Real Talk Co.

Today I’ll be answering the question “why do so many people like Killua?”.

Killua, one of the most popular hunters in the entire series has an incredibly large fan base.

Some might argue that his even outshines the main character, and often.

It’s revealed early on that he’s also the younger brother of Illumi.

I enjoyed watching Killua in the series and could easily see the show being more about him, or even a spin-off occurring just based off how interesting of a character he is.

Why do so many people like Killua (Hunter X Hunter)?

It’s easy to see why Killua was always ranked number 1 on all of the Hunter x Hunter character polls. He had numerous moments in the series that could argue a case for him being better than the main character. Killua has great character development, tragic backstory and a good sense of style.

Debatably Better Than Gon

Gon is the main protagonist of the Hunter x Hunter series (you should know this).

Killua is another major character that we’re introduced to shortly after Gon meets Kurapika and Leorio.

But let’s focus on Gon and Killua.

There’s been debates about side characters being better than main characters in some shows.

The relationship between Gon and Killua is a common pair that’s discussed when talking about side characters that could show up the main character.

Killua has on numerous occasions have moments that outshine Gon, thus making him a more lovable character than our main protagonist.

One of the best moments in the anime that won the hearts of fans and made Killua so liked was during the Hunter exam in which he stole his opponent’s.

Yes, that’s entirely coincidental, Killua won our hearts after stealing another person’s.

Character Development

Killua is a character in Hunter x Hunter that has amazing character development.

His character development comes from being an assassin to a loving kid that finds a bond deeper than family through friendship.

Killua’s family is known for being a group of assassins for hire.

And Killua was being groomed since birth to take over the family business and keep it going some day.

Obviously things change as the story progresses, and fans grow to love Killua even more after seeing how much he grows with his friends.

Tragic Backstory

Continuing from what I was mentioning earlier about Killua being groomed to be an assassin.

His history of being an assassin earned an arc in itself, closer towards the beginning of the series (specifically after Gon and his friends become hunters).

The backstory was interesting because in the beginning of the Hunter exam arc, we as the fans were only appreciating him for being such a savage.

I’ve mentioned before, one of his notable feats was removing the heart of one of his opponents and handing him back his still beating heart.

It was necessary to shine some light on his backstory because it allows the fans to build a protective appreciation for Killua the same way he has for Gon.

We treat him with the same love that we would have for Gon at this point of the series.

Good Sense of Style

Killua’s sense of style is yet another thing that’s far too under appreciated and I’m here to put an end to that today.

A small thing that many people might find about Killua that they like is his fashion.

One thing that Togashi seemed to take into account with designing Killua is deciding to change his outfits often throughout the series.

I’m going to tell you why we can appreciate new clothes on any anime characters.

New outfits tend to represent changes in the character.

Think about it, a character gets a new fit in the anime, and usually they’re a different character at that point.

When you reach the Heaven’s Arena Arc, you’ll notice that Killua seems to go through a mad amount of clothes (and we see him getting stronger and progressing through the arena as a result).

It’s probably a theory at best, but there’s strong proof (even in other anime) that we can appreciate a character who gets different outfits.

Final Thoughts

Thanks for making it this far.

Let’s revisit my points for why we like Killua so much.

Again, he’s debatably a better character than Gon.

His backstory is incredible and makes us as viewers appreciate him and support him more as well at this point it’s revealed.

Killua has character development that has depth to it.

And he gets a lot of cool outfits.

What do you think about the points made?

Leave a comment below and share what you think (after checking out the Heaven’s Arena arc of course sense it’ll help make these points make the most sense).