Phinks Magcub

Phinks Magcub (フィンクス=マグカブ, Finkusu Magukabu) is member #5 of the Phantom Troupe, an infamous gang of thieves with class A bounties. His physical strength ranks second in the group, but after Uvogin's demise, he is now the strongest member of the Troupe in physical strength.

Appearance
Phinks has blond hair (dark brown in the 1999 series), black eyes and is fairly tall and muscular. His most distinguishing feature is having no eyebrows. When he is first introduced, Phinks wears an outfit similar to a modern pharaoh, with a golden snake-like (Uraeus) headpiece (nemes), white long sleeve tunic, and a necklace. Often, while in public, he wears a tracksuit.

Personality


Phinks is short-tempered and rather ruthless. He can be brash and has a tendency to get into conflicts with other people, including his comrades. Phinks seems to get along with Feitan the most, and is often seen partnering with him, both in and out of combat. He is very loyal to Chrollo Lucilfer, as shown when he was the first to try to go after Kurapika after Chrollo was captured despite the objections of other members.

He does not seem to be the type that would take his own words seriously. This was shown when despite how it was his idea that anyone who kills Zazan would be declared the new de factor leader of the Phantom Troupe, where Feitan had done so, he was seen chasing and throwing rocks at both Shalnark and the newly-elected leader, albeit comically, for teasing him.



While he is still a bit short-tempered, he has good relationships with his fellow Spiders. He has shown himself to be melancholic during and after Pakunoda's death, especially when he sadly informed Gon and Killua about her demise and that she wanted to thank them. He also seems to have developed a bond with the Phantom Troupe’s newest member, Kalluto Zoldyck, giving him advice as to how the Troupe usually works (i.e. splitting up to hide Kalluto's abilities from others, refusing to help Feitan because it is a competition). When Shizuku appears with her clothes destroyed, Phinks is surprised and is the first one to comment, asking if she aims for a new look. He later lends his robes to her, showing a gentlemanly side to Phinks.

Background
Much of Phinks' past remains a mystery. What is known is that he came from Meteor City, and then at some point later on joined the Phantom Troupe and presumably took part in the massacre of the Kurta Clan.

Yorknew City arc
On August 31st, Phinks appears with the rest of the Phantom Troupe in an abandoned building in Yorknew City, where Chrollo tells them that they are going to steal every item at the Mafia's Underground Auction. In the evening of September 1st, Uvogin, Machi, Feitan, Shalnark, Nobunaga, Shizuku, and Franklin go to the auction and kill all the guests, only to find out that the auction items are already gone. The Mafia chases after them to the Gordeau Desert, where Uvogin is captured by Kurapika after single-handedly slaughtering a large number of Mafia gangsters and even four Shadow Beasts.



Phinks and the Troupe then disguise themselves as Mafia members to rescue Uvogin, killing Dalzollene of the Nostrade Family in the process. They tell Uvogin that they have killed the rest of the Shadow Beasts, obtained the auction items and that they have orders from Chrollo to return. Uvogin, however, insists on finding Kurapika to seek revenge. Having no choice, Phinks and the others return to their hideout and wait for Uvogin there. After long hours of waiting, they realize that Uvogin must have been killed by the chain user.



On September 3rd, Chrollo orders Phinks and Pakunoda to tail Machi and Nobunaga to catch anyone going after them. When Machi and Nobunaga arrive in an abandoned area of the city, Phinks and Pakunoda call their comrades and tell them about Gon and Killua, who have been following them. Together, they capture the kids with no difficulties and take them back to their hideout.



In the evening, Chrollo orders the Troupe to attack the Mafia's headquarters in Yorknew City in order to avenge the death of Uvogin. Phinks and other members quickly massacre more than 2000 Mafia gangsters and a number of hired assassins. After the Ten Dons of the Mafia are killed by Illumi, who was hired by Chrollo, they fake their deaths, create copies of the auction items, and then sell the fakes in the rescheduled auction. Afterwards, Phinks celebrates the triumph with the rest of Troupe at their hideout.

On September 4th, Chrollo decides it's time for the Phantom Troupe to leave the city, but Nobunaga insists that they go after Kurapika. Chrollo, knowing that Nobunaga won't stop his vendetta against Kurapika, writes down prophetic predictions for him and other members. Phinks and Feitan however, aren't given any prophecies because Phinks doesn't know his blood type and Feitan doesn't know his birthday. Hisoka uses his Texture Surprise to alter his predictions, manipulating the Troupe into staying in Yorknew City. Later, they discover that Kurapika is in Hotel Beitacle thanks to the fake scarlet eyes they sold to Kurapika the night before.

