Phantom Troupe

The Phantom Troupe (, Gen'ei Ryodan), sometimes just called Troupe (, Ryodan), is a world-renowned gang of thieves with Class-A Bounties. The group is also known as "Spider" (, Kumo) and its members go by the name of "Spiders". Most of them hail from Meteor City.

Overview


The group consists of thirteen members, all of whom are highly skilled Nen users. Each member has a numbered tattoo of a twelve-legged spider on their body. Those wishing to join the group can do so by killing a current member, thereby replacing them. If a vacancy opens due to a member dying or other causes, the leader of the group Chrollo Lucilfer is responsible for replacing them.

Among their crimes was the massacre of the Kurta Clan, Kurapika's family, committed only for the sake of retrieving the Kurta Clan's characteristic Scarlet Eyes. They occasionally do philanthropic work, and are a major asset to Meteor City's military force: for example, when bombs failed against Zazan and her invasion, the Spiders took the initiative and demolished her and her army of Chimera Ants, even without their leader to guide them. They are, however, considered outliers even by Meteor City standards.

Despite their close ties to each other, they will allow those who have killed their members to join. Chrollo organized a revenge massacre of the Mafia in deceased Troupe member #11 Uvogin's honor, although Machi speculated he might ask Kurapika (Uvogin's killer) to become a Spider.

Origins


The Phantom Troupe, and most of its members, originate from Meteor City, a junkyard city that is inhabited by outcasts. People who live there do not exist in any official records, and the existence of the city itself is known to very few people. Sometime in the past, Chrollo Lucilfer formed the Phantom Troupe with at least six other Meteor City residents and left the city. The founding members of the Troupe were Chrollo himself, Feitan, Machi, Nobunaga, Pakunoda, Franklin, and Uvogin, with the possible inclusion of Phinks and Shalnark.

Associates
Other than themselves, the Phantom Troupe occasionally asks for outsider assistance during their missions. Examples include:
 * Illumi Zoldyck: hired to kill the Mafia's 10 Dons. He was accompanied by Maha and Kalluto.
 * Hisoka Morow: searched for an exorcist to free Chrollo from Kurapika's Judgement Chain.
 * Abengane: hired to remove the Judgement Chain from Chrollo's heart.

Hierarchy and Rules
Mirroring the metaphorical representation of the group as a twelve-legged spider, the Phantom Troupe is composed of 13 members, one "head" and 12 "legs". All the "legs" are equal in ranking and decisional power, and tasks are assigned based on each member's individual skills or volunteering. The "head" is the leader, whose orders are to be considered the utmost priority; however, their life is not, since even the "head" can be replaced. The "legs" are expected to always adhere to the governing principle that the prosperity of the group as a whole trumps the survival of any one of its individuals, even taking matters into their own hands should the interests of the group and of the "head" clash. In Chrollo's case, however, several members had come to be so reliant on him that his life was in fact elevated to the status of priority of the group.

The Phantom Troupe does not assemble frequently, but gathers at the "head"'s request, which can be discretionary or mandatory. Skipping a mandatory meeting could result in a "leg" being punished by the "head". Only the "head" has the authority to add new members, although a "leg" can recommend candidates they deem suitable. When a member is killed, the "head" can take it upon themselves to inflict retribution on the offender. Nonetheless, defeating a current member is a viable way to replace them, which may not be subjected to the "head"'s approval.

Other than following the "head"'s directives, there are no specific lines of conduct "legs" are expected to follow. Although some members believe buying and bidding to be against the ways of the group, others have no qualms about resorting to legal, non-violent channels and transactions, with at least two of them becoming Hunters for the associated benefits. It has been noted that two "legs" are always by the "head"'s side when the Phantom Troupe gathers, but it is unknown if that is an official rule.

Positions and Roles
Phantom Troupe members are assigned to or volunteer for certain activities in the group based on their aptitude.


