Menchi

Menchi (メンチ, Menchi) is a Single Star Gourmet Hunter and one of the two examiners in second phase of the 287th Hunter Examination. She is said to be the finest Gourmet Hunter in the world and her contributions to culinary culture have been invaluable.

Personality
When Menchi is introduced, her most obvious quality is her pickiness. However, this attribute fits her profession very well, as she is one of the world's best Gourmet Hunters. She also has a quick temper that goes along with her great enthusiasm for cooking. She is considered a culinary genius, earning a single-star hunter license at a very young age. She does seem to have a certain respect for authority, but cannot tolerate someone who insults food or Gourmet Hunters.

Appearance
Coupled with Menchi's sensitive and highly selective sense of taste and culinary skills is a physically fit body that enables her to carry out the search of unique foods and culinary experiences, many times in dangerous places. She ties the back of her hair into 5 top knots and wears a bikini top with a mesh shirt worn over it, alongside daisy duke denim shorts. In the 1999 anime, she has a pair of chef's knives that are sheathed behind her waist.

Hunter Exam arc
Menchi was first introduced as one of the two judges that presided over the second stage of the Exam. She tells the examinees that they have to cook an individual meal for the two of them that will satisfy them. Menchi's partner Buhara says that they have to cook a meal of his choice first and those who pass his test will be allowed to cook a meal of Menchi's choice. Buhara's meal choice is Roast Pig and claims that any will do. So after all of the examinees go deep into the Visca Forest Reserve, Menchi states that it was a mean of Buhara to request such a meal, since the only pig available in the forest is the Great Stamp. However 70 examinees manage to bring back a roasted Great Stamp, much to both Menchi's and Buhara's surprise. After Buhara finishes all of the roasted Great Stamps, Menchi rings a gong bringing a close to the 1st half of the 2nd Phase of the Hunter Exam. Menchi comments how Buhara went too easy on them, but Buhara argues that he at least brought down the number of examinees to 70. So for Menchi's trial she has the examinees to prepare a piece of sushi for her to taste. If it met up to her stringent expectations, the candidate would pass.

Menchi also explains that the dish originates from a small country, and gives a couple of hints on how to make sushi and that the 2nd Phase will end when she's full. The test however does not quite go as planned, as everyone, but Hanzo was baffled as to what sushi actually was. However Kurapika figures out the main ingredient to Sushi and Leorio accidentally spills the information to the rest of the group, though this does not do much good. As the examinees prepare their respective piece of sushi; Buhara comments that Menchi is cruel herself that she requested such a dish, since a majority of the fish used to make sushi is from the sea and won't make a proper piece of sushi. Menchi then states that's what will make it fun, since she's tired of regular sushi and wants to see what the examinees can make and claims she's more of a culinary artist than a examiner. Hearing Menchi say that worries Buhara thinking that she'll let her bad habit get the better of her. Leorio first tries to impress Menchi with his sushi, but was instantly rejected and disqualified, the same happened to Gon.

As many of the examinees try to give Menchi their respective sushi to try she fails them all and complains that she hasn't tried a single one yet and asks if they're all trying to starve her to death. Menchi also thinks that none of the examinees have any observational skills and that she was so generous to give out hints as well. Kurapika coming up with what he thinks is a logical conclusion to how sushi is made, gives his sushi to Menchi only to have it rejected as well and told by Menchi that his sushi is as bad as Leorio's, which makes Kurapika completely shocked. While Menchi starts to rant and rave and lose her temper, Hanzo comes up with his proper looking piece of sushi. Menchi praises the appearance of the sushi seeing is how it's the way sushi is supposed to look like, but fails Hanzo, due to the taste. Hanzo then looses his cool and argues that how can preparing a piece of sushi be so hard and how it should taste the same no matter who makes it.



Menchi then looses it herself and argues that it takes 10 years of hard work to learn how to make sushi and that even though he can copy how the sushi looks, he can't copy the intricate taste. As Menchi and Hanzo continue to argue with each other, Buhara thinks that Menchi's bad habit has come to light, since she's so critical in when it comes to her taste in food there's only a select few chefs who can satisfy her. With Hanzo concedes defeat, Menchi says that her yelling her voice has made her hungrier and because of Hanzo, the other examinees figure out how to make their own sushi, which forces Menchi to try them all, but fails them all due to her picky taste. Thus, none of the candidates passed at first. After that Menchi argues on the phone with Beans to tell him that none of the examinees have passed the 2nd Phase of the Exam. Meanwhile at an undisclosed location, Netero is informed of the situation, by Beans and decides to make a personal appearance himself to intervene on the situation.



Back at the exam site, the examinee Todo smashes a kitchen set with his fist and claims that he'll not except this ruling, since he's not striving to become a Gourmet Hunter, but a Blacklist Hunter. Menchi pities Todo and tells him to try harder next year. This provokes Todo whom tries to make a move on Menchi, but is sent flying backwards and crashes into a window, by palm thrust from Buhara. Menchi then inquires why Buhara did that to Todo and Buhara tells her if he didn't interfere, then she would have killed him. Menchi then gets up and explains the harsh trials and endeavors Gourmet Hunters have to endure, while displaying her skills with her knives and also claims that she wants to see the spirit of challenging the unknown. An airship then appears with the Hunters Association logo on it and a voice from it claims that failing all of the examinees was a little too much. Netero then makes an appearance and Menchi becomes shaken up by his appearance at the site.



