The world of Hunter x Hunter is filled with powerful Hunters who search for knowledge while embarking on an adventure after earning a license, something that normal people can't do. In order to become a Hunter, a person has to take the Hunter Exam.
As expected, the Hunter exam is extremely difficult and only a handful of people can actually pass it. Although hundreds of Hunter Exams have taken place in the Hunter x Hunter world, we've only witnessed a few of them. Nonetheless, some very powerful characters were introduced to us in the Hunter exams.
10 Ponzu
Ponzu was introduced to us in the Hunter Exam arc alongside many other interesting characters. Back then, Ponzu's biggest strength is her usage of chemicals as her weapon of choice.
Along with that, she also proved to be an expert at setting traps and she could even use them while in combat. She possesses a beehive under her hat that attacks her enemies when she is under great threat. In the Hunter Exams, she was able to reach the fourth round of that exam, which is quite impressive. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to overcome the other trials, and hence didn't become a Hunter in the first attempt.
9 Bodoro
Bodoro was an expert martial artist who made his debut during the 287th Hunter Exam. He was a very strong person, evident from the fact that he survived throughout the hard trials of the Hunter Exams and along the way, he defeated many strong fighters.
His physical prowess was at a high level, according to Netero. Bodoro was one of the few contestants who were able to reach the last stage of Hunter Exams which isn't a normal feat. Furthermore, he has a strong will to fight even when facing a strong opponent which shows how strong he really is.
8 Pokkle
Pokkle is a Hunter of Fantastic Beasts and he was first introduced during the 287th Hunter Exam. He is an incredible archer and an expert marksman who can hit his target from quite some distance.
Pokkle has paralyzing arrows in his possession that can stop his opponents even if they so much as graze them. As expected, he prefers to fight his opponents from distance and tries to finish them off as soon as possible. Furthermore, he was one of the few people that made it to the end phase of the Hunter Exam.
7 Leorio Paradinight
Leorio is a Hunter who aims to be a Doctor and he is a great friend of Kurapika, Gon, and Killua. Leorio was first introduced during the Preliminary Phase of the Hunter Exam where a glimpse of his abilities was given to us. Although not as strong as his friends, he is still a decent fighter whose fighting powers proved to be above Bodoro's, who is a great Martial Artist.
During the Exam Phase, Leorio's physical abilities and endurance kept growing stronger as he progressed further. As expected of him, Leorio managed to pass the Hunter Exams and become a Hunter alongside only a handful of other people.
6 Gon Freecss
Gon is the main protagonist of the Hunter x Hunter series and the son of Ging Freecss. Despite being very young during the Hunter Exams, Gon could be seen wielding a great deal of strength and speed which even surprised most of his opponents. He also showed great endurance and his reckless nature made him an extremely dangerous opponent.
Gon might seem like a child but he is a genius when it comes to fighting and he truly shines more than anyone else when confronted by foes. Furthermore, during the Hunter Exam, Hisoka praised him by saying that his potential was bottomless.
5 Kurapika
Kurapika is one of the members of the Kurta Clan and just like Gon, he participated in the Hunter Exam with the aim of getting a license. He is a talented fighter whose potential was also noted by Hisoka. Kurapika has a genius-level intellect and he uses it in combat, which gives him an upper hand in a fight.
His abilities reach new heights upon the awakening of the Scarlet Eyes, and his strength and speed get on a whole different level. There is, however, a limit to how long he can use it. Nonetheless, even if this power-up is active for a short duration, Kurapika can still beat most of his opponents with relevant ease.
4 Hanzo
Hanzo, famously known as the Shinobi, was also in the Hunter Exams arc. He is a very powerful person who trained for years to attain great physical and mental strength. His powers, and although some of them have not been revealed to us, they're still scary enough for Killua to admit that Hanzo was stronger than him.
Being a shinobi, his speed is pretty insane and his superiority over Gon was evident from when the two fought. He appears to be a master of the Cloud-Hidden style. Unfortunately, his full capabilities haven't been seen just yet, but during the exams, he was able to outmatch his opponents with relative ease.
3 Killua Zoldyck
Killua is a member of the Zoldyck family and the third child of Silva and Kikyo. He was first introduced during the first phase of the Hunter Exam. From a young age, he was trained in the ways of assassins and it led to him becoming a genius at combat and a phenomenal assassin.
Thanks to his training, he can use many assassination techniques, some of which even amazed Netero. Furthermore, he is said to be the most talented assassin in the history of the Zoldyck family. Killua is an opponent to he feared and during the Hunter Exams, he certainly was one of the strongest ones out there.
2 Illumi Zoldyck
Illumi is the eldest son of the Zoldyck family and the brother of Killua. Like Killua himself, he made his debut in the Hunter Exam arc and left a very strong impression on the fans. Despite appearing in the exams, he was already a Nen user who excelled at Manipulation type techniques.
Although he restrained himself during the exams, he was still extremely powerful, and the fact that his strength was recognized by the likes of Hisoka says a lot. Hisoka even ranked him above some of the members of the Zodiacs, all of which are extremely powerful Hunters, were handpicked by Netero himself.
1 Hisoka Morow
Hisoka is a former member of the Phantom Troupe who bore the #4 tattoo. He is an extremely strong character who always looks for challenges which he wants to conquer.
Hisoka is an extremely great user of Nen and his ability, known as Bungee Gum, has the properties of both rubber and gum. It is effective against every opponent, all thanks to his creativity in battle which helps him outsmart them. He was easily the strongest character in the Hunter Exam arc. Evidently, no participant was capable of besting this monster.