What Is Nen In Hunter x Hunter?

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Hunter X Hunter is one of the most highly regarded anime ever. It’s even considered to be one of the few that got a perfect, 10/10 score on MAL with over 9,000 MAL reviews.

Readers follow Gon, a young Hunter, through his search for his father, who is a famous Gnome Reinhardt. They witness the trials and tribulations of becoming a pro hunter.

Yosihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter has been hailed as an epic manga. There are so many interesting things to explore, it’s difficult not to get sucked in. The world of Hunter x Hunter is also meticulously detailed, which combined with the strong cast of characters, elevates the experience above even some other manga that’s much more popular than this one.

The element we’ve chosen to highlight is Nen.

If you’ve watched Hunter X Hunter, you’ve seen these images of Killua using his iconic ‘RPS’ (rock, paper, scissors) move. Or the one where Killua radiates electricity, which has been beautifully recreated in several Hunter x Hunter merch like posters and shirts. All these are perfect examples of Nen in HxH.

Watch the anime even if you’re a spoiler. You may not want to read on, but I highly recommend you do so. This is a great decision to make since it will be much easier to understand what’s going on and you don’t have to worry about spoiling your experience.

There are many sources of power in Nen; the most common are personal aura, shape it into the desired form, and use it against opponents. It’s a staple of shonen. If you immediately thought about Ki, Chi, or Magic, I wouldn’t blame you for seeing a similarity. That’s a common trait in these types of stories.

Nen is a unique art form that’s expression is often different from what you may first see on the surface. It centers around a user deciding who they are and developing skills to supplement that. There’s similar traits to ‘Hirohiko Araki’ Stands from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure where characters supernatural abilities are usually an embodiment of the character’s will. Just by looking at the type of ability, you can tell a lot about a ‘Hunter x Hunter’ character.

The primary difference between the two systems is that a character’s Hatsu (the term for an expressed, unique ability) is a conscious development. This means that ingenuity and solid understanding of the system’s rules are fundamental in determining a character’s strength. In most shonen series, powerful characters must have a large energy pool which is determined by thoughtless power alone. Non-thoughtless power sets can be both prosperous and dangerous.

This focus on thoughtful, distinct and powerful abilities rather than increasingly large energy blasts ties into the first point.

There’s no way to really know how confident someone is in their abilities. That’s because creativity is a vital part of being able to develop and master a skill. One example of this would be Sea Hunter Morel’s bout with the chimera-ant Cheetu. Determining where to fight, accounting for your weaknesses, and protecting yourself are essential skills that need to be mastered during fights.

Cheetu, as a cheetah (his name tells it all) is leagues stronger and faster than the hunter. He not only carries raw talent but also bulk of potential reserves. Cheetu should’ve been a force to be reckoned with, indeed.

Instead, he was victoriously tagged out. What’s bad about that? Well, Cheetu has a Hatsu called “Tag”, so he turned the game into a sparring session (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). However, this led to Morel’s victory when the Perfect Crime Master found a way to exploit his easily bored nature. These moments characterize every single conflic in Hunter x Hunter. Battles are won before the first punch is thrown. The same can also be said of the most crushing defeats.

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When looking at Death Note, it’s really easy to see the parallels between it and Tsugumi Ohba’s hit series. Not just simply because of the complex and tactical combat, but also because there are strict rules behind every action. When those tools fail or are used in surprising ways to ensnare an audience, conflict becomes much more interesting.

When a particular tool is added every time the characters are in trouble, it loses audience. An example can be seen in JoJo Part 5, where Giorno seems to have whatever tool he needs. While I love Part 5, you never really feel like Giorno, in particular, is in any real danger. Meanwhile in Hunter x Hunter, I don’t think the protagonists were ever guaranteed to be safe.

Another interesting aspect of Nen is its ability to never run out of ammo.

Nen is a power system keyed to it’s characters emotions. The system responds to them and fuels itself with their passion. Character limitations are an important aspect of the app that reveals how it can be steered by emotion.

Sometimes, characters can increase their powers by willingly putting a restriction on it. This increase in power doesn’t come from some arbitrating law; it comes from making the choice to actively hamper one’s self. Limitations aren’t the only things that can increase an ability’s strength though. In the case of one character named Biscuit Krueger, dysphoria led to her physical appearance slowly changing into her ideal self. This wholesome, gentle and desired result led to a gentle outcome.

While a dark, desperate, and even twisted wish can bear fruit that is otherwise untoward.

This is the fate for Gon Freecss when he encountered the chimera-ant Royal Guard, Neferpitou. Angry at himself for losing perhaps the only father figure he had. Without the help of anyone to cool his temper, with no experience in dealing with grief and rage, he makes a dark oath.

And with those words, he condemns himself and throws away all his tremendous potential, all in one fell swoop. Here, though, it’s full of sorrow.

In the series, a character’s power comes from properly harnessing their emotions. While this is done beautifully in the novel, it’s equally interesting to see how the concept plays out onscreen. We’re biased, but it’s still fantastic!

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