Hisoka Morow

Hisoka (ヒソカ, Hisoka) is a character from the series Hunter × Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi.

Appearance
During his first appearance in Nippon Animation's anime series, Hisoka's hair was blue, but it changed to orange following that arc. His eyes are blue in that adaptation. In Madhouse's version, He has red hair and amber eyes.

Hisoka's appearance is similar to that of a magician, or sometimes of a clown. He wears face paint, with a maroon star on his right cheek and a spring green teardrop on his left cheek. Hisoka changes his outfit in every story arc, though typically they're adorned with suit symbols.

During the New Hunter Chairman Election arc, Hisoka is shown to have two earrings, somewhat similar to Kurapika's.

Personality
Hisoka is extremely confident in his own abilities. Along with his confidence, he is entirely self-interested and does what he pleases as long as it benefits him in some way. Hisoka temporarily joins the Phantom Troupe, a group of vagabonds that partake in criminal activities, so he can have the chance to fight against the group's leader. Hisoka seems to have an occasional interest with Machi as he often hits on her. He also seems to be more interested in young people with a lot of potential like Gon, Killua, and Kalluto.

Hisoka lusts for the thrill of killing powerful fighters in combat, and it is strongly implied that he receives sexual gratification from the act as well. In order for them to grow to their full potential (and for the pleasure of killing them later), Hisoka allows the main protagonists of Hunter × Hunter to live during situations wherein he is able to easily take their lives.

Background
Hisoka's past is never explored in Hunter × Hunter. His character is an enigma that speaks not of his past because he is uninterested in it. Hisoka is a second time examinee in the Hunter Exam, having been disqualified for killing an examiner during his first attempt.

In the 1999 anime adaptation, it is stated during his battle with Gon on the 200th floor that Hisoka chewed "Bungee Gum" a lot as a child but because his family was poor he often chewed it until it lost all flavor, and later he named his signature gum technique after the brand. In the manga, however, it is only said that he named both of his techniques after a candy brand and a chewing gum brand he liked when he was a kid.

Hunter Exam Arc
Hisoka, #44, is seen as a heavy contender throughout the Hunter Exam. During the 1st phase, out of a desire to murder, he acts like an examiner and kills a good number of applicants in the Numere Wetlands. Gon uses his father's fishing rod to stop Hisoka from killing Leorio and almost gets killed by him. However, Hisoka's penchant for killing the strong made him spare the boy and his friends due to their future potential. In the third phase, Hisoka is the first person to pass through the Trick Tower after killing a former examiner with ease, though he receives a minor wound on his right shoulder.

During the 4th phase, the remaining examinees are taken to Zevil Island to take part in a manhunt among themselves to capture each other's number badges. Right after unboarding, Hisoka seeks for a place to rest. His wound attracts a species of pink butterflies, leading his "predator" Gon to him. A fatally injured martial artist, Gozu shows up and begs Hisoka to kill him but he refuses, saying he's not interested in the dead. Gittarackur then appears, kills Gozu, gives Hisoka a badge then goes to sleep in a hole he digs on the ground.

Hisoka starts to search for his target. He meets the Kurapika and Leorio team. After a short negotiation he allows them to go in exchange of a badge. However their potential and quick development trigger his killing appetite, impelling him to go find someone to kill. As he kills a swordsman, Gon, who has been tailing him, uses his fishing rod to successfully catch Hisoka's badge then flees. Getting excited about his feat, Gon becomes inattentive and is ambushed by Gereta, a blowpipe user, who happens to be Hisoka's designed target. Gareta spares Gon's life but takes his and Hisoka's badges. Hisoka appears, cuts off his head and gives Gon back his badge along with his own badge. Gon refuses to accept this favor, but Hisoka just knocks him away with a punch to the face and leaves after giving him a challenge. Hisoka then obtains 2 other badges and qualifies for the next and also the last phase.

The last phase of the exam is an elimination tournament in which the winner of a match is removed from the candidate list and receives his very own Hunter License, and the loser is given more chance. His first match is against Kurapika. After fighting for a while, he whispers something to Kurapika then quits the match. His next opponent is Bodoro. It is a one-sided match but Bodoro does not want to surrender. Hisoka knocks him down and whispers something to him. Right after this, Bodoro admits defeat and Hisoka becomes a licensed Hunter. When the exam is already over, he has a short conversation with Illumi about Gon and the Zoldyck Family, and warns Illumi not to touch Gon because the boy is his target only.

Heavens Arena Arc
Hisoka follows Gon and Killua to the Heavens Arena and prevents the duo from entering the 200th floor unless they have learnt how to use Nen. Gon and Killua return after learning Nen from Wing, Hisoka allows both of them to pass and tells Gon if he can win one match on the 200th floor, he might consider fighting him. A fighter at Heavens Arena named Kastro fights Hisoka to avenge his only loss. At the begining of the fight Kastro seems to have the upper hand--landing some blows on Hisoka from unimaginable positions and angles. As the fight goes on Hisoka's right arm is even cut off by Kastro's Tiger Bite Fist, but he discovers Kastro's trick--a conjured double. Despite having lost 1 arm, Hisoka still appears very confident; he calmly performs a brutal card trick in front of Kastro, and after finishing it, he lets Kastro easily cut off his left arm.

