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Hello! Well, how do I start?! Oh, Yeah! Hi! Wait, I already said that... ummm... ah! Here! Ummmm... Yeah... So... tonight we have a really big sheeeew... get it, cuz it's an Ed Sullivan reference... well, you might not, 'cause it's from 1958, but still... it's timeless...
So, here I am and there you are. Well, I'm not really here, I wrote this and I'm probably doing something else right now and forgot this thing existed. I'm here to talk about Nen and to give some tips, recommendations and tricks to help anyone that either needs the help or just wants to expand their methods of unleashing their creativity to the universe *puffs joint* AH! This is the stuff...
Starting from this particular part[]
Nen: the special power of the Hunters, equivalent to Naruto's shinobi ninjutsu, Fairy Tail's magic, One Piece's Devil Fruits, etc., etc... In general, the big ability the main characters have/wish to have and that serves as a big portion of the series' foundation.
What I really want to talk about in this blog is the many ways of using the six classes of Hatsu for unique purposes. Let's get started:
NOTE: The definition of the wikia about the Hatsu types is LIMITED! It is the basic knowledge someone needs to know about all six of the classes, but each one can be much more complex. Also, always remember your Nen techniques reflect your personality and that ultimately, your powers can be conditioned by your character.
Enhancement[]
People usually assume that Enhancement is the easiest Hatsu to approach, after all, there's not much to it, is there? It's just improving a natural ability? FALSE! In fact, it might just be the exact opposite: the concept of Enhancers is so basic that it can be used in many unique ways. Yes, you can make someone like Gon that can strengthen his physical power, but why keep it so simple when there's so much to try out?
Let's analyse canon Enhancers to see their powers:
- Level 1 of Interest: Uvogin, Kastro and Gon are pretty standard: they increased the power of their body: Gon - fist; Kastro - hands; Uvogin - Fist and voice.
Kastro, because of the simplicity of the power, decided to use a supplementary power, called Double, that, as the name indicates, creates a clone of him, in order to cover up the openings in his technique. HOWEVER, by using such a complex technique, he is forced to spare much more aura, and subsequently exhausting himself.
In Gon's case, because of its short range, he adopted two other attacks, each belonging to a different class, to improve his combat potential and compensate for the horribly long charging time of his Rock attack.
Uvo is just strong, so he didn't need much more. But Kurapika was smarter, so, yeah, that's that...
- Level 2 of Interest: Then, we have someone which, in order to power his technique further, added a requirement to it. There is always the chance of having difficulty in dealing/meeting with this requirement, so make sure your character chooses what's best for them.
Phinks: "When Phinks winds his arm in a circular fashion, his aura increases in his fist with every rotation".
Rammot's ability is simple, but involves the application of another Hatsu type to use it, as well as one of the advanced techniques. He transmutes his feathers into blades, and then enhances them through Shu (coating the blades with aura).
- Level 3 of Interest: This is that last bite secret ingredient to something simple that makes it completely different in a good way. This category is only given to techniques that are original, both in usage, in concept and complexity.
Isaac Netero's enhancement is magnificent. Not only does it embody his persona, as it has a unique factor to it: the Chairman's power is so great and, to such a high scale enhanced with his Hatsu, that he literally conjures and brings forth the Bodhisattva himself to deliver the attacks. It is both great in concept and cultural references, something big on my book.
Menthuthuyoupi, much like other Chimera Ants, completely revolutionises the way one interprets Nen as a whole. When we think of Enhancement, we think, most of the times in powering up further our best traits, or even improve our weakest points to balance our power. However, being a unique creature, Menthuthuyoupi enhances his body by attributing himself with new body parts and functions, exclusively designed for battle. They are not the prettiest techniques, because they embody his rage, and that rage is a vital point of his powers. If he lacked rage, he would be powerless, and it is that feeling that fuels his aura and Hatsu, and overall characterise it.
And finally, Palm Siberia's Wink Blue and Merman Clairvoyance. They are, by far, one of the coolest powers in my opinion in the series. Initially, she depended on Conjuration and Enhancement to perform her ability, as well as a "ritual" to initiate it. And right here, I notice that it is quite amazing how her vision was enhanced to clairvoyance and then the author literally represented her power with an embodiment of that, the crystal ball, that served as her enhanced eye. Later on, after becoming a Chimera Ant, by only covering her right eye, she could perform the same thing, but instead of choosing from the people she saw at least once, she is limited to the last three people she saw, a good example of a power up, but with limits.
