Anime, especially shonen anime, is a genre that loves to create intricate and beloved characters from time-honored tropes. Perhaps Hunter x Hunter's most intriguing yet mysterious character is its recurring villain and occasional ally, the Bungee Gum-wielding magician Hisoka Morow.
Hunter x Hunter is a massive standard-bearer in the world of action anime. Written by Yosihiro Togashi, the manga series ran from 1998 to 2018, where it currently remains on hiatus. The manga was adapted to three anime films, a thirty-episode OVA, and two beloved full series. The first adaptation animated by Nippon Animation ran from 1999 to 2001, the second which was created by Madhouse ran from 2011 to 2014. Hunter x Hunter is one of the best-selling manga series in history and fans still eagerly await the series' return.
Who is Hisoka?
Hisoka Morow is a licensed hunter, international criminal, and Heaven's Arena floor master with a penchant for court jester fashion and magic trick aesthetics. He is introduced, both to the heroes and the audience, during his second attempt at attaining his hunter's license. He is immensely powerful, cruel, self-absorbed, and impulsive. His role in the franchise is constantly in flux, introduced as an antagonist, but regularly joining the protagonists' antics whenever it suits him. Hisoka isn't in every arc in the series, he often pops up without warning, leaving the audience to discover his role in this story along with the heroes. This makes him both unpredictable and fascinating. Viewers are always on the edge of their seats with Hisoka around, which has kept him engaging and made him a distinct fan favorite.
Hisoka's motivations are deceptively simple; he is obsessed, to a point of physiological need, with finding powerful opponents to challenge and defeat. Hisoka becomes a hunter, a slightly vague rank in the series that allows its holders complete freedom to seek their dreams, in order to fight and kill with impunity. He joins the organized crime outfit the Phantom Troupe in order to eventually face its leader in combat.
On numerous occasions, he allows Gon and friends to live when he easily could've killed them because he believes they will become a greater challenge if allowed to keep growing. Absolutely everything else is secondary to Hisoka's need to fight the strongest people in the world, including his few positive relationships and his own mortal life. A character with a single intrinsic motivation would logically be easy to predict; it could logically be assumed that Hisoka will take whatever action leads him towards a good fight, but surprisingly, he manages to be more complex than he seems.
Hisoka The Wild Card
While Hisoka's primary motive is stagnant, his methods are absolutely manic. Hisoka is almost always several steps deep into a scheme to set himself up against a tough foe. His plans are often absurd, he fakes his membership in the Phantom Troupe and repeatedly sabotages their activities at great personal risk, just to keep his chance of fighting his pretend boss. Often Hisoka will wind up doing favors for acquaintances or joining up with others to set up a later strategy, which ensures that he could genuinely wind up in any role. This need to create intricate plots is what keeps the audience guessing. After all, in the world of Hunter x Hunter, there is no shortage of powerful foes, so it can be impossible to guess exactly who Hisoka has his eyes on and what he'll do to get the pieces into place.
Hisoka is a bit of an outlier in the cast of Hunter x Hunter, as one whose devotion to their motivation leads them to both sides of every conflict. Hisoka is introduced as an antagonist in the Hunter Exam Arc. Basically, every other major antagonist is motivated by profit or dominance, rendering their quest entirely one of selfish personal gain. The heroes, by contrast, set out on very personal quests but find themselves constantly devoting themselves towards helping others. Hisoka maintains his selfish need to seek out opponents, but does so in such a complex way, that it makes him a constant mystery in the franchise.
Hisoka Morow is unpredictable because his singular devotion to his personal quest allows him to appear anywhere and do anything. With brilliant writing and iconic design, Hisoka truly is the ace up Hunter x Hunter's sleeve.