 * Boss (団長, leader): The leader of the Phantom Troupe. Currently held by Chrollo Lucilfer.
 * Acting leader (団長代理, leader substitute): The interim leader of the Spiders when the leader is absent. This position was granted to whoever killed Zazan first. Formerly held by Feitan Portor.
 * Commando team (特攻 or 実行部隊, vanguard/attack squad or execution squad): Volunteers for this unit are frontline fighters. One of their main responsibilities consists in protecting the recon and cleanup groups. Formerly held by Nobunaga Hazama and Uvogin; currently held by Nobunaga Hazama, Phinks Magcub, and Feitan Portor.
 * Recon (情報, intelligence): Members in charge of information gathering. Formerly held by Shalnark and Pakunoda.
 * Cleanup (処理部隊, disposing squad): Members in charge of removing evidence of the group's criminal activity. Currently held by Shizuku.

Coin Tossing




Serious fights are prohibited among Phantom Troupe members. Since no "leg" outranks another, if a clash of opinions cannot be solved through discussion, coin tossing is used to settle the quarrel. The coin used is custom-made, the heads side sporting the group's signature twelve-legged spider, and the tails side depicting a spider's web.

Tattoo


Members of the Phantom Troupe, with the possible exception of Chrollo, sport a tattoo of a twelve-legged spider somewhere on their body. Inside the spider there is a number, ranging from 1 to 12 for the "legs", which differs for each member. It is unknown how these numbers are assigned. Although the twelve-legged spider is instantly recognizable as the symbol of the Troupe, the fact it is numbered is not as widely known.

Kurta Clan Massacre


Five years prior to the start of the series, the Troupe approached the Kurta Clan for their valuable Scarlet Eyes and massacred everyone there, leaving behind scores of dead bodies with eyes gouged out and a message stating, "We reject no one, so take nothing from us."

Zoldyck Encounter
At some point prior to the start of the series, Silva Zoldyck killed Troupe member #8 of the Troupe and fought with Chrollo Lucilfer. The outcome of the fight between them is unknown, although both survived.

Hunter Exam arc
Kurapika reveals to the Captain that his ultimate goal is to kill every last member of the Phantom Troupe to avenge the Kurta clan. The Captain warns him that many Hunters have pursued the group, but none have survived.

During the Hunter Exam, Majtani reveals a fake spider tattoo, shocking Leorio and Tonpa, who reveal to Gon and Killua the significance of the symbol. This enrages Kurapika, who then beats up Majtani.

During Kurapika's fight with Hisoka in the final tournament, Hisoka whispers that the Troupe is meeting up in Yorknew City in September before resigning.

Heaven's Arena arc
After Hisoka's fight with Kastro, it was revealed that he is a member of the Phantom Troupe. There, he meets Machi, another member, who tells him that everyone in the Troupe will be gathering without exception in Yorknew City at noon on August 31st. After Machi left, it was shown that the spider tattoo on Hisoka's back was a fake.

Yorknew City arc
As August 31st arrived, all the members of the Phantom Troupe gathered. Chrollo stated that they will be taking everything that is up for auction, and if anyone tries to interfere, they have his permission to kill them.

During a conditional auction, Shizuku met Gon and challenged him in an arm wrestling match to win a diamond ring she admired. She proves to be a challenge for Gon but ends up losing because she used her weaker hand.



As the auction is about to start, Feitan and Franklin walk onto the front stage disguised as the hosts. Upon welcoming the guests, Feitan cuts his speech short, and Franklin lets his Nen bullets fly, killing nearly everyone in the room. Tocino attempts to defend himself and his comrades with his Nen ability, but is unable to block Franklin's bullets. Baise and Ivlenkov quickly flee from the room, but quickly encounter Shizuku, who attacks the two with her own Nen ability, a conjured vacuum cleaner named Blinky. She then uses Blinky to remove all the bodies and blood from the auction house, leaving no traces behind.

