Hisoka

Biodata

Appearance

• Build: Tall and slender, with well-defined muscles and very pale skin 2 45.
• Hair: Red, usually styled upright with gel; he leaves it down for his casino outing 3 45.
• Usual clothing: A clown outfit and conspicuous clown makeup that does not conceal his handsome features 2.
• Formal clothing: Wears a black suit to Fillmore Casino while retaining his clown makeup 45 47.
• Mannerisms: Frequently licks his lips or playing cards, sways his hips, and makes heart shapes with his hands 2 3 6.

Personality

Hisoka treats dangerous encounters as entertainment, describing promising opponents as “little apples” that must ripen before he fights them seriously. He initially spares Cordis because Cordis has not learned Nen, but later tells Illumi that he intends to let him grow stronger before killing him in the cruelest way possible. Resistance and unexpected displays of strength intensify his interest rather than discourage him 2 7 17 20.

His flirtatious speech and theatrical gestures accompany a willingness to kill. He casually considers murdering someone after Cordis ignores him, dispatches exam opponents without hesitation, and mocks Kurapika and Leorio while withholding their badges. Nevertheless, he returns the badges when Cordis promises him two future fights with genuine killing intent 3 6 18.

He looks forward to the future and says he wants to keep living because the world interests him. During Trick Tower’s questions, he acknowledges having people who matter to him and chooses to bring back someone he loves, but refuses to identify that person. He also answers that he will not miss his former self 11 12.

His attitude toward money is inconsistent with his later role as Cordis’s creditor: he initially treats an enormous clothing bill as something a few additional matches could replace, then uses that debt to secure Cordis’s participation in a casino job 30 44 46.

Abilities & Skills

Playing-Card Combat

Hisoka uses playing cards as lethal cutting and throwing weapons 2 6 7.

• Cuts Cordis’s cheek with a thrown card during their first encounter 2.
• Slits the throats of multiple charging attackers before they can reach him 6.
• Launches cards from concealment in thick fog, embedding two in Cordis’s arm 7.
• Makes cards appear or vanish in his hands; a thrown card also floats back to him 2 11 13.

Physical Combat

Hisoka’s speed and striking power greatly exceed those of the inexperienced exam candidates 7 19.

• Knocks Leorio unconscious too quickly for Kurapika to follow the movement 7.
• Sends Cordis flying into a tree and shatters his elbow with one punch 19 20.
• Evades a skilled spear user repeatedly without drawing his cards 17.
• Dodges Gon’s punches with sidesteps and backflips, without needing to counterattack 45.
• Disarms Cordis by twisting his previously injured arm behind his back 46.

He is not untouchable: Cordis’s newly awakened Nen attack cuts his cheek before he can react, while a concealed heel spike later wounds his chin 20 46.

Aura and Concealment

Hisoka can exert intense pressure while also concealing his approach 7 44.

• His presence leaves Kurapika frozen with fear and makes breathing difficult for Cordis 7.
• Uses fog, surprise attacks, and a rock decoy to temporarily blind Cordis 7.
• Throws small stones with bullet-like speed during the forest fight 7.
• Approaches Cordis, Gon, and Killua unnoticed until his arm is already resting on Cordis’s shoulders 44.
• His oppressive aura and faint scent of blood nevertheless allow Cordis to help Gon locate him on Sabir Island 17.

Texture Surprise

Hisoka uses Texture Surprise to cover the wound on his chin after his scuffle with Cordis 46.

• The covering conceals the injury but does not itself heal it: the wound bleeds again when Cordis removes it 46.
• Cordis subsequently heals the wound by regulating Hisoka’s blood circulation with Flowing Woman 46 47.

Card Handling

Hisoka’s constant use of cards extends to games and displays of dexterity 11 13.

• Builds a five-story card tower within minutes 13.
• Cheats during his card-tower game with Cordis, prompting Cordis to knock it down 13.
• Continues playing with cards alone after Cordis falls asleep 13.

Equipment / Items

• Playing cards — His signature weapons, also used for tricks and games 2 6 11 13.
• Walkie-talkie — Receives an update from Illumi about their progress toward the exam’s finish line 7.
• Applicant badge No. 44 — Gon’s target during the fourth phase of the Hunter Exam 14 19.
• Small mirror — Uses it to inspect his chin after Cordis heals the wound 47.

