Why Hunter X Hunter's Hisoka vs. Chrollo continues to be one of the best fights in manga history, explored
Hunter X Hunter is known for its characters, storytelling, and for some of the best battles in the manga and anime industry. That last part is due to the combination of varied power and skill sets with a lot of strategy and intelligence, which reached its natural peak with the Hisoka vs. Chrollo.
Ever since the Hunter X Hunter series teased this battle at the end of the Yorknew arc, fans have been wanting to see these two extremely popular characters. They got their wish in chapter 351 of the manga during the Succession Contest arc.
Hisoka always wanted to fight Chrollo and the Phantom Troupe leader gave him this chance at the Heaven's Arena. This resulted in a battle that celebrates everything that readers love about the combats in this series.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.
Explaining why Hisoka vs. Chrollo in Hunter X Hunter is one of the greatest manga battles of all time
One of the main reasons why the Hisoka vs. Chrollo fight works so well is the build-up, with the characters being introduced several arcs ago and given time to develop expectations for this encounter. Since Chrollo couldn't fight his former teammate in Yorknew because he lost his nen, the moment this battle finally started in chapter 351 of the manga, it had enough build-up for fans to get excited.
Another reason is the strong characterization of both of them, with Hisoka's charisma and unpredictable nature making him a fan favorite, coupled with his versatility and intelligence as a fighter. Chrollo, on the other hand, is always hard to read in terms of understanding what he thinks, and his wide array of abilities as a Specialist in Nen makes him quite unique as a fighter.
When it comes to the battle itself, it stands out because of Chrollo's versatility since he can copy other people's Nen, with his Sun and Moon ability being the main tool that got Hisoka killed. In total, the Phantom Troupe leader used Kortopi's Gallery Fake, Shalnark's Black Voice, Order Stamp, Convert Hands, and the aforementioned Sun and Moon, all designed for the plan of killing Hisoka, including choosing Heaven's Arena as the location to battle.
More reasons
One important element that makes the Hisoka vs. Chrollo shine not only in Hunter X Hunter but manga, in general, is the mental games. Hisoka entered the battle planning with the idea that his opponent could only combine two abilities at the same time but Chrollo deceived him since he came with an upgrade and could use three at once.
Chrollo established the situation with the "persist through death" property of Sun and Moon affecting his puppets, thus making his enemy operate under a false sense of security. The Phantom Troupe leader displays the kind of high battle IQ that has defined most battles in the series but takes it to a whole new level while not breaking the Nen system, which is something a lot of fans love.
This was evidenced by the fact that Chrollo tricked Hisoka by stating an incomplete truth of his abilities and the latter believed him, which plays a bit with the classic battle shonen formula of a character explaining his skills to his or her opponent. Ultimately, the former Phantom Troupe member is killed by his former leader and author Hunter X Hunter Yoshihiro Togashi managed to craft one of manga's best-ever combats.
Final thoughts
The Hisoka vs. Chrollo battle works so well in Hunter X Hunter because it has a great build-up, two strong characters with unique personalities, and a flow that highlights the intricacies of the Nen system without breaking any rules. It also ends up having major repercussions in the story since this battle would change Hisoka's character in a big way.
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