Melody

Melody (センリツ, Senritsu) is a Music Hunter and one of Neon Nostrade's bodyguards. She is currently a bodyguard of Prince Kacho Hui Guo Rou.

Appearance
Melody is short and stocky. She is balding and has straight hair that falls to her shoulders. Her front teeth are pronounced and protrude much like a rodent's. In public, Melody typically wears hats. Her clothes are simple and usually of earthy colors, though occasionally with pale pink accents. She always wears long sleeves and leggings, as the Sonata of Darkness has changed her appearance dramatically; her exposed flesh is warped and lurid enough to make Kurapika flinch. Her appearance before the Sonata changed her is unknown. Given that she asked whether Kurapika wanted to see a photo of her previous appearance and her longing to restore it, it is hinted that she was a beautiful woman before the Sonata deformed her. As a bodyguard for Kacho Hui Guo Rou, she wears a black suit and a tie.

Personality
Melody is a kind person. She is typically of a calm disposition. Due to her extraordinary hearing as well as natural astuteness, she is very perceptive and caring when it comes to the feelings of others. Her goal is to find and destroy the Sonata of Darkness, so that no one else will have to suffer the fate that she and her friends have. She wishes she could go back to her original appearance. She has a special affection for Kurapika and watches out for him, and was not swayed in the least by his determination to kill her should she reveal his secret.

Background
Melody is a Music Hunter. Her life changed as the result of one night of drinking with a friend. Having listened to a single movement of the violin solo part of the Sonata of Darkness she was deformed. Her friend, who had played the piece, had his entire body severely mutated and died as a result. Subsequently, Melody gained supernatural hearing; she can hear things as quiet as heartbeats. Her goal is to find the sheet music for the Sonata and get rid of it, so that none suffer the same fate.

Yorknew City arc


Melody, along with five other applicants, apply for the bodyguard position in the Nostrade Family. The head bodyguard Dalzollene discusses the nature of the position, such as retrieving items for their boss. After the introduction with him, hooded assailants ambush the room and attack Melody and the other applicants.

After the applicants find out that Shachmono Tocino is behind the attacks, Melody and the others look for the second acquaintance. She confirms that Squala is the one by simply listening to his heartbeat. The applicants take turns on interrogating Squala by revealing their Nen abilities.

Melody, along with Basho, Baise, and Kurapika, return to the mansion and deliver the specified items to Dalzollene. Impressed by their work, Dalzollene starts to discuss the progress from the Nostrade's Mansion to Hotel Beitacle in Yorknew City. Melody and the others follow the head bodyguard as he introduces to them their boss, Neon Nostrade.



During the first night of the Southernpiece Auction, Dalzollene partners Melody and Kurapika together to keep watch on the building's main entrance. During the watch, Melody asks for Kurapika's goal, while she shares hers: she explains that she wants to destroy the Sonata of Darkness, which caused her drastic change in appearance and killed her friend. Furthermore, she admits she wants to return to her original form and destroy all versions of the Sonata.

Sometime after the auction began, reports say that the auction items have been stolen. Dalzollene orders all remaining bodyguards to pursue the thieves until they arrived in Gordeau Desert. Melody and the others witness the Phantom Troupe member Uvogin massacre the Mafia community members. Melody hears a faint heartbeat from underground, as the Shadow Beasts members Worm, Porcupine, Leech, and Rabid Dog arrive to confront Uvogin, but are easily defeated.



Melody uses her Hatsu to calm the enraged Kurapika. While she calms everyone, Kurapika insists on capturing Uvogin and manages to do so. They escape by cars, although Melody notices the needle attached to Uvogin. Due to the sudden interference of the remaining Shadow Beasts, the Nostrade bodyguards escape back to Yorknew safely. However, the Phantom Troupe has found out their place and proceeds to rescue Uvogin. Melody and the other bodyguards escape, although Dalzollene dies without their knowing.

After Uvogin escapes, Melody contacts Kurapika and tries to contact Dalzollene, but to no avail. She suggests to contact Neon's father Light Nostrade about the situation at hand. She nominates Kurapika to be the new leader of the bodyguards, which Kurapika accepts. Later that night, Melody informs Kurapika that Light will arrive that night. Upon Light's arrival, he orders Melody and Basho to escort Neon until she is safe back home. Melody and Basho then accompany Neon and her attendants on a shopping spree at Ringon Airport, and subsequently lose sight of Neon. She updates Kurapika of the situation immediately.

