With 36 volumes, nearly 400 chapters, and 148 episodes of the 2011 anime, Togashi Yoshihiro’s Hunter x Hunter is bound to have a number of deaths to its name. Thousands have died in the series’ long run, from nameless mafia henchmen to big-name villains and Hunters themselves. Hunter x Hunter pulls no punches and isn’t afraid to gravely injure or kill off even its strongest or most prominent characters.
The most notable deaths have had huge effects on the story. The death of a villain can have major implications for both the plot and the character who killed them. Some deaths demonstrated a character’s true power, and some kickstarted an entire arc. In chronological order, these are the most important deaths in Hunter x Hunter and how they impacted the series.
10 Johness Met His Fate By Killua’s Hand
Gon, Killua, Leorio, Kurapika, and Tonpa encountered Johness during the 287th Hunter Exam’s third phase. Before being imprisoned in the Trick Tower, Johness was Zaban City’s notorious mass murderer who had taken 146 lives by tearing people apart with his bare hands. In a moment of poetic justice, Killua killed Johness by sharpening his nails and tearing out Johness’ heart.
Johness leaving the world was insignificant to the plot, but this moment was a demonstration of a Zoldyck’s lethal power, and Killua’s first real-time kill in front of the others. He’d already mentioned that he was a trained assassin, but aside from the deaths of two examinees on the airship that weren’t fully explained, he had yet to show anything of it. Killua’s quick work of Johness exemplified his strength and set the stage for his deadly abilities throughout the rest of the show.
9 Kastro Fell For Hisoka’s Tricks
Prior to the Heaven’s Arena arc, most of Hisoka’s power was essentially unknown. Nen itself was still a new concept to Gon and Killua. But once his rematch with Kastro came around, Hisoka proved himself to not only be a highly intelligent fighter, but a powerful Nen user as well. It was here that he demonstrated both his battle strategy and deductive ability, and his two Nen techniques – though they weren’t explained until later when he met with Machi.
Hisoka used Zetsu to mask his aura, then used Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise, both Transmutation Nen abilities. Bungee Gum allowed him to reattach his severed arm while Texture Surprise made it look completely healed, and Bungee Gum further let him land the final blows on Kastro by spearing deadly playing cards into him. Though Hisoka’s incredible strength was shown before in the Hunter Exam, this battle proved it through his mastered use of Nen at the cost of Kastro’s life.
8 Uvogin Faced Kurapika’s Judgment
Uvogin was one of the founding members of the Phantom Troupe and among the more likable of Hunter x Hunter villains, but his hubris ended up being his downfall. As the Troupe were in search of the Chain User, Uvogin finally found Kurapika with Shalnark’s help. He let Kurapika choose where he wanted to die, believing he would easily defeat him.
The tables quickly turned in the Gordeau Desert, where Kurapika’s vengeance for his Kurta Clan and his chain Nen overpowered Uvogin. Kurapika trapped him in Chain Jail, then employed Emperor Time to increase the power of all of his Nen abilities. When Uvogin still wouldn’t meet his demands to reveal the Troupe’s location, Kurapika surrounded his heart with his Judgment Chain, which eventually killed Uvogin for his noncompliance. This battle demonstrated the true force of Kurapika’s Nen, which was later used on both Pakunoda and Chrollo.
7 Pakunoda Gave Her Life For Her Troupe
Pakunoda’s flashback gave the brief backstory of the Phantom Troupe and showed her as another founding member from Meteor City. Though she wasn’t one of the strongest members of the Troupe physically, her loyalty to the Spiders and to Chrollo proved unbreakable, and her dying use of her Nen was instrumental to the Troupe’s future maneuvers.
After the Troupe captured Gon and Killua, and Kurapika – still acting as the unknown Chain User – captured Chrollo, Kurapika demanded that Pakunoda come alone to meet them. He used his Judgment Chain on her, saying he would give Chrollo back under the conditions that she release Gon and Killua and keep all information about him a secret from the Troupe. Pakunoda later sacrificed herself, giving her memories over to her group to provide them information about Kurapika and Chrollo in exchange for her life. This exposed Kurapika to the Troupe and set up their involvement in the Greed Island arc.
6 Kurt And Reina’s Deaths Marked The Rise Of The Ants
Young siblings Kurt and Reina of NGL were the first humans to be fed to the Chimera Ant Queen. This was the starting point of the Chimera Ant arc, and it showed the kind of horrific destruction the Ants would bring.