Later, the members of the Phantom Troupe escaped by a hot air balloon. Uvogin informed their leader that the merchandise was gone before they arrived at the safe. Since the Mafia had taken steps before their arrival, Uvogin reasoned that there must be a traitor among them. Chrollo, however explains that a traitor would have nothing to gain from this situation and thus nobody betrayed the Troupe. They learn that the Shadow Beasts, an elite group of assassins under the Ten Dons, have been called in to deal with them, and that a member of the Shadow Beasts was the one responsible for emptying the safe beforehand. Chrollo then gives the orders to kill any Mafia member that stands in their way in order to draw the Shadow Beasts out.

The hot air balloon is soon spotted by the Mafia and shot down. The community, as well as the remaining Nostrade bodyguards, rushed to the area where the balloon had landed. The Mafia attempts to surround the Troupe, who are watching on a cliff from above. Uvogin decides that he will be the one to take on the Mafia and jumped down, ready to put on a show alone. He begins to easily pick off many members of the Mafia with only his brute strength, appearing to be an unstoppable force. Even an anti-tank bazooka had little effect against him. Suddenly, a worm-like beast appears from below ground and introduces himself as the Shadow Beast Worm. Rabid Dog, Leech, and Porcupine, also members of the Shadow Beasts, appeared to Uvogin.



The Shadow Beasts attempted to attack Uvogin, while the other members of the Phantom Troupe sit around playing cards. Worm is the first to attack, punching Uvo in the face, but receives an even greater punch back from him. In a hurry to get away and immobilize Uvo, Worm squirms underground and attempts to pull Uvo under with him. To free himself from Worm's grip, Uvo uses his Big Bang Impact, blasting a huge crater into the ground critically injuring Worm. He then attempted to punch Porcupine, only to have Porcupine's hairs stick through his hand. Uvo attempted to free himself from Porcupine but was unable to do so.

Meanwhile, Rabid Dog takes multiple swipes at Uvo with sharp fangs, biting off pieces of Uvo's flesh and injecting poison into his bloodstream. Uvo eventually collapses from this poison, allowing Leech then to enter the battle who proceeded to fill Uvo with Spotted Leeches which he has stored within his body. Uvo then bites off half of Leech's head, killing him. In a bullet-like fashion, Uvo spits a piece of Leech's skull into Rabid Dog's head, killing him as well. To get Porcupine off of him, Uvo screams extremely loudly, knocking Porcupine out.

Filled with poison and leeches, Uvo asks Shizuku if she will be able to remove them both. She told Uvo that she is only able to use Blinky to vacuum up nonliving things. For this reason, she was able to remove the poison, but not the leeches. At this moment, Kurapika takes advantage of Uvogin's paralysis, and captures him with the Chain Jail ability, he pulls Uvogin out from the crater and takes off with the rest of the Nostrade Family by car. While in the car, Uvogin attempted to speak, but is quickly silenced by the agitated Kurapika.

After capturing Uvogin, Kurapika along with his fellow bodyguards are being tailed by the other members of the Phantom Troupe with the help of Machi's Nen Thread and needle which is attached to Uvogin. However, Owl from the Shadow Beasts suddenly jumps in front of the car where the Phantom Troupe members are currently riding in and traps them using his Fun Fun Cloth. Feitan, Machi, Shizuku, and Shalnark are able to escape but Nobunaga gets caught due to his position in the car. The members that escaped recognize Owl and soon after, the other remaining Shadow Beasts appears. After underestimating the Troupe, the Shadow Beasts recklessly attack them even though Owl warns them to take caution for he knew what their enemies are capable of. Meanwhile, all of the Shadow Beasts are killed by Feitan and Shizuku except for Owl who they plan to interrogate in order to learn the location of the treasures which he kept hidden during their attack on the auction house.

