Hunter x Hunter is a show renowned for many things, but the one thing that separates it from the rest, enough thatanimefans throughout the world collectively sing its praises, would be its power system. Nen, unlike many other shonen combat mechanics, is a system based purely on logic and minmaxing, and rarely does luck or destiny ever play a huge role in how strong a character can be.
Apart from the balance, though, there’s also unparalleled versatility in what you’re able to do with Nen. From being able to punch harder to creating an entirely separate dimension, the six Nen types let you do anything your brain can conjure up. With each type providing different things they’re good at, you may wonder which Nen type is the strongest.
6Enhancement
Enhancers are known to be the most straightforward, honest, and genuine people in the Hunter x Hunter universe. They’re not always morally good, but they don’t try to hide their nature. This straightforwardness is also seen in enhancement-type abilities, which usually buff things directly.
Some of thestrongest enhancerswe’ve seen are Gon and Uvogin, both of whom punch very hard. However, we have also seen certain other applications of enhancement, with Bill’s ability to heal people, Komugi’s subconscious Hatsu that lets her play Gungi perfectly, and Dogman’s enhanced sense of smell.
5Emission
Emission is right beside enhancement on the Nen affinity chart. As such, it’s another genre of abilities that at once glance are fairly simple. Take Franklin’s Double Machine Gun, for example, an ability that lets him shoot out an infinite amount of Nen bullets from his fingertips. This is what the bulk of emitter-type abilities are like: separating your Aura and using it as a projectile.
Emitters can also create Nen Beasts, such as Razor’s 14 Devils Hatsu.
However, emission isn’t locked purely to projectile attacks. While Zeno and Silva might use it to throw manifestations made of energy, others like Leorio can use it to connect two different paths, resulting in teleportation. The best example of the latter application is Knov’s Scream ability, allowing him to create a portal that can bypass anything and teleport anything that falls into it to a room of his creation.
4Manipulation
Manipulation covers a lot of very different things since it can be applied both to people and objects. For those that use it on objects, it’s usually paired with another Nen type, such as emission or enhancement, to strengthen the effects. For manipulators that control objects, the two shining examples we have are thePhantom Troupe’sKalluto and the Hunter Association’s Morel.
Kalluto manipulates pieces of paper to hit enemies with, and once a specific condition is met, that being a singular piece of paper sticking to a person, all other papers immediately target the open wound, slashing it again and again. Morel, on the other hand, uses manipulation to shape and control smoke that he lets out, using the foggy manifestations to scout, deceive, and fight.
Where manipulation truly shines, though, is in manipulating people. This is what makes manipulation so scary, even though it isn’t as strong in direct combat. People like Illumi and Shalnark can one-shot anyone and take over their mind if the conditions for their abilities are met. While experienced Nen users may be able to figure out their tricks and save themselves from certain death, facing a good manipulator means there’s always a chance you just immediately lose.
3Transmutation
Transmutation is the Nen ability that lets you imbue properties of other things into your Aura. This can be as simple as adding the warmth of flames, or, in Killua’s case, the sparking of electricity. This can let your Aura mimic effects of things, such as when Killua uses it to increase his speed and hit with electricity.
However, like with any other Nen type, transmutation isn’t set to just mimic traditional elements. The best example of this is Hisoka’s Bungee Gum, which has the properties of both rubber and gum. There are even weirder examples to bring up, such as Biscuit Krueger’s Aura manifesting as an ointment that can reduce stress and exhaustion.
2Conjuration
Conjuration is perhaps the complete opposite of enhancement. The ability to create objects might seem simple at first, but the specifics end up making it more akin to specialism than simple creation. Put simply, conjuration lets you create objects and then add other properties and abilities to them. The simplest example is Kurapika’s chains, each of which has a special ability attached to it.
Conjuration is also responsible for many shape-shifting abilities, as seen by Tsubone’s Rider’s High letting her transform into different vehicles, as well as Bonolenov’s Battle Cantabile: Metamorphoson letting him mimic others' appearances.
Some even more complicated applications of this ability are Owl’s Fun Fun Cloth, a Hatsu that can turn anyone or anything to a miniaturized version of themselves upon being wrapped in. We do see traditional conjuration at play as well (ignoring the sentient clown that pops up), though, with Kite’s Lucky Slots giving him a randomized weapon on each roll.
1Specialism
Nen is one of the best power systems seen in any fictional world. It’s completely balanced around a set of logical variables where each person can come up with an ability personalized to them, and even the weakest of powers can end up beating those much stronger. The only luck involved in this system would be to be born a specialist.
Specialists are essentially Hunter x Hunter’s jokers (ironically, the actual clown is a transmuter), characters with abilities that can’t be explained within the bounds of traditional Nen. From Chrollo Lucifer’s ability to steal other Hatsus to Neon Nostrade seeing the future, there’s not much specialism doesn’t open the doors to. However, withMorena Prudopotentially making much of what we know about Nen obsolete, maybe there are more conditions involved than you may first think.
