nen type: Manipulation

Shizuku

Voiced by: Atsuko Bungo (1999), Emily Bachynski (1999, English), Miho Arakawa (2011)

Shizuku (シズク, Shizuku) is extremely forgetful and can be an airhead at times which, along with her unassuming appearance, can cause opponents to underestimate her combat abilities.^[5] Shizuku uses her nen vacuum "Blinky" ("Deme-chan" in the original Japanese version) in combat, which is able to suck up anything that is not nen created or that she considers living. It is also able to regurgitate the last thing sucked up. She is left-handed,^[6] and the twelfth strongest physically out of the thirteen members of the Troupe.^[3] Shizuku is member number eight, a replacement for the last member since the Troupe came together. Nen type: Conjuration

Uvogin

Voiced by: Eiji Takemoto (1999), Mike Shepherd (1999, English), Akio Ōtsuka (2011)

Uvogin (ウヴォーギン, Uvōgin) was one of the original members of the Troupe from Meteor City. Out of all of the Phantom Troupe, he was the strongest in terms of raw physical power.^[3] Uvogin was so strong, that direct hits from bullets, sniper bullets, and even anti-tank rockets don't do visible damage to him.^[7] Like all of the Troupe, he never hesitates to kill, and particularly enjoys combat against skilled opponents. Although he prefers to fight alone, Uvogin becomes stronger when fighting with a partner, usually Nobunaga, because he fights better when there is someone else to protect (although he never admits this).^[8] Seeking revenge on Kurapika for capturing him after his battle with the Shadow Beasts, Uvogin tracks him to the hotel where Neon Nostrade and the rest of her bodyguards are staying. They fight one-on-one in a small canyon on the outskirts of Yorknew City. Kurapika eventually captures Uvogin with his Chain Jail, and questions him about the location and abilities of the other Phantom Troupe members. Uvogin refuses to answer any questions, responding only with "Kill me." Kurapika then pierces Uvogin's chest with the Judgement Chain ability, giving Uvogin the condition that he must answer all questions truthfully. Kurapika once again asks him the location of the other Troupe members, to which Uvogin only smiles and says to Kurapika "Go to hell, you bastard." Kurapika's Judgement Chain pierces Uvogin's heart, instantly killing him. Uvogin is buried by Kurapika at the site of their battle. He was the eleventh member of the Troupe. Nen type: Enhancement

Omokage

Voiced by: Naohito Fujiki

Omokage (オモカゲ) was the original number four of the Troupe before being replaced by Hisoka that appears in the Phantom Rouge film. Nen type: Specialization

Chimera Ants

Chimera Ants (キメラ＝アント, Kimera Anto) are a fictional species of insect, extremely dangerous and ranked first among insects that should be quarantined in the Hunter × Hunter universe.^[9] They have voracious appetites and can consume several times their own weight within a single day.^[9] Chimera Ant queens possess an entirely unique method of reproduction, known as phagogenesis,^[9] a fictional term describing the process by which chimera ants reproduce—through eating. By eating other creatures, a Chimera Ant queen imparts the characteristics the ingested creatures onto the next generation of Chimera Ants it gives birth to.^[9] To take advantage of the genes of a particular species, Chimera Ants have been known to feed until the fodder species is driven to extinction. After tasting humans, the ants focus their efforts on gathering humans. This leads to them learning Nen, which increases their strength, but also forms conflict, as their "past memories" as humans causes them to strive for individuality.

Chimera Ant Queen

Voiced by: Masako Ikeda

The Chimera Ant Queen is the first chimera ant to be seen in the series. Though Chimera Ant growth is generally limited to ten centimeters, a mutation has caused the queen to reach over two meters.^[9] She first appears in the story when she washes up injured on the shores of the autonomous region of Neo Green Life (or simply N.G.L.), a small insular nation located on an island known as the Mitene Union. Driven by her reproductive instincts, the queen immediately begins to feed on small mammals and aquatic life in order to give birth to soldier ants, which she uses to gather larger prey in greater amounts. By chance, one of the soldier ants gathers two human children and feeds them to the queen; she finds them more delicious and nutritious than prior prey and subsequently orders her soldiers to concentrate on gathering humans. Due to N.G.L. being a neo-Luddite nation forbidding the use of modern technology within its borders, news of the giant Chimera Ant infestation is slow to reach the outside world. She is severely injured during the Chimera Ant King's forced, premature birth, and later dies, despite being given treatment. However, before her death she reveals the king's name: Meruem.

Meruem

Voiced by: Koki Uchiyama

The Chimera Ant King, Meruem (メルエム, Meruemu), is the most powerful offspring of the Chimera Ant Queen. With the ability to add the aura of those he's consumed to his own, his power stands at the precipice of creation in the series. Meruem is born arrogant, with preconceived notions of the superiority of Chimera Ants and treats humans as livestock. But also born without the knowledge of his own name, he has little sense of identity aside from his supposed destiny. Shortly after his birth, which he forced killing the queen in the process, Meruem leaves the hive and N.G.L. with his Royal Guards in search of a place to start his kingdom. He descends on the Republic of East Gorteau and takes over the country by killing its dictator, Ming Jol-ik. Meruem then uses Jol-ik's corpse as a puppet to order East Gorteau's entire population to gather in the capital city for a national rally, in order to create a situation in which entire towns and villages could be secretly abducted for a "selection": the forcible awakening of Nen in order to create an army of super soldiers to conquer the world.^{[10][11][12][13]} The Hunter Association mobilizes an extermination team to raid the East Gorteau kingdom and assassinate Meruem, composed of a selected team of professional Hunters.

Meruem takes an interest in strategy games, defeating champion-level players by learning their battle tactics after disrupting the flow of their playing style. However, he is unable to overcome the skill of a seemingly dimwitted blind girl from the countryside named Komugi in Gungi, the game she reigns over. As Meruem finds himself unable to disrupt her flow, the challenge of playing against Meruem awakens Komugi's Nen ability, thus, increasing her own skills. To the dismay of the Royal Guards, Meruem even starts to show respect and care for Komugi while questioning his own violent methods as a way to rule. As such, the King wavers between his human emotions and animal instincts. Meruem's faltering leaves him vulnerable, almost being destroyed in the fight against Netero due to his change in heart. His life is saved after he feeds on the bodies of Pouf and Youpi, assimilating their powers alongside their aura. However, due to the explosion, he temporarily loses part of his memories. The King later on recovers most of his memories, when he gets back to the room where Komugi is treated by Pitou, he sees a piece of Gungi and he remembers a portion of his memory. Due to Netero's final attack, a poison is implemented in him which is slowly causing Meruem to die. Meruem spends his final moments playing with Komugi and eventually dies in her arms.

Royal Guard

Neferpitou

Voiced by: Ayumi Fujimura

Neferpitou (ネフェルピトー, Neferupitō), also known as "Pitou" (ピトー), is a cat-humanoid Chimera Ant and the firstborn of the three Royal Guards. Gifted with abnormally powerful abilities. During an attempted infiltration into the nest of the Chimera ants, Neferpitou kills Kite and later repairs his corpse to manipulate as a puppet. Even Netero, the chairman of the Hunter Association and a man considered the world's strongest Hunter during his prime, self-affirms that Pitou may be stronger than him.^[14] During the Hunter extermination team's assault on the East Gorteau palace, the Chimera Ant king's consort Komugi is mortally wounded and under the king's orders, Neferpitou medically treats her. Gon, however, threatens to kill Komugi unless Neferpitou agrees to restore Kite following the woman's treatment. Though she made a promise to go with Gon to Peijin to restore Kite, once they reached the area, Pitou affirms that the task is impossible and subsequently prepares to kill Gon. In a rage, Gon forcibly ages his body through expending nearly all of his natural potential and kills her with the temporary Nen-boost. Postmortem, Pitou's corpse is manipulated by the remnants of her Nen ability until it is destroyed by Gon.