Relationships

• Cordis Paipai — A prospective opponent whom Hisoka alternately attacks, spares, flirts with, and recruits. His desire to see Cordis grow stronger conceals an explicitly murderous long-term intention 2 17 19 44.
• Gon — Another promising opponent after Gon steals his badge. Gon comes to regard Hisoka as both someone he intends to kill and an opponent who can accelerate his growth 19 20 43 44.
• Illumi — Maintains contact with Hisoka during the exam, shares a meal with him, and discusses his treatment of Cordis. Hisoka declines to intervene when Illumi struggles to make Killua return home 7 15 17 27.
• Chrollo — Phantom Troupe leader, whom Hisoka addresses as “boss.” Hisoka introduces Cordis to him but later fails to relay Cordis’s farewell, provoking Chrollo’s anger 31 35 39.
• Phantom Troupe members — Almost everyone in the group dislikes Hisoka; Feitan’s hostility is particularly apparent to Cordis 34 35.
• Kurapika — Threatens him during the badge hunt, then whispers information during their final-phase match. Cordis interprets the exchange as Hisoka betraying the Spider 18 27.
• Leorio — Defeats him in the fog-shrouded forest and later threatens to kill him for his exam badges 7 18.
• Killua — Distrusts Hisoka and rejects his claim on Cordis’s company. He also argues that Hisoka should compensate Cordis for his arm injury rather than demand repayment 29 44.
• Bowenbo — Fillmore Casino’s first-floor ruler, whom Hisoka challenges with Cordis as his wager against six billion JN 47 48.

Background / History

Hunter Exam

Hisoka first encounters Cordis in an alley, wounds him with a playing card, and tastes the blood left on it. Discovering that Cordis knows nothing about Nen, he lets him leave on the condition that they fight again after Cordis learns it 2.

During the exam’s forest run, Hisoka kills a group of blue-clad applicants attempting to eliminate him. Cordis intercepts his attack on their leader, then stays behind to confront him. Hisoka defeats Leorio and wounds Cordis through repeated ambushes, but allows Cordis to escape after scattered documents obscure his view 6 7.

Hisoka and Cordis are paired in Trick Tower. They answer the route’s questions together, and Hisoka’s arena opponent surrenders without fighting. Both reach the bottom in thirty minutes and share first place. While waiting for the remaining applicants, Hisoka invites Cordis to accompany him to a supposed “tour group”—the Phantom Troupe 11 12 13.

On Sabir Island, Hisoka threatens Kurapika and Leorio for their badges. Cordis ultimately secures their return by promising two serious fights after awakening his Nen. Gon later steals Hisoka’s badge while Hisoka is attacking another applicant, drawing his interest as a second promising opponent 18 19.

When Gon refuses Hisoka’s offered favor, Hisoka throws a punch that Cordis intercepts. The blow shatters Cordis’s elbow and triggers his Nen awakening. Cordis cuts Hisoka’s cheek with a sudden air attack before collapsing; Hisoka praises his talent, while Gon vows to kill him 19 20.

Hisoka passes the fourth phase and participates in the final tournament, where he privately speaks to Kurapika. After the exam and license distribution, he leaves with Cordis to fulfill their agreement to visit the Phantom Troupe 24 27 29.

Yorknew City and the Phantom Troupe

Hisoka takes Cordis to Yorknew City to meet the Spiders. Their journey to the meeting is interrupted by Cordis’s search for distinctive clothing, which Hisoka pays for. The outfit and a black pearl thread glove are later valued at approximately three hundred million JN 30 44.

At the café, Hisoka introduces Cordis to Chrollo and the attending Troupe members, having already described him as unusually strong despite knowing nothing about Nen abilities 31.

When Cordis leaves to find paying work, Hisoka suggests Heavens Arena and offers further company there. Cordis refuses and asks him to say goodbye to Chrollo. Hisoka does not deliver the message, leading Chrollo to confront Cordis about his unexplained departure during the Febola Stone incident 35 39.

Heavens Arena and Fillmore Casino

Hisoka reunites with Cordis at Heavens Arena and demands repayment for the clothes. He offers to cancel the debt and pay five hundred thousand JN in exchange for borrowing Cordis’s body for a job; the wording prompts Gon to attack him 44 45.

Before leaving for the job, Hisoka touches Cordis’s head and provokes a knife attack. He restrains Cordis, but Cordis escapes and cuts his chin with a hidden heel spike. On the way to Fillmore Casino, Cordis removes his Texture Surprise covering and heals the wound 46 47.

Hisoka arrives at the casino without money and challenges Bowenbo, whose defeat is required to access the second floor. He accepts a wager placing Cordis against six billion JN and enters the space created by Bowenbo’s Nen ability 47 48.

During the ensuing murder game, Hisoka examines June’s corpse and notices blood at the back of her head. Cordis finds short hair clutched in her hand, giving the players evidence before their inspection time expires 49.

Notable Quotes

“I’ll let my little apple go today~ But in exchange, you have to fight me once you’ve learned Nen~” 2

“I’ll stay alive~ Until the moment I no longer want to~” 11

“I’ll wait for him to grow, little by little, then kill him in the cruelest way possible~” 17