Chrollo tells Phinks, Feitan, Shalnark, Hisoka, and Franklin to stay while he and the rest are going to the hotel. In the evening, they capture Gon and Killua again, and Chrollo calls Phinks to Hotel Beitacle. When Phinks, Feitan, and Shalnark arrive in the hotel, Chrollo has already been taken hostage. The Troupe members begin to argue over the failure to protect Chrollo. Phinks then receives a call from Chrollo's cell phone, which is being used by Kurapika, who gives Phinks three instructions: (1) Not to follow them, (2) Not to harm the hostages, and (3) Give the phone to Pakunoda.



He pretends that he has hurt Gon and Killua, which upsets Kurapika and almost rids them of their bargaining chip, causing Machi and Nobunaga to punch him. After Pakunoda leaves the hotel alone to meet Kurapika at Lingon Airport according to his orders, Phinks, Feitan, and Shalnark try to follow her, however they are stopped by Nobunaga, who fears that if the chain user finds out that Pakunoda is being followed, he will kill Chrollo. They almost got into a fight, but Shizuku knocks Nobunaga unconscious before it happens.



Later on, Phinks and the others meet back at the hideout, including Pakunoda, who has returned from the airport. He asks Pakunoda about the location of the chain user, suggesting they kill the hostages and go after him. She refuses to listen to him and states that she is leaving alone, taking the two kids with her. Phinks and Feitan, regarding this as an act of betrayal, want to stop her and are ready to fight Machi and Kortopi, who side with her. Gon, who has been observing, breaks out of his chains and angrily tells them that Pakunoda just wants to save Chrollo. Irritated, Phinks wants to kill Gon, but Franklin stops him, saying that he should let Pakunoda leave with the two kids because the worst that can happen to the Phantom Troupe is Chrollo's death.

Phinks begrudgingly accepts Franklin's reasoning and the decision to let Pakunoda go alone is final. When she gets back, seeing that Chrollo is not with her, Phinks asks her where he is. Pakunoda uses her special ability to transfer her memories and knowledge of Kurapika to six other members, including him, and dies immediately because of Kurapika's Judgement Chain crushing her heart. He explains everything to the members that Pakunoda did not transfer her memories to.



On September 6th, Phinks and Feitan attend the Southernpiece Auction and run into Gon and Killua, who are trying to approach the winning bidders of the Greed Island copies. They tell the kids that the Phantom Troupe no longer has anything against them and Kurapika, because killing Kurapika would only strengthen the Judgement Chain around Chrollo's heart, which would probably kill him. They don't reveal, however, that they are searching for an exorcist to remove the chain. Before they leave, Gon asks Phinks about Pakunoda, to which he replies that she is dead and that she was grateful to them for not trying to escape from her despite knowing that she was injured.

Greed Island arc


By attending the auction, they discover Battera purchased many copies of the game and is selecting players through tryouts. Later on the same day, they attack a car that carries a copy of the game, kill the guards and take it back to their hideout to play. When Machi, Franklin, Shizuku, and Shalnark ask about the game, Phinks invites them to play but is declined by Machi and Franklin. Soon after entering the game, they kill Latarza. Phinks then suggests that they have a contest of who can kill the most players, which Feitan agrees about. As they progress, their hostile playing style has even the Bomb Devils concerned even though they don't have many cards. After some time, Shalnark and other members enter the game and find them. Deducing that Greed Island is real, they leave together then return illegally on a boat, but upon reaching the shore, they meet with Razor and are sent off the island by him.



Phinks and his comrades return to Greed Island again using the normal way. They are then approached by Hisoka, who is on the island in search of an exorcist for Chrollo. Phinks wants to kill him, but says he will leave this task to Chrollo. After Hisoka wins the dodge ball game against Razor, Phinks and the other members of the Phantom Troupe are seen meeting up with him. Phinks tells Hisoka they will provide him with all the money he needs to persuade the Exorcist Abengane to remove Kurapika's Judgement Chain.