Shaiapouf

Voiced by: Wataru Hatano

Shaiapouf (シャウアプフ, Shauapufu), also known as "Pouf" (プフ), is a butterfly-humanoid Chimera Ant and another of the king's Royal Guards. He is the most cunning of the three, though his temperament and love for the king cause him to covertly defy the king's orders in order to prevent his humanization. Having wholeheartedly devoted his entire being to the protection of the king, Pouf is grossly disturbed by the king's obsession with Komugi due to his perception of the inferiority of humans. Shaiapouf views Komugi as a threat to the king's rule, as his fixation on a mere human could undermine the king's eventual domination of the world. As such, Pouf frequently makes attempts on Komugi's life in order to get rid of her influence. Through his Nen ability, Pouf has the capability to split his form into fragments the size of cells. Therefore, he also has the ability to alter his own bodily appearance via the same method. Like Youpi, Pouf dies from poison after entering the ground zero from Netero's nuclear bomb.

Menthuthuyoupi

Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki

Menthuthuyoupi (モントゥトゥユピー, Montutuyupī), also known as "Youpi" (ユピー), is the third of the chimera ant king's Royal Guards. Menthuthuyoupi is the largest of the guards and the only non-human hybrid among them, mixed with the genes of a magical beast instead.^[15] He is the most straightforward of the royal guards and possesses a strength that comes from complete selflessness and devotion to the King. Youpi's Nen ability allows for both bodily metamorphosis and the transformation of his own anger into pure destructive power.^[16] His Hatsu allows for him to billow large quantities of his aura into his body through En, subsequently resulting in an explosion.^[17] Youpi can use his explosive ability in conjunction with his shape-shifting, physically manifesting the blast's power into his own body. He loses this power, however, after feeding himself to the chimera ant king in order to revive him following Netero's suicide attack. He dies from poison after entering the ground zero from Netero's nuclear bomb.

Others

Colt

Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima

Colt (コルト, Koruto) is a Chimera Ant with angel-like wings on his back and bird-like claws for feet. He is among the first Chimera Ants to be born by the queen following her change to an all-human diet. Colt is first seen leading his squad on a food-gathering attack on a human farming settlement. Throughout his appearances, Colt projects a very strict and formal attitude. He is extremely devoted both to the queen and his work, and is the only squadron leader that always gave all the humans he killed to the queen as food. When the queen is grievously injured as a result of the king's birth, Colt is the ant that decides to surrender, contacts the Hunters in order to secure medical attention for her, and even offers his own organs to save her life. Colt's loyalty and desire to protect is a trait inherited from the first human eaten by the queen, a young boy trying to protect his sister Reina. Colt is partly born of the boy's genetic material, and has residual memories of Reina, even mentioning her name without realizing it. After the queen's death he curses his inability to protect her and Reina, but soon notices a tiny infant, no larger than a finger, among the queen's remains and vows to protect and raise it. Following this emotional scene, a tearful Morel declares he himself will protect Colt and his ward from harm if they promise not to eat humans.

Meleoron

Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita

A chameleon-like Chimera Ant, Meleoron (メレオロン, Mereoron) is an eccentric among them, as he dislikes fighting or killing. Even though Meleoron has the rank of a squadron leader, he himself admits his actual fighting strength is only on par with a common soldier ant.^[18] Meleoron dresses in a hooded sweatshirt with sweatpants, and is often seen smoking. His nen ability, called "Perfect Plan", allows him to turn invisible, and while he holds his breath he is completely undetectable by smell, sound or even touch. A secondary nen ability, "God's Accomplice" allows him to use his "Perfect Plan" on anyone he is touching. As a human, his original name was Jail (ジェイル). Meleoron regains his human memories and joins up with Gon and the other chimera ant exterminators for revenge, after his foster father, Peggy, is murdered by the chimera ant king.^[19]

Ikalgo

Ikalgo (イカルゴ, Ikarugo) is a former officer of the chimera ants who eventually befriends Killua. Ikalgo, an octopus, wishes he had been born a squid instead. After saving Killua's life after a battle, he joins the extermination team in the assault on the palace of East Gorteau. Ikalgo has the ability to transmute his tentacles into guns, as well as possessing corpses and reanimating them according to his will.

Welfin

Voiced by: Daiki Nakamura

Welfin (ウェルフィン, Werufin) is a chimera ant resembling a humanoid wolf. Welfin, a drudge at the bottom of the chimera ant hierarchy, is secretly aiming to reach the top of the kingdom by trying to gain favor with the king. Gaining better relations with the kingdom's secretary, Bizeff, Welfin reports anything out of the ordinary that he notices. He has an exceptional sense of smell, and is among the few figuring out exactly who the intruders into the king's palace are. He is striving to be the "Shadow King", in order to compete with his best friend Gyro — the former King of N.G.L. He is extremely paranoid, shown by his Hatsu, and mistrusts everyone around him. His Nen ability is called "Missileman". It takes the form of a conjured organism attached to his back with a shrunken head and four limbs, each holding a missile. To use "Missileman", Welfin must follow a procedure: first he has to establish a target and then ask a question or give an order to the target. If the target lies, or refuses to obey, missiles are fired at them. On impact, the missiles infect the target with giant centipedes that grow inside them until they kill the target.

Leol

Voiced by: Jiro Saito

Leol (レオル, Reoru) is a chimera ant resembling an anthropomorphic lion. Before the death of the chimera ant queen, he was known as Hagya (ハギャ, Hagya), and was one of the not particularly loyal squadron leaders. Leol's memories of his previous life are not that of a human, but those of a lion.^[20] During Morel and Knov's primary infiltration of the king's palace in East Gorteau, Leol faces Morel in combat. He assumes to be victorious after submerging Morel in an underground church using a stolen ability, but dies by asphyxiation due to a cunning strategy put into plan by Morel. His Nen ability, called "Rental Pod", allows him to borrow the Nen abilities of other people through a complex procedure: first he must know the name of the ability and have seen it in use, then he has to do a favor to the target, and then ask them "You owe me a favor, right?". If the target says yes, the ability is recorded on the Rental Pod and it can be borrowed at any time to be used for up to one hour. Leol is also shown using it to check if someone is alive; the ability disappears from the Rental Pod when its owner dies.

Cheetu

Voiced by: Motoki Takagi

Cheetu (ヂートゥ, Jītu) is a cheetah-like chimera ant, and the fastest of all of them. His speed is unparalleled, allowing him to dodge bullets with ease, punch even experienced Hunters several times before their body can move. Personality wise, Cheetu is very simpleminded, unlike some other chimera ants, he has no greater plans and is simply content with being the fastest. Cheetu is first introduced along with the other recurring squadron leaders early in the chimera ant story arc. After the birth of the king and the death of the queen, he leaves N.G.L. and starts heading East, before Morel and Knuckle are called to confront him. Neither side is able to declare victory, with Cheetu running away. This causes him to realize he needs a power greater than pure speed, eventually seeking Shaiapouf for help in developing his own Nen in exchange for servitude. With his new power, he confronts Morel again, but is defeated by being psychologically tricked. Cheetu escapes, and later is seen boasting about yet another ability. He finally meets his end during the attack on Meruem's palace; he is crushed to death by Silva Zoldyck from above while attempting to pick a fight with Zeno, all the while boasting of his magnificent new technique.