Later, Uvogin is held captive by the Nostrade bodyguards and is unable to move due to the poison instilled in his body and asked them about how long he had been asleep. Dalzollene makes him realize his situation and stabs him using his sword but it is easily broken by Uvogin's body because it was protected by Nen. They ask Uvogin about the treasures and he answered them truthfully. Uvogin proposed a deal that if they free him, he would let them alive. However, Kurapika asked him about the guests since his comrades were part of them, Uvogin tells him that they killed them all because it was part of their plan. Hearing that angered Kurapika, leading him to punch Uvogin on the face.



Back to the Troupe, Owl is shown being tortured by Feitan, leading him to hand over the treasures. Hisoka on the other hand asked for the boss' permission to go out to meet someone. Meanwhile, Shalnark was seen infiltrating a Mafia communications room and manipulating the person who receives the calls, leading him to find out where the Nostrade family has been keeping Uvogin. Phinks and other members disguised themselves as Mafia members to rescue Uvogin, killing Dalzollene in the process. They tell Uvogin that they have killed the rest of the Shadow Beasts and obtained the auction items, and that they have an order from Chrollo to return. Uvogin however insisted on finding Kurapika to seek his revenge. Having no choice, Phinks and the others returned to their hideout waiting for Uvogin there.

In an abandoned amusement park, Hisoka met up with Kurapika. Hisoka told Kurapika the things he knew about the Phantom Troupe, and asked him if he wants to team up with him. If he agrees he will tell him the abilities of the seven Phantom Troupe members he knew. Kurapika told Hisoka to meet in the same place tomorrow and he shall answer him there.

In a random dead person's apartment, Uvogin drank his beer to get the poison out from the leech while Shalnark was looking on the Hunter website to find where Uvogin was being held captive. He found out that it was owned by the Nostrade family, among some other buildings in the city. He gives Uvogin a list of places where some Nostrade family members are residing, due to the former's desire to find the "chain user". Uvogin is ready to go when Franklin told him to hurry and Shalnark asked him not to go overboard. Uvogin then tracked Kurapika to the hotel where Neon Nostrade and the rest of her bodyguards are staying. They agree to fight one-on-one in a small canyon on the outskirts of Yorknew City.



Kurapika eventually captures Uvogin with his Chain Jail, and questioned him about the location and abilities of the other Phantom Troupe members. Uvogin refused to answer any of his questions, only asking Kurapika to kill him. Finally, Kurapika pierces Uvogin's chest with the Judgement Chain ability, giving Uvogin the condition that he must answer all questions truthfully. Kurapika once again asks Uvogin the location of the other Troupe members, to which Uvogin only smiles and tells him to go to hell. Kurapika's Judgement Chain pierces Uvogin's heart, instantly killing him. Uvogin is buried in an unmarked grave at the site of their battle.

On September 3rd, because Uvogin has not returned, Machi and Nobunaga posed as a couple in the middle of a square in an attempt to lure out the chain user, but they attract Gon and Killua's attention instead and are tailed by them. With the help of Phinks and Pakunoda, who have been secretly following them, they easily captured the kids and bring them back to their hideout. Nobunaga ended up liking Gon, wanting to recommend him for membership to Chrollo when he got back. He kept watch over them alone until nightfall when the two found a way to escape.

Thanks to a picture of Neon Nostrade just uploaded on the Hunter website, Chrollo found and approached her after she had escaped from her servants and bodyguards. Neon with the help of Chrollo was able to get pass the security and went inside the building where the auction was held. Chrollo chatted with Neon about her skills in fortune-telling and then asked her if she can foretell his fortune and Neon agreed. Neon started her fortune-telling in front of Chrollo, after she was done Chrollo read the first verse of the papers and tears flowing in his eyes by saying that all of the thing foretold are true. The two continue on their way after finishing their dinner. The whole fortune telling of Neon to Chrollo are stuck into Chrollo's mind while walking he told Neon that he believed in ghosts, referring to Uvogin, and they will do what he wants by going wild and knocks Neon out. After knocking out Neon, Chrollo acted like he was concerned about her and asked security to help her. In the room where they operates the monitors of the building one of the assassins asked an operator to rewind the scene where Neon collapse and sees Chrollo's action by striking Neon.



