Highlights
- Hunter x Hunter is praised for its intricate character writing and masterful villains, making it one of the best manga series.
- The villains in Hunter x Hunter are multi-layered and often more interesting than the protagonists, with Chrollo, Shizuku, and Nobunaga being examples.
- The series features a range of formidable villains, such as the Chimera Ant Queen, Silva Zoldyck, and Hisoka Morrow, who contribute to the intricate plot and make the story more compelling.
Yoshihiro Togashi's Hunter x Hunter is one of the most popular manga series out there and arguably one of the very best ones as well. Hunter x Hunter features the story of Gon Freecss, a young boy who aims to become a great Hunter and find his father, Ging, who is also a Hunter.
The series has many aspects that make it an incredibly written story and villains are certainly one of them. When it comes to villains, Yoshihiro Togashi has written them to be very rich in character, with some being even more interesting than the protagonists.
Updated on August 5, 2023, by Rei Penber: the world of Hunter x Hunter is filled with some of the most incredibly written characters. Togashi's story is praised worldwide for the intricate character writing and incredible plot threads that only he manages to bring to life in the most exquisite of ways. Fans especially love Togashi's characters, especially the villains, who are written in the most masterful of ways. His villains are usually multi-layered and some of them are incredibly fun for the fans to dissect. While this list already goes over the very best villains that have featured in Hunter x Hunter, there are certainly others that deserve some praise as well. With that in mind, this list has now been updated.
18 Cheetu
Cheetu was one of the Chimera Ants who made his appearance in the Chimera Ant arc of Hunter x Hunter. He was one of the strongest and the fastest enemies to show up in the arc and that was indicated by his position of Squadron Leader. The Squadron Leaders were directly under the Royal Guards and that alone made Cheetu a force to be reckoned with.
While there were many Squadron Leaders in the arc, Cheetu received a special role due to his confrontation with Morel. Fans enjoyed these two characters trying to outdo each other and Cheetu certainly made a special place for himself among some of the most fun and unique villains in Hunter x Hunter. Sadly, Cheetu was eventually killed by Silva Zoldyck.
17 Shizuku
Shizuku is one of the members of the Phantom Troupe and among the most beloved ones at that. She bears the Number 8 of the Spider and is just as dangerous as the other members of the group. Fans have not seen much about her past get revealed, however, they do know that she stems from Meteor City as well. Shizuku likely replaced the previous #8 of the Troupe.
When it comes to power, Shizuku is certainly strong, and fans have seen her be powerful enough to completely overwhelm her enemies, especially when she makes use of her Conjuration nen ability. With Blinky at her side, Shizuku can be a force to be reckoned with and be especially valuable to the Troupe.
16 Nobunaga
Nobunaga is also a member of the Phantom Troupe. Fans know that he originated from Meteor City as well and he was quite prevalent in the recent flashback about the Troupe that took place in the manga. Nobunaga has not played a major role in the story just yet, however, he is certainly one of the most trusted members of the group. He bears the #1 mark of the Spider and his importance to the group is immense. He's also one of the most calm and composed members, which makes him more likable as a villain.
Nobunaga is also an Enhancer and his swordplay is believed to be very dangerous. Fans have not seen him go all out just yet, however, it is only a matter of time before they do and when that happens, he will certainly live up to the hype that has been generated for him.
15 Chimera Ant Queen
The Chimera Ant Queen was quite an important character in the Chimera Ant arc of Hunter x Hunter. Just from her very design, she looked very villainous and she served that role incredibly well, starting everything off. The Chimera Ant Queen came from the Dark Continent and started giving birth to Chimera Ants after consuming humans.
Eventually, she gave birth to the likes of the Royal Guards and even the King. Sadly, she met a very sad end, however, the fear that she put in the fans and the way she drove the plot forward certainly deserves praise and this makes her one of the very best villains in the story, even if she wasn't a major one.
14 Silva Zoldyck
Silva Zoldyck is among the most important characters in Hunter x Hunter, especially since he is the leader of the Zoldyck Family at the moment. Silva is extremely powerful and, as an assassin, he has killed some of the strongest characters, including members of the Phantom Troupe and even Chimera Ants. Although Silva is the father of Killua, he certainly has ulterior motives for his son.
He also has questionable morals and his entire family structure is very disturbing. While Silva has not served the role of a major antagonist so far in the story, in the future, it is entirely possible for him to attain this role, given that he has already been a minor antagonist. Given his level of strength, when that happens, it is sure to excite the fans quite a lot.
13 Machi
Machi is one of the members of the Phantom Troupe, and just like the rest of them, plays a significant role in the series. She's one of the very first members of the Troupe to debut in the series and did so in the Heaven's Arena arc. When it comes to strength, Machi is physically the strongest woman out of all the members of the Troupe, and her Nen ability allows her to create Nen threads and use them in a variety of ways.
She can control others like puppets or combine her ability with her sewing needles and heal the injuries of other people. Above all, Machi is one of the most terrifying Hunter x Hunter villains with great importance to the plot, which is what makes her truly interesting.
