Hanzo

Hanzo (ハンゾー, Hanzō) is a jonin (上忍, jōnin—translatable as "upper man", the highest ninja rank) from the Cloud-Hidden Village in Jappon. During the 287th Hunter Exam, he was applicant #294 and decided to become a Hunter in order to find the elusive Hermit's Scroll ( 隠(いん)者(じゃ)の 書</rb>(</rp>しょ</rt>)</rp>, Inja no Sho). He is currently one of the bodyguards of Prince Marayam Hui Guo Rou.

Appearance
Hanzo is a bald young man with feather eyebrows. His early training as a ninja made him very fit. He wears a black shirt with thick shoulder pads and grey pants and shoes. He wears a red bandana around his neck and white bandages around his wrists and ankles. As a bodyguard for the Kakin princes, he wears a black suit and a tie.

Personality
One of Hanzo's most noticeable traits is his loquacity, which, together with the good spirits he often shows and the occasional gullibility or anger outburst, conflict with his upbringing as a ninja. His confidence in his own skills can turn into overconfidence and again lead to him revealing too much. Nonetheless, he can be focused and cold-hearted: as part of his training, he had already killed before the age of 10, and he had no qualms about torturing Gon. This however does not mean he does not feel pity, as he decided to throw the match since he realized that despite the pain he was inflicting on him, Gon did not hate him, which Hanzo felt was fair when he was torturing someone. He also blamed himself for Momoze's death, despite not having been able to prevent it due to her mother's orders, and vowed to avenge her, which he later did by tricking her murderer into confessing and then killing him.

Hunter Exam arc


A flashback of Tonpa reveals that Hanzo confesses he's a ninja and when asked if he wants a drink by Tonpa, he refuses as ninjas don't accept presents. After the first phase of the Hunter Exam, which is a marathon, Hanzo is easily able to converse while running—most of the others are breathless and struggling. In the second phase, featuring cooking, he defeats a Great Stamp with ease, but like all the others is rejected by Menchi, and in the second cooking challenge he is the only one to know what sushi is but once again he's rejected by Menchi like all the others. Menchi mentions Hanzo when asked what Examinee she favors. He then participates at the third phase led by Lippo and is the third candidate to clear the deadly traps and puzzles of the Trick Tower and is able to proceed to the fourth phase.

During the fourth phase on Zevil Island his designated target was the leader of the Amori Brothers, Amori, so he secretly followed him waiting for a good chance of take his badge without being noticed. He then finds a chance when Killua defeats the Amori brothers and throws Amori's and Imori's badges in the air. Although he gets the wrong badge due to the fact that Killua noticed him hiding in the shadows, he is able to take the tags of Shishito and Kenmi and is allowed to advance to the next phase.



In the final test of the Hunter Exam, Hanzo is forced to battle Gon. His speed, strength, and battle experience easily exceeds that of Gon. However, the only way to pass the final test to is force your opponent to admit defeat—Gon refuses to do so even after being severely beaten. Hanzo breaks Gon's arm to force him to admit defeat, but Gon still refuses. Noting the lack of hate in Gon's eyes after this act, Hanzo realizes he actually has come to like Gon. He willingly bows out of the battle, giving Gon the victory needed for him to pass the final test.



After his match with Gon he fights Pokkle and is able to quickly make him surrender which meant that he has passed the Hunter exam. When Illumi Zoldyck wants to go murder Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, Hanzo, and some examiners block his way. After the end of the exam he gives some of his business cards to Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio and offers to guide them if they go to his country. He then departs following his goal to become a successful Hunter and find the Hermit's Scroll.

Heaven's Arena arc


During Gon and Killua's training in the Heaven's Arena, it is revealed by Wing that Hanzo learned Nen after the Hunter Exam.

13th Hunter Chairman Election arc
Hanzo later appears in the manga to pay respect to the previous chairman, Netero, and vote for a new Hunter Association Chairman. He is seen outside Gon's ward trying to incite him, along with Gon's other friends. Being near to Gon, Hanzo along the others assists from the outside at the building. Gon recovers thanks to Alluka's powers feeling a strange and powerful aura. He then accompanies Gon when he goes to meet Leorio in the room where all the hunters were voting for the new chairman of the Hunters Association. While the crowd was applauding for Gon everybody in the room starts wondering who the baldy was near to Gon making him blush.

Succession Contest arc


Hanzo is recruited by Kurapika to act as a bodyguard for any Kakin Empire Prince in order to get information on Prince Tserriednich. Hanzo doubts that Tserriednich would have gone on public media to request a bodyguard. He is hired as Prince Momoze's bodyguard. At the request of Queen Sevanti Hui Guo Rou, Hanzo and most of the other bodyguards are ordered to protect Momoze's younger brother Marayam. Later, Hanzo and Biscuit notice that Marayam's Guardian Spirit Beast has gotten larger.

