Hunter x Hunter‘s Nen remains one of the most sophisticated power systems in anime. Instead of the straightforward hierarchies seen in other shonen, the greatest Nen users are known for their control, ingenuity, experience, and a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles.
Categorizing the strongest Nen users therefore becomes a complicated task, especially when the choices available include various characters at their respective pinnacles. As such, any ranking must focus on a combination of Nen capacity, battlefield feats, and general versatility. References have also been taken from mangaka Yoshihiro Togashi’s 2022 compilation of HxH characters, with their overall combat prowess ranked according to Nen type.
Hisoka Morow’s Battle IQ Makes Bungee Gum Shockingly Dangerous
The wielder of Bungee Gum, which has the properties of both rubber and gum, is as fickle as his dangerous Nen ability, using endless trickery and deception to manipulate the battlefield. Hisoka’s desperate zeal to fight the strongest feels creepy when aimed at Gon and Killua, and rather hilarious when he foolishly challenges Netero. And yet, it is this very desire that propels him throughout Hunter x Hunter, resulting in a ferociously formidable combatant.
Hisoka’s level of Nen mastery is significant enough to threaten the Phantom Troupe, and he even kills a couple of its members. Although he failed spectacularly against Chrollo Lucilfer, the battle showcased just how much Hisoka had evolved since the Hunter Examination arc. He’s currently aboard the Black Whale headed toward the Dark Continent, where his potential will be put to the real test.
Zeno Zoldyck’s Dragon-Themed Power Showcases His Nen Mastery
Zeno Zoldyck openly acknowledges his Nen inferiority compared to Isaac Netero, but modesty doesn’t make him weak. On the contrary, the elderly patriarch displays his decades of experience against Chrollo Lucilfer.
Even if he was supported by his son Silva, Zeno proved the years hadn’t been unkind to him. He rapidly deconstructed Skill Hunter and predicted Chrollo’s tactics, earning repeated praise from his opponent. Fans take Zeno’s response to Chrollo — “I would win, unless you decided to actually try to kill me — as evidence that the old man would have eventually lost a duel between them.
However, anime old men are famously humble; even Netero admitted that Neferpitou was vastly stronger before sending them flying with a single strike. Besides, Zeno wasn’t fighting seriously, either, so it’s impossible to know what secret powers he was hiding.
Chrollo Lucilfer’s Stolen Abilities Make Him Impossible to Predict
Chrollo Lucilfer might be the most versatile Nen user in Hunter x Hunter. He would have to be, considering that his arsenal is entirely limited to others’ abilities. Aside from stealing useful Nen techniques, Skill Hunter provides few combat upgrades, forcing Chrollo to work within a complex network of conditions.
The aforementioned fight with Zeno wasn’t sufficient to firmly place him above the elder Zoldyck, but Chrollo has evolved immensely since his loss to Kurapika. He refused to battle Hisoka until he could steal extra abilities, deciding the outcome of their conflict before it even began.
Despite putting on his greatest combat performance to date, Hisoka was thoroughly demolished. In fact, Chrollo’s final attack technically killed his opponent. It took Post-mortem Nen to bring Hisoka back to life, a testament to Chrollo’s prowess as much as Hisoka’s resourcefulness.
Biscuit Krueger Disguises Monstrous Nen Beneath Her Appearance
Biscuit Krueger entered Hunter x Hunter as a seemingly frivolous young girl, a stereotype that remained long after she revealed her true power. As a master of the Shingen-ryu martial art with considerable experience under her belt, she has never truly demonstrated her strength.
Watching Biscuit train Gon and Killua in the fundamentals of Nen indirectly confirmed her own proficiency, while her stunning durability and speed made her more imposing. In the end, however, fans only have two fights of hers to draw opinions from, both of which ended instantly in her favor.
The form Bisky typically presents herself in is not her true self, as she hates her actual body. In truth, she is an extremely tall, brawny and gigantic woman whose muscle size seemed directly proportional to her strength. Fans can’t wait to see Biscuit in action during the Dark Continent Expedition arc, regardless of when she reaches the ominous destination.
Ging Freecss’ Nen Talent Earned Acclaim from Netero Himself
When Isaac Netero ranked Ging Freecss among the five top Nen users in the world, he wasn’t taking the Chimera Ants or unknown godlike entities into account. Still, Gon’s father — and the source of his inspiration — turned out to be overwhelmingly strong.
