Togashi Reveals Why Hisoka Was Not in the Chimera Ant Arc

This article contains spoilers for the Hunter x Hunter manga.

Key Takeaways

• Hisoka didn’t join the fight against the Chimera Ants due to his disinterest in fighting non-human creatures.
• The Chimera Ant arc is considered one of the best in anime, introducing powerful beings like Meruem.
• It’s unlikely that Hisoka will join the expedition to the Dark Continent due to his preferences in fights.

After a long wait for the HxH manga, Hisoka finally makes his first real appearance in this Succession Contest arc. Hisoka is one of the most beloved characters in Hunter x Hunter, and many fans were left wondering why he was absent from an arc such as the Chimera Ant.

Now, Togashi has provided the answer to that in the most recent chapter of HxH.

The Chimera Ant Arc

One of the best-acclaimed arcs in all of Anime

In the Hunter x Hunter fandom and among anime fans in general, the Chimera Ant arc is undoubtedly one of the most acclaimed and beloved ones. This arc is held dear by many fans, thanks to the interesting characters that it developed or introduced, as well as its amazing plotlines and storytelling.

The Chimera Ant arc was quite a long arc, starting at chapter 186 and going all the way to chapter 318, being over 100 chapters long. In the anime, it was adapted into 60 episodes.

The most captivating part of this arc is, undoubtedly, the Chimera Ants themselves. Born from the Queen Ant that fed on various creatures, including many humans, even those who knew Nen, these creatures were fearsome, to say the least. The average Chimera Ant could go toe to toe with a proficient Nen user, while the stronger Chimera Ants were borderline invincible, with only the very strongest Nen users standing a chance.

The strongest Chimera Ant, the Ant King Meruem, is so far the most powerful being seen in the story, minus perhaps Ai. Even one of the best nen users in HxH, Isaac Netero, was not enough to take down a beast like him, and had to instead rely on a bomb, which, even then, did not kill him immediately and only made him more powerful.

Even though Meruem was the strongest, his royal guards, Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, and Menthuthuyoupi, were quite powerful in their own regard. Each one of them would require the most powerful Nen users to be taken down.

With that said, the threat of the Chimera Ants was just classified as a B-level threat, which means that what’s to come in the Dark Continent will make these ants look like fodder.

Hisoka’s Whereabouts During the Chimera Ant Arc and After

• Hisoka was not present during the raid on the Chimera Ants
• Hisoka Was Busy Chasing After Chrollo

One character that fans were definitely missing in the Chimera Ant Arc is none other than Hisoka, a character whose power shouldn’t be underestimated. Many fans thought Hisoka would be more than excited to join a fight against beings as powerful as the Chimera Ants. However, he was nowhere to be seen during this arc.

The mission against the Chimera Ants was a confidential one, and only a couple of hunters were called on to this mission. This mission’s Hunters were specifically chosen by Isaac Netero, and he obviously did not pick Hisoka as one whom he wanted to go with him. It’s also important to note that too many hunters could’ve been an issue during this mission as, if defeated, Meruem could have fed on them and gained even more power.

However, despite the secretive nature of this mission, it wouldn’t have been impossible for Hisoka to somehow fight a Chimera Ant. As some fans probably remember, some of the Phantom Troupe also fought against some Chimera Ants who were in Meteor City. Meaning that, realistically, Hisoka could have probably found out about these Ants and at least fought one if he was interested.

I choose not to kill you now. You see, it suits me to let you live until you become a truly worthy opponent. — Hisoka

What Hisoka was doing during this arc, was most likely chasing Chrollo. Chrollo would have been exorcized by now, and capable of fighting Hisoka. However, as many know, their fight will have to wait until a few arcs later.

After the Chimera Ant arc, Hisoka joined up with Illumi during the 13th Chairman Election arc to chase Killua and Alluka, who were trying to save Gon.

Of course, after this arc, Hisoka found himself finally achieving his dream of fighting Chrollo in which he lost and died. Hisoka did, however, come back to life even stronger with a desire to take down the Phantom Troupe. The Phantom Troupe are now on his tail in the Black Whale and Hisoka was finally spotted back in HxH 405 after a long break from being in the manga.

Why Hisoka Didn’t Join the Fight Against the Chimera Ants

Hisoka Had No Interest In Fighting the Chimera Ants

With Hisoka’s return to the HxH manga, Togashi finally revealed to fans the real reason why Hisoka did not join the fight against the powerful Chimera Ants, especially as most believed that he would be excited by fighting someone as powerful as the Royal Guards, or even Meruem himself. The truth about Hisoka, however, is that he has his preferences when it comes to what is a turn-on for him and what isn’t. Fighting what he considers animals is not something that interests him. Hisoka had no interest in the Chimera ants simply because they weren’t really humans, even though some of them do have some human DNA.

See, I’m normal. I’m not interested in bestiality or an orgy – I can’t get aroused. I’m just a guy who wants to be with someone one-on-one… so we can love each other to death. — Hisoka

Togashi also reveals that Hisoka has no interest in fighting groups, which is why he also has no interest in Halkenburg and his ability, especially because it is powered by a Nen beast.

If Hisoka was in the Chimera ant arc, he would be far more interested in fighting Isaac Netero or adult Gon, than Meruem or Pitou – which could’ve been troublesome.

Will Hisoka Join The Expedition to the Dark Continent?

For Now, It’s Unlikely That He Will Join

One thing fans might be wondering now is if Hisoka would even be interested in adventuring into the Dark Continent. If Hisoka does make it that far into the story, as his fate isn’t clear right now due to the Phantom Troupe, then he might not be that interested in that dangerous continent. The Dark Continent, to fans’ knowledge, isn’t inhabited by any humans, and as fans now know, Hisoka has no interest in fighting non-humans. The only thing that could make it interesting for Hisoka is if some powerful human makes it there and he catches interest in them – such as Beyond Netero.

Hunter x Hunter is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of Hunter x Hunter, Hunter x Hunter chapter 406, is set to be November 10th, 2024.