Hanzo, a ninja, appears at the beginning of Hunter x Hunter, as one of the several hundred applicants during the Hunter Exam arc. He doesn't interact much with Gon and the gang, but the fact that he finishes third — behind Illumi and Hisoka — in one of the toughest rounds proves that he's no lightweight.
Although his final battle against Gon is clearly and overwhelmingly in Hanzo's favor, the young boy refuses to back down despite his disadvantages, forcing the ninja to try his luck again with Pokkle. Hanzo's moral compass is as ambiguous as any other character in the story, given that he is willing to resort to any means to get what he wants.
10 Hanzo Has A Flair For Verbosity
In stark contrast with the ninja stereotypes of secrecy and silence, Hanzo is brash, loud, and overly enthusiastic about everything, even negative events.
He tells everybody that he's a ninja himself rather than having the information leaked by someone else. Hanzo displays a certain lack of emotional composure, considering that he easily shifts into blame-mode when he finds something suspicious, however innocent it might actually be.
9 He Claims To Have Committed Murder Before He Turned Ten
It's clear that Hanzo is, at his core, a compassionate person, but this behavior of his is at odds with the retelling of his childhood experiences. When he fights Gon, he tries to subdue the latter by knocking him around with uncharacteristic brutality, leaving the boy bleeding and in pain.
Gon does not relent, so Hanzo attempts a different tactic: psychological intimidation. He tells Gon that, by age ten, he had been responsible for murder (as part of his ninja training, presumably). In comparison, Gon's first kill takes place when he's around 13.
8 Hanzo Is On The Hunt For The Hermit's Scroll
Hanzo, a student of the Cloud-Hidden Style Jonin School of martial arts, reveals to Tonpa that obtaining a Hunter's License would make it much easier for him to locate the famous document known as the Hermit's Scroll.
The power this item holds is not known, but it's certainly valuable enough to be kept hidden away from most people. Interestingly, the first anime adaptation doesn't even discuss the Hermit's Scroll, while the second refers to it as "Saikyo Ninja no Sho," or The Ultimate Ninja Scroll.
7 He Is Quite Talented At Torture
Hanzo has been training in ninjutsu for the entire 18 years of his life — even from the time he was born (according to him, so these statements might need a grain of salt with them).
In any case, Hanzo is quite skilled at different torture techniques, as mentioned already, such as physical, mental, and emotional. In fact, his loss in the last round of the Hunter Exam occurs against an extraordinarily willpowered opponent; Pokkle, the next fighter, quickly accepts defeat at Hanzo's hands.
6 He Disappears For Several Arcs
All Hunters are expected to partake in a secret Hunter Exam as soon as they obtain their License. None of them are told about it, of course, because the world at large doesn't know about Nen and because manipulating one's aura is a core requirement for any Hunter.
Wing tells Gon and Killua that Hanzo learns Nen in half a year, an impressive feat indeed. Unfortunately, the ninja disappears after the first arc, returning later in the 13th Hunter Chairman arc and getting his own story in the Succession Contest arc.
5 Hanzo's Nen Type Is Most Like Conjuration
Menchi, the Gourmet Hunter, senses the force of Hanzo's dormant Nen, implying that he would become a lot more powerful once he triggers Ren, Zetsu, Ten, and Hatsu.
Of the six types of aura, Hanzo most likely depends on Conjuration to generate his doppelgangers. Further, the act of creating an effective "clone" also draws from the Emission and Manipulation pool of techniques.
4 He Has At Least Four Unique Hanzo Skills
In the manga, Hanzo exhibits one of his Hanzo Skills, #4, the Art of the Doppelganger. This is quite similar to astral projection in that he manifests in a ghostly form, leaving his body to rest.
This doppelganger can then be used to launch pinpoint, and highly stealthy, attacks, which are especially helpful in cases where diplomacy is preferable to violence. Given that the Hanzo Skills are numbered, he should possess #1, #2, and #3 as well. Unfortunately, if his physical body is disturbed, the double disappears.
3 Hanzo Becomes A Bodyguard To Two Kakin Empire Princes
Kurapika, on his mission to learn about Prince Tserriednich of the Kakin Empire, gets Hanzo to enlist as a royal bodyguard. While his job is initially to protect Prince Momoze, Seventh Queen Sevanti orders everyone to safeguard her other child, Prince Marayam.
An unexpected alliance gradually develops in this little side-arc, between Hanzo and Biscuit Krueger — who is also hired as a bodyguard for the Kakin royal family.
2 His Name Is Possibly A Reference To Hattori Hanzo
Hattori Hanzo is a possible inspiration for the character of Hunter x Hunter's Hanzo. The real-life warrior is well known across Japan and even internationally, in part due to the legendary nature of his various adventures.
Hattori Hanzo's personality has been stretched to breaking point, with several tales and anecdotes associating him with fictional abilities like telekinesis, teleporting, as well as clairvoyance. More importantly, both of these men revolve around their roles as ninja.
1 Hanzo Works With Biscuit To Solve Prince Momoze's Murder
Sadly, Hanzo is unable to save Prince Momoze from being murdered by one of his bodyguard colleagues, and he takes her death personally.
With Biscuit's help and advice, he figures out the assassination had been committed by Tuffdy, allegedly colluding with Queen Swinko-swinko, but this hasn't been proven as yet. Hanzo basically manipulates Tuffdy into admitting his crime before proceeding to kill him on the spot.