Of all the settings that appear in HUNTER×HUNTER, the most confusing by far is undoubtedly the "Nen abilities." It's not something that can be easily explained in a few pages like Dragon Ball's "ki" or Naruto's "chakra," so even in the original manga the settings are often revealed in small doses, making it quite difficult to understand. In this article, I'd like to thoroughly dissect HUNTER×HUNTER's "Nen abilities" from four perspectives: "Settings within the story," "Origins," "About the aura system," and "Introduction to the work that will make Nen abilities easier to understand."
Settings of Nen abilities that appear in the story
First, let's take a look at the settings discussed in the story regarding "Nen abilities."
Aura
In the world of HUNTER×HUNTER, it is explained that all living things are covered with life energy. This life energy is called "aura" in the story, and by utilizing the aura that fills the whole body, it can be used as a Nen ability.
Simply put, it's a supernatural power
The setting is confusing and hard to understand, but to put it simply, it's a supernatural power. It is the ability to transform the energy that is inherent to oneself to attack or create matter to fight.
The Four Great Practices
There are many ways to use aura, and the four most basic ways are called the "four great practices". The four great practices are just the basic ways of using aura, so there are many other ways to use aura besides the four great practices. The four great practices are "Ten", which keeps the aura generated from the body in the vicinity of the user, "Zetsu", which stops the aura generated from the body, "Ren", which creates even more aura by refining the aura, and "Hatsu", which uses the aura to perform techniques on the enemy.
It is also possible to infuse one's Nen after death
Unlike the ki of Dragon Ball and chakra of Naruto, Nen can be effective even after the user's death. It seems that in order to infuse one's Nen after death, one must have a very strong Nen ability, and a very strong belief is required. Therefore, the characters who have actually succeeded in infusing Nen after death are limited to very strong characters in the work.
Six Systems
Even though it is called Nen ability, it does not mean that everyone can use the same ability. There are six systems of Nen ability, and everyone belongs to one of these six systems.
Mizumisiki
To find out which of the six systems you belong to, you need to perform the "Mizumisiki". In the Mizumishiki, you place your hand on the outside of a cup with a leaf floating on the water and perform "Ken", which causes changes that can determine the system of your Nen ability.
A more detailed explanation of the six systems!!
So, what exactly are the six systems? I'd like to explain each system.
Enhancement type
This is a type of Nen ability that allows you to enhance the properties of your own body or matter through Nen abilities. The main characters Gon and Netero have this ability.
Control System
This is an ability system that allows you to control the opponent themselves or matter. Illumi and Pufu have this ability.
Transformation
This is a Nen ability that allows you to change the properties of yourself or objects. Hisoka and Killua have this ability.
Emission type
This is an ability type that allows you to emit aura like a beam. Leorio and Knuckles have this ability.
Trait type
Trait type abilities are quite different, and it is not decided that they are trait type abilities!! In other words, any ability that does not fit into the categories other than trait type abilities is a trait type ability. Chrollo and Kurapika have this ability.
Materialization
The ability to use aura to generate tools and living things. Kite and Kurapika have this ability.
What is the origin of Nen abilities?
Among the many battle manga settings, Nen abilities are particularly difficult to understand, but what is the origin of them? In this chapter, I would like to give a basic explanation of the origin of the Nen abilities in "HUNTER×HUNTER".
What is Nen anyway?
The word "nen" is something we often hear in our daily lives, isn't it? It is used in many everyday conversations, such as "long-awaited XX," "telekinesis," and "nenbutsu." As you can see from these words, the word nen means "to hold a strong thought in one's mind."
Eastern Thought
As you can see from the fact that the word "Nen" is deeply ingrained in our daily conversations, Eastern thought is deeply reflected in the setting of "Nen abilities."
Nen abilities and Shugendo
Among the many Eastern philosophies, the most easily understood example for us as the source of "Nen abilities" is "Shugendo." Shugendo is a unique Japanese belief that was born when a type of Buddhism that came from China was combined with Japanese mountain worship.
The origin of Nen abilities is in "Tengu"
You may not know what Shugendo is, but the familiar "Tengu" from manga and anime are thought to be people who practiced Shugendo. "Tengu" are practitioners who have acquired mystical abilities through Buddhist training, and it was believed that these Shugendo practitioners had abilities that ordinary people could not imagine through training in sacred mountain areas.
Life energy and mountain worship
Shugendo is a form of mountain worship, so it also has the implication of sensing the sacred energy that permeates nature through training. This way of thinking about Shugendo ultimately comes to life as the setting for life energy in "HUNTER×HUNTER."
The even deeper world of "Nen"
Furthermore, there is something that could be considered the source (?) of Shugendo. Shugendo was born when Esoteric Buddhism, a type of Buddhism that originated in China, was introduced to Japan and fused with Japanese mountain worship. The Esoteric Buddhism that is the source of Shugendo is the belief that one can gain magical powers by speaking the true teachings of Buddha.
Esoteric Buddhism's "magic" and "Nen abilities"
HUNTER×HUNTER's "Nen abilities" make good use of the magic elements of "Esoteric Buddhism" and the mountain worship of "Shugendo," and you can see that it is a very well-thought-out setting.
Nen and Japan
The introduction of esoteric Buddhism has had a great impact on Japan, and the idea of exerting power by speaking some kind of magic is the origin of not only Shugendo, but also onmyoji and ninja. Esoteric Buddhism is also connected to onmyoji, who recite magic while holding up a talisman to exorcise evil spirits, and ninjas who make hand seals and use magic.
"Nen ability", "chakra" and "esoteric Buddhism"
If we trace the origins of HUNTER×HUNTER's "Nen ability" and NARUTO's "chakra", we can see that they both originate from esoteric Buddhism. The impact that esoteric Buddhism had on us when it came to Japan was not only a change in Buddhist thought, but also a huge one, as it became the source material for many manga settings.
Different ingenuity from abilities that appear in other manga works
There are several ingenious aspects of "Nen abilities" that are different from abilities that have appeared in previous battle manga. In this chapter, I would like to analyze the ingenuity that author Yoshihiro Togashi put into "Nen abilities."
Emphasis on realism
The first ingenious point to be mentioned is "emphasis on realism." As mentioned above, "Nen abilities" are backed up by detailed settings, making them a very convincing setting.
Drawbacks of a complex setting
However, one drawback of placing too much emphasis on realism is that the setting is too complicated to explain all at once, making it difficult for readers to understand.
Summary
What did you think? This time, we have introduced in detail the "Nen abilities" that appear in "HUNTER×HUNTER". "Nen abilities" are a fairly complex setting, so we have introduced the "original source" and "unique ingenuity of the author" that could not be fully picked up in the original work. Anime Mill also has other articles that explain HUNTER×HUNTER in detail, so we hope you will take a look at those as well.
