Hunter x Hunterisone of the most beloved shōnen series of all time, making a name for itself thanks to its gripping story, rich world-building, and some of the most intimidating villains in anime. Each villain brings something new to the series, making the protagonists get stronger if they want to stand a fighting chance.

There are two main groups the villains of the series hail from: the Chimera Ants or the Phantom Troupe. The Chimera Ants are a chimera hybrid of humans and dangerous insects focused on conquering the planet. The Phantom Troupe is a group of dangerous thieves and murderers who do what they please with no qualms about their collateral damage.No matter if a villain is an Ant or a Spider, they are some of the strongest characters in the entire series.

Collage style image featuring Meruem, Kurapika, and Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter

10Nobunaga Hazama

The Iaido Master is Ruthless

Nobunaga Hazama is the swordsman of the Phantom Troupe. He’s mastered the Japanese martial art Iaido,giving him the ability to cut down anyone who steps into his range.He helps to capture Gon and Killua when they are following some Phantom Troupe members and does a decent job of watching the two while they’re under his custody. While not many of his Nen abilities have been put on display, if he’s a Phantom Troupe member, they’re probably incredibly strong.

Nobunaga is willing to go toe-to-toe with any of his fellow Troupe members. When Gon and Killua are threatening to escape custody, he has no problem slicing them to pieces.He’s quick, ruthless, and lethal.Nobunaga is one of the few characters in the series to have a supernatural perception, giving him the ability to see things before they happen.

gon and killua from hunter x hunter

9Uvogin

The Physically Strongest of the Phantom Troupe

Uvogin is the strongest Phantom Troupe member physically.His Nen type is enhancement, giving Uvogin the ability to increase the strength of his attacks substantially. He’s a walking one-man army and a serious threat to whoever he’s fighting against. His powers got put on full display when Uvogin took on the four Shadow Beasts at once. Porcupine, Worm, Leech, and Rabid Dog were all supposed to be formidable foes, but to Uvogin, they weren’t much more than a warm up.

Each of them took their turn attacking the Phantom Troupe member, and they even attacked him together a couple of times, but nothing worked. Uvogin used his absurd strength to bash Worm with his Big Bang Attack. He then bit a portion of Leech’s skull right out of his head, before spitting it like a bullet towards Rapid Dog’s head. Porcupine gets the most brutal death of all, asUvogin simply screams loud enough to kill the poor Shadow Beast.

Hunter x Hunter (2011)

8Phinks Magcub

Phinks Destroyed a Chimera Ant With a Single Punch

Phinks is another Enhancement type Nen user and one of the smarter Phantom Troupe members. He doesn’t have the wanton aggression that dominates Uvogin.Instead, Phinks is a forward-thinking Troupe member who has plenty of pride.His Nen ability allows him to increase the power of his punches by rotating his shoulder. By rotating it a few times, he can punch through an entire Chimera Ant like it was water. When the Chimera Ants come to his home of Meteor City, Phinks put a stop to them.

Phinks is a forward-thinking Troupe member who has plenty of pride.

He destroyed Gorilla without much effort and was excited to fight even more Ants as the battle progressed. When the transformed residents of Meteor City found the Phantom Troupe member, they asked to be executed. Phinks refused their request and made them remember their resilient roots.He then happily fought the Ants, killing them with a smile on his face.

7Shaiapouf (Pouf)

Pouf Can Give Anyone a Nen Ability

Shaiapouf, otherwise known as Pouf, is one of the three Royal Guards inHunter x Hunter.He’s tasked with protecting the King of the Chimera Ants, Meruem.Pouf is different from his other Royal Guards in that his abilities stretch well beyond the battlefield.While he’s not the strongest Royal Guard, he might be one of the most important. He was given the important task of imbuing Meruem’s subjects with Nen abilites, a power nobody else in the series has.

Every Hunter x Hunter Anime Arc, Ranked

Hunter x Hunter has produced a timeless collection of arcs that will surely entertain a wide range of audiences for decades to come.

Outside of giving other people Nen abilites,Pouf can control individual cells in his body.He can break himself down to the smallest levels possible and create multiple copies of himself as well. He can control his copies, sending them in different directions throughout the battlefield. He can also imitate other characters in the series, changing his face and voice to manipulate his enemies and his allies.

6Feitan Portor

Pain Packer and Rising Sun Are Too Strong

Feitan Portor has an insane Nen ability.He’s one of the few Phantom Troupe members whose power gets put on display inHunter x Hunter.When the Chimera Ants come to the Phantom Troupe’s home base of Meteor City, Feitan faces their boss Zazan in style. The Chimera Aunt initially has the upper hand on the Troupe member, but once she seriously hurts Feitan, it’s too late. She angers him by breaking his arm and gloating in his face, causing him to use one of his most powerful abilities against her.

Feitan summons a heat-resistant robe called Pain Packer, allowing him to withstand incredibly high temperatures. Once his robe is on, he then creates a mini sun in the air, detonating it like a bomb. The heat seers his enemies and his allies alike, causing his fellow Troupe members who were watching the battle to run away in fear. He then makes fun of Zazan for not surviving his ability, sayingit was on the weaker side anyway.

