Hunter x Hunter: Hulkenberg's Nen Ability, Explained

This article contains spoilers for the Hunter x Hunter manga.

Key takeaways

• Halkenburg's Nen ability, Grimmel The Dissonance, is extremely powerful and has an unknown Nen type.
• Hulkenberg uses his abilities on Mite's body, influencing the Succession War.
• The future use of Grimmel The Dissonance in HxH is uncertain, with questions about consciousness and strategy.

Hunter x Hunter Succession is heating up with the most recent chapters of the war, and many interesting characters are currently taking center stage, such as Hulkenberg.

Hulkenberg is one of the princes of the Kakin Empire, and is definitely a character that fans should keep an eye on. He has shown his ability before HxHHowever, fans finally know that this ability's name is following chapter 403 of the series. This ability is extremely powerful and will have major consequences in the coming chapters.

Who is Prince Hulkenberg in Hunter X Hunter?

• 9th Prince of the Kakin Empire
• Son of Nasubi and Queen Unma

Halkenburg is a part of the 14 principalities of Kakin, and is certainly one of the most interesting. He is very ambitious as he wants to change Kakin's political system from a monarchy to a more democratic one.

Arc in at the beginning of the succession contest HxHHe was more of a pacifist. However, this gradually changes as he becomes easier to kill as the story progresses.

War changes enemy institutions by force. Combat destroys the enemy's will by force. To wield such power is to be prepared to face death! – Hulkenberg

In more recent history, Hulkenberg was believed to be the son of King Nasubi by his second wife, the second Queen Duazul. This made Camilla, Tubeppa and Luzurus his full-blood siblings. However, as recently seen in HxH 403, Hulkenberg was a mystery when it came to his maternal line. In fact, it is revealed that Hulkenberg is not the son of the second Queen Duazul, but of the first Queen Unma. This makes him full-blood siblings instead of 1st Prince Benjamin and 4th Prince Tseridnich.

In a letter to Benjamin, after Kaiser and Fugetsu claim to be Kacho, it is revealed that Hulkenberg is Unma's son and that he took her as a second queen to avoid a possible assassination attempt by his two other brothers. Benjamin, however, doesn't really believe all of this, thinking it's just a rumor.

However, it is definitely believed that Hulkenberg knows who his real mother is and seems to have a good relationship with her, unlike his adoptive mother Duazul.

The Boy Who Shoots the Arrow : Grimmel the Dissonance

• Nen capacity of Halkenburg
• Nen Type: Unknown

Halkenburg is a character not to be underestimated. His Nen ability, which has two names, The Boy Who Shoots the Arrow: Grimmel the Dissonance, is a currently unknown Nen-type power and is one of, if not all, the strongest abilities seen in the Succession Battle Tournament arc. HxH.

His Nen ability allows him, as the name suggests, to shoot arrows. Forming his nen into arrows and bows, he can shoot arrows that can pierce any defense, even through walls and nen abilities. When the arrow hits the target, Hulkenberg can transfer his consciousness, or the consciousness of one of his supporters, to the target he just hit. The body of the person whose consciousness is transferred goes into a coma-like sleep, from which they do not wake up until the target's body is killed. This ability forms an armor around him, protecting him.

In order to use this ability, however, Hulkenberg must gather supporters. To do so, Hulkenberg relies on his guardian animal, which has an enhancement symbiotic type ability that marks people with a pinion on the back of its hand. If the marked people are loyal to Hulkenberg, this pinion will remain. Otherwise, it will disappear after 10 minutes. With that, Halkenburg can use their aura when he uses The Boy Who Shoots The Arrow: Grimmel The Dissonance.

While the Nen type of this ability is unknown, it is likely to contain multiple Nen types as it is a very complex technique. These may include nan types such as emission, transmutation, and manipulation.

To angle the shot at 26 degrees… I need to move forward 60 cm. Arrow Boy : Grimmel the Dissonance! Fire!! – Hulkenberg

The official English translation of this ability uses the term “Grimal the Dissonance”, but the katakana name for the ability is Grimal Les Dissonance. This is a reference to a French orchestra that operates without a conductor – a good reflection of Hulkenberg's ability, as he needs to have supporters around to be able to use this nen ability and how he wants to democratize the orchestra.

However, some things are unknown about this ability. Togashi will hopefully shed some light on this eventually. One of these questions concerns the fate of the target's consciousness and whether it remains in the original body but simply lacks control or something else entirely. Another question that may soon become relevant is whether Holkenberg can use this Nen ability while his consciousness is in another body. Currently Hulkenberg is in Mite's body, so it remains to be seen whether or not he can use this nen ability.

Future use of Grimmel the Dissonance in HxH

Hulkenberg has a body of power

In recent times HxHHulkenberg uses his abilities against Prince Benjamin's bodyguard, Balsamil's Mite. Hulkenberg recruited some men, and with their support, he was able to shoot his arrow at Balsamil's mite. The Silent Killer may have come up with a plan to kill him during his trial with TSK-17.

Now, Hulkenberg has sent his own consciousness into the body of Balsamil's mite, and what he does in the future remains to be seen. His body lies in a state of slumber surrounded by his supporters.

What he does next depends on whether or not Hulkenberg can use Grimmel the Dissonance on Mite's body. If he can, he may be planning to switch bodies again, possibly with his older brother, Benjamin, the first prince of the Kakin Empire. In Benjamin's body, Hulkenberg will have access to a lot of power, and that will definitely be a game changer in this succession battle.

Alternatively, Hulkenberg could have decided to remain in Mite's body until his older brother Benjamin was eliminated. In fact, Halkenberg could infiltrate Benjamin's ranks by pretending to be Mite. Then, he could use the same weapon that Benjamin had planned to kill him.

With that, Hulkenberg could eliminate Benjamin, and perhaps some of his men. This mission also causes Mite's body to die, allowing him to return to his original body, without any possible evidence linking Benjamin's death to him.

Hunter x Hunter is available to read through Viz Media. Series fans can read the series officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of Hunter X Hunter, Hunter X Hunter Chapter 404 is set for October 27, 2024.