10 Strongest Hunter x Hunter Characters, Ranked

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Hunter x Hunter beyond the anime!!Yoshihiro Togashi proved how versatile he was by moving from iconic yet conventional battle shonen concepts in Yu Yu Hakusho to his next, definitive series, Hunter x Hunter. While the mangaka has always introduced varying levels of combat cleverness to his characters, Hunter x Hunter introduced a need for strategy to address immensely dangerous opponents.

The strongest Hunter x Hunter characters aren’t necessarily the same type of obvious powerhouses like Younger Toguro. There’s a level of understanding each of them must have, while also facing down even more terrifying threats, with even the weakest of Nen abilities still being viable. But these 10 Hunter x Hunter characters combine their might with ingenuity for deadly results.

10

Feitan

One of the members of the elusive and deadly Phantom Troupe, Feitan was originally introduced during the Yorknew City arc and is ranked as #2 in the group. Being the fifth-strongest member, Feitan is the Phantom Troupe’s interrogator and is adept at different methods of torture.

Despite his role as an interrogator, Feitan is an incredible fighter, and really gets to show off what makes him so powerful during the Chimera Ant arc. Feitan is lighting fast and possesses high endurance, and is well-trained with a sword. When he’s not relying on his physical abilities, though, his Nen abilities are even more terrifying.

Unleashed on Zazan during the Chimera Ant arc, Feitan’s Rising Sun ability is a burst of scorching heat that’s power is based on how much pain he’s endured during a fight, as well as how many wounds he’s sustained. This aura gathers into what looks like a miniature sun, capable of instantly wiping out Feitan’s foes.

9

Chrollo Lucilfer

Despite his sophisticated mannerisms, Chrollo Lucilfer is a well-known menace to society. He is captured by Kurapika in Yorknew City and forced to comply with the rules of the Judgment Chain. Later, a Nen Exorcist lifts the condition, restoring Chrollo to his former power. His ability, Skill Hunter, allows him to summon a book and steal Nen abilities from people.

These abilities can come from any Nen category and will usually disappear when the target dies. Though Skill Hunter is an exceedingly powerful ability, it is subject to strict conditions and limitations.

Chrollo is a brilliant individual and a skilled combatant. He is strong enough to put Silva and Zeno Zoldyck on edge, forcing the duo to risk their lives to defeat him. Zeno even says that while he would win in a one-on-one battle, it would be a different story if Chrollo was trying to kill him.

The Specialist is shown using multiple stolen Nen abilities at the same time, indicating that he possesses tremendous levels of aura in his body. Furthermore, he uses his deep understanding of Nen to find a loophole for Skill Hunter’s major limitation.

8

The Royal Guards: Pitou, Shaiapouf, Menthuthuyoupi

Hatched by the Ant Queen to protect Meruem, the Royal Guards rank directly below him in the Chimera Ant hierarchy. They are born with immense strength and the ability to use Nen. Initially a united front, Meruem’s relationship with Komugi separates the trio and elicits different reactions from each guard.

While Pitou risks their life to protect Komugi, Pouf attempts to harm the girl behind the King’s back. Youpi, on the other hand, shows indifference while maintaining his loyalty to Meruem. The three Chimera Ants are powerful enough to frighten veteran Nen users like Knov.

The Royal Guards are high-level Nen users with powerful physical abilities. Youpi’s abilities are offensive, and include a shape-shifting skill known as Metamorphosis.

Pouf’s Hatsu focuses on support and includes abilities like Cocoon and Spiritual Message, which bestow Nen and hypnotize others. Pitou is the most balanced of the three, with Doctor Blythe providing medical support and Terpsichora providing assistance in combat.

While the Royal Guards are mostly equal in strength, Pitou is usually considered the more powerful of the three. The Ant’s undying loyalty to Meruem causes them to exhibit powerful post-mortem Nen.

7

Illumi

The oldest of the Zoldyck children, Illumi is a terrifying force in the world of Hunter x Hunter that’s capable of sending chills up the spines of the series’ other strongest characters. Introduced during the Hunter Exam arc using his Body Alteration ability, Illumi’s innate talents are always highlighted in the creepiest ways imaginable.

During the final phase of the Hunter exams, Illumi is paired off in a battle against Killua, his younger brother. Illumi throws several hurtful words at Killua, including telling him that all he’ll ever be good for is killing before heavily disorienting his younger sibling and threatening to kill Gon unless Killua fights him.

Of course, Illumi has already implanted Killua with a needle making it impossible for the younger Zoldyck to fight back against Illumi’s influence.

Much later on in the series, Illumi reappears after Killua takes Alluka away from the Zoldyck home to aid Gon after the battle against the Chimera Ants. This is when Illumi gets to show off one of his other Nen abilities, “Needle People”, that allows him to turn other people into zombies committed to doing Illumi’s bidding.

In the manga, during the Succession Contest arc, Illumi later joins the Phantom Troupe at the behest of Hisoka to join the group in hunting him.

6

Kite

Kite plays a pivotal role in Gon’s journey, both as a mentor and as a reminder of the Hunter lifestyle’s dangers. His Hatsu, Crazy Slots, manifests as a roulette that assigns him random weapons, ranging from a scythe to a rifle. Though unpredictable, Kite trusts the ability’s balance and wields every option with lethal skill.