Chimera Ant arc


Phinks, along with Feitan, Kalluto, Shizuku, Bonolenov, and Shalnark, arrive in Meteor City to kill Zazan and her subordinates. After arriving at the Queen's lair the group split up. Phinks states that whoever kills the Queen will be the one who will act as an interim leader of the Phantom Troupe. Just like the other members Phinks battle a Chimera Ant upon his way on searching Zazan's exact location.



He easily defeats his opponent by using his Nen ability Ripper Cyclotron. After locating the Queen's exact location, he is seen sitting with other members and watching Feitan's battle with Zazan. When Feitan is about to use Pain Packer, Phinks quickly warns others to run and saved Kalluto from being burned by the attack. After the fight against Zazan died, he and the other Troupe members exterminate the disfigured humans Zazan made. Later, Phinks is shown to be irritated at Nobunaga for calling them and asking if they needed any help when the job was finished, as he was hoping the call was from the Chief. Feitan and Shalnark go on to make fun of him, causing him to throw debris at them despite their injuries.

Succession Contest arc


As with the rest of the Phantom Troupe, Phinks boards the Black Whale. Phinks, along with Feitan, Franklin, and Nobunaga, confront and thrash three unruly passengers. The passengers reveal to the Phantom Troupe that the three major mafia families of Kakin each maintain an alliance with exactly one prince. Phinks asks to which one they belong, but they respond that they are merely opportunists. Phinks believes that there will be a person who co-ordinates the operations of the guards and executives, so they should use that person to their advantage. He orders the three to note down the room number of people taller than 190 cm.



The entire Phantom Troupe gather in the dining hall, where Chrollo hears the reports about their fruitless search for Hisoka. They conclude that Hisoka is not on Tier 5, though the upper tiers are controlled by two other Mafia families. A group from the Cha-R Family then interrupt their meeting, with the leader rudely asking them to move. After a brief exchange, during which Chrollo asks the latter how he can reach Tier 1, the Spiders comply. As they walk away, Phinks muses that the leader showed his hand when Chrollo mentioned the first tier, implying that there might be treasures hidden there. Chrollo disregards stealing the treasures in favor of hunting Hisoka first. He orders the Troupe to bring him Hisoka's head, after which they can celebrate. Then, they split up.

Phinks and Feitan tag along with Nobunaga. They decide to leave Tier 5 to the Buor Family and search for Hisoka on Tier 4 after retrieving some items from the warehouse. Phinks jokes they are babysitting Nobunaga before stating that he does not want Hisoka to think he has the slightest chance. The three encounter some henchmen of the Cha-R Family, one of whom leads them through the warehouse. As he turns the corner, Nobunaga stops Phinks and Feitan, stating the guide vanished from inside his En. Phinks notices he can no longer feel his presence and prepares for battle. They walk down the corridor, which turns out to be a dead end, then they hear a thud from behind them. They find the guide with his throat cut open. Phinks and Feitan nonchalantly keep searching for the items on their own, ridiculing Nobunaga's concern and telling him he has muddled priorities.

The three return to the entrance, where the mobsters have disappeared. They notice a trail of blood, which Phinks suspects to be a trap. He remarks that if someone had wanted to frame them as enemies of the Cha-R Family, the first corpse would have sufficed. When Nobunaga replies the murders may be unrelated to them, Phinks asks him if he believes multiple parties to be involved. From Nobunaga's answer, he surmises the culprit ran into them by chance and decided to use them, but switched back to their original plan when a fight did not break out. They begin to follow the trail, convening that Hisoka is not involved and that the real target is the Cha-R Family. They reach a locked door and Phinks notices a camera, which he finds uncommon for Tier 5. Ken'i Wang appears behind them with four armed subordinates. He enquires if they are the ones who killed the men in the warehouse. Phinks protests they are innocent, which the Underboss accepts once he receives a call from his subordinates. He recounts that a man entered their hideout with a wounded warehouse guard and then disappeared. Phinks speculates they did so to fulfill an ability condition and teleport into the hideout at a later time. Ken'i proposes to form an alliance and the Spiders accept. They are inserted in the surveillance rotation and meet Tsudonke.

Abilities & Powers
Due to Phinks being born in Meteor City, his existence is not recorded in any database, which makes obtaining information about him nearly impossible. Phinks' great strength, speed, and hand-to-hand combat skills make him a very powerful fighter, who is part of the vanguard of the Phantom Troupe. He was able to kill several armed mobsters in mere instants as well as thwart Killua's attempt to escape without difficulty. The full extent of his abilities, however, has yet to be shown. Among the Spiders, Phinks was the second strongest in arm-wrestling prior to Uvogin's death.

