While the Hunter Association in the world ofHunter X Huntermay provide its Hunters with unlimited opportunities, some Nen users still turn to crime, like the Phantom Troupe. And, they’re no joke, considering their members — called Spiders — have Class-A Bounties on their heads. As a result, their activities aren’t just infamous across the world, but they have a fearsome reputation as well.
In fact, the Phantom Troupe remains a fan favorite amongstHunter x Hunterfans primarily because its members are so well-designed and well-written.Well, that and the fact that Kurapika, a main cast member, made it their life goal to hunt the Phantom Troupe down. Which, thinking back, makes it extra odd that Gon hangs out with (and so often forgives) the current Troupe member Hisoka. However, some members of the Phantom Troupe just dominate the others in terms of power level.
Updated September 12th, 2024 Jacob Buchalter:The Phantom Troupe in Hunter X Hunter is probably one of the most widely beloved villain groups in any series, even outside of the manga and anime genres. These villainous eccentrics are one of the best parts of HxH, and that’s saying something given how high-quality just about everything in this series seems to be. Whether it’s Nobunaga slowly warming up toKillua and Gon, Hisoka being at peak levels of unhinged, or even just Maki not putting up with Hisoka’s hijinks, it’s always entertaining whenever the Phantom Troupe are the stars of the show. Still, this is a Shonen series, which means, of course, that the characters must be compared to each other in terms of their overall combat ability. So without further ado, let’s break them all down.
12
Conjuration
Gallery Fake
Starting things off with one of the more mysterious Phantom Troupe members, Kortopi was the twelfth person, or ‘Spider’, to join the group. He is not at all shy about admitting he’s the weakest member in terms of physical strength. But, this isHunter X Hunter, a world where raw physical power doesn’t mean anything in the face of well-honed Nen abilities.
Sadly, Kortopi’s Hatsu technique, Gallery Fake, is also not very suited for combat, as it basically boils down to him being able to create perfect copies of non-living objects with his Conjuration-type Nen energy.Or, at least, that’s what anime-only viewers think. In actuality, theHunter x Huntermanga has already shown the potential of this Hatsu as Chrollo used it in combination with a few other abilities in his death match against Hisoka in Heaven’s Arena. Even then, it was only made into a worthwhile ability due to Chrollo being able to use it in combination with other Nen abilities, and with how quickly Kortopi was slain by Hisoka after the match, it’s clear he never figured out how to fight with Gallery Fake himself.
9
Specialist
Psychometry
Like Kortopi, Pakunoda is a very useful member of the Phantom Troupe, but her Nen techniques aren’t exactly suited for combat. All of her abilities are in the “Specialist” category, and they’re all centered around the concept of memories and mind-reading.Using her Nen ability, known as Psychometry, Pakunoda could read a person’s memories, overwrite them, and even implant memories into others using an ability called Memory Bomb.This was a technique in which she conjured ‘bullets’ made of Nen that held the memories in question before firing said bullet into her desired recipient, doing no physical damage but implanting the memories into their mind.
All of these powers are obscenely useful for an organization so centralized on secrecy and thievery like the Phantom Troupe, but they aren’t exactly “combat-type” powers. These rankings aren’t going to follow the canon ‘strength’ rankings of the Troupe, but in this case, it was right on the money putting Pakunoda in the eleventh slot.
7
Emitter
Double Machine Gun
For those who first saw Franklin Bordeau inHxHand thought his ability would be related to strength, the misconception is completely understandable. However, in terms of physical strength, Franklin ranks fourth amongst the Troupe’s members. Instead, Franklin is the only Emitter-type Nen user in the Troupe, funnily enough. And, while he’s gigantic now, the flashback to the Troupe’s origins in the manga shows that he was a relatively average-sized kid, so this change in stature only really begins after the Troupe went from a video-dubbing group of kids living in poverty to a full criminal organization.
Franklin himself possesses already remarkable strength and stamina, paired with equally admirable speed and reflexes.As an Emitter, Franklin can utilize his aura to release it in various forms. He prefers to release Nen-bullets through the barrels in his fingers, the tips of which he cut off himself.Normally, Emitters would just expel the Nen bullets from the tips of their fingers with no issue, but Franklin went all the way with them because he felt it would work better, and oddly enough it did since it’s been established in-canon that self-imposed limitations absolutely make Nen abilities more powerful.