12 Pakunoda
Pakunoda was yet another member of the Phantom Troupe, and she played an incredible role during the Yorknew City arc where she firmly established herself as one of Hunter x Hunter's best villains. As a Specialist Nen user, Pakunoda could read minds, which made her terrifying to fight against.
Even her own group members were wary of her powers. Her abilities were mostly used for extortion and blackmail, as seen during the Yorknew City arc. Pakunoda's great role as a villain ended during the same arc where she ended up giving her life up for the cause of the Troupe and immediately became one of the best villains in the story so far.
11 Genthru
Certainly one of the less popular antagonists in Hunter x Hunter, Genthru appeared in the Greed Island arc and made quite an impact. He was the man known as the Bomber and with his Nen, caused all sorts of trouble for Gon and his team.
Genthru appeared to be quite powerful but it was the fear that he induced into those around him that made him a good villain. Eventually, he was defeated by Gon Freecss.
10 Uvogin
One of the main antagonists of the Yorknew City arc, Uvogin appeared as an obstacle in Kurapika's way. As a member of the Phantom Troupe, Uvogin was quite powerful and could even defeat all the Shadow Beasts without much trouble.
His Enhancement type Nen abilities were extremely scary for anyone and he proved to be a good challenge for Kurapika. His connection to the Phantom Troupe only made his fight against Kurapika all the more interesting.
9 Menthuthuyoupi
One of the three Royal Guards of King Meruem, Menthuthuyoupi was among the strongest characters during the Chimera Ant arc of Hunter x Hunter. Out of the three, he was known to be the most volatile, and his appearance, along with his angry demeanor made him a very interesting villain.
Menthuthuyoupi fought numerous people during the arc and managed to defeat almost all of them. As a villain, his presence was immense and even the likes of Knuckle and Morel couldn't do much to match him.
8 Feitan
Feitan is a member of the Phantom Troupe, just like Uvogin once was and he remains to be one of the strongest members of the group. Although he often lays low, when he does step into action, Feitan proves himself to be a menacing villain every single time.
His mysterious personality, along with his skill as a fighter makes him an incredibly interesting villain. During the Chimera Ant arc, he was able to defeat one of the Squadron Leaders of the group, showing everyone why he is one to be feared.
7 Shaiapouf
Another member of the Royal Guards of Meruem, Shaiapouf was quite a skilled member of the Chimera Ant army and one who relied more on his intelligence than anything. Pouf was extremely cunning and used every possible opportunity to thwart any effort that Meruem made to get closer to Komugi.
He also created countless problems for Gon and his group, even stalling the likes of Morel. With tremendous strength and a great mind for a villain, Pouf certainly deserves his spot among the best.
6 Pariston Hill
Pariston Hill is one of the Zodiacs of the Hunter Association and, at one point, he played the role of the Vice Chairman of the association. After Netero's death, Pariston became a lot more relevant to the story, and immediately established himself as an incredible antagonist during the 13th Hunter Chairman Election arc.
With his clever ways and tactics, he ended up becoming the 13th chairman of the Hunter Association. In terms of strength, not much has been seen of Pariston; however, he's certainly someone capable of going up against Ging, at least in a battle of wits. He is also a triple star Hunter, which just goes to show that moving forward, he'll be even more important to the story. Without a doubt, Pariston is one of the best Hunter x Hunter villains.
5 Illumi Zoldyck
Killua's elder brother, Illumi is one of the most powerful characters in the Hunter x Hunter series. He played the role of an antagonist during the Hunter Exams arc and following that, he became a thorn in Killua's path on several occasions.
Illumi's strength as an assassin is quite impressive and although fans haven't seen much of him in the story so far, he plays a vital role as an adversary for Killua and a member of the Phantom Troupe as well.
4 Neferpitou
Out of all the Royal Guards of the Chimera Ant, it goes without saying that Neferpitou was certainly the most impressive one. Pitou was directly responsible for Kite's death, making them a major enemy to the protagonist of the series, Gon.
Upon meeting Gon, Pitou was once again involved in a major fight that saw them die eventually. Their strength, along with their terrifying aura made them one of the best antagonists in the Chimera Ant arc.
3 Meruem
The King of the Chimera Ants, Meruem was an excellent villain who kept getting better with most exposition and time. Although he started off as a rather vile being who had no regard for even his own mother, with time, he began to evolve and question things.
Meruem's bond with Komugi added a deeper layer to him and as his humanity grew, he became a very likable villain too, on top of being the absolute strongest.
2 Chrollo Lucilfer
The leader of the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo is an incredibly powerful villain and ranks among the very strongest in the story so far. Chrollo played a major role in ending the Kurta Clan, making him one of the biggest enemies to Kurapika.
What's more, Chrollo's group keeps making steps towards becoming far bigger than they already are and keep gaining more importance in the story. With strength that few can match, incredible charisma and great importance to several plotlines, Chrollo is certainly an incredible villain.
1 Hisoka Morrow
Hisoka is, without a doubt, one of the very best antagonists of Hunter x Hunter. Introduced in the Hunter Exams arc, Hisoka is merely interested in fighting strong people and breaking them for his personal satisfaction.
He's a character who Gon will eventually have to fight and this gives him great importance in the story. Hisoka has killed countless people and his terrifying mentality just makes him that much better in the story.