Chrollo Lucilfer

"I believe that we have a soul. So I want to fulfill my dead friend's wish... to wreak havoc."

- Chrollo Lucilfer, to Neon Nostrade

Chrollo Lucilfer (クロロ=ルシルフル, Kuroro Rushirufuru) is the leader of the Phantom Troupe, an infamous gang of thieves with class A bounties. His physical power ranks seventh in the group. Recently he has left the Troupe in search of an Exorcist to remove Kurapika's Judgment Chain that is tied around his heart.

Appearance
Two of Chrollo's distinguishing features are his cross-shaped tattoo on his forehead and a pair of orb-shaped earrings. He is usually seen wearing a fur-collared leather and fur trench coat with the St. Peter's Cross embroidered on the back. Prior to the foundation of the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo never wore his trademark coat, nor did he comb his hair backwards. When approaching Neon Nostrade in order to steal her Nen ability, he wears a blue blazer, with his hair hanging down naturally and the cross tattoo hidden behind a bandage wrapped around his forehead. His spider tattoo is located on his right arm in the 1999 anime series.

Personality
Chrollo Lucilfer is a calm and handsome young man and comes across as intelligent and charismatic. He seems to be a born leader, able to hold the Phantom Troupe together despite the volatile personalities that make them up, and well versed in strategies as well. He always has at least two people with him, which is why Hisoka was unable to fight him. After he has admired the objects that he targeted and acquired, Chrollo sells everything. It is also stated that Chrollo likes antique books.

The only people Chrollo seems to care about are his fellow members in the Phantom Troupe. When Chrollo reads Neon's prophecy which contains Uvogin's death, he cries for him. Later on he orchestrates a massacre of Mafia members as a requiem to his fallen comrade. Besides that, he shows no fear of his own death, even anticipating it. Melody has stated that his heartbeat sounded as if he was happy living alongside death. To Chrollo, the Phantom Troupe is more important than his own life. He once stressed in a group meeting that the survival of the group comes before the well-being of the leader. To paraphrase him, the head of the spider is just another limb that can be sacrificed for the survival of the Spider.

Despite that, he is cold-blooded and not above inhuman mass murderer, as he and all of his Troupe members (with possible exception of Bonolenov) casually and remorselessly commit those crimes, like the massacre of the Kurta clan and gouging of their eyeballs, and his usage of his Indoor Fish ability on a helpless assassin reflects his sadistic nature. There is also an implied hostility between Chrollo and Silva Zoldyck, possibly rooting from their previous encounter and Silva's killing of a Troupe member.

Background


Very little is known about Chrollo's past except that he originated from Meteor City, a junkyard city inhabited by outcasts. People who live there do not exist in any official records and the existence of the city itself is known to a very few people. Sometime in the past, he formed the Phantom Troupe with six other Meteor City residents and left the city. Later, the group was joined by more members, in accordance with Chrollo's idea of a group comprising of exactly 13 members, including himself. It is unknown when and what the exact circumstances were but Chrollo has fought Silva Zoldyck once before their battle at the Yorknew Auction.

Yorknew City arc


Chrollo is first seen in a group meeting of the Phantom Troupe in an abandoned area of the city on the 31st of August. He orders the Troupe to steal all the auction items for the Mafia's underground auction and to eliminate anyone who gets in their way.

On the evening of September 1st, he, Phinks, Kortopi, Bonolenov, Pakunoda and Hisoka stay in their hideout while the other 7 members sneak in the Cemetery Building where the auction is being held and kill all the mafiosi and the guests there, only to find an empty vault because the items were already relocated to somewhere else just a few hours before their arrival. On the way back on a hot-air balloon, Uvogin calls Chrollo by phone, saying he suspects there is a traitor in the Troupe. Chrollo reasons with him that an informant exists, but this person is not among them. He then tells Uvogin and others to cause a big disturbance to lure out the Shadow Beasts, one of whom, the Owl, removed the auction items.

