Nen is an ability crucial to the Hunter x Hunter world, an incredible power in the right hands. People can use it to manipulate their life energy or use stupefying powers by applying their knowledge of Nen. Although not used by society at large, almost everyone relevant to the Hunter x Hunter world either learns to use it or knows how to use it from the beginning.

The concept of Nen was introduced during the Heavens Arena arc, where Gon and Killua both learned the technique under Wing's wing. In order to be adept at Nen, a user must initially master its four main principles, which include Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu. Once mastered, they can identify their specific aura type and learn their own special techniques. The most powerful Nen users have abilities that make them nearly impossible to stop in battle.

Updated on December 24th, 2023 by Sage Ashford: Hunter x Hunter remains one of the most popular anime, thanks in part to how developed the power system is, making every fight believable no matter the circumstances. We've updated this list to include more information about the most powerful Nen users in the series.

20 Machi Komacine Creates Threads Out Of Nen To Help Others

Machi mainly uses her Nen as a Transmuter. This enables her to create Nen stitches to sew up wounds quickly, not to mention reattaching limbs torn off during battle. This unique ability makes Machi one of the Phantom Troupe's most essential members.

In terms of offense, Machi can exploit her Nen threads to control her enemy's body movements, much like a puppeteer would. These threads can also be used to generate complex snares and traps. That said, Machi herself acknowledges that her ability grows weaker as her threads grow longer. Her talents, however, have little offensive ability, meaning she can't rank higher than some of the other heavy hitters.

19 Kastro Created Perfect Duplicates Of Himself For Battle

Kastro is an Enhancer when using Nen, but also possesses Conjuration and Manipulation skills. He uses the latter two Nen abilities to create a duplicate of himself while fighting Hisoka in the Heavens Arena. His doppelganger is strong enough to rip Hisoka's arm off during their match. However, there are flaws with using this technique.

Hisoka notes that Kastro's doppelganger would not reflect the damage that Kastro takes during battle, which makes it easy to identify the original version. Further, Kastro stunts his long-term combat prowess by relying almost exclusively on Conjuration and Manipulation, rather than honing his natural skills as an Enhancer. Despite his skills, it's this flaw that makes him too weak to overcome Hisoka in their last fight.

18 Uvogin Had Overwhelming Strength To Defeat His Enemies

The Phantom Troupe contains numerous overpowered members, but none of them are as aggressively violent as Uvogin. This villain might look like Hunter x Hunter's Wolverine, but he's far more vile and abhorrent than the beloved comic book antihero.

Uvogin relies almost exclusively on Enhancement-type Nen, which offers him both incredible strength and unparalleled durability. Even his screams can defeat and kill powerful enemies. Uvogin's Big Bang Impact would have most certainly been the end of Kurapika, but the latter thankfully had a secret power move up his sleeve.

17 Killua Zoldyck Raises His Already Impressive Speed With His Nen Powers

Killua is a Transmuter, but he also hones his skills in Enhancement and Conjuration. He can project lightning, devising abilities such as Lightning Palm and Thunderbolt to attack and stun enemies. Killua can enhance his abilities dramatically with Speed of Lightning.

However, anyone Killua carries while using Speed of Lightning will experience mild electric shocks. Although these abilities are great for quick fights, they can cause problems if Killua accidentally depletes his Nen reservoir. In addition, he doesn't know exactly how much electricity his body can produce through Nen, resulting in further limitations.

16 Kurapika Gave Himself Great Powers At The Cost Of A Dangerous Limitation

Kurapika is a Conjurer but temporarily transforms into a Specialist when his eyes turn scarlet. He can conjure Dowsing Chains to detect the location of missing individuals, or even to figure out if someone is lying. Other abilities include his iconic Chain Jail, which prevents the target from using Nen.

Kurapika's technique can only be broken via brute force, but his Chains are so powerful that even Uvogin can't shatter them. All things considered, Judgment Chain is unquestionably Kurapika's deadliest Nen ability. This technique allows him to set conditions that must be followed by the target, at least if they don't want their heart crushed. The only real weakness to his abilities is they can only be used on members of the Phantom Troupe.

15 Morel Mackernasey Outsmarts Enemies With His Deep Purple Abilities

Morel Mackernasey might only be a Single-Star Hunter, but his actions prove that he's on par with his multi-Star colleagues. He enters the story for the first time in the Chimera Ant arc, having been personally selected to help subvert an imminent global catastrophe. Morel's Manipulation Nen is based on smoke, as evidenced by his Deep Purple technique.