The assassin finally located Chrollo who have already disposed of another hit-man and tells the other hit-man to show himself and invited him to fight one by one. Feitan told Phinks about the message he received from their boss telling them to get wild while getting to the Cemetery Building where the auction is supposed to be held there, Phinks asked him about the others and the later replied that they are on their way to cemetery but they are cleaning up trash while approaching the building. Other members of the Troupe are seen at the streets of Yorknew City disposing police and Mafia members. Meanwhile Chrollo introduces his Indoor Fish to the hit man whose body is seen torn into pieces and after telling him the use of the Nen fish, he opened up the window that instantly kills the hit man. Chrollo, while stating the words that's been foretold to him, he performed a requiem by shedding blood dedicated to Uvogin.

The Phantom Troupe continues to wreak havoc on the streets of Yorknew City while getting near to the auction building, leading the situation inside the Cemetery Building to be uncontrollable. The members of the Mafia started to panic, wanting to protect themselves by breaking the rules of the auction.



Zeno and Silva who were hired by the Mafia, found Chrollo's location and after a short chat, the three made their moves and started their battle. Chrollo manages to cut Silva's arm by using a Ben's knives which is easily recognized by Silva and he managed to stop the poison from spreading. Zeno analyzes the abilities of Chrollo and manages to guess how he can steal someone else's ability. Zeno walked towards Chrollo and made his move but he suddenly stopped. He saw Chrollo taking action by using his ability, Skill Hunter—a book that contains the lists of the abilities he stole. Zeno becomes more cautious and uses his Nen ability in fighting Chrollo within a distance and manages to guess the use of Chrollo's book while fighting him. Chrollo kept evading Zeno's attacks while not letting his guard down on Silva. When Chrollo finally felt the Silva's presence, he get caught from Zeno’s technique. When Chrollo is finally trapped, Zeno signals Silva to finish him off and Silva releases two large illuminating balls of aura aimed directly to Chrollo and his father.



Right before the Zoldycks can finish him, however, Illumi Zoldyck calls and tells them that the Ten Dons have been eliminated in a mission whose client is Chrollo. As their clients are dead, they spare him and leave. Chrollo then called other members, telling them not to touch the ambulance that is carrying Neon to the hospital and to continue with the plan, according to which they make use of Kortopi's ability to fool the Mafia with fake corpses of five members, take the real items and sell their copies in the rescheduled Underground Auction held on the 10th floor of the building. After that, he and the other members return to their hideout and celebrate their victory.

At the place where the Phantom Troupe were staying, Chrollo ordered them that they will depart Yorknew by the night. Nobunaga exchanged words with him stating that they need to find the chain user and avenge Uvogin's death. After Franklin advises Nobunaga to follow their boss' orders, Nobunaga then started questioning if it was indeed an order from their boss. Nobunaga called Chrollo by his name and wants to ask him a few questions. Chrollo faces Nobunaga stating that before he answers Nobunaga's questions he needs to first answer his questions.

Chrollo then asks Nobunaga about his date of birth, blood type and even his full name and gives him a sheet of paper to write all of his answers down. Chrollo then uses the technique he stole from Neon Nostrade in order to foretell the future of Nobunaga. Chrollo foretells Nobunaga's fortune and his fortune stated that the Phantom Troupe will lose more members. The same passage is also similar to Chrollo's own fortune. Shizuku then asked Chrollo to foretell hers. She deciphered the verses with the help of Chrollo and learned that she was one of the members who will die by next week along with Shalnark and Pakunoda.

After they had learned the results, the members reminded Nobunaga about their situation if they keep on pursuing the chain user. Chrollo also reminded him about his position and value on the Troupe. Hisoka jumps into the conversation and asked Chrollo if he can foretell the fortunes of each members. At the same time, Hisoka sends a message to Kurapika, telling him about the fake corpses.