Following the order, Uvogin massacres the Mafia and four Shadow Beasts in the Goldo Desert but he is captured by Kurapika shortly afterwards. Five other members of the group immediately give chase until they are stopped on the way by the remaining Shadow Beasts. They kill all of these men excluding the Owl, who they capture and successfully get the items from. Near midnight, they find where Uvogin is being held captive and free him after killing Dalzollene. Uvogin, however, insists on finding the chain user, Kurapika, alone to get revenge, which leads to his demise at the hands of Kurapika in the Goldo Desert in the early hours of September 2nd.



On September 3rd, thanks to a picture of Neon Nostrade just uploaded on the Hunter website Chrollo finds and approaches her, who has slipped away from her bodyguards to attend the rescheduled underground auction against her father's will. After helping her to get into the Cemetery Building, he asks her to tell his fortune, which she gladly does. Upon reading the prophecy he cries because it mentions Uvogin's death. Near the start of the auction, he knocks out Neon with a swift blow to the back of her neck and uses her as an excuse to get to the upper floors. He then kills some hired assassins with ease while his other comrades massacre the 2,000 mafiosi guarding the building.



As the Phantom Troupe's retaliatory attack goes on, Chrollo is cornered in the basement of the building by two elite assassins, Zeno and Silva Zoldyck. Noticing that Zeno is an incredible fighter, Chrollo fights them with the intention of stealing his abilities. However, Zeno sees through him and has him pinned against the wall while Silva throws two huge aura spheres at them, causing a large explosion that causes everything around them to collapse. Right before the Zoldycks can finish him, however, Illumi Zoldyck calls and tells them that the Ten Dons have been eliminated in a mission whose client is Chrollo. As their clients are dead, they spare him and leave.



Chrollo then calls other members, telling them not to touch the ambulance that is carrying Neon to the hospital and to continue with the plan, according to which they make use of Kortopi's ability to fool the Mafia with fake corpses of five members , take the real items and sell their copies in the rescheduled underground auction held on the 10th floor of the building. After that, he and the other members return to their hideout and celebrate their victory. The next day, September 4th, Chrollo orders the Troupe to leave Yorknew during the night, but Nobunaga insists that they find Kurapika. In order to persuade Nobunaga, he uses the Lovely Ghostwriter that he stole from Neon to make prophecies about Nobunaga and some other members, according to which 5 more of them will die if they meet the chain user within 2 weeks. They then intend to return to Meteor City to avoid that prospect, however Hisoka alters his own prophecy with the Texture Surprise and manipulates the whole group into staying in Yorknew City so that he can have the chance to fight Chrollo.



Later, Chrollo is able to deduce that Kurapika is one of Neon's bodyguards, and thanks to a pair of fake Scarlet Eyes that they sold him the night before, they know that he and the other bodyguards are staying in Hotel Beitacle, 2.5 km from the hideout. Chrollo orders Kortopi, Machi, Nobunaga, Pakunoda and Shizuku to go with him to the hotel. On the way, noticing that they are being followed by 2 people, he tells Kortopi, Nobunaga and Pakunoda to go ahead while he, Machi and Shizuku stay behind. They then capture Gon and Killua again. Meanwhile, Pakunoda and the other two are able to know Kurapika's name and face after capturing and killing Squala.

Chrollo, Machi and Shizuku take the 2 kids to the hotel and meet up with Pakunoda's group in the hall. He tells Paku to check their memories again, but before she can reveal what she has learned about Kurapika, a power outage suddenly happens, allowing Gon and Killua to break free from her grasp. Machi and Nobunaga easily recapture them despite the total darkness. However, when the light comes back on, they realize that Chrollo has been captured by Kurapika.



