The Big Picture
- Hunter x Hunter features the Zoldyck family, a terrifying group of assassins with a secret lair inside a dormant volcano.
- The family members possess unique abilities, such as Zeno's ground-shaking blasts of energy and Silva's ability to form massive spheres of Nen aura.
- Killua, the secondary protagonist, is a skilled combatant who breaks away from his family's cruel ways and forms close bonds with his friends.
There are so many reasons why when discussing the best anime out there, Hunter x Hunteralways has a place on the list, least of all because it features one of the most badass family of assassins to ever grace the pages of a best-selling manga. In the Hunter x Hunter universe, the Zoldyck family tree is home to some of the deadliest assassins. This isn’t just any universe either, but one where Hunters use a power system known as Nen. Thisallows people to manipulate their own life energy for a ridiculous variety of effects, whether it’s the series antagonist Hisoka’s deadly use of Bungee Gum (which has the properties of both rubber and gum) or Hunter Association Chairman Isaac Netero’s ability to manifest his physical aura in the shape of a gargantuan Buddha statue with dozens of mile-long hands.
Just to give you the briefest hint of how terrifyingly hardcore the Zoldyck family really is, their secret lair resides inside a dormant volcano that puts the Batcave to shame. They’re guarded by a giant but forcefully malnourished pooch named Mike that recalls the Fenris Wolf of Viking mythology and even their staff consists of some of the most qualified fighters to be found. In fact, the only way to enter their mountain-sized estate is through the opening of ‘Testing Gates,’ designed to test the strength of its entrants. Only those who can push through the first 4-ton door are able to enter at all and thus avoid becoming Mike’s next meal. This, of course, includes children. With standards of perfection so extreme, it’s far from easy to make these parents proud, but without further ado let’s dive in to each known member of the Zoldyck family, their special skills, and their intra-familial relationship to find out just how this dysfunctional family gets through the day without killing each other.
Hunter x Hunter (2016)
Animation
Action
Adventure
Gon Freecss aspires to become a Hunter, an exceptional being capable of greatness. With his friends and his potential, he seeks out his father, who left him when he was younger.
- Release Date
- April 17, 2016
- Creator
- Yoshihiro Togashi
- Cast
- Issei Futamata , Megumi Han , Cristina Valenzuela , Mariya Ise , Michael McConnohie
Zeno Zoldyck
Grandaddy Zeno Zoldyck is so damn powerful that people often falsely claim he’s Netero’s equal, when in reality, he himself insists that Netero is far stronger. That doesn’t mean he’s a fraud by any means, being one of the key players Netero himself called in to deal with the Chimera Ant King. A proper antihero, Zoldyck follows a strict moral code for someone who’s raised a family of killers. Similar to other heroes, he only allows himself to kill when employed to, avoiding the injury of civilians at all costs. Zeno is both an Emitter and a Transmuter, meaning he can emit his Nen aura in the form of ground-shaking blasts of energy, as well as shape it into an energy dragon that he can either ride for transportation. His greatest ability is the Dragon Dive, which involves hundreds of tiny energy dragons raining down from the sky, able to cover an entire palace in terms of its destructive zone.
Silva Zoldyck
Silva Zoldyck is the son of Zeno and one of the scariest white-haired anime boys in the business. He’s ridiculously muscular and, while he has a strong working relationship with his father, is sure to never take his geriatric tall tales that seriously. Like a lot of superhero’s parents, he doesn’t have much affection for his children. However, he does hold a strong sense of honor, forcing Killua into a blood oath to ensure he never betrays his friends. He also has an unsettling habit of constantly cracking his knuckles, in one of the cooler minor character details to be found in the series. Silva is an Emitter, like his father, enabling him to form his Nen aura into two massive spheres, which he can throw like floor-destroying bombs.
Kikyo Zoldyck
Not much is known about matriarch Kikyo Zoldyck, though if her appearance is anything to go by, you’d best avoid testing her at all costs. Kikyo is usually seen covered in bandages with an electronic Cyclops-like visor of unknown capabilities. She hasn’t displayed any combat skills but is incredibly cold and calculating. She's absolutely delighted when her children show the same traits, even if they’re directed her way. Any way you cut it, however, she’s the mother you don’t want to have.
Illumi Zoldyck
The oldest of the Zoldyck family is absolutely a character you don’t want to team up with. He shows all the prime characteristics of a psychopath, moving through the world in a widely expressionless, detail-oriented manner. Illumni has been hyped up from the very first arc, in which it was revealed he was competing for a Hunter License in disguise. He later graduated to become the primary antagonistin the series’ final 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc, attempting to steal his sister and control her ridiculously powerful wish-granting Nen ability for himself. That said, he does have a soft side. When Hisoka kindly asked if he could kill his brother Killua, Illumi released a terrifyingly intense aura of bloodlust and murder directed his way. Turns out, Hisoka was only joking, prompting Illumi to reveal his location to Killua as he was running away from him. Who says being evil can't be funny?