The members of the Phantom Troupe have their fortune told by Chrollo including Hisoka, whom his fortune is all about his meeting and teaming up with Kurapika and giving him information about some of the Phantom Troupe members' ability. It also stated the time when he will face Chrollo alone. Pakunoda wants to see Hisoka's fortune but Hisoka warned her for she might get a shock. However, he managed to use his Texture Surprise to falsify the prediction and manipulate the group into staying in Yorknew City just to be able to fight Chrollo. After learning the fortune of Hisoka, Pakunoda immediately showed it to the others.



When Nobunaga heard about Hisoka's fortune, he got into a rage and tried to attack Hisoka but the fight was foiled by Chrollo. Later, Chrollo was able to deduce that Kurapika is one of Neon's bodyguards, and thanks to a pair of fake Scarlet Eyes that they sold him the night before, they know that he and the other bodyguards are staying in Hotel Beitacle, 2.5km from the hideout. Chrollo ordered Kortopi, Machi, Nobunaga, Pakunoda, and Shizuku to go with him to the hotel. On the way, noticing that they are being followed by 2 people, he told Kortopi, Nobunaga, and Pakunoda to go ahead while he, Machi, and Shizuku will stay behind. They then capture Gon and Killua again. Meanwhile, Pakunoda and the other two are able to know Kurapika's name and face after capturing and killing Squala.

As Gon and Killua are captured by Phantom Troupe, Chrollo ordered the rest of the members to meet up at Hotel Beitacle. Pakunoda, Nobunaga, and Kortopi arrived there. Nobunaga was surprised to see the two again and thought that they have changed their mind about joining the Troupe. He asked them to be friends with him. Killua refused and stated that he did not want to see their faces.



Chrollo asked Pakunoda to check on them once again. She does as he says and approaches them. Since there was still one minute left, Gon and Killua have to buy time before Pakunoda can check on them. Killua starts saying that her abilities won't work since they are innocent. This, however, works perfectly as planned. Right after Pakunoda knows the truth, the lights goes down and Killua breaks free from Machi's thread and breaks Pakunoda's left arm, followed by Gon kicking her chin. Machi then pulls out the thread which tied Gon's arms to prevent him from escaping. Killua tries to set Gon free by killing Machi, but his claws ends up trapped within her muscles, making him unable to move and captured by Machi. Gon then tries to save his friend, but was caught by Nobunaga instead.

Suddenly, a knife is thrown from the outside with a letter tied on it. As they realize that their boss was gone, Nobunaga decides to open the letter. The letter was from Kurapika, and Nobunaga gives it to Pakunoda. It read that if she talks about the boys' memories, he will kill Chrollo. She then remains silent to prevent the boss from being killed. The room suddenly goes bright again. Not long after that, Phinks, Feitan, and Shalnark come for help. When they are discussing about the situation, Phinks suddenly gets a call from Kurapika. He says that he will give three demands and they must obey them, or else, the leader will be killed. Kurapika asks to talk to Pakunoda and orders her to meet up at the place he designated. He then tells Nobunaga that the rest of the members should go back to the hideout. After that, he gave directions to Pakunoda regarding the place where they will meet. Shortly after that, she goes to the said place alone.

Meanwhile, at the Troupe's hideout, Hisoka was seen smiling and says that it is the perfect chance to fight Chrollo, but if he leaves, Chrollo will die. He then picked up his phone and asked Illumi for help.



Pakunoda finally arrived at the designated place. After Melody verifies her, Kurapika gives two conditions for both Pakunoda and Chrollo. The first rule for Chrollo is that he was forbidden to use Nen, and the second was that he may not contact any member of the Troupe. Kurapika claimed that his top priority is to get Gon and Killua back. To make certain that he adhered to those conditions he would use his Judgement Chain on him. After Pakunoda accepts the conditions, Kurapika puts the chain on Chrollo. He then gave Pakunoda's conditions; the first is that she must release Gon and Killua unharmed, before midnight and without any tricks. Second, she may not speak a single word about him. Pakunoda accepted it and Kurapika put the chain on her. Kurapika told her to bring back Gon and Killua to exchange hostages. Pakunoda agrees and she heads back to their hideout.