Phinks, Feitan and Shalnark soon arrive at the hotel. They then receive a call from Kurapika, who tells them not to follow him, not to hurt the hostages and give the phone to Paku. He then tells Paku to go to Ringon Airport alone to negotiate the terms of a hostage exchange and the other members to return to their hideout. Chrollo, who is sitting next to Kurapika in the back seat of a car, is then beaten up, but he discovers that Kurapika puts his friends above all else, which he considers a vital weakness, thus he hopes Paku and other members will come to the airport together. Indeed, Phinks, Feitan and Shalnark try to follow Paku, but Nobunaga stops them for fear that Chrollo would be killed, leading to a heated quarrel between Nobunaga and Phinks. Because Machi and Shizuku agree with Nobunaga and Kurapika tells them about Melody's ability to detect lies, they all return to the hideout as told by him.

When Kurapika and Pakunoda meet at the airport, he binds Chrollo's and Paku's hearts with his Judgment Chain, forbidding them to use Nen and to communicate with the other members, and tells her to come to the exchange site along with Gon and Killua before midnight, to which she agrees. After returning to the hideout, Paku tells the others about the conditions. Phinks becomes so angry that he wants to get rid of the kids then go after Kurapika but Machi and Kortopi disagree with him. They almost got into a fight with Phinks and Feitan, who think that she and the others are being manipulated by Kurapika, until the quarrel is interrupted by Gon. Phinks finally agrees to let Pakunoda go alone after Franklin tells him that if he keeps being stubborn, the Troupe may disintegrate.



Just before the exchange, Hisoka unexpectedly appears and threatens to kill the kids if he cannot come along with Paku to fight Chrollo. Kurapika has no choice but to let him go to the exchange site with them. When Chrollo is finally released, Hisoka reveals that he has never been a true member of the Troupe and challenges him to a duel. Seeing that, Chrollo laughs and tells Hisoka that it is pointless fighting him now because the Judgement Chain has rendered him unable to use Nen. Losing interest, Hisoka spares him and leaves while Chrollo sets off to the east in order to fulfill the prophecy given to him by Neon.

Greed Island arc


The destination in the east, according to the prophecy is later revealed to be Greed Island, the likeliest place to find a Nen Exorcist to neutralize Kurapika's chain. Chrollo is somehow able to obtain a copy of the game and recruits Hisoka to enter it for him since the game requires the ability to use Nen. Hisoka happily complies for the chance to fight Chrollo once his power is restored. An Exorcist is then found and recruited by him and the other members of the Phantom Troupe, however, it is still unclear whether or not Kurapika's Judgment Chain has been removed from Chrollo's heart.

Abilities & Powers


Chrollo is an exceptional fighter, being the leader of the Phantom Troupe and recognized as the strongest member by most of them. He was able to fight against Silva and Zeno Zoldyck, both extremely proficient assassins, simultaneously, without leaving any openings for the first one to kill him, though he was unable to cause significant damage to either of them. In the past, he survived a confrontation with the first killer, whilst in the present his abilities rival Zeno's. His fighting style is probably freestyle and combines speed with deadly precision. His high level of intelligence aids him, rendering him able to exploit the enemy's weak points. He is able to kill skilled warriors with just a pen, sometimes even remaining concealed with Zetsu, thus being precluded to him the use of Nen. When put in a tight spot he fights using a poisoned blade, whose 0.1 mg of toxin can paralyze a whale. However, he tends to hold back if his opponent owns an ability that interests him, so that he can steal it. Zeno stated that Chrollo would have lost to him, but if he had fought seriously the result would have been different.

Enhanced strength: Chrollo placed himself seventh in arm-wrestling with the rest of the Troupe. However, his rank is excellent, since Specialists are the weakest in employing Enhancer skills. He is nonetheless able to decapitate a normal human with a hand chop and to pierce through skulls with an ordinary pen.

Enhanced speed and reflexes: Chrollo was able to fight Zeno and Silva at the same time, avoiding or shielding against their powerful attacks pretty well. In the 2011 anime he disappeared and struck mortally one of the strongest assassins hired by the mafia without the latter noticing. He landed a hand chop on the back of the head of Neon Nostrade without anyone in the hall or watching the surveillance monitors catch a glimpse of the movement. As shown in the 2011 anime, Chrollo can easily catch thrown knives mid-flight.