Zazan

Voiced by: Azusa Nakao

A scorpion-like chimera ant, Zazan (ザザン) has the body of an extremely buxom, attractive woman and the scorpion's stinger tail. She is first introduced when she subdues Pokkle with her stinger, saving her doting subordinate Pike from his attacks. After the actual queen's death she proclaims herself to be a queen, starting a colony in Meteor City and turning a large number of humans there into subservient minions with her stinging ability. This causes the Phantom Troupe to attack her hive. Her ultimate ability is to transform herself into a hideous monster with even greater strength and super-hard skin, which she uses as a last resort against Feitan. It does her little good though, as Feitan ends up incinerating her with his Nen ability.

Hina

Voiced by: Azusa Kataoka

Hina (ヒナ) is an exorcist that can remove Nen, ultimately being stored in her belly. She is a member of Leol's troop, originally named Hirin (ヒリン) before she changed her name. She dresses in cutesy clothes, and worries about the effect her ability has on her figure.

Rammot

Voiced by: Shinya Hamazoe

Rammot (ラモット, Ramotto) is an officer in Colt's squad. He attacks Gon and Killua but is defeated by their Nen abilities, although they are unable to kill him before he is forcibly taken away. As a result of this confrontation, Rammot's aura nodes are opened and he becomes the first chimera ant to be able to control Nen. This in turn allows him to forcibly awaken the Nen of other chimera ants. Rammot eventually seeks revenge on Gon and Killua, but in doing so causes Killua to discover and remove a needle planted in his head by his older brother Illumi which causes Killua to flee from any opponent he was not 100% sure of defeating. Following this, Rammot is decapitated by Killua.

Gyro

Gyro (ジャイロ, Jairo) is the founder and former king of the Neo Green Life autonomous region.^[21] As a human, he suffered an abusive childhood at the hands of an alcoholic father. His ambition is to spread evil throughout the world. Gyro's tenacity and pride as a former king allow him to keep all of his human memories and break free of the chimera ant queen's control, vacating her domain.^[21] As a human, Gyro and Welfin were best friends with similar backgrounds.

Tcheridnich Hoicoro

The fourth prince of the Kakin Kingdom, he is a psychopath with a hobby to attract young girls using money and influence to kill them, claiming that he does so for the "sake of art". He also owns a large batch of Scarlet Eyes and upon being informed of it, Kurapika agrees to join the Zodiacs' expedition to the Dark Continent in order to get close to him.

Hunter Association

The Hunter Association (ハンター協会, Hantā Kyōkai) is responsible for the testing and licensing of "Hunters" (ハンター, Hantā) — a person that has proven themselves through rigorous examination to be an elite member of humanity and who specializes in finding rare creatures, secret treasures, and other individuals. With the passing of the examination, a Hunter is awarded a license which bestows a number of benefits on the licensee. This results in massive registration numbers for the annual licensing exam with an extremely high failure rate. The current Chairman of Hunter Association after Netero's death is Cheadle Yorkshire.

Isaac Netero

Voiced by: Bunmei Tobayama (1999), Paul Hudson (1999, Japanese), Ichirô Nagai (2011-2013), Banjou Ginga (2014)

Isaac Netero (アイザック＝ネテロ, Aizakku Netero) is the Chairman of the Selection Committee for the Hunter Exam. Presiding over it, he has final authority over every stage of the examination and is assisted by his secretary Maamen Beans, who helps organize the Hunter Exam and presents the successful candidates with their license. Netero is said to have been the strongest Nen user in the world 50-years prior to the start of the series. Decades prior to the beginning of the series, Netero spent four years rigorously training every day in order to express gratitude to the martial arts. He eventually attained enlightenment, giving him the ability to punch faster than the speed of sound and the power of the bodhisattva Guanyin.^[22] Netero was also the Grand Master of the Shingen-Ryu style of Kung fu.^[23] He commits suicide in an attempt to exterminate the Chimera Ant King by triggering a powerful bomb linked to his heart.

Zodiacs

The Zodiacs (十二支ん, Jūnishin) are the high council of the Hunter Association composed of twelve individuals personally selected by Chairman Netero. They have a codename based on a sign of the Chinese zodiac, and are tasked to decide the nature of Netero's succession after his death. Almost all of the members have the habit to shape their abilities, behavior, and even physical traits based on the animal each represents. There are only ten of them who are still on the Zodiac, while the other two (the only ones who does not mimic their respective namesakes) resigned, with Leorio and Kurapika being invited to replace them.

Cheadle Yorkshire

Voiced by: Ikue Ohtani

Cheadle Yorkshire (チードル＝ヨークシャー, Chīdoru Yōkushā) is a young woman from the Zodiacs whose codename is "Dog". She is one of the few "Triple Star" hunters to appear the series (and the only female to hold the title thus far). She is generally shown as an intelligent person. In the 13th Hunter Chairman Election arc, she always gets the second place, until Leorio takes her position after he punches Ging in front of all hunters. She - along with the rest of the Zodiacs - conspires together to prevent Pariston from winning the election, because the Zodiac members do not trust Pariston, but in spite of their efforts, Pariston wins but gives his position to her because he only wanted to have fun. After she becomes chairman she accepts the resignation of Gin and Pariston. She also, as ordered by the V5, orders the Zodiac to hunt down Beyond Netero because he intends to explore the Dark Continents, but instead strikes a deal to accompany him instead. She is a doctor and law scholar known as the "Rare Diseases Hunter".

Ging Freecss

Voiced by: Hiroki Touchi (1999), Ben Jeffrey (1999, English), Urara Takano (child, 1999), Rikiya Koyama (2011)

Ging Freecss (ジン＝フリークス, Jin Furīkusu), Gon's father, is an Archaeological Hunter and is Gon's motivation to become a Hunter because of his absence in Gon's life. Nearly nothing is known about him except that he is a Double Star Hunter and has the qualifications, according to Satotz, to become a Triple Star Hunter. He is extremely rich and as powerful as the president of a country. All other information about him is classified even in the official Hunter database. Netero said to Bisuke that Ging is one of the five best Nen users in the world. This is demonstrated when he replicates Leorio's power through raw Nen control (instead of a trained Nen ability), in order to hide his true power. He is the main creator of the Greed Island game, and is also the one who captured and placed Razor in the game.

Ging claims that he does not want to see Gon because he is too ashamed of himself for being absent in Gon's life. Despite that he seems confident in Gon's abilities and knows him better than anyone, as it was implied that he created Greed Island with the purpose of help with his training, to the point that he was willing to allow Gon to meet with him after beating the game, and claims that there was no need to visit him at the hospital as he is sure that despite being seriously injured, he will eventually recover with his own will. His Zodiac codename is "Boar" and he is one of the only two members who do not mimic their corresponding animal. His first true appearance in the manga is in chapter 319, where he suggests that all Hunters are eligible to vote or be a candidate in the next chairman election, and that it should be done by lottery. At the end of the election, Ging at last meets Gon. He tells Gon to apologize to Kite and then he talks together with Gon in the highest tree of the world, where Ging tells his son about the meaning of adventure before they once again separate. He then resigns from the Zodiacs and joins Beyond's expedition with Pariston. Leorio was invited to replace him.

Pariston Hill

Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi

Pariston Hill (パリストン＝ヒル, Parisuton Hiru) is a Triple Star Hunter and ex-vice chairman of the Hunter Association. He used to be one of the Zodiacs whose codename is "Rat". Similar to Ging, he did not alter his physical appearance to match his animal. Pariston is a skilled politician. In the 13th Hunter Chairman Election arc, he attempted to secure the seat of the Chairman, and eventually won the election because Gon chooses to vote for him. However, he gives his position as the Chairman to Cheadle and resigns from the Zodiacs to join Beyond Netero's expedition. Kurapika was invited to replace him.

Mizaistom Nana

Voiced by: Akio Ohtsuka

Mizaistom Nana (ミザイストム＝ナナ), codenamed the "Ox", is a crime hunter and said to be a man with common sense. He also ranks 4th on the 13th Chairman Election and conspires with Cheadle to prevent Pariston's will of becoming Chairman. In the end he decides to tell his supporters to vote for Cheadle. Mizaistom was shocked when Cheadle tells her supporters to send their supports to Leorio, which she does in order to stop Pariston's intention to become the Chairman.

Botobai Gigante

Voiced by: Issei Futamata

Botobai Gigante (ボドバイ＝ギガンテ), codenamed the "Dragon", is one of the few Triple Star Hunter who appears in the series. He is the most senior member of the Zodiacs. Specialized in public security, he is known as the "Terrorist Hunter".

Kanzai

Voiced by: Ryota Ohsaka

Kanzai (カンザイ), member of the Zodiacs, codenamed the "Tiger", is a hot tempered guy and dislikes Pariston greatly. A bounty hunter by nature, he also has a short temper as shown when he easily gets mad when Pariston and Hisoka tease him.

Piyon

Voiced by: Tomoka Kiriyama

Piyon (ピヨン), one of the members of the Zodiacs, codenamed the "Rabbit", is a language specialist, and known as an "Ancient Texts Hunter". She appears to be proficient in technology, as she is often seen on her phone or a laptop.

Geru

Voiced by: Yuki Shirato

Geru (ゲル), codenamed the "Snake", is a woman with a calm attitude. She has the ability to change her arms into a snake which she uses to briefly threaten Pariston when he suggests the Zodiacs to make him the Chairman without election. She is a pharmacist specialized in poisons.

Cluck

Voiced by: Megumi Han

Cluck (クルック, Kurukku), codenamed the "Chicken", is one of the most short-tempered members in the Zodiacs. She appears to have the power to manipulate birds, as shown when she informs all hunters for an election. She is also a musician and dancer, and specialized in hunting for rare plants.

Saccho Kobayakawa

Voiced by: Takuma Suzuki

Saccho Kobayakawa (サッチョウ＝コバヤカワ, Satchō Kobayakawa), codenamed the "Horse", is a detective and handyman. He appears to be very strict about the rules, and is known as the "Worry Hunter".

Ginta

Voiced by: Takuma Suzuki

Ginta (ギンタ), one of the Zodiacs, codenamed the "Sheep", is a biologist known as a "Poaching Hunter". He seems to be very sensitive when it comes of Netero's death but he gets very mad when Pariston suggests to be the Chairman without an election.

Saiyu

Saiyu (サイユウ, Saiyū), one of the Zodiacs, codenamed the "Monkey", is a man whose appearance is identical to the Monkey King. A bounty hunter specialized in martial arts, he also has a staff as his weapon.

Examiners

The Hunter Exam is divided into several stages, depending on the difficulty of the exam. Each stage is overseen by an experienced hunter. The 287th exam's (which is the one first shown in the series) first examiner is Satotz (サトツ, Satotsu), who tests the candidates' stamina by leading them on a marathon of unknown length through an underground tunnel. The second stage of the exam is administered by two gourmet hunters, Buhara (ブハラ) and Menchi (メンチ). Although Menchi fails all of the candidates due to her stubbornness, Netero pressures her into giving the candidates an alternative test. The third stage is overseen by Lippo (リッポー, Rippō), testing the candidates in different aspects of group dynamics, both in a communal and individual front.

Examinees

The examinees that took part in the 287th annual Hunter Exam, the year the series' main characters took the exam.

Tonpa

Voiced by: Kohei Kowada (1999), Gerald Matthews (1999, English), Toshiharu Sakurai (2011)

Tonpa (トンパ, Tonpa) is nicknamed the "Rookie Crusher" by candidates with more experience taking the exam. He has taken the exam for 35 consecutive terms, never managing to pass. He often brags of his experience to those taking the exam for the first time and then offers them a helping hand. This is merely subterfuge as he takes a perverse pleasure in sabotaging their attempts to get the license. This time around, he trails Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio while attempting various means to foil their advancement. In order to do this, he uses methods like spiking drinks with a strong laxative and being contradictory simply to delay progress in a time-sensitive arena, where he is teamed up with them. He also attends the following hunter exam (given during the Greed Island arc), where he, along with everyone else, is defeated by Killua.

Hanzo

Voiced by: Yoshiaki Matsumoto (1999), Lucas Gilbertson (1999, English), Daisuke Kishio (2011)

Hanzo (ハンゾー, Hanzō) is an 18-year old Jōnin ninja from the Cloud Hidden Village who has trained in the art of ninjutsu from the moment he could stand.^[24][25] He decided to become a Hunter in order to find the elusive Hermit's Scroll.^[26] In the first part of the exam, which is a marathon, Hanzo is easily able to converse, while most of the others are breathless and struggling. In the second test, featuring cooking, he is the only one to know what sushi is, as it is a dish from his home country, Japan. He is the third candidate to clear the deadly traps and puzzles of the Trick Tower. In the final test of the Hunter Exam, Hanzo is forced to battle Gon. His speed, strength, and battle experience easily exceed that of Gon. However, the only way to pass the final test is to force your opponent to admit defeat — Gon refuses to do so even after being severely beaten. Hanzo breaks Gon's arm to force him to admit defeat, but he still refuses. Noting the lack of hate in Gon's eyes after this act, Hanzo realizes he actually has come to like him. He willingly bows out of the battle, giving Gon the victory needed for him to pass the final test. It is later stated by Wing that Hanzo learned Nen after the Hunter Exam. Hanzo later appears for 1 scene in chapter 324, page 10.

Pokkle

Voiced by: Yukiko Tamaki (1999), Graden Gant (1999, English), Yukitoshi Tokumoto (2011)

Pokkle (ポックル, Pokkuru) is making his second attempt to pass the Hunter exam. He is an accomplished archer that carries a bow and shaft of arrows wherever he goes. The arrows are tipped with a potent tranquillizer that, even with a small nick, induces paralysis for any person for up to a week. Pokkle's aim is to become a successful wildlife hunter through obtaining the license. During the discussion that takes place after the end of the Exam, Pokkle has lingering doubts over the way Kurapika has passed the last stage. After the Hunter Exam, Pokkle is not seen again until the chimera ant arc, where he is traveling with several hunters and Ponzu. After being defeated by several chimera ants, Pokkle is brought to the hive and then manipulated by Neferpitou into telling the chimera ants about nen. After revealing it to them, Pokkle is killed and fed to the queen.

