Characters / Hunter × Hunter: Main Characters

aka: Hunter X Hunter Gon Freecss

Hunter × Hunter Main Character Index
Main Characters | Hunter Association | Zoldyck Family | Phantom Troupe | Chimera Ants | Kakin Royal Family | Other Characters

The five main characters of the story. They all passed the Hunter Exam.

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Gon Freecss

Gon Freecss

Voiced by: Megumi Han (2011 series, Japanese), Junko Takeuchi (1999 series, Japanese), Rica Matsumoto (Pilot OVA, Japanese), Erica Mendez (2011 series), Elinor Holt (1999 series, English) ^{Foreign VAs}Jackie Berger (2011 series, French), Nathalie Bienaimé (1999 series, French), Susana Moreno (Latin American Spanish, 2011 series), Leonardo Salas (Latin American Spanish, 1999 series)

"I can't stand being on the losing end forever!!"

Gon Freecss is the main protagonist of Hunter × Hunter, a twelve-year-old boy left in the care of his aunt and raised to believe his parents died in an accident when he was just a baby. He later learns that is not the case when he is rescued by a stranger named Kite. Kite turns out to be a Hunter and student of Ging Freecss, a world-renowned Hunter and Gon's apparently dead father. This meeting stirred something inside of him and, ever since, meeting Ging has been a lifetime goal. He seeks to meet his absent father, Ging, and follow in his footsteps, driven to take the Hunter Exam and obtain a Hunter's license. And so, his quest begins.

Gon's Hatsu is called Jajanken (ジャジャン拳(ジャジャンけん), a play on the Japanese word for Rock-paper-scissors, "Janken," the word "Jajan" (a Japanese interjection akin to the word "Ta-dah"), and "Jaken" (邪拳 Evil Fist). His nen ability essentially weaponizes Rock–Paper–Scissors, giving a different attack for whether he chooses rock, paper or scissors.

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• Above Good and Evil: According to Zepile. It's more like he doesn't judge people, only how they can be used to improve himself somehow and based on what they do for him. He has his own sense of right and wrong, but it doesn't seem to apply to other people, at least not all the time.
• All-Loving Hero: Downplayed. Gon is extremely nice and forgiving and has a tendency to make people like and admire him. But he is more self-serving than your typical Shonen hero and he is also The Fool to an extent, mostly because of sheer brute strength and dumb luck. He also shows a tendency towards Blue-and-Orange Morality.
• Ambiguous Innocence: Gon's a rather interesting case… he's described and portrayed as this innocent and hopelessly simple boy through and through, but the absence of a sense of right and wrong has been commented on. He's also capable of some extremely cruel acts, and his actions throughout the second half of the Chimera Ant arc call into question just how "innocent" he ever really was.
• An Arm and a Leg:
  • He loses his left hand while fighting Genthru in a Deliberate Injury Gambit; he gets better, though.
  • After their death, Pitou's Terpsichora manages to sever Gon's arm. It's healed along with his entire body by Alluka.
• Animal Battle Aura: His aura looked like a tiger to Pitou.
• Animal Motifs: Often compared to a dog. He's an athletic and friendly kid who's also a Scarily Competent Tracker thanks to his sense of smell.
• Anime Hair: He has naturally spikey hair that he inherited from his father.
  • "Adult Gon"'s hair extends vertically what seems to be at least 20 feet into the air on top of his already gargantuan body.
• Anti-Hero: He's very nice and friendly, but has a tendency towards Blue-and-Orange Morality and Unscrupulous Hero: he often opposes evil enemies doing morally ambiguous deeds himself. Not to mention he's essentially self-serving: the reasons he fights for are personal, and of course he's primarily a charismatic adventurer, not the hero who is in it for the sake of helping people.
• Attack! Attack! Attack!: Deconstructed. Not so much a philosophy, but a normal approach for him. At first, it's seen as beneficial in situations where endurance is the criteria for winning rather than physical strength. For example, an early one-on-one fight has the condition that the opponents fight until one consciously declares defeat. Killing is not allowed. Gon is paired against a stronger opponent, with the result being torture endurance rather than an actual duel, and he wins. However, over time this is explored more in-depth as a character flaw, since he fights recklessly in situations where it's detrimental as well. In fact, the most successful victories in the series are often the result of carefully thought out strategies, and awareness of any potential weaknesses an opponent might have.
• Aura Vision: By using Gyo on the eyes.
• Badass Adorable: He's 12-years-old, but is a competent fighter and is highly regarded for his immense potential by heavyweights like Hisoka.
• Battle Aura: His aura is normally in a reddish-orange color. It becomes much stronger when he transforms himself to kill Pitou. His aura was also stylized as being pitch-black during some of his darker moments in the late Chimera Ant arc.
• Best Friend: To Killua, although Gon is far more open about it whereas Killua gets embarrassed when Gon brings it up.
• Benched Hero: After being eliminated by Razor, after losing to Knuckle, and also while waiting with Pitou.
• Berserk Button:
  • Moral Myopia is this for Gon, who hates it when his enemies show concern for their loved ones but not for the innocent people they kill. He chews out Nobunaga for mourning Uvogin, and screams at Pitou for trying to heal Komugi.
  • Unless you're Aunt Mito, don't lie to him either. Meleoron really dug into why Gon is so trusting and got this as an answer...
  Gon: Besides, if you're lying it'll be a lot easier for me... I won't have to show you any mercy... I could just kill ya y'know?
• Berserker Tears: Par for the course with a badass who runs on emotion.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Gon is one of the nicest guys in the series but you don’t want to piss him off.
• Blinded by Rage: While he's usually capable of keeping his wits about him even when faced with heinous villains like the Phantom Troupe and Genthru, his seething hatred towards Neferpitou occasionally causes him to act against his better judgment. During their first encounter, when Pitou chops Kite's arm off, Gon goes into a ballistic rage that would've likely gotten himself killed had Killua not knocked him out unconscious (notably, Pitou is said to exude an incredibly malicious aura that even horrified Killua just being in its presence, yet Gon's rage was so intense that it basically neutralized his fear). Later, when Pitou is healing Komugi, Gon almost goes mad with rage and was moments away from attacking both Pitou and Komugi, but he was stopped by — once again — Killua.
• Blood Knight: He likes fighting and is thrilled when he is in dangerous situations.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Gon tends to care little about how people act, even if they're bloodthirsty killers, as long as they don't stray from their established nature.
  • Gon only starts displaying animosity toward the Phantom Troupe after seeing Nobunaga shed tears over Uvogin's death. He would casually accept them being heartless monsters, but their capacity to mourn their own while freely killing anyone else infuriates him.
  • After he and Killua fight with Binolt to train their Nen, he's perfectly happy to let the serial killer go free because "he helped them", though Binolt decides to turn himself in.
  • He's completely unsympathetic to Pitou as they try to talk him down so they can heal Komugi, instead getting frustrated at the Chimera Ant's sudden display of empathy after toying with Kite's body.
• Body Horror: After his fight with Pitou. He forced himself to mature his body to the physiology of an adult, but suffers horrendous bodily harm when these effects wear off, not to mention the fact that he had an arm chopped off and didn't let that stop him from wailing on Pitou until the Chimera Ant was a pile of paste.
• Body Motifs: Hands and arms. He had his arm broken in his fight with Hanzo. His Jajanken ability has him focus nen into his fist. He deliberately sacrifices his left hand in his fight with Genthru. After his transformation, he loses his right arm to Pitou.
• Boring, but Practical: His ability is one of the simplest of the manga but he can use a short-ranged, middle-ranged and long-ranged attack which are all very powerful. With those three techniques he has near-infinite possibilities. It even becomes more useful when his opponent knows his ability. And when all of that doesn't work for Gon...it's not a pun on Evil Fist for nothing.
• Break the Cutie: Happens several times throughout the series.
  • He chides himself for his weakness, being unable to defeat Knuckle to go to NGL and save Kite.
  • He becomes broken after learning about Kite's death from Pitou and that he cannot be healed. He just blankly stares, unable to register the information, and feels immense guilt for his death.
• Broken Tears: His first time is when he breaks down after the Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam while talking to Kurapika about how he's frustrated about how he's powerless against Hisoka. After that, it's his official defeat against Knuckle and when Pitou reveals Kite's death.
• Brought Down to Badass: Even without Nen, he still has exceptional physical abilities and was able to climb to the top of the World Tree, a challenge completed by only 30 people every year.
• Brought Down to Normal: It has happened twice.
  • After his defeat against Knuckle, he can't use Nen for a while due to Knuckle's APR ability.
  • As stated by Ging in Chapter 345, the reason why Gon couldn't see his aura was because of the condition he put upon himself when he transformed, and as a result, it has turned him back to "normal". Ging also says he should count himself as lucky as things could have been worse, and that asking for more is basically asking for trouble.
• The Bus Came Back: Gon awakes from his coma after Killua has Nanika heal his injuries close to the end of the Election Arc.
• Calling Parents by Their Name:
  • Gon calls Mito by her first name regardless of his relationship to her; he also has a penchant of calling her "Auntie Mito", which she dislikes (as she is actually his cousin once removed). For all intents and purposes, Mito is Gon's mother nevertheless.
  • After finally meeting him face to face, Gon takes to calling his father by his name, Ging. While he has a great deal of respect for Ging, he simply doesn't see him as a father-figure. To be fair, Ging doesn't see himself as such either.
• Calling Your Attacks: Lampshaded:
  Killua: Do you have to yell those words every time?
  Gon: Huh? Sure. Otherwise, it's not like a special attack.
  Killua: Maybe... but you're telegraphing the enemy. What if you get attacked while you're yelling?
  Gon: I'll dodge and say it.
  Killua: What if you can't?!
  Gon: I'll still say it.
  • And yet, because of the way Nen works, having the restriction of calling his attacks before using them actually strengthens them.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Does this to Pitou during the Chimera Ant Arc, and threatens them with killing Komugi.
• Character Development: Gon becomes much more hostile as the manga continues and his frustration with himself and others mounts, and this bubble of negative emotion bursts during the Chimera Ant arc.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Even before receiving Nen training, Gon was freakishly strong.
• Chaste Hero: Subverted. Gon is actually very knowledgeable about women and their feelings, having dated many "cougars": older women who are into younger men who came to his home island, before he left to take the Hunter Exam. Killua is actually horrified to learn how much more experience Gon has with women than he does.
• Cheerful Child: To levels that can outright scare others as it comes across as distinctly unnatural or ill-timed to them.
• Child Prodigy: Gon has been noted by numerous master Hunters to have great potential in Nen.
• Color Motifs: Green, given his trademark clothes and to symbolize his love of nature. Plus, part of his hair is green on the top.
• Confusion Fu: His Jajanken. He has only 3 attacks but it's difficult to guess which one he will use. He can also feint and use another one, the options are limitless.
• Cooldown Hug: Cruelly subverted during his encounter with Zombie Kite. It only made him more dangerous.
• Country Mouse: In contrast to Killua's City Mouse. Having been raised on Whale Island, he doesn't know much about the rest of the world.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: To Neferpitou. See No-Holds-Barred Beatdown below.
• Deadly Upgrade: The Restriction he places on himself to age into an adult and defeats Pitou reduces him to an emaciated vegetable after his excessive amount of Nen causes an explosion with him at the epicenter.
• Death Glare: He starts giving some nasty looking ones during the Chimera Ant Arc, most notably to Morel and Pitou.
• Declaration of Protection: He promises to protect Kite during Chapter 337 because he failed to do so before, which led to Kite's death.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype:
  • Of the typical shonen hero. Oh, the hero is very caring, loves his friends, and will not give up on saving them? That's very nice; but, what happens should he go too far in pursuing that goal? Just how far is too far? Is the hero's ridiculous amount of determination actually a positive thing... at all? And what psychological damage comes from the hero putting that much of himself into saving someone? The answers lie in the Chimera Ant arc.
  • The Chimera Ant arc also twists a lot of Gon's other strengths into flaws. His ability to judge people only in the moment, something which gives him a great understanding of those around him, causes him extreme confusion when his original assessment of Pitou as a selfish murderer clashes with their newest actions as a protective guardian begging for mercy. Gon's selfish determination is painted as highly self-destructive instead of admirable like it usually is, and by the end of the arc, his goals almost kill him- heck, they would have killed him if not for the divine intervention provided by Alluka/Nanika. Gon's selfishness isn't really a problem for the first few arcs as his personal interests align with those around him, but during the palace invasion, he holds a young girl hostage, and is clearly uncaring of whether or not she lives or dies from her injuries.Killua is the one to make the deal for Gon to hold off until the girl is healed, and even then Gon is ruthless. It's saying something that Gon actually takes on a somewhat antagonistic role in this arc due to his actions.
• Deliberate Injury Gambit: Against Genthru. He lets up him blow up his arms so he can get a solid kick on him. He then lets him crush his windpipe so he can soak him in gasoline to stop him from using Little Flower.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Ging asked him to find one, now that he is unable to use Nen again.
• Determinator: Oh, boy, is he ever.
  • In his first official fight in the Hunter Exam, it's a Curb-Stomp Battle with Gon being thrashed around like a body dummy. He's told to give up several times as killing is strictly forbidden if you want to pass and even if he loses this match, he still has a chance to pass… three hours of being beat senseless did nothing. And almost being impaled by a blade and having his arm broken only seemed to strengthen his resolve.
  • Also of note is the fight against Genthru, which he wins through a Deliberate Injury Gambit that sees one of his hands scorched off entirely and the other badly burnt to the point where he struggled tightening it into a fist for the last attacks.
  • This quality is deconstructed in the Chimera Ant Arc, which makes it clear that his complete inability to give up, accept defeat, or Know When to Fold 'Em is a bad thing that drives him to do terrible things and nearly destroys him.
• Determined Defeatist: Gon will never give up even if he knows he has no chance, he is even thrilled. In the Heavens Arena arc, for example, he fought against Gido despite knowing he couldn't win.
• Determined Expression: A lot of times.
• Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: To Illumi, Genthru, the Phantom Troupe and Pitou. He doesn't care if you are stronger than him to begin with. Annoy him and he'll do this.
• Dissonant Serenity: During his fight with Pitou. He smiled even after his arm got sliced.
• Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Practically his default facial expression after a certain point in the Chimera Ant arc, alongside Death Glare.
• Enhanced Punch: One of Gon's special nen techniques turns his already powerful punch into an Enhanced Punch by gathering all of his nen in his fist.
• Even the Guys Want Him: He's a Chick Magnet, yet Killua has considerable Ho Yay towards him and Hisoka clearly has the hots for him.
• Everybody Hates Mathematics: He's terrible at it. To the point where thinking "dyscalculia" wouldn't be too far-fetched.
• Failed a Spot Check: Gets hit with this in the badge hunt portion of the exam, he was so focused on trying to take Hisoka's badge he forgot the point of the portion was that you were being hunted also. By the time he manages to succeed in getting the badge, the one hunting him manages to take him down with a numbing dart. It's only due to Hisoka that he doesn't fail the test and even then, it cost him three days of hunting within the seven-day limit for the numbing agent to wear off.
• Failure Hero: He borders on this over the course of the series. When he's doing tasks that don't involve fighting, he excels at it. However, when he does get involved in a fight, he constantly loses and gets the royal crap pummeled out of him.
• Fatal Flaw: His central flaws lie in his temper and impulsive nature. Gon sometimes fails to think things through and such actions lead to him suffering. Though possessing talent far beyond the norm for his age, any time 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. While his will is stronger than most and he can be very level-headed, this clear mind can also make him very cold at times. Even more worrying is the extent to which his simple-mindedness colors his perception of those around him. Often it's difficult for others to understand or relate Gon's actions or thoughts to what people would consider "normal" thinking. On more than one occasion the people around Gon have remarked on how he "doesn't care about the good or the bad" with some believing Gon to be a little insane.
• Fearless Fool: He can be afraid but he will never back down, dangerous situations thrill him. This is lampshaded several times in the story. The first time after his first fight with Hisoka.
• First Friend: To Killua. Gon isn't afraid of Killua after learning he's a child assassin, and they became inseperable until they are forced to part ways after Killua saved Gon from his death by rescuing Alluka/Nanika and using her wish-granting abilities.
• Five Stages of Grief: Played With after Kite's death. Right before this event, he immediately starts getting angry (stage 2), but then Killua makes Gon unconscious. When he wakes up he says that Kite is alive which is his Denial (Stage 1). When Gon sees his unstable body he still is in Denial. Then when he confronts Pitou, he then gets Anger at her/him for killing Kite. Gon Bargains (Stage 3) Pitou to bringing Kite back, but then Pitou says he can't bring his friend back. Then it gets complicated. Gon experiences the first four stages in a couple seconds, most notably Depression (Stage 4). Then he gets furious at Pitou, so much so that he sacrificed part of his life just to kill Pitou multiple times. He then gets put into a nen-state coma, which is most likely Stage 3 as he is at his weakest while waiting to come out of the coma. However, in a rare case of this trope, where he was at during that particular time does get him what he needs. After that, once Gon confronts Ging, he breaks down crying and lists everything he regretted doing since Kite died and then reincarnated, which is definitely Stage 4. After Ging says he should talk to Kite about his regrets, Gon finally goes through acceptance (Stage 5) as he is fine with Kite turning into a Chimera Ant.
• Foil: To Killua, fitting the trope to a T. Both guys wet away from home at the age of 12 looking for freedom, but in their Character Development they're pretty much the opposite of each other. Gon starts out as a curious, sweet and innocent All-Loving Hero who grew up in the country, on an island, while Killua, coming from a wealthy family of assassins, starts out as a rather aloof, calculating and ruthless Creepy Child. Things change as Gon becomes more antiheroic, self-absorbed and becomes capable of rather cruel acts due to his impulsive nature, while Killua quits being a hitman and evolves into a genuinely loyal, selfless and upstanding individual thanks to his friends, losing his antiheroic qualities progressively.
• Forced Level-Grinding: The main reason Ging created Greed Island was to make Gon stronger. To be able to clear the game, he trains to improve his nen under Biscuit.
• Forced to Watch: During his first fight with the Chimera Ants. Kite told him to watch the horrible murder when he averted his eyes (because the enemy could use the opportunity to shoot a projectile).
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Sanguine. An eternal optimist, friendly, and cheerful, but also very impulsive.
• Free-Range Children: Justified since he is a Hunter and Mito gave him her blessing to become one.
• Friendship Moment: Most of the time with Killua.
• Friend to All Living Things: Thanks to his nature upbringing, to the point he managed to tame a Foxbear, who are known to be very aggressive.
• Generation Xerox: Of Ging, or at least it's heading this way. Like his father, he has a talent in Nen, and catches the Master of the Swamp and becomes a Hunter at the age of 11.
• The Gift: Gifted as having a potential for nen found in only one in ten million. He throws away his potential to age into an adult by placing a Restriction on himself to kill Pitou.
  • Said transformation puts it into perspective just how amazingly gifted Gon is; if he had reached that form naturally by simply training until adulthood, he would've apparently been strong enough to potentially rival Meruem, and that's without considering that his transformed state still had the young Gon's relatively limited battle experience and simplistic Nen abilities, which means that a true "adult Gon" would've been even stronger.
• Go Mad from the Revelation: When Pitou revealed that Kite couldn't be saved. He used his Deadly Upgrade.
• Good Is Not Dumb: It really, really isn't: you can try to trick him, and you might even manage it. Once. Good luck trying it the same way (or near the same way) again, though... dare you.
• Good Is Not Soft: If he decides to end someone, they are ended. No quarter asked or given; no second chances offered.
• Grin of Audacity: Fond of giving these, especially if it's a matter of life-and-death. He gives a big one in the third phase just before blowing Sedokan's candle off as an example.
• Ground Punch: Used Rock on the ground to trap Genthru.
• Handicapped Badass:
  • Managed to break Illumi's arm while having a broken arm himself. And he didn't even know about Nen.
  • Defeated Genthru even though his left hand was blown off.
  • His adult transformation's arm was torn off by Pitou's still-alive corpse but that barely fazes him. He kills her anyway.
• Happily Adopted: He doesn't even care about the identity of his birth mother, because to him no one but Mito will ever be his mother.
• Heroes Fight Bare Handed: He was using a fishing pole earlier in the series. Now, he is the only main character who fights without a weapon.
• Heroic BSoD:
  • Gon experienced this when he realized that Kite was truly dead because Pitou could not revive him. He essentially went through a complete mental breakdown, with two voices in his head alternatively blaming himself for Kite's death or blaming Pitou. Unfortunately for Pitou, he eventually settles for the latter.
  • On the same subject, he experienced a lesser one earlier when confronting Pitou finally for Revenge and having steeled himself for the opportunity, only to witness Pitou healing Komugi. This drives him to unsteady Berserker Tears, only barely restraining himself by a hair's breadth as the situation completely violated all of his logic and preparations about how it's "not fair" that Pitou can murder someone he knows and just heal someone else like they aren't the monster he wants to kill so badly.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Killua. Their friendship is tested in the Chimera and Election arcs, where Gon's actions end up hurting Killua's feelings who began questioning their bond that other characters pick up on. Even so, Killua still resolved to help him out and willing to die with him, then later goes against his own family to save his life. In the end, their friendship is still going strong after the harrowing events and seperation.
• He Who Fights Monsters: Can be seen as turning into this but only during the Chimera Ant arc after he's found Pitou, afterwards he's much closer to normal.
• High-Pressure Emotion: Well, more like "high-pressure cogitation". Multiple-stage, complex, abstract concepts which involve a lot of explanation, memorization, and/or prolonged concentration are likely to produce fizzing and clouds of steam for poor Gon as he struggles with them. Or anything to do with numbers, however simple.
• Homeschooled Kids: It's revealed in the Dark Continent Arc that Gon is home-schooled.
• Honor Before Reason: Yeah... just a lot. The reason is not generally on good terms with Gon: he's emotion-based. This leads to multiple instances of getting himself into deep water. Killua is usually the one who has to try getting him to apply caution to the problem.
• Hypocrite: Gon berates Chrollo and the Phantom Troupe for killing innocent people that have nothing to do with them but, during the Chimera Ant Arc, he tries to attack Pitou even though interrupting Doctor Blythe will kill Komugi, someone he hadn't even met beforehand, to get Neferpitou to focus on his demands. Then, after she's healed, threatens to kill her. Gon was a mess, which is clearly shown throughout the entire process, but that's no excuse for his shocking behaviour.
• Idiot Hero: Deconstructed. The only reason he probably hasn't died yet is that he comes up with creative ways to stay alive during a fight. He forgets things often, is easily fooled, rushes into things without considering the consequences, often even disregarding the consequences just to get what he wants.
• I Gave My Word: He told Palm he would eat a thousand needles in case he lost against Knuckle and he was ready to do it. And considering his promise with Pitou, it must be Serious Business to him.
• I Have Your Wife: Komugi becomes his hostage when he learns that Pitou wants to heal her.
• Image Song: "GuuGuuGuu!!".
• Improbable Weapon User: Used a fishing pole before he started relying on his Nen. It makes a brief reappearance in The Last Mission.
• Improvised Weapon: Gon fights with shoes, flagstones, trees...
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: More of a deconstruction than anything, as Gon is naive and impulsive rather than particularly morally upstanding. His "pureness" includes a lack of conventional morality or sense of right and wrong, which makes him dangerous or outright deranged in morally complex situations.
• Innate Night Vision: Can see very well at night.
• Instant Expert: Learns pretty quickly. He and Killua mastered the Nen basics rapidly. Even Killua noted he grows rapidly during a fight.
• It's All About Me: It becomes more and more noticeable as the story goes on. But it's when he gets angry that it's most apparent. Gon is willing to jeopardize himself, his friends, and/or their goal to satisfy his own ego.
• It's All My Fault: Gon feels extremely guilty for being weak that Kite pushed him out of danger, cutting his left arm off and leading to the latter's death at Pitou's hands. This and his Five Stages of Grief sent him down to a downward spiral, becoming vengeful and single-minded on making Pitou fix Kite. Once Pitou reveals that Kite is really dead and cannot be brought back to life, the poor boy just shattered that his inner thoughts swing between It's All My Fault and Never My Fault by blaming Pitou instead.
• It's Personal with the Dragon: No villain ever earned Gon's wrath on a personal level as much as Pitou. He hated the Phantom Troupe, but he was mostly fighting against them to help Kurapika (and for the bounty on their heads), and Genthru had to be beaten in order to clear Greed Island (and Gon even healed his friends when all was said and done). In this case, Gon didn't care about any Ant but Pitou when he discovered Kite's mutilated body and he felt a personal duty to bash Pitou's skull with his bare hands. He did. At a price, though.
• I Will Find You: The story started because he wanted to find Ging. He doesn't really find him on his own since he meets him after recovering from his injuries in the Hunter Elections, where Ging is forced to attend due to his duties as a Zodiac.
• Jerkass Realization: Once he's revived in the Election Arc, he realized how much he hurt Killua with his words during the Palace Invasion and wants to apologize for his behavior, which he did off-screen.
• Jumped at the Call: The call didn't even manage to get the sentence out before he pounced on it.
• Just a Kid: Gets it a lot along with Killua. He always manages to turn people's opinion of him immediately once they see his abilities to the point that they do a quick 180 and call him a monster.
• Keet: Compared to Killua's Tsundere personality, Gon is always friendly, excitable, inquisitive, outgoing, and ready to go on adventures. This is why it's so jarring to see his personality do a 180 during the Chimera Ant Arc. When he finds out Kite dies, it's incredibly disturbing and sad to watch, although it's understandable due to his Blue-and-Orange Morality.
• Kick the Morality Pet: At the height of an emotional breakdown during his 2nd encounter with Pitou, Gon very harshly criticizes Killua's behavior, despite Killua's entire character arc in the saga revolving around him desperately trying to be a better friend to Gon and sticking by him through thick and thin. Killua is very emotionally hurt, but Gon eventually apologizes and the two make up.

