Who Are the Phantom Troupe in Hunter x Hunter? Members and Origins Explained

The Phantom Troupe is one of Hunter x Hunter's most memorable villain groups: thirteen criminals, a spider emblem and a loyalty that can seem completely at odds with their brutality. They rob, kill and challenge powerful Nen users, yet the members also grieve for one another. That contradiction is central to why the group matters far beyond the Yorknew City arc.

This guide covers the members seen during Yorknew, their abilities and changing roster, the Spider's rules, and what later manga chapters reveal about their origins. The main sections discuss the 2011 anime. A clearly marked manga-spoiler section follows.

What is the Phantom Troupe in Hunter x Hunter?

Also called the Spiders or Genei Ryodan, the Phantom Troupe is a criminal organization led by Chrollo Lucilfer. Its members are exceptionally dangerous fighters and thieves, many of whom use specialized Nen abilities. Their spider tattoos bear numbers, but those numbers are seats in the organization, not a reliable ranking of fighting strength.

The group normally consists of a head and twelve other members. It operates with considerable freedom rather than as a conventional army: members disagree, split into teams and sometimes act independently. Their shared identity becomes most visible when a member is threatened or killed.

In the Yorknew City arc, Chrollo brings the Spiders together to target the underground auction. The robbery places them against the mafia, Kurapika, Gon and Killua. The setup is described in VIZ's Volume 8 summary and Crunchyroll's Episode 41 synopsis.

Who are the Phantom Troupe members?

The following is the familiar Yorknew-era lineup, not a list of every person who has ever held a Spider number. Membership changes as the story progresses. The brief descriptions focus on each character's role rather than pretending that every Nen ability can be captured in one label.

Chrollo Lucilfer: the leader

Chrollo is the Troupe's calm, calculating head. His Skill Hunter ability lets him steal and use other people's Nen abilities under specific conditions. He is not simply the strongest person giving orders: his influence comes from the members' commitment to the Spider as an idea, even when that commitment creates painful choices.

Nobunaga, Feitan, Machi and Phinks

Nobunaga is a swordsman whose quick reactions make him dangerous at close range. Feitan is an agile, ruthless fighter with a retaliatory ability that becomes especially devastating after he is injured. Machi uses Nen threads for binding, sensing and stitching wounds. Phinks relies on formidable physical power, including a punch that becomes stronger as he winds his arm.

Shalnark, Franklin, Shizuku and Pakunoda

Shalnark manipulates targets through his antenna-and-phone technique, with a dangerous self-control option. Franklin fires Nen projectiles from his fingers. Shizuku wields Blinky, a vacuum that can remove many nonliving substances but has clear limitations. Pakunoda can read memories and transfer information, making her essential to the Troupe's intelligence and emotional story.

Bonolenov, Uvogin and Kortopi

Bonolenov uses sound produced through his body to perform distinctive attacks. Uvogin is a powerhouse whose overwhelming strength and confidence make him the focus of a decisive clash with Kurapika. Kortopi creates temporary copies of objects, a talent suited to the Troupe's elaborate thefts and deception.

Hisoka: a member with his own agenda

Hisoka wears the number-four position during Yorknew, but his attachment to the group is fundamentally different. He wants a chance to fight Chrollo, not to protect the Spider's future. That distinction matters whenever a roster describes him as if he were a loyal founding member.

These thirteen names describe a particular period. Treat any chart of 'all current members' with caution unless it says which manga arc it covers. Deaths, departures and replacements mean there is no timeless, unchanging roster.

Why does Kurapika hate the Phantom Troupe?

Kurapika belongs to the Kurta clan, whose members were massacred and whose scarlet eyes were taken. The Phantom Troupe is identified as responsible, turning his pursuit of the group into a deeply personal mission. Yorknew is therefore not just a contest between thieves and hunters: it forces Kurapika to choose between revenge, friendship and the limits of his own power.

His Chain Jail ability is restricted by a lethal Nen condition: he can use it only against Spider members. The rule greatly strengthens the technique while putting his life at risk if he breaks it. VIZ's Volume 11 description explicitly explains that covenant. For the broader system behind such trade-offs, see our guide to the six Nen types.

The emotional stakes become clearer when Kurapika confronts Uvogin and later captures Chrollo. He cannot treat the Spider as a single faceless enemy once Gon and Killua are pulled into the conflict. Crunchyroll's Episode 58 synopsis outlines the tense exchange involving Chrollo and Pakunoda.

How do the Spider's rules and loyalty work?

