Izunavi

Izunavi (イズナビ, Izunabi) is a Hunter and Kurapika's master who taught him Nen.

Appearance
Izunavi is a shaggy man who is always seen wearing a Keikogi and two-heeled geta (sandals). He is sometimes seen with a bag behind him.

Heavens Arena arc


In the 2011 anime adaption Izunavi (Mizuken) first encounters Kurapika in a ghost town near the Sengi Guild and steals his Hunter License. Later after a confrontation between Izunavi and Kurapika the two fight it out with each other only for Kurapika to be handily beaten by his opponent. Izunavi comments that Kurapika has no chance of beating him while Kurapika distraught from losing the fight, says he wants the power to fight with his own power. Impressed by Kurapika's gumption, Izunavi returns Kurapika's Hunter License to him and offers to train him.

Yorknew City arc
After Kurapika takes the divination test to find out he's a Conjurer, Izunavi further explains that Conjurers have the ability to materialize there Nen to any form they desire. Kurapika admittedly was hoping to be an Enhancer, but Izunavi then explains that he can still learn Enhancer techniques and that he's going to further explain in detail about the differences in capability when trying to learn different Nen types than one's own. Since Kurapika is a Conjurer, he can learn to create a Hatsu in Conjuration at 100%, which means he can produce the a Hatsu for the each of the following categories at such a percent: Transmutation 80%, Manipulation 60%, Enhancement 60%, Emission 40%, and Specialization 0%. Izunavi explains that no matter how great one's knowledge one cannot fully master one category as well as one's initial category, since the farther away one goes from one's personal category the harder it is to learn that category. Kurapika then asks why Specialization is at 0% and Izunavi explains that Specialization is an outer category and cannot be learned like others; in most cases it is a category that can arise from the environment from where one was bred or from one's bloodline. Izunavi further details that it is on the bottom of the chart because, only Manipulators and Conjurers have the best chance in becoming a Specialist so Kurapika has a good chance in becoming one.

Izunavi then brings up something that Kurapika once told him, "I want the power, to be able to fight on my own." Naturally, Kurapika thought being an Enhancer would be his ideal category because of its efficiency in Offense, Defense, and Recovery, but for a Conjurer like Kurapika his efficiency with the Enhancer category would not exceed 60%. Izunavi then tells Kurapika an example if he faces an opponent who confronts him in a fight and both are at 100% of their own physical abilities, but the opponent is an Enhancer who's mastered his category at 100%, Izunavi then preforms Ko, and illustrates the following: if he hits Kurapika with a punch reinforced with Nen, it would then equal the following equation: Attack Points 100 + Sens Points 100 = 200, but if Kurapika defends against the attack using Enhancement, it would be the following equation: Attack Points 100 + Sens Points 60 = 160 in other words: Attack Points 100 - Sens Points 60 = 40.

So if Kurapika would fight an Enhancer his chances of winning would be slim, but it is only a simple calculation. The physical strength between people, the movement, and variations according to the place and environment, also play important roles, but Nen itself is more complicated. Emotions or feelings such as exultation, alienation, sadness, fear, inattention, dedication, fury, doubt, pride, shame, determination, etc. basically all feelings that transverse us, Nen comes from that and it's thanks to those emotions/feelings that Nen users are able to exceed the 100% limit.But doing that can cause problems in fights that is, since overcoming the strength you create flaws, which can be fatal. So in a fight with Nen it's best to fight with a stable force. Kurapika then asks Izunavi if the stable force of a Conjurer would be efficient against someone who has optimized his Enhancement. Izunavi replies it's a complicated thing to answer simply. Since with Enhancer Nen that assures a perfect balance between Offense and Defense a Conjurer would have a hard time counter balancing, but on the other hand it would be able to give the impression of having great strength.