Ponzu

Voiced by: Umi Tenjin (1999), Leda Davies (1999, English), Haruka Kudō (2011)

Ponzu (ポンズ) is one of the 24 that managed to enter the fourth stage of the Hunter Exam. Her secret weapon lies within her round cap, carrying neurotoxic bees under the surface that emerge and attack her enemies when she is threatened. During this stage, her bees accidentally end up killing Bourbon after falling into his trap. Ponzu is rescued by Gon, but her badge is taken by Leorio when she is unconscious, causing her to fail the exam. She was examinee #246 during the Hunter Exam and just like all the other applicants for the following year, she fails once more after being defeated by Killua. Ponzu later accompanies Pokkle a year later to the N.G.L. region on an expedition. Their group learns of the dangers of the chimera ants and attempt to warn the outside world. However, before they get the chance Zazan's squad detects them and Ponzu is the only one able to escape. She runs only far enough to send a bee with a warning to the strongest hunter nearby, who happens to be Kite. She is shot, killed, then eaten moments later by an officer from Zazan's squad.

Chimera Ant Exterminators

During the chimera ant story arc, rumors of the infestation of man-sized chimera ants within N.G.L. prompt the Hunter Committee to send an official team to investigate and contain the threat. The extermination team is led by none other than the head of the Committee, Chairman Netero. Netero also handpicks those who are to accompany him, causing significant political bickering within the Committee.

Morel Mackernasey

Voiced by: Taiten Kusunoki

Morel Mackernasey (モラウ＝マッカーナーシ, Morau Makkānāshi) is a Hunter who uses a giant smoking pipe and smoke as weapons, and who has a great sense of compassion. As his role progresses during the Chimera Ant arc, Morel shows himself as an experienced and resourceful fighter, which is shown in his fight against Leol wherein he uses his pipe as a snorkel so that he could allow himself to breathe underwater, and in doing so suffocates his opponent with the carbon dioxide he had emitted. The smoke that he produces is controllable with his Nen ability; he is able to make it take on various shapes and even act independently from him once commands are issued. After the Chimera Ants incident is solved, Morel is promoted to a Triple Star Hunter.

Knov

Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki

Knov (ノヴ, Novu) is an intelligent hunter dressed in glasses and a suit. He is Palm's master and the target of her affections. He can create warp gates to a "safe house",called "fourth dimensional apartment complex", which he creates doors in. It is similar to teleportation, but instead of instantly arriving at the destination he goes to his safe house, which is a windowless room, with a single door. Within the safe house, he can store items and/or people. Through the door, others can only come in/out from a predetermined place, while Knov can go anywhere he has marked before(thanks to his special key). When infiltrating the chimera ant king's palace in order to place a portal, he comes into contact with Saiapouf's En. It frightens him so much he suffers a severe nervous breakdown and retreats from the battle. The effects are so great that his hair turns white; though he does return to assist with the attack, he considers himself unable to actually fight.

Knuckle Bine

Voiced by: Wataru Takagi

Knuckle Bine (ナックル＝バイン, Nakkuru Bain) is an Unidentified Beast Hunter and Morel's apprentice.^[27][28] Despite appearing to be an aggressive man, Knuckle is very compassionate and easily moved to tears. He also gets along well with animals, having the habit of taking care of abandoned pets. Knuckle's ability "chapter-7 bankruptcy" is when he punches someone (by lending some aura) he simultaneously attaches a small indestructible nen-creature "Amortizing Power Redirector (A.P.R)", with a counter on its head. It follows the opponent wherever they go and grow by counting 10% interest on the borrowed aura in every 10 seconds if not paid back by hitting Knuckle (provided Knuckle is within 100 meters distance). If the aura count exceeds his opponent's total aura, the opponent goes bankrupt. Bankruptcy causes the conjured "A.P.R." to transform into the "Individual Ren Suppressor (I.R.S.)" ("Toritaten" in the original Japanese version), a mascot that attaches itself and forces the debtor into Zetsu for 30 days.

Shoot McMahon

Voiced by: Yuji Ueda

Shoot McMahon (シュート＝マクマホン, Shūto Makumahon) is an Unidentified Beast Hunter,^[29] Knuckle's partner, and the second disciple of Morel. Shoot's Nen ability is called "Hotel Rafflesia", and involves manipulating a cage and three disembodied hands that levitate. Shoot can shrink and seal off the body part that was hit, in the cage. He has a timid personality and is often afraid of taking advantage of opportune times to attack his enemy.^[29] In the fight against Youpi during the extermination team's raid on East Gorteau, he becomes inspired by Gon and is able to fully unleash his power, overcoming his shyness and injuries.

Palm Siberia

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue

Palm Siberia (パーム＝シベリア, Pāmu Shiberia) is Knov's apprentice. She develops a crush on Gon, but is unable to further their relationship. On most occasions, she appears disheveled and stressed, exuding a frightening aura. However, she is depicted as quite beautiful when dressed up. Palm has the ability to track the location of anyone she has seen with her own eyes using a small merman relic fed by her blood. During the extermination, Palm is sent in as a personal secretary to Director Bizeff in order to covertly discover the chimera ant king's location, but is captured by Pouf and Pitou and transformed into a chimera ant hybrid soldier. However, with Killua's help, she is able to regain her memories and return to the side of the Hunters. Her reformed ability "Wink Blue" is able to see the last three people she saw with her right eye at the same time as she covers it.Palm can also wrap her body with her hair to form special outfits.

Others

Kite

Voiced by: Shigeru Nakahara (Pilot OVA), Yuuji Kishi (1999 series, Japanese), Adam Hunter (1999 series, English), Shuichi Ikeda (2011 series)

Kite (カイト, Kaito) is the very first hunter introduced in the story. He is a disciple of Ging Freecss, Gon's father. After saving Gon from a foxbear on Whale Island, Kite reveals to him the truth about his father. Before leaving, Kite drops Ging's Hunter license, which Gon picks up. After leaving Greed Island Gon runs into Kite again, who, after finding Ging, is in the middle of a zoological survey searching for new species in the country of Kakin. At the time, he is leading a team of young would-be Hunters, seven children named Banana Kavaro, Lin Koshi, Monta Yuras, Podungo Lapoy, Spinner Clow, and Stick Dinner. His ability is "Crazy Slots" where a clown-head randomly chooses a number from 1 to 9 and summons respective weapons. Kite is killed by Neferpitou, and his vessel rebuilt into a manipulated puppet to train the ants. He is later captured by Knuckle and Shoot. Though his original body is dead, Kite is reborn as the Chimera Ant under the care of Colt.

Zoldyck Family

Maha Zoldyck

Maha Zoldyck (マハ ゾルディック, Maha Zorudikku) is the oldest living member of the Zoldick family. He is Zeno's grandfather and is 140 years old.

Zeno Zoldyck

Voiced by: Tadashi Miyazawa (1999), Hiroshi Ohtake (2011)

Zeno Zoldyck (ゼノ ゾルディック, Zeno Zorudikku) is Killua's grandfather and Silva's father. A witty old man, his advancing age has not dampened his quick thinking and speed in battle. Zeno wears alternating signs on his garb that say either "A Kill a Day" or "Never Retire."^[30] He appears to be on good terms with the Hunter Committee's Chairman Netero, who hires Zeno to assault Ming Jol-ik's palace in East Gorteau in order to catch the Chimera Ant King off guard. He noticeably hesitates in the battle when he realizes the king has come to care for the safety of a human prisoner. Zeno favors Killua more than his other grandchildren.