The Spider is meant to survive even if its head is removed. Chrollo's stated philosophy gives the organization priority over any individual, including himself. That is easier to say than to live by. During Yorknew, some members want revenge immediately while others argue that saving the leader and protecting the group matter more.

This internal conflict is one of the Troupe's strongest writing choices. Members are capable of monstrous acts toward outsiders, but their grief is real. Pakunoda's decisions expose the gap between following an abstract rule and caring about actual people. The story does not ask viewers to excuse the group's crimes because it shows them friendship.

Their varied abilities also make them more effective together. A memory reader, a copier, a tracker, a swordsman and heavy hitters can coordinate a theft or escape in ways that a team of identical fighters could not. Nen rewards unusual conditions and strategic thinking rather than simple power levels.

Where did the Phantom Troupe come from?

The group is closely tied to Meteor City, a place associated with people whom the outside world has discarded. Its residents have little conventional standing, and that history helps explain the Spiders' fierce sense of belonging. However, a harsh upbringing is context, not a justification for murdering civilians.

The 2011 anime gives enough information to establish Meteor City as important, but it does not fully dramatize the founding. The more detailed childhood backstory arrives much later in the manga. Anyone watching only the anime should stop before the spoiler section below if they want to discover those chapters independently.

Manga spoilers: the Phantom Troupe's founding and later members

Major manga spoilers begin here, including material beyond the 2011 anime.

The childhood tragedy behind the Spider

In the flashback collected in Hunter x Hunter Volume 38, young Chrollo and other children from Meteor City collaborate on performances and dubbed entertainment. Their friend Sarasa is abducted and murdered. The tragedy becomes a turning point: Chrollo resolves to build a feared criminal organization while seeking the perpetrators.

That origin complicates the Spiders without making them innocent. They were once children trying to create something joyful together. The organization they later establish becomes responsible for immense suffering. The story leaves room to question whether the Troupe has betrayed the values that initially united its founders.

Kalluto and Illumi join, while Hisoka becomes an enemy

Kalluto Zoldyck takes the number-four seat associated with Hisoka after Hisoka's departure. Later, Illumi Zoldyck enters the group in the number-eleven position. These additions are why Yorknew-era lists should not be presented as a permanently current membership roster.

Chrollo and Hisoka finally fight in a battle covered by VIZ's Volume 34 summary. Its aftermath turns their rivalry into an even more personal hunt, with severe consequences for other members. The conflict continues around the Black Whale voyage, where the Troupe searches for Hisoka amid a larger struggle involving crime families and Kakin's succession.

The Black Whale is connected to the expedition toward the Dark Continent, but the shipboard succession conflict and the continent itself are not the same location or story phase. Our separate guide explains what the Dark Continent expedition actually involves. VIZ Volume 36 and Volume 38 are useful starting points for this later material.

Are the Phantom Troupe villains or antiheroes?

They are villains in the ordinary sense: their actions include theft, murder and the destruction of lives. Their capacity for affection does not cancel those actions. What makes them compelling is that Togashi gives them recognizable human bonds without turning those bonds into a pardon.

Kurapika's revenge is similarly more complex than a simple hero defeating bad people. His restrictions can endanger him, and his anger threatens relationships he values. Nen makes the cost of obsession concrete. A separate example of an extreme self-imposed price appears in why Gon's adult transformation involved a Nen vow.

The Troupe's lasting appeal comes from that tension: an organization built on solidarity that repeatedly harms people outside its circle. Its story asks how loyalty can become both a source of strength and a reason to ignore cruelty.

Where to watch or read the Phantom Troupe story

For the 2011 anime, the Yorknew City storyline begins before the central confrontations and runs through the early sixties in episode numbering, with the Phantom Troupe conflict particularly prominent around episodes 39–58. Streaming catalogs and regional availability vary, so check the series listing in your country rather than assuming a single worldwide platform.

For the manga, Volumes 8–12 cover much of the Yorknew confrontation. Volume 34 covers the major Hisoka and Chrollo battle, while Volumes 36 and 38 provide later Black Whale and origin material. The official VIZ Hunter x Hunter series page links to the publisher's volume catalog.

The key takeaway

The Phantom Troupe is not a fixed power ranking or a gang held together only by Chrollo. It is a changing group whose members have shared history, complementary abilities and a troubling idea of loyalty. Understanding its roster, Meteor City roots and relationship with Kurapika makes Yorknew more meaningful and gives the later manga conflicts much greater weight.