  Gon: You have it so easy, Killua. You can remain calm... since this means nothing to you.

• Kid A Nova: Yes. He dated older women who taught him all sorts of things. Palm also fell for him.
• Kid Hero: He was 11 at the start of the story, he is 13 now.
• The Kirk: Prior to Killua's appearance he was The Kirk to Kurapika's Spock and Leorio's McCoy.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Tends to disregard whatever plan his team has made, either for a personal vendetta or the sake of proving himself in a fight. This usually results in him suffering a lot more than he has to.
• Letting His Hair Down: Gon is a cute and rather attractive young teen, bearing a strong resemblance to his dad, Ging, and during the few moments where his gravity-defying spikes are down, usually because of water (i.e. from rain or a bath), Gon is even cuter.
• Limited Wardrobe: His only change of outfit consists of not wearing his trademark green coat and after being forced to change clothes to enter Neo-Green Life lands.
• Living Emotional Crutch: He is this to Killua, being his first and Best Friend who freed him from his family's clutches. Killua began regarding him as his "light", wanting to stay beside him and being protective even at the cost of his life. Many times the thought of betraying Gon is enough to send him to a Heroic BSoD, even being Driven to Suicide in one of the movies after failing to protect him. Killua's Character Development has him grow out of this and he finds a new purpose with Alluka.
• Magic Pants: His boots get destroyed but his shirt and shorts remain intact after forcibly aging himself into an extremely muscular adult during his battle with Pitou.
• Magnetic Hero: His kind personality and fearlessness endears him to a lot of people. Almost every friend and ally he's made so far visit him on what could have very well been his deathbed during the Chairman Election arc. Deconstructed in that it actually causes some antagonists to take a shine to him as well.
• Memento MacGuffin: Gon's fishing rod originally belonged to his father; he said it was the only thing he had of his father's when the series began. He relied heavily on it during the Hunter Exam Arc, using it to get through the first four exams and then ultimately choosing not to use it in his fight against Hanzo, saying he needed to fight with his own strength rather than borrowing his dad's. Gon then uses it a few times in the Zoldyck Family Arc and once in the Heaven's Arena Arc and then is never seen using it again in battle after learning Nen, marking his development into a fighter and his maturity. It makes a reappearance in the second movie, however, but it is a replica rather than his actual one. Later, after unlocking a box that was left for him by his father, Gon takes his dad's Greed Island ring and wears it as his ring when he played the game himself.
• Missing Mom: Gon was originally told that his mother had died in a traffic accident until it was vaguely revealed that she and Gon's father only separated. However, unlike his father, Gon is not interested in knowing more about her, because as far as he's concerned, Aunt Mito is his mother now.
• Morality Pet: Gon serves as this for Killua throughout the series, as while Killua tries his best to suppress his killer instincts, Gon's presence is what really helps him stop; it was much more apparent in the beginning, not so much now that Killua's learned to control himself, but the purpose is still there.
• Muscles Are Meaningless: At first played straight, but later subverted. Gon's arms are initially no more than sticks, but in the latter part of the Ant Arc, the boy's arms are jacked. Just◊ look◊ Played entirely straight in his "adult" form, which shows he is due for a massive vertical growth spurt and would have put on Ronnie Coleman-esque amounts of muscle with time.
• My Greatest Failure: To not have been able to protect Kite.
• My Name Is Inigo Montoya: "My name is Gon Freecss!!! In order to bring back Kite, I've come to you!!!!"
• Nephewism: He was raised by his aunt.
• Nerves of Steel: Varies. He acts like this when he is extremely focused, but he also has his limits, such as backing down when he looks into Mike's eyes and seeing that he's only thinking of killing intruders. If he's truly enraged, however, nothing will faze him, even if he faces an aura strong enough to unnerve even the most veteran of hunters. Perhaps best seen when he's waiting for Pitou to heal Komugi, at which point Pouf arrives behind him. For perspective, Pouf and Pitou are among the most powerful characters in the entire series, easily superior to Gon at this point, and both exude a uniquely malicious aura that can drive pro hunters into a Heroic BSoD just by being in their vicinity. Not only is Gon completely unfazed, he interrupts their conversation to tell Pouf to shut his mouth, all while keeping Pitou on the defensive, threatening to kill Komugi if either of them dares to try something funny.
• Nice Guy: Deconstructed, his friendly and kind demeanor can actually serve as a hindrance, particularly when dealing with more morally complex characters or dealing with villains that would hurt the friends a hero wants to protect.
• Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: Gon hates being underestimated and looked down on because of his age and this often causes him to do reckless things when he feels he isn't being taken seriously often to the point he was nearly killed a few times just to prove his worth to his enemies and to himself.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Delivers what is quite possibly the most grisly, brutal beatdown in the entire series to Neferpitou. He sent the Chimera Ant flying into the air with a single kick to the gut, pulverized their face beyond recognition with a Jajanken on their way down, then kept bashing their skull in over and over (well after they were already dead) with hammer-like Jajankens until there was nothing left above Pitou's shoulders. When Pitou's ability activated after their death and they jumped to attack him, Gon punched their decapitated neck mid-jump then used his own severed arm to impale Pitou into the ground, crushing their legs under his feet for good measure, then fired one last Jajanken at the Chimera Ant's mutilated, writhing corpse through his own arm stump. Yeesh.
• The Nose Knows: His uncanny sense of smell has been displayed since the very beginning.
• The Not-Love Interest: For Killua. He's extremely attached to Gon, caring for him way more than his own family (except Alluka), and acts Tsundere when Gon compliments him in their Friendship Moments. He constantly spends the Chimera Ant Arc thinking about Gon, putting the latter's well-being and desires first over himself many times, also states he's ready to die by Gon's side if worse comes to worst. Hisoka even presumes that Gon is Killua's "most beloved" and the one he "spent the most time with" when talking about how Nanika's victims include the wisher's loved ones who fit the mentioned criteria. That said, they are only extremely close friends and he shows the same devotion for his sibling Alluka.
• One-Sided Arm-Wrestling: Played With. He does this to make money and could have beaten the contestants easily but held back. Shizuku is the strongest person he arm-wrestles and forced him to use Nen to win. The only reason he wins is that she uses her right hand, and she's left-handed.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: He acts cold and intimidating in the palace invasion as he stews in his built-up Tranquil Fury for Kite's death, ignoring everything but revenge when he confronts Pitou. This contrasts his usual cheerful and friendly persona so much his comrades are unnerved over his actions. Killua notices this, becoming depressed when Gon completely disregards him in his desire to fight Pitou alone and constantly worrying about him that he experiences a breakdown over not being able to help him out.
• Pinky Swear: How he makes promises with Mito, with the addition of a thumb kiss. Was very effective on Palm.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: At least before he releases his Super Mode.
• Phrase Catcher: "He's dangerous", referring not to his combat abilities, but to his Ambiguous Innocence.
• Plot-Relevant Age-Up: Gon forcefully causes his body to age up to defeat Neferpitou, greatly increasing his nen, very nearly causing him to never be able to use nen again, and leaving his body a shattered and bloody mess afterward.
• The Pollyanna: He's constantly putting on a cheery face and attitude even after getting out of a dangerous predicament, that is until he finds out about Kite's death.
• Pose of Supplication: Bows to Killua at the end of the Election arc.
• Power Makes Your Hair Grow: When Gon transforms into "Gon-san" his hair grows significantly, to near floor-length in his normal size and several metres as "Gon-san".
• Power at a Price: Generally, this is how nen works for everyone with one teacher comparing it to mahjong. The more conditions you meet the greater the reward. But there can be a backlash, as to meet the greatest conditions (like say, making yourself a Physical God), you also have to ante up something big. For Gon that's his adult Gon transformation which sacrifices everything, his years remaining, his health, and his nen potential/ability. Even after Nanika reverses the physical burden (He's physically back to normal), he still can't use nen even though his aura is back to normal.
  • Related to the above is Gon's current situation of being Brought Down to Normal. While it seems that Gon's abilities are reset and it's currently unclear if he can reactivate his nen on his own or if the condition of never using nen again stands, the latter seems more likely. If that's true, then in order to regain his ability to use aura Gon might have to do something serious, as Ging stated that asking for more than he's got at this point "is just begging for trouble".
• Pummel Duel: Against Knuckle.
• Pummeling the Corpse: Does this to Pitou after their fight.
• Put on a Bus:
  • While present at certain instances and moments, Gon spends the entirety of the 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc in a coma, with no speaking lines until he awoke, and the arc heavily focuses on Killua trying to bring Alluka to Gon to heal him, as well as the election itself.
  • It seems he's been put on another bus in the Dark Continent Arc for right now, as he's returned home to Whale Island, explained how he didn't want to travel with Ging and will take the opportunity of his return to normalcy to figure out what he wants to do in life, but he first needs to catch up on all of the schoolwork he's missed from his three-year-long adventure as a Hunter.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The impulsive, reckless Red Oni to Killua's calm, calculating Blue Oni, and Gon refuses it to be reversed.
  "I'm allowed to talk about dying, but you're not!"
• Replacement Goldfish: Invoked. After Gon beats Nobunaga at arm wrestling and he realizes that Gon is an enhancer, Nobunaga refuses the let him leave and tries to force Gon to join the Phantom Troupe in Uvo's place.
• Revenge Before Reason: Gon's main motivations throughout the Chimera Ant arc are to extract his revenge on Pitou and take Kite back from them, with that second goal just barely keeping him sane and at least somewhat patient to comply with Pitou's requests. Once it's revealed that Kite is already dead, however, Gon stops caring about anything besides killing Pitou; not just "anything" as in "any other motivation within the arc", but anything in his life, period. He was ready to permanently give up on his ability to use Nen and possibly discard his life just to murder Pitou, even as Killua was tearfully begging him to stop using his Dangerous Forbidden Technique while there's still a chance to go back.

  Gon: I don't care if this is where it all ends. So I'll use everything... and kill you, PITOUUUUUUU!!!

