Kite

"All good Hunters get along well with animals."

- Kite, to Gon

Kite (カイト, Kaito) is a Contract Hunter who was trained by Ging Freecss. He is the first character shown in the manga. After his death, he was reborn as a Chimera Ant.

Appearance
Kite is a tall, slender man in his late twenties or early thirties. In the manga and the 2011 anime, he is thin to the point of being gaunt, with long, unkempt white hair with the longer locks reaching his knees. He has an inverted triangle shaped face with a hooked nose, a pointy chin and big, roundish-almond eyes with small hazel irises. He wears a light blue peaked cap resembling a beret, a long-sleeved white shirt with a turtleneck, an azure sash (perhaps an obi) wound three times about his waist, black trousers and brown shoes.

In the 1999 anime, he has more handsome traits, with gentler features, thin almond eyes of dark color, brown hair and a more muscular physique. In this representation he wears a purple peaked cap, a lilac long-sleeved shirt with a turtleneck, a yellow obi from which hangs a katana with a blue-green hilt and sheath, black trousers and shoes.

Personality
Kite is stern and stoic, occasionally blunt to the point of appearing rude. Although some may regard him as cold-hearted, he is actually caring, fond of animals as he is of people. However, he never hesitates, not even when he has to take a life if the situation demands it, as little as he likes it: in fact, after saving Gon, he punched him because his ignorance caused the death of a foxbear.

Background


In the 2011 version, during Kite's youth, he makes a living by stealing from people. Although it doesn't seem that he has any family, he is helped by animals to steal food. His home is in the sewers. One day after stealing some bread, he finds Ging who has already befriended his animals. Ging said that Kite has potential so Kite forced Ging to make him his student. After bugging Ging, Kite was able to develop his Nen and Ging taught him how to hunt.

After mastering Nen, he passed the Hunter Exam with little difficulty. Although, Ging was not satisfied with Kite's accomplishment so he gave Kite a last hurdle. He wanted Kite to catch him. Kite considers Ging as the best hunter so his last test is the most difficult hunt in the world. There were no clues or leads to begin from so he finally decides to go to Ging's home, Whale Island.



At the age of 9, Gon Freecss is attacked by a foxbear mother protecting its cub. Kite saves Gon by killing the mother and then chastises the boy for making him kill it. He punches Gon in the face because of the boy's ignorance. He then tries to kill the cub, claiming it will grow up hating humans and will therefore be a danger to them. However, Gon stops Kite and vows to raise the cub.

In the 1999 version and the manga, Kite informs Gon that his father did not die in an accident (as he was told by Mito) but that he is a professional Hunter and is Kite's mentor. He leaves Ging's Hunter License in the boy's possession and then leaves to find Ging as a final test—claiming that it is the most difficult hunt in the world. Sometime after he meets Gon, Kite finally finds Ging.



In the 2011 version, this is the time where Kite finds out that the boy he saved is Ging's son. Ging praises him when he hits Gon in the face because it is common sense that foxbears should be avoided when they raise their cub.

Hunter Exam arc


At the age of 9, Gon Freecss is attacked by a foxbear mother protecting its cub. Kite saves Gon by killing the mother and then chastises the boy for making him kill it. He then tries to kill the cub, claiming it will grow up hating humans and will therefore be a danger to them. However, Gon stops Kite and vows to raise the cub. When told the name of Gon's father, Kite informs Gon that his father did not die in an accident (as he was told by Mito) but that he is a professional Hunter and Kite's mentor. He leaves Ging's Hunter License in the boy's possession and then leaves to find Ging as a final test—claiming that it is the most difficult hunt in the world.

Chimera Ant arc


After Gon completes Greed Island, he uses the Accompanycard in an attempt to fly to Ging with Killua. However, Gon is redirected to another person due to Ging's trickery. When Gon and Killua gets near him, they were suddenly pushed away. It turns out that they were standing on top of a Chimera Ant nest and anytime they could get killed if the man didn't use his ability. Then it was revealed that the person who attacked them is actually Kite. They were later seen eating by a bonfire while telling stories. Kite told the boys how he met Ging and how it changed his life. Kite also revealed that he finally found Ging.

Kite has been hired by the country of Kakin to do ecological research as part of a biological survey, leading a team of six kids aspiring to become Hunters. When another expedition team finds an arm belonging to an enlarged Chimera Ant Queen washed up onto shore, Kite's group sets out to find the origin source. He reasons that the animal probably ended up in the Neo-Green Life Autonomous State and enters the region with Gon and Killua in order to exterminate the dangerous creature.

Upon arrival to NGL, only he, Gon, Killua, Stick Dinner and Podungo Lapoy were able to advance because of the country's strict rules. Although it was stated that they changed clothing when they entered NGL, he seems to wear the same outfit. Shortly after, the team receives a message from Ponzu — already in NGL with Pokkle. On their way to help, they were already too late to save Ponzu. After following the trails of dead bodies, they met Rammot and he tested the boys if they could defeat a Chimera Ant.



The group soon discovers a narcotics factory in the country, formerly producing weapons and the drug 'D²'. There they encounter Yunju and his team. Knowing that Yunju is the leader, Kite was the one who faced him while the boys faced Yunju's subordinates. Kite was effortlessly fighting with Yunju until he finally used his Crazy Slots ability. The roll was 4 and became a rifle. He used the rifle to shoot Yunju in the head. The Mad Clown later clarifies that the best way to kill Chimera Ants is to aim for the head.