Kurt’s rebirth as Colt eventually became one of the arc’s first turning points, as Colt was the first Ant to show residual memories of his human life – something that became vital later on with Welfin, Palm, and others. Colt’s caring nature also transferred into his Ant mind, and he was the one who surrendered to Morel, Knov, and the Hunters, providing them information about the palace, the Royal Guard, and the yet-unnamed Meruem. Though this was all for the sake of the Queen who soon died, it was essential for the Hunters who later battled at the palace.
5 Pokkle Had His Brain Picked
If Kurt and Reina’s deaths kickstarted the Chimera Ant arc, Pokkle’s set it at full speed. Pokkle was the first Hunter to die on-screen, and the only one who took part in the 287th Exam to pass and later die. Up to that point, Hunter deaths were not unheard of, but none had been shown, making this moment proof that even those strong enough to pass the Exam and bear the Hunter title were going to have trouble against the Ants.
But before Pokkle truly died, he was first discovered by Neferpitou, changing the course of the arc for the worse. Pitou probed Pokkle’s brain and learned about Nen: its user categories and how to identify them, Zetsu and Ren, and that increased aura means increased power. This not only introduced Nen to all Ants who could then begin to use it, but adding the information to Pitou’s capacity for Nen led her to having the most powerful and terrifying aura of any Ant aside from the King himself, and this proved to be one of the Hunters’ biggest obstacles going forward.
4 Kite’s Death At Pitou’s Hands Led To Her Demise
As an incredibly strong Hunter and a friend of Ging, Kite’s death was one of the most shocking of the series. His last moments seen alive were when he sensed Pitou’s menacing aura, commanded Gon and Killua to run, then lost his arm to Pitou’s attack. The next time he was shown, he was already dead, his severed head in Pitou’s lap.
Aside from proving Pitou’s evil and demonstrating the power of her aura, Kite’s presumed disappearance was Gon’s driving force during the Chimera Ant arc, all of his actions aimed toward the goal of getting Kite back. His anger was instrumental in how the battle at the palace played out, and his rage and despair upon finding out that Kite had been dead the whole time gave him the strength, dangerous though it was, to kill Pitou in their final encounter.
3 Rammot Lived Just Long Enough For Killua To Level Up
Like Johness, Rammot was no major character, but the scene of his death was vital for Killua. The two had met once before, and Killua used Thunderbolt on Rammot before Gon struck the Ant with his Rock punch. The trauma to Rammot’s body led him to developing Nen aura, and upon encountering Killua a second time, he was sure Killua would be no match.
At first, Rammot had the upper hand, as Killua was too focused on Illumi’s words in his head telling him to protect himself and run. But Killua’s desire to protect Gon overcame it, and in one of his greatest moments, he ripped out the needle Illumi implanted in his head. The controlling precepts that Illumi had literally embedded into Killua no longer burdened him, and he decapitated Rammot in no time, then went to find Gon again.
2 Zazan Tested Feitan With Grave Consequence
The Chimera Ants were not contained to NGL alone, and members of the Phantom Troupe returned to Meteor City to find that Ants had invaded, and that Zazan was proclaiming herself the Queen and had made a massive nest.
In another display of loyalty, this time to the Troupe’s hometown, Feitan took on Zazan first with his sword, and finally by protecting himself with Pain Packer and unleashing Rising Sun, burning Zazan alive along with anything else in the vicinity. Though the other Troupe members demonstrated lethal power against other Ants in the nest, Feitan proved that he was leagues ahead in Nen ability, impressing Kalluto, another Zoldyck assassin. The Troupe continue to be a threat in Hunter x Hunter past where the anime has stopped.
1 Netero Made The Ultimate Sacrifice
Even up against the hugely powerful Meruem, Isaac Netero’s death by self-sacrifice was staggering at the very least. In what was meant to be the final battle that ended Meruem for good, Netero, having run through all the moves of his 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, chose to use his ultimate option. He plunged his fingers into his own heart to activate the Poor Man’s Rose bomb, blowing up himself and Meruem in the process.
Netero’s strength of both will and ability was a testament to the strength of humanity, which Netero summed up in his words, “Don’t underestimate the human race, Meruem.” The bomb eventually did lead to Youpi, Shaiapouf, Meruem, and Komugi’s deaths due to its poison release, and though these deaths didn’t impact the plot much further than ending the Chimera Ant arc, Meruem and Komugi’s final scene remains one of the series’ saddest. However, Netero’s death paved the way for the next arc, as the Hunter Association would need to elect a new Chairman, and Ging Freecss finally entered the scene.
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