• Right Under Their Noses: In "The Last Mission" he and Killua manage to hide from Jed's soldiers as they march by their area by hiding in a "your face here" cutout.
• Rock–Paper–Scissors: His Nen attacks are named after Rock-Paper-Scissors, which he happens to be bizarrely good at playing. His signature move is "Rock", an extremely powerful Megaton Punch. "Scissor" is a Laser Blade and "Paper" is an Energy Ball.
• Say My Name: "I'll kill you... PITOUUUUUUU!!"
• Scars Are Forever: Gon is shown to have a small, faint scar on his left shoulder where Pitou severed his arm and after being healed by Nanika; this scar holds a lot of significance to his relationship to Kite, as when he lost his arm, Gon said he now understood how Kite felt when he lost his arm and it symbolizes how both of them got a second chance, as Gon survived his encounter and was healed and Kite was reincarnated.
• Scarily Competent Tracker: He is compared to a dog for a reason.
• Second Love: Palm's, with her first being her teacher Knov. He placates her by agreeing to go on a date.
• Signature Move: Rock. Being an Enhancer, he is most suited to using it compared it compared to Paper and Scissors, which are emission and transmutation type abilities respectively.
• Simpleminded Wisdom: He is surprisingly insightful for a naive kid, which saves him and his friend's lives many times as he's good at thinking outside the box. For example, he figures out there must be a loophole in Kurapika's Judgement Chain if Kurapika was able to put a chain in his own heart. He also suggests offering their services to the one who bought the Greed Island game rather than attempting to raise billions of money within 2 days, which Killua never even thought of and even remarks it has a higher chance of success than their initial plan.
• Skilled, but Naive: Lampshaded during his encounter with Meleoron but it turns out he is not that naive.
• Smarter Than You Look: Can come up with very good plans when needed.
• Staring Down Cthulhu: To Pitou and Pouf.
• Stock Shōnen Hero: Gon is a compassionate Kid Hero with very spikey hair. Unlike other shonen heroes, he has become something of an Anti-Hero over the course of the series and his bright-eyed personality has been called into question. He's more of a deconstruction than anything.
• Story-Breaker Power: As "Adult Gon", he is apparently powerful enough to potentially pose a threat to Meruem and is more than powerful enough to utterly slaughter the ridiculously powerful Neferpitou. Balancing this out is the fact that it was a limited one-time transformation with heavy consequences; while Gon managed to recover his mangled body back to normal, he lost his ability to use Nen (or at least regain use of it on his own) and as of the current point in the manga is effectively written out of the story.
• Strong Family Resemblance: With Ging; Just compare Gon◊ and Ging◊ when he was younger. The two even caught the Lord of the Swamp and became Hunters at the exact same age.
• Super Mode: Being a Stock Shōnen Hero (albeit mostly on a surface level), it was all but inevitable that Gon would eventually acquire a rage-fueled transformation to overpower some villain in a climactic battle scene, and while that does happen, it is ultimately Deconstructed. Having learned that the emotional rollercoaster he went through over the course of the arc was largely pointless as Kite is already dead, Gon grows into an uncanny adult state in a desperate bid to at least get some revenge in before forfeiting his own life. The ensuing "fight" has none of the heroism or even rebellious catharsis often seen in the genre, instead being an ugly, blood-curdling, one-sided execution against a character who, despite being a monstrous villain who is the cause of Gon's suffering, can come across in the moment as the more noble and even sympathetic of the two, being a loyal servant who took the brunt of Gon's Unstoppable Rage purely to protect a loved one.
• Super-Senses: All his senses are sharp to the point of inhuman, like having a good sense of smell to track people miles away, can taste well enough to detect poison which should be tasteless, and he can hear noises from far away that other people and even radio equipment can't pick up on.
• Talented, but Trained: While he does have natural talent, as in a 1 in 10,000,000 talent, it's not enough to coast through everything and he works very hard to refine his abilities.
• Technical Pacifist: Gon prefers to not kill people. He even spared some Chimera Ants. But if he really is pissed…
• Technician Versus Performer: The performer to Killua's technician. While Killua prefers to rely on his assassination skills and experience when fighting enemies and keep his distance or fold if he thinks he's outmatched, Gon prefers to rush in headfirst relying on his impressive instincts to defend himself, never giving up no matter what until he's satisfied with the outcome. These traits easily impress and sway people to his side even if he's on the losing side, contrasting Killua who has been criticized a few times for his Cowardly Lion personality even when he should have the advantage against his enemies.
• Tell Me About My Father: One of the reasons why he left his island.
• Tranquil Fury: If he isn't pissed when you mess with his friends, then he's exhibiting this. Good cases are when Gido and Riehlvelt tricked him and Killua in Heaven's Arena with the threat on Zushi's life, and especially while waiting for Komugi to get healed. And let's not forget about what he did to Pitou.
• The Unfettered: Sort of. He is based on his own (distorted) sense of right and wrong.
• Underestimating Badassery: Many people and enemies think that he's only a kid and don't take him seriously due to his age and childish personality, such as the time he first fights in Heaven's Arena. People quickly change their tune and call him a monster once they get a glimpse of his superhuman abilities and aura, usually the time they are eating a Rock to their face.
• V-Sign: After winning some fights at Heaven's Arena.
• Vengeance Feels Empty: After Gon is revived from the backlash of the fight against Pitou, he breaks down crying. There was zero satisfaction in killing Pitou, it didn't bring Kite back, and it didn't stop Gon's profound sense of guilt.
• What the Hell, Hero?: On the receiving end of one when Killua found out he did the stupidest thing anybody can do in the world of Hunters, period. He actually pawned his Hunter's License, as in the one thing a Hunter is given to signify they are legit, gives them special privileges and monetary workarounds... that can never EVER be replaced. Thankfully, he's able to buy it back before someone else does.
• Wild Child: Grew up with nature.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: He's impulsive and often eager to fight, which would make him fit right in as the protagonist of a more typical Shonen series, where courage and determination are enough to get through any obstacle, but in a manga like this it's not that simple. The very same qualities mentioned above make him something of a Spanner in the Works, putting his teammates and whatever strategy they've devised at risk (something Tsezguerra chides him for), and he sometimes bites off more than he can chew. There's also his black and white sense of morality, which doesn't always apply in a world with complicated situations and people, and can make him come off as naive, even dangerously so at times.
• You Can Barely Stand: And yet you don’t give up. Best seen when Hanzo trashed him in the Hunter Exam matchups and even broke an arm, but Gon outright refused to call it quits.
• You Monster!: Called that by Wing, Razor, and Meleoron; rather than in the sense that he is evil, it's more in the sense that he's monstrously strong in aura and has unlimited potential. Considering the horrific amounts of self-sacrifice he was willing to go through just to annihilate Pitou from the face of the earth, not one of them was kidding.
• You're Insane!: Inverted Trope. He is called this by a villain! And by many other characters. Not surprising, though, considering what he does in some fights. Played horrifyingly straight when he sacrifices his entire life ahead of him on purpose for power to take out on her all his frustrations over not being able to accept the reality of Kite being dead from before the mission even began. They might have been onto something.

Killua Zoldyck

Killua Zoldyck

Voiced by: Mariya Ise (2011 Series), Kanako Mitsuhashi (1999 Series) (Japanese), Cristina Valenzuela (2011 Series), Annika Odegard (1999 Series) (English) ^{Foreign VAs}Pascale Chemin (2011 series, French), Adrien Solis (1999 series, French)

"I'm so tired of killing... I just want to be a kid. Hanging out, doing stuff with Gon. That's it."

The heir to the Zoldyck family, Killua decided he didn't want to be an assassin anymore, so he ran away. However he wasn't sure of what he really did want to do, so he took the Hunter Exam as a way to entertain himself. That's where he met Gon. At first he's distant and unattached, but it's hard to stick around Gon without warming up to him. He's generally fun-loving and a tease, although he doesn't seem to know when to stop, whether it's gambling or making fun of someone. He tends to be much more logical than Gon, making them a good pair. But you don't want to piss him off.

Killua's nen ability involves generating electricity, though he has to charge himself regularly (apparently by zapping himself with a taser) to keep it going. He later evolves this into applying the electricity to his body, allowing him to move at insane speeds.