Netero then questions Menchi's actions, who says she's a failure as an examiner and thus withdraws her position as the examiner and states that the results of the exam can be disregarded. However Netero offers Menchi to come up with an alternate solution and suggests that Menchi come up with a different and easier item to make for the examinees to make. So Menchi decides to have them make a boiled egg and requests that Netero bring everyone to the mountain in the far distance. Netero joyfully agrees to the request. At the mountain site, Menchi demonstrates retrieving an egg from the web hanging from the crevices of a mile deep canyon, while Netero explains how she does it and that the egg is from an animal known as the Spider Eagle. After her demonstration Menchi asks the examinees if they quit, but most of the examinees (aside from Todo) jump into the crevice and retrieve an egg. Later all of the examinees then boil their eggs and Menchi shows the difference between a normal boiled egg and a boiled Spider Eagle egg.



When the examinees all try their boiled eggs, they're all overcome by the delicious taste of it and Menchi hopes they all now understand a little, the joy of discovering something delicious, a thing she takes pride in doing. Todo then tries a bit of Gon's boiled egg and concedes defeat, but claims he'll be back next year, much to Menchi's approval. Thus 42 examinees passed Menchi's rectified 2nd Phase Exam. Later that night Menchi enjoys a meal with Buhara and Satotz, while they all talk about all of the examinees in this year's exam. When they all start to talk about the examinees they all favor, Menchi says that she favors Hanzo, while Satotz favors Killua. Menchi comments that Killua might be a blood type B and they'd never get along well. Menchi then inquires which examinee Buhara favors and he states that it's Hisoka and further states that when Menchi lost her temper there was extreme tension, but the largest among of negative energy came from Hisoka. Menchi claims that she of course felt it and that he was like that the moment they revealed themselves.

Buhara can't believe it, but Menchi assures him that it's true and that she was very nervous of him, since she felt like he was trying to provoke her. Satotz agrees with Menchi and states that he's someone who grew himself in darkness than light unlike the 3 of them. Sometime after the end of the 4th Phase of the Exam, Netero with the other Examiners enjoy a meal together and joyfully proclaims his satisfaction of this year's haul of examinees and that it's only the 4th time it's happened since he was elected Chairman. Menchi then asks Beans how old is Netero, whom responds that he's worked with him for 20 years and he tells him he's over 100. Satotz then inquires what the Final Phase of the Exam will be, and Buhara comments that they know nothing of it and Menchi says while it's great to talk about the examinees the Final Phase of the Exam has yet to be decided. Netero then tells Menchi and Buhara t he'll be having the examinees hold unusual fights and will interview them individually to have everything set up.

Menchi then asks Beans what's the Chairman is planning, but even he doesn't know. When Netero is finished with the chart he shows it to the Examiners, who ask him if he's sure about it, to which Netero replies that he can't be any more sure. Menchi along with the other Phase Examiners oversee the Final Phase of the Hunter Exam, and during the first round with Hanzo vs Gon, she comments that it's clear they all will never be as deceitful as Netero, since none of the examinees there will easily admit defeat, which is an original way of fighting, but grows concerned with Gon's situation. Menchi is later seen attending the debate after the Exam on whether Killua was manipulated by his brother Illumi Zoldyck. And after the debate is over and Gon talks with Satotz, Menchi tells him that he was close, to which he agrees that he almost revealed that the Hunter Exam isn't over yet.

13th Hunter Chairman Election arc


Menchi returns to the Hunters Association headquarters to participate in the selection of the next chairman. In the First Election for the 13th Hunter Chairman she places in 26th place along with Satotz and 7 others. In the Second Election for the 13th Hunter Chairman she places in 20th place with Geru and 13 others and 20th place again with 6 others in the Third Election for the 13th Hunter Chairman. Menchi is seen again sitting with Buhara in the Hunters Association auditorium where the final 2 elections were held.

Abilities & Powers
Menchi has all the benefits granted by her status as a Hunter. She is an exceptional Gourmet Hunter, having earned a star at the age of 21, and very likely an excellent cook and food critic. It is said that she has never forgotten the taste of a food she has eaten. Her combat abilities have not been shown, but in the 1999 anime she managed to kick an applicant multiple times without losing her composure and while speaking normally. She is also very agile, demonstrating how to obtain a Spider Eagle's egg. Menchi is also an expert in handling knives, being able to wield and juggle a large amount of them while spinning at high speeds. Additionally, she is highly perceptive, sensing Hisoka's blood lust since the beginning of Buhara's trial while the latter failed to do so. As a Hunter, she knows how to use Nen.

Quotes

 * "We are both fine gourmet cooks! Thus your mission will be to satisfy out appetites by cooking us a meal!"

Trivia

 * She has the same voice actress as Feitan in the 1999 anime adaptation.
 * Menchi's name originates from the Japanese word for "minced," which is the word used to describe "minced meat" in Japan.

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Menchi