Then Hisoka suddenly shows everyone a seemingly undamaged right arm, which greatly confuses Kastro. He goes on to tell Kastro about the weaknesses of his technique: the double never shows any damage, and as an Enhancer Kastro has insufficient memory for such a complex Conjuration technique. As he completes the explanation, he hits Kastro in the chin using his severed left arm then kills Kastro by making the cards on the ground stick into his body at various places. After the fight, it is revealed that Hisoka is a member of the Phantom Troupe. He pays Machi, another member, to stitch his arms back together with her Nen ability. She tells him that everyone in the Phantom Troupe must meet up in Yorknew City at noon on August 30th. Later, Hisoka agrees to fight Gon after Gon's first win on the 200th floor. During the fight, he accepts to take his examination badge back after Gon successfully hits him in the face. As they continue, Hisoka easily defeats him by TKO. He then leaves after telling Gon that the next time they fight, they will be risking their lives.

Yorknew City Arc
On 30th August, Hisoka meets the other members of the Phantom Troupe in an abandoned building in Yorknew City, where their leader Chrollo Lucilfer gives the order to rob the Mafia of the auction items. On the night of the 2nd of September, he sends Kurapika a message, telling him to meet as planned at the agreed place. When they meet, Hisoka tells Kurapika what he knows about the Phantom Troupe, that he joined the Troupe only to fight Chrollo, and that they should team up because they share a common interest. Kurapika tells him to meet again on the 3rd of September, at the same time.

The next day, he has an unexpected meeting with Gon and Killua after the two were captured and brought to the Troupe's hideout but they pretend not to know each other. Despite his liking for Gon, he can't do anything to save them and even threatens to slit Killua's throat with a card if the boy makes any move without permission. In the night of September 3rd, Hisoka participates in a retaliatory attack of the Troupe on the Mafia to avenge Uvogin's death, however he doesn't do any fighting and only stands on the top of a building watching and enjoying the scene. Later, after they have returned to their hideout, he wants to tell Kurapika that the corpses of several Troupe's members left behind are fake, but can't contact him.

On September 4th, Chrollo tries the Lovely Ghostwriter ability he stole from Neon on the other members of the Phantom Troupe. According to the predictions for Nobunaga and Shizuku, if they are to meet the chain user, 5 of them will die. At the same time, Hisoka sends a message to Kurapika, telling him about the fake corpses. The prediction for Hisoka exposes his betrayal of the Phantom Troupe but he manages to use his Texture Suprise to falsify the prediction and manipulate the group into staying in Yorknew City, just to be able to fight Chrollo. In the evening, Killua and Gon are captured again by the Troupe while Chrollo is taken hostage by Kurapika. After both parties have agreed on the conditions of the hostage exchange, Hisoka phones Illumi, hiring him to disguise as himself and act as his double in the Troupe's hideout so that he can leave and fight Chrollo alone. After arriving at the exchange site, he reveals to Chrollo his fake membership status and challenges him to a duel, but to his great disappointment, Chrollo can no longer use Nen. And so, Hisoka spares his life and leaves, telling Pakunoda that he's never been attracted to broken toys.

Greed Island Arc
Hisoka appears again on Greed Island in search of an Exorcist for Chrollo. He uses Chrollo's name to enter the game, which catches Gon's and Killua's attention and they, together with Goreinu and Biscuit, use a spell card to get to him. Because their team doesn't have enough strong people for their upcoming dogdeball match against Razor, Biscuit invites him to join them, to which Hisoka agrees because he is having nothing to do. Killua suspects that Hisoka has met other members of the Phantom Troupe on the island and is hiding it from everyone so he asks to check the list of the people he has met, but Hisoka tricks him by using the Texture Surprise to fake a new name list. During the dodgeball game, he is injured several times by Razor's powerful shots and throws but in the end their collective effort prevails and it's Hisoka who helps the team achieve an absolute victory by forcing Razor out of the court, at the cost of 10 broken fingers.

After that, he leaves to meet some members of the Phantom Troupe to help them negotiate with the Exorcist, Abengane. When they meet, even without using En he still notices that there is someone hiding behind a tree and threatens to kills that person if they don't show up, which frustrates Nobunaga. Kalluto, Hisoka's replacement in the gang, walks out and asks if his Zetsu was imperfect, to which Machi replies that it was well done but Hisoka is just a beast. Hisoka sizes up Kalluto and praises him for having a lot of potential. He then asks Machi what she will do if he kills Chrollo, to which Machi says she would hunt him down and kill him. As usual, Hisoka only replies in a playful manner that he likes it. He is later seen meeting up with Abengane after the latter has successfully removed the Nen beast on his body.