---

• Absurdly Sharp Claws: His assassin training has somehow let him tense up his hands in such a way that the nails extend, become razor sharp and capable of spearing through someone's temple, or cleanly gouging organs out of his victims.
• The Ace: Has a number amount of skills to help him out such as knowing master assassin techniques, being extremely intelligent, good stealth skills, being resistant to poison and electricity, having Shock and Awe powers, moving extremely fast (especially with Godspeed), mastering the game of darts at the age of six or seven, and being a good skateboard player.
• Acquired Poison Immunity: Killua is immune to virtually all forms of poison due to his family's Training from Hell, and is seen happily downing five cans of laxative-laced juice before the Hunter Exam starts. He's also somewhat immune to electricity. It still hurts, but it doesn't incapacitate him like it should. Eventually, he even turns electricity into his own weapon, because he's been shocked with electricity so many times during his training that he can visualize it as part of his Nen.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Of the eye variety, as Killua's eyes are a near black shade of blue color in the 1999 anime, green in the Greed Island Ovas, and cerulean in the 2011 Remake, while in the manga, his eyes are blue.
• Affectionate Gesture to the Head: He likes petting Alluka, like an affectionate elder brother.
• Affectionate Nickname: He is called "Kil" by his family, pronounced similarly to "kill".
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Begs Chimera Ant Palm to renounce seeing Gon for a while after her transformation. For good reasons.
• All According to Plan: His fight against Sub. He creates faked openings that he uses to his advantage and makes short work of him.
• Ambiguously Bi: Played for Laughs. In the Greed Island Tutorial segment of episode 74, he is shown to be attracted to women, but his friendship with Gon has plenty of implied Homoerotic Subtext in it.
• Animal Battle Aura: Rammot views it as a snake.
• Animal Motifs:
  • Often compared to a cat (even appears as one in Super-Deformed context).
  • He also seems to have snakes as a motif as well; considering his Animal Battle Aura as seen by Rammot is a snake. In addition, his eyes slant during his Slasher Smile moments and one of his assassin moves is called "Snakes Awaken."
• Anime Hair: When he fully activates his electrical aura, the static makes his hair spike up into jagged points that look like thunderbolts.
• Anti-Hero: Shooting Dogs? Well, hey: it's easy enough if you've been killing since before you could reach the middle shelves of the kitchen. Downplayed as the series goes on and he arguably becomes less of an Anti-Hero than the rest of the main cast (barring Leorio). He starts off as a Nominal Hero during the Hunter Exam arc, wherein he has no real purpose in life and is willing to murder people for minor annoyances, only being a good guy due to being on the side of Gon and the others, but progresses to a Unscrupulous Hero by the Heaven's Arena arc due to his encounter with his family and developing a greater sense of morality, and eventually becomes a Pragmatic Hero.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: He is this to Milluki, who tries to punish him and gets irritated for asking him about Greed Island.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Mostly in the earlier parts of the series. Later on he's still proud of his skills and occasionally drops a Badass Boast or two but he knows his limits and knows when to take things seriously rather than get carried away with pride.
• Awesome, but Impractical: He has to regularly recharge himself to be able to use electric Nen abilities. Godspeed is particularly draining as he could only use it for a few minutes in his battle against Youpi and had to temporarily stop using it to save electricity while getting Alluka away from Illumi.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: He's on par with Kurapika when it comes to determining subtle hints like the time he figures out that Hisoka has already met with the Phantom Troupe and is looking for the Nen Exorcist with only Biscuit's hint that he's lying and Hisoka's remark that he's bored and has nothing to do.
• Ax-Crazy: When in assassin mode, he's capable of ripping someones heart out with a smile.
• The Baby of the Bunch: Killua is the youngest of the main characters, being younger than Gon. This isn't as apparent as Killua is a lot more mature and intelligent for his age, especially when compared to the rambunctious Gon.
• Badass Adorable: Can pull off a cat-smile with ease, and typically does so when showing off in a fight.
• Badass Boast: When East Gorteau bust out their military, Killua responds with this.
  Killua: Hmm... No problem. You can bring out tanks and fighter jets. I will stop them all.
• Badass in Distress: During the Zoldyck Family arc, he is (kinda-sorta) held prisoner by his family and the Yorknew City arc.
• Battle Aura: Godspeed, which increases his speed immensely, surrounds his body in electricity. When not using Godspeed, his aura color is dark blue.
• Beat Still, My Heart: During the Trick Tower phase of the Hunter Exam, Killua does this to Johness the Dissector, a notorious mass-murderer sentenced to 968 years in prison. Then he crushes it.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Killua's friendship began with Gon because the latter treated his family's assassin profession in an accepting manner, whereas others would express shock and fear.
• Best Friend: To Gon, although Gon is far more open about it whereas Killua gets embarrassed when Gon brings it up.
• Beware the Nice Ones:
  • He's genuinely cheerful and friendly most of the time. He's also fully willing to tear your head off with his bare hands if you so much as think of doing something to Gon. Or Alluka.
  • Sadaso learns the hard way of what happens when you break a promise with Killua. Killua forgave Sadaso when he kidnapped Zushi to make Killua lose in the Heavens Arena, but made him promise not to pull the same trick with Gon who was forbidden to fight until he got Wing's permission. When Killua learns that Sadaso ignored his warning, Killua ambushes Sadaso with a knife at his throat. Killua then made Sadaso promise to never show his face again, and Sadaso complies, warning his partners to heed Killua's threat.
• Big Brother Instinct: Toward Alluka. Killua is fiercely protective of her and will go against the other Zoldyck members if they ever threaten Alluka.
• Big Damn Heroes: He saves Knuckle just when he would have been killed by Youpi.
• Bishie Sparkle: Killua has this for a moment while talking about hunting his own family for their bounties.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Follows his family in having some decidedly different points of view about life, relationships, the universe... and when killing and torturing is appropriate. He makes a few breaks from his family's traditions during the series, too, and is shifting his points of reference by attempting a more conventionally normal sense of morality, to the point it's subverted later on. His family doesn't really like this. Trying to place him on a spectrum is, in reality, pretty futile due to how often he explores new perspectives. Except for this: don't try messing his friendship with Gon up and don't even think about doing the same when it comes to Alluka.
• Brainwashing for the Greater Good: Killua was brainwashed by Illumi for two reasons: first, he was made to avoid engaging in fights he's not sure he can win for his own safety; second, he was made to entirely forget Alluka. Though Illumi was successful in both respects, Killua in turn felt that there was an enormous void in his life regarding friendship and brotherhood that he filled once again when he met Gon.
• Brainwash Residue: Killua was upset at himself for neglecting Alluka for so long even after removing Illumi's needle, claiming that it was still affecting him to an extent.
• Breakout Character: Him scoring first place on all three popularity polls has him receive as much focus as Gon within the series (if not sometimes more than Gon in certain arcs especially with the Election Arc).
• Break the Haughty: Three times:
  • When he learns Gittarackur's true identity, he panics because said identity is his creepy older brother, Illumi.
  • When Zushi uses Ren, because it is a power he doesn't have at the time.
  • When Pitou appears, feeling his nen for two seconds made him knock out Gon and carry him while running away.
• Brightness Shadows: The animators occasionally apply darkened shadows to Killua's lightning attacks to make them more dramatic. He gets a continuous version while activating Godspeed.
• Broken Ace: Talented as he is as a fighter and assassin, let’s just say that his childhood which helped made him that way was very traumatic.
• Byronic Hero: He has traits of the trope since he's (at least at first) an Anti-Hero who ran away from home looking for freedom, apathetic about moral conventions and also a rather aloof, extremely intelligent and talented individual. Through Character Development he evolves into a genuinely good guy, though.
• Character Development: Oh boy... Goes from ripping out someone's heart in a quick match during the Hunter Exam, to breaking down and crying during a fight with Chimera Ant Palm during the Chimera Ant arc. This serves as a foil to Gon's Character Development: while Killua becomes more selfless, levelheaded and morally upright, Gon becomes more ambiguous due to his recklessness and self-serving nature.
• Child Prodigy: A gifted assassin despite being a child, to the point he was named as his family's heir. He is also shown to have great potential with Nen.
• Children Forced to Kill: His family are assassins, so "learn to kill" is right up there with "learn to walk".
• Clark Kent Outfit: Killua has eight-pack abs and rippling biceps under his clothes in the later arcs.
• Cold Ham: When he gets serious, you can expect him to get the job done in the most over the top yet iciest way possible.
• Color Motifs: He's usually associated with the colors blue, purple, and black. Blue for being the Blue Oni to Gon's red, purple since he's usually wearing clothes with this shade, and black as he represents the "darkness" to Gon's "light".
• Cool Big Bro: To Alluka.
• Cool Board: He had a skateboard earlier in the series.
• Consummate Liar: Generally, the cuter and more sincere he appears, the more you need to worry about his honesty.
• Covert Pervert: He thinks with a perverted expression that a swap meet/meet market sounds erotic when Gon and Leorio look up some auction terms. The 1999 anime even goes so far to show him watching porn and even inviting Gon to watch. All of this is Bowdlerised in the 2011 adaptation and Viz's English translations.
  • The bowdlerisation in the 2011 anime is averted during the Greed Island Tutorial segment of episode 74, where he and Gon review the Transform card. He impatiently tells Gon, while blushing, to transform a card into the naked Gold Dust Girl. When Gon summons the transformed card, a huge naked Gold Dust Girl appears, causing Killua to fall backwards with a giant nosebleed coming out of him.
• Cowardly Lion: He becomes this when facing an opponent whose level he is unsure of compared to his own (with a tendency to underestimate himself). It's at first explained as the result of his brother Illumi's training, but it's later revealed to be hardwired into him by a nen-powered needle Illumi had put in his head. Removing it allowed Killua to instantly overcome his fears and defeat his opponent.
• Creepy Child: Not surprising for someone who trained to kill since he was three.
• Cutting the Knot: When Killua took the 288th Hunter Exam the first phase was to knock out five applicants and steal their badges. Instead, Killua knocked out everyone and stole all of their badges. This amused Netero so much that he passed Killua on the spot.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Recieved Training from Hell from his assassin family, which included Killua killing someone when he was a younger child.
• Death Glare: Principally shows that when he is in killer mode.
• Declaration of Protection: He is serious about protecting those important to him, such as his best friend and his younger sister.
  • He said he'll protect Gon.
    "I'll do whatever it takes to protect Gon!"
  • After the Chairman Election arc, he essentially declares himself to be his little sister's keeper by pledging to protect Alluka.
    " I will spend the rest of my life protecting her."
• Defusing the Tyke-Bomb: The main theme of his character development is moving out of the "cold-blooded assassin" vibe of his family. Also does this with Gon when confronting Pitou when Komugi is being healed.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: He doesn't want to be an assassin but isn't sure what he does want to be.
• Deuteragonist: Eventually becomes the most frequently seen member of the main cast other than Gon.
• Does Not Like Spam: He hates red peppers in the 1999 anime.
• Doppelgänger Spin:
  • Rhythm Echo. An assassination art, it is a motion that creates an afterimage of the body through a varying cadence of steps. There is a total absence of noise during the movement and multiple phantoms appear. It utilizes the Shadow Step technique.
  • Subverted in the first anime where Rhythm Echo is changed into an ability that allows Killua to disappear into darkness.
• Driven to Suicide: In the Phantom Rouge movie, he attempts suicide after believing he has betrayed Gon and is unworthy of being his friend, but Gon saves him just as the train is about to hit him.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: During the invasion, he did his best to help Gon but Gon basically ignored his presence. At the end of the Election arc, Gon finally apologizes to him and he was quite happy.
• Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Killua's design made him look somewhat older in his initial manga appearance. Togashi modified it by the time of the following chapter to make his young age a bit more apparent. The anime adaptations use his finalized design at all times.
• Electric Torture: Part of his Training from Hell. Thanks to it he has a resistance to electricity that allows him to generate it through his nen ability.
• Enfant Terrible: It's a family thing for little kids, infants even, to be killers.
• Face Your Fears: What he had to do to stop being a Cowardly Lion but it turns out it was because of Illumi's needle. He found it while facing his fear.
• Fast as Lightning: In Godspeed, Killua uses his electrified aura to move at high speed. Whirlwind makes his movements automatic, allowing him to respond to hostility far faster than his opponent can react due to the electricity directly transmitting his thoughts of a pre-programmed attack into his body instead of having it take the normal route going through his nervous system, while Speed of Lightning lets him continue to control his body.
• Fingore: When Killua and Gon play dodgeball against Razor on Greed Island, Gon uses his Jajanken, with Killua holding the ball, to attack Razor. Killua however doesn't protect his hands with his aura, as his aura mastery isn't good enough yet, and he does not wish to weaken Gon's attack with his own aura. The result was very badly bruised hands that made it impossible for Killua to hold anything for the next few weeks.
• First Friend: Downplayed to Gon. While the latter had friendly relationships with his hometown peers, he didn't really have a friend close to his age like Killua.
• Foil: To Gon, fitting the trope to a T. Both guys wet away from home at the age of 12 looking for freedom, but in their Character Development they're pretty much the opposite of each other. Gon starts out as a curious, sweet and innocent All-Loving Hero who grew up in the country, on an island, while Killua, coming from a wealthy family of assassins, starts out as a rather aloof, calculating and ruthless Creepy Child. Things change as Gon becomes more antiheroic, self-absorbed and becomes capable of rather cruel acts due to his impulsive nature, while Killua quits being a hitman and evolves into a genuinely loyal, selfless and upstanding individual thanks to his friends, losing his antiheroic qualities progressively.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: Phlegmatic type II, as he's calm most of the time but has a Choleric side due to his upbringing.
• Free-Range Children: Justified since he is a Hunter, and an assassin, so he can definitely take care of himself. However, his father sends four butlers to accompany him during the Election arc, and they have a system of security levels where the child could be forcibly brought back to the mansion.
• Freudian Excuse: Biscuit theorized that his cowardice was the result of the training he received by Illumi, who taught him to run at all costs if the battle goes downhill. She was sorta right.
• The Gambling Addict: His main flaw, mostly Played for Laughs (considering it's Gon who has to stop him from going too far).
  • In Chapter 71, Killua challenges Gon, betting who could make more money before they arrived in Yorknew. Killua more than makes 50 times the money he started with, but then bets all of his money again on a final bet that he loses. Gon, meanwhile, earned next to nothing, but wins anyway, since Killua was left with no money.
  • Killua uses the Risky Dice on Greed Island, realizing that they are the key to win in the casino to gain cards. The Risky Dice increase one's luck dramatically, but if the user rolls "bad luck" they will die. Killua however keeps playing, until he is stopped by Biscuit, who swiftly knocks Killua out before he gets hurt.
• The Gift: As gifted as Gon in Nen use, considered a one-in-ten-million case. He is also called the most gifted Zoldyck to have ever existed.
• Glad He's On Our Side: Kurapika's reaction when he learns he is an assassin to relief that he has not been contracted for himself or their group.
• Green-Eyed Monster: In the Phantom Rouge movie, upon meeting Gon’s new friend Retsu, Killua quickly becomes jealous and possessive for Gon due to his undying loyalty for him.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: He believes that many facets of his personality and his assassin skills are sinful that he sometimes wonders if he deserves a friend like Gon, who is such a stark contrast to everything he dislikes about himself. It's one reason why he admires Gon so much that he ends up repairing his fragile sense of self-worth entirely around Gon and putting him on a pedestal, which has drastic consequences in the Chimera Ant arc.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Gon is his closest and dearest friend, though on Killua's side it crosses the border into Homoerotic Subtext at times.
• Hitman with a Heart: Though he doesn't really get a heart until he quits being a hitman, he is still an assassin who is a loyal friend.
• Homoerotic Subtext: From following Gon to watch him on a date to calling him his "light" to making jokes about "lovers' suicide" ,it's getting increasingly unclear whether Killua's feelings for Gon are just those of friendship.
• Hypocrite: Whether he quite realizes it or not, when Killua gets protective of somebody he often interferes with their lives to make sure they can be safe. Sure, he doesn't try micromanaging their behavior using mindcontrol needles, but he can get downright manipulative and in their business without express permission — often by shutting down some of the available choices/mistakes he cannot bear to let them make. This is actually very similar to how he is treated by his family, specifically by Illumi.
• Icy Blue Eyes: Killua's blue eyes qualify as this especially when he goes full-on assassin mode.
• I Just Want to Be Free: He wants to choose his own life and not be an assassin, to the dismay of his family.
• I Just Want to Have Friends: Killua was not allowed to have friends by his family, as they keep drilling that he doesn't deserve them due to his upbringing. In the Hunter exam, he says to Illumi that he wants to be friends with Gon and have a normal life.
• I Let You Win: Offers the rookie hunters one win each in exchange for Zushi's safety and not forcing Gon to fight them until one month passes. Too bad they didn't keep their promise so he made it clear they made a huge mistake doing so.
• I'll Kill You!: After Sadaso and company attacked Zushi, Killua snuck up on Sadaso in his dressing room and made it abundantly clear that if he did anything but get out of his sight for good, he'd die right then and there. Sadaso knew he wasn't screwing around when he said that because he could feel genuine killing intent oozing out of Killua, so he complied and dropped off the face of the Earth.
• Image Song: "Tell Me".
• In-Series Nickname: His family has the nickname "Kil" for him.
• Instant Expert: Mastered advanced assassination techniques at young age. His mastery of Nen counts too, during the GI arc, it was noted how excellent his aura control is. It took Biscuit 25 years to reach that level.
• Just a Kid: Also gets this reaction with Gon from most adults they meet. Unlike Gon who immediately impresses and scares everyone that they call him a monster, they don't say the same to him but they'll find out that he's dangerous in a different way.
• Killer Rabbit: Killua looks like a pale boy with cat eyes, but he’s also trained to kill since his early childhood, and if he doesn't like those he has to fight, he will kill them without a second thought.
• Killer Yo-Yo: The specially-designed yo-yos he uses are strong enough even before he gets to grips with using his Nen on them. After? Think "decapitation" and "electrocution".
• The Lancer: Acts as the second-man to Gon at all times, and is darker in personality to contrast him.
• Lightning Bruiser: Killua already has great physical strength and agility from training as an assassin all his life, which only increases greatly when he learns to use Nen, increasing the power of his strikes with electricity. Becomes an Exaggerated Trope while using Godspeed, covering Killua in lightning for him to move at incredible speed.
• Like a Son to Me: Killua is this to his family's butlers, Gotoh and Tsubone.
• Like Father, Like Son: At least that's what Silva thinks. He's quite different from his father in a lot of ways, most notably his ability to empathize with people easily.
• Limited Wardrobe: Averted. He is the character who changes outfits the most in both series.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Before meeting Gon and the others, he was the heir to the rich Zoldyck family but he didn't know anyone outside his family and their staff.
• Loner-Turned-Friend: Played with. He didn't want to be a loner in the first place.
• Longing Look: Killua sure does like looking at Gon with these.
• Love Is a Weakness: Killua was taught to avert like from anything outside the family: they consider his empathy as a weird trait at best and a proof of stupidity at worst.
• Meaningful Name: Of course a child assassin from a renowned family of contract killers has "Kill" in his name.
• Men Don't Cry: Averted. By the later parts of the series and after a healthy dosage of Character Development, Killua is quite prone to getting emotional and has multiple heartrending teary-eyed breakdowns. Never in front of Gon, though!
• Middle Child Syndrome: Inverted. Killua is the middle child of five, and one would think he wasn't paid much attention to growing up. Instead, it's the exact opposite: Killua is the generational prodigy between his siblings and is favored by his mother, father, and grandfather, was chosen to be the successor of the business, and was "spoiled rotten" by his grandfather.
• Mood-Swinger: Can go into assassin mode instantly, referred to as "flipping his switch".
• Morality Chain:
  • Killua in general is described this way, but more in the sense of keeping a level-head in serious situations. Yes, the born-and-raised assassin is the one telling his really nice friend to tone down the ruthlessness. As Gon himself notes in the Yorknew arc:
    Gon: It's my job to make stupid choices, and it's your job to stay calm and stop me.
  • Killua had to serve as this for Gon during their confrontation with Pitou, where Killua has to stop Gon from killing the Ant when his rage overwhelms him.
    Killua: "Gon, if you kill Pitou, we'll never get Kite back."
• Murder Is the Best Solution: Gradually tries to defy this though really it depends on his mood. Lampshaded in the Heavens Arena Arc: “Not killing is hard. This clean living is tough.”
• Muscles Are Meaningless: At first played straight, but later subverted. Despite all of the physical training Killua went through growing up, he didn't have visibly any muscle mass, his arms being as built as Gon's, but as shown in the Ant Arc, the boy's biceps became pronounced and developed eight pack abs; having the muscular build of a man in his prime at 13. Just◊ look◊.
• My God, What Have I Done?: When he asked Nanika to disappear, he was quickly horrified at his own words.
• My Beloved Smother: His mother definitely wishes to keep him in the Zoldyck household at all costs as seen by how she makes Illumi participate in the Hunter Exams. Later duirng the Election Arc when he's getting Nanika, he specifically asks her to kill his mother if they don't get out of the household within an hour.
• Mystical White Hair: Like his father and grandfather, Killua's hair is pure white. He's also a Transmuter-type Nen user, allowing him to manipulate electricity for various purposes, making him a sort of assassin-wizard hybrid in comparison to Gon's straightforward Lightning Bruiser. None of his siblings have this white hair.
• Nice Guy: Not at first, but through Character Development Killua becomes a genuinely kind, heroic, selfless and supportive individual. He may have some slight cockiness at times, but, unlike his foil Gon, who develops Blue-and-Orange Morality more and more as the series goes on, he develops a genuinely strong set of morals.
• Noiseless Walker: When teamed with Killua, Melody (who is very sensitive to sound) asks if he is an assassin by trade, explaining that his footsteps are the quietest she's ever heard, barely audible at virtually no distance. The screen shows them jogging along a street flooding in the rain and Killua's steps don't make any splashes. He says it's become a habit.
• Nominal Hero: At the start of the Hunter Exam arc, he had just fled from a family of ruthless assassins, and despite rejecting that lifestyle, he had their teaching ingrained upon him, sometimes murdering people for annoying him and only being kept in check by Gon and the others. As a result of his experiences, he eventually becomes a Pragmatic Hero.
• No-Sell: Thanks to his torture training, he's immune to poison and can withstand the pain of electric shocks.
• Not Afraid of You Anymore: He adopts this position towards Illumi after removing the needle, though he admits that he's still terrified of what Illumi could do to Alluka.
• Older Than They Look: It's explained in-series that extensive use of Nen can slow your aging. Killua's appearance in later arcs has barely shown any change at all from how he appeared at the start of the series, even though a full two years have passed since Killua took the Hunter Exam with Gon.
• One-Man Army: "Tanks, fighter jets... I'll stop you all". He did.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • During his fight against Shoot, he recklessly charges forward and even screams to hit him. It's not very assassin-like, but he is struggling with Illumi’s voice telling him to flee the battle, and he considers he’s not worth Gon’s friendship if he does it again.
  • When he sees Ikalgo might be in danger during the Chimera Arc, he immediately leaves Gon's side to kill the two ants on the way even after drilling everyone to stick to the plan no matter what. He's even shocked by his own actions so Ikalgo pacifies his worries by saying he owns him one.
• Over-the-Shoulder Carry: Carries Gon like this after he knocks him out and flees to let Kite fight Neferpitou.
• Overlord Jr.: Averted. While he has the talent for it and is heavily favored to inherit the family business by his father, mother, and grandfather, Killua chose to stop being an assassin and try doing something else with his life, leading to his choice to take the Hunter Exam.
• Parental Favoritism: Favored by his father, mother, and grandfather, and chosen as the family heir.
• Passed-Over Inheritance: Killua is the heir apparent to his family's legacy even though he is third in line after Illumi and Milluki. Not only is he his parents' favorite son, and even being unwilling to take the mantle notwithstanding, his brothers do little to impede his claim (though Illumi does want to control him, although this is due to his belief that, as The Dutiful Son, it's his job to make sure Killua fulfills his obligations as well).
• Physical God: Invoked with Kanmuru. It means "Godspeed" and it was even explained with Raijin images. Even if he becomes way stronger, it's mainly because of his speed and reflexes. His physical strength and aura are not strengthened. If he uses it for too long he will run out of electricity. Interestingly, he uses it a lot to carry Alluka, who often dresses like a shrine maiden.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Not as small as Gon, but he's one of the deadliest characters in the series. He has been an assassin ever since he was born, and can extract the heart soundlessly out of an opponent, with just his hands, at 12 years old.
• Playful Cat Smile: Sometimes. The bigger it is, the more worry should be induced because it's a good indication of his mischief level.
• Power Crutch: He has to recharge his electric aura to keep on using it. Tasers or wires are his go-to sources of electricity.
• Pragmatic Hero: He is willing to make sacrifices if necessary to achieve an objective.
• Princess Carry: He carries Alluka in his arms in order to better flee with Super-Speed. In this case, it is pure brotherly love rather than shiptease. Compare this to the over-the-shoulder-carry he does for his guy-friends.
• Professional Killer: He was trained to be a professional assassin, like the rest of his family, but left that line of work.
• Properly Paranoid: Before the palace invasion. He was worried that someone would hinder their plan, the others were telling him he was thinking too much, but he was right, Komugi hindered their plan.
• Psycho Electro: Killua can transmute his nen into electricity and is a child assassin who has no qualms with killing, which is particularly noticeable during his fight against Bopobo. Gradually, he loses the "Psycho" part as he becomes more moral and selfless throughout the story.
• Psycho for Hire: Subverted. He got tired of killing people so he quit being an assassin.
• Psycho Supporter: Will quite cheerfully go behind the backs of those he cares about to smooth bumpy roads using some very morally questionable tactics. However, his judgment calls aren't often wrong. Having said that, he still holds back a fair amount: there'd be a lot more dead bodies if he kept to his family's traditions about such things.
• Put on a Bus: Killua leaves Gon to travel with Alluka to see the world at the start of the Dark Continent Arc. He tells Gon if he ever needs him, just call him; but apart from him taking a short hiatus to retake the Hunter's Exam during the Greed Island Arc, this is the first time the two will be travelling without each other in the entire series.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The calm, calculating Blue Oni to Gon's impulsive, reckless Red Oni, and Gon refuses it to be reversed.
  "I'm allowed to talk about dying, but you're not!"
• Restraining Bolt: Illumi used a needle to compel him to flee from enemies he didn't think he could defeat, in order to force him to flee from a fight that could get him killed.
• Right Under Their Noses: In "The Last Mission" he and Gon manage to hide from Jed's soldiers as they march by their area by hiding in a "your face here" cutout.
• The Runaway: His parents didn't agree with his whole "see the world" plan yet he still ran away to take the Hunter Exam. He meets the main trio this way and sets up a chain of events that leads to his parents setting him free to see the world.
• Sarcastic Devotee: Killua has no qualms smacking Gon for being an idiot or being critical of his ideas, but is so incredibly loyal to Gon that he follows his plans regardless and willing to discard his life to save him in dangerous situations.
• Say My Name: "GOOOOON!!!", as his best friend was moments away from potentially dying while finishing off Neferpitou.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Killua is not above running away when faced with an opponent which might be a threat; this extends to both actual threats like Neferpitou as well as lesser Chimera Ants which he should by all means be able to take on but his instincts tell him to run just to be on the safe side. Bisky calls him out on this, alleging that one day this will cause him to abandon Gon. This is eventually revealed to be programmed into him via Illumi injecting a needle into his brain, which he eventually gets rid of. Even then though he still at least Knows When To Fold 'Em, in contrast to Gon largely being a Fearless Fool.
• Shirtless Scene: In Episode 107 "Ikalgo × and × Lightning" after recovering from his wound, which shows off how ripped he is for his age.
• Shock and Awe: Thanks to his acquired electricity immunity, he is able to transform his aura into electricity, and uses it not only as a weapon on others, but also on himself as a reflex enhancer.
• Shout-Out: The Japanese name of his Thunderbolt ability Narukami comes from the kabuki play Narukami Fudô Kitayama Zakura, in which the character Narukami turns into a Raijin at the end of the fourth act.
• Significant Birthdate: Killua's birthday, July 7th, is the day of Tanabata, a Japanese festival holiday revolving around a tale of star-crossed lovers. Killua shares quite a bit with the tale character Orihime and the beginning of the Tanabata myth: both work for their fathers but are unhappy and want companionship with others, so they abandon their work after meeting someone which displeases their fathers, who regardless let their children pursue their important bond but expect them to eventually return to their duties.
• Slasher Smile: Did this quite often when he killed earlier in the series and basically every time he kills or beats someone in his "assassin" mode.
• Smug Super: He coasts through the Hunter Exam, with Gon and Netero being the only people to really catch his attention. Then, he goes up against Gittarackur in the final round. It starts to bubble back up during Heaven's Arena, but it's squashed when he faces Zushi's nen.
• Sociopathic Hero: He is a Zoldyck after all. He has no problem with killing and smiles practically every time he kills someone. Again, subverted as he gradually loses this straight as the series goes on and he mellows out.
• Sore Loser: He really doesn't take losses too well as shown when he couldn't get around Netero in the game to grab a ball off him. He develops a bit of a grudge against him for it.
• Spoiled Brat: Zeno self-admitted that he spoiled him and it's the reason why he doesn't respect Milluki. It doesn't help that Milluki is an asshole, and tries to torture him whenever he returns; 'tries' because it doesn't work. Although Zeno's idea of 'spoiled' isn't exactly normal, as what he considers a proper upbringing seems to consist of being whipped, chained up, burnt with cigarettes, poisoned, electrocuted, forced to kill, and otherwise abused to the point of being almost completely unaffected by pain, starting from a very young age. Do note that said training has left Killua virtually invincible to conventional modes of offense like poison and weapons.
• Sprouting Ears: When he looks catlike, his ears get a cosmetic change to enhance his cat-smile.
• Stalker without a Crush: Was spying on Gon and Palm to protect him when he couldn't use his Nen.
• Stock Shōnen Rival: Subverted. Killua fits almost all of the criteria. He's the foil to Stock Shōnen Hero Gon, starts off as a darker character than Gon, is a Blood Knight, etc. Despite this, Killua is not Gon's rival. He is just his friend.
• The Strategist: Biscuit gave him this role in the last part of Greed Island and he was able to think of a fool-proof plan that enabled them to defeat the Bombers even if they were vastly overpowered when it comes to Nen abilities. He's also one of the strategists in the palace invasion, with the adults listening to his suggestions as he makes good points.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: A rare example where he appears open and emotive (sugar) most of the time but becomes cold, dark, and distant (ice) when dealing with serious situations, using his assassination techniques, and facing certain people who have angered or hurt him.
• Super-Reflexes: Even without resorting to Nen, Killua has superb reflexes. Killua can react to the slightest amount of danger at once, allegedly even gunshots fired at near point-blank range.
• Super-Speed: Killua is tremendously fast, which is enhanced when he is charged up with his Nen. He can move fast enough that his opponents may lose sight of him, and kill a target without them realizing it until the fatal blow has been dealt. In his "Godspeed" form, when he use his Nen, he can change the properties of his aura to generate a surge of electricity into his own body, increasing his speed to levels that transcend the limits of his body. It can be used to travel long distances at high speed, or in combat when there is a significant difference in speed and/or power between Killua and his opponent.
• Sweet Tooth: He tends to be munching on something. Also, he used his winnings from his first time in the Celestial Tower supposedly on a lot of cakes. We repeat, he spends 200 million on sweets.
• Talented, but Trained: While he does have natural talent and training, he works very hard to refine his abilities to the point they're equal to or even stronger than many adult nen users.
• Taught by Experience: This is the reason he was so paranoid before the Palace Invasion. According to him, situations like the one they face can go seriously wrong.
• Technician Versus Performer: The technician to Gon's performer. While Killua relies on his assassination skills, Gon relies on his instincts. It's the reason why he is a bit jealous of Gon during the tournament of his first Hunter exam.
• Theme Music Power-Up: Expect to hear the instrumental of "Tell Me" when Killua is about to kick someone's ass.
• Took a Level in Kindness: He became kind enough to spare a Chimera Ant. This ant becomes one of their allies later.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Above all sweets, Chocolate Balls reign supreme.
• Training from Hell: Electric torture and regular poisonings were only two of his experiences as an assassin-in-training. It was administered by his own family, no less.
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Most children do not grin like a cat after plucking someone's heart from their chest.
• Troll: He tricked Hanzo into getting the wrong tag in the fourth phase of his first hunter exam, catches Riehlvelt from falling while Killua is in an electrified state, lied to Milluki about destroying his figurines, decided to be the only person to pass his second hunter exam, and made Sub think that he was in the lead during the fight between those two only to whip-out a second yo-yo.
• Tsundere: Killua is both types, expressing certain sides to certain people; the recipients of his deredere side are Gon and Alluka, there are others, such as Leorio, Kurapika, Canary, but the former two are two that receive it the most, while people that receive his tsuntsun side are Leorio to annoy him, Gon when he acts stupidly or embarrasses him, and basically anyone he doesn't like, bordering on Sugar-and-Ice Personality towards others.
• Tyke-Bomb: Before he met Gon, all his life was dedicated to assassination.
• Underestimating Badassery: In the earlier parts of the series he was overconfident to the point of naiveté, best exemplified in the ball game he played with Netero during the Hunter Exam. It's only after learning Nen that he gradually realizes how strong people with actual Nen experience can be. This reaches a breaking point when he enconuters Neferpitou and has a Heroic BSoD upon realizing how relatively powerless he is in the grand scheme of things.
  "We were overconfident. The two of us combined were still weaker than Kite who'd lost an arm. This is reality... we were fools!"
• Undying Loyalty: For Gon (Best Friend) and Alluka (precious little sister), he will help them no matter what. Even other members of his family are a lower priority.
• Villainous Lineage: Subverted. While he was set-up to be the heir of his family of assassins, he ended becoming the White Sheep by running away from home, and by the end of the 2011 anime, he ended becoming a very loyal and selfless individual.
• V-Sign: After winning some fights at the Heavens Arena, he flashes a finger V to celebrate.
• White Hair, Black Heart: Surely it is no co-incidence that the line of assassins has white hair; him, his father, and his grandfather. However, his heart turns grayer than theirs over time.
• White Sheep: Of the Zoldyck family. Unlike the rest of them he doesn't want to join the family business of assassination, to their dismay.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: He is an extremely intelligent boy as he picked up on a lot of things before a lot of the other characters do.
• Wrestler in All of Us: In the 1999 anime during the Heaven's Arena Arc, Killua and Gon argue over Killua's binge spending on chocolate and taking Gon's money to buy more, Gon tells him not to waste his money; Killua's response is to angrily say chocolate isn't a waste of money and put Gon in a Surfboard Stretch. For those that don't know, Killua had Gon in this hold; Gon quickly submitted.
• You Are Already Dead: A moment of this happens in the Trick Tower, when Killua has to fight Johness the Dissector. While Johness talks about ripping Killua to pieces, Killua casually passes him by. When Johness realizes that something is wrong, he sees Killua with his beating heart in hands, smugly smiling and then crushing the heart. A shocked Johness then collapses and dies.
• You Are What You Hate: To protect Alluka, Killua outpasses the butlers, tells her she only needs him in the world, and asks Nanika to never manifest again. His treatment of her is only a bit tamer than Illumi’s towards him, something he realizes after Alluka calls him out.
• Your Size May Vary: Killua's profile states his height is 158cm, making him four centimeters taller than Gon (meaning he'd be at least an inch taller); in the 1999 anime, Killua is at least half a head taller than Gon, while in the 2011 anime, he's shrunk down to be roughly the same height as Gon. Just◊ look◊. However, Killua is shown to be getting taller throughout the story, where it's noticeable in the Heaven's Arena Arc that his legs are shorter than Gon's and the two are roughly the same height, by the Greed Island Arc their shoulders are no longer leveled, and by the Chimera Ant Arc Killua's visibly taller. Here's◊ some evidence.

Kurapika

Kurapika

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (2011 Series), Yuki Kaida (1999 Series), Noriko Hidaka (Pilot OVA) (Japanese), Erika Harlacher (2011 Series), Cheryl McMaster (1999 Series) (English) ^{Foreign VAs}Rémi Caillebot (2011 series, French), Frédéric Popovic (1999 series, French)

"I do not fear death. I fear only that my rage will fade over time."

Speaking of not wanting to piss someone off, you really don't want to piss Kurapika off, either. He's cold and intelligent, at least when you first meet him. He listens to Honor Before Reason, which makes him go head to head with Leorio rather often. He's practically a walking encyclopedia, and it shows. Five years ago the members of the Kurta clan were wiped out, all but Kurapika. They were killed only for their scarlet eyes, which he is now bent on getting back, all 32 pairs. He also intends to inflict justice on those who did it, the Phantom Troupe.

Kurapika's Nen ability involves him conjuring chains, one chain attached to each of the fingers on his right hand. Each chain has a different ability: One chain is able to be used to heal himself, another has a spike tip that he can embed in a person's heart, which will kill them if they violate certain conditions that Kurapika puts forth. The most prominent ability is Chain Jail, which is used to tie down its target and shut off their ability to use Nen (however, the ability will kill Kurapika if he ever uses it on anyone other than a member of the Phantom Troupe).

That's not even all. When Kurapika's eyes turn scarlet, he is capable of wielding every single Nen category to 100% efficiency.

---

• The Ace: He is by far the best bodyguard of the Nostrade clan thanks to his high intelligence, and he is also the strongest. They all chose him as their leader and he became Nostrade's confidante and right arm. By the Dark Continent Arc, Kurapika has completely taken over the Nostrade family, and has been utilizing their resources to his ends.
• Adaptational Heroism: In the manga and 2011 anime, Kurapika is hell-bent on avenging his clan, and isn't above killing the Phantom Troupe in cold blood to achieve his mission. The 1999 anime adds some moments where he hesitates going through with killing the Troupe members, and he even suffers a nervous breakdown after killing Uvogin.
• Adaptation Dye-Job:
  • Eye variation. His eyes (when not in Red Eyes, Take Warning mode, obviously), are stated to be brown in the manga. They went from turquoise to dark blue to blue again in the first anime. In the second anime, they're a slightly brownish grey. He also wears black contact lenses in the Yorknew arc.
  • In the Studio Pierrot-produced OVA made for the 1998 Jump Super Anime Tour, his hair is red, as opposed to the blond hair he has in the manga and all other anime adaptations.
• Aloof Ally: He is distant to the other bodyguards and his friends and prefers to work alone. However, he will work together when he realizes that he can't handle it alone.
• Ambiguous Gender: Kurapika is very androgynous-looking, and was not referred to by any gender in the Japanese media for a long time. More gendered language versions tend to be less ambiguous, but even then, some of them guessed wrong (the German version originally used female pronouns) or deliberately use gender-neutral writing (the English publishing of the manga at first).
• The Atoner: The special manga chapters for the movie reveals that his childhood friend Pairo was badly hurt when trying to save him, and he wanted to go to the outside world and find a doctor that can heal him.
• Awesome, but Impractical: Kurapika's Hatsu is a borderline Story-Breaker Power that also hits the Super Power Lottery but there are a few factors which strangle its efficiency:
  • Emperor Time allows Kurapika to become a Specialist and use any Nen category with 100 percent efficiency, things that are outright impossible by the rules of Nen. Using it however sends him into a Heroic RRoD that gets worse the longer he uses it. He can't work around the fallout of using the Emperor Time either because he hasn't refined his basic usage of Nen the way Gon and Killua did. It also is specifically stated that staying in Emperor Time shreds away his remaining lifespan.
  • Chain Jail can bind someone and forcibly send them into a state of Zetsu, which is incredibly useful in a battle between Nen users. But he can only use it on Phantom Troupe members or he will die.
  • Steal Chain lets Kurapika drain someone's Nen and make use of their Hatsu. It even informs him what the Hatsu can do, avoiding the normal logistical problems that a Power Parasite ability runs into. But he can only use the ability once, the drain does take a bit of time, and like Judgment Chain can only be used during Emperor Time. Worse still until Kurapika fully uses the stolen ability he has acquired, Steal Chain will force his body to maintain Emperor Time which not only drains his lifespain but also puts his body through unbelievable stress.
• Arch-Enemy: Let's just say the Phantom Troupe become just as determined to kill him as he is to killing them after the Yorknew City arc.
• Badass Adorable: Hell yes. He is a bishonen, and he is formidable opponent due to his sharp mind, physical strength, and later, his Nen chains. All of this is accomplished through intense training and willpower.
• Badass Boast:
  Uvogin: [You're] alone? I'm impressed. Where do you want to die? I'll humor any requests.
  Kurapika: I'd prefer a deserted wasteland, with no one nearby. (pause) ... Since I'll have you screaming at the top of your lungs.
• Badass Bookworm: He's extremely smart, and thanks to Emperor Time, he can use all Nen types to 100% efficiency, including Enhancing Nen.
• Badass Family: The last member of the Kurta Clan, renowned for the power of their scarlet eyes. Even Uvo recognized their strength.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Eventually drops his tabard in favor of a nice dark blue suit that's appropriate for his status as a mafia boss and Zodiac, which he retains while working as a Kakin bodyguard. It's even used as his default outfit in his Jump Force appearance.
• Badass in Distress: To a minor extent in both movies. Phantom Rogue kicks off with the villain stealing his eyes, setting the others on a search to find the culprit. In The Last Battle, he takes the bullet for Leorio and spends the last half of the film nearly dying from a deadly poison. It ups the stakes for the final battle, as he's sure to die if Gon doesn't defeat the Big Bad.
• Berserk Button: Merely mentioning the Phantom Troupe or his clan's tragic fate is enough to make his eyes turn scarlet. Mizaistom's casual mention of Kurapika's goals in a polite conversation was enough to earn him an Implied Death Threat.
• The Berserker: Him going Scarlet Eyes. Kurapika himself states that even just seeing a regular spider is enough to trigger his Scarlet Eyes and the change causes him to go primal. Even after learning to control his emotions in Scarlet Eyes mode, he can still lose himself if they are involuntarily triggered by anger. Seeing Uvogin’s spider tattoo was enough for him to become blinded by rage and rush in to capture him at the cost of his life (Melody had to stop him and calm him down with a flute song), meeting Chrollo for the first time involved a brief No-Holds-Barred Beatdown, and Mizaistom casually mentioning the Scarlet Eyes Kurapika was looking for was enough for him to make an Implied Death Threat and even loosen his tie and shirt, ready to kill him. It’s even pointed out by other characters In-Universe, as a villager from outside the Kurta Clan called him a monster after beating up a group of men who insulted Pairo.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Aloof, soft-spoken and refined. At first glance. Kurapika is almost always underestimated. However, he is a great fighter and possesses an uncanny amount of intellect and physical strength. Threaten his loved ones or press his Berserk Button and he will proceed to either blindly or systematically kick your ass.
• Beyond the Impossible: It should be impossible to master all the Nen categories at 100%. Emperor Time breaks that rule, even if it only allow him to adjust the power and precision when using others nen categories, see Chapter 108, and it comes with a price to pay.
• Big Brother Instinct: Though not brothers, Kurapika serves as this to Gon during the Hunter Exam, complete with having a Berserk Button moment where his Red Eyes, Take Warning acts up while he watches Gon get brutally beaten by Hanzo. Kurapika's best friend from the Kurta village, Pairo, was also similarly protected and cared for.
• Bishōnen: He's a very pretty, almost androgynous guy.
• Blade on a Rope: His "Judgment Chain" has a blade attached to it that can pierce the victim's heart if they refuse an order Kurapika gives them. His "Steal Chain" is attached to a syringe that can drain the aura and steal the Nen powers of anyone it pierces.
• Blessed with Suck: When his emotions are heightened, his eyes change into one the most beautiful shades of scarlet in the world. As another bonus, he gets an extremely useful power upgrade. However, until he learned to control it, his eyes turning scarlet would cause him to go berserk, and it was because of their eyes' beauty that his Clan was hunted down, massacred, and then had their eyes sold through the black market.
• Bounty Hunter: Every Hunter can do this, but he is a Black List Hunter so it's his main job.
• Broken Ace: With his past, it's understandable.
• Brutal Honesty: Kurapika never minces his words.
• The Bus Came Back:
  • He does come back in Chapter 339, but is seen actually being deliberate of his absence by ignoring any calls from Leorio.
  • He accepts to join The Zodiacs and travels with them to find the remaining Scarlet Eyes in Chapter 343.
• Cast from Lifespan: Emperor Time comes with major drawbacks for its user. For every second Kurapika uses Emperor Time, he loses one hour of his remaining lifespan. Thus, one hour of Emperor Time would cost him 150 days, 24 hours would cost him ten years, etc. Worth noting is that Kurapika's Nen master warned him about this in a flashback back in Chapter 83:
  Izunavi: Nobody's equal in strength. How you feel day to day will affect you, as well as where you're fighting and its context. Nen is even more complex. Joy, sadness, fear, hatred, carelessness, devotion, excitement, doubt, pleasure, shame, determination — all the emotions you're capable of factor into Nen. It might enable something beyond 100%...
  
