Koala

Koala (コアラ, Koara) is a former Chimera Ant Soldier in Meleoron's Squadron, and is now a companion for Kite (Chimera Ant).

Appearance
Koala looks like a small bipedal koala with pink fur, fluffy round ears, a big round nose and four black spots on his forehead that vaguely resemble an insect. He has small, round eyes with light brown sclera, irises and pupils. He wears a black tuxedo over a white shirt, a dark tie and a pair of striped, clown-like shoes.

Personality
Koala is stoic, keeping a straight face at nearly all times, but he is actually capable of feeling deep emotions and deciphering them with only apparent detachment. He has an extraordinary strength of mind, which allowed him to retain the memories from his former existence. Before dying, Koala had a complete disregard for human life, and made a living as an assassin. However, following his rebirth as a Chimera Ant, he developed a belief in reincarnation, although in a lay, nearly scientific way. This caused him to discover that every life has a worth. Apparently retaining a significant part of his memories, he chose to kill all the humans he met swiftly. Although his fellow squadron soldiers thought him ruthless, he actually did it to spare the victims the pain and tortures they would have suffered at the hands of the other ants. However, out of fear for his own life, he never tried to defend a human, which has caused him to feel a strong sense of guilt towards Kite, since he is the one that murdered a girl that greatly looks like him. He was ready to give up his life for it, but accepted to serve the reborn Hunter instead.

Background
Not much is known about Koala outside of the fact that during his previous life he was a hitman. This prompted him to continue his cycle of existence when he was reincarnated into a Chimera Ant, typically using guns to kill people.

Chimera Ant arc
Koala is first introduced confronting a terrified large man holding a tree trunk and he tells the large man to not do anything foolish, because he won't hold himself responsible for his death. The large man agitated by Koala's comment yells that obviously Koala is a lesser creature, and shouldn't be ordering around mighty men like him around. Koala quote's the large man's statement questioningly and while taking a drink from his gourd and inquire's what's difference between him and the large man? The large man then slams his tree trunk against Koala's head and telling him to shut up!

The tree trunk however breaks in two and then Koala wipes away the blood from the strike and says to the large man, didn't his mother ever teach him to answer people's questions and that nobody can save him now. Koala then shoots a water bullet into the large man's head killing him on impact. As the large man's body faints and dies, Koala states that next time he better learn from his mistakes in his next life. A voice then could be heard saying that Koala killed the large man. From a near by rock wall appears a Chameleon Chimera Ant.

The Chameleon Chimera Ant then states that dead bodies can't be preserved can they? Koala unamused with the Chameleon Chimera Ant's comment states that he just has to make sure he presents meat to the Chimera Ant Queen at the end of the day and that people like the large man makes him mad, how they don't realize how insignificant humans are. Koala further states that if the large man stood his ground and left he would have showed him some mercy.

The Chameleon Chimera Ant surprised by Koala's statement, brings up the fact that he only yesterday killed a little girl with red hair who rain away from him crying. The Chameleon Chimera Ant then states that if he were him he'd find away to get him not to struggle and that he has smarter ways of trying to capture prey. He also jokingly says that all he needs to say is don't move and that'd be enough, being a Squadron Leader an all. Koala again unamused by the Chameleon Chimera Ant's comment merely spits with an angry look on his face.

The Chameleon Chimera Ant then states that he'd be wise to try and restrain himself, although he's rather tolerable, he then suggests that Koala join the feed collection team if he wants. The Chameleon Chimera Ant then walks off and as Koala see him go, he comments how hopeless his superior is. Koala is seen again at the Chimera Ant Hive, after the Chimera Ant Queen is forced to give birth to the King and since a large faction of Chimera Ants have gone individual, Colt surrenders the hive to the Hunters Association, so they can save the dying Queen.

13th Hunter Chairman Election arc
Koala is seen again sitting on a sofa, in a room in Kite's mansion talking with Kite who now highly resembles the girl he killed while searching for the Queen's fodder. Koala states that she has red hair just like the little girl he killed. A flashback of Koala killing the little red haired girl is shown and after Koala kills the red haired girl another Chimera Ant Soldier grabs Koala by the cuff of his suit and yells at him. Koala states that he knew the group of Chimera Ant Soldiers that were chasing after the red haired girl, were scum and would have thoroughly had their way with her, while she was still alive.

She'd be reborn as a Chimera Ant Koala thought at the time, but at the same time he thought that the cycle he once lived is repeating itself. Koala then admits he was once a hitman and was ordered to pull triggers that killed people and in the rest of his time he'd yell at people. At the time he was happy and it was a job anyone could do, but even after he was reborn he's forced to repeat the cycle he's come to loath. And at the time he killed the red haired girl he wanted to let her escape from the cycle. Koala admits that he doesn't understand complicated arrangements, but as things stood at the time she'd be captured by them and after they'd had their way with her, they'd let her die and it would repeat.

Koala then notes that the red haired girl once lived in a remote area where nothing happened and she and her family lived a peaceful life, but then she'd be subjected to senseless violence and her life would be cut short... and the cycle would continue. Koala prayed, as he shot a water bullet into the back of the red haired girl's head that she would run away. Koala then states that even if he didn't do what he did, the Queen was eating hundreds of humans each day and among them only a select few had their memories from their previous lives.