At the Troupe's hideout, Phinks insisted that Pakunoda tells him the chain user's location, and that he won't let her leave before telling him. However, Pakunoda refused and said that she will take the kids alone, making Phinks angry. Machi told her to leave, and that she will stop them. Feitan implied that Pakunoda and Machi are probably under the chain user's control. Gon suddenly interfered by saying that Machi and Pakunoda are just trying to save their leader. Phinks and Gon started arguing until Franklin stops them. He told him to let Pakunoda go and comes up with a decision that if the boss does not return, they could kill the controlled members and start to rebuild the Spider. This decision is quickly agreed by Machi, and she claims that she is not being controlled and that it won't be easy to kill her.



Suddenly, the phone rings and Phinks answered it. On the line, Kurapika asked to talk to the hostages. Phinks threw the phone with some force at Gon, much to Shalnark's anger, since they are using his phone. Kurapika asked about their current situation, to which Gon replied quickly and threw the phone back to Phinks. He then tells Kurapika that they are following his orders. Kurapika watched as Pakunoda and the boys go back to his place, until he suddenly saw Hisoka. He phoned Kurapika and asked to allow him to go inside the airship along with the hostages. He claimed that his target is the boss, and that he wanted to fight him. As the airships land, both parties meet. After verifying that Gon and Killua are not being manipulated, they begin the exchange. Kurapika and the others leave immediately after that, however, the spiders are still there. Hisoka challenges Chrollo on a duel, but Chrollo said that he was not worth fighting since he cannot use his Nen for now. This shocks Hisoka and he leaves immediately. He claimed that he was not interested in broken toys.

Back at the Troupe's hideout, the remaining members question Pakunoda's return without the boss. Instead of answering, Pakunoda charged her gun and points it at them. She then shoots her Memory Bomb towards them, with her memories and feelings in it. Right after that, Kurapika's Judgment Chain killed her instantly.

Greed Island arc
Phinks and Feitan steal a JoyStation Console with a copy of Greed Island and enter the game. Later the other Troupe members enter the game as well to find an exorcist to remove the Judgement Chain around Chrollo's heart. Kalluto also joins in the Troupe as Hisoka's replacement.

Chimera Ant arc


Feitan, Bonolenov, Shizuku, Phinks, Shalnark, and Kalluto go to Meteor City to exterminate the self-proclaimed queen of Chimera Ants Zazan and her army. Though not unscathed, the Troupe did not suffer any casualty, and was successful in saving their home and its remaining citizens. After personally defeating Zazan, Feitan becomes the de facto leader of the Phantom Troupe, as they await Chrollo's return.

Succession Contest arc


At some point after the Troupe eliminates the ant colony in Meteor City, at least one new member joins the group. After making contact with the Troupe to acquire the abilities of two members, Chrollo starts a fight to the death against Hisoka at Heaven's Arena.

Chrollo wins the match and eventually asks Shalnark, Machi, and Kortopi to confirm Hisoka's death. When Shalnark and Kortopi leave, under Machi's eyes, Hisoka comes back to life. He heals his wounds and restrains Machi before proclaiming he will kill every member of the Troupe. Talking to Shalnark on the phone, Chrollo informs him he intends to embark on the Black Whale 1 and steal treasure owned by the Kakin Empire royal family, and orders a meeting of the Spiders. Shortly afterwards, Hisoka kills Kortopi and Shalnark.