Manipulator
Paper Dolls
Being one of theesteemed children of the Zoldyck family(the same family as Killua) means that Kalluto is already superhuman in many ways, even before using Nen. However, Kalluto himself admits that he’s the weakest member of the Troupe, at least to the group of members currently around him. Interestingly, this doesn’t mean Kalluto underestimates his strength, rather its just that the Phantom Troupe is that strong on average.
Assomeone who has been trained as an assassin all his life at the Zoldyck estate, Kalluto already possesses advanced speed, agility, various elemental resistances, and weapons specialization. Kalluto can create afterimages of himself with Rhythm Echo, an advanced assassination technique that doesn’t even use Nen.
Though, in terms of Nen, Kalluto is a Manipulator, a Nene specialization perfect for espionage and assassinations.His Surveillance Paper Dolls ability allow him to essentially put trackers on people with a paper doll in their likeness that lets him hear everything near that person.The sheer fact that none of the Phantom Troupe even noticed this Nen ability was being used is proof of Kalluto’s expertise.But that’s not all, as these paper techniques are actually quite useful in combat, so much so that Kalluto uses his Dance of the Serpent’s Bite Nen ability playfully while going up against a fearsome Chimera Ant (though not at allcomparable to someone like Meruem), making sure to take his time and tear the Ant apart piece-by-piece with mere scraps of paper.
1
Enhancer
Unknown
Having the appearance of a traditional samurai, Nobunaga Hazama and his trusty katana already imply some degree of battle finesse. In terms of sheer strength, he ranks ninth among the group, which makes sensegiven that Gon beat him in an arm-wrestling match. However, rather than raw brute force, Nobunaga has shown that he specializes in dexterity and finesse, as all of his kills with his blade have had basically zero wasted movement.
At his core, Nobunaga is a swordsman, capable of using his enhanced physical traits, preternatural perception, and observation techniques to maintain control in combat. As an Iaido specialist, Nobunaga can quickly draw his blade, make a lethal strike, and place it back on its scabbard within a micro-second. Befitting his combat specialty is his Nen nature as an Enhancer, boasting a powerful aura he could potentially use to enhance his physical abilities. In the later manga arc, primarily the Succession War arc, Nobunaga has been able to show off even more of his battle prowess and general thought process.
But, the most absurd part is, he still hasn’t revealed his actual ‘Nen Ability’. The whole routine of using En to create a ‘sphere of influence’ where Nobunaga expertly cuts whoever steps inside in an instant is just a battle technique, it’s not his Nen Ability.While this was amazing while the series was still going, now that it’s been canceled (or has it?) it’s absolutely tragic that fans never got to see what Nobunaga was truly capable of.
8
Conjurer
Blinky
The Specialist category of Nen abilities always seems to involve the weirdest powers, so it’s obvious why so many people instantly assumed that the Spider with the 8th tattoo, Shizuku Murasaki, was a Specialist. After all,she’s running around using a magical vacuum cleaner (lovingly named ‘Blinky’ by Shizuku) that seemingly has infinite capacity. But, in truth, Shizuku is a Conjurer.However, unlike Kortopi, Shizuku is adept at close combat (or at least capable) and her Conjuration-type Hatsu is versatile enough that it has applications both in and out of combat.
She’s got a great battle sense, seems to have admirable speed compared to the other Phantom Troupe members, and her Blinky Ability allows her to tackle problems in some truly unique ways.
3
Transmuter/Enhancer
Nen Threads
Machi Komacine has the appearance of a feudal Japanese kunoichi, which sort of matches Nobunaga’s whole vibe. And, like Nobunaga, her appearance makes sense, given her absurd speed and dexterity. When combined with her enhanced strength and endurance, Machi is a terrifying combatant. She also possesses an incredible degree of muscle control, displaying resistance from otherwise fatal injuries. In terms of strength, she is ranked sixth among the Troupe’s members. As an individual Machi plays the part of a ‘cold but caring’ criminal all too perfectly, so much so that she gives people like Hisoka a bit too much slack.
