TV-Series
Description
Pariston Hill is a professional Hunter affiliated with the Hunter Association and one of the very few Hunters in the world to hold the rank of Triple Star, or Three-Star, Hunter. He previously served as the twelfth vice-chairman of the Association under chairman Isaac Netero and was a member of the elite group known as the Zodiac Twelve, where he held the codename Rat. Unlike most of his fellow Zodiac members, he did not adopt an appearance resembling his assigned animal, and he was instead always seen wearing luxurious suits and ties. He had medium-length dark blond hair, brown eyes, and a wide, cheerful smile. After the thirteenth chairman election, he briefly became the Association's thirteenth chairman but immediately handed the position to Cheadle Yorkshire. He later left the Zodiacs and joined Beyond Netero's expedition to the Dark Continent, serving as its second-in-command.
In terms of background, Pariston was personally selected by Netero, who stated that he appointed Pariston as vice-chairman because he wanted to keep close the type of person he found most difficult to handle. Within the Association, Pariston built his own faction that opposed the chairman's faction, and he was known to obstruct the activities of Netero's allies, including interfering with the Association's involvement in the Chimera Ant incident. It is also said that he secretly recovered and took control of approximately five thousand Chimera Ant cocoons, a fact that was kept hidden from the rest of the Association.
Pariston's personality is deceptive. On the surface, he appears to be a pleasant, soft-spoken young man who never stops smiling, but in truth he is highly cunning, calculating, and unpredictable. He is an expert manipulator who uses skillful speech to control and provoke others, and he openly admits that he takes pleasure in being disliked and in aggravating people. Netero himself described him as the most difficult member of the Zodiacs to handle, and most of the other members deeply distrust and dislike him. He has been characterized as a trickster whose primary motivation is amusement rather than power or ambition. This is reflected in his behavior during the chairman election, when he won the position he had been maneuvering for and then immediately resigned, and in his own remarks suggesting that what he truly enjoyed was the game of matching wits with people like Netero and Ging Freecss.
His motivations are deliberately unclear. His actions in the election arc, including proposing an election process that went against the wishes of the late Netero and using the critical condition of Gon Freecss as a political tool, appeared designed to throw the Association into chaos for his own entertainment. After Netero's death, he seemed to be searching for new opponents who could amuse him. He also reportedly used his hidden Chimera Ant force to force the Association into a choice between two destructive options, though the full purpose behind this scheme was never revealed. His actual goals remain obscure, and most of his plans are only partially understood by other characters.
Pariston's role in the story is most prominent during the thirteenth chairman election arc, where he serves as the main instigator of the political turmoil. He manipulates the voting process, creates factions, and stages elaborate deceptions, even arranging events in order to draw out and observe Ging Freecss's abilities. He ultimately becomes chairman when Gon Freecss's vote, intended for Leorio, falls to him, but he surprises everyone by resigning in favor of Cheadle. Afterward, he shifts his attention toward the Dark Continent, joining Beyond Netero's expedition, and it is later revealed that he maintains a spy within the Zodiacs.
His key relationships include his rivalry with Ging Freecss, with whom he engages in a prolonged battle of intellect and who regards him as a dangerously similar kind of person but with a destructive streak. His relationship with Netero was complex, marked by a mixture of admiration and antagonism, as he both caused the chairman trouble and expressed a wish that he could have kept playing with him. He is largely isolated from the other Zodiac members, who regard him with suspicion, and his interactions with Cheadle and with Gon Freecss are chiefly shaped by political maneuvering.
His development is most visible through the election arc, where his behavior reveals that he is not genuinely interested in holding power, and through his later transition from Association politics to the Dark Continent expedition, where his long-term intentions remain unknown.
Regarding abilities, Pariston's Nen ability has never been clearly revealed in the story. He claims that he lacks strength as a professional Hunter in direct combat