Hunter x Hunter is well-loved for its exciting battles, power structure of Nen-based abilities, and of course, its cast of unique characters. The series stands apart from the rest with how it subverts shonen stereotypes and delivers fully rounded characters that reflect the complexity of real people.
The majority of Hunter x Hunter's characters have well-written storylines. Even if they experience extreme hardships or even death, these events are necessary for the plot or serve to help them or others to grow. However, this is not always the case – some characters simply deserve better storylines than what the series hands them.
This article contains spoilers for the Hunter x Hunter anime.
10 Palm's Attraction To Gon Is Creepy & Adds Nothing To The Plot
Palm Siberia is certainly a mixed bag of a character. While she certainly makes every scene she's in interesting, her behavior can be extreme and problematic. She develops a crush on Gon and even makes him go on a date with her, which is creepy considering she's an adult and he's a child.
She deserves a better storyline than this, as her inappropriate, obsessive behavior serves no purpose to the plot. With her rebirth as a Chimera Ant, perhaps Palm will change her ways in episodes to come.
9 Squala's Tragic End Is Undeserved & Cliche
Though a minor character, Squala is memorable for his ability to control and communicate with dogs. He's also memorable for his death at the hands of the Phantom Troupe.
A bodyguard for Neon Nostrade, Squala is close to leaving his job to live a peaceful life with his lover, Eliza, when he is brutally beheaded by Nobunaga. The overly tragic circumstances of his death are a bit cliché – it's as if his relationship with Eliza and his urge to retire were added only to make his death more heart-wrenching.
8 Reina Deserves More Time In The Spotlight As An Ant
Reina is a five-year-old girl whose biggest mistake is being born in NGL. She and her older brother Kurt meet their ends when they're attacked by a Chimera Ant and fed to the queen. While Kurt is reborn into the human-like Chimera Ant Colt, Reina becomes Shidore, a mostly mute Peon who resembles an actual ant.
While Reina's death is important to mark the change of tone in the arc, she deserves a better storyline once she becomes a Chimera Ant. While Colt develops into a central character, she gets lost in the background.
7 Kastro Exists Only To Show Off Hisoka's Abilities
Kastro is a strong fighter who is introduced in the Heavens Arena arc. During his match with Hisoka, he initially has the upper hand and even manages to rip off Hisoka's arms. However, Hisoka proves that he's only been playing with Kastro and easily kills him with his cards.
As a character, Kastro lacks depth and seemingly only exists to show off Hisoka's dangerous mastery of Nen. He would be a better character with a slightly deeper storyline. It would have been interesting to see how he would have grown if he'd survived the match.
6 Aunt Mito Doesn't Appear Enough For How Important She Is
Aunt Mito is Gon's adopted mother and has raised him in his father's absence. She only appears at the start of the series and a couple more times in the middle, and she has no unique storylines of her own.
As Aunt Mito is the only mother Gon has ever known, it's strange that she appears so little in the show. She's undoubtedly had an impact on Gon's values and attitude toward life more than any other person, so she deserves to have a bigger role in the series.
5 Ponzu's Abilities & Personal Life Need More Development
Ponzu makes her first appearance during the Hunter Exam Arc and later reappears to infiltrate NGL during the Chimera Ant Arc. She wears a beehive hat and can use her bees to attack others, protect herself, and send messages to others.
Tragically, Ponzu dies after being shot by a gun-wielding Chimera Ant and is eaten. With her unique design and use of bees in combat, Ponzu deserves better than this. It would have been interesting to see her further develop her Nen abilities and perhaps also her relationship with Pokkle.
4 Pokkle Has Potential As A Hunter Of Fantastic Beasts
Pokkle is also introduced as an examinee during the Hunter Exam Arc. He later leads a group to investigate the Chimera Ants in NGL, but he suffers a fate that's horrifying even for Chimera Ant Arc standards.
Pokkle is captured alive and taken to the nest, where Neferpitou lobotomizes him and literally picks his brain for information. He's then killed and eaten by the Queen. Pokkle had a lot of potential as a character, and it would have been interesting to see him more in his capacity as a Hunter of Fantastic Beasts.
3 Pakunoda's Story Could Have Evolved Past The Yorknew City Arc
Like the other original members of the Phantom Troupe, Pakunoda originates from Meteor City. Her Nen abilities allow her to read others' memories and share her own by shooting others with her special gun. She sacrifices herself to protect the Phantom Troupe, succumbing to Kurapika's Judgment Chain.
Due to her sacrificial nature, unique abilities, and "cool," intimidating demeanor, Pakunoda is a fan-favorite Phantom Troupe member. She also proves herself to not be necessarily evil, so she could have perhaps even made a strong ally to Gon and friends had she survived.
2 Kite Needs More Development For His Death To Be Impactful
Kite is a fan-favorite character who is brutally and memorably beheaded and turned into a training puppet by Neferpitou. While his death is traumatic for Gon and viewers alike, the anime shows little of him leading up to his death.
While from its beginning the manga establishes Kite as an important, even fatherly, figure to Gon, the anime doesn't introduce him until the Chimera Ant Arc. Given the importance of his death, Kite deserves more screen time and development to give his death the impact it deserves.
1 Leorio Deserves A More Prominent Role In The Anime
Motivated by the loss of a childhood friend and a desire to help the poor, Leorio Paradinight aspires to become a doctor. He's a complex individual with a heart of gold, yet for being a main character, he gets less screen time and not as many battles as Gon, Killua, or Kurapika.
Leorio also doesn't appear during the long stretch that is the Chimera Ant Arc. While he appears afterward to punch Ging, fans don't get to see much of how he's changed since his last appearance. More than anyone, Leorio deserves a more prominent storyline in the anime moving forward.