Ging exhibits a remarkable degree of Nen flexibility, as he managed to replicate Leorio’s personal attack almost perfectly after seeing it just once. Hunter x Hunter offers a few scattered glimpses of his multifaceted skillset, from Ultrasound’s ability to identify both living beings in a specific area and potentially fatal medical conditions to Phasing Bullets creating projectiles capable of passing through obstacles and striking targets behind them.
The Royal Guard Were Born with Transcendent Nen Powers
The last few Chimera Ants to be born drew their powers from their mother, the Ant Queen, who sustained her extended pregnancy by devouring Nen users, Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, and Menthuthuyoupi were the strongest characters in Hunter x Hunter as soon as they entered the world.
Netero noted how Neferpitou’s raw output exceeded his own, and they were indeed so powerful that Gon had to achieve his ultimate potential to defeat them. Meanwhile, Menthuthuyopui’s rampage demanded attention from multiple combatants, including Killua, Morel, Knuckle, Shoot, and Meleoron, and they still failed to bring him down. Shaiapouf has less combat time than either of his Royal Guard peers, but he’s also said to be on their level.
Adult Gon Sacrificed Everything to Demolish Neferpitou
Over the course of the Chimera Ant arc, Gon Freecss went down a path so dark it shattered the preconceptions of shonen heroism. Never again would even the sweetest protagonist be considered pure and incorruptible, but Gon’s darkness simultaneously gave him access to immeasurable strength. Upon learning of Kite’s permanent demise, Gon swore a Nen vow to sacrifice his future potential in exchange for the power to kill Neferpitou.
The product of this transformation, informally known as Adult Gon, was a powerhouse leagues beyond his former self. He nonchalantly clobbered Neferpitou, who was delighted to lose their life because it meant Gon wouldn’t be able to defeat Meruem. Such ridiculous power generated severe Nen backlash, turning him into a catatonic patient and leaving him on a deathbed that was only subverted with a godlike ability.
Isaac Netero Pushed Human Nen Mastery to Its Absolute Limits
Isaac Netero is proof that age has nothing to do with Nen ability. Not only did he begin his professional career as a middle-aged man of 46, but he retained his absolute position atop the Hunter hierarchy for another 60-70+ years.
The Chairman proved to be a devastatingly efficient Nen user, capable of ending the vast majority of battles with a casual flick of the 100-Type Bodhisattva. In fact, the oldest character in Hunter x Hunter could likely win most fights without activating his ability.
Against the Chimera Ant King, however, he got his wish to release all the power at his disposal, everything he had painstakingly acquired over multiple decades. Meruem eventually came out on top, but not before expressing absolute respect for his terrifying enemy. It could even be argued that the Ant King’s moral metamorphosis was partially a result of experiencing Netero’s relentless will.
Meruem Grew Immeasurably Strong After His Resurrection
Initially unwilling to duel Isaac Netero, Meruem changed his mind when his opponent offered him an irresistible secret in exchange for the battle. Determined to learn his name, the Ant King agreed to combat. Their clash culminated in a brilliant trick from Netero, rendering Meruem even more dead than Gon was following his Nen vow.
However, Youpi and Pouf poured their Nen essences into the dying Ant King, resurrecting Meruem with far greater power than before. This version of the villain didn’t bother engaging in any serious fights; he had crossed beyond the limits of Nen scaling to become a near-divine being. Unfortunately for Meruem fans, there’s a single Hunter x Hunter character with actually divine abilities.
Alluka and Nanika Wield HxH’s Most Broken Nen Ability
No one could have imagined that the strongest Nen user in Hunter x Hunter would be a 12-year-old girl. Shonen anime are notorious for minimizing female characters, and Alluka shares a similar fate, but at least she possesses the theoretical power to transcend the very meaning of Nen itself.
Much like Bleach‘s Orihime Inoue, Alluka Zoldyck’s ability — through her symbiosis with Nanika — allows her to rewrite the rules of the battlefield. Although Nanika’s wish-granting doesn’t look or feel like Nen, there’s nothing else in the story capable of explaining how it works.
Since most of the main characters are now headed to the Dark Continent, some light may finally be shed on Nanika’s association with the true world of HxH. Until then, Alluka-Nanika remains an unfathomably unstoppable anomaly within the Nen system.
- Release Date
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2011 – 2014-00-00
- Directors
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Hiroshi Kôjina
- Writers
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Atsushi Maekawa, Tsutomu Kamishiro