Yunju's death was immediately discovered by the ants so the trio became targets of the Hagya Division. Upon pursuing the nest, they were blocked by a huge number of Chimera Ants lead by Frog. They were given options by the officer and they chose to fight the ants one by one. After Gon and Killua defeated their opponents, Kite faced Frog and he rushed and used his Nen ability. The roll this time was 2 and turned into a scythe. Using his scythe's ability, Kite quickly defeats the entire division in one blow.



After getting close to the Chimera Sensing disturbance, Neferpitou appears, cutting off Kite's arm before he can defend himself. Knowing that they would only be a hindrance to Kite, Killua knocks out Gon and retreats, taking his friend with him. He then uses his nen ability to conjure a mace-like weapon to buy some time for the boys to escape. Unable to stand up to the Chimera Ant's strength, Kite is killed by Neferpitou. Although it was unseen both in the anime and manga, Kite was able to put up a fight since Neferpitou got some bruises after the battle.



Since Neferpitou enjoyed his fight with Kite, he keeps the body instead of feeding it to the Queen. Soon after, his body is reanimated and used as a training dummy for new Ant recruits. Knuckle and Shoot manage to capture him afterwards and bring him before Gon. After taking some blows from Kite, Gon hugs him and vows to get Neferpitou so he can save him.

Though Pitou later reveals to Gon that Kite's vessel is dead, it has since been revealed that Meruem's younger twin sister has Kite's memories. This means that his brain was devoured by the Queen after his death. However, Ging states that Kite's survival might have something to do with his ability "Crazy Slot"; whereby there is a number that will only appear when Kite has a strong will to survive and does not wish to die.

Abilities & Powers
Kite is a capable Hunter. He seems particularly knowledgeable about biology, enough to convince a corporation to enlist him to do an important biological survey in Kakin. He has discovered 68 new species in his few years as a Hunter. His competences and expertise allowed him to mentor the Amateur Hunters as well as pro Hunters like Gon and Killua. At the time he was introduced, he was much more powerful than the duo, and could battle high-ranked Chimera Ants, organisms he had never met before, without trouble, even managing to inflict a few superficial wounds to newborn Neferpitou with only one arm, albeit at the cost of his life. When he was revived as a corpse, he put up a good fight against Shoot and Knuckle. One of his most impressive accomplishments, however, remains his tracking down his master, the elusive Ging Freecss. In the 2011 anime, it was shown that he is well liked by animals, a trait that according to Ging identifies a good Hunter.

Enhanced Strength: Kite can swing his weapons with a single hand and no effort. In his first appearance, he bisected an adult Foxbear with only a one-handed slash.

Enhanced Speed: Kite can match Gon and Killua in terms of running speed. Furthermore, he moved so fast that Rammot lost sight of him for a moment, while the two boys could not evade his attack and their blows were blocked or dodged (although it should be noted that Gon is a slow starter and Killua still had Illumi's needle planted in his brain at the time). On more than one occasion, Kite has been shown to be able to move his left arm so fast and gracefully it leaves two afterimages. Since he does this in preparation for a fight, it is likely this is a sort of battle stance, implying he might have learned some martial art.

Enhanced Stamina: Kite can cover long distances running alongside Gon and Killua without tiring. A true testament to his endurance is given by the fact that he was able to fight the monstrously powerful Neferpitou after the shock and blood loss resulting from having his right arm cut off.

Immense Tolerance to Pain: Kite withstood having his arm ripped off and still continued fighting, even inflicting a few wounds on Neferpitou (although the Guard had just been born).

Proficient Hand to Hand Combatant: Although he seems to prefer to rely on his weapons, Kite is hinted to be rather capable at fighting with his bare hands. In the anime, he single-handedly redirected Yunju's attacks and landed a high kick on his face. When his corpse was under the effect of Neferpitou's ability, he was unable to use Nen, but Shoot still commented he had a hard time defeating him and that he was dangerous nonetheless.

Master Weapon Specialist: Having chosen an ability that forces him to use a random weapon, it can be inferred that Kite is extremely adaptable: he can wield blunt weapons, firearms and swords with dexterity, although he does seem to prefer some over others. In particular, he appears to favorite number 3, a mace, whereas he has a strong distaste for number 2, the sickle. He is likely a very skilled swordsman as well.

Nen
Kite is a Conjurer so he is specialized on creating objects out of the aura. He can extend his En as far as 45 meters, but the distance varies depending on his physical and mental condition. His Crazy Sots ability allows him to Conjure weapons. Its power is augmented through the use of a Contract that prevents him from choosing which weapon will appear. It is unknown if the fact that the clown face can speak is part of a Limitation as well, but it should be noted that Kite is the only character who has a sentient Nen ability. According to Ging, a number Crazy Slot comes out only when he desperately does not want to die. Its power is so great that Kite managed to reincarnate as Meruem's twin sister.

Anime and Manga Differences



 * In the manga and the 1999 adaption, he told Gon that his father is alive and inspired him to become a Hunter.
 * Kite is depicted killing the foxbear that attacked Gon in different ways. In the 1999 version he stabbed the foxbear, but in the 2011 version he sliced the beast in half.
 * In the 2011 anime adaptation, when he was reunited with Gon, there was an additional scene where he saved Gon and Killua from a nest of Chimera Ants.
 * His childhood and how he met Ging were only seen in the 2011 anime.

Trivia

 * Kite bares facial similarities to YuYu Hakusho character, Raizen.

Navigation
Kaito Kite