Koala continues with perhaps the souls of the eaten people had safely escaped somewhere, but what he really wanted to do was give proactive help in helping them escape. He admits that the fact that Kite is their and not the little red haired girl means she probably did escape and by some blessing he's yet to meet a Chimera Ant that confronted him and tells him that in their previous life they were killed by him. They all seemed to have gotten well away from the cycle.

Koala again admits that in his previous life he didn't believe in souls and to him humans are fundamentally the same as fleas or flies, who just live and die. And the idea of pride was just a bug due to humans slightly more complicated minds, since when living things die it ends; they decompose, turn into dust, and scatter around the earth. Koala states that he thought the tiny particles had no meaning, but Koala became what he is now and his life repeated. And even though he's completely different in form, the he used to be, was the same kind of idiot and it repeated again.

Koala then states that even though he's an idiot, but he won't deny what he knows now that he doesn't want to let things that he doesn't understand pass by. First he died, then broken into smaller pieces, and it didn't end there. Though Koala thought having become that small it's really over, and in his substance he had a power that he could never even imagine. From a living person's perspective, substances that seem incredibly tiny like the size of a pollen, can continue to release energy to the degree where it can affect a living being's health for tens of thousands or hundreds millions of years.

And even smaller is DNA where the enormous amount of information that forms most of what they are, all into a double helix. But even more limitlessly and absurd small things are the things that gave birth to enormous space called the universe. Though the concept is small, a thing doesn't equal the aggregate amount of energy that Koala can release. Koala saying that the soul is probably small, but it held enough energy to reincarnate itself. But Koala then questions if he was reborn to repeat his previous life's deeds.



While Koala states he doesn't know what will happen next, since all he has are his senses and imagination, but something deep within him tells him not to repeat. He also thinks that the reason living beings repeat and redo is because while humans are alive, they're missing something that should be given to our hearts. He continues with even with the body, if the heart doesn't have a firm determination, it doesn't move well, but in Koala's case both before and the present moment, he thinks he's not on the right track and thinks that isn't good.

Koala admits that he will most likely continue his cycle again and while thinking he's not on the right track, which means he's made a wrong choice down the line again. He also then admits that instead of the little girl he should have shot at the Chimera Ants that were chasing after the red haired girl. If he did it then it'd just mean he's worse scum than the Chimera Ants that chased the red haired girl, since the price to purify his soul was too painful for him so he avoided it and killed the red haired girl instead.



While at the time Koala selfishly prayed for the girl to run away, he was simply desperate to avoid getting hurt himself, so he shot the red haired girl to protect himself. And by confessing his guilt to Kite whom looks like the red haired girl, Koala says he's just trying to save himself again. While Koala comments on how the story he told Kite was melodramatic, he gets off the sofa and thanks kite for listening to it. As Koala leaves the room Kite stops Koala and is ordered by Kite to join his expedition troop and protect her forever, for him to stay by the side of her the one whom he shot. So starting now he should live thinking this is the only way and that this is his mission with no room for other choices.



Kite then states that who would allow Koala to kill himself and reset. Kite then orders Koala to keep on living and to apologize every day to her and to keep working hard so he doesn't have to think the same shitty idea that is he on the right track. Kite demands Koala to apologize to her everyday, work as she says, and to live for her sake. As Kite states all of this he silently listens carefully. Kite then states that if his resolve he has now degrades even the slightest, she'll kill him. A moment of silence occurs as Koala and Kite look at each other. Spin then enters the room and tells Kite she has a guest and Kite says to let her in.

Gon enters the room and after Gon takes a seat on the sofa Koala leaves the room for the two to talk amongst each other. After Gon leaves the mansion and is waved good bye, by the Amateur Hunters and Kite, Koala apologizes to Kite. Kite then inquires for what and Koala confesses for wanting things to be easy and trying to run away from everything. Even if it's painful he'll try to live, so when he dies he can say he gave it his all. Koala is seen again with Kite, Gon, and the Amateur Hunters watch a flock of Small-billed Swans fly into the sky.

Abilities & Powers


As a Chimera Ant, Koala is stronger than normal humans, and probably even more powerful than average soldier ants. His exoskeleton is so durable that he only got scratched after being clubbed with a tree trunk, whereas the log broke in half. On that occasion, he also demonstrated a good sense of balance and a certain degree of strength in his legs, since he did not even stagger after the hit. He detected Meleoron when the latter was invisible, showing he is very perceptive. He has an exceptionally strong will, since he retained most of the memories from his former life, if not all of them. This probably means he still has the experience and techniques he gathered as a hitman.

Koala's fighting style revolves around his ability to spit fluids (water or liquor, it is unclear, but likely irrelevant) in a bullet-like fashion. The fluid is very compressed, as proven by the fact that an abundant quantity of it pours out of the nose, mouth and eyes of the target if they are hit in the head. Koala uses a gourd in order to always have supply of liquid on hand. He is very accurate, seemingly always hitting precisely where he intends to. It's currently unconfirmed if he can use Nen, although it is likely.

Trivia

 * Koala shares the same voice actor whom also voices Ikalgo and Gotoh in the 2011 anime.
 * As a human, only his silhouette was seen in the manga. However, the black suit matched with an equally black fedora and the fact he is shown wielding one gun may imply his appearance was inspired by Reborn's true form from the Katekyo Hitman Reborn franchise.