The Succession Contest Arc of Hunter X Hunter has primarily centered around the eponymous war between the fourteen Princes of the Kakin Empire. Eleven days into the contest, 3 Princes have fallen, leaving 11 still alive. After dozens of chapters of twists and turns, a major bombshell has changed the course of the entire arc.
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Kurapika has learned in recent chapters of Hunter X Hunter that, not only does Beyond Netero have dozens of children placed among the Princes' bodyguards, but one of Kakin's Princes is the grandchild of Isaac Netero. Working with Longhi, one of Beyond's bodyguard daughters, it's now Kurapika's mission to discover which Prince Beyond is backing, and stop them from being put on Kakin's throne. Fans are working to figure out the mystery before Kurapika can but, apart from 1st Prince Benjamin, any of the remaining Princes could potentially be Beyond's child.
10 Prince Tubeppa is Longhi's Employer
Tubeppa's Poor Positioning Makes Her Likely to Die Soon
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Tubeppa Hui Guo Rou is the 5th Prince of the Kakin Empire. Outside of Benjamin, she is also the least likely Prince to be Beyond Netero's child. Tubeppa is a calm intellectual who detests unnecessary brutality, she's displayed no proficiency with Nen and, as Longhi's employer, she's likely already been investigated thoroughly. Because of both the circumstances of her birth, and her poor choices in the Succession Contest, chances are also high that she'll be the next Prince to die.
As the fifth-oldest Prince, Tubeppa lacks the power and influence wielded by her four older siblings, but is still in a prominent enough position that there's a target on her back. She's also entered an alliance with Zhang Lei and Tserreidnich to take out Benjamin, despite her hating them both, knowing neither can be trusted, and being aware of how truly evil Tserreidnich is, especially when it comes to his hatred of women. The only thing currently going in Tubeppa's favor is her alliance with Kurapika, who now has a vested interest in protecting her, but that alone won't be enough to keep her in the story.
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9 Prince Tyson Has Her Own Subplot Brewing
Tyson is Building a Cult Around Herself
Tyson Hui Guo Rou is the 6th Prince of the Kakin Empire. So far, Tyson has operated independently in the Succession Contest. Rather than making moves against her siblings, Tyson's interest is in building a dedicated following around The Book of Tyson, a self-penned scripture that preaches how world peace will be achieved when all of humanity chooses to become her disciples. While world domination is one of Beyond Netero's goals, Tyson's hatred for violence is the antithesis of the Netero legacy.
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It's difficult to tell whether Tyson will be among the next Princes to die, or if her cult will wind up playing a major role toward the end of the Succession Contest Arc. Regardless, between her peaceful personality and her lack of development as a character, it's likely that any role Tyson does have to play will be tied to her personal scheme, and nothing else. Of course, if Beyond was Tyson's father, he could have instructed her to act the way she does as part of a great plot.
8 Prince Marayam Has to Still Be Alive For a Reason
Marayam is King Nasubi's Youngest Son
Marayam Hui Guo Rou is the 13th Prince of the Kakin Empire. Only a toddler, Marayam is the youngest active participant in the Succession Contest. Whereas the only other young child in the war, 12th Prince Momoze, was the first to die, Marayam has outlived his big sister, as well as 8th Prince Sale-sale and 10th Prince Kacho. While none of Marayam's siblings view him as a threat, he isn't likely to be among the next to die. His Guardian Spirit Beast has received significant attention, he has both Biscuit Kruger and Hanzo as bodyguards, and he has to still be alive for a reason.
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The biggest argument against Marayam being Beyond's son is his age. A weak toddler isn't of much use to Beyond, and he would have had no way of anticipating that Kurapika would assign one of the world's greatest Nen masters, Bisky, to be his bodyguard. Still, seeing as Isaac was Bisky's revered Nen teacher, it would be interesting to see where her loyalties would fall if Marayam did turn out to be a Netero.
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7 Prince Fugetsu is a Main Character of the Succession Contest Arc
Fugetsu Has Received More Focus Than Nearly Every Other Prince
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Fugetsu Hui Guo Rou is the 11th Prince of the Kakin Empire. Of all the Princes, she is among the ones fans have gotten to know the best. What's more, she's one of the only Princes to be treated as a protagonist, rather than a villain. The tragedy of her relationship with Kacho broke fans' hearts and, following her sister's death, she's now making major moves to shake up the Succession Contest.
Fugetsu is kind, meek, soft and nothing like a Netero. She's also not skilled at Nen at all and, as the teenage daughter of a low-ranking Queen, she holds no real political power. The only signs pointing to her potentially being Beyond's daughter are her prominence in the narrative, and the way in which the Justice Bureau has oddly chosen to side with her.
6 Prince Zhang Lei is the Only Child of His Mother
Zhang Lei is the Benefactor of the Xi-Yu Family
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Zhang Lei Hui Guo Rou is the 3rd Prince of the Kakin Empire. As one of the oldest Princes, Zhang Lei wields immense political power, and has access to vast wealth. Displaying his lack of morality, and his lust for power, Zhang Lei has expanded his reach in the Kakin Empire by becoming the primary benefactor for one of the country's three major mafia families, the Xi-Yu Family.
The 14 Princes of Kakin are the children of 8 different mothers. Zhang Lei is the only child of Third Queen Tang Zhao Li. As the sole only child among his siblings, the illicit circumstances behind Zhang Lei's birth would have been the easiest for Beyond to cover up. While all of this makes Zhang Lei seem like a solid candidate, he's also completely unfamiliar with Nen, and he isn't nearly as intelligent as he thinks he is.
