Ponzu

Ponzu (ポンズ, Ponzu) was one of the 24 examinees that managed to enter the fourth stage of the 287th Hunter Examination. She was examinee #246 in the 287th exam and #223 in the 288th Hunter Examination.

Appearance
Ponzu wears a big yellow hat (pink in the 1999 version) with white flaps which houses bees that come out at her will or when she falls or screams. She wears ordinary clothes, a salmon blouse and baggy pants and orange shoes without heels.

Personality
Ponzu is a serious, generally collected individual. Despite indirectly causing Bourbon's death, she showed no sign of feeling guilt, due to her attack having been accidental. She is quite perceptive, as she discovered the transmitter installed in her tag. She also is very objective, characterized by her prioritizing getting word of the Chimera Ant infestation to a strong Hunter.

Hunter Exam arc


Ponzu entered the 287th Hunter Examination and does the first three stages of the Hunter Exam with relative ease. During the fourth stage where the remaining contestants have to take the badges from their specific opponent, Ponzu learns that Bourbon is her target. She follows him up until a hidden cave and tries to set him a trap while he was inside. She let sleeping gas into the cave and as she enters and tries to take the badge, she realizes that Bourbon released his snakes and the gas didn't reach them; trapping herself in the cave along with Bourbon.

Ponzu's bees accidentally end up killing Bourbon after falling into his trap, but she is later rescued as Leorio, who was targeting her, Kurapika and Gon entered the cave and planed their escape. As they release the sleeping gas again, Gon take them all out of the cave but her badge is taken by him and given to Leorio while she is unconscious, causing her to fail the exam.

She is later seen in a car while Gon, Kurapika and Leorio head to the airport to get to Kukuroo Mountain.

Greed Island arc


Ponzu is shown to participate in the 288th Hunter Examination, although she then ends up being knocked unconscious in the first phase by Killua.

Chimera Ant arc


Ponzu is seen with Pokkle and his friends in a park discussing the ant attack of giant insects in NGL. At first she wasn't allowed to go along but she proves that she would be helpful in relaying messages due to her ability to control her bees. Their group learns of the dangers of the Chimera Ants and attempt to warn the outside world. However, before they get the chance, Zazan's squad detects them and Ponzu is the only one able to escape. When Pokkle was knocked out, she immediately runs for it. Knowing that Pokkle won't be eaten immediately, she rushed to write SOS messages in blood and uses her bees to bring the message to the strongest Hunter nearby—who happens to be Kite. When she finally decided to go back to the border, she is shot and eaten moments later by an officer from Zazan's squad who then devours her remains.

Equipment
Soporific Gas: In the fourth stage of the Hunter Exam, Ponzu used a vaporizer spraying potent sleeping gas to knock out her target.

Beehive Hat: Ponzu's hat is inhabited by a large quantity of bees (similar to wasps in the 2011 anime). According to her, it is a secret technique used in her family. If she starts shouting or falls due to a shock, the bees will come out and attack everyone around her without discrimination. Upon stinging, they inject a paralyzing poison that caused Bourbon a lethal anaphylactic shock, since he had already been stung by the same race of bees in the past. By lightly tapping her hat, she can make the bees come out without them attacking.

Abilities & Powers


Ponzu's primary weapons are traps using chemicals, but she has shown to use also other means of combat. She carries a bee hive underneath her hat from which the bees emerge to attack her enemies when she is threatened. She seems to be fairly analytical, realizing the nature of Bourbon's ability and that the badges used in the fourth stage of the Hunter Exam have transmitters implanted in them. According to Tonpa, she is able to discern when she is being followed.

Nen
Ponzu learned Nen sometime before sneaking into NGL, as she was able to see Pokkle's Hatsu. She has some skills with Manipulation, since she ordered her bees to deliver a message to the first Hunter with a powerful aura they found.

Trivia

 * Ponzu shares the same voice actress as Kortopi of the Phantom Troupe as well as Anita and Zushi, in the 1999 anime adaptation.
 * She came 9th in the first popularity poll.
 * Her hat looks similar to Koenma's of Yu Yu Hakusho.
 * In the 2011 anime Ponzu's remains were found by Kite, Gon, and Killua.
 * Ponzu and Pokkle are the only deceased examinees of the 287th Hunter Examination who did not die during the exam.
 * Ponzu_Takagi_Comparison.gif's death in the hands of the Gun-toting Ant looks strikingly similar to a scene in episode 535 of the Detective Conan series when a detective got shot. Curiously, the two scenes are both exclusive to the anime adaptation of their respective title while not being present or shown in the manga.