  ...But that's never a good thing. Especially in combat. Using powers beyond your capacity will always cause strain! It will become a weakness, perhaps fatal. You need consistent power to always come out on top.
• Chain Pain: Kurapika fights using Variable Length Chains made of Nen. He can conjure several such chains with various powers.
• The Charmer: Very easily gets Bisky to cooperate by calling her a delicate princess a few times.
• Cheerful Child: Younger Kurapika. He was much more optimistic and curious as a kid with his Childhood Friend Pairo before the Kurta clan massacre.
• Chessmaster Sidekick: In the Nostrade clan.
• Child Prodigy: When he was younger, easily passing the written exam and oral questionnaire given by the Kurta clan to explore the world.
• The Coats Are Off: You don't want Kurapika to take off his tabard.
• Code Name: The Rat, after he became Pariston's replacement as a Zodiac.
• Conditional Powers: What makes his Chain Jail so strong. If he uses that particular chain on anyone but a member of the Phantom Troupe, he will die.
• Crippling Overspecialization:
  • While Kurapika's talent and gifted intelligence allowed him to learn Nen quickly, he focused on his abilities to combat and punish the Phantom Troupe. His most powerful weapon, Chain Jail, won't even work on anyone other than members of the Phantom Troupe and if he tried to use it on someone else, he would die. His other Hatsu abilities aren't nearly as impressive. Furthermore he only learned how to use Nen techniques that he would find useful against the Phantom Troupe like "In". If that wasn't enough, he never trained his aura the way Gon and Killua did on Greed Island so he can't fight with Nen for a prolonged period of time without getting tired. Keep in mind that while Kurapika learned Nen in six months, he may have learned important Nen skills, but he never polished the basics like Gon and Killua, who spent months to train their Nen alone; and their talent is stated to be "one in ten million".
  • Also a flashback in Chapter 361 highlights Kurapika's flaws when it comes to battle approach, mainly that he's a combat version of I Work Alone. He actively seeks to engage enemies one on one, often having to arrange circumstances to facilitate that and his Hatsu is refined towards usage on a single target at any given time. It's also pointed out that he cuts other people out from helping him and doesn't know how to work with others in combat situations.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Chain Jail, as elaborated on in Conditional Powers. So much so that Wing warned Gon not to follow Kurapika's example by designing such a lethal Hatsu.
• Dark and Troubled Past: The story of his clan's massacre is absolutely tragic. Families were forced to face one another as they were stabbed and beheaded. Children were mutilated in order to make their parents' eyes turn an even more alluring shade of scarlet. All of Kurapika's friends, family, neighbors, etc. — gone, leaving behind only ONE survivor. The gore is nothing short of what a monster could accomplish, and Kurapika's quest for vengeance seems all the more understandable.
• A Day in the Limelight: Kurapika is the protagonist of the Yorknew City arc, while Gon and Killua take a more secondary role, and the story is again mostly told from his perspective during the journey to the Dark Continent.
• Deadpan Snarker: Has occasional bouts of this.
• Death Glare: Even without using his family assets, he's really fond of this trope.
• Determinator: Portrayed as one. Everybody says that he has an unflinching will.
• Dirty Business: Subverted to an extent. He earns money through bodyguard and gambling but he has many connections with outlaws.
• Disguised in Drag: During the Phantom Troupe arc, while trying to corner the Spiders. Twice in succession. If this wasn't already amusing enough to the fangirls, Chrollo also mistakes him for a woman.
• The Don: By virtue of being the new head of the Nostrade family, although the group's sources of income under his jurisdiction are apparently legal.
• Doomed Hometown: Was destroyed by the Phantom Troupe during his absence.
• Dual Wielding: Before being Chained by Fashion.
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: So much that he's successfully disguised himself as a woman at least twice so far in the series. Leorio even mentions at the beginning how Kurapika could easily pass off as a woman. Chrollo thought he was a girl, too, especially with that pink pencil skirt... Pointed out canonically by Leorio when he's thinking about a surefire bet that he could win. "Maybe I should bet if I'm a man or a woman... No, that'd be too obvious... But that'd work a lot better with Kurapika!"
• Due to the Dead: Gives Uvogin a proper burial after killing him. With a shovel he apparently brought in advance.
• Dumb Blonde: Inverted. Kurapika is a blonde, but one of the smartest characters in the series.
• Effeminate Voice: Kurapika is an androgynous young man who is voiced by women in the anime.
• Establishing Character Moment: In the original anime, he makes an Early-Bird Cameo eating lunch at a restaurant when a poisonous spider crawls beside his plate. He immediately kills it with his fork, showing not only his hate for the Phantom Troupe (a.k.a. the Spiders), but how he's not afraid to face them.
• Everything Sensor: His ring finger chain. It forms a ball on a chain that moves in the direction of whatever he's dowsing for, tracking the location of someone and even telling if someone's lying.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: In the reboot, for the Phantom Troupe Arc, Kurapika's hair is noticeably longer. Where it once hung just over his ears and ended at the nape of his neck, it now brushes his shoulders. It's also referenced in the second opening, where he notices his hair has grown shaggy and unkempt from doggedly spending a lot of time out in the woods learning how to use Nen and his slow descent toward developing a much colder and crueler latent side to his character that has such an obsession with finding the resolve to be unwavering and strong, it starts to consume him. Kurapika later trims it back a little so that it's not swallowing up his face.
• Explaining Your Power to the Enemy: Only to twist the knife right before the moment of their demise does Kurapika tell his sworn enemies how his abilities work. Justified, since the enemy was already done for. As a matter of fact, Kurapika makes an effort not to divulge any details regarding his powers, or even shows them to anyone at the risk of being found out by the Phantom Troupe, taking away his edge.
• Expy: Word of God says that he and his clan are essentially the Ohmu from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in human form. Both groups' eyes turn red when enraged, and certain parts of their bodies (their eyes and exoskeletons, respectively) are highly valuable and sought-after.
• Fantastic Fragility: Kurapika put a condition on himself that he would die if he uses Chain Jail on someone outside of the Phantom Troupe (to avert He Who Fights Monsters).
• Fantastic Racism: The Kurta clan has an ill reputation for their aggressive nature, which perhaps grants people some justification to engage in the morbid act of trading their eyes as treasures. In reality the Kurtas are a peaceful people who, while certainly prone to getting aggressive, are trained to control their rage (and whenever Kurapika does lose control, he usually has a pretty good reason to).
• Four Is Death: One of his major motifs. Number 404 in the Exam, having four known chains being born at April 4th (4/4)... and what exactly is the ability of his fourth chain? Now he is targeting the 4th Prince. Ironically, the current fourth member of the Phantom Troupe is the one who is on his side... usually. Oh, and regardless of all this 4 business, he's the only survivor of a massacre on account of simply not being there when it happened, so he's also fully educated to the "death" part.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Melancholic. Intelligent, serious, aloof, goal-oriented and prefers to work alone.
• Friendship Moment: During his reunion with his friends. His most moving scene so far.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: A heroic example. During the Hunter Exam, Kurapika is an unknown Badass Bookworm. Six months later he becomes the chief bodyguard of his client and a threat to the Phantom Troupe.
• Good Is Not Soft: Kurapika is very caring towards his friends, and at least civilized towards others. But he's also absolutely ruthless against his enemies.
• Heroic RRoD: Using Emperor Time too much can take a toll on him and potentially cause him to lose consciousness. He had to stay bedridden for a while after the events of the Yorknew arc, and on the Black Whale, he used it for over 3 consecutive hours as part of a plan, which eventually caused him to black out for 9 hours... while Emperor Time was still active and thus draining one hour of his lifespan for every single second he was asleep.
• Hero of Another Story: His quest for revenge against the Phantom Troupe and his time working for the Nostrade family get quite a lot of focus, and there's even a few extra chapters and a movie centered around his back story.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: All his clan. They are good people but are hated by many because of their Scarlet Eyes.
• He Who Fights Monsters: The Power of Friendship has become less and less his motivation as he continues on his path of revenge. He goes from being the Team Mom to not even picking up the phone when Gon is in a critical condition.
• Image Song: "The Eyes Burning with Scarlet".
• Innocence Lost: The young Kurapika was a man who had a never-ending thirst for knowledge and whose big dream was to go out and explore the world. A few weeks after he left the village, his entire clan was slaughtered and their eyes were stolen, making him stop his journey to retrieve the eyes of his fallen family and friends and bring justice to their murderers.
• I Shall Taunt You: Was constantly taunting Uvo and used one occasion to capture him with Chain Jail.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: To Uvo! He binds him with his Chain Jail, depriving him of his Nen. When Uvogin refuses to tell him anything, he kills him.
• Last of His Kind: His entire clan was murdered by the Phantom Troupe for their Scarlet Eyes.
• The Leader: After the head bodyguard was killed by Phinks, a new leader had to be found. Kurapika, being the only one capable of standing toe-to-toe with Uvogin unflinchingly, is voted the leader of the bodyguards unanimously.
• Leeroy Jenkins: He may be The Smart Guy and The Strategist, but when he is really angered he screws up his own plans.
• Licked by the Dog: When Kurapika is about to transfer Sayird's ability, that he stole earlier, to Queen Oito, so he can attack Vincent with Steal Chain, Kurapika first asks for Queen Oito's and Prince Woble's trust after his Declaration of Protection. When he reveals his scarlet eyes to them, the crying Woble stops crying and tries to reach out to Kurapika, which convinces Queen Oito to trust in Kurapika, no matter what.
• Living Lie Detector: The chain on Kurapika's ring finger allows him to notice when someone is hiding something or outright lying.
• Long Bus Trip: Isn't seen during the whole Chimera Ant arc.
• Master of All: Emperor Time allows him to use abilities from every Nen category at 100% efficiency. Downplayed in that this doesn't mean he gets master-level expertise in all categories; his "Level" in each category remains the same as always, but his "Accuracy" and "Force" do not get penalized from trying to use abilities outside his natural category (Conjurer). He does have the potential to become a true Master of All should he become a skilled enough Nen user, whereas other people would normally never be able to use abilities from categories they're incompatible with to their full extent regardless of how skilled they are.
• Mirror Character:
  • To Chrollo. Both are Specialists, fight using Conjuration, are extremely dangerous, intelligent, eerily calm in most situations, and both go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge when their family is killed. Heck, Kurapika actually possesses a Power Parasite ability, which allows him to temporarily steal the abilities of someone and use it one-time-only.
  • Addressed more directly in The Last Battle, which features deliberate parallels between him and the Descendants of Shadow. The key difference between them lies in the Descendant's willingness to involve innocents and sell their souls — extreme lengths that Kurapika refuses to take.
• The Mole: Joins the Mafia to hunt down flesh merchants and find the eyes of his clan. He intends to bring them all down. His boss, needless to say, does not know this.
• Mole in Charge: He becomes the Nostrade family's lead bodyguard when his predecessor is killed by the Phantom Troupe. After Light Nostrade's mental breakdown following the events in Yorknew City, Kurapika takes control of the entire Nostrade Family.
• Muscles Are Meaningless: Looks thin and delicate, but he's pretty damn strong.
• Necessary Drawback: Kurapika sets certain punishments in place for misusing his own abilities as a warning to himself to never cross the line on his quest for revenge — and his desire to follow these self-made rules only serves to further his resolve, thus boosting the power of his Nen all the higher. For instance, he knows that if he ever uses his chains on anybody but a Spider, a Nen Dagger will pierce his heart and he will die. Emperor Time's lifespan-eating drawback, however, seems to be an actual detrimental effect caused by using his Kurta eyes to empower his Nen abilities.
• Nice Guy: Kurapika is really kind to others when he opens up to them. Although aloof and with a vengeful streak, deep down he's a kind-hearted and selfless young man, who cares about moral values.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Someone insulted Pairo during the Special chapter, it didn't end well for him.
• No-Nonsense Nemesis: The Troupe gradually realizes that he is not just another foolish avenger; as Pakunoda notes, Kurapika is intelligent, very quick on his feet, calculating, secretive and most of all, cold-blooded. He is not a Blood Knight and he does not play around with his foes; he carefully plans out all of his actions to maximize efficiency, and he succesfully killed two Troupe members and briefly captured and incapacitated their leader despite being a Nen novice with little real experience prior. That said, he is very quick to anger and is occasionally Blinded by Rage to the point of carrying out his plans in a less than ideal way.
  • This extends to his performance on the Black Whale. He has next to no personal interest in Kakin's politics, the Zodaics' ambitions or the voyage to the Dark Continent, and is merely there to have Tserriednich's head on a pike, but despite that (or because of it) and despite guarding the most vulnerable Prince in the Succesion War, his no-nonsense nature combined with his immense intellect and strategic skills makes him one of the most formidable forces in the war, and the rest of the factions quickly acknowledge him as a threat.
• No-Sell: Took a punch from Uvo and felt nothing at all.
• Perpetual Frowner: Is rarely ever shown smiling, and his seriousness becomes even more noticeable the deeper his quest for revenge goes.
• Pet the Dog: Chapter 350 serves as a reminder that despite his ruthlessness and further seclusion, not even visiting Gon in his critical condition, at his heart Kurapika is still an empathetic person, as he holds the sleeping Prince Woble in his arms and looks at her melancholically, as she and her mother, Oito, were dragged into a succession battle between the fourteen princes of Kakin, without being able to protect themselves.
• Polyglot: The common language spoken in the series is not his native language. He learned it when he was younger.
• Power Nullifier: Two of his chains possess this ability.
  • Chain Jail forces its victim into the Zetsu-state, making them stop the flow of their aura and thus incapable of using Nen. However, it only works against members of the Phantom Troupe and will kill Kurapika if he tries to use it on someone else.
  • Steal Chain is a chain with a syringe at its end, which drains the aura and steals the ability of its victim temporarily, leaving them in a Zetsu-like state. Until the stolen ability is activated, Kurapika is forced to keep Emperor Time up.
• The Power of Hate: The reason why Chain Jail is strong is his hate (and a Nen contract). Kurapika hates the Phantom Troupe so much, it fuels his willpower, which, in turn, makes his Nen incredibly binding and exceptionally difficult to overpower.
• Power Parasite: Kurapika's chain on his Index Finger is Steal Chain, which allows him to drain the aura of his victim and temporarily take away their ability under certain conditions. The ability is returned to its original user, though, after using it once.
• Power-Strain Blackout: After successfully rescuing Gon and Killua, Kurapika faints from exhaustion and the overuse of his Scarlet Eyes.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Kurta eyes become red when they experience strong emotions and give them a power boost. Kurapika can make his eyes red at will.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue calm and collected to Leorio's hot-blooded Red.
• Refusal of the Call: Refused Mizaistom's offer to join the Zodiacs at first.
• Revenge Before Reason: When he said he would stake his life on a Nen condition to make himself better able to fight the Phantom Troop, his Nen teacher was like "you're crazy!". It's defied where he gives up a chance at revenge to save his friends.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He is driven to kill the Phantom Troupe for the sake of his slaughtered family members. He is quite brutal.
• Secret-Keeper: Mizaistom asked him to not reveal that there might be a mole in their group.
• Shirtless Scene: The cover of volume 14 has him shirtless.
• The Smart Guy: Without a doubt one of the smartest character of the series.
• Sole Survivor: Of the Kurta after they were massacred by the Phantom Troupe for their scarlet eyes.
• Spell My Name With An S: His name was romanized as Curarpikt in the 2004 databook.
• The Spock: To Gon’s Kirk and Leorio’s McCoy.
• The Strategist: Targeted Uvogin first because it was advantageous, and for the sole purpose of gauging the strength of his chains, therefore determining how he'd fare against the rest of the troupe were he to bind them.
• Spontaneous Weapon Creation: He averted the trope. Every Conjurer can do this but Kurapika lets his chains remain visible around his arm so that his opponents will think he is a Manipulator.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Appears cold and distant to others, due to his focus on avenging his clan. However, he shows a much warmer side towards Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Melody.
• Survival Mantra: In the anime, the Kurta Prayer.
• Talk to the Fist: Kurapika's favorite method of quickly silencing somebody who's talking shit is by introducing their face to his fist, whether it's a random mafia goon or the leader of the Phantom Troupe.
• Tastes Like Feet: Kurapika concocts an appealing-looking pork dish for Menchi during the Hunter's Examination. Avoiding a Mess on a Plate, Kurapika's reasoning is that what matters regarding the dish is how it looks... regardless of what it tastes like. Unpredictably, after tasting his plate, Menchi promptly and soundly rejects this reasoning.
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Look at how he treated the guy who threatened Pairo.
• Team Mom: Very protective of Gon and Killua.
• Theme Music Power-Up: In the 2011 anime, "Kusari Yarou / Chain Bastard" tends to blare up when Kurapika is getting some shit done.
• Took a Level in Badass: In the six-month gap after the Zoldyck Arc. The anime makes it even better. Now he is the boss of the Nostrade clan.
• Tranquil Fury: One of the many, many shades of his rage.
• Trauma Button: Anything related to the Phantom Troupe will set him off, as one unfortunate soul discovered during the Hunter Exam when he tried to intimidate him by claiming to be a member. Kurapika saw right through his claim, but still angrily one-shotted him in a blind rage. Even merely seeing a common spider ticks him off.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Of a different type than Gon or Killua. While Kurapika is a prodigy, a skilled strategist and fighter, he focused on learning the parts of Nen that would make him strong against the Phantom Troupe. As such he can understand and use complicated abilities like "in" and create his Hatsu in 6 months but he also neglected to train the fundamentals of Nen that Gon and Killua later learned on Greed Island. As such he relies more on his ability to strategize while using his Nen as a way of executing his plans but doesn't rely on Nen for the duration of the fight as he never trained his aura the way Gon and Killua did.
• Unstoppable Rage: Kurapika is an enigma in the fact that, while he is often level-headed and reasonable, under certain circumstances, he can potentially fly off the handle. Chrollo makes a valuable note of this. As of the special comic covering his backstory, Unstoppable Rage was an In the Blood issue for the Kurta clan, which led to them being feared and hated.
• Vengeance Feels Empty: It is suggested that Kurapika's quest for revenge is taking him down a very unhealthy path. Besides the physical repercussions of using Emperor Time and the way he's becoming increasingly more distant to his friends (not visiting Gon during the Elections arc) and overall becoming a much more aggressive individiual in general (all but threatening to kill Mizaistom for merely talking about his clan), he experienced a Heroic BSoD when he was briefly tricked into believing the Troupe were killed and that he lost his primary purpose for living. He finally started getting better and even smiled when hanging out with Gon and Killua and realizing how important his friends are... only to discover that the bodies of the Troupe were fake and immediately revert back into a ruthless avenger.
  • In chapter 344, he says that every time he recovers a set of scarlet eyes, he loses something, either physically, mentally or spiritually. He even says he doesn’t know what he’ll do once he’s recovered all the scarlet eyes since he has no home to return to and no family or friends to welcome him back.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Leorio, his best friend.
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: It is implied that when the Kurta clan eyes turn red, they become overwhelmed with feelings for bloodlust and it takes a great deal of self-control to temper away those feelings. Kurapika fell victim to them when he was little, even before the massacre took place. And there have been times when he has outright blindly lunged at people with intent to kill them just because The Power of Hate excited the intensity of the effects.
• Wooden Katanas Are Even Better: Was Dual Wielding with two bokkens (connected at the hilt nunchaku-style) before mastering his Hatsu. In the 1999 anime, they were regular katanas with the sheathes tied on until he decided it was time to get serious.
• The World Is Just Awesome: We discover in the special chapter that Kurapika was fascinated by the outside world when he was younger. He is probably still fascinated by the world but it's impossible to notice that in the manga. In fact he was very similar to Gon, which makes what happened to him and his clan all the more tragic.
• Xanatos Speed Chess: In the Dark Continent Arc, where Kurapika has gotten involved with Kakin's succession conflict, by being hired on as a bodyguard for the youngest queen, and her daughter, Kurapika successfully works to even the odds against them, mostly by playing things by ear, and adapting to the situation. His biggest move is contact his allies amongst the other bodyguards to notify and inquire about the Nen beasts, with the actual intent being to spread awareness of Nen amongst the other princes (Only a couple of the highest ranked princes were aware of the existence and nature of Nen and were planning to leverage that advantage heavily in the war), in order to force a stalemate, which he is able to parlay into a truce, and gain assistance from some of the other princes. This allows him to buy more time and breathing room to effectively protect his charges.
• You Killed My Father: His clan was massacred by the Phantom Troupe, and since then Kurapika has made it his goal to hunt down the Troupe members and reclaim his brethren’s Scarlet Eyes to avenge them.

Leorio Paradinight

Leorio Paradinight

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (2011 Series), Hozumi Gouda (1999 Series), Nobutoshi Canna (Pilot OVA) (Japanese), Matthew Mercer (2011 Series), Jonathan Love (1999 Series) (English) ^{Foreign VAs}Martial Le Minoux (2011 series, French), Tony Joudrier (1999 series, French)

"I'm a simple guy. Figured I'd become a doctor... so I could cure some kid with the same disease, tell his parents they owed me nothing! Me... A doctor! Now there's a joke!! Do you know how much it costs to even try to become a doctor? The mind boggles!! It's always about money! Always!! That's why I want it!"

Leorio may be a money-pinching cheapskate at times. That's certainly how we're introduced to him; he explains that his only reason for becoming a Hunter is so he can become rich. But the reason he wants to be rich? He wants to become a doctor, and open up a free hospital. The only problem was that he didn't have enough money to take the entrance exam, so instead, he took the Hunter Exam. While he loses his temper often and can be quite childish, he's a good and kind-hearted man. He's highly emotional, often acting on impulse.

For most of the series, Leorio hadn't even gotten past the Ten part of Nen, and thus hadn't picked up a Nen ability. After the Chimera Ant arc, though, he seems to have finally learned one that lets him transmit his punches through the floor. He later develops another ability that release his aura in pulses like an ultrasound to detect abnormalities, having been influenced by his medical studies.

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• Action Politician: While he ultimately drops out of the electoral race, he later becomes a Zodiac and thus one of the highest ranking authority figures in the Hunter's Association.
• Adaptational Wimp: Downplayed compared to most of the cases but it's noticeable in the 2011 anime. In the manga Leorio was the only one able to open 2nd door of the Testing Gate, but he needed the help of Gon and Kurapika to open one door in this adaptation. He was also the one who beat the mafioso in the arm wrestling contest but in the remake they didn't even compete.
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: In public, to the whole Hunters Association for the sake of his friend.
• The Alcoholic: Spent time drinking alcohol while Gon and Killua were kidnapped in the Yorknew arc.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Always wears a snazzy suit.
• Badass Normal: Despite not knowing how to use Nen, Leorio is way stronger and more capable than the average human, including people bigger and bulkier than him. He even earns Hisoka's approval, who decides to spare his life out of respect for his courage. He eventually does learn to use Nen, but he's still relatively a Non-Action Guy.
• Big Brother Instinct: Although not related, towards Gon, especially during the Hunter Exam's final phase where he was shown to get pissed off at Hanzo for brutally beating Gon and even willing to take Gon's place in the fight.
• The Big Guy: He is the least-developed Nen user for most of the series, not even having access to his Hatsu for quite some time, so when he does fight or exert himself he's relying on his natural strength alone. He's older and much taller than Gon, Killua, and Kurapika, and usually the most hot-headed and confrontational of the group, showing more courage and heart in the face of superhuman adversity than one would expect from a man without Nen powers. Nen aside, he's the most physically strong member of the main cast, forcing open the door of the second test alone and trouncing a mafioso in arm-wrestling, though most of his feats of strength are altered or omitted in the adaptations.
• Born Lucky: Dude mostly lucks his way through the Exams for the most part. He manages to indirectly answer the trick riddle and reveal the way to the real path to the exams. Hisoka gets him through marshlands, following Gon's instructions allow him to pass Menchi's test, he gets the easiest competition in the trick tower, Kurapika helps him in the badge test, and Killua disqualifying himself allows Leorio to gain his license. Not to say the man doesn't have fortitude and grit, but his phenomenal luck is outstanding.
• Blatant Lies: Leroute is a man indeed... Not his brightest moment. In the Hunter Exam arc, Leorio got suckered into believing an obviously female prisoner was something otherwise because she's a cunning manipulator, and tried to counter the expertly crafted lies with some of his own, which were pitiful in comparison. That earned his group a waiting penalty and a massive chunk off the criminals' sentences.
• The Bus Came Back:
  • Returns in Chapter 325 with a Nen ability.
  • Now he is a member of the Zodiacs under the codename Boar for the Dark Continent Arc.
• Butt-Monkey: If somebody is going to get an embarrassing physical attack, it's most likely going to be him.
• Chivalrous Pervert: He's rather transparent, but would never maliciously creep. Then again, if he has the opportunity to do so he will, feeling up Leroute during the Hunter Exam to confirm that she's female.
• Classy Cravat: He wears his cravat even during his shirtless scenes.
• The Coats Are Off: Usually takes off his jacket when he gets serious.
• Code Name: The Boar. Replacing Ging as a Zodiac.
• Combat Medic: He is both a medic and a Hunter.
• Cool Shades: When he switches his specs to these.
• Dead Sidekick: The death of one of his unnamed friend motivated him to become a doctor and is the reason why he thinks money can buy everything.
• Determinator: He rises from the depths of poverty and goes through the hell of the Hunter exam just so that he can one day afford medical school and fund his own non-profit hospital. He initially lags behind his peers, barely even able to access his nen, let alone his hatsu, but he spends his free time studying and working out to keep up with his training and his future goals. His courage, heart unflinching loyalty and complete commitment to his dreams define his character, and earn him the respect of his much more powerful friends and enemies alike.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Delivered a smashing uppercut to Ging's jaw, much to the Hunter Association's collective delight. It's later revealed that Ging took the punch on purpose, but it was nevertheless one of Leorio's most glorious moments.
• Do You Want to Haggle?: Leorio is an excellent haggler.
• The Driver: In Yorknew City arc he drives himself and Gon.
• Empowered Badass Normal: As of Chapter 325, he's picked up the Nen ability that lets him transmit his punches through the floor.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: In-Universe. Despite being a Rookie Hunter, he became one of the most popular candidates during the elections.
• Flipping the Bird: To Ging for not having visited Gon in the hospital, though it's censored to just a finger point in the anime.
• Friendship Moment: With his three friends during their reunion.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Choleric. He's kind and friendly but also short-tempered, is people-oriented but also has his goals, and is morally upstanding and level-headed but with a childish side.
• Genius Bruiser: He might not be the strongest, but he doesn't need to be. He leverages what he does have with creative thought and medical knowledge.
• Gold Digger: Subverted of course; he's presented as a selfish narcissist who cares only about becoming rich, but it's all an act.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: It doesn't take much to rile him up. Mind you, he can be talked down quite quickly.
• Heroic Resolve: He would have given up at the first stage of the Hunter Exam if it wasn't for Gon.
• Hidden Depths: At one point Melody, who can read people based on the rhythm of their heart, tells him that he has the most pleasant sounding heartbeat she's ever heard.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: Abrasive on the outside at times; Mr Softie on the inside.
• Hot-Blooded: He's impulsive, emotional and has a quick temper.
• Hunk: He's quite muscular, and overall he looks handsome and very manly.
• Image Song: "Leorio the HUNTER X DOCTOR".
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: A straight example of the trope, unlike Gon who is likely a deconstruction of it as he's still an innocent kid whose Blue-and-Orange Morality actually makes him capable of quite cruel acts. Leorio is the only one in the team who isn't some kind of Anti-Hero, lacking any quality that could make him morally ambiguous, simply does what's right and truly has heroic goals.
• Jerkass Façade: The greedy and abrasive attitude hides the kindest heart of the group.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Subverted, Leorio isn't actually a jerk. He may seem greedy and have a stubborn and rough attitude sometimes, is Hot-Blooded, blunt and easily gets angry, but he's a noble and heroic person.
• Large Ham: Whenever his Hair-Trigger Temper is set off, he becomes rather hammy and boastful.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: During the 3rd phase of the Hunter exam. To prove that Majitani was alive. Leorio, the resident Butt-Monkey, showed to the viewers he was a total badass.
• Long Bus Trip: Isn't present during the Chimera Ant arc.
• Manly Tears: When Gon got healed. Also one of the reasons why the Kirikos let him pass their little pre-exam.
• The McCoy: To Gon’s Kirk and Kurapika’s Spock. He's easily the most impulsive and Hot-Blooded of the trio, which sometimes causes trouble for those around him.
• Mr. Vice Guy: During his bus trip Leorio spent a lot of time drinking, masturbating, and inviting girls into his apartment.
• New Transfer Student: How he will be included as part of the medical team to head to the Dark Continent.
• Nice Guy: According to Senritsu, Leorio has the most gentle heart melody among the people in whole Yorknew. Despite being a bit abrasive at times and apparently greedy, he's a kind, noble and selfless guy at heart.
• Non-Action Guy: Leorio isn't exactly weak, but he has much less interest in combat than the rest of the main cast, which is understandable as his primary motivation is to become a doctor.
• Not What I Signed on For: His reaction when he learns more about their mission as Zodiacs. He is still willing to accomplish it though.
• One-Sided Arm-Wrestling: Against a mafioso in the Yorknew arc.
• Only in It for the Money: So he claims at the beginning of the series. Though that money is going to getting his medical degree and opening a free clinic.
• Only Sane Man: In stark contrast to Gon's recklessness and self-destructive tendencies, Killua's cold willingness towards murder, and Kurapika's vengefulness towards the Phantom Troupe, Leorio simply wishes to become a doctor without having to throw himself headfirst into danger.
• Out of Focus: Out of all of the main characters, he is easily the one with the least amount of focus with his Long Bus Trip (which is something that Kurapika has as well, but Leorio has yet to have an arc dedicated to him like the Yorknew arc was dedicated to Kurapika).
• Over Shadowed By Awesome: He is very strong but is overshadowed by most of the fighters since he has not developed a Hatsu. This is likely to change since he has one now, with said Hatsu being incredibly useful to his profession as a doctor.
• Parental Substitute: Notably acts more like a father figure to Gon than his actual dad during the Elections arc (Although he's nowhere near old enough to actually be his father despite appearances, so he's probably more like a big brother than anything. Then again, Mito, who Gon geniuenly sees as a mother isn't much older than Leorio herself and was 14 years old when she started raising Gon.).
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Kurapika's Blue. Leorio is hot-blooded and impulsive, Kurapika is calm and collected.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: His philosophy, apparently, but it turns out to be an act.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Only ever wears business attire; dress-down Friday is for other people.
• Shirtless Scene: Has several scenes in which his muscular figure is shown.
• Specs of Awesome: He rocks those things rather well, it has to be said.
• Street Smart: It helped Gon and Killua a lot in Yorknew City arc.
• Sunglasses at Night: Yup. Ren and Nen makes it a bit more plausible than most cases, though.
• Team Dad: Sure, he can be a bit rough, but he's good at motivating, herding, and caring for cats. Which is what Hunters basically are.
• Thinking Up Portals: He can create portals with his Nen ability.
• Token Adult: Zig-Zagging. He looks like the oldest in the group and looking at the poster you'd think he was playing the standard role of the wise adult accompanying a group of children. However, he is not much older than the others, being almost the same age as Kurapika, and his relationship with Kurapika, Gon, and Killua is on par. Not to mention the fact that he's a frequent Comic Relief guest.
• Token Good Teammate: Downplayed; his teammates certainly aren't bad people by any means, but unlike the likes of Gon, Killua, and Kurapika, Leorio presents zero anti-heroic qualities. Ironically he is intially presented as the most amoral member of the team, claiming that all he cares about is getting rich, but of course that turns out to be an act.
• Took a Level in Badass: In the Phantom Troupe Arc, he could barely use his Nen, and then he went on a Long Bus Trip. When he came back, he actually knocked Gon's father, of all people, out of his chair at long distance, though Ging allowed it to happen and could have dodged easily. Eventually he became one of two remaining candidates for President of the Hunter's Association, and actually could have won had Gon not been returned to normal just in time.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Kurapika.
• Younger Than They Look: Shocks everyone early in the series when he tells them he's also a teenager like them... more than once even. He's only 19 at the start, making him just 2 years older than Kurapika. He looks like he’s in his mid-twenties at the very least.