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5 Prince Luzurus is Underestimated by His Siblings
Luzurus is the Benefactor of the Cha-R Family
Luzurus Hui Guo Rou is the 7th Prince of the Kakin Empire. Of the still-living Princes, Luzurus has received some of the least panel time and, despite being the primary benefactor of the Ch-R mafia family, he isn't viewed as a threat by his older siblings. As far as Benjamin, Camilla, and the others are concerned, Luzurus is a slacker who wastes far too much time enjoying recreational drugs. However, in recent chapters, Luzurus' role in the story has shifted him into a prominent role.
Luzurus is now suspected by Melody of having placed a curse on Fugetsu that's deteriorating her health. Whether or not this turns out to be true, readers are getting to see more of him, and see just how smart he really is. With this happening immediately after the revelations surrounding Beyond, it seems more and more likely that he's still alive, so he can eventually be revealed as Beyond's son.
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4 Prince Camilla Possesses the Viciousness of the Netero Bloodline
Camilla's Only Priority is Amassing Power for Herself
Camilla Hui Guo Rou is the 2nd Prince of the Kakin Empire. As the second-oldest Prince, Camilla's resources are vast, and include the personal army she's built by elevating members of Kakin's "Have-Nots" class. She's also one of the only Princes to know Nen prior to the beginning of the Succession Contest, not needing to solely rely on her Guardian Spirit Beast. Camilla is elegant, snobby, self-centered, and more than violent and aggressive enough to make Beyond proud.
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While fathering the First Prince of Kakin wasn't an option for Beyond, Camilla being his daughter would be his next best choice. Her similarities to him, and her familiarity with Nen scream some type of relationship between the two, as does her choice to place Nen curses on her enemies. Camilla's already been bested by Benjamin once during the Succession Contest but, if her role in the story was only to hype up her older brother, she would have already been killed off.
3 Prince Woble Has Kurapika as Her Sworn Protector
Woble is the Youngest Prince in the Succession Contest
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Woble Hui Guo Rou is the 14th Prince of the Kakin Empire. The youngest Kakin Prince, Woble is an infant, unable to participate in the Succession Contest herself, and needing to be cared for by her mother, Queen Oito. In spite of this, Woble is one of the most powerful players in the Succession Contest thanks to the incredible fortune she's had of winding up with Kurapika Kurta, one of the smartest and most powerful Nen users aboard the Black Whale, as her bodyguard.
The revelation that Woble is a Netero would be one of the most interesting potential twists at this stage in the arc. The depths of Beyond's potential for malice have already been exposed, but Kurapika also wouldn't betray Woble and Oito, especially not the former, given her age. This would make the series' typically collected protagonist struggle with what move he should make next, especially as Longhi would now be seeking to kill Woble herself.
2 Prince Tserreidnich is the Greatest Nen Genius in Hunter X Hunter
Tserreidnich is the Main Villain of the Succession Contest Arc
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Tserreidnich Hui Guo Rou is the 4th Prince of the Kakin Empire. As the main villain of the Succession Contest Arc, fans have had ample time to witness the depths of his sadism, his cruelty, and his depravity, some of which may have even been too much for Isaac Netero to stomach. However, what both Isaac and Beyond would respect about him, and could likely be responsible for, is his talent with Nen. Tserreidnich is the greatest Nen genius in Hunter X Hunter, having gone from not even knowing about Nen prior to the beginning of the Succession Contest, rapidly surpassing every well-trained Nen user around him in only a matter of days.
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Tserreidnich is the perfect son for Beyond. They're equally evil, Tserreidnich's ranking grants him extreme power and wealth and, with Beyond implied to be even stronger than Isaac, he's the only Prince who could ever come close to reaching Beyond's level, or even surpassing it. Tserreidnich being a Netero would also explain exactly why he's so supernaturally gifted. There is only one argument against Tserreidnich being Beyond's son, but it's a big one: it would be too predictable. Hunter X Hunter is a series that prides itself on subverting expectations, and having the main villain of the arc be the son of the newest overarching antagonist is too easy to guess.
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1 Prince Halkenburg is the Most Obvious Suspect
Halkenburg is a Nen Prodigy
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Halkenburg Hui Guo Rou is the 9th Prince of the Kakin Empire. Despite being the most overtly heroic Prince, wishing to become King of Kakin so that he can bring about reforms that will benefit the country's people, and establish a democracy, he's also the most likely candidate to be the child of Beyond Netero. He's a Nen genius, his mother has already been revealed to not be who fans initially thought, and it would be a cruel twist for such a noble soul to be twisted by Beyond's influence.
As fans know from families like the Freecss and the Zoldycks, a Nen user's bloodline can have a major impact on their potential, and being Beyond's son would help explain how Halkenburg developed Possession Arrow, one of the strongest Hatsus in the series. Halkenburg has received some of the heaviest focus among the Princes, and it's clear to most readers that they're witnessing a corruption arc. He's already stooping to lows he never has before and, by the end of the Succession Contest, he may become the very type of royal he despises, and an ideal partner for Beyond.
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Hunter x Hunter
Gon Freecss aspires to become a Hunter, an exceptional being capable of greatness. With his friends and his potential, he seeks out his father, who left him when he was younger.