New Hunter Chairman Election Arc
Hisoka is next seen during the 1st round of the election looking for Ging. He secretly rates the Hunters on the scene using a scale of his own and is apparently quite happy with the power of some members of the Zodiac Twelve: Kanzai, Ginta and Piyon. He then casts a blank vote after showing it to them, which annoys Kanzai. After that he sits there scouting out the crowd. While sizing up the pro-Hunters present at the election site, Hisoka is disappointed by their power levels and thinks to himself that if they are this weak, he might consider fighting the Zodiacs next. Suddenly he feels the presence of someone strong, who turns out to be Illumi Zoldyck. Illumi then tells Hisoka about what happened during Chimera Ant crisis, the death of Chairman Netero, Alluka--his missing younger brother, and the current situation with Gon and Killua.

Hisoka and Illumi are next seen talking to each other in an airship bar. Illumi explains the rules related to Alluka's ability to him and tells him if Killua dies from Alluka's power while trying to heal Gon, a lot of people, including the Zoldycks, Gon, and even Hisoka, will die as well. Fearing that Killua will do it wrong, Illumi asks Hisoka to help him kill Alluka. Later, as Killua, Alluka and their butlers are on their way to Gon's hospital, Illumi manipulates some drivers and crashes their vehicles into Killua's car, causing it to fall into a forest below. Watching from a distance, Illumi tells Hisoka to eliminate the butlers but Hisoka asks if he can kill Killua. Illumi suddenly releases a murderous aura and warns him. Hisoka says he is just kidding. In fact, he provoked Illumi on purpose to let Killua know his location because he too wants Gon to be saved.

He then confronts Gotoh, Amane and Canary, who are left behind after Killua uses his Kanmuru ability to escape with Alluka. Gotoh tells the other butlers to go ahead and let him deal with Hisoka. At first, his Bungee Gum ability seems to be neutralized by Gotoh's ability to use coins as bullets and put spin on them, but Hisoka manages to fire the coins back at Gotoh, forcing him to shoot more coins to deflect them, and while he is distracted by the coins, Hisoka suddenly slits his throat with 2 cards.

Combat
Notorious for his cruel and deceitful fighting ability, Hisoka has proven to be deadly. His deviousness and volatility has made many opponents difficult to anticipate his next move, and this has led to him winning many battles. Using Shu Enhanced poker cards as his primary weapon, he throws them with ease and deadly accuracy. When he combines the use of his poker cards with the use of his Nen Ability, it becomes an even deadlier weapon.

In terms of physical abilities, Hisoka as been noted as both incredibly fast and strong, ranking 3rd in the Phantom Troupe in terms of physical strength (which is composed of 13 of the most powerful nen user seen throughout the series) and fast enough to easily dodge continous attacks from Gon without moving from the position he was in (his true speed and strength has not yet been shown).

Nen Abilities
Hisoka's nen abilities have served him well on numerous occasions, and especially compliment his ominous nature. While fighting with Kastro, he once fooled everyone by controlling his chopped arms with nen. Hisoka uses two versatile Hatsu, both in and out of combat:

Hisoka can apply his aura to any thin surface (such as paper or cloth) and change its appearance. This ability is impossible to detect visually without an ability such as | Gyo, however, if any physical contact is made, the deception becomes obvious. Hisoka named this ability after a brand of candy that contained a surprise.
 * Nen Ability: Texture Surprise (ドッキリテクスチャ 「薄っぺらな嘘」), lit. "Flimsy Lies"

After his fight with Kastro in Heavens Arena, it is revealed that the spider tattoo on Hisoka's back was a fake, made out of cloth. In Yorknew City, Hisoka also changed the words on the prediction written for him by Chrollo's stolen Lovely Ghostwriter ability. This was in order to fool the Phantom Troupe into thinking that he had been forced to betray the Troupe's abilities by Kurapika's Judgment Chain. He did a similar thing on Greed Island to his Book, in order to fool Gon and Killua into thinking that he had not met any Troupe members there. He also uses this to make both his cards and a cloth appear and disappear.

Hisoka can alter his aura's consistency into an incredibly sticky substance somewhat akin to bubble gum, albeit much stronger. It can be used to pull opponents within punching range for a flurry of rebound pummels. Bungee Gum can both stretch and contract, depending on what Hisoka desires. It can be attached either by pointing at his target or through direct physical contact. Additionally, Bungee Gum can also be used do cover a greater area by molding it into a sheet rather than a string. It is so reliable and durable that it can act as a shield against attacks or as a means to return them to their original caster. When not attached to Hisoka's body, Bungee Gum cannot stretch more than 10 meters. Hisoka named this ability after a brand of chewing gum he liked as a child. He has shown the ability to alter his Bungee Gum´s shape and colour. He conceals Bungee Gum using | In, thus it cannot be seen unless his opponent uses Gyo. However, even if an opponent uses Gyo, it is still almost impossible to avoid, as Hisoka can simply attach Bungee Gum while hitting his opponent.
 * Nen Ability: Bungee Gum (バンジーガム 「伸縮自在の愛」), lit. "Elastic Love"

Trivia

 * In the Latin-American dub, Hisoka speaks with a French accent and his name is pronounced as "Isoka" (with a silent H).
 * In the Indonesian dub, Hisoka is mispronounced as "Hyosoka" for unknown reason.