Illumi’s Nen abilities seem directly inspired by a both Pinhead and Night of the Living Dead. Illumi's Nen allows him to lodge needles into his victims, forcing them to follow complex commands resulting in their loss of sentience. He can even use his needles to change his shape and control the bodies of the deceased. Illumi’s most significant use of his powerful needles occurred when he placed one inside Killua’s brain, triggering an overwhelming paralysis in response to fear.
Milluki Zoldyck
Little is known about Milluki Zoldyck outside of the fact that he’s the family’s resident hacker. He doesn’t quite have the build of the rest of his family members, spending most of his time on his computer, though the behind-the-scenes nature of his activities means he’s all the more ruthless in regard to his victims. Milluki is a technological genius and the embodiment of toxic tech culture, able to attach tiny bombs to mosquitoes that explode when they suck their target’s blood. During the Yorknew City Arc, a 17-year-old Milluki left the Zoldyck estate for the first time since he was 10 years old. Since then, he’s mostly been seen scolding his younger brother’s actions for his disrespect of their family’s rules and regulations.
Killua Zoldyck
Our biggest window into the Zoldyck family comes from Killua himself, the secondary protagonist of the entire Hunter x Hunter series outside Gon Freecss. Killua reveals the extent to which his family tortured him while growing up, granting him immunity to both poisons and electricity after acclimating to years of abuse. Introduced at 11-years-old when the series begins, Killlua is the perfect killer kid, first introducing the brutality of his skills when he rips out a man’s heart and crushes it while it still beats in his hand. This occurs before anyone could even notice the man's gaping hole in his chest, traumatizing many viewers who still thought anime was only for kids.
While a capable and efficient combatant thanks to his family’s training, much of Killua’s arc involves him disassociating from the cruel ways of his bloodline. He abandons his position as Silva’s favorite and hopeful heir to the throne in order to pursue the power of friendship and adventure with his bestie Gon. Like his grandfather Zeno, Killua is a Transmuter, able to convert his aura into electricity for thunderous effects. He also wields two fifty-kilogram yo-yos that prove remarkably effective when subduing his opponents non-lethally. His most powerful ability is that of Godspeed, which effectively turns him into the Flash. Using electricity, Godspeed allows him to pre-program his nervous system for Ultra Instinct-levels of reaction times and move through the air at 150 mph. No wonder Silva has him positioned as the heir.
Alluka Zoldyck
Amongst all of these heavy hitters, Alluka is the one whose powers have the most terrifying implications of all. At a young age, Alluka was possessed by a mysterious creature from the world’s Dark Continent. The family named the creature Nanika (which is Japanese for ‘Something’), who shares possession of Alluka's body with her. Think Talk to Me, but only if those evil spirits also had the wish-granting powers of Aladdin’s Genie. When Alluka lets Nanika take control, she possesses the power to grant wishes provided her conditions are met. The greater the wish, the greater the conditions. If those conditions are declined or unable to be met, at least two people die: the recipient of the request and the person who the recipient loves the most. If the wish is of significant proportion, such as, say, wishing for a billion yen, it could lead to as many as 65 people dying, if not more.
Alluka is very much the black sheep of the Zoldyck family, who are at once afraid that Nanika will eradicate them and constantly trying to use her to their advantage. The only person who has been able to exert full control over Nanika’s wish-granting ability is Killua, who has expressed such love and devotion towards his little sister and the demon posessing her that she’s given him a free pass with no deadly conditions to meet. That doesn’t mean that he can start wishing for world peace, as using Nanika’s abilities to his own advantage would only contradict his pure feelings for them. As of the end of the series, Alluka is travelling the world with Killua to make up for their lost time, a much-needed relief after spending her life locked up in the Zoldyck estate, making them one of the most endearing sibling duos in fiction.
Kalluto Zoldyck
Kalluto is the youngest member of the Zoldyck family but is just as capable at combat as any of them. So much so that he's been seen in cahoots with the Phantom Troupe, one of the series’ most fearsome gang of thieves that once counted Hisoka among its members. Kalluto can manipulate paper dolls, attaching them to people for surveillance purposes or creating tiny blades of razor-sharp confetti to bend at his whim.
While it sounds harmless, it’s basically like being attacked by a swarm of locusts, except less like bugs and more like tiny swords. He’s the quietest of the family, with his undeveloped skills creating an inferiority complex within him. With that said, at 10 years old, aside from generations of familial trauma, we’d say he’s doing alright for himself.
The Servants
We may be stepping out of bloodlines, but the crazy thing about the Zoldyck family is that it doesn’t end there. Every one of their servants, like a twisted army of Alfred Pennyworths, is entirely dedicated to satisfying the family’s every objective. They live entirely on the Zoldyck estate, where every day is training day. There’s not a single object within the Zoldyck family home, whether a spoon or a broom, that doesn’t weigh at least 20 kilograms, keeping their strength at superhuman levels. They act as an extension of the family and are also forbidden to take lovers, the punishment being execution.
Among the most powerful servants, you'll find Gotoh, who can flick coins from his fingers like bullets, and Tsubone an elderly lady who can transform into various superpowered vehicles. The latter proved how badass she really was when she casually removed a bloody fingernail from herself to satisfy Alluka’s request. All things considered, this is one family that you really don’t want to mess with.
Hunter x Hunter is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