5Menthuthuyoupi (Youpi)

A True Monster of the Chimera Ants

Menthuthuyoupi isn’t the smartest of the Chimera Ants Royal Guard, but that’s what Pitou and Pouf are for.Youpi is the most beastly of the three, transforming his body into whatever shape he needsto be to defeat his and Meruem’s enemies. When the Extermination squad breaks into the Ant’s base looking for a fight, they first find Youpi. He’s a threat that takes multiple fights to take down, and even then the Ant only dies due to the poison from Isaac Netero’s Poor Man’s Rose bomb.

Youpi constantly got stronger during the Chimera Ant Arc. He discovered his Rage Blast ability and used it to blow himself and his opponents up with ease. When he was filled with rage, he was able to enter his Rage Incarnate mode,transforming into a lethal centaur-type creature with a scythe in his right hand.

4Neferpitou (Pitou)

Pitou Controls Life and Death With Ease

Neferpitou is one of the most intimidating villains inHunter x Hunter.Her expression never leads her opponent on, and she’s capable of killing her opponent in an instant.Her abilities are all very creepy too, imitating clowns or other masked figures in an attempt to either lower her opponents' guard or just plain scare them. When Gon and Killua met

Kite, they found hope in the fight against the Chimera Ants. He was one of the strongest Hunters they’d ever met.

Neferpitou’s gender was never stated in the manga and it remains a topic of debate among fans. The character’s depictions in the final part of the arc seem to suggest a feminine nature.

Neferpitou made Kite look like an amateur. She immediately severed one of his arms before the fight even began, and finished it by decapitating him. If it wasn’t for Gon sacrificing his future to obtain the power needed to kill her, Pitou might’ve changed the Chimera Ant War. Her fight with Gon isone of the best moments in all ofHunter x Hunter.

3Hisoka Morrow

Hisoka’s as Smart as He Is Deadly

Hisoka is a very interesting character inHunter x Hunter.He’s deceptive, incredibly frightening when he wants to be, and easilyone of the strongest characters in the series. He doesn’t kill Gon and Killua because he wants them to get as strong as possible one day. He’s only in the Phantom Troupe for the same reason, hoping to take on Chrollo in a one-on-one battle.

10 Best Hunter x Hunter Quotes Of All Time

From inspirational to dark and thought-provoking dialogues about humanity, some HunterxHunter quotes deserve to be remembered as the best of all time.

While his strength and killer instinct make him a deadly foe, Hisoka’s ability to trick his enemies is probably his strongest.He’s always one step ahead in every situation,making his enemy feel confident when they really shouldn’t. Even though Gon was able to land a clean hit in their fight, it didn’t really make much of a difference.

2Chrollo Lucilfer

The Leader of the Phantom Troupe

Chrollo Lucilfer isthe most mysterious character inHunter x Hunter.Not much is known about the enigmatic leader of the Phantom Troupe other than that he is very, very strong.His Nen ability, Skill Hunter, allows Chrollo to steal other people’s Nen abilities. He can then reach into his book, Bandit’s Secret, and use them at will. He’s even so powerful that he can use two separate stolen Nen abilities at once. When the Zoldycks come to assassinate him, they have their hands filled.

Chrollo’s past in Meteor City was revealed in the manga, but that part of the story has not yet received an anime adaptation.

Chrollo is able to fight two of the strongest assassins in the world while trying to steal one of their abilities. The leader of the Phantom Troupe is a genius both on and off the battlefield. He’s the founder of the Troupe and, like Hisoka, is always one step ahead of his enemies.Chrollo’s plans go so smoothly, people might think he can see the future.

1Meruem

The King of the Chimera Ants Killed Isaac Netero

This may not come as a surprise for fans of the series, butMeruem is in a league of his own inHunter x Hunter.The Chimera Ant King was born to be on top of the food chain and never had anyone threaten his position. Meruem is so strong that he didn’t use particular Nen abilities. His power was simply to get stronger by eating his opponents and wanted to create an army of powerful humans just to have a stock of food to eat.

This may not come as a surprise for fans of the series, but Meruem is in a league of his own inHunter x Hunter.

When he fought Isaac Netero, he was nearly indestructible. The Chairman of the Hunter Association was hitting the Ant with his most powerful ability, and he barely scratched him.He picked Netero apart limb by limb before learning what the old man’s true intention was.Meruem was killed by radiation poisoning caused by a miniaturized nuclear bomb hidden in Netero’s chest, otherwise he would have been impossible to beat. When the story will finally reach the Dark Continent, the place of origin of the Chimera Ants, fans may get to witness stronger foes, but for the moment Meruem reigns supreme as the strongestHunter x Huntervillain.

Hunter x Hunter

Cast

In Hunter x Hunter, young Gon Freecss discovers his long-lost father is a legendary Hunter, an elite class of adventurer with the license to go anywhere or do almost anything. Determined to find him, Gon sets out to pass the Hunter Examination, a life-threatening challenge that draws hundreds of hopefuls seeking fortune, fame, and adventure. Along the way, Gon becomes friends with other candidates, including the vengeful Kurapika, the ambitious Leorio, and the enigmatic Killua. Together, they face a world filled with bizarre creatures, sinister criminals, and unpredictable adventures.