Izunavi then asks Kurapika, "Can a Conjurer can make a sword that can cut anything?" Kurapika responds with, "No, because it goes beyond human capabilities." Izunavi shakes his head yes, and explains that's true because even if you max out your Conjurer Nen to 100% there are things that can't be materialized. While you can Conjure a sharp and robust sword it'd be better to just go and buy one then, but you can't make it appear and disappear like one made out of Nen. The point is that conjuring a weapon that already exists doesn't always make an efficient weapon or making a weapon better than God is impossible. Conjurers basically have the most difficult time mastering their own abilities in fights. Izunavi then explains that Kurapika should know what exactly he wants to conjure, but as he is now he lacks concentration, imagination, and the right training to be able to conjure something. Kurapika then tells Izunavi he wants to conjure a chain, because that's the first thing that came to his mind when he found out he's a Conjurer.

When Izunavi asks why, Kurapika responds with because there are people in the shadows that have to be dealt with and arrested, since they're still out free in the world. Izunavi thinks about what Kurapika said to him and says that he gets the impression he's the one that's tied up. Kurapika agitated by Izunavi's response leaves him. Izunavi then yells he can't do that because he's his teacher and he hasn't finished his explanation yet. He goes onto tell Kurapika that conjuring a regular chain is just plain useless and that it'd be impossible to make an unbreakable chain. Kurapika doesn't listen to Izunavi and continues to walk away, so Izunavi says that while impossible to make a chain that can't be broken, it's possible to make something like it. Kurapika giving his full attention now to Izunavi, which irritates him for listening to him now. When Kurapika asks how he can make a chain like he mentioned, Izunavi replies with, "Condition and Vow."

Izunavi then explains that Kurapika must make a condition and then a vow and promise to never break it, and the stricter the condition, the more powerful your hatsu will be, just like in a game of Mahjong or Poker. So with condition and vow put into play the equation would be like: Attack Points + Sens Points x Mystery Points = An undefined number. So if Kurapika wants a strong near unbreakable chain, you have to make a strong condition and vow that he can live up to and never break, but it's the opposite to a stable force and it's like a double edged sword and if he's not careful he could lose his Nen forever. So when Kurapika gives his condition that he'll only use his chains to find his missing comrades, "Scarlet Eyes" and use his chains to stop the Phantom Troupe. Kurapika will conjure a chain that no Troupe member would be able to break. Izunavi then comments on how limited it is, seeing is how it's a fixed goal.

Kurapika then says he wasn't finished giving his condition, so when Izunavi asks him what his Vow is, Kurapika coldly responds with, "He'll die if he breaks his Vow." While Kurapika stated that his eyes turn scarlet and Izunavi then sees that his aura spikes quite a considerable amount. Izunavi then has Kurapika retake the divination test to find out when his eyes turn scarlet he becomes a Specialist.

Greed Island arc
While not mentioned directly, Kurapika explained to Gon how he learned to conjure chains. Izunavi had Kurapika form a mental image of chain and keep one at his side at all times, day and night. Kurapika also had to visualize chains with his eyes closed, draw hundreds or thousands of chains, look, touch, taste, and listen to the sounds that chains made, even to enjoy himself with the chain.

13th Hunter Chairman Election arc


After the death of Chairman Netero, Izunavi appears at the Hunters Association's headquarters to vote for a new chairman.

Dark Continent Expedition arc
Izunavi is recruited by Kurapika to be hired as a Kakin prince's bodyguard, with the mission being to get information regarding Prince Tserriednich. He is the penultimate one to accept a job request. He is hired by Prince Tyson.

Abilities & Powers
Izunavi has all the benefits granted by his status as a Hunter. He is a capable teacher, allowing Kurapika to grow to the point he is capable of fighting and killing members of the infamous Phantom Troupe.

Nen
The only demonstration of his abilities with Nen was given when he threw an aura-imbued acorn at Kurapika, which, in spite of the fact that he was reducing its speed to allow Kurapika to dodge, was still several times more powerful than a bullet, completely destroying part of a tree trunk.

Trivia

 * He was unnamed in both the 1999 anime and the manga, until chapter 350.
 * In the 2011 series, his name is Mizuken.
 * His Nen type was revealed during the 13th episode of Huncyclopedia.
 * His voice actor in the 1999 series, Kazuki Yao, also voices Majitani in the 2011 series.

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Mizuken Мизукен