Preternatural Perception: As a Nen user, Phinks is capable of perceiving others' aura. He sensed the disappearance of the mobster who led him through the warehouse, and was the first to detect Ken'i and his henchmen.

Immense Strength: Being an Enhancer and ranked second in arm-wrestling within the Phantom Troupe, Phinks is incredibly strong. He killed Dalzollene by piercing him with his hand, and was able to restrain Killua, although the latter managed to break free from his grip by tearing off his own ankle skin.

Immense Speed and Reflexes: Phinks managed to keep track of Killua, grab him by the ankle, dodge rocks thrown at him at very short range, and intercept his kick, which the boy was sure would have connected. He killed multiple armed Mafia members before they had a chance to see him move, twisting their necks, and later cut in front of Gon and Killua despite starting seated and them having a head start.



Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Phinks' fighting style appears to be centered on snapping or twisting an opponent's neck quickly and silently. He is so proficient at it that he employs it as his primary mean of offense. His brief clash against Killua showed his ability to effortlessly match the assassin in close-quarters combat, easily blocking his kicks and grabbing him so firmly that he tore off the skin of his ankles to escape.

Expert in Tailing: Phinks was able to run after Gon and Killua, both fairly skilled in tailing, completely unspotted, resorting to Zetsu to do it. Nobunaga and Machi were able to detect his presence, but not his location or the exact number of pursuers.

Nen
Phinks is an Enhancer. Like the rest of the Troupe, he is well-versed in the field of Nen. He is capable of using at least four Nen techniques: Zetsu, Ren, Ko, and Hatsu. Since Ko is a combination of Ten, Ren, Zetsu, and Gyo (hence Ryu as well), he should be capable of using those techniques as well. He also appears to have some degree of theoretical knowledge about Nen, as he knew that all teleportation abilities must satisfy a requirement called "marking".

Quotes

 * (To Uvogin) "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard you were kidnapped."
 * (To Nobunaga) "Deceive your allies to deceive your enemies, as they say."
 * (To Pakunoda) "Say where they are, Pakunoda. We'll kill the two brats and go kill the Chain Dude."
 * (To Gon) "Got a problem? Come at me. I'll break your neck if you take one step."
 * (To Gon and Killua) "Paku was thankful to you."
 * (To Feitan) "It's a race to see how many players we can kill."
 * (To Razor) "Fine, we'll be back. Through the front door next time."
 * (To Hisoka) "I'd like to kill you now... but I'll leave that to Chrollo."
 * (To Meteor City residents) "So they're arguing whether they're dead or just altered, before deciding to retaliate... Always missing the point. This place sure hasn't changed."
 * (To Meteor City residents) "We'll do it our own way... Mow down anyone who interferes."
 * (To Meteor City residents) "Don't worry. We'll get rid of this so-called 'Queen' by the end of the day."
 * (To Shizuku) "If any more Ants show up, I'm here to crush them. Killing 'survivors' leaves an awful aftertaste."
 * (To Shalnark) "This sucks. It's so frustrating having to wait."
 * (To the Buor Family) "Find anyone taller than 6'2" and get their room numbers. That's your mission from now on."

Trivia



 * In the official databook, his name is "Phynkss".
 * In the third character popularity poll for Hunter × Hunter, Phinks took 14th place with 261 votes.
 * Phinks wears a Gucci tracksuit in the 2011 series.
 * Due to his Egyptian theme, it is possible his name is a corruption of "sphinx", a mythical animal that is commonly associated with Egypt.
 * In the manga, Phinks is shown holding a cigarette outside Meteor City during the Chimera Ant arc, hinting that he's a smoker. This cigarette is edited out in the 2011 anime series.
 * Phinks' Hatsu ability, Ripper Cyclotron may have been derived from Jin's technique called "Tornado Fist" from Yoshihiro Togashi's other series YuYu Hakusho.
 * It is also first shown in the movie Phantom Rouge, well before its initial appearance in the canon timeline of the TV series and manga.
 * Phinks is played by Satou Takuyuki in the Hunter × Hunter stage play Hunter × Hunter: Real Stage.
 * Phinks bears a slight physical resemblance to Kazuma Kuwabara from YuYu Hakusho.
 * Phinks also shares some personality similarities with Younger Toguro for example they both comment how they could kill their opponents using less power with their respective abilities.

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