However, perhaps more interesting than anything else is Machi’s Nen Ability.As a Transmuter, she ‘transmutes’ her Nen energy into threads, and she specializes in using these Nen threads to do a variety of things.With Nen Stitches, Machi demonstrated the ability to not just heal injuries but even reattach severed limbs with ease. But, she’s not just a healer, as Machi has stated that the strength of these strings is directly proportional to their length. So, with enough power behind a short thread less than a meter long, Machi could likely cut through most anything. Taking that into consideration, suddenly these aren’t just threads anymore, and Machi is looking a lot more fearsome as a fighter.
10
Battle Cantabile
Despite his truly ‘odd’ appearance and peopleassuming he really was just a side character, Bonolenov Ndongo still ranks eighth among the ranks of the Troupe. Bonolenov is famous not just for his enhanced strength but also for his incredible speed and reflexes. Thanks to his agility, stamina, and showmanship, Bonolenov not only dashes into combat, he does so gracefully as well, which makes sense, given that he comes from the fictional tribe of ‘Gyudondond’, a group of people who are world-renowned for the dance-like combat style using their self-made holes in their bodies.
In terms of Nen, Bonolenov proved strong enough to use more than two Nen types.However, he does incorporate this in combat - often using his man-made holes to create unique sounds via Battle Cantabile to conjure Nen weapons, armor, and more.He’s able to use Battle Cantabile: Prologue to conjure up both a spear and battle garb and Battle Cantabile: Jupiter literally has him conjuring up a miniature version of Jupiter to crash down on his enemies. Additionally, in the Succession War arc, Bonolenov also hinted at an ability called Battle Cantabile: Metamorphosen, which apparently lets Bonolev transform his appearance in a variety of ways, though readers never got the chance to see this one in action.
6
Black Voice
Shalnark was a character that, at a glance, seemed like he wouldn’t ‘vibe’ with the rest of the Phantom Troupe. He was cheerful, responsible,and just very bubbly in general.But, as the show goes on, it becomes more and more clear that this jovial personality is just a facade for his darker tendencies. At his core, Shalnark was still a relatively emotionless murderer who thinks of the victims of his Manipulation-type Nen as mere ‘puppets that are meant to be broken’.
In terms of ability, Shalnark was a Manipulator-type Hatsu user and one that used Nen needles implanted in his victim’s neck to control them in a first-person view like video game characters through his phone.It was a fantastic technique in general, and Chrollo showed it off even more in his death match against Hisoka. In fact, Shalnark could even use this ability on himself, essentially triggering an ‘Auto-Pilot’ mode that was given a task and would not end until Shalnark’s body had completed said task. Of course, this ability had some pretty nasty recoil, and it’s a shame that Hisoka caught Shalnark in the brief period of time when Chrollo still had his ability, as it meant he had no way of fighting back against this killer clown.
5
Ripper Cyclotron
Tracksuit-touting Phinks Magcub looks like the typical anime delinquent, and he sort of is one at first, but as more events transpire in front of him, Phinks starts to think a bit more. Physically, Phinks is second only to Uvogin - meaning he’s currently the physically strongest in the Troupe after Uvogin’s demise. Though, funnily enough, he never even had a chance to show off this physical ability in the Succession War arc, as he mostly served as a conversational character to push the plot forward.
Given his status, it’s expected for Phinks to possess incredible strength, durability, and stamina. He pairs this with astonishing speed and hand-to-hand prowess, capable of breaking people’s necks in a flash. Moreover, his Nen nature as an Enhancer allows him to further augment his physical abilities.But, his real bread-and-butter comes from his Hatsu ability that’s mind-blowingly strong simply because it’s so simple. The ability is called Ripper Cyclotron, and it’s an ability where every time Phinks ‘winds’ his arm in a clockwise direction, the Nen Aura in his fist increases, which means the next punch deals more damage.It’s unclear if every new rotation multiples the current Nen Aura by a specific amount or if its exponential, but 15 rotations were enoughto blow apart a Chimera Ant, and Phinks himself stated that likely half of those rotations would have still done the job.