After the ensuing battle in Cemetery Building, Light assigns Basho and Melody to take Neon on a shopping trip the following day, much to their chagrin, especially Basho's. She informs Kurapika the next day that the hunt for the Troupe is cancelled, after the Mafia found out they are from Meteor City. When Kurapika decides to hunt down the rest of the Troupe, he contacts Melody, who later joins Killua Zoldyck on trailing the Spiders.



Melody tracks down the Phantom Troupe's movement across the city and notes that Killua's steps are the most silent she has heard, which makes him reliable for Kurapika. They briefly lose track of the Troupe after exiting the station, and update Kurapika of the movement. After Gon and Killua are taken hostage instead of Kurapika, Melody regroups with him and scolds him for his reckless behavior. She tries to get in contact with Squala, who has the Scarlet Eyes, but does not receive any reply from him.

Kurapika successfully captures Chrollo Lucilfer and escape by car with Melody and Leorio. She tries to calm Kurapika from harming Chrollo, but nearly mentally breakdowns upon hearing Chrollo's dark heartbeat. At Ringon Airport, Melody confirms that Pakunoda is the real one and assures Kurapika that she can identify if Killua is being manipulated.

During the negotiation with Pakunoda, Melody contemplates about Kurapika's uncertainty. She confirms that the Gon and Killua are not being manipulated during the hostage exchange. Along with Kurapika, Leorio, Gon, and Killua, Melody returns back to Yorknew City.

Greed Island arc
The next day at an undisclosed place in Yorknew City, Zepile inquires Melody about Kurapika's condition. Melody details her flute had no effect on him and deduces he's far too fatigued from to be healed with her ability. Zepile offers to bring Kurapika to a hospital and if he's unable to he'll contact a friend of his that's a doctor to help him, which pleases Melody. On September 6th around 2 P.M. Kurapika wakes up and is brought up to date about all that occurred while he was in a coma by Melody. Before Melody and Kurapika depart Yorknew City from the Ringon Airport, Leorio and Melody talk briefly and Melody cites that Leorio's heart sounded the nicest within the city. Melody briefly appears again telling Kurapika the boss wishes to speak with him.

13th Hunter Chairman Election arc


Melody votes in the First Election for the 13th Hunter Chairman and was also one of Gon's visitors in the hospital he was confined in. As Leorio screams into his cellphone, demanding that he talks to Killua, Melody is distraught by Leorio's voice. When Killua arrives at Gon's location, with Alluka at the room where Gon is being treated in, Melody could stood guard near Goreinu. She along with everyone else feel Alluka's tremendous power as it's used to heal Gon. She then accompanies Gon and the others assists, as Gon goes to meet Leorio in the auditorium where all the Hunters were voting for the new chairman of the Hunter Association.

Succession Contest arc


Melody is recruited by Kurapika to be hired by one of the Kakin Empire Princes as a bodyguard. She is employed by Prince Kacho. When the Black Whale 1 departs, she overhears Kacho's plan to form an alliance with Prince Fugetsu to take down the other princes and learns that her entire self is a lie. She's later contacted by Kurapika, who asks her if she's spotted any Guardian Spirit Beasts, but she claims she hasn't. As Prince Kacho throws a tantrum over the food she's being served, Melody listens to what all of the other bodyguards and maids have to say about Prince Kacho and how Prince Kacho lies to herself is simply wrong.

On the second day aboard, she watches over Queen Seiko as an investigator from the ship's Supreme Court questions her about Barrigen's incident. That night, she hears Prince Kacho's pulse accelerate and rushes to her side, but sees her unharmed and calm through the canopy. Kacho puts on a cold front again, leading Melody to encourage her to rely on her bodyguards more. The prince replies to them it is in fact just a job, so she can just keep working and pretending to be concerned until she gets paid. From her heartbeat, Melody understands she feels obligated to act the way she does. The Hunter claims she does not have anyone she wants to protect as much as her employer, but that she is ready to stake her life on her mission. Kacho retorts that she cannot understand her, as she is not forced to kill her siblings and to put her own life at risk against her will. Kacho then asks her why she thinks she is doing it for someone else. Melody prepares to tell Kacho about Nen.

