Would you say that Hisoka is a villain?

Durance45 said:
A lot of people consider Hisoka to be one of the main villains and antagonists of Hunter x Hunter and whilst I agree he has committed horrible crimes, I wouldn't necessarily say he's a villain. This is my reasons why I don't think he is:

1. He does not want to kill Gon when he is still physically weak and spares his life only so he can become stronger, as Hisoka only wants to challenge the higher tier opponents.

2. He left the Phantom Troupe, which was a good move.

3. Whilst he has done harm to Gon and the others, he has not tried any attempt to murder them.

4. He doesn't have any major goals or motives like most villains do. He just wants to challenge his victims.

5. He has actually shown his decent/good side. I will try to avoid giving out too many spoilers but prime example is the Phantom Rouge movie. He warned Kurapika and Leorio about Omokage's powers and their influence, and he even saved Gon and Killua. In Greed Island, he lead them the way to the City of Aiai. There's more examples but as I mentioned, I don't want to give too much away.

6. He will not let anyone else attack Gon under his watch. I know people will say it's because he wants to fight Gon for himself and he does, but only when Gon has fulfilled his potential.

7. He has a liking for Machi and even though she is still part of the Phantom Troupe and sides with Chrollo, he is still grateful to her for helping revive him.


Hisoka is generally not a good person at all and is a psychopath and a murderer. But even he has his limits and knows not to push them. With those reasons, I don't really consider him to be a main villain. I think maybe a psychopath who doesn't know what side of the fence he's on.