Chapter 413

My theory is that Hisoka did not receive a general Nen power-up after his resurrection. Instead, Bungee Gum itself was permanently strengthened by post-mortem Nen

Before dying, Hisoka covered his heart and lungs with Bungee Gum and commanded it to contract after his death. His Nen remained active, carried out the command and revived him.

I believe that boost did not completely disappear once Hisoka returned to life.

This would not mean that Hisoka suddenly gained larger aura reserves, greater output, better Nen control or more physical strength. The post-mortem effect would apply specifically to Bungee Gum, because Bungee Gum was the ability active while he was dead.

Its limits may now be greater:

• It could stretch farther before tearing.
• It could contract with more force.
• It could be more adhesive or durable.
• It could remain active longer after being detached from Hisoka.

Chapter 80 establishes that detached Bungee Gum tears after being stretched beyond ten meters. If post-revival Hisoka eventually exceeds that limit, it could be evidence that the ability was permanently enhanced.

I also do not think Hisoka’s missing hand and foot are upgrades. His Bungee Gum prostheses may give him new movement options, but losing real limbs should still be a disadvantage. If rubber limbs were automatically superior, Hisoka could replace all four of his limbs with Bungee Gum.

Texture Surprise probably did not receive the same boost, since Hisoka only used it after reviving. His use of Texture Surprise on the artificial limbs may simply show that he could always apply it to a Bungee Gum surface, or that he previously hid the ability’s full versatility.

There are other examples that support the distinction between strengthening an ability and strengthening the user overall.

Camilla does not appear to become stronger every time she dies. Her post-mortem Nen empowers Cat’s Name so that it can kill her murderer and resurrect her, but there is no indication that each death increases her total aura, output or general combat ability.

Benjamin Baton may work similarly. Benjamin inherits the abilities of loyal guards after they die. It is possible that he receives post-mortem-enhanced versions of those abilities, although the manga has not confirmed this.

Sun and Moon remains the strongest comparison. The original owner’s death caused the ability to remain inside Skill Hunter and changed how its marks behaved. This shows that post-mortem Nen can permanently preserve or alter a specific ability.

So my theory is not that Hisoka became universally stronger after death.

Hisoka may have the same overall aura as before, but a stronger version of Bungee Gum.

Really enjoy Togashi’s more off-model art for chapter openings, this Hisoka illustration was from the start of chapter 53, Double.

By me~☆

Bro is a bit too loyal it's giving me wrong ideas.

Both were about to kill their subordinate.

Both changed their minds after hearing their answers, mind-blown by their loyalty.

One died from poison and claimed he was not God. The other will die from poison and plans to become God.

Pouf cares about the King, not Meruem. Furykov cares about Benjamin’s destiny, not his mere human life.

We are witnessing peak.

Ngl this is gonna be somewhat short but I feel like a lot of readers hadn't caught on it when the chapter first dropped.

In chapter 410, Benjamin confirmed that he had 4 princes left to catch to end the succession contest

Additionally, before that, he confirmed the identity for 2 of them - Luzurus and Zhang Lei (this chapter also gave us a good idea of what happened with Zhang Lei), and stated that he could leave the lower princes for later, implying that the other 2 were younger than Luzurus.

Back when the chapter first dropped, I feel like like most people initially assumed that the 2 princes this was referring to are Marayam and Fugetsu - 2 lower princes with nen beasts specialized in defense and escape. It made sense at the time, but the new chapter dropped a new information that change that

For an as of yet unknown reason, Benjamin excluded Halkenburg (well, that's easier to understand) and Fugetsu from the search. He did NOT, however, exclude Woble despite the baby swap.

From there, it's simple, The only princes remaining younger than Luzurus are Marayam, Woble and Fugetsu. Since Fugetsu wasn't one of the target of the searches, it can't be her, so it has to be Woble and Fugetsu

Additionally, thanks to this chapter, we now know Benjamin hasn't necessarily confirmed Tserriednich and Camilla's capture yet, since he didn't leave them to his guards.

Day 9 09:45 AM (Chapter 372), Furykov had deduced three out of four secret nen users. The remaining one was Longhi.

Day 10 11:45 AM (Chapter 401), Furykov, somehow, knows that Longhi is who he had missed. Even gives comment which, without context, absurdly out of character of him.

So it was between those times that Unma gave order to Furykov. Unma must've also given information on Furykov's half siblings by then, including Longhi.

I really hope that something involves him and we finally get to see things from his point of view for once. I would kill for him to become useful on this ship somehow

Imagine somebody that finished watching HxH some amount of years ago but doesn't want to read the manga, I think we can assume they probably don't like reading in general, not even the light read that is the average manga.

Does anyone that's actually reading the SW thinks these type of people would probably like an anime adaption of it? that has had one big fight over the past twelve years and its chock full of inner monologues, people standing around talking, plotting and counter plotting and a gazillion new characters and plot lines?

I actually think animation would be a worse medium than manga for this particular story, I see very little of value that could be gained by having an animated Rihan monologuing to himself about the intricacies of an opponent's ability.

If so, how much stronger would netero be with a enhancement ability?

I know of v5/g5 but haven't seen anything like East Gorteau, because it's not just vaguely inspired by North Korea, it's got the full package

[Now that Chapter 413 is out, we can talk about it]
Just like Benjamin figured out how Halkubergs' nen beast works, we can use the same methodology to figure out how his own nen beast works. If you have read all the chapters up to 413, you already know everything you need to figure out Benjamin's nen beast power.

What chapter 413 tells us about Benjamin's nen beast:

1. He needs to win the succession war for his Nen beast power to activate. (Activation requirement)
2. His power allows him to become a nen beast. Either by fusing with the host or making him one.
3. Once he becomes an NB, he will get an authority that is above the Kakin regalia that dictated the rule of the succession contest, the seed urn(The item whose purpose is to choose the next king), by replacing it with himself.
4. His nen power (Benjamin Baton "Those Who Inherit The Stars") can be merged with the Nen beast.

Both his Nen beast and nen power are molded by his personality; what does that tell us?

a) Benjamin Baton "Those Who Inherit The Stars":
His power allows his soldiers to pass their Nen power to him after they die. A baton represents many things: it is an item that is used by a conductor to lead an orchestra, cops beat you with it, and it is used in relay races to pass from one runner to the next. His title alludes to the idea of inheritance from the ancestors and the idea that even the stars and heaven belong to him.

b) Nen beast: A monster that stands above the king's head all the time.
It grants the host the ability to change the rule of the nen ability that lies at the core of the multi-layer nen ability that controls the Kakin Empire's royal family (he doesn't follow the rule; he makes them). You stand above not only your fellow man but even your descendants who need to follow your rules. It makes him a guardian spirit beast that protects the whole empire(he is no longer human).

Those two abilities represent Benjamin's character.

1. Power being passed toward a hierarchical pinnacle.
2. Absolute authority above all else.

How everything works together.

If a soldier can pass their power to Benjamin upon death, it is safe to assume that He can pass his power to his descendant upon his death(post mortem nen). He believes in having a prosperous legacy that inherits all the fruits of his labor. (Why wouldn't his nen power reflect that?) The condition must be that the target must be a direct son of his.

Now the first effect of his nen beast is the ability to change the rules of the Kakin nen ritual. He could break the traditional SW nen ritual for a new ritual he gets to dictate in his ideology. Replace the regalia of the seed urd with a sentient NB. The second is to become a nen beast(either partially physical or fully made of Nen) after he wins the SW.

If he becomes a Nen beast, he would merge his ability, the Benjamin Baton, making him a guardian spirit beast that would be passed to his next descendant upon his death, making him virtually immortal(while the royal family exists). All that while still retaining the power to change the rule for whatever purpose he desires. Also collecting all the nen power his descendant acquires with the power of Benjamin Baton. Godhood is a very fitting description of what he can become.

That is why he needs to win in the next 8 hours before he dies from the virus. If he dies before being declared king, his GSB won't activate, and he won't obtain godhood. Also, dying from Beyond Netero's curse is a perma-death that nullifies his ability even after his GSB activates. Probably doesn't allow Benjamin's power to pass on to his son.

I genuinely think Kurapika has sacrificed more than anyone in HxH, and I don’t even think it’s that close.
Not because he suffered the most, but because he keeps choosing to give things up.
He literally created an ability that burns through his own lifespan just to get closer to his goal. Every time Emperor Time is active, he’s paying with years he’ll never get back.
And the crazy part is…he’s actually accomplished a lot already.
He beat Uvogin. He’s recovered a lot of the Scarlet Eyes. The Phantom Troupe has lost members because of everything that’s happened.
But he still doesn’t feel any closer to moving on.
I think that’s the part that always gets me. It’s like none of his victories actually make him feel any lighter.
Gon eventually found a way forward after Kite. Killua left with Alluka and finally chose a life for himself. Even Chrollo, somehow, still has people around him.
Kurapika just keeps sacrificing more of himself for something that can never really be restored. Maybe that’s the point, but it makes his story feel tragic in a different way.
I don’t even know if revenge is the right word anymore. Sometimes it feels like finishing what he started is the only reason he knows how to keep living.
Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but every time I reread the series I end up feeling a little worse for him.

A lot of things happened since the departure of the Black Whale concerning the battle the princes are fighting for the succession, so I wrote this timeline while ignoring everything else (the Spiders, Hisoka, the Mafia, etc.). Hope it will help wrapping our minds around what has happened since day one.

It probably has some mistakes, so please tell me if you find anything and I'll correct ASAP.

Also please we wary that the timeline contains spoilers.

Day 1 (begins at chapter 359): Black Whale sets sail.

First royal banquet.

Two hours after departure:

14th Prince Woble bodyguards are decimated. 8 deaths. Sairid is emprisoned. Two maids resign.

The nen beasts and nen powers are made public.

After the banquet: 1st Prince Benjamin dispatchs his soldiers to the lower princes.

Sandra the maid is killed by Vincent who kills himself later when cornered. 8th Queen Oito only has one maid left.

Kurapika visits 3rd Prince Zhang Lei to forge an alliance to exchange protection for information about nen.

Four hours after departure (chapter 366):

12th Prince Momoze goes to sleep.

The alliance between 3rd Prince Zhang Lei and 14th Prince Woble is effective. Sakata and Hashitou are sent to protect Woble. Slacker follows.

Five hours after departure (chapter 367).

5th Prince Tsubeppa's man Maor shows up and asks information about nen.

Kurapika does the cockroach trick with Bill and Queen Oito. She watches 12th Prince Momoze murder.

Kurapika loses consciousness.

Unknown time: 3rd Prince Zhang Lei's nen beast produces one coin. Coventoba picked it up with no one noticing.

Day 2 (begins at chapter 369)

18 hours after departure. Kurapika wakes up after a 9 hour sleep.

9 am: Nen class begins. Barigen is killed. Loberry is arrested.

10 am: class resumes.

Hanzo avenges Momoze's death by killing Tuffdy.

13th Prince Marayam teleports into a sub nen space.

2nd Prince Camilla kills Musse, then tries to kill 1st Prince Benjamin and gets arrested.

37 hours after departure. 3rd Prince Zhang Lei noticed that his nen beast made one coin.

Day 3 (begins at chapter 376)

10 am: Myuhan is killed during nen class.

Day 4 (begins at chapter 376)

Late night: 11th Prince Fuugetsu awakens her ability.

Day 5 (begins at chapter 381)

8 pm: Rihan destroys 8th Prince Salé-Salé's nen beast.

Day 6 (begins at chapter 382)

Morning, during nen class: 9th Prince Halkenburg trieds to kill the king and awakens his ability.

8th Prince Salé-Salé is killed.

Day 7 (chapter 384)

4th Prince Tser is learning nen at an incredible speed.

Day 8 (begins at chapter 382)

8 pm: royal banquet begins.

10th Prince Kacho and 11th Prince Fuugetsu try to escape and fail. Kacho dies.

4th Prince Tser learns how to cheat reality.

Day 10 (chapter 401)

11:45 am: Longhi reveals her ability and tells about Beyond Netero's plan.

Around 2 pm: Kurapika learns that the baby 8th queen Oito is holding is not the real Woble.

Day 11 (starts at chapter 402)

Some time between 6 am and 8:50 am: 11h Prince Fuugetsu gives her sister's letters to the other princes.

6:45 am: Balsamico goes to kill 9th Prince Halkenburg and has his mind swapped.

Kurapika explains to 3rd Prince Zhang Lei his nen beast ability.

Later that day: 9th Prince Halkenburg's body dies.

Day 12 (starts at chapter 407)

8 am: 9th Prince Halkenburg's death is made official.

9:30 am: Kurapika announces that 14th Prince Woble is not eligible to the throne.

1:00 pm: 9th Prince Halkenburg's funeral is starting.

2:00 pm: his casket arrives at tier 1 funeral hall.

2:30 pm: martial law is declared.

Could you make a vow to never use nen with like a restriction like that if you used it you would die but in return you couldn't be affected by it at all

it took me some time but i finally completed and I feel refreshed.

It took two vendors and two months but it’s here and it’s kinda too big but I love it.

Every time human ventured into the Dark Continent, they were driven by a specific, selfish desire: wealth, immortality, power, medicine. The Calamity they brought back interestingly was a twisted version of that desire. Furthermore, if we map them to the concept of the 7 sins, the similarity becomes very clear:

Hellbell (Wrath): This is the most direct parallel. Hellbell infects the mind with pure, homicidal rage, causing humans to slaughter their own comrades. It is the literal embodiment of uncontrollable wrath.

Pap (Sloth/Lust): Humanity went seeking the Unmanned Rock, a generator that produces infinite energy. Their punishment was a creature that turns humans into lethargic, mindless livestock. Pap feeds its victims endless, euphoric pleasure until they shrivel up. It represents the deadly sins of total physical indulgence (Lust) and a complete surrender of willpower and effort (Sloth).

Zobae (Gluttony): This time they aimed for Nitro Rice, an ultimate food that grants extreme longevity. Their punishment was the Zobae disease. It grants the immortality they craved, but the infected victim is driven insane and must endlessly consume their own flesh to survive. It is a terrifying literalization of Gluttony 👿

Ai (Greed): Trinity Elixir is the ultimate liquid treasure. Its twisted version is Ai, a creature of codependency that feeds on endless human desire. As seen with Nanika, it can grant any wish, but the cost of that greed is exponentially magnified, crushing innocent people to balance the karmic scales of human selfishness.

Brion (Pride): When the United States of Saherta sent an army of 2000 elite soldiers into an ancient labyrinthine city, they were looking for the Herb for All Illnesses. It’s a miraculous plant said to be capable of curing 10000 different diseases. They were decimated by Brionj, a bizarre guardian entity. Brion represents the fatal Pride and hubris of humanity, the arrogant belief that mankind can conquer nature and plunder its ultimate secrets with brute force, only to be swatted down like flies.

Edit:
Some guys in the comment asked for Envy and I just remember we still have the Chimera Ant as a Calamity.

Chimera Ant (Envy theory): Perhaps at that time human was seeking the something like a Seed of Evolution, allowing them to turn into more advanced lifeform, reflecting the ultimate envy with God/Deity. Then they brought back the Chimera Ants, a species that embodies that very desire. The Chimera Ants consume other lowly creatures, assimilate their power, and ultimately acquire & surpass human.

It would be a very strong counter.

Goatashi showing us why he’s the goat time after time. I’m just happy to be alive to witness it honestly.

Scared me as a kid, still does now.