Enhanced agility: Chrollo can run on the sides of buildings, and easily jump horizontally from one to another. He also deftly dodged many of Zeno's long-distance attacks.

Genius-level intellect: Despite his young age, Chrollo is the leader of the class A bounty Phantom Troupe. His plans usually go smoothly, and has shown to be both knowledgeable and intuitive. He was able to trick the whole Yorknew City's mafia into thinking that he, along with many comrades of his, had died. He managed to predict part of the "Chain user's" strategy of vengeance, though he was outsmarted by both Kurapika and Hisoka. He has complete dominion over his emotions, as demonstrated when captured by Kurapika. In the fight against the Zoldycks, he focused on stealing Zeno's ability in the midst of combat and leaving no openings to Silva to exploit, proving himself to be an efficient multitasker.

Proficient in knife handling: The way he was able to injure Silva's arm with a knife (the sole injury he could inflict in the triple confrontation) is proof of his skills with it. Also, he managed to kill various skilled Nen users wielding just a normal pen.

Nen


Chrollo is a Specialist, like Kurapika (when his eyes turn scarlet); it is a combination of the other five types, but in a way that no normal Nen-user can use. Chrollo's Nen Ability is called Skill Hunter (盗賊の極意 (スキルハンター) ). It allows him to steal the Hatsu of other people to use them as his own using a book known as the "Bandit's Secret." The theft victim, of course, no longer has access to their abilities. The theft happens under strict conditions:
 * 1) He must witness the Nen ability in action with his eyes.
 * 2) He must ask about the ability and be answered by the victim.
 * 3) His victim's palm must touch the handprint on the cover of Bandit's Secret.
 * 4) All of the above must be done within an hour.



To use one of the stolen abilities, he first conjures Bandit's Secret and turns to the page of the wanted ability. While using an ability, Chrollo must turn to the page with the ability on it and the book must remain open in his right hand; this means he could only have access to one chosen ability at a time. Additionally, an ability vanishes from the book if its former owner dies. It is also unknown whether his victims are able to get their Nen abilities back if the book is destroyed.

Zeno rightly guessed that he must endure 4 to 5 hardships before he can steal an ability.

Aside from that, he is a rather skilled Zetsu user, and generally very proficient in any of the basics of Nen.

Quotes

 * (In Yorknew City) "The calendar loses a precious component... The remaining months gather to mourn... The mourners play a melody, while the eleventh moon quietly rises. Uvo... Can you hear? The requiem we're offering to you?"

Trivia

 * The Hunter × Hunter Character and World Data book spell his name as his name is Quwrof Wrlccywrlir.
 * Chrollo ranked fourth in the Second character popularity poll, then eighth in the Third character popularity poll conducted by Weekly Shōnen Jump.
 * Chrollo's stealing abilities are similar to Rando from Yu Yu Hakusho, though the conditions they need to steal abilities are opposites; Rando needs to kill his targets to steal his powers, while Chrollo needs to keep his victims alive; otherwise, he cannot use these abilities.
 * Suzaku a character from Yoshihiro Togashi's Yu Yu Hakusho made a cameo appearance as one of the victims listed in his book in the 2011 anime adaptation.
 * The Hunter × Hunter OST (2011) refers to Chrollo as "The Man of the Reversed Cross".


 * In the 1999 anime series, Chrollo has the spider tattoo, without a number inside, in his right arm. In the manga and the 2011 anime series, however, he doesn't have the tattoo.
 * Chrollo shares similarities with Shinobu Sensui. A villain in Togashi's series Yu Yu Hakusho.
 * Both are the leaders of their gang.
 * Both are the smartest and most polite of their gang.
 * Both have religious references. Sensui is known as the Dark Angel(A.K.A. Angel of Darkness), Chrollo has a cross on his forehead and an inverted cross on his coat. Also the fact Chrollo last name "Lucilfer" is only one letter more of "Lucifer".

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