Hunter x Hunter is a series that’s almost three decades old right now. The legendary story was started by Yoshihiro Togashi in 1998, and its popularity persists despite the many breaks experienced by this series. In Hunter x Hunter, Togashi has built a wide and expansive world with an array of fascinating characters, most of which have stolen the hearts of fans.
With such an expansive cast of characters, it’s always hard to guess who the most popular and overall best-liked character is. To that end, Animate Times just revealed a new survey targeted at Japanese netizens, which determined the number one most popular Hunter x Hunter character. At the moment, Hunter x Hunter’s most popular character is none other than Kurapika, the protagonist of the ongoing Succession Contest Arc.
Animate Times New Survey Confirms Kurapika As Most Popular Hunter x Hunter Character In Japan
Animate Times is a popular Japanese website, first founded in 2017. The website, as the name implies, mainly pertains to anime and manga content, with the focus being on Japan specifically. With Animate Times targeting Japanese audiences, it’s always exciting to see how the views of Japanese fans compare to other fans all over the world. We were definitely interested to see the results of the brand-new survey they released, which determined the favorite Hunter x Hunter character in Japan. The survey began earlier this month, and the results were officially released on July 27, 2026. Overall.
The pool for the voting wasn’t the biggest, but it’s enough to get an idea of whom Japanese people favor in the Hunter x Hunter cast. To the surprise of many, the number one most popular character in Japan turned out to be none other than Kurapika. This definitely surprises some, as overseas, the most popular character often tends to be Killua Zoldyck. However, for Japanese fans, especially those who keep up with the manga, it makes perfect sense to see Kurapika as the most popular around.
Since 2014, Hunter x Hunter has built up the Succession Contest Arc, and the characters of Gon and Killua have since been absent for the most part. At the helm of the story has been Kurapika, who leads us on the Black Whale as our main character. Of course, even before the Succession Contest Arc, Kurapika has always been one of the most captivating characters in the story. His backstory, revolving around the Kurta Clan and the Phantom Troupe, is compelling in more ways than one, and his journey to re-acquire all the eyes of his people, fueled by revenge, makes him one of the most iconic anime characters of all time.
With the return of the Hunter x Hunter manga on June 28, 2026, we’ve seen Kurapika back in action again, as the plot of the Succession Contest arc thickens. As things stand, Hunter x Hunter will continue showing more of Kurapika over the next few weekly chapters, while the other main leads, notably Gon, Killua, and Leorio, will continue to take more of a back seat for now.
Japan’s Top 20 Favorite Hunter x Hunter Characters
While we now know whom Japan’s Number 1 most popular Hunter x Hunter character is, Animate Times have also revealed the rest of the top 20, giving us a better idea of the overall popularity of various characters in the cast. After Kurapika, the second most popular character in Japan is none other than Hisoka. Hisoka is an extremely popular villain, and that is not surprising. He has played a major role in the story since its beginning, sometimes acting as an antagonist to the main cast, and at others, as an ally. His unpredictable nature and his highlight during the beginning of the Succession Contest arc, the battle against Chrollo, and now, his full-fledged return to the story, make him a captivating character to follow.
In Number 3, we finally see everyone’s favorite, Killua. Killua has been absent from the story for a long time, so the fact that he’s still as popular as he is goes to show the impact he has had on Hunter x Hunter. Killua’s bond with Gon and his sister Alluka, as well as his exciting battle prowess, has cemented him as one of the most popular characters of the series of all time.
The rest of the top 5 consists of Illumi at Number 4 and Chrollo at Number 5. Illumi has definitely always been a popular antagonist, but to see him above the likes of Chrollo has definitely surprised many, especially with the latter’s deep involvement in the ongoing arc. Right now, Chrollo is on the hunt for the Kakin National Treasure, which he needs to engage in a second round of battle with Hisoka.
In 6th place, we have the second most popular Phantom Troupe member, Feitan. Feitan isn’t the most involved character in the story, but his power and cool personality have consistently made him quite a popular character. In the 7th spot, we finally see the main overarching character of Togashi’s story, Gon. Gon at 7th spot might seem low; however, he is often overshadowed by the other leads of the story, and he has not been truly involved in the plot since 2014.
Right after Gon, we have the fourth and least popular main character, Leorio, who has always been the weakest main character. This is because of him being sidelined by Togashi throughout the story. Hopefully, he gets a moment to shine in a Succession Contest arc, as he is also present on the Black Whale. In the rest of the top 10, there is Shalnark in 9th place, and Machi at number 10. These two, alongside Chrollo and Feitan, showcase how popular the Phantom Troupe are, with many of their members taking up the top 10 spots.
In the Top 15, we see Kite in the 11th spot, who is Gon’s mentor and the one who pushed the Chimera Ant arc forward, leading to Gon’s transformation. After Kite, we get one of the most iconic Hunter x Hunter antagonists, Neferpitou, who has proven to be the most popular Chimera Ant in the Japanese fanbase, even more so than Meruem. Her character arc was certainly exciting to follow, and her battle against Gon makes her part of the most iconic battle scene of the series.
Aside from them, we also have Alluka in Number 13, Knuckle in 14, and Phinks in 15. Finally, in the Top 20, Biscuit makes it to the 16th spot for her role in mentoring Gon and Killua in Greed Island. Pariston Hill is at Number 17, with Wing at Number 18. Meruem takes the 19th place, behind the likes of Wing, and this has definitely come as a surprise to many, especially as he is an iconic antagonist whose popularity would have definitely made him Top 5 in an overseas poll. Finally, in the 20th spot is Shizuku, adding yet another Phantom Troupe member to the Top 20.
Source: Animate Time
Hunter x Hunter
- Release Date
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2011 – 2014-00-00
- Directors
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Hiroshi Kôjina
- Writers
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Atsushi Maekawa, Tsutomu Kamishiro
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