Kite hxh Guide

Kite hxh Guide

Latest posts by Daniel Meierer (see all)

Hunter X Hunter is a Shonen anime with some of the best world-building on this side of the Grand Line. Everyone has their favorite in the genre of ‘protagonist learns their lot in life and gets exceptional at it,’ and HxH is one of the highest on that list.

Every protagonist needs an inspiring mentor, often a rotating cast of mentors as the story arcs advance. One of HxH’s protagonist’s most inspiring mentors is Kite. 

In this Hunter X hunter guide, I will outline everything that makes Kite one of the best hunters. As well as how he instigated the entire franchise and the tragedy of his rivalry with Neferpitou. Prepare yourself; Kite is also one of the series’ most tragic tales. 

Kite, The Eco-friendly Hunter 

kite

Kite is a world-class Hunter whose focus is on undiscovered species and balancing ecosystems. He is the best example of a beast hunter who dedicates themselves to preserving and protecting the species he studies. He is a hunter of knowledge, not blood or pelts. Kite also acts as the instigating figure that leads Gon to pursue his father and become a Hunter. 

Kite is the one who initially follows the Chimera Ant Queen to the NGL Region. He helped hold back and take out numerous battalions in the Chimera Ant Army. While also gathering the most data on the species before they became the Arc’s world-level threat. Without Kite, the chimera ants would have won before the Hunters knew what they were dealing with.

Appearance

Kite hxh Guide
Image from Wiki Fandom

Kite is tall and lithe while being a defining example of the term ‘anime legs.’ His iconic fashion piece is his oversized blue hat which covers his eyebrows. He also personalizes his style with a light blue sash around his waist in the style of an Obi.

He has long, knee-length hair. His hair color is White in the 2011 anime but blonde with a red cap in 1999. He is always seen wearing a white turtleneck with black pants. 

Kite hxh Guide
Image from Wiki Fandom

Kite’s appearance and dress habits change once he is reborn as a Chimera Ant. While their hair is still the same length, it is now a dark red. In addition, Kite has stopped wearing their iconic hat and sash and has replaced the white turtle neck with a black one.

Kite hxh Guide
Image from Wiki Fandom

Their gender is now ambiguous, though the common consensus is their new body is now female. Before regaining their memories, they dress far more like a young girl and use feminine pronouns in the original Japanese. Once their memories return, they use more masculine though still ambiguous pronouns. 

Personality

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Kite can be to-the-point and honest to the point of appearing rude. On the contrary, Kite is a born mentor, always quick to lend the relevant information when needed, and often shown to guide Gon and Killua into mastering their abilities. He can be hot-tempered, though just as quick to calm down once his anger is known.

Most of all, Kite acts to protect others at the cost of himself. Unfortunately, this selfless behavior endangers him more often than not. Still, Kite will always be quicker to demand an ally run and take a blow themself than allow them to become endangered. 

Mental Merits

Mental Merits

Kite has a strong mind for recalling scientific and ecological information. He has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of any beast he encounters, including the rare and rapidly evolving Chimera Ant. He has a strong mind for strategy, usually taking out any of his enemies or targets with surgical efficiency. 

Abilities

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Physical Merits

Physical Merits

Kite is an exceptional combatant, showing a preference for hand-to-hand combat while using his weapons for quick and efficient killing blows. He is agile enough to rapidly weave around an attack to close the distance between him and his enemy.

In addition, he is graceful enough to launch himself into the air and land a perfectly placed kick to the head before landing, ready to make his next move. 

He is shown to have exceptional endurance, being able to take injuries as dire as missing his entire arm without backing down or succumbing to shock. His speed and agility are also remarkable; he can outrun horses while keeping this speed up for vast distances, including entire biomes. 

Survivalist

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Thanks to his role as a Biological Surveyor and Wildlife hunter, Kite is exceedingly skilled at surviving off the land. Never seen sleeping indoors, Kite is always seen sitting by a campfire and then continuing to wander the next day, fishing and scavenging for the food he needs.

Weapon Specialist

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Thanks to the randomized nature of his Nen ability, it is safe to assume Kite is highly proficient in an extensive manner of weaponry. He handles everything from a carbine to a scythe with the grace and skill of a master.

Nen

Aura Type: Conjurer

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Kite is shown to be a master of Nen. When questioned by Killua, Kite measures his approximate perceptive search radius at ‘everything within 45 meters’. H clarifies he can increase that number by a few meters based on his mental and physical state.

Kite proves he can tell the number of enemies, how quickly they are approaching, and which tunnel they are in out of three, even when they are far from him. Moreover, he can discern these ones from further enemies he hears in the opposing tunnels.

Crazy Slots

Crazy Slots

Kit summons a strange clown, which immediately decrees its use. The entity randomly picks a number between 1-9 and, based on that number, forms a weapon for Kite to use. Kite never seems pleased with his roll, but I believe it is because he favors one weapon in particular on the roll and gets annoyed when it is not that one. Based on previous flashbacks, I wager it is a Katana or sword.

Crazy Slots is a unique Nen ability in that it seems to be a conscious entity. It will show annoyance at Kite’s displeasure in his roll, calling him ungrateful. Kite later clarifies that once he receives a weapon, he can not exchange it for another number in that battle until he has used a particular technique.

This technique is different with each weapon. Kite highly dislikes this. As Nen abilities are usually developed by their owner, it is unclear why Kite made it this way. I think he is mildly masochistic, but there is also the fact that the more complex a Nen ability is for its user, the higher potential for growth.  

#2 Scythe: A scythe with a notably massive blade. It is capable of a technique that can demolish anything at a specific height in a large area.

Kite hxh Guide
Image from Wiki Fandom

#3 Mace: We never get to see the mace in action. It can be argued that this is the number Ging tells Gon about later in the series that Kite only pulls out when he is fighting for his life.

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#4 Carbine: A short-barreled rifle with an overly large stock. It has a high rate of fire. He is shown to be good enough a shot to land consistent killing blows with a single shot.

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The Plights of Kite

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Early History

The earliest memory Kite shares are when he was a street rat. He is shown to already have had his affinity and talent with animals as a pack of dogs and a crow all pitch in to help Kite swipe bread. He is also shown to take care of a wounded dog and a large horse in a small encampment he has made for himself and his animal friends in the sewers.

Kite hxh Guide
Image from Wiki Fandom

Kite’s propensity with animals made Ging see potential in the young street rat, which would similarly inspire Kite to see the same Hunter potential in Gon decades later. Though Kite explains to the young protagonists that he wasn’t a student in any official capacity.

Kite had instead hassled and insisted Ging train him until his new master relented. The world’s best hunter might not like things that are too much of a hassle, but being hassled sometimes outweighs the initial hassle. Once Kite’s Nen abilities started showing themselves, Ging went on to help him develop them. 

The Hunter Exams proved to be of little issue thanks to the quality of training Ging still gave him, but Kite’s mentor was not satisfied this aptly proved himself. So, Ging gave him one more test before considering himself a Hunter worthy of being considered Ging’s student; Kite had to find and catch Ging.

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Ging took Kite to Greed Island and convinced him to register under the name Nigg between this moment and the start of the series. 

Saving Gon

Kite is the one who initially inspires Gon. A short few years before leaving his home island to become a Hunter, Gon gets saved by Kite from a foxbear. 

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The moment he is sure that Gon is safe and able to stand, he begins to lecture him for being out in its territory at this time of day. He immediately shows that he considers killing the beast disgusting, based on the beast only attacking due to a kid running around its territory. 

Kite is initially ready to kill the cub, matter-of-factly explaining to Gon that without its mother, it will starve. Then, sternly, He tells Gon that on the off-chance it does survive, it will grow up to bear a grudge against humanity for this event.

Gon quickly saved the cub, intent on raising it to prevent both outcomes. While Kite starts to protest, claiming the creature impossible to domesticate. However, the determined look in Gon’s eye immediately makes him wonder if it might be his master’s son. Kite is later seen keeping a camp directly by the beast’s body, talking to the cub while making being lowkey about how he is keeping an eye on it. 

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Kite watched Gon dig the grave, only helping when Gon struggles to push the giant beast in. After this, he explains to Gon who hunters are and why he is here. Finally, Kite explains that he is searching for his teacher, which considers there to be no greater hunt. This was his final test. He goes on to question Gon about his father, and upon hearing his name, he happily tells Gon that his father and Kite’s mentor are one and the same. 

After quickly buying some wine we never see again, he departs, wondering if he shouldn’t have told Gon about Ging on the boat out.

Chimera Ant Arc

At the end of the Greed Island Arc, one of Gon’s prizes for winning the game is a special card that will bring him to any user in the game. Gon theorizes that the first name he encountered, whom he has no memory of, is actually his father, thanks to the username Nigg. 

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This turns out to be Kite, who is peacefully fishing by a pond shrouded by a hat and cloak. When he sees where Gon and Killua are standing, he jumps into action. Using his Nen to summon a gun, Kite shoots at the area around the boys.

Initially seeming to be attacking them, he is actually violently protecting them from our first meeting with Chimera Ants. At this point, they are still merely ants. 

Kite is upset that he has to ‘start over.’ While thankful the nest was destroyed, Kite studied them thanks to their classification as a threat level” Quarantine 1. He explains that his main job is discovering and studying new species in biological surveys. While he specializes typically in more giant creatures, Kite says there is something that doesn’t sit well with him involving the Chimera Ants. This ends up being one of the wisest hunches in the series.

Kite hxh Guide
Image from Wiki Fandom

After spending the night telling Gon and Killua stories about Ging, Kite explains that he is waiting for his team to arrive. Kite has been tasked with leading and assisting a group of amateur hunters who wish to follow the same field.

They were the first Hunters to become alerted to the Chimera Ant mutation thanks to the arm of the Queen being found. Thanks to the group that found it hoping to sell it at a high price, they initially sought to have the Hunters figure out what it was. However, Kite and Crew immediately become concerned by the size, fearing it will start eating humans, which they know to be an event capable of worldwide tragedy. 

Their sleuthing, helmed by Kite, leads them to theorize the Chimera Ant Queen washed up in the NGL Autonomous Region in the Mitene Union.

NGL Autonomous Region

NGL Autonomous Region

Kite is wary of the NGL from the beginning. However, thanks to the laws of the NGL Autonomous Region, Kite is forced to split his group. He requests the members unable to follow due to modern inventions such as glasses to wait at the nearest town. Kite assures them he will be back in two weeks.

A message is delivered to Kite through messenger bee. The hunter who sent it sadly risked their life to write it, but it gives Kite, Gon, and Killua the exact location of the Chimera Ant hive. Seeing the danger from a blood written message, Kite tells the final members of his crew to reconvene with the others and alert the Hunter association of how the situation has escalated. 

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In their hunt for the hive, the trio runs into Rammot. Initially, Rammot is worried that Kite will give him difficulty, but Kite immediately takes the chance to fall back. Understanding the danger ahead, he wishes to test the boys to see if they are capable of felling a Chimera Ant.

They are expected to go home if they can not defeat this one. The pair managed to impress Kite enough to no longer worry about their presence. They only managed to scare the soldier off, but Kite saw their potential.

Their hunt leads them to a narcotics factory that has been overrun by a pack of Chimera Ants. Here they run into the rather sadistic Yunju and his team of cannon fodder. Kite leaves the fodder to Gon and Killua as his focus stays on the leader. Before this, he actually seemed more interested in watching Gon and Killua’s fights, even pointedly requesting Yunju wait a moment longer. But unfortunately, the ant is not so patient. 

Kite hxh Guide
Image from Wiki Fandom

Initially toying with Yunju, Kite is seen handling him with ease. Then, out of impatience more than necessity, he summons his Crazy Slots, which the clown possessing it makes sure to mention. Once more, receiving a 4, Kite lands a near-immediate headshot with the resulting Carbine. He then quickly returns to watching Gon. This turns out to be a good call. He quickly gives Gon a lesson in landing proper headshots.

The rest of the Chimera Ants catch wind of Yunju’s defeat, quickly sending a large group of soldiers out to find the trio. But, surprisingly, they offer the trio a chance. Should they not attempt to escape, they will allow them o fight the group one on one.

Of course, Kite, being reasonable and noble, agrees with this, theorizing that human genes have sparked this abnormal behavior.

After watching Gon and Killua take these Chimera officers down with ease, he decides to test his theory on the power level of their current foes. Rolling a 2 on Crazy Slots, he brandishes a scythe and tells Gon and Killua to Jump. With one spinning slash, he demolishes not only the Chimera Ants but countless trees. That can’t be good for the forest, Mr. Biological Survey.

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This battalion proves to only be the first wave, as the Lion-themed Chimera ant hunting for a taste of Kite sicks a new squad of flying Ants after him. Like the last squad, they do not stand up for more than a second against Kite’s scythe. This managed to scare the squadron leader leading this group off without further incident. Kite takes this as a chance to follow them. 

Versus Neferpitou

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Kite suddenly feels the presence of Neferpitou, a Chimera Ant of the Royal Guard currently looking to test their strength against him. Just as he yells for Gon and Killua to run, Neferpitou arrives and takes Kite’s right arm on their entrance.

As Killua makes the intelligent move of knocking an enraged Gon out and fleeing, Kite prepares to fight. He quickly readies crazy slots and gets a 3, the mace. We don’t get to see the fight, but that is probably for the best. As the next we see Kite, his decapitated head is resting in Pitou’s lap. At the same time, she muses about making sure her collection doesn’t rot. 

Kite’s corpse is next seen frozen in a block of ice, with Pitou pining over their battle, which they consider a ‘dream-like moment.’ The desire to relive this moment inspires Pitou to create their Nen ability. The epiphany was, ‘All I need to do is fix him!’. After tests, sometimes in a laboratory, Pitou built, and plenty of experimentation, Kite was soon ‘revived’.

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Kite in this state lacks any of his personality or memories. Instead, he seems to be controlled by a large figure of Pitou’s Nen, capable of controlling Kite’s corpse. It could do so the same way Kite would when he was alive, likely based on Pitou and the ants’ memories of him as it is entirely fight-related.

Kite’s reanimated corpse is eventually captured and removed from the NGL for Gon to see him. Mournfully, he allows the possessed Kite to wail on him. Gon and Knuckle both remark on how robotic the possessed Kite is, with Gon especially stating, ‘Kite is not this weak.’

Before hugging him, vowing to force Neferpitou to fix him. Touching Kite causes Kite to freeze, and the puppet controlling it to be visible to powerful nen users. If touched/hit again, he will attack in a frenzy using nen given by Neferpitou’s puppetry ability. They leave him like this as Gon pursues Neferpitou to fix him.

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Sadly, Neferpitou is unable to save Kite. This doesn’t mean our eco-friendly hunter is doomed, however. The only reason you gamble on a game like Crazy Slots is if there is a grand prize behind all the bad spins. 

Rebirth

Kite hxh Guide
Image from Wiki Fandom

After Meruem and the royal Guards leave to find new territory, the Hunter association folowColt in to try to assist the Chimera ant Queen under Colt’s request. However, it all proves for naught as she succumbs to her injuries gained from conceiving the king.

As he mourns her death, Colt sees movement within the surgical cavity. What be pulls out turns to be a human-looking baby only the size of a coin.

Colt immediately vows to protect this creature, and, touched by this sight, both Colt and this newborn being are granted protection by a high-ranking hunter named Morel. They do not know it yet, but this strange creature will turn out to be Kite.

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Initially, this reborn Kite has none of their previous life’s memories. However, they quickly begin to show signs of these memories resurfacing. Kite is shown to have a similar growth cycle to a Chimera Ant. They begin to rapidly age and, once appearing roughly the age of a teenager, starts to regain the full memories and personality of their previous life. The gender of this new life is left purposefully ambiguous in the manga. 

Just like in his previous life, Kite begins to collect a crew. Another surviving Chimera Ant named Koala speaks with Kite and offers to vow his remaining life to them to atone for Koala’s sins as a human and as a Chimera Ant.

This is in part due to Kite’s new form looking like a human whose murder Koala feels guilty for. Kite agrees, pressing it as an order so that Koala may fester in the sins he remembers looking at Kite’s new face, apologizing to them every day. 

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Gon visits Kite to express his guilt for the Neferpitou encounter. However, Kite is happy Gon came to see them and encourages him to go find Ging. Kite is last seen watching Gon leave with his crew, now including Colt and Koala. 

Related Characters

Ging

Kite hxh Guide
Image from Wiki Fandom

Without hesitation, Kite tells Gon that his father, Gin, is the best hunter. Ging taught Kite the ways of the hunter, with his final test being for Kite to find him.

This proves to be difficult, but knowing Ging, there was a reason behind this test, as this path made Kite cross paths with Gon twice as if hoping some of the man’s influence would rub off on his son. The pair clearly trust and respect each other greatly. 

Ging thanks Kite for knocking sense into a young Gon rather than being mad, claiming the same thing Kite did in knowing not to trespass on Foxbear territory. 

Gon

Kite hxh Guide
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Kite respects Gon like a mentor might a student. While he keeps Gon’s safety first, he holds a close eye on him and quickly gives Gon the blunt and honest truth before following it up with wisdom and stoic comfort. Knowing that Gon is Ging’s son, he also is both protective and proud of his mentor’s son.

Biological Survey Team

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The biological Survey Team consists of 7 amateur hunters who Kite is tasked with watching over and teaching. Kite acts as their leader but shows respect for every member of his team while keeping their abilities committed to memory so he can better strategize around them.

He is protective of them, so these skills are generally based on wildlife study and preservation, always having them stand down to leave a fight to him. After being reborn and regaining his memories, Kite is reunited with his team.

Trivia

  • Rather than learning about it in the Chimera Ant Arc, in the 1999 anime, Kite’s first meeting with Gon happens episode 1.
  • In the 2011 Anime, Kite claims he had no idea who Gon was until he found Ging again. In the 1999 anime, Kite recognizes Gon soon after saving him. The inciting incident leads Gon to become a hunter.

FAQs

Question: How did Kite get reborn in Hunter X Hunter?

Answer: Later in the story, Gon is told by his father that Kite has a number on his Crazy Slots that he only pulls when he thinks his life is on the line. It is not clarified if this is the mace he pulled before the scene ends or if another number is drawn under this condition. I believe that the mixture of this and Neferpitou’s preservation, desecration, and the unique elements of their Doctor Blythe nen ability somehow allowed Kite to be reborn as a human-appearing Chimera Ant.

Question: What is a Chimera Ant from Hunter X Hunter? 

Answer: A Chimera ant is a type of beast in the HxH universe with the unique ability for its Queen to pass on the genes of whatever organism it eats down to its young. A queen lives their life consuming more nutritious material. They birth a hierarchy as their increasingly more vital soldiers, who find more nutritious and genetically powerful prey.

They will do this until they lay the members of the royal guard, who protect the Queen as she births a King. Being the most powerful of the bunch, the king will assume control of the royal guard and a portion of the lesser ants before leaving the Queen behind to find their own territory. At the same time, the Queen starts the process over until death. This becomes more problematic once the Queen tastes her first human.

Question: What is the best Hunter x Hunter adaptation?

Answer: Both have their merits, so I propose a wild and crazy scheme. Watch the 1999 anime and the OVA movies to see a more detailed view of the first arcs. Then pick up the Hunter X Hunter 2011 anime on episode 76 to start the Chimera Arc, a 61-episode Arc that is my favorite inclusion in the series. However, suppose you were to pick one. In that case, the 2011 anime is the better adaptation without question due to a cleaner animation style.

Kite hxh Guide: Final Thoughts

I absolutely adore Kite. He is a staple of the series. Through him, we get to experience tidbits of the series’ most enigmatic figure Ging Freecss. His sacrifice and the subsequent desecration of his corpse to make a training tool adds a heart-wrenching weight to the series. 

Without Kite, we would not have the Gon power-state with the hairstyle that reaches the heavens. That is one of the most hilarious yet badass moments in Anime history. Even if he was only involved in spirit and passion, he is the inciting incident to that.

He also makes for a marvelous mentor, the life lessons he teaches Gon and Killua are often ones we can take into our own lives. That makes the most influential mentors in pop culture and is as level-headed as Kite is. I always did aspire to be the mentor figure more than the protagonist. Gon is cool and all, but Kite is the one whose hat I need to buy immediately. 

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