Hunter x Hunter: Melody’s Nen Song, Explained

In the world of Hunter x Hunter, Nen abilities are often a reflection of the character using them. While most of them are usually combat-based or play a role in the tide of battle, there are unique ones that can be used for the opposite, abilities that push for peace in a world of violence. Melody’s Nen Song does just that. Her abilities, centered around music, are a rare example of abilities that are not violence-based, as she uses them to heal people and even soothe them, avoiding destruction. Despite being cursed through sound, she still uses the very medium to bring peace, making her a highly memorable character in the Hunter x Hunter series.

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Who Is Melody?

The Cursed Musical Hunter

Melody is a hunter and bodyguard for the Nostrade family who specializes in music and sound. Hinted at being beautiful once before, she was cursed by the Sonata Of Darkness, a cursed musical piece after hearing it. Despite this, she still brings peace to the world of Hunter x Hunter, always caring about the well-being of others, and her abilities portray this character. She also seeks to destroy the cursed musical piece, as she does not want anyone else to go through what she did. However, it was a curse and blessing at the same time as it bestowed upon her abilities, which she makes exceptional use of.

The Sonata Of Darkness

A Cursed Melody That Changed Everything

Much of Melody’s life changed when she heard this cursed musical piece. The Sonata of Darkness is said to have been a composition by Satan and rumored that whoever listened to its tune would be terribly cursed, and Melody fell victim to it.

The unfortunate event happened one night while Melody and her friend were drinking. The friend played the Sonata of Darkness and instantly suffered a gruesome death. Melody, who had only heard a part of it, got off relatively luckier by suffering severe damage to her body and some of disfiguration which was enough to confuse Kurapika about her gender. Because of this, Melody has dedicated herself to finding the Sonata’s sheet music and destroying it, preventing anyone else from suffering the same fate as she and her friend.

The silver lining borne from this traumatic experience was the supernatural hearing that Melody gained. It enables her to hear sounds from far away that the ear wouldn’t normally pick up, such as heartbeats or footsteps. Combined with her musical Nen ability, it makes her an all-round and extremely valuable character in anything sound.

Melody’s Nen Song

A Harmonious Healing Ability

Melody’s Nen Song is an emission-type ability that allows her to affect the physical well-being, emotional well-being, and Nen flow of those who listen to the music she plays using her flute. While she is said to have mastered all types of musical instruments, the flute is the one she knows how to play best, hence its usage. With this flute, she can calm the emotions of those within hearing distance and even heal physical injuries. The vibrations of her music resonate with the aura of those listening, stabilizing their emotional and physical state with its harmony.

As Nen is essentially aura, she can also affect the state of one’s Nen, detecting irregularities and reigning in overcharged Nen. This makes her an invaluable support character, as she takes the burden off her colleagues by helping them control their Nen in battle. She can also detect their state using her abilities combined with her supernatural hearing to detect subtle changes in the rhythm of people’s heartbeats and other sounds. This makes her valuable both in battle and out, as she can also detect emotion, intentions, and even lies, a very valuable trait in a world where people are willing to sacrifice one another for power.

The Dark Side Of Melody’s Nen Song

Peaceful Ability Turn Dangerous?

As much as Melody’s Nen Song is meant to introduce peace and stability, it could also be deceptively used for her own benefit. An example is her Flowers in Spring. Flowers in Spring is a tune that, when played, entrances its listeners in an illusion of a meadow with beautiful flowers. Despite this being a technique that brings positivity, the listeners are rendered completely unaware of their surroundings and susceptible to external attacks.

If Melody ever decides to have a change of heart for the worse, she would be a very dangerous character as she would be able to manipulate the emotions and stability of her listeners negatively. She could amplify emotions like fear that would make her targets unstable and give her more strategic options and the upper hand in battle.

The Significance Of Melody’s Nen Song

A Nen Ability That Reflects Peace and Kindness

The Nen abilities of characters in Hunter x Hunter have their significance as they are based on the attributes of the character wielding them, and Melody’s Nen Song is no different, but it is in its usage. In a world where power equals control or destruction, Melody’s Nen Song acts as a force of gold that positively impacts the people around her. Even after being cursed by music, she still uses it to help those around her, reminding people that one is still capable of kindness despite being wronged. The Sonata of Darkness, the origin of her curse, also has its own significance in her life and in the Hunter x Hunter series.

The curse did not just disconfigure her; it also gave her a few abilities that could be seen as compensation for the damages it caused. This symbolizes one of the series’ most emphasized themes: the greater the sacrifice, the more powerful one gets. She might not have been cursed of her volition or willingly made the sacrifice, but she still got something out of it. Melody’s Nen Song also emphasizes music being a universal language. With her song, she is able to connect with different beings, be they friends or foes, eliminating barriers and allowing for communication and understanding.

Hunter x Hunter is available to watch on Crunchyroll.

Hunter x Hunter

Studio

Madhouse

Creator

Yoshihiro Togashi

Number of Episodes

148