Morel Mackernasey can transform his already copious aura into smoke and fog, transforming the substance into various offensive and defensive techniques. His Smoky Jail ability is strong enough to block attacks from Menthuthuyoupi, arguably the strongest of Meruem's Royal Guard. Despite Morel's impressive strength, he meets several enemies even he knows he stands no chance against.

14 Illumi Zoldyck Has Honed His Powers Through Years As An Assassin

As Killua's eldest brother, Illumi is technically the heir to the Zoldyck family. Although Silva, Zeno, and Kikyo all expect Killua to take over the mantle, Illumi's prowess is not something to be taken lightly. He transforms himself into the creepy Gittarackur while taking the 287th Hunter Exam, only revealing his true form in the final round.

Illumi's assassination skillset is boosted by his Manipulation Nen, devising unique abilities such as Corpse Control, Hypnotic Spell, and Needle People. At this point in the story, Killua has no chance of defeating his big brother in a one-on-one battle.

13 Feitan Portor's Powers Are So Great Even He Can't Control Them Completely

Feitan Portor's diminutive appearance and stoic nature are in stark contrast with his overwhelming strength and aura. As he's infamously known as the Phantom Troupe's resident torturer and interrogator, many people have no idea just how ridiculously strong he is.

Feitan unleashes his Rising Sun technique while battling Zazan, a Chimera Ant who seizes control of Meteor City. This ability is so powerful that even the Phantom Troupe refuses to stay in the vicinity when it's activated. In addition, Feitan's deft blend of Emission and Conjuration Nen is probably his most formidable talent.

12 Kite's Powers Are Based Almost Entirely On The Luck Of The Roll

Ging Freecss shamelessly refuses to take care of his only child, explaining why Gon continuously seeks a father figure throughout the series. As such, Kite becomes an invaluable mentor to both Gon and Killua, helping them train and improve their combat skills even further.

Kite's Conjuration Nen is extremely strong, but his main ability is borderline unpredictable. Known as Crazy Slots, this technique spawns a speaking "clown" who conjures various random weapons for Kite to fight with. Further, there is said to be a secret ability that only activates if he's near death, explaining why Kite successfully reincarnates in a different body.

11 Hisoka Morow's Ability Has The Properties Of Rubber And Gum

A former member of The Phantom Troupe, Hisoka is an exceptionally powerful fighter. Although lacking in raw strength, Hisoka makes up for it using his Nen ability, known as Bungee Gum. As explained by Hisoka himself, his aura possesses the qualities of both gum and rubber.

Being a master Transmuter, Hisoka can manipulate Bungee Gum as he sees fit. He's more than capable of incorporating Enhancer, Emitter, and Conjurer abilities into his duels. Hisoka has proven his strength time and again, and he's only going to get stronger with time.

10 Gon Freecss Can Surpass His Limits To Defeat Enemies Several Times Stronger Than He Is

The main protagonist of Hunter x Hunter, Gon Freecss is an exceptionally robust Nen user. Befitting his blunt and straightforward personality, Gon is primarily an Enhancer, but he can use a few Emitter and Transmuter techniques. During his fight against Pitou, Gon sacrifices his life aura in exchange for tremendous power.

This Nen Contract makes him strong enough to eviscerate Pitou in a matter of seconds, despite the Chimera Ant's incomprehensible Nen aura. Unfortunately, he falls into a coma almost immediately after this fight, leaving Killua to save his life through Nanika's wish-granting ability. While Gon's full potential places him above even the Royal Guard Chimera Ants, it's not a power he can access freely, meaning he's likely to lose to more experienced opponents.

9 Biscuit Krueger's Abilities Make Her An Excellent Fighter And Trainer

Biscuit Krueger has mastered all the basic and advanced Nen techniques, but her main type is Transmutation. She uses her Nen to spawn a Magical Esthetician named Cookie, who can help anyone recover from the most grueling training regimen. Cookie instantly helps relieve the fatigue experienced by Killua and Gon on Greed Island.

However, Biscuit's true Nen ability is the power to transform her body. In her original form as a muscular woman, she channels so much raw power that even the greatest of fighters quail before her might. She may not be as strong as some of the other characters in the story, but she's yet to display the full gamut of her abilities.

8 Silva Zoldyck Has Proven Himself Against The Most Powerful Opponents

The current leader of the Zoldyck Family, Silva boasts extraordinary strength as an assassin. While he specializes in Transmutation, he can use Emitter and Enhancer Nen techniques at a high level of proficiency. Silva has fought and survived Chrollo Lucilfer in the past, a testament to his incredible power.