His calm mastery and strong moral code made him an ideal mentor for Gon and Killua. Tragically, Kite’s death at Pitou’s hands pushes Gon into the darkest point of his life, eventually leading to his transformation into Adult Gon. Despite his fate, Kite’s unpredictably powerful Nen and resilience leave a lasting legacy in the story.

5

Gon Freecss

After clearing Greed Island, Gon and Killua meet Ging’s former apprentice, Kite. As the three spend time together, the young protagonist becomes attached to his new mentor. Gon initially believes Kite is alive after his fight with Neferpitou; however, he soon learns the truth and prepares to confront the Royal Guard.

The boy uncharacteristically shows his ruthless side by forcing Pitou to fight by threatening Komugi’s life. When the two finally battle, Gon’s inability to cope with Kite’s death causes him to experience severe emotional trauma.

Driven by his intense rage and sorrow, Gon makes a vow that lets him sacrifice all the Nen he will ever have. The extreme surge in power transforms the child into an adult, allowing him to reach his full potential. Gon brutally massacres Pitou, but his actions drain his life energy and put him on life support until Nanika saves him.

Additionally, it’s speculated by Pitou that he may never be able to use Nen again. While Adult Gon is one of the strongest characters in the series, he is the result of an extreme Nen contract.

4

Biscuit

Introduced as an adorably petite mentor to Gon and Killua during the Greed Island arc, Biscuit is rather unassuming due to the way she presents herself. This is where those she deems enemies would be making their first mistake, though, as Biscuit is, perhaps surprisingly to the uninitiated, one of the strongest characters in the series, and is held in high esteem by the Hunter Association.

Through her brutal training regimen, Biscuit has been able to reach peak physical performance and is extremely knowledgeable in the different ways Nen can be used.

Additionally, she possesses great supportive abilities, with her Magical Spa Service and Piano Massage both being able to restore vitality to those affected, and allowing someone a full eight hours worth of sleep in only 30 minutes. Her “tough love” approach to training might have worn down Gon and Killua, but she was always there to pick them back up after beating them down.

3

Isaac Netero

In his prime, Isaac Netero was recognized as the greatest Nen user and the most powerful Hunter in the world. He continues to maintain much of his strength, despite claiming otherwise.

To show his appreciation for martial arts, Netero partook in a two-year ritual where he fired ten thousand punches and offered ten thousand prayers each day. He soon achieves enlightenment and returns to his dojo to become the new grandmaster of Shingen-ryu. While the journey to the Dark Continent has a survival rate of 0.04 percent, Netero is able to return from both his voyages unscathed.

Using his 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, Netero performs supersonic hand movements to launch thousands of attacks in less than a second. Meruem praises his strikes, acknowledging them as flawless. Despite his severed limbs, the Chairman uses his incredible endurance to invoke the Zero Hand technique and injure the King.

He emits a bloodlust so powerful that it causes the Chimera Ant to experience fear for the first time. Even more impressive is that Netero’s Nen ability makes use of the types he’s in theory less proficient at, Manipulation and either Emission or Conjuration, which goes against the basic teachings of Nen.

2

Meruem

An overwhelmingly powerful individual, Meruem initially sees humans as nothing more than livestock. This sentiment changes after he meets a blind Gungi champion named Komugi, who leads him to question his identity and place in the world. Meruem tells Netero that he no longer views humans as livestock and that he believes power exists to protect the weak.

As the two engage in a heated battle, Meruem completely outclasses the strongest human and Hunter, but is still poisoned to death by the Poor Man’s Rose. The King soon realizes his love for Komugi, and the two share an emotional moment before succumbing to the effects of Netero’s bomb.

To give birth to Meruem, the Chimera Ant Queen consumes human Nen users. The young king’s unprecedented capacity for growth allows him to learn new skills and retain large amounts of information. Despite having little experience in battle, he analyzes Netero’s movements and scares the Hunter with his threatening Ren.

His intense power eventually forces the world’s strongest Hunter to sacrifice his life in hopes of defeating him. Meruem possesses a terrifying ability that lets him devour Nen users and grow his aura. This ability, combined with his physical and intellectual superiority, establishes him as a major threat to humankind.

1

Nanika

Nanika is commonly thought to be Ai, one of the Five Threats humanity brought back from the Dark Continent. At some point, it possessed Alluka Zoldyck’s body and began sharing an empathetic link with its host. The creature’s wish-granting ability manifests when someone fulfills three of Alluka’s requests.

However, the greater the wish, the more difficult the next three requests will be. After a servant wished to become a billionaire, Alluka asked the next person for several of their internal organs. Their failure to comply resulted in them, as well as other innocent people, being brutally killed. Only Killua can circumvent these rules.

Nanika’s wish-granting ability operates on a balanced system and is said to be limitless. When Killua asks Nanika to heal Gon, it requests physical contact with its target and soon falls asleep, bypassing all repercussions. The strong aura released from Gon’s body hints that Nanika’s ability is Nen-based.

While it’s speculated that the aura could belong to Gon, this is unlikely since his aura nodes are currently closed. Yoshiro Togashi also revealed in his exhibition that Alluka has extreme Nen proficiency. While Nanika’s ability relies on strict conditions, its infinite power to grant any wish makes it the strongest character in Hunter x Hunter.

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