Silva Zoldyck

Voiced by: Kouji Ishii (1999), Kouichi Yamadera (2011)

Silva Zoldyck (シルバ ゾルディック, Shiruba Zorudikku) is Killua's father. A silent, pensive figure, Killua's interaction with him seems limited. He allows Killua to go along with Gon on their journey to find his father, but only because he sees it as a crucial step in his development as the head assassin of the Zoldyck Family.^[31] During the Southernpiece Auction in Yorknew City, Silva and Zeno are both hired by the Ten Dons to assassinate the Phantom Troupe, but withdraw from the job when their clients are killed due to a job taken by Illumi, Maha, and Kalluto. This was Silva's second time fighting Chrollo, and according to Killua, he previously killed an unknown member of the Phantom Troupe. Silva recently appeared amid the assault on the Palace in East Gorteau, killing Cheetu on the way to pick up his father. Silva appears in chapter 321 page 12 when Killua appears asking for his help to show where his youngest sister Alluka is so he can help him to save Gon.

Kikyo Zoldyck

Voiced by: Rena Yukie (1999), Junko Iwao (2011)

Kikyo Zoldyck (キキョウ ゾルディック, Kikyō Zorudikku) is Killua's mother. She was injured attempting to prevent Killua from running away from home to take the Hunter Exam, although she is proud of Killua for doing so.^[32] She seems to be slightly paranoid and is cautious of Killua's friends. Kikyo is looking forward to Killua excelling in assassination and anticipates that one day, he will continue on with the family business. According to Illumi, Killua is her favorite son.

Illumi Zoldyck

Voiced by: Urara Takano (1999), Masaya Matsukaze (2011)

Illumi Zoldyck (イルミ ゾルディック, Irumi Zorudikku) is Killua's eldest brother. He is an experienced and expert assassin, who, along with his father, was responsible for Killua's training and upbringing. During the 287th Hunter's Exam, Illumi disguised himself as Gittarackur, and used special pins to change his entire facial structure. Illumi holds a twisted and emotionless love for Killua. He and Silva raised Killua to believe that the only thing sustaining him was darkness, and that the only joy he received through the world was in causing the death of others.^[33] He was also responsible for planting a needle within Killua's brain, forcing the latter to run from battles he was not sure he could win. Illumi did this to ensure that Killua would be able to live to carry on the family business and as a means of protecting his little brother. This needle is self-extracted by Killua in the battle against Rammot. Illumi has his own private company members but though on the other side world entering into the Hunter examination there his youngest brother Killua and Hisoka who became his friend. A certain amount of friendship is shared between Hisoka and Illumi, although it is unclear as to how it developed. Illumi is once called by Hisoka to come to transform himself into Hisoka as a double in the Phantom Troupe's hideout, whilst Hisoka attempts to find Chrollo. Illumi is the most powerful among the Zoldyck sibling. He possesses a mysterious Nen that hypnotizes Killua.

Milluki Zoldyck

Voiced by: Katashi Ishizuka (1999), Kimiko Saito (2011)

Milluki Zoldyck (ミルキ ゾルディック, Miruki Zorudikku) is Killua's second eldest brother and an obese figure who possesses a strong aversion to performing any kind of physical activity. He seems to be a sort of otaku, since his room is covered with figurines from various anime, manga and video games.^[34] Milluki is talented in hacking computer systems, as Killua asks him to hack a memory card from Ging. He is also injured during Killua's escape.^[32] Milluki is in charge of torturing Killua as punishment, but does not have the drive to carry it out very long as he becomes physical exhausted.^[35] After being tipped off by Killua on the whereabouts of a Greed Island cartridge, Milluki's excitement results in one of the rarer moments in which he makes an outside expedition in search of the game, he himself states that he had not left the mansion in eight years. However, he is unable to win a copy and leaves in frustration.

Alluka Zoldyck

Voiced by: Maaya Uchida

Alluka Zoldyck (アルカ ゾルディック, Aruka Zorudikku) is the second youngest sibling of Killua. While the other members of the Zoldyck family refer to Alluka as male or as an object, Killua, who is the closest to Alluka, states that Alluka is female. She is a dark child with the ability to grant wishes and a second personality, named Nanika (ナニカ, "Something") by Killua. Once a person grants three requests made by her, Nanika grants their wish. The bigger the wish, the bigger her demands will be for the next person. If her demands are refused, the refusee and their closest love will die. Although, a larger wish requires more deaths in the order of the amount of time they have spent with the refusee. Because her power is considered too dangerous, Alluka was locked up alone in a room full of toys. Fearing that Killua will ask Alluka's help to save Gon's life, his eldest brother Illumi asks for Hisoka's help in searching for Alluka in order to kill her, as she poses a grave danger to the entire Zoldyck family in the case of Killua getting killed by her power. Killua eventually has Alluka cure Gon without consequence, this is because Killua can make demands of Nanika without paying a price. After Gon is healed, Killua demands Nanika not grant anyone else's wishes and starts traveling together with Alluka.

Kalluto Zoldyck

Voiced by: Yūko Maekawa (1999), Mamiko Noto (2011)

Kalluto Zoldyck (カルト ゾルディック, Karuto Zorudikku) is the youngest sibling of Killua. He is initially introduced accompanying his mother during Gon's retrieval of Killua from Kukuroo Mountain. Kalluto appears again during the Phantom Troupe arc, assisting his older brother Illumi with the assassination of the ten mafia dons that placed bounties on the Troupe's heads. Kalluto joins the Phantom Troupe as Hisoka's replacement, during their entrance into Greed Island. During the Phantom Troupe's assault on Zazan's palace in Meteor City, Kalluto reveals he joined them with the intention of finding his brother. His ability uses a hand fan to control paper confetti that is sharp enough to cut metal.

Greed Island players

Greed Island (グリードアイランド) is a fictional video game in Hunter × Hunter. It was created, by Ging Freecss and ten of his friends, for the "Joystation" video game console in 1987 exclusively for Hunters. Only one-hundred copies were made that sold for 5.8 billion jenny (the currency of Hunter × Hunter), the highest ever for a video game, and it currently sells at auctions for at least 8.9 billion jenny. The game apparently transports its players' physical bodies into "the world" of Greed Island (though it is actually an isolated island that exists in the real world), only releasing them when they die (at which point they die in real life too), when they win, or when they use a special card in the game that lets them out.

Biscuit Krueger

Voiced by: Chieko Higuchi (Greed Island OVA), Akiko Kimura (GI Final OVA, child form), Takashi Hagino (GI Final OVA, adult form), Chisa Yokoyama (2011 series)

Biscuit Krueger (ビスケット クルーガー, Bisuketto Kurūgā), more commonly known as Bisky, first comes into the story on Greed Island. Although she appears to be a little girl, in her true form she is actually a massive and extremely muscular woman several times the size. She stays in her young girl form because she hates her original form's appearance.^[36] However, she does receive a tremendous power boost when she transforms to her real appearance. She helps Gon and Killua train while they are at Greed Island, leading them closer to the end of the game. Her goal on Greed Island is to get the gem found only in the game, Blue Planet. She is also the teacher of Wing, the man who first teaches Nen to Gon and Killua.^[37] After the events of Greed Island, she returns to help Gon and Killua train for their battles against Knuckle and Shoot during the Chimera Ant arc.

