HxH: Togashi’s Nen Charts – Nen Typing, Proficiency, and Explanation!

For those who follow the Hunter x Hunter fandom, you may have heard of the controversial Nen chart that has been circulating online and is widely believed to fundamentally alter the way Nen is used.

Togashi published a memo at the end of October 2022, which included two charts: a “Nen Type Chart” demonstrating that Nen is a spectrum, and a “Nen Proficiency Chart” assigning users one of four proficiency levels based on their current level of Nen knowledge in the manga.

The data presented here is neither novel nor particularly surprising. Because Togashi is such a skilled mangaka, these Nen charts only serve to corroborate our initial assumptions about the story.

Nonetheless, there is now very little room for argument about individual Nen characters’ strengths and weaknesses thanks to Togashi’s Nen update. Following is a comprehensive breakdown of the key information presented in the graphs.

1. There Is Only One Nen Type for Characters

This is probably the most contentious issue in the fandom.

Togashi’s hexagonal spectrum includes (clockwise): enhancement, transmutation, conjuration, specialization, manipulation, and emission.

Primary Nen types are fixed at birth, but characters can develop preferences for secondary Nen types that lie on a continuum with their primary type.

Thus, while some characters may be “pure” Enhancers, others may have a stronger affinity for Transmutation or Emission.

Gon is classified as an Enhancer only on the chart. While Palm and Nobunaga are both innate Enhancement types, they have a 20% and 40% tendency towards Transmutation, respectively. Gotoh and Ikalgo, whose default personality style is Enhancement, actually have a 20% and 40% propensity toward Emission, respectively.

Biscuit alluded to this in passing during the Greed Island storyline.

The goal of training in all Nen types is to make the user more well-rounded and improve their primary type; in chapter 148, Bisky was training Gon in Emission and Transmutation, and she ranked him somewhere between Emission and Enhancement, leaning more toward the latter.

While Gon clearly struggles with Transmutation, he does okay with Emission and shines with Enhancement.

Unlike the rest of the people on Togashi’s chart, Gon is an Enhancer and not a hybrid. Gon no longer favors Emission because, with practice, he has become far more adept at his natural Nen type, Enhancement, than he has at his former Nen type, Emission.

Simply put, if a character falls between two types (20-40%), it just means they pick up the second type more quickly than someone on the other end of the spectrum. However, no matter how hard you try to eliminate it, characters will always be disadvantaged when it comes to learning new skills due to their innate typing.

The concept of handedness is used by some fans as a lens through which to comprehend this idea. Although ambidexterity is relatively uncommon, it does exist.

2. Some characters are “ambidextrous,” but they only have one primary attribute.

Some individuals also sit squarely in the middle of two distinct Nen archetypes.

In my previous illustration, Nobonaga had a 40% preference for Transmutation. Killua and Machi, on the other hand, lean equally toward Transmutation and Enhancement.

Again, the important thing to keep in mind is that people have distinct primary Nen types.

Killua and Machi are Transmuters who can also learn Enhancement Nen skills, so they occupy a middle ground between the two extremes of the Nen spectrum, but they do not have dual Nen attributes.

They can train either skill at the same rate, but their natural Nen type precludes them from fully realizing the potential of the other.

What this means is that Killua has the potential to develop an Enhancement Nen ability just as easily as a Transmutation one, but his Transmutation ability will always be stronger due to his innate nature as a Transmuter.

3. Characters Are Able to Change Their Nen Type to Specialists

Changing one’s innate typing to Specialization, the only acquired Nen type, occurs extremely rarely.

Nen users who specialize in a particular field are the most nuanced and difficult to categorize of all Nen users. For this reason, I think Specialist is the best label to give Ging.

4. There Are 4 Types of Nen Proficiencies

Togashi verifies that the following four levels of expertise can be used to assess a character’s Nen skills: Ultimate, Genius, Excellent, and Great.

These reflect not only the character’s training, knowledge, and experience, but also their environment and their luck.

After transforming into Adult Gon to vanquish Pitou, Gon went from Great to Ultimate in a flash, but he also lost all ability to use Nen.

These ratings also indicate how well a character has mastered their ability based on how closely they approach the true “essence” of the technique.

The ratings don’t indicate an absolute strength, but rather compare one individual’s strength to another’s within the same Nen type.

5. “Ultimate” Proficiency is Rare

Only six characters have attained Ultimate proficiency in their respective Nen type/attribute circles. Meruem, Alluka, Abengane, Netero, Zeno, and Biscuit Krueger are their names.

Originally from the Dark Continent, Chimera Ant King Meruem is now possessed by one of the 5 Disasters, Alluka.

Because of their advanced ages, Netero and Zeno have perfected their skills to the fullest extent possible. The ultimate Conjurer, Abengane was the one Hisoka summoned to free Chrollo Lucilfer from the grip of Kurapika’s Judgement Chain.

6. All Innate Enhancers

• Gon Freecss
• Isaac Netero
• Uvogin
• Komugi
• Palm (+ 20% Transmuter lean)
• Nobunaga (+40% Transmuter lean)
• Gotoh (+ 20% Emitter lean)
• Ikalgo (+ 40% Emitter lean)

7. All Innate Transmuters

• Killua (+ 50% Enhancer lean)
• Machi (+ 50% Enhancer lean)
• Hisoka
• Biscuit
• Youpi
• Hanzo (+ 50% Conjurer lean)

8. All Innate Conjurers

• Kite (+ 50% Transmuter lean)
• Tsubone (+ 50% Transmuter lean)
• Shizuku
• Genthru
• Kortopi
• Knuckle
• Abengane
• Kurapika (+ 50% Specialist lean)

9. All Innate Specialists

• Chrollo Lucilfer
• Pakunoda
• Neon
• Pitou
• Alluka

10. All Innate Manipulators

• Milluki (+ 20% Specialist lean)
• Illumi
• Morel
• Pouf
• Ponzu (+ 10% Emitter lean)
• Shalnark (+ 20% Emitter lean)
• Kalluto (+ 40% Emitter lean)

11. All Innate Emitters

• Zeno
• Silva
• Knov
• Razor
• Meruem
• Leorio (+ 40% Enhancer lean)
• Franklin (+50% Enhancer lean)
• Pokkle (+ 20% Manipulator lean)
• Melody (+ 50% Manipulator lean)

12. Hunter x Hunter

The Hunter x Hunter anime is based on the same-named manga.

In this tale, a young boy named Gon embarks on a series of adventures after learning that his long-thought-dead father was actually a legendary Hunter. Instead of being discouraged by his father’s death, Gon resolves to become a formidable Hunter in his own right.

Gon must demonstrate his proficiency in hunting in order to earn his Hunter’s badge. Along the way, he meets new friends who must band together to help him succeed.