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Discover the 8 most broken Hunter x Hunter Nen abilities. Explore what makes each power unique and where it ranks among others.
Hunter x Hunter is a beloved series praised for its creativity, with its central power system playing a major role in elevating its reputation. Nen, which refers to users’ ability to manipulate their life energy, is a very flexible skill that is present throughout the narrative.
While it is originally only shown as a manner of physical reinforcement, Togashi displays the innovativeness of the system through several characters. This has led to individuals who show more talent in its application and possess innate skills that can overwhelmingly redefine battles. Hence, here are the 8 most broken Hunter x Hunter Nen abilities, ranked.
8) Godspeed
The deuteragonist of Hunter x Hunter, Killua Zoldyck, is a prodigy who has consistently stunned others through his application of Nen. The result of his efforts to assist Gon’s journey has also given him one of the most impressive abilities in the series—Godspeed.
As the name indicates, Godspeed allows Killua to combine speed, reflexes and automatic response into a near-unbeatable combat style. Through this Transmutation ability, Killua manipulates his senses to instantly react to external stimuli instead of using the nervous system.
By adding lightning, Killua can move at inhuman speeds, enabling him to maintain conscious control and surpass the perceptions of his opponents. The only drawback of this ability is Killua’s need to recharge as well as how it is affected by the terrain. It even left Meruem’s Royal Guards without an answer.
7) Limitation Transformation
Gon’s Enhancement skill—Limitation Transformation—resulted in one of the most hype and heartbreaking moments in Hunter x Hunter. This Nen ability lets the user form an internal vow where they can summon all the power they will ever have during their life.
When his emotions were in turmoil, Gon had taken this drastic move to immeasurably increase his Nen and physical properties to a degree that could have only been achieved with decades of training. Pitou believed this could potentially threaten Meruem and looked to take out the threat. However, the Royal Guard was also crushed by the protagonist.
Nevertheless, Limitation Transformation comes at a high price. This skill essentially compresses the user’s talent to one burst of strength and makes them unable to use Nen later. Gon was also in a coma for a long time, with death seeming imminent if not for Nanika’s intervention. Hence, Limitation Transformation is extremely broken, but the backlash is intense.
6) Hakoware
Hakoware uses Conjuration, Emission, and Manipulation, and is Knuckle’s trump card during battle. The ability is based on a war of attrition, where the Nen Beast A.P.R attaches itself to a target after Knuckle attacks them.
Following this, this beast, which is indestructible, gradually keeps adding aura over the course of a fight. The counter on A.P.R keeps increasing till the point where Knuckle’s opponent is unable to repay an equivalent amount of aura that is indicated by the beast. In this case, A.P.R turns into I.R.S and seals the target’s Nen for 30 days.
This complex Nen ability’s immediate drawback is that Knuckle needs to be within a 50-metre range of any opponent for it to be active. Additionally, those with a lot of aura like Youpi have to care little about its effects since the interest only slowly adds up. Nevertheless, it is still a powerful skill showcasing the user’s ingenuity and guarantees victory against most antagonists.
5) Emperor Time
Kurapika’s Emperor Time is a specialized ability making use of his conjured chains. This skill changes Kurapika’s designation from a Conjurer to a Specialist and allows him to use every type of Nen at full efficiency.
This is an extremely rare advantage that increases the potency of all his attacks and makes him a fearsome match even for the strongest. Additionally, Emperor Time pairs well with the other chain-based attacks of Kurapika, such as Chain Jail and Holy Chain.
Unfortunately, this Nen ability shortens Kurapika’s lifespan by one hour for every second he spends on it. Nevertheless, his unwavering goal of defeating the Phantom Troupe and avenging his clan makes him willing to pay the price.
4) Skill Hunter
As an ambiguous and fascinating antagonist in Hunter x Hunter, the anime never properly reveals what Chrollo Lucilfer’s Nen ability is. However, in his exhilarating battle against Hisoka, the manga shared his Specialization power—Skill Hunter.
This ability lets Chrollo conjure a book called Bandit’s Secret and steal the Nen ability of his opponent. The ability has a set of conditions, including the need for Chrollo to see the technique, for his opponent to answer Nen-based questions and the need for the victim to touch the handprint on Bandit’s Secret. Additionally, all these steps must be completed within one hour.
Once done, Chrollo can strip the powers off his opponent and use them himself. While he can only use one skill at a time, this can be increased to two through his bookmark. This ability lets Chrollo build his arsenal in any given situation and gain a limitless array of techniques. While its rules are a drawback, the user’s intelligence can work around them to ensure victory.
3) Aura Synthesis
The Ant-King Meruem is the most powerful and feared antagonist in Hunter x Hunter. Despite being a few days old, his strength grows to a point where the entire world is threatened. The main reason for this is his Nen ability, Aura Synthesis.
By consuming other users of Nen, Meruem can grow his own aura at a devastating pace. Additionally, if he consumes most of a person’s body, Meruem can also use their abilities. Through this, he could utilize his Royal Guards’ special skills such as Metamorphosis, Rage Blast, and Photon.
There are no apparent disadvantages to this skill, which is what allowed Meruem to defeat Netero and even survive the Poor Man’s Rose for a short time.
2) Contagion
Hunter x Hunter is renowned for its intricate abilities that are extremely detailed and clever. Contagion is the best example of this, used by the enigmatic Morena Prudo. This Specialization skill lets the user infect 22 followers through her saliva and make them participate in a murderous game.
As the selected individuals kill more people, they gain aura and increase their levels. Upon reaching level 20, they obtain unique abilities, and level 100 makes them akin to Morena herself. This means that level 100 users can assign targets themself and recreate the game.
Through this, Contagion can involve innumerable people in chaos and death. This skill plays a huge role in the Succession War Arc as Morena aims to throw the world into disarray.
1) Wish Granting
There is little doubt in the minds of fans that the most broken Nen ability in Hunter x Hunter is Alluka and Nanika’s Wish Granting. This skill can subvert the laws of the world and grant impossible wishes, such as reviving a dying individual.
However, Wish Granting is filled with several complexities that need to be carefully followed. For the sake of accessing the ability, an individual needs to complete three of Alluka’s requests. Following this, Nanika will take over her body and grant anyone a wish. The difficulty of Alluka’s requests will depend upon the severity of the previously granted wish.
In addition, should a person fail to grant four requests in a row, both them and the person they’ve spent the most time with will die. The casualties can also increase based on the scale of the last wish granted. Hence, Wish Granting is a powerful but treacherous skill that is extremely dangerous to all parties involved. However, it is also a game-changing Nen ability unlike any other, rightfully placing it at the top of this list.
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