Hisoka Morow

Hisoka Morow

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (2011 Series), Hiroki Takahashi (1999 Series) (Japanese), Keith Silverstein (2011 Series), Brendan Hunter (1999 Series) (English) ^{Foreign VAs}Jean-Marco Montalto (2011 series, French), Antoine Tomé (1999 series, French)

"My greatest pleasure comes when such people crumple to their knees and I look down upon their disbelieving faces as their plans fail.♥"

Hisoka is the most reoccurring character throughout the series, often acting as either an antagonist, or (less frequently) an ally. There is only one story arc where he doesn't show up, and that's because he's off preying on someone else. He's a brilliant fighter and a psychotic murderer who would kill dead people if science would let him, but otherwise is only interested in the living, though they don't stay alive for very long after catching Hisoka's attention. He's particularly interested in Gon and Killua, to an unsettling degree; the main reason he hasn't killed them yet is because he wants them to grow stronger before doing so. He was a member of the Phantom Troupe for a time, but he only joined so he could fight Chrollo.

His primary Nen ability, Bungee Gum, allows to infuse his Nen with both the properties of rubber and gum. This allows him to make it both sticky and elastic, which he can use for a wide variety of purposes. His secondary ability is Texture Surprise, which allows him to slather thin surfaces with his Nen to change their appearance. As lame as it sounds, the former is deadly in combat and the latter gives him impossibly effective forgery skills.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: Hisoka initially had light blue hair in the 1999 anime, but was eventually recolored to red in the Heaven's Arena Arc to remain consistent with the coloring of the manga. Additionally, in the manga during the Yorknew City arc, he dyes his hair light green but this is absent in both versions of the anime.
• Affably Evil: He alternates between being genuinely helpful while being honest about his malign nature and masking his truly insidious intent with false politeness- with every appearance having him either being a dangerous enemy in one arc or an unlikely ally with no ulterior motives other than amusing himself. Yet, he seems utterly genuine in both. While he's in any particular mode, that is. It helps that he's primarily motivated by what gives him the best chance of a thrilling challenge rather than pure malice, if it means he plays the role of a backstabber, a sadistic hunter, or an unexpected ally for all sides, he'd do the role to play the role as genuinely as possible until the moment a more appropriate role is needed.
  • While a self-admitted liar, Hisoka can prove genuinely helpful, notably in the Greed Island arc, where he aids Killua and Gon in their tasks with no intent to backstab them until their task is complete and never acts as unnerving as his Hunter Exam self to them.
  • He also gives playful banter with Illumi during the Election arc, teasing him about killing Killua, only to reveal it to be a jest to mess with him.
  • Even during the Hunter Exam as his introduction, while he murders several fellow examinees with an Evil Laugh, he proceeds to spare Leorio with no intent to harm him at the moment due to being impressed by him, and is just as awkward as the others during the cooking portion of the exam, being silently sulking as he's ashamed of reaching the same failed conclusion as Killua, while it made clear he still has a barely controlled bloodlust that even Menchi noticed.
• Agent Peacock: He has hot pink hair, face paint of a star and teardrop, heart earrings, long pointed fingernails, and an alluring speech style. He's also a very deadly combatant with a cruel, graceful fighting style.
• Always Someone Better: He was this to Gon in the Hunter Exam and Heavens Arena arc.
• Amazon Chaser: Machi is currently the only woman who causes him a sexual attraction. Much like Gon and Killua, he is fond of her ability and her strength.
• Ambiguously Bi: Nothing is ever certain when it comes to Hisoka, but he has expressed interest in women before, as he hit on Machi during the Heaven's Arena arc. His fixation on Gon and Killua is theoretically purely about their strength as fighters, but Hisoka's reactions to them blurs the line between sex and violence are so visually apparent it's impossible to tell if it's either or even both.
• An Arm and a Leg:
  • For all intents and purposes, Hisoka should not have arms after his fight with Kastro. Due to his Nen abilities, he can reattach one of his arms, albeit cosmetically; it takes Machi's Nen threads to actually reattach his arms to their full function.
  • On Greed Island, Hisoka participates in a game of dodgeball where, due to Killua and Gon's Nen, he apparently has his fingers mangled beyond repair. He doesn't even squint.
  • During their match, Chrollo makes one of the heads Hisoka is swinging around into a bomb and sets it off right when it returns to his hand. Later on during the same match he ended up losing his right foot.
  • After his showdown with Chrollo, Hisoka replaced his missing body parts — which included his fingers and a foot — with nen rubber prosthetics, using texture camouflage making them indistinguishable from real ones, while also retaining rubber like characteristics. He is now a partially augmented man with speed and versatility superior to his original self, making it seems like his natural body is now the weakest link in his being.
• Arc Villain: He is the main villain of both Hunter Exam Arc and Heavens Arena Arc, being the main adversary for Gon.
• Arch-Enemy: To Gon. He's this to the Phantom Troupe as well, especially after killing Shalnark and Kortopi, planning to kill the rest of the Spiders.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: With just cause. He generally is way more dangerous than most. And, if his skills are just too different to directly compare their damage output with somebody else's, his creative use of them often more than compensates. Heck, finding (and bugging) "interesting people" is rooted in trying to find fun tests of his own abilities!
• Awesome by Analysis:
  • Hisoka is able to rate properly the potential or strength of someone at a glance. He also created a method to discover someone's Nen category based on his personality. By his own admission it's an inexact science, but whenever he uses it he's usually right.
  • He actually said he wanted to fight Gon and Killua the most in the first arc and it turns out they were the most gifted examinees in the Exam.
  • He was also able to rate some of the Zodiacs and Illumi's strength.
• Ax-Crazy: See him in action when he's overwhelmed by uncontrollable Blood Lust.
• Back from the Dead: Killed by Chrollo, but sets his aura to revive him through an application of his Bungee Gum technique beforehand.
• Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: Hisoka becomes the first person since Kurapika to kill off two members of the spiders (Shalnark and Kortopi) and plans to kill the rest as well.
• Badass Boast: He says this gem during the Hunter Exam when he is surrounded by a bunch of contestants.
  Hisoka: Hunters require prey. Why don't I play examiner... And judge whether you are Hunter material?
• Batman Gambit: Using his Nen-powered forgery skills, he pulls a successful one on Chrollo, of all people. Every one of his fights involve this in same way. He baits and manipulates opponents until they unwittingly fall into his pace, and then he kills them in one move.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Hisoka wanted a fight with Chrollo? He gets it — and proceeds to get killed in the process. Though it turns out better for him than expected, since he set his aura to revive him with Bungee Gum beforehand.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: A little bit with Machi.
• Big Bad: The closest thing the Hunter Exam arc has to one. Afterwards, however, this is heavily subverted; Despite appearing in almost every arc and being some kind of gamechanger, his presence is usually upstaged by the Arc Villain, and other times, he is even on Gon's side/on an intersecting path that doesn't conflict too much with the other protagonists despite how they often should be against one another.
  • Ultimately, Hisoka's relationship to this trope is zigzagged heavily. On one hand, he's only the main antagonist of an arc twice, that being the Hunter Exam and the Heavens Arena, and after that he's upstaged by more direct threats like Genthru and Chrollo. However, while Hisoka is not the most important instigator of conflict in the series, he is by far the most common creator of conflict, with him having a hand in just about every major conflict in every arc aside from the Chimera Ant Arc. He even deliberately antagonizes everyone he knows in the Dark Continent Arc, including the Phantom Troupe and Illumi, just to see how many he can take on at once, which drives a major conflict going on below deck.
• Bishōnen: A very manly variety, but look at him◊ when he doesn't have his typical clown getup.
• Blood Knight: Hisoka kills people because he likes to, but sometimes kills because he needs to. Early in the series, Gon is able to easily track him just from the bloodlust he emits, and even bases his window of opportunity around when Hisoka can't resist killing the next person he meets.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: For practical purposes, Hisoka is a villain. It's very hard to clock him as specifically evil, however. He's more-or-less a functional adrenaline junkie who will do anything to cultivate his fighting/entertainment fix. In general, aside from getting his adrenaline fix, Hisoka has no compulsions to commit evil. He isn't a hired killer, he only joined the Phantom Troupe to get to Chrollo and never seems to engage in thievery unless he was with them, and by and large seems to ignore normal people and when not "entertaining" himself, and he seems quite capable of functioning normally in society. Hisoka is probably best defined as an amoral extreme neutral party. Honestly, he's just as likely to help you as he is to kill you.
• Body Horror: Hisoka has lost entire limbs and has mangled his fingers and legs in various fights throughout the series. This fazes him very little. He's also fond of removing the limbs of his opponents.
• Boring, but Practical: Despite his flamboyant appearance and demeanour, the real secret to his formidable combat skills isn't a fancy Nen ability, but his focus on the basic fundamentals of Nen-based combat. Bungee Gum is mainly dangerous in a fight because his aura is really tough and sharp even before he makes it stretchy and/or sticky, and because he's a highly experienced and cunning warrior who knows exactly where, when, and why to pick his fights.
• Bridal Carry: Hisoka is shown carrying an unconscious Gon this way after fishing him out of the ocean in episode 20 of the 1999 anime.
• The Bus Came Back: In the respective following arcs following the Zoldyck Family arc and Chimera Ant arc.
• Came Back Strong: Chrollo killed him, but he came back to life thanks to his Bungee Gum. Nen gets stronger through death, so it's possible his abilities got even more effective.
• Camp Straight: Very camp and while his interest lies in both sexes and is extremely sexual in nature, he has only outright propositioned Machi.
• Campy Combat: He has jester-like hair, clothing, and makeup and uses an alluring style of speech. Notably, he gets sexually aroused from fighting strong foes, regardless of their gender. His Nen ability "Bungee Gum" forms a pink aura with the properties of rubber and gum that's much more deadly than it sounds.
• Catch and Return: Can do this with Bungee Gum. Possessing the properties of both rubber and gum, it can force protectiles to stick to its surface and then expel them with great force.
• Characterization Marches On: The Hunter Exam portrays him as a barely functioning psychopath, constantly hungering for blood. Later arcs tone this aspect down and instead play up his intelligence or manipulative qualities.
• Combat Sadomasochist: This is certainly one way to describe his over the top Blood Knight-ism... His "body language" at any point in a fight or building up to one leaves little to the imagination.
• Combat Stilettos: Those high heels don't slow him down for a second.
• Consummate Liar: And, as it turns out, a natural counterfeiter. Trusting him rarely goes that well for those who do.
• Comedic Shotacon: Hisoka is seemingly sexually attracted to strong people... regardless of age or gender, much to Gon, Killua and probably the audience's horror. This is most apparent in Greed Island, where Hisoka, nude, pops a boner upon seeing how much stronger the two boys have become since last seeing them, and later checks out their butts when walking behind them. A chill runs down their spine and they yell at him to walk in front.
• Death Dealer: Uses cards in the Hunters Exam, and for flair in his later fights.
• Deliberate Injury Gambit: Against Kastro, he allows injury to himself so he can figure out how Kastro's power works, and to mess with him.
• Double Entendre: Some of his quotes when he is excited by a Worthy Opponent or someone who has the potential to become one bring to mind something else.
• The Dreaded: Those who know of him very, very quickly learn to watch out for him.
  • Most nen users pick up on how malicious yet quiet his aura is, like a beast hiding in the brush stalking it's prey.
  • The fact that he could sense another nen user who was using a perfect state of Zetsu from his physical perception alone makes members of the Phantom Troupe call him a "monster".
  • His bloodlust is strong enough that even non-nen users can feel an implacable ominousness whenever near him while any animals in the area tend to flee.
  • Chrollo Lucifer, leader of the Phantom Troupe believed he needed more time to train and develop his power before he could confidently challenge Hisoka to a duel.
  • While they were off guard and without their signature techniques, Hisoka still killed two members of the Phantom Troupe in a matter of minutes if not seconds without so much as a scratch.
  • In the Dark Continent arc, this is why the various warring mafia factions seek him out. It's not to assassinate him, but to politely request that he excuse himself from the mob war - because the Spiders have pledged allegiance to the mob families, which would technically make them Hisoka's enemies by association. And none of the senior gangsters want to tangle with Hisoka.
• Establishing Character Moment: His introduction. Somebody just bumped into him with their arm. Seconds later, their arms are evaporated away by a disturbing Nen-empowered magic trick and they become the first person forced to drop out of the Hunter Exam. Turns out Hisoka hates it when people don't apologize for their transgressions, even the most minor of ones.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Even a violent sociopath with "interesting" tendencies like him is creeped out by Illumi's "brotherly affection" for Killua.
  • When Illumi suddenly takes an interest in Alluka, even Hisoka thinks playing power-and-control games with Nanika is Very Bad News and something best avoided for reasons well beyond Squick.
• Evil Laugh: He has a very soft but sinister laugh.
• Evil Redhead: Varies a bit, but... his hair is usually red and he is very bad news.
• Evil Versus Evil: As of Chapter 357, Hisoka has declared war on the entire Phantom Troupe by murdering Shalnark and Kortopi.
• Explaining Your Power to the Enemy: Lampshaded and then promptly justified. He has exactly one offensive power: He can make his aura both sticky and elastic. If you're close enough for him to tell you this, you are too close for that knowledge to save your life. The justification comes in when it's shown that Hisoka explaining his power can actually help him win in the case of Gon's fight against him, where he teaches Gon a lesson by hitting him with Bungee Gum in the middle of their fight.

  "Bungee Gum possesses the properties of both rubber and gum."