Genthru

Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Koyama (Greed Island OVA), Hiroyuki Yoshino (2011 series)

Genthru (ゲンスルー, Gensurū)'s secret identity is that of the Greed Island Bomber (爆弾魔, Bakudan Ma, Bomb Devil). He leads the Bomb Devil trio, with members Sub and Bara. Among the players of the Greed Island game, Genthru first appears as a member of the allied players.^[38] He plays a role as an informer and a high position member of the group for the last 5 years. It is later revealed that he placed a Nen time bomb on every member of the allied group, so that he can blackmail them for all the designated cards they hold.^[39] A sadist, Genthru doesn't keep his promise and detonates all the Nen time bombs, killing all the members of the allied group except Abengane.^[40] He later rejoins his teammates, Sub and Bara, to continue collecting the rest of the designated cards to win the game. He is later defeated by Gon in a one-on-one match (while Killua and Biscuit draw away his teammates and defeat them separately).^[41]

Tsezguerra

Voiced by: Ryuuji Mizuki (Greed Island OVA), Kiyoyuki Yanada (2011 series)

Tsezguerra (ツェズゲラ, Tsezugera) is an experienced Money Hunter and 1-Star Hunter. He is hired by Battera to beat Greed Island and also tests the people who want to enter Greed Island in order to earn the 50 Billion prize money.^[42] He and his team ally with Gon, Killua, Biscuit, Hisoka and Goreinu to take part in the dodgeball game against Razor. He and his team later engage Genthru's in a game of chase in order to buy time for Gon to train against Genthru's "Little Flower" ability and for Killua to heal his injuries.

Abengane

Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (Greed Island OVA), Eiji Hanawa (2011 series)

Abengane (アベンガネ) is an exorcist; a Nen user with the ability to remove curses to himself or to other users. As one of the players hired by Battera to complete the Greed Island game, the Phantom Troupe and Hisoka find Abengane on the island and hire him to remove the curse placed on Chrollo by Kurapika.^[41] One of the conditions for his ability to remove curses is that the creature he summons would attach onto himself, and devour both the Nen causing the curse and his own, rendering him unable to use Nen. The only way to rid himself of the creature is to fulfill the original condition for removing the curse.^[43]

Goreinu

Voiced by: Kousuke Toriumi (Greed Island OVA), Hidetaka Tenjin (2011 series)

Goreinu (ゴレイヌ, Goreinu) is a Greed Island player who allies with Gon's party in the dodgeball game against Razor. His nen ability is to form 2 gorillas out of his nen.^[44] He seems to control the gorillas and can quickly swap the position of them with his own or also with someone other, friend or foe. He later joins Tsezguerra's team and is the one who gives Gon, Killua, and Biscuit the remaining cards needed to win Greed Island.^[45]

Razor

Voiced by: Tohru Furusawa (Greed Island OVA), Takaya Kuroda (2011 series)

Razor (レイザー, Reizā) is one of the Gamemasters and a creator of Greed Island. Razor was entrusted by Gon's father that he was not to hold back against his son should he ever comes to Greed Island.^[44] Razor is a key person in getting one of the hardest designated card of the game. To get the card, the challengers must confront Razor and his 14 devils in a group of 15 people, and defeat them in different sporting events. It is learned that the 14 devils were not his allies, but Razor's own ability to emit 14 Nen creatures at will.^[44] He is defeated in a dodgeball game by Gon's allied party (consisting of Gon, Killua, Biscuit, Hisoka, and several other hunter/players hired by Battera). Razor later reveals to Gon that he was formerly a convict captured by Ging and brought to the island as a prisoner.^[46] Inspired by Ging's spirit, Razor helped him create Greed Island and became the warden for the convicts. He also became one of Ging's friends and was entrusted to look after the island as one of its Gamemasters.

Miscellaneous

Mito Freecss

Voiced by: Akemi Okamura (pilot OVA), Akiko Kimura (1999 series), Keiko Han (2011 series)

Although Gon calls her his only mom, Mito (ミト) is actually Gon's aunt, and cousin to Ging Freecss. Mito does not want Gon to become a Hunter because Ging only came back home once, to leave Gon, after he took the Hunter Exam. She does not want Gon to leave his family like Ging did. However in the 1999 version of the anime and novelization, Mito is made into the sister of Gon's mother, making Ging her brother-in-law. Mito is angry with Ging because he left her sister all alone at home and she had to watch her sister look sadly out of the window in hope of her husband returning. Her sister gave birth to Gon and died soon afterward without seeing her husband ever again. Mito does not want Gon to become a Hunter who does not care about his family like his father. As such, she fights and wins for custody over Gon. However, now that Gon has left, she tries her best to support him in his journey. In the 2011 version of the anime, Gon is brought to Mito by Ging and Mito is forced to take care of him. At first, Mito does not want to take care of Gon, but decides to take care of him as Ging's childhood friend.

Wing

Voiced by: Masami Kikuchi (1999 series), Toshihiko Seki (2011 series)

Wing (ウイング, Uingu) is an assistant master of the Shingen-Ryu style of Kung Fu whose pupil is Zushi. He meets Gon and Killua at the Heavens Arena and eventually teaches them Nen. Although he initially refuses to train the two (even lying to them about the purpose of Nen), he changes his mind when they advance to the 200th floor of Heavens Arena, realizing they could die or be badly injured by the other Nen users. For the next several months he teaches them the basics of Nen, after which he announces they have passed the secret final requirement for being a Hunter. He does however somewhat fear their immense potential. Wing's teacher was Biscuit Krueger, who incidentally becomes Gon and Killua's second teacher.

Zushi

Voiced by: Umi Tenjin (1999 series), Yuka Terasaki (2011 series)

Zushi (ズシ) is a young boy who studies Shingen-Ryu Kung fu and Nen under the tutelage of Wing, whom Gon and Killua meet in the Heavens Arena. He is a formidable fighter and a prodigy in his own right, said to have skills only 1 out of 100,000 people have. However, he is quickly surpassed by Gon and Killua, who are said to have skills only 1 out of 10,000,000 people have. According to the results of his water divination, Zushi is a Manipulator.^[47]

Kastro

Voiced by: Yuuji Kishi (1999 series), Tokuyoshi Kawashima (2011 series)

Kastro (カストロ, Kasutoro) is a prominent and talented fighter in the Heavens Arena. He hang out on the 200th floor of the Heavens Arena with the intent on building enough wins to become a Floor Master. His only loss is to Hisoka, so he trains rigorously to improve his Nen. After accumulating nine out of the ten required wins to become a Floor Master, he challenges Hisoka to a rematch.^[48] While he appears to have the upper hand at first, Hisoka realizes that Kastro has been working in tandem with a doppelgänger created through his Nen.^[49] Hisoka then performs an illusion using Nen to throw off Kastro, which leaves an opening for Hisoka to kill him.^[50] Kastro's undoing is in the type of ability that he has chosen. Although he was born as an Enhancer, Kastro's ability completely ignores his strengths and uses conjuration and manipulation. Furthermore, his conjured double is also flawed in that although Kastro gets dirtied from blows dealt to him, his double remains spotless in combat due to it being merely a reflection of what Kastro sees of himself, thus making it easy to distinguish between the two.^[51]

Komugi

Voiced by: Aya Endo

Komugi (コムギ) is a blind girl who is a genius at Gungi, a board game in the series. She is introduced during the Chimera Ant arc and frequently plays the chimera ant king, in Gungi. The king developed feelings toward Komugi due to her brilliance and skill in the game, despite her being a human. She awakens to Nen as a result of playing constantly with the king, her ability being one that allows her to improve in the game.^[52] During the raid on the palace of East Gorteau, Komugi is severely injured in her midsection as a result of Zeno's ability and was healed by Pitou. After Meruem is fatally poisoned, she stays beside him during his final moments, and dies not long after he does.

