While there are characters with strengths that are too much to handle (but haven’t yet been shown in the anime), there have also been characters with great potential that were (sadly) nerfed or omitted entirely from the anime adaptation. But between the characters that did make it into the anime series, from full-fledged hunters to that random guy who manages to use Nen, here’s our take on the strongest Hunter X Hunter characters who have showcased their strengths in the anime.
18. Razor
Razor was the athletic guy and a gamemaster of Greed Island, who Gon, Killua, and Bisuke met during their card collection adventure. He was seen to be capable enough to catch aura-coated balls and return Gon’s full power shot. His throws were also known to be destructive enough to throw Gon out of bounce and damage Hisoka. He can even create Nen Beasts, which he used as teammates in the dodgeball game. His power was split between all the beasts he created, but he still caused considerable damage to Gon’s Team.
17. Gon
Gon Freecs is a happy-go-lucky kid with an Enhancer type Nen ability. With his almost perfect aura flow, he can enhance his punches to a destructive level, which was showcased in the Greed Island Arc. His raw strength and cunning in the wild are perfect for his profession as a hunter, in addition to his Nen-enhanced skills and abilities. We also saw that he didn’t stop on the Jajanken Fist: Rock as he put his idea of using the “scissors” and “paper” into his arsenal, with Bisuke helping him in training.
16. Killua
Killua Zoldyck belongs to a family of assassins. He was adept at fighting and killing long before he encountered and trained for Nen. The afterimage technique he used early in the series shows how skillful and dangerous Killua can be in a fight. By learning and using Nen effectively, we saw him grow far stronger from his previous level, and almost defeated Youpi and escaped from his brother with his Godspeed ability.
15. Kite
Kite was a professional hunter who ventured into the Ants Lair with Gon and Killua. He has a peculiar Nen ability called Crazy Slots, which gives him a random weapon corresponding to the number that appears. Though his fight with Pitou was cut short in the anime, he still caused a lot of damage to the Royal Guard, proving that Kite gave them a hard time even with only one arm. And let’s not forget how he cleared the entire Ant squad with one fell swoop from his Death Scythe.
14. Kurapika
Kurapika is the Hunter that hunts the Phantom Troupe and was known to be able to use two Nen types: Conjuration and Specialization. His chains were not ordinary, being made of Nen and having special abilities. Because of his Restriction and Covenant, he can only use those powerful chains against the members of the Phantom Troupe, otherwise he’ll die. Aside from his Nen abilities, he can also use the Emperor Time, which enhances him and his Nen attribute at the cost of one hour of his lifespan per second of usage.
13. Illumi
Illumi Zoldyck was also a member of the assassin family along with Killua. His strength was not fully showcased in the anime series, but his ability to control people using his needles is quite overpowered. He was also seen to emit a menacing bloodlust that’s so powerful that it reached Killua’s senses even from a distance.
12. Hisoka
Hisoka Morrow is an interesting character. He got his hands chopped off by an opponent for entertainment, yet he remains confident in his strengths and isn’t afraid to face powerful opponents. He’s also sure that he’s powerful enough to take anyone down. The best moment where he showcased his strength was when he caught the ball made from Gon and Razor’s combined power—and rallied it back at them. It’s a win using both strength and IQ.
11. Feitan
We didn’t get a full taste of Feitan’s true ability until the Chimera Ant Arc where he fought the Nen-enhanced Ant Queen in the hive they infiltrated. With such a wide-scale destructive ability that burns everything, he sure turned his Troupe into fearsome group to fight with.
10. Pitou
Among the Three Royal Guards of the King, Pitou was the most menacing and combat-compatible soldier. She was already a deadly Ant even before Nen was introduced to their race. One instance of her strength is when she maintained her En in an incredibly large area for a long period of time, which is an energy-consuming feat that would drain her aura if she were a normal person. Her Nen abilities are Dr. Blythe (that can fix and heal her and her allies) and her Terpsichora (that can control puppets and even herself, to max out her combat capabilities).
9. Bisuke
Bisuke Kreuger is the kid whom Gon and Killua met during their adventures in Greed Island. She may look cute and lovely on the outside, but the truth is, she’s a bulky middle-aged woman who hides her true features beneath a child’s appearance. Even though she hides her strength and appearance, Hisoka figured out that she was the one who was training Gon and Killua, which only tells how monstrous she was if Hisoka recognized her behind her disguise.
8. Chrollo
Chrollo Lucifer was the leader of the Phantom Troupe, a group of badass individuals. He managed to face two Zoldycks in a fight—which ended in an unexpected result, leaving fans craving for more. His Nen ability enables him to steal, own, and use other Nen abilities. And even though stolen, he effectively uses those abilities, making him a formidable opponent with tons of abilities in his arsenal that he can use to counter his opponents’ abilities.
7. Silva
Silva Zoldyck is the father of Killua and Illumi, who was hired by the Mafia community to fight Chrollo. We haven’t seen him use complicated Nen abilities, but the destructive force behind even a single punch of his is enough to rank him pretty highly on this list. He showcased some of his superhuman feats, too, like being able to prevent a poison from spreading throughout his body by using a strand of hair as a tourniquet.
6. Zeno
Zeno Zoldyck is the father of Silva, grandfather of Killua and Illumi, and a close companion of Chairman Netero. Though he’s often seen walking with a humped back due to old age, never underestimate this old man. Aside from being the elder of an assassin family, he’s a skilled Nen user and is able to use the Dragon Dive, one of the most famous abilities—so famous that it even caught Pitou off guard.
5. Jed
Jed was a character from the movie Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission. He was a former member of the Shadow, a secret operation squad under the Hunters Association, which Netero annihilated because they started using On, the sinister counterpart of Nen. He exhibited the ability Grudge of One Hundred Demons: Rakshasa, very similar to Netero’s 100 Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
4. Adult Gon
Adult Gon is still the happy-go-lucky kid we knew from the start of the series, but now he’s bound by a Restriction and Covenant that instantly gives him all the power he could attain in ten or more years. In his adult form, he maxes out all his power at a devastating price—his imminent demise at the end of the fight. With this power, he’s so strong that Pitou even claimed him to be on par with her King.
3. Nanika
Nanika is an entity living inside Alluka, the younger sister of Killua. It has the ability to grant any wish, even if it’s too impossible to achieve. But the wish doesn’t come for free—before it can be granted, three of Alluka’s own wishes must be granted first. From a simple piggyback ride to the prying of a fingernail, your wish can be as whimsical or as powerful as you want—but you’ll die if you can’t give Alluka what she wants. The one downside is that they (both Alluka and Nanika) are defenseless against attacks and can’t wish for themselves to be safe from trouble.
2. Netero
Isaac Netero was the former chairman of the Hunters Association and the most powerful and skilled Nen user of the human race. By training in the mountain for three years, he was able to build his raw power and speed enough to even surpass the speed of sound. With his prayers and hand formations that are too fast to see, the golden figure behind him can deliver tremendously unstoppable slaps, chops, and claps. He was also seen to have control over every inch of muscle in his body, even able to stop the bleeding of his severed limbs.
1. Meruem
The Ant King Meruem was the most powerful creature featured in the Hunter X Hunter series. He defeated Netero with keen observation, fast reflexes, and raw strength. During their battle, he also took damage that would be lethal for an ordinary human, yet he survived. One moment where he proved his power was when he pulled his own arm off, which was a shock when we previously saw that it was even impossible to take a finger from him (in his fight with the chairman). Read next: The most evil, wicked, corrupt anime villains