Hunter x Hunter doesn't showcase much of Silva's abilities, except when he and his father battle Chrollo in Yorknew City. Silva produces a pair of massive purple spheres from his Nen, generating explosions capable of destroying buildings. He also kills Cheetu by simply jumping on him, much to the fandom's delight.

7 Zeno Zoldyck's Techniques Make Him The Greatest Assassin

Zeno is Silva's father and Killua's grandfather. As one of the sharpest assassins in the Zoldyck family, Zeno maintains a tremendous degree of control over his Nen. Primarily a Transmuter, Zeno is capable of very high-level techniques, like Dragon Dive and Dragon Lance.

Zeno's also a skilled Emitter and can easily expand his En field to over 900 feet if required. According to Zeno, he's definitely equal to Chrollo when it comes to a Nen battle, although he's unsure if he would escape the encounter alive. Fans would love to see more of this delightfully eccentric character, although he's been absent from the main story for a long time.

6 Maha Zoldyck Was Superior To Most Fighters In His Youth

The oldest Zoldyck alive in the current timeline, Maha once wielded incredible strength, which put him on a pedestal on par with Isaac Netero. The only known Zoldyck to be an Enhancer so far, Maha possesses such immense powers that those who fought him never lived to tell the tale.

According to his grandson Zeno, Isaac Netero is the only person to have ever stalemated against him. Although he was astronomically powerful once, Maha isn't on the same level right now because of his advanced age. In his prime, he was surely one of the strongest Nen users to have ever existed.

5 Chrollo Lucilfer Collects Other Nen Users' Abilities

Chrollo Lucifer is the leader of the Phantom Troupe and their strongest member by far. He is a Specialist who can steal other people's Nen abilities, essentially making him an adept user of every single type of Nen. Chrollo has previously fought against many powerful Nen users, such as Silva and Zeno.

With the techniques at his disposal, it's no surprise that Chrollo Lucifer's survived most of these battles without too much trouble. He even defeats Hisoka during their final confrontation in during the Heavens Arena arc, but only after acquiring two extra Nen abilities designed to counter his sly opponent. Chrollo is undoubtedly one of the strongest Nen users in Hunter x Hunter.

4 Ging Freecss Used His Powers To Become One Of The Association's Top Hunters

One of the focal points of the story, Ging Freecss technically inspires Gon to become a Hunter and seek him out. He is a double-star Hunter and was once a member of the 12 Zodiacs as well, but he resigns from his position during the Dark Continent Saga.

Ging's Nen abilities remain largely unknown, but he's powerful enough to defeat Razor, one of the strongest combatants in the series. According to the former Chairman of the Hunter Association Netero, Ging is one of the top five Nen users in the world — and there's no praise better than this.

3 The Royal Guard Possess Enough Power To Terrify Even Experienced Nen Users

Meruem's Royal Guard comprises Shaiapouf, Neferpitou, and Menthuthuyoupi. Out of all the Chimera Ants, these three possess the highest level of skill and strength after the Ant King. As such, all three members of the Royal Guard possess frightening aura, and their Nen abilities go beyond the levels of humans as well.

As evident from Pitou's fight against Kite, they're too powerful for anyone but the strongest Hunters. Shaiapouf's Beelzebub technique is extremely dangerous, forcing even Morel on the backfoot. Finally, Menthuthuyoupi's Rage Blast and Rage Incarnate abilities produce vastly more Nen output than all his opponents combined.

2 Isaac Netero Reached The Apex Of His Powers Finding Enlightenment

The 12th Chairman of the Hunter Association and once the strongest fighter in the world, Netero's Nen capabilities are nothing short of monstrous. Although born as an Enhancer, Netero could also use his skills in Emission, Transmutation, Manipulation, and Conjuration when invoking his 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.

In his duel with Meruem, Netero displays such a vast knowledge of martial arts that even the Ant King is forced to acknowledge his human enemy. That said, every ounce of Nen aura in Netero's body isn't sufficient to overpower someone like Meruem. Their battle might have had a different outcome if Netero had been younger, though.

1 Meruem Represents The Peak Of Chimera Ant Evolution

King Meruem is the strongest Chimera Ant and the most powerful being in the entire Hunter x Hunter series to date. As the so-called pinnacle of evolution, Meruem's skillset and learning capacity surpasses everyone else. His Specialist Aura Synthesis technique can continuously improve his Nen reservoir, making his potential effectively limitless.

King Meruem even defends himself from Netero's Zero Hand through his intense Ren. After absorbing Shaiapouf and Youpi's essence, Meruem's powers evolved to a point where no mortal could ever hope to defeat him in a direct battle. There is no doubt Meruem would've become unstoppable if not for Netero's secret poison contingency.