Process[]
Let's turn all this information into a process, because, you know... everyone loves processes.
Build Character → Choose an Enhancement Power that suits the character → Add a condition/limitation/requirement to use it → Think outside box, by adding something unique to the appearance/process of the technique.
Transmutation[]
Transmutation is far beyond the simple mimicking of a certain thing. By converting their aura into the desired thing, the user's aura inherits all of the properties of said thing or element. However, a concept that some may forget or not understand is that aura is an extension of one's body, meaning that, indirectly, it's the Nen user's body that gains the properties.
The great thing about Transmutation is that, as it is simply defined as the "mimicry of a property/characteristic/state", you can pretty much take a very large creative liberty with the concept and play around with it, coming up with interesting things.
- Level 1 of Interest: The most basic of Transmutations are the simple imitations of a certain thing.
Machi's Hatsu is very basic in concept, although diverse in use. She simply produces "Nen" threads that she can use in a varied fashion, be it in a combat situation, wherein she can strangle, restrain or puppeteer her targets, or even employ her skill to deliver quick and efficient surgery.
Killua has a simple idea behind his abilities. He can simulate electricity, seeing as he was trained previously to endure it. This point is important: your character must be familiarised with the property they wish to mimic. The good part of this technique is that it is also very fluid in the ways it may be used. Note that Killua shows how Transmutation is not just turning your Aura into something with a property: it also means you physically attain it. He gains the power to coordinate his generated electricity with his brain's.
Sadaso uses a super simple technique, but I included it because it demonstrates the variety of ways Transmutation can be seen as. In his case, his Aura assimilates the form of his lost arm.
- Level 2 of Interest: In this category, we can witness a new layer of complexity/originality added to the character's techniques.
Biscuit mimics her desired body appearance. With this example, it is now easier to understand how flexible Transmuters' powers can be. It is not necessary for one's technique to copy a real property (or object that physically exists). It is only necessary that it follows the logic used in the H×H universe (or logic in general, as seen next). And Biscuit's desired body is a very possible thing to exist. And because of that, she has this passive ability that is much more than meets the eye.
Zeno Zoldyck made the list because it is again an example of the freedom you have when transmuting Aura. He makes the aura assume the properties of a dragon. As I said previously, it's not necessary for something to copy a real thing. That being said, dragons are most likely something very real in H×H, but even if they don't exist, they are a very well-defined piece of mythology with widely accepted characteristics. In this case, Zeno takes advantage of the dragon's body shape and movement to manipulate it to attack and to be carried by it.
- Level 3 of Interest:
Hisoka uses two separate abilities in combat that together make a terrifyingly good combination. "Bungee Gum" is quite simple and can be used very differently in different situations, giving it a plus on flexibility (pun intended). Together with "Texture Surprise", which can also be used with an array of advanced Nen techniques, Hisoka can create a very large amount of tricks in combat, which are hard to detect during the rush of the battle. Overall, a very versatile method of fighting, that can also be used to fool your targets.
Feitan is the best example of how you must always remember that your Aura is both an extension of your body and your body at the same time. As evidenced in his battle against Zazan, his combat wounds can be literally transmuted (and note, this is the correct way of using "literally", not the annoying way) into a blazing miniature Sun that scorches his enemies (and friends) alive.
Process[]
So, to summarise it:
Build Character → Reflect and choose a property you will attribute to your character's aura that matches them (after all, it's called "aura") → Choose a process/condition through which this technique is manifested → Remember to not take it as literally as its definition, there's always space for creativity
Conjuration[]
After that one...
- Level 1 of Interest:
- Level 2 of Interest:
- Level 3 of Interest:
Process[]
Emission[]
Later...
- Level 1 of Interest:
- Level 2 of Interest:
- Level 3 of Interest:
Process[]
Manipulation[]
Even later...
- Level 1 of Interest:
- Level 2 of Interest:
- Level 3 of Interest:
Process[]
Specialization[]
Seriously... you think I have nothing else to do?
- Level 1 of Interest:
- Level 2 of Interest:
- Level 3 of Interest: