Kurapika hxh Guide: Kurta Clan’s Final Member Explained

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Cody is a writer who was shaped by manga and anime at a young age. From discovering series like Dragon Ball and Gundam, he fell in love with this medium. Though he walked away for a time in his teenage years, he came back in his adulthood to fall back in love with manga and anime. Nowadays, he can be found reading the latest manga series and catching up on all of the new seasonal anime. And, of course, writing about them at the same time.

Bottom Line Up Front

Kurapika is one of the four main characters of the Hunter x Hunter series. Though he does not appear in as many major story arcs like some of the other protagonists, he remains a fan favorite in the community. Kurapika is known as the last surviving member of the Kurta Clan.

A small group of people known for their scarlet eyes, Kurapika lost all of his family and friends to the villainous Phantom Troupe. He makes it his life’s quest to hunt down the Troupe, take them out, and retrieve the stolen scarlet eyes. Kurapika has one of the unique Nen abilities, having two at once, unlike others strictly within a single Nen category.

Who Is Kurapika From Hunter x Hunter?

Kurapika is of the Kurta Clan, a tiny group of people known for their appearance. Hailing from this clan deep in the woods and secret to most of the world, he grew up in a secluded environment. This allowed him to grow close to more than 100 members of his clan family.

Due to tragic events before the beginning of the series, Kurapika sets off on a journey to explore the world. He has a darkness inside of his heart due to the hurt there. Despite this, he still cares about many people and becomes a Hunter to help others while fulfilling his goal.

He is introduced in the series beginning with the Hunter Exam and becomes a core part of the quartet of main characters, including Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika. As one of the series protagonists, he is very popular in the community, and there are plenty of fans who love him.

The young man plays a vital role in some of the major story arcs in the Hunter x Hunter series. Though he is not entirely present in all of them, he makes a significant impact on the series. Here is everything that you should know about this character.

Appearance

When it comes to the appearance of Kurapika, there is not too much to say for the most part. Generally, he looks at the same, no matter in the manga or anime adaptations. There are some slight changes to his eye color and outfits in some of the adaptations, but he looks the same person most of the time.

There are a couple of outfit changes for Kurapika in the series, but the main one that he is known for wearing is his classic blue, white, and gold clothing. Perhaps some traditional wear from his clan, this outfit is iconic for Kurapika and what most people likely think of when they think of him.

There are white pants and a shirt that he wears on the bottom, with the shirt being a long-sleeve one. It appears that both the pants and the shirt have the sleeves and legs neatly rolled up. Over the simple undergarments, there is the beautiful chest piece and bottom piece that he is wearing.

Both match elegantly, with a lovely pattern across the bottom and top halves. Most of this iconic clothing is a deep blue color, but the designs are accented with gold. As for Kurapika himself, he has long blonde hair that goes down almost to his shoulders.

He has darker grayish eyes and light-colored skin. On his right hand, there are some rings and chains that he is wearing. These come into play about his mission and abilities.

Scarlet Eyes Form

There is another significant appearance change for Kurapika that happens in the series. However, it is considered spoilers for one of the early story arcs, so that is worth warning about. With that said, Kurapika’s appearance does change when he undergoes tremendous emotional pressure.

This could be due to anger, pain, grief, sadness, and so on that, he is currently experiencing. The general caveat is that it must be severe enough to awaken his unique eyes. These are known as the scarlet eyes, and it turns Kurapika’s eyes to intense crimson color.

These scarlet eyes are the trademark giveaway of a member of the Kurta Clan. This is what the clan is known for, and it is exactly what plays into the backstory of Kurapika’s life. The scarlet eyes form of Kurapika only changes the color of the eyes and does not do much other than that visually. However, there are some changes to his abilities that happen. I will be sure to cover that more in great detail below.

Personality

For the personality of Kurapika, there are a couple of crucial points to note. His version is around his friends, like Gon and Killua, and the other version is around most people. When he is around Gon, Killua, and, he is likely the correct version of himself that he does not show to everyone else.

This is a much more calm and chill version of him that is seemingly even happy. Overall, though, Kurapika has a reasonably serious personality that rarely breaks character, unlike someone like Killua, who has a distinct on and off switch.

For most people, though, Kurapika is even more serious than his friends. At times, he will have his guard up and even seem like a rather cold person. He has very little emotion that he shows to the people around him, and he will even seem to treat others with disdain when he deals with them.

This is especially the case when he finds an enemy. Oddly enough, though, this is where we can see the most emotion out of him at times. He will become highly emotional when faced with his true enemies, which leads to the appearance of his signature scarlet eyes. But despite his cold and calculated persona, Kurapika does care about his friends.

Key Relationships

Kurapika only has a few key relationships in the series. His best friend Pairo is only mentioned in the series and does not make a direct appearance. Besides him, his best friends, Gon, Killua, and Leorio. He cares about them a lot and will do anything to help them.

Kurapika is a pretty lonely individual whose only friends are those three. But that means that his relationships with them are valuable to him, and he won’t let anything happen to them. He spends a lot of time with Leorio and likely considers him one of his best friends.

Besides the core three protagonists, some others have a relationship with Kurapika. Or, well, sort of do. He has an intense hatred and violent attitude towards the Phantom Troupe. His relationship with them is dangerous as he wants nothing more than to get revenge against them.

The one possible exception to this rule is fellow main character Hisoka. The relationship between Hisoka and Kurapika is a complicated one, much like Hisoka is with everyone else. At times, they are allies and enemies, with their relationship being one out of necessity more than anything else.

Voice Actor

While the manga series came first, there is also the massively popular anime series. The 2011 adaptation of the anime series is quite good, created by legendary anime studio Madhouse. Within this version of the anime series, Kurapika is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro. You may know her from other series like Sinon in Sword Art Online and Daki in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu on Yaiba.

It is also worth mentioning that the English voice actor for Kurapika is fantastic. Usually, I am someone who sticks to the Japanese voiceovers with subtitles, but the English dub of Hunter x Hunter is one of my favorites. And shockingly, Kurapika is voiced in English by Erika Harlacher, who is almost unrecognizable in her best role to date. You may know her as the voice of Ann from Persona 5 and Kaede Akamatsu and Kyoka Kirigiri from the Danganronpa series.

Abilities

In the world of Hunter x Hunter, the abilities that users have derived from Nen. This power within essentially every person can be channeled to use in battle. There are various classes of Nen users in Hunter x Hunter, which is the basis for the abilities that Kurapika also has. However, there are some unique points about Kurapika that set him apart from almost all other Nen users.

For one, there is the gear that he carries around with him. He has several different weapons on him, mostly melee types. There is a shuriken, two wakizashi-like weapons, knives, and more. He also does carry around a gun on him, but this is not something that he has used quite yet in the series to fight.

Conjuring Nen

Typically in the world of Hunter x Hunter, each person has a specific Nen ability class. That is the class of powers that they have, and that is it. In the case of Kurapika, his assigned Nen class is Conjuration. The Conjurer type of Nen is meant for creating something essentially out of nothing.

The Conjurer type allows the person to create a weapon to use in battle. In the case of Kurapika’s use of the Conjuration Nen, he only really uses it for one single item. He can conjure some chains that he wears around his fingers. He does not seem to muster anything else outside of this.

These five chained rings are around the fingers of his right hand. He can fully control these chains, including how they manifest in the real world and in what way. The purpose of the chains is strictly to take arms against the enemies that he has in battle. This is especially true for the Phantom Troupe group.

Besides conjuring with his Nen, he possesses superhuman capabilities. He is stronger than the average person, is faster, has more incredible stamina, and can last in a battle for longer. Above all of these physical traits is perhaps his uncanny intellect.

Kurapika is one of the most intelligent people in the room at any given time and is borderline a genius. Having mastered various subjects and languages, he is always one step ahead of his opponents. This is especially true when it comes to his other central Nen ability.

Specialization Nen

Surprisingly, Kurapika is one of the only people to have two main Nen classes. This is something unheard of, but he can pull it off. Interestingly enough, though, this other Nen class only activates under certain circumstances.

Whenever Kurapika is under stress, and his scarlet eyes appear, his Nen becomes that of a Specialist user. The Specialist is the broadest category of Nen users in Hunter x Hunter because it means anything that does not fall under the other categories.

For Kurapika, the scarlet eyes form allows him to use the abilities of every other Nen type out there. He can enhance, manipulate, emit, and so on. He can dive into all of the Nen classes and use them to his advantage. This is highly overpowered, mainly because he exhibits decent skill with each of the types of Nen.

History

Here is a quick look at the history of Kurapika throughout the Hunter x Hunter series. It should come as no surprise, but this is going to contain some spoilers for the series. These spoilers will mainly be related to Kurapika but will give away key moments and twists for other related characters. If you do not want any spoils, turn away or skip this section.

Paradise Lost

The story for Kurapika begins long before the actual events of the series. Before the start of the manga, Kurapika grows up with his family in the Kurta Clan. The clan is composed of people who have scarlet eyes when under duress. This unique trait caused them to be ostracized in everyday society.

In the end, the Kurta Clan hid in a forest away from the rest of humanity to be able to live in peace. Their numbers were relatively small when Kurapika grew up, with only over 120 people. As a child, Kurapika had a lot of interest in the outside world, and he trained alongside his best friend, Pairo.

They both hoped to make it to the outside world someday and see what it was all about. Kurapika and Pairo went through the standard Kurta Clan tests as children to earn the right to choose their path in the future. He was able to pass the test and was eventually given the ability to leave the clan for a time.

This allowed him to see the rest of the world, but it was not meant to be a pleased moment for him. While Kurapika was away, the entire Kurta Clan were in their usual home in the forest. The Phantom Troupe, a group of evil outcast thieves, found the clan and massacred every single member at once.

This was due to their mission to retrieve the scarlet eyes. They were precious, and the Phantom Troupe would do anything for money. Kurapika soon learned that everyone he knew and loved had been killed at once. He was the only survivor of the Kurta Clan. Thus began his search for the Phantom Troupe to enact his revenge.

Becoming a Hunter

At the start of the Hunter x Hunter series, Kurapika is first seen in the Hunter Exam arc. In the first main arc of the series, Gon enters the exam to become a Hunter. Kurapika is also one of the participants, and it does not take long for him to cross paths with the main hero, Gon.

Through a series of tests, Kurapika eventually teams up with Gon, Killua, and Leorio. They spend a good bit of time together on the test and get to know one another. Before long, they become friends despite their difficult situations and, technically, possibly being rivals in the exam.

In the end, Kurapika can become a Hunter and pass the challenging exam. He was one step closer to finding the Phantom Troupe with this goal now completed. As a Hunter, he had the resources to better look for the enemies and find out where they were.

With this part of his goal completed, he eventually joins Gon and Leorio on the search to find Killua at his family’s estate. After successfully rescuing Killua, Kurapika makes the hard choice to separate from his friends for a time. This was so that he could search out the Phantom Troupe.

Defeating His Enemies

When the Yorknew City arc begins, Gon and Killua meet back up with Leorio and Kurapika. At this point, Kurapika learns of an auction where the Phantom Troupe is likely to participate. For the first time, he is the closest to taking out the enemies that he has been searching for.

He plays the central role in this story arc as he hunts down the members of the Phantom Troupe. Though he is unsuccessful in taking down the members during the auction as planned, he can corner Uvogin. Uvogin is the physically most vital member of the Phantom Troupe.

They engage in a deadly fight where neither one of them can take down the other. In the end, Kurapika finally shows his hands and reveals his Specialist Nen when his scarlet eyes come out. As part of this, he can use the chains that he conjures up.

Some of the chains have a particular contract attached to them. Kurapika has offered up his life in exchange for the vow that he would only use those chains on the members of the Phantom Troupe. If he breaks the promise, he dies. But, in exchange, he can use these powerful abilities against his enemies. He eventually succeeds in killing Uvogin, his first target on the list.

Moving Up the Ranks

While Uvogin is the only member of the Phantom Troupe that he can take out, he continues on his journey. This life mission eventually takes him in some minor roles throughout the rest of the story arcs until the Chairman Selection arc. Here, he plays a vital role in assisting Leorio, who is trying to become the next Chairman of the Hunters Association.

After this particular story arc, Kurapika is rewarded for his efforts by taking the Rat’s place in the Zodiacs. They are the most potent group of Hunters in the world after the Chairman. At this point, the story concludes for Kurapika in the anime adaptation.

But the manga continued for a bit longer. Kurapika is eventually given almost total control of Light’s mafia gang, and he joins the expedition to the Dark Continent. He is currently playing a significant role in the Dark Continent story arc.

Fun Facts About Kurapika

Here are some fun trivia facts that you should know about Kurapika:

Kurapika is the only member of the four main characters (including Gon, Killua, and Leorio) whose last name is unknown. Though many assume that his full name is Kurapika Kurta, this is currently unconfirmed. There is even a chance that a spoiler-related reason is why his last name is still unknown, but we will have to wait and see for now.
As mentioned in his abilities section, Kurapika is the only currently known character in Hunter x Hunter to have two Nen classes.
The manga creator for Hunter x Hunter also made YuYu Hakusho previously. There are intentional similarities between Kurapika and Kurama from that series.
In the official popularity polls given in Japan, every single time, Kurapika has come in second place. He is one of the most famous and beloved characters in the community.
Kurapika’s birthday is April 4, which is significant since the number four can mean death in Japanese. This is likely due to the fact that he is associated with death. In the fortune-telling for the Phantom Troupe, it is revealed that Kurapika, the so-called god of death, would kill several members of the villainous group. This has, of course, not happened yet in the series.

FAQs

Question: Who is Kurapika’s boyfriend?

Answer: None at this time. In fact, the sexuality of Kurapika has never been revealed, either. It is unknown if he likes other boys or anyone at all. Romance is not exactly a luxury that Kurapika is able to enjoy given that he is on a vengeance quest. That said, there is someone who was quite close to Kurapika.
It is completely unknown if there were romantic feelings between them but Pairo was the best friend of Kurapika in the Kurta Clan. They were partners and close to one another. Kurapika cared deeply for Pairo and everything that he did during his time with his clan was for him. This does not mean that they were romantically interested in one another so it will take confirmation from Kurapika in the future, if we ever get one, to know the truth.

Question: How old is Kurapika at the current point of Hunter x Hunter?

Answer: This is currently not officially known. That said, there is a bit of math that we are able to do to figure out his age. At the start of the series, it is made clear that Kurapika is around 17 years old when he joins the Hunter Exam like the rest of the gang. With that in mind, there are about two more Hunter Exams that happen after that one leading up to the current point of the manga. Since they are annual exams, this means that about two years have passed in the storyline so far. That would basically make Kurapika around 18, about to turn 19, or already 19 years old at the current point of the manga.

Question: Does Kurapika become a villain?

Answer: No, Kurapika does not become a villain. At least not in the series so far. As you likely already know, Hunter x Hunter is an ongoing manga series that is not yet finished. And given its hiatus status, there is a chance that it may never finish, at least not in the foreseeable future, that is.

Question: Is Kurapika a girl?

Answer: This is one question that comes up almost every single time that I do a Hunter x Hunter guide like this one. While there are a lot of people who seem to think that Kurapika is a girl, that is not the case. He is canonically a boy. The reason that perhaps some think he is a girl is due to his more feminine look compared to the other characters and being voiced by a girl.

Kurapika hxh Guide: Conclusion

Kurapika is my favorite character from the Hunter x Hunter series. There is something so amazing about how complicated and tragic his story is. This has affected his personality deeply and it is apparent in his actions whereas someone like Killua is able to hide his feelings a bit better. But like Killua, he seems to be living his best life when he is with his friends.

Speaking of Killua, the young assassin hunter of the Zoldyck family is another major part of the Hunter x Hunter series. With his own heart-wrenching backstory, Killua is the best friend of Gon and a character that you should definitely know about. For more on this fellow lead hero in the Hunter x Hunter series, be sure to also read my deep dive into Killua Zoldyck.