After Prince Momoze's sudden death by one of her bodyguards, a furious Hanzo blames himself for not being there to save her. He believes the murderer might strike again, and deduces that he is one of the two bodyguards taking a break. He swears to Biscuit that he would make the murderer pay for killing Momoze.



Hanzo and Biscuit later notice that Momoze's death has taken a toll on Marayam, as his Guardian Spirit Beast keeps growing and looks increasingly ferocious. After being relieved of duty, he lies in bed and asks Biscuit to watch over his body while he uses his Hanzo Skill 4, with which he creates an astral projection of himself. His clone heads to the cells where Tuffdy and Nagmum are held, knocking out the security guard. He randomly chooses the former's cell and wakes him up, telling him he has been scouted by Prince Benjamin for the murder of his sister. Tuffdy confesses and explains the detail of his Nen ability, after which Hanzo kills him. When he heads back to Room 1013, however, he finds it empty, his body nowhere in sight: the only presence is a smaller, fiercer-looking version of Marayam's Nen beast, which poses to attack when he attempts to step closer.

Hanzo tries to use the phone in the room, but it does not work. Surmising from the presence of the Guardian Spirit Beast that the Thirteenth Prince is still alive, he leaves and hopes to use the phone in Momoze's room to contact Marayam's other bodyguards, but he learns from the guards that access to the rooms of princes who have died during the succession contest are closed off and telephone lines cut off. He thus heads to Kurapika, informing him of his plight. Lacking the clearance to contact a higher-ranked prince, Kurapika states he will be able to ask Prince Halkenburg's guards the following day, but Hanzo reckons he will be back in his body by then. Shimano tells Kurapika the Captain of the Guards of Prince Marayam, which prompts Hanzo to rush off to Room 1013; however, he finds it empty again.

At the end of the phone call, Kurapika shares his impressions of Vergei with Hanzo and warns him he might be looking for a mole in their midst, although the ninja doubts he is in the position to start a witch hunt. He then asks Kurapika if there is anything in particular he wants him to investigate. The Rat tells him to prioritize information to ensure Prince Marayam's safety, prompting Hanzo to think he is a good guy before leaving.

Equipment


Hidden Blades: During the Hunter Exam, Hanzo had two blades concealed under the bandages on his forearms, which he can pull out to fight with or to torture the opponent. He was confident he could dismember Gon with them. It is unknown if he still wears them.

Abilities & Powers
Hanzo has all the benefits granted by his status as a Hunter. He is seen as a very fast and powerful fighter who easily bested Gon in speed and strength. His training as a shinobi was described as being extremely rigorous, but thanks to it he successfully became a master of the Hidden Cloud style (雲隠流 Kumogaku-ryū) of ninjutsu. In terms of raw power, Killua placed him above himself and slightly below Hisoka, although this ranking might not be completely reliable, as the assassin was still ignorant of the concept of Nen. Hanzo claimed that at Gon's age, he had already killed. He is probably a good martial artist, capable of stunning and paralyzing a person with a single blow to the back of the neck. He has great physical strength and a remarkable sense of balance, bearing the full weight of his body on just one finger, and claiming to be able to hack off one of Gon's limbs using one of his hidden blades. He also knocked out the boy and sent him flying with a single uppercut. He succeeded in breaking Gon's hand easily as a part of his torturing skills, and while Gon never gave up, Killua remarked that if Hanzo used some of his other torture methods Gon would have easily surrendered. He is a good tracker, although Killua noticed that he was being followed by him, and is also good at detecting other people, managing to recognize the Hunter that had been following him during the second to last part of the exam. His weakness lies in the fact that he talks too much, leaving him open at many occasions.

Nen
Hanzo was noted by Menchi to have a powerful aura before even starting to train in Nen. Wing said he learned Nen in less than six months. Hanzo insinuates that his Hatsu abilities may be related to his ninjutsu background. He appears to be rather knowledgeable about shadow clones, detailing the differences between autonomous clones and directly controlled ones. Since his only known Nen ability is numbered, it is possible he has at least 3 more.

Major Battles

 * Hunter Exam arc
 * Hanzo vs. Great Stamp†
 * Hanzo vs. Gon Freecss (by default) (Final Phase)
 * Hanzo vs. Pokkle (Final Phase)

Quotes

 * (To Tonpa) "Don't tell anyone, but I'm actually a ninja. I want a license so I can hunt the elusive 'Hermit's Scroll'. Rumor is it's in a country barred to commoners."
 * (To Gon) "Is your pride all you care about?! Even more than your life?! Is it some kind of weird rush to hold out in the face of impossible odds?!"

Trivia

 * Hanzo is likely named after Hattori Hanzō, a famous Japanese ninja.
 * In the 1999 anime when all the examinee that passes the third phase are stranded in Lippo's 'bonus stage', Hanzo takes the lead in getting them out of the trap.
 * Hanzo's appearance is most likely based on the character Kazemaru, from YuYu Hakusho.

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Hanzô Ханзо