The Spiders embark on the Black Whale, residing in Tier 5. Machi and Chrollo meet up to discuss about Hisoka. Chrollo insists that everyone in the group wants a piece of Hisoka. Thus, he makes the "first come, first serve" for the rest of the members. In the meantime, Phinks, Feitan, Franklin, and Nobunaga beat up the thugs of a minor Mafia family, Buor, in the cafeteria of the lowest part of the Black Whale in order to get information and means to get to the heads of three great Mafia families. Phinks then commands the defeated thugs to note down the room number of anyone taller than 190 cm.

On the fourth day of sailing, the Phantom Troupe gathers at a table and discusses their unsuccessful search in Tier 1. Illumi introduces himself, explaining he has joined the group on Hisoka's request and that the magician has hired him to kill him. When the Cha-R Family claims their table for themselves, the Spiders leave peacefully. They subsequently split up, with Chrollo declaring they will meet again when Hisoka is dead.

Arm Wrestling Ranking


This is the ranking of the Phantom Troupe when it comes to arm wrestling. It should be noted that the arm wrestling competition is done without using Nen, or while maintaining Ten. It should be noted that all the members, with the exception of Kortopi and possibly Kalluto, whose strength is never shown, can defeat a pro-Hunter Enhancer such as Gon in this competition (Shizuku lost to him only because she was using her right arm despite being left-handed).


 * 1) Uvogin
 * 2) Phinks Magcub
 * 3) Hisoka Morow
 * 4) Franklin Bordeau
 * 5) Feitan Portor
 * 6) Machi Komacine
 * 7) Chrollo Lucilfer
 * 8) Bonolenov Ndongo
 * 9) Nobunaga Hazama
 * 10) Shalnark
 * 11) Pakunoda
 * 12) Shizuku Murasaki
 * 13) Kortopi

Trivia

 * Despite not appearing in the flashback, due to the ambiguity of Pakunoda's statement (ちょうど結成時のメンバー分 "Just enough for the founding members."), it is possible that Phinks and Shalnark were also among the founding members of the Troupe.
 * Gon was invited by Nobunaga to join the Troupe to fill the spot left by Uvo, but he refused. Other members doubted Chrollo would accept them anyway and even doubt his sanity.
 * Majtani passed himself off as a member of the Phantom Troupe to intimidate his opponents, although his tattoo lacked a number. He proclaimed he was one of the "Four Devas" of the group.
 * Machi told Hisoka to meet in Yorknew City at noon on August 30th, but the Phantom Troupe actually met up on August 31st.
 * When Chrollo predicted the future of most members of the Phantom Troupe, each of the 12 "legs" was identified by the number on their tattoo, which corresponded to a month of the year, including Hisoka, "April", and the late Uvogin, who was "November". The thirteenth member of the group, Chrollo, was left out of the allegory, matching his classification as the Spider's "head" rather than a "leg". The reason was later revealed to be Chrollo being Troupe member #0.
 * All known #4, including the non-canon one, Omokage, have proven themselves treacherous or to have hidden agendas.
 * Information on the Phantom Troupe costs 100 million on the Hunters' website, and probably even more for individual details.
 * It appears that Chrollo being the leader of the group is not common knowledge, since Biscuit Krueger did not recognize his name despite easily identifying another wanted criminal.

Intertextuality and References

 * Some members seem to have been based off iconic horror figures: Franklin (Frankenstein's monster), Kortopi (Sadako Yamamura from the Ringu franchise, Kitarō from GeGeGe no Kitarō, or a generic ghost from Japanese folklore), Bonolenov (mummy), and Hisoka (evil clown) are the most noticeable.
 * It is possible the Troupe has 13 members to parody Jesus and the 12 Apostles. Chrollo wears an inverted cross, often associated with with St. Peter or Satanism, and he openly mentioned the New Testament, defending Judas Iscariot.

Miscellaneous

 * Members of the Phantom Troupe usually rank quite high in character popularity polls. Many of them come within the top twenty or thirty characters, according to the second character popularity poll and third character popularity poll respectively.