• Expository Pronoun: Always uses the boyish and somewhat childlike Japanese pronoun "Boku".
• Face Fault: With added Color Failure in the anime. This is his reaction to Chrollo sadly telling him they can't fight because Kurapika has snared him with Chain Jail and disabled his Nen.
• Female Gaze: Once you get over the creepy (which isn't all that easy), he's rather comfortable to look at in his Shirtless Scenes...
• Four Is Death:
  • His number in the Phantom Troupe; was also applicant #44 during the Hunter Exam.
  • During the Hunter Exam he kills a group that gangs up on him with a four of spades.
• The Gadfly: According to the situation; but, during a fight or the build-up, he's usually a 100%, distractingly nasty Troll, rather than the day-to-day, fairly playful Gadfly he otherwise plays at being.
• Gag Censor: His hard-on upon meeting Gon and Killua in Greed Island in the manga is censored with speech bubbles that travel upwards along his crotch. In the 2011 anime he is only seen from behind, and his boner is implied through Gon and Killua's disturbed eyeballs sliding slowly upwards...
• The Gift: While not commented on or stated by others specifically, even among nen users, Hisoka has almost unnatural talent. This is not only stated in the guide books but shown time and time again where his instincts and raw natural talent allow him to do things that shock even some of the most experienced nen users. While the Hisoka origin manga isn't canon, Yoshihiro Togashi did acknowledge it and his reaction was essentially that even though the story isn't official, the author nailed how good and dangerous Hisoka is, with Hisoka learning nen on his own in only a week and within a month creating his hatsu and killing an experienced nen user.
• The Gloves Come Off: After his fight with Chrollo, Hisoka told Machi that he would no longer allow his opponents to dictate the terms of a fight or even the slightest chance to prepare. In other words, Hisoka's not screwing around anymore.
• Grievous Harm with a Body: In his fight with Chrollo he weaponizes several dismembered human heads. He also grabs a group of people with his Bungee Gum and uses them as a huge makeshift mace.
• Heart Is an Awesome Power: Bungee Gum doesn't seem very powerful but the more you see how Hisoka uses it the more you see its deadly applications.
• Hero Killer: Played with. He could have killed all the other main characters no problem, but he spares them to kill them when they'll be stronger. He kills a lot of supporting characters though.
• Hidden Depths:
  • He is driven by his primordial carnal desires, though he is shown to be extremely intelligent and he is a fighter that is beyond excellence.
  • Based upon his time in Aiai, he seems to be quite well-aware of the typical dating sim tropes as he told Gon to pick-up a clumsy girl's glasses as they might become friends, and told Goreinu that he should have started an argument with the Tsundere girl instead of apologizing to her.
  • Who would have thought he was able to prepare a gourmet meal during the second phase of the Hunter Exam.
• Hunk: Very handsome, muscular and manly overall.
• I Lied: Hisoka will often use lies to trick his opponent, or to give them false knowledge. Crosses over with Troll.
• Image Song: "Fantasy Requiem".
• Implacable Man: He has re-attached a severed arm using his own nen in order to keep fighting. Even death barely slows him down.
• Inexplicably Awesome: One of the most powerful and crafty Nen fighters shown to stylishly curbstomp anyone he fights with only a simple ability, even thrilled if he deems his opponent to be strong. Yet nothing is shown from his part or how he got his abilities aside from a one-shot with dubious canonity, and the only thing revealed about him is that he named his abilities after his favorite snacks.
• In Love with Your Carnage: Or, "what your carnage has the potential to be". Hisoka only really picks fights with those he can feel this way about. Otherwise, the "fights" are more like "exterminating roaches that got in the way".
• Invincible Villain: Portrayed as one. When Hisoka fights he never loses unless he is not serious. And even when he does die at the hands of Chrollo he's able to use his Bungee Gum to bring himself back to life.
• Irony: His strong desire to fight Chrollo ends up robbing him of the chance. He manipulated Phantom Troupe into continuing their hunt for Kurapika and was the indirect cause of Chrollo losing his powers.
• I Shall Taunt You: Every time he fights. Unsettling his foes is only one of his tactics.
• It Amused Me: The only reason Hisoka does anything to help or hinder anyone is to be able to get amusing fights from his targets, or that if he's bored.
• Jail Bait Wait: Or something like it. He's waiting for Gon and Killua (whom he refers to as "unripe fruits") to become stronger, so that they'll be able to put up a more arousing fight when he finally decides to "pick" them.
• Knight of Cerebus: His introduction is one of the first signs of the series' darker side, with Hisoka casually killing fellow participants at the Hunters Exam.
• Laughably Evil: Zig-Zagged. On the one hand Hisoka is portrayed as a serious threat to his enemies and his cruel actions are usually not played for laughs. On the other hand his clown-like appearance, over the top mannerism and his tendency to tell jokes make him sometimes funny to watch.
• Leitmotif: A foreboding flamenco tune that lets you know someone is about to die.
  • The 1999 anime gives him a slow and sinister theme.
• Limited Wardrobe: Averted; while all his outfits are similar looking, he sports a different one per arc at least.
• Lost in Translation: Bungee Gum's seemingly out-there properties are the result of an untranslatable pun, as 護謨 means both "rubber" and "gum" in Japanese. It also carries a third, more out-there meaning, as it also acts as a colloquialism for "condom", which fits his deviant personality perfectly.
• Major Injury Underreaction: He didn't react at all when Kastro sliced his arm: losing limbs is nothing to freak out out. Uncomfortable death? Bah: I'll set my aura to be able to walk it off and learn...
• Manipulative Bastard: Hisoka preyed on Kurapika’s need for revenge against the Phantom Troupe so that he could fight against Chrollo without interference from the other members.
• Mirror Character: Both Hisoka and Gon categorize others according to a unique set of principles that others don't understand. Gon likes people that he (and sometimes only he) considers to be kind. Hisoka likes people that he considers to be interesting or those that have the potential to be interesting. Notably, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio meet both standards, and are well-regarded by both.
• Mood-Swinger: He swings back and forth between Affably Evil and Faux Affably Evil as well as the playful Gadfly and malicious Troll very often... and sometimes falls into Ax-Crazy territory, just because. An example would be during the dodgeball match with Razor. Initially he's in for the simple joy of helping them out while seeing how far they've come along (and to pass the time), but he very consciously decides it's worth it to him to sacrifice his hands to help them win because Gon wanted a 'complete victory' over Razor when he works with them to catch Razor's spike, then immediately after they get what they need, he disappears off to go terrifically violent on Chrollo.
• Monster Clown: He quite deliberately invokes the trope with his manner of dress, make-up and and style of showboating. None of it is meant to disguise how dangerously off-kilter or deadly he is. It pays to advertise: those who get the message bring their A-game; those who don't become passing amusements when they try kicking sand in his face.
• Mundane Utility: Mr. Creatively Mundane Utility. From avoiding getting permanently tattooed, to faking haiku and computer screens, to dragging things from across the room to use, to hiding things in odd places, to covering just how injured he is and probably for quick make-up changes of a morning... He finds many, many uses for his various gums and rubbers.
• Mr. Fanservice: Minus the make-up, he's quite the Bishonen. Even with the make-up, he's not exactly painful to look at.
• Mysterious Past: Practically nothing is known about Hisoka's past, as he doesn't like talking about it. There is a one-shot manga which delves deeper into his background, but its canonity is dubious as it was not written by Togashi (although it was approved by him), and even then it only goes as far as to Hisoka's teenage years and how he learned Nen, but doesn't reveal much about what exactly he was doing collapsed in the middle of nowhere by a circus to begin with.
• Nightmare Face: Busts out a pretty terrifying one during the Hunter Exams.
  • The one he bears during his fight with Chrollo is even worse. Just look at it.
• No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction: He's a Blood Knight who obsesses on fighting strong people, referring to anyone who he thinks can give him a challenge as his toys. His Wild Card status has him helping said people to help them reach their potential (Gon and Kurapika) or antagonize them until they fight (Chrollo). If faced with someone he sees as weak, being ignored is usually the best-case scenario as he quickly kills without remorse anyone who catches his attention but who is not "interesting". .
• Nonchalant Dodge: Dodges a lot with a bored or faintly amused look. Can get infuriating for the other person.
• Noodle Incident: How he and Illumi became acquaintances has never been told, and after they passed the Hunter Exam, Illumi mentioned that they've known each other not that long ago, but it's clear that the two of them had history with each other before joining the exam. Later, Illumi says that he's known Hisoka longer than Chrollo.
• Not So Above It All:
  • He chuckles in a startlingly pleasant and normal manner with the rest of the observers when Gon's stubbornness completely deflates the tension in his "fight" with Hanzo.
  • He's not too excited at the prospect of fighting Alluka-Nanika Zoldyck. When Illumi tells him that they're a target, it's a visible Oh, Crap! moment for him, which is rather uncommon.
  • It's shown that he likes Machi from the Phantom Troupe in both appearance and powers; this is especially notable because she's the only woman he's ever shown interest to in the whole story. It's too bad that she finds him extremely annoying and only has eyes for Chrollo. However, bit of Fridge Brilliance, he could be seen as going for a twofer: severely injure or kill Chrollo, get one revenge-minded Machi out for your blood free. Hey, it's just grown-up pony-tail pulling.
• Off with His Head!: Has killed many characters via decapitation.
• Oh, Crap!: A subtle, under-pronounced case when Illumi theorizes that Killua's attempts to get a wish from Alluka to restore Gon might kill not only the Zoldyck family, but potentially Hisoka himself as well. The thought of it ropes him into the arc as a consequence.
• Only One Name: We only knew his first name until his fight with Chrollo.
• One-Man Army: Dismiss him from his looks alone at your peril: he can and does take multiple targets out on a regular basis.
• Over-the-Shoulder Carry: After punching Leorio during the Hunter Exam.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Much ado was made about how Hisoka infiltrated the cruise ship in the Dark Continent arc, since his Nen could potentially allow him to disguise himself as anyone to get closer to the Spiders. It turns out he just let his hair down and switched out his usual outfit for a slightly less conspicuous tracksuit.
• People Puppets: In the musicals, where his Bungee Gum is used to coordinate group dance numbers without the participants' consent.
• Pet the Dog:
  • Out of respect for Leorio's courage, Hisoka carries him through the Swindler's Swamp so he can continue the Hunter Exam. After knocking him out with one punch.
  • He also used his Bungee Gum ability to ensure Gon a "flawless victory" during the dodgeball match just like Gon wanted to have.
• Pink Is Erotic: Hisoka has pink (sometimes pinkish-purple) nen and he is notoriously a Combat Sadomasochist. He finds the idea of Gon and Killua getting stronger in the future and killing them at their peak so intoxicating that he pops a Raging Stiffie thinking about it.
• Playing Card Motifs: Not content with being strongly associated with the Joker card while looking like he walked off that card himself, wearing the symbols on his clothes or using a pack of cards as very deadly weapons, but he also manages to enunciate the suit symbols in his bubbles, too. And, we're not just talking "♥~~~", here. Any surprise he likes to play?
• Practically Joker: He shares the Joker's Monster Clown gimmick, obsession with the hero that borders on romantic, and capability to cheat death. There's also how he has a Playing Card Motif, with his being the joker card.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Not what you'd normally expect from a Wild Card. But, he can actually play the very long game if he reckons the pay-out will be worth the time, effort and patience put into it (heck: see what he's doing with Gon and, to a lesser extent, Killua). He's also not going to bother forcing a plan to stay on rails if a change of circumstances mean it becomes more worth his while to change tack suddenly, either (fighting Chrollo). After losing against Chrollo and quite literally coming back to life, he uses the experience as a "wake-up call" and decides from now on he's no longer going to allow his opponents to set up favorable situations and will now try to catch them as off guard as possible.
• Psycho for Hire: He's not above being hired to do a job if the payment appeals to him. For example, he helps Illumi try to capture Killua and kill Nanika and Hisoka agrees because he was under the impression that Nanika's ability was such a double edged sword she would end up killing both Gon and Killua, an outcome he didn't want because he wanted to someday fight and kill them himself.
• Psycho Pink: Hisoka's nen is often colored pink or purplish-pink when he uses it. This is to both play up its gum-like quality and to emphasize that this Ax-Crazy, Blue-and-Orange Morality having Blood Knight is indeed a complete psychopath.
• Put on a Bus: During the Zoldyck Family arc and Chimera Ants arc, he is not seen much.
• Raging Stiffie: An implied effect whenever he gets aroused in a fight. The 2011 anime takes this to new extremes, causing a bright light to flare up from his crotch with a "SCHWING" sound effect.
• Real Men Wear Pink: He dresses like a clown, wears high heeled shoes, is very soft-spoken and is one of the strongest fighters in the series.
• Rubber Man: His Bungee Gum has rubber properties, and gum as well. As of Chapter 357 he's partially made of it, using it to replace the body parts he lost in the fight against Chrollo.
• Self-Proclaimed Liar: Doesn't hide that he is a liar to Gon during their fight.
• Sex Is Violence: He gets very turned on when Gon starts utterly wailing on him in the Heavens Arena arc.
• Ship Tease:
  • With Illumi. Chapter 377 in specific.
  • He also has got a bit of this going on with Machi in Chapter 357. And possibly ended there too.
• Shirtless Scene: Has quite a few with him showering.
• Slashed Throat: When he isn't killing his opponents through decapitation, he's using his Death Dealer playing cards to pull these off.
• The Sociopath: He's a hedonist with no conscience and impulse control issues. He doesn't really hold any particular allegiance to anyone enacting an evil agenda and is in fact Chaotic Neutral, but he is still very much this.
• Sore Loser: After his crushing defeat at the hands of Chrollo in Heaven's Arena, he retaliates by vowing to kill the rest of the Phantom Troupe, even going so far as to kill Kortopi and Shalnark while Chrollo is still borrowing their Nen abilities.
• Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Killua accuses him of this In-Universe when he eliminates Razor from the game.
• Stage Magician: A very dangerous one. The trick with Hisoka is to figure out where he doesn't want you to look, and if that's a double-bluff.
• Stealth Mentor: Hisoka helps Gon several times because he plans to fight the latter when he has become stronger.
• The Strategist: His method of fighting mainly consists of entrapping his opponent, though he spares those who he thinks will turn out to have great potential to give him a worthy fight in the future. His main drive to fight primordially stems from his desire to decode his rival's strategy; if he finds the challenge too easy he just kills his rival, which is why so many people die by his hand.
• Super-Senses: His senses are so developed that even the Phantom Troupe members call him a monster.
• Super-Speed: He's already fast on his own, but can get even faster when he pulls himself from one place to another with his Bungee Gum.
• Swiss-Army Superpower: While he only has two special abilities; Bungee Gum which allows him to give his aura the properties of rubber and sticky gum with Texture Surprise which allows him to reproduce any image on a surface in perfect lifelike realism. The ways he exploits these seemingly mundane and unimpressive abilities with his genius and twisted creativity makes him one of the most lethal characters in the series. To wit, the various ways he has exploited said abilities are:
  • Using his aura to create bungee lines to repel and adhere to any surface.
  • Uses his aura to grab opponents and pull them in to lay down a beating.
  • Attach his aura to opponents and then to other objects to make said object strike opponents at high speed.
  • Uses his aura spread between both of his arms to both trap them and shield himself from oncoming projectiles. Can also fire them back.
  • Create prostheses for lost limbs that combined with his texture surprise make him seem like he was never hurt at all with the new nen rubber limbs making him arguably MORE dangerous than before.
  • Wrapping his aura around his lungs and heart so that they can expand and contract, allowing himself to come back from the dead.
  • In fact, his abilities are so flexible and adaptable that Hisoka is one of the few characters in the series who is unafraid to allow his enemies to find out what he can do, something that most Nen users consider to be one of the worst things that can happen to them.
• Token Evil Teammate:
  • Whenever Hisoka decides to join the main characters as a group, he is this hands down.
  • He's even this when he was in the Phantom Troupe. While the other troupe members are an amoral gang of bandits and murderers, they enjoy fighting but don't really care about killing (except for Chrollo and Feitan). Even Uvogin admitted that he doesn't feel anything when he kills. Hisoka on the other hand is so twisted and addicted to death that the other members consider him crazy.
• Trickster Mentor: Pity Killua and Gon in particular, as he doesn't just stick to stealthing their educations and quite likes seeing them up to their necks in things he hasn't always expressly designed to put them through himself (although: "waste not; want not"). He'll happily point them in a (dangerous) direction to look in if they're a bit stumped and seems to believe that white water rapids provide the best means of learning how to swim — even though he actually takes some care in making sure they don't try waterfalls too early (the 200th Floor greeting is a case in point).
• Underestimating Badassery: Hisoka is very confident in his strength, and while for the most part he has every reason to be, it should be noted that most of his landslide victories were against significantly weaker opponents. Despite this, he has no upper limit in terms of who he wants to take on in a fight: early on he expressed a desire to fight Netero and mused about how defenseless he seemed^note  We later learn that Netero is utterly mind-bogglingly fast and so has no reason to stay on edge for surprise attacks, and it is suggested that he would've tried to fight the Chimera Ant Royal Guard or Meruem had he known about the Ants. This came to a head when he finally got his desired fight against Chrollo. Despite knowing the nature of his Nen ability and having ample time to prepare, Hisoka was confident that he could kill him with Bungee Gum alone. He was tossed around by Chrollo and died in a violent explosion (however briefly).
• Verbal Tic: Ends all of his sentences in the manga with a playing card suit symbol. There isn't a strong pattern to which one he uses, though he generally uses a heart when he's complimenting someone and a spade when threatening someone. He also uses a skull-and-crossbones symbol if he's just killed someone.
• Villain Takes an Interest: A rather creepy, but quite active interest in anybody with the potential to grow powerful and entertaining, as it happens. But, it's genuinely... well meant. For a very specific, and ultimately terminal, meaning of "well meant".
• Wild Card: Quite literally regarding his weapon of choice. As for which side? His own entertainment. Always.
  • Hunter Exam arc: While he appears to be the biggest threat to basically all examinees, those who pass Hisoka's "tests" will be kept alive. He also gives Kurapika information about the Phantom Troupe.
  • Heaven's Arena arc: Here he appears as a big hurdle for Gon and Killua to climb, and Machi deliver's to him the order to go Yorknew where the other members are gathering. However, it's also revealed shortly after that Hisoka has been faking his membership.
  • Yorknew arc: Hisoka is betraying the Phantom Troupe and gives Kurapika intel, so that Hisoka later gets the chance to challenge Chrollo to a fight.
  • Greed Island arc: Hisoka enters Greed Island and works together with the Phantom Troupe again, trying to find a Nen exorcist for Chrollo, so that Hisoka can actually fight him. He also gets recruited by Gon and Killua's team to fight Razor and his 14 devils, but Hisoka is keeping secret that he's also working with the Phantom Troupe.
  • 13th Chairman Election arc: Hisoka teams up with Illumi again, this time they're trying to stop Killua from letting Nanika heal Gon. While Hisoka agrees to help Illumi out, he secretly wants Gon to be saved, yet Hisoka also has no problem killing Killua's allies.
  • Succession War arc: Hisoka finally gets his fight with Chrollo, but he loses badly and dies. Thanks to his Nen reanimating him even upon his death, Hisoka wants to kill all members of the Phantom Troupe.
• Worthy Opponent: Being a Blood Knight, most of his motivation prior to his loss to Chrollo in the Heaven's Arena is trying to find or fight strong opponents he deems worthy or people who have the potential to become worthy opponents. He entered the Hunter Exam simply for the purpose of trying to find such people, with Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio all passing his "test". Those who still have potential will be kept alive by him. During the Yorknew arc, he teams up with Kurapika in order to fight Chrollo, only for Hisoka to leave after Kurapika has deprived Chrollo from using Nen. Which is why he works with the Spider again to find a Nen exorcist for Chrollo, so that he can challenge him once again. Even when Hisoka teams up with Illumi to stop Killua, Hisoka would rather prefer for Gon to be saved.
• Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: In the 2011 anime, his eyes are creepy and inhuman.
• You Will Not Evade Me: Hisoka can pull his opponent into his reach (or directly into his fist) whenever he pleases, once he has attached his Bungee Gum on him/her, since it has the properties of both rubber and gum.

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