The next day, the prince orders Melody to help her with her studies. While seemingly chastising the bodyguard, she uses a high-frequency device to communicate with her in Morse code, instructing her on how to find one for herself. Following her directions, Melody finds it in the kitchen cupboard. She thinks to herself that Kacho really thought things through in order to survive and resolves once more to protect her.

After a conversation with her mother, Kacho informs Melody that they will perform at the next banquet and the two give each other instructions. Melody takes the task of finding a route. She silently wishes Kacho would stop pretending to hate her so that she will save Fugetsu if forced to choose between the two of them, thinking that the prince's kindness would make her sister herself unhappy. Keeney tells Melody he sensed someone appear in Kacho's bed the night before as if coming out of a manhole. Due to the Tenth Prince's behavior, they surmise it must be Fugetsu and her Guardian Spirit Beast. Melody muses that they have everything they need to organize their escape, but is worried that Kacho's Nen beast has not appeared once, and that it might even become hostile to them if it is a warlike one. She tries to think of a way to make it so the prince will be unable to summon it.

Equipment
Mosquitone Device: Melody owns a communication device which produces high-pitched sounds, similar to the buzzing of a mosquito, that only people below a certain age can hear. It is activated with the press of one's thumb and used to send coded messages, for example through Morse code.

Abilities & Powers
Melody has all the benefits granted by her status as a Hunter. She has considerable prowess as proven by the fact that she successfully retrieved an item as part of a test required in order to be hired as Nostrade's bodyguard. Contrary to her petite appearance, she is agile enough to fend off attacks from Tocino's Nen puppets, although her astonishment at Killua's acrobatic skills suggests hers are not nearly as developed. She knows Morse code.



Immense Hearing: Melody, after listening to the Sonata of Darkness, acquired extra-sensitive hearing and uses this ability in many useful ways. She is able to track targets or eavesdrop on conversations from hundreds of meters away. By listening to a person's heartbeat she can discern their emotional state, whether they are lying, and also if they are being manipulated. She can even differentiate among hundreds of people's footsteps, enabling her to determine the number of people in a crowd whilst picking out the distinctive sound of her target's strides. Her hearing also enables her to ascertain the skills of others from the sounds they make, such as knowing Killua is a former assassin from his silent steps.

Skilled Musician: Melody is masterful at playing her flute and projects her aura when her flute produces sound. In the Nippon Animation anime adaption it's shown she can play the piano.

Nen
Melody is an Emitter, and projects her aura when she plays her flute. Her music can alleviate the listener's fatigue and cure related illnesses, as well as placating their emotions.

Major Battles

 * Yorknew City arc
 * Melody, Kurapika, Basho and Baise  vs. Sachmono Tocino

Quotes

 * (To Kurapika) "I chose this job because I hoped one devil would know another."
 * (To Kurapika) "His heartbeat is normal. He isn't upset or agitated. There's no dissonance caused by fallacy... no fear of death. It's not that he doesn't think he may die... This is the sound... of full acceptance of death...!! He enjoys the fact that death is always by his side... I've had enough! I don't want to hear it anymore! His heartbeat -- or yours!!"
 * "Kurapika... You haven't realized the inconsistency in your own heartbeat...! No... the hint of dissonance is there, so you're aware of the conflict somewhere in the back of your mind...!! But you're refusing to acknowledge it..."
 * "You see loathing when you face this woman. But she's here for the same reason you are... to get her friend back!"
 * (To Leorio) "You know, you're very uplifting. You have the nicest heartbeat in this city. It's warm and gentle. I'd bet you'd make a great teacher or a doctor."
 * (To Kacho) "I... feel pride in my work. I don't have anyone close to me I'd want to protect with my life like you do... but if protecting someone is my mission, I'm prepared to offer my life."
 * "She's racking her brains in order to survive... I'll save her. I swear...!!"

Trivia

 * Viz translated Melody's name literally: when written as "旋律", "senritsu" means "melody".
 * In Volume 11, the author (Yoshihiro Togashi) revealed Melody was inspired by the character Nausicaä and possibly Yupa from Hayao Miyazaki's manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Ashitaka from the film Princess Mononoke.
 * Melody's ability of listening to people's heartbeat is reminiscent to Shigeru Murota's tapping ability in YuYu Hakusho.
 * In the manga, one of Melody's casual outfits is the same as the uniform typically worn by Japanese kindergarten students.

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Senritsu 旋律 Сенрицу