Nostrade Family

The Nostrade Family is the Mafia family that main character Kurapika joins in order to find information concerning his people's stolen Scarlet Eyes. It is headed by Light Nostrade (Raito Nosutorādo), and according to its head bodyguard Dalzollene, is subordinate to the Ritz Family. The Nostrade Family was originally a minor provincial Mafia family of little importance, but by shrewdly using the fortune telling ability of his daughter Neon, Light Nostrade managed to greatly increase his position in the Mafia Community, to the point where even the Ten Dons seek his daughter's advice.

Before entering the Underground Auction several bodyguards to protect Neon are hired, including Kurapika, by Dalzollene. After the Phantom Troupe attack on the Underground Auction, several of the bodyguards are killed, including Dalzollene, which forces Kurapika to become the lead bodyguard. The discovery of Baise's earring, one of the Nostrade bodyguards, is what helps Kurapika figure out what happened and finding the Phantom Troupe.

Neon Nostrade

Voiced by: Yuko Maekawa (1999 series), Kana Ueda (2011 series)

Neon Nostrade (ネオン＝ノストラード, Neon Nosutorādo) is the only daughter of the head of the Nostrade family, Light Nostrade. She has the ability to predict the future through her fortune tellings which are always accurate, but are slightly cryptic due to their use of abstract references to events. Neon appears in the story when Kurapika interviews for a position among her bodyguards. Neon is spoiled; she receives everything she demands by threatening to cease the use of her ability for her father's benefit. Neon is also very involved with the occult and is an avid collector of rare human flesh, such as the Scarlet Eyes of the Kurta Clan.

Neon cares very little about anything else other than her collection; even the death of her head bodyguard, Dalzollene, causes her no grief. However, when Eliza, a family attendant, is heartbroken, Neon agrees to leave Yorknew City, despite not having obtained the auction items she desired. She loses her ability to Chrollo.

Dalzollene

Voiced by: Hiromi Sugino (1999 series), Takehito Koyasu (2011 series)

Dalzollene (ダルツォルネ, Darutsorune) is a leader of Neon Nostrade's bodyguards and Kurapika's direct superior. His weapon is a katana inscribed with runes that increase its power when infused Nen. In the anime, he manages to pierce Uvogin by 5 millimeters with the katana. He appears to enjoy music and is dedicated to his job. He also is not hesitant to sacrifice three of Neon's bodyguards when he predicts Troupe activity at the Yorknew Underground Auction. He has developed his Ten so that he can defend himself from bullets. He is later killed by Phinks, as the Phantom Troupe infiltrates a Nostrade compound in order to rescue a captured Uvogin.

Squala

Voiced by: Norihisa Mori (1999 series), Takuma Suzuki (2011 series)

Squala (スクワラ, Sukuwara) is one of Neon Nostrade's bodyguards. During the job interview for new hires, he was one of the two moles planted alongside the applicants in order to test their strength. Although Squala has been one of Neon's bodyguards for many years, he does not have a Hunters License. He is also in a romantic relationship with Eliza, one of Neon's female attendants.^[53] Squala is later beheaded by Nobunaga. His nen ability gives him the capacity of manipulating dogs, being able to communicate with them through whistles and give them complex orders, such as guarding or spying. Squala is voiced by Norihisa Mori.

Basho

Voiced by: Toru Nakane (2011 series)

Basho (バショウ, Bashō) is one of Neon Nostrade's new bodyguards, hired along with Kurapika. When he is first introduced he is quick to underestimate Kurapika, but after Kurapika's display of his 'Dowsing Chain', he grows respect for him. His nen ability is called "Great Haiku: The Wandering Haiku Poet", wherein Basho writes a haiku describing a condition on a piece of paper (such as "Anything I hit will explode"), which then comes true, but only if the haiku is good. He is named after Matsuo Basho.

Baise

Baise (ヴェーゼ, Vēze) is one of Neon Nostrade's new bodyguards, hired along with Kurapika. She is one of the three bodyguards sent to buy what Neon wants in the Yorknew city underground auction, but everyone is consequentially murdered by the Phantom Troupe that night. She is killed by Shizuku during the massacre. Her nen ability is called "Instant Lovers: 180-Minute Love Slave", which gives her the ability to make anyone she kisses her slave for 180 minutes. Her name comes from the French name for a kiss, baiser.

Melody

Voiced by: Tarako Isono (1999 series), Miina Tominaga (2011 series)

Melody (センリツ, Senritsu) is an Music Hunter and is the kind and understanding member of Neon's bodyguards. She is always ready to listen to anyone's confessions and has the gift to make people open up to her. As Leorio notes, she is one of the very few characters who has made Kurapika open up to her. Melody's physical appearance is in short contrast to her kind soul. Due to effects of the "Sonata of Darkness", a musical piece said to have been written by Satan himself and possibly inspired by the Devil's Trill Sonata, her body is a short and her face disfigured. However, she was not always like this; she was once a normal person. She was transformed when she and a friend listened to the Sonata of Darkness. It is composed of four parts: piano, violin, flute, and harp, and it is said that whomever listens to it will be greatly cursed.^[54] One night, Melody and her friend were drunk, and her friend played the Sonata. Its power was so great, that upon listening only to the first movement of the flute solo, Melody was disfigured, especially in her arm. Her friend was not so lucky; her entire body was disfigured like Melody's arm and soon perished after playing it. In exchange, her musical nen abilities were increased. Melody's goal is to find the sonata and destroy it.^[55] Melody has the ability to emit her aura to people to soothe ease fatigue when she plays an instrument. She also has a very sharp sense of hearing and can tell a person's psychological state just by listening to their heartbeat.^[56] For example, she knows when people are lying or when someone has completely lost his/her temper. Melody was inspired by Nausicaä and Yupa in Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, or possibly Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke instead of Yupa.^[1]

Beyond Netero

Netero's son who took part on an expedition with his father to the Dark Continents decades before, but after it ends in failure, Netero forbids him from making another attempt as long as he lives. After Netero's death, Beyond reveals himself to public and enlists the support of King Hoicoro, the leader of Kakin country to assemble another expedition, facing fierce opposition from the world's five most powerful nations (also known as the V5), that deem the Dark Continents as a forsaken place. However, he makes a deal with V5 and the hunters, agreeing to continue the expedition under constant vigilance from the Zodiacs, with instructions to not disclose any discovery to the public unless authorized by them.

References

Hunter × Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi Media Characters Chapters Nippon Animation series (1999) Episodes OVAs Madhouse series (2011) Episodes Films Phantom Rouge The Last Mission Related Jump Super Stars Jump Ultimate Stars J-Stars Victory VS