Top 20 Strongest Characters of all Time in Hunter x Hunter, Ranked

Nobody ever thought Hunter x Hunter would be getting new content but as of the end of November 2022, HxH has 396 chapters – with more material coming!

We have a pretty full laydown of Togashi’s world now, with threats looming from the Dark Continent and new characters like Tserriednich gradually creeping up the power ranks. Of course, we do have a few characters who have yet to show up, like Don Freecs and Zigg Zoldyck, but we can be sure they’re utter Nen gods.

So many old, new, and upcoming characters calls for a new power-scaling list! Read ahead for the top 20 strongest Hunter x Hunter characters of all time, manga and anime.

I will be ranking the characters based on their amount of aura, their Nen proficiency, physical strength, experience, and combat ability.

Character	Amount of Aura	Nen Mastery	Physical Strength	Combat Experience	Offensive Capability	Total
Nanika/Ai	10	10	10	10	10	50
4 Dark Continent Disasters	10	10	10	10	10	50
Don Freecs	10	10	10	10	9	49
Meruem	10	9	10	10	10	49
Maha/Zigg Zoldyk	10	10	7	10	10	47
Isaac Netero	10	10	8	10	9	47
Ging Freecss	10	9	9	9	9	46
Youpi	9	8	10	10	9	46
Pitou/Pouf	9	8	9	10	10	46
Chrollo Lucilfer	9	9	9	9	9	45
Zeno Zoldyk	9	10	8	10	8	45
Silva Zoldyk	9	9	9	9	8	44
Hisoka	8	9	9	9	9	44
Feitan Portor	8	8	9	9	9	43
Beyond Netero	9	8	8	9	8	42
Botobai/Mizaistorm/Kanzai	8	8	9	9	8	42
Marione	8	8	7	8	9	40
Morel/ Nobunaga	7	8	9	8	8	40
Illumi Zoldyk	8	8	7	8	8	39
Razor	7	6	9	8	9	39

20. Razor

Amount of Aura	7
Nen Mastery	6
Physical Strength	9
Combat Experience	8
Offensive Capability	9
Total	39

Razor is a Greed Island Game Master in charge of the game’s smooth functioning of spells. He is a lethal contender to deal with, even for Phantom Troupe members. His strength is so great that it took Gon, Killua and Hisoka with his Bungee Gum to catch his ball.

He is one of Ging’s disciples, so naturally his Nen abilities and combat prowess are top-notch. 14 Devils lets Razor make Nen beasts capable of vast power, knocking out the likes of Goreinu and Tsezguerra.

His Aura Balls can crush heads and several boats meters away with ease.

19. Illumi Zoldyck

Amount of Aura	8
Nen Mastery	8
Physical Strength	7
Combat Experience	8
Offensive Capability	8
Total	39

Illumi is the eldest child of Silva Zoldyk and a current member of the Phantom Troupe. He is almost as strong as Hisoka, but we are yet to see the full range of his power in action.

Illumi can manipulate the minds and bodies of the living as well as the dead. His Nen lets him use needles to to alter appearances, brainwash enemies. and control and manipulate targets.

No matter how thick-skinned you are, if he manages to get his needle into you, you’re become his puppet.

18. Morel and Nobunaga

Amount of Aura	7
Nen Mastery	8
Physical Strength	9
Combat Experience	8
Offensive Capability	8
Total	40

Morel is a badass who uses his smoking pipe to channel his Nen. His Nen ability is incredibly versatile and as long as he has his pipe, he can smoke you.

Efficient fighters like Knuckle and Shoot are his pupils. Knuckle mentioned that Morel’s aura pool was only second to Youpi, and was 3 times larger than Gon’s. He can go for days making use of it without tiring.

Nobunaga is the number one member of the Phantom Troupe. Killua compared his strength to that of Hisoka. He’s a skilled swordsman and whoever enters his attack zone is dead meat.

He also has a powerful aura, enough to scare Gon, Killua, and Leorio, but his Nen ability is yet to be seen.

17. Marione

Amount of Aura	8
Nen Mastery	8
Physical Strength	7
Combat Experience	8
Offensive Capability	9
Total	40

All we currently know of Marione is that she is the strongest among the Elite Temp Hunters chosen by Beyond Netero for his Dark Continent expedition.

Ging implied that her Nen might be stronger than even Pariston, a former Zodiac. Can’t wait to see her Nen!

16. Botobai and Mizaistom and Kanzai

Amount of Aura	8
Nen Mastery	8
Physical Strength	9
Combat Experience	9
Offensive Capability	8
Total	42

Botobai (Dragon), Mizaistom (Ox), and Kanzai (Tiger) are all incredibly strong members of the Zodiac. Botobai and Kanzai are part of the Defense Team for Dark Continent voyage, while Mizaistorm is in the Intelligence Team.

Botobai might be slightly stronger than the other 2, being a Triple-Star Terrorist Hunter; his authority in the Hunter Association is inferior only to that of Cheadle.

Mizaistom is a Double-Star Hunter whose intelligence is unmatched. He is one of the 3 people apart from Cheadle and Kurapika to realize there must be a mole among the Zodiacs.

Kanzai is a Treasure Hunter who served as a sparring partner for Netero himself. He might not be that smart but he’s obvious a tremendous fighter.

15. Beyond Netero

Amount of Aura	9
Nen Mastery	8
Physical Strength	8
Combat Experience	9
Offensive Capability	8
Total	42

A lot of people put Beyond way higher on their lists, but he literally hasn’t done anything yet. I mean, sure, he’s Issac Netero’s kid and is currently the leader of the Dark Continent Expedition, but there hasn’t even been any mention of his Nen.

Although – he is in charge of several strong Hunters with Nen, so the likelihood of him not knowing Nen is zilch.

Beyond is extremely intelligent, able to manipulate the world leaders into endorsing his project. He’s also strong enough to have survived the Dark Continent.

14. Feitan Portor

Amount of Aura	8
Nen Mastery	8
Physical Strength	9
Combat Experience	9
Offensive Capability	9
Total	43

Feitan is the fifth-strongest member of the Phantom Troupe and the leader in the absence of Chrollo Lucilfer.

He has incredible strength and stamina, but his speed is what sets him apart from the other Phantoms. Even other Troupe members have trouble tracking him. He’s also a master swordman and a versatile fighter, able to use his powers from afar as well as shorthand.

With Rising Sun, Feitan is able to transmute his aura into a mini-sun. The heat causes large-scale destruction and would have killed all the other Troupe members had they stayed until he fully activated it.

13. Hisoka Morow

Amount of Aura	8
Nen Mastery	9
Physical Strength	9
Combat Experience	9
Offensive Capability	9
Total	44

Hisoka is a fan-favorite, with strength, personality, and skill. Former member of the Phantom Troupe, Hisoka is a Hunter who is always looking for strong challengers.

His Nen-infused playing cards are sharp enough to slice bone but his trump card is Bungee Gum which can be used in all kinds of sticky situations.

Hisoka has shown proficiency in Conjuration, Emission, Enhancement, and on occasion, Manipulation, which he used with post-mortem Nen for an enhanced Bungee Gum attack. Actually, Hisoka might even be stronger than Silva due to his post-Mortem Nen.

12. Silva Zoldyck

Amount of Aura	9
Nen Mastery	9
Physical Strength	9
Combat Experience	9
Offensive Capability	8
Total	44

Silva Zoldyck is the current head of the Zoldyk family. He never goes into battle unless he’s 100% sure he’s going to win.

Silva has extraordinary control over his body due to years spent training as an assassin and has enhanced durability, able to resist Chrollo’s poison attacks. Silva’s Explosive Aura Orbs are basically 2 active bombs that he can hurl that can level buildings.

These orbs fall under the Emission and Transmutation typing; in addition, Silva also has control over Enhancement, which is seen when he kills Cheetu from the Phantom Troupe.

11. Zeno Zoldyck

Amount of Aura	9
Nen Mastery	10
Physical Strength	8
Combat Experience	10
Offensive Capability	8
Total	45

Zeno is the father of Silva and grandfather of Killua. He is one of the 5 best Nen users as stated by Netero.

He was strong enough to push Chrollo Lucilfer, the leader of the Phantom Troupe, to his full strength. Even Pitou, Mereum’s strongest fighter, was excited to fight someone with that kind of Nen.

Zeno can transmute his aura into a dragon with Dragon Dive and emit it as a projectile, or simply use it for transport. He can also control this dragon with his hands, without having to emit his aura, which means he’s proficient at Transmutation as well as Emission.

10. Chrollo Lucilfer

Amount of Aura	9
Nen Mastery	9
Physical Strength	9
Combat Experience	9
Offensive Capability	9
Total	45

Chrollo Lucilfer is the leader of the Phantom Troup and is also one of the best Nen users in the series. He fought Zeno and Silva together, trying to steal their Nen from them while trying to defeat them.

Chrollo can steal others Nen abilities, mimicking the proficiency of his opponents. He can utilize numerous Nen abilities together. This makes his fighting style adaptable and incredibly hard to beat.

Through his knowledge of Sun and Moon revealed in chapter 352. Chrollo can also post-mortem Nen.

9. Neferpitou and Shaiapouf

Pitou and Pouf are 2 of Meruem’s 3 Royal Guards.

Pitou was strong enough to have survived King Mereum’s direct hit, Netero’s 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva attack, and several hits of Adult-Gon’s Jajanken: Rock attack.

Pitou had extremely developed instincts, intelligence, and strength. They could learn and create Nen abilities in the matter of minutes, with their En being supremely powerful.

They even made Netero wonder whether they could be stronger than him. More than anything, Pitou’s combat abilities and strength are way above most other characters. Terpsichora was able to linger post Pitou’s death and sever Gon’s arm.

Pouf mostly relied on speed and tactical skill instead of strength. He was able to knock down a tank like Morel and escape Zeno’s attack. He was also strong enough to survive a tail-whip from Meruem. Pouf’s special feature was that he could gift others with Nen.

Pouf was more of a healer than a fighter, able to heal injuries of his own ad others using Nen. He had a tight control of every cell of his body and could create clones with Beelzebub.

8. Menthuthuyoupi

Amount of Aura	9
Nen Mastery	8
Physical Strength	10
Combat Experience	10
Offensive Capability	9
Total	46

Youpi was the youngest and the physically strongest of Meruem’s 3 Royal Guards. Colt believed him to be capable of defeating Netero.

Youpi could enhance his strength with his aura and also use it to shapeshift. He used his rage to fuel his Nen abilities unknowingly, forming Rage Incarnate, a devilish centaur-like creature that would deflect almost any attack.

He never seemed to run out of aura either, which is crazy, given that he was so short-tempered.

He singlehandedly fought and survived an onslaught of attacks by Shoot, Knuckle Bine, Meleoron, Morel, and Killua.

7. Ging Freecss

Amount of Aura	10
Nen Mastery	9
Physical Strength	9
Combat Experience	9
Offensive Capability	9
Total	46

Ging is possibly one of the strongest Nen users currently alive in the series. Ging has always been famous for his power but we’ve yet to see all of it in action.

He is a Double-Star Ruins Hunter and can read the Inscriptions on runes that are affected by Nen. He has genius-level intellect and was one of the creators of Greed Island, and can manipulate people, even strangers, easily.

He can not just mimic Nen abilities but improve them simultaneously as he uses them.

6. Isaac Netero

Amount of Aura	10
Nen Mastery	10
Physical Strength	8
Combat Experience	10
Offensive Capability	9
Total	47

Former Chairman of the Hunter Association, Isaac Netero is one of the greatest characters and Nen users to have lived.

Netero’s Nen aura and abilities like the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, Ninety-Ninth Hand, and the Zero Hand could unleash unfathomable power. The Bodhisattva gave him an access to an infinite choice of attacks that could be executed at a speed too fast for human eyesight.

This speed even took Meruem by surprise. With the Zero Hand, all of Netero’s aura was concentrated into a supreme beam of light that could consume everything. Netero’s Rose puts an end not just to Meruem, but to Pouf and Youpi as well.

Additionally, Netero was the only Hunter to have survived 2 trips to the Dark Continent, a place with a 0.04% survival rate.

