With the most recent chapters of Hunter x Hunter released before the next hiatus, the Dark Continent Arc lives up to its name and takes fans’ favorite characters into even darker places and direr straits than before. However, that’s all typical for this series, which goes to more frightening places than most shounen dare to.
From horrifying monsters and beasts to sadistic Hunters looking only for the thrill of the kill, Hunter x Hunter is full of some of the scariest anime characters out there. Who is the most terrifying?
Mike Zoldyck
He might be just a dog, which is why he isn’t as intimidating as some other characters, but Mike’s status in the ranks of anime’s best good dogs is tenuous at best. He is the terrifying guardian of the Zoldyck estate who will eat any and all intruders alive on sight, unable to be fought, bribed, or lured away.
Even Gon, who is the instant best friend of every other animal in the world, is frozen in fear of Mike the second he lays eyes on the massive beast. He can’t connect to him at all. The dog has been so well trained that he’s more machine than animal. He even gets a whole musical number in the Nightmare of Zoldyck stage show about how fearsome he is!
Nanika
Without Nanika, Alluka would have received a “normal” Zoldyck upbringing and been the same level of creepy as the rest of her family. With Nanika, however, she is monumentally more powerful than them, capable of instant widespread death if her wish-granting ability is misused and unable to be controlled by anyone.
Similar to Gon, Alluka is a sweet girl who can happily coexist with Nanika (even telling Killua off for ordering Nanika to never come out again), but doesn’t quite operate on the same morality as most people. While neither would go out of her way to hurt someone, they think nothing of requesting body parts in exchange for wishes, and selfish wishes come with gruesome prices.
Chrollo Lucilfer
The Phantom Troupe are all creepy in their own way, from Feitan’s boiling rage to Shalnark’s constant dissonant cheerfulness. But their leader, Chrollo, has a perpetual unsettling air all his own. Unfailingly calm and polite to everyone, even as he’s trying to stab them or steal their Nen, he doesn’t need to show off how deadly he is to strike fear into the hearts of all who meet him.
He is the one who originally brought the children of Meteor City together into one fearsome gang, and while they can function just fine in his absence, it’s only when Chrollo is there to conduct them that they can reach their full murderous potential, as seen in the Yorknew City Arc.
Killua Zoldyck
Most white-haired characters in anime are heavily associated both with power and with death. Killua, the only Zoldyck child to inherit his father’s white hair, fits the bill perfectly, with his ability to brutally kill a target faster than they can blink. Though his friends love him, sometimes even they are shocked by it, such as the first time they see him rip out someone’s beating heart.
Despite his sincere and successful efforts to leave his bloody past behind and embrace the kindness and friendship he craves, the show never quite lets viewers forget that Killua is a trained assassin. Especially in earlier arcs, he is capable of exuding such terrifying energy that Hunters twice his size and age flee cities when he so much as threatens them.
Meruem
Meruem’s birth is utterly dreaded by the human characters for much of the Chimera Ant Arc, and for very good reason. He is the strongest of the already wildly powerful Chimera Ants, able to kill with a lightning-fast flick of his tail and willing to do so at the slightest annoyance from either ally or enemy.
His character arc focuses on his gaining a deeper understanding of the world greater than himself, and ends in one of the saddest Hunter x Hunter episodes. However, even his genuinely benevolent intentions are frightening. He proudly informs Netero that he still intends to take over the world, but he will spare humanity and allow them to live under his control for eternity, believing it is for their own good.
Neferpitou
Pitou is less powerful and less intimidating than their King, Meruem, but the leader of the Royal Guard does have one thing on him: They’re much scarier than he is. Their raw strength is off the charts, and before the situation gets too serious for their liking near the end of the arc, they are constantly grinning, clearly having fun brutalizing humans.
It’s a toss-up as to which is their most disturbing moment: musing on their own strength while petting Kite’s head, which they’ve just ripped off, in their lap; or casually performing brain surgery on Pokkle with sticks in order to interrogate him in one of the scariest scenes in non-horror anime. Like any cat, they thoroughly enjoy playing with their food.
Gon Freecss
Anyone who knows Gon and his great strength would guess he’s capable of mass destruction, but nobody would predict that he’s also capable of such ruthlessness as well. Like most shounen heroes, Gon is bright, caring, and genuinely fights for his loved ones. But it becomes clearer over the course of the show that his morality revolves entirely around himself and his loved ones.
Viewers who don’t catch on get a nasty surprise towards the climax of the Chimera Ant Arc. Consumed with grief over Kite’s death, he threatens to kill the unconscious innocent Komugi, sacrifices his future potential, and nearly destroys his own body in front of Killua just to get his revenge on Pitou, who is no longer terrifying at all in the face of his rage.
Kakin Royal Family
Anime-only viewers will be in for quite the treat if the currently running Dark Continent Arc ever gets animated. They’ll finally get to meet one of the worst royal families in anime. The princes of Kakin are famously cruel and unstable, a standout example being Tserriednich, who collects stolen body parts and is responsible for the massacre of the Kurta clan.
Some of the princes, particularly the younger ones, are innocent and relatively normal. But this only makes them cannon fodder for their sadistic older siblings who crave the throne and will slaughter anyone in their way to it. The Nen Beasts each prince is gifted reflects their personality: the more twisted and horrific the Beast, the worse the prince.
Illumi Zoldyck
Illumi is the eldest Zoldyck child, and it’s clear that Silva and Kikyo may have gone a little overboard in teaching him that a Zoldyck’s only purpose is to be a dutiful, emotionless killing machine. He has no desires or purpose outside of serving his family, and the only things he seems to derive pleasure from are assassination and bending his younger brother to his will.
Even with his talents in brainwashing and murder, the most disturbing aspect of him is still his obsession with Killua. He doesn’t care much for his other siblings. Killua is their parents’ chosen heir, and when he rebels and tries to leave them, Illumi fixates on him and will do anything to bring him back to heel, including trying to kill his friends to isolate him and planting a needle into his brain to force him to abandon them.
Hisoka Morow
Even anime fans who have never seen Hunter x Hunter likely know of Hisoka, and wonder what on Earth this monstrous clown’s problem is. However, the reason why Hisoka is the way he is, is never revealed. He simply is, like a horrifying natural disaster.
He’s strong enough to rip people limb from limb with his bare hands, a deviously intelligent fighter, and has sadism to spare. But what makes him truly scary is his capacity for restraint. Hisoka only wants to kill the strongest opponents, and waits to kill immature targets like Gon until they’ve reached their prime. He isn’t an out-of-control maniac, despite his burning lust for blood. He is a very patient predator who will stalk his prey for years if he has to.