5. Maha Zoldyck

Amount of Aura	10
Nen Mastery	10
Physical Strength	7
Combat Experience	10
Offensive Capability	10
Total	47

Maha Zoldyck is the oldest living member of the Zoldyck family, and is currently the strongest Nen user in Hunter x Hunter.

Isaac Netero, himself considered the most powerful Nen user in the world, was the only person strong enough to confront and survive Maha.

Since Netero’s Nen didn’t really wane with age, it’s unlikely that Maha’s has.

It is possible the Maha Zoldyck is the same person as Zigg Zoldyck, the legendary explorer who joined Netero to the Dark Continent. This means that Maha survived the DC just like Netero.

4. Meruem

Amount of Aura	10
Nen Mastery	9
Physical Strength	10
Combat Experience	10
Offensive Capability	10
Total	49

Meruem was the king of the Chimera Ants and the strongest character to have displayed his powers in the series. His Nen ability allowed him to consume the Nen, aura, and strength of those he consumed. He was able to deflect all of Netero’s attacks except the last.

Post Rose Meruem became even stronger due to the nutrition he gained from Pouf and Youpi. His combat range increased, he blasted mountains, and transmuted his aura into photons of light. He became the fastest and strongest character in the series – until he died from Netero’s poison.

3. Don Freecss

Amount of Aura	10
Nen Mastery	10
Physical Strength	10
Combat Experience	10
Offensive Capability	9
Total	49

Don Freecss is the strongest human in Hunter x Hunter. He authored “Journey to the New World”, a travelogue about the Dark Continent, which made 6 other expeditions possible. He circumvented the Mobius shoreline and has likely encountered the 5 Disasters.

Don, if alive, is over 300 years old, which might imply that he has something to do with the creation of the Hunter Association itself. He is also, most probably, an ancestor of the Freecss.

He went looking for miracle substances like Nitro Rice and was at least able to reach the Disasters if not fight and survive them. Plus, he must probably have fought countless monsters to reach them.

Either way, Don has been to the Dark Continent and has presumably spent enough time there to have written at least 2 full volumes of material on it. This itself proves his might.

We’re yet to see what exactly Don Freecks is capable of, but he’s bound to be the strongest dude in the Hunter x Hunter universe.  

2. The 4 Dark Continent Disasters

Amount of Aura	10
Nen Mastery	10
Physical Strength	10
Combat Experience	10
Offensive Capability	10
Total	50

The 5 Great Disasters, also known as Calamities or Threats are humanity’s consequences of visiting the Dark Continent.

They are Brion, the botanical weapon, Hellbell, the two-tailed snake, Pap, the human-keeper, Zobae, the immortality disease, and Ai, a gaseous lifeform.

These 4 Disasters have a threat level higher than even the Chimera Ants, which means they are more dangerous than Mereum himself. Each of these Disasters are capable of ending the human race.

1. Nanika/Ai

Amount of Aura	10
Nen Mastery	10
Physical Strength	10
Combat Experience	10
Offensive Capability	10
Total	50

Nanika or Ai is the strongest character of all time in Hunter x Hunter. Ai, a gaseous lifeform, is one of the Five Threats of the Dark Continent. Nanika has infinite Hatsu, and an ability to grant wishes. Ai aka Nanika is unfathomably powerful and can easily end humanity.

It hasn’t been confirmed in the manga that Nanika and Ai are the same entity, but the evidence of their victims makes it rather clear. Their way of talking, their appearance, and their “codependence of desire” also makes it likely that they’re one and the same.

Ai being gaseous had to have been trapped in a body capable of imprisoning it after returning from the Dark Continent. It only makes sense that the mysterious Nanika who currently possesses Killua’s sister, Alluka, is Ai.

About Hunter x Hunter

Hunter x Hunter is a Shonen anime adapted from manga of the same name.

The story follows the adventures of a young boy, Gon, discovering that his dead father wasn’t dead but was a legendary Hunter. Instead of feeling dejected, Gon decides to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a great Hunter himself.

The job of a Hunter isn’t an easy one, and Gon needs to pass an exam to become an official hunter. He makes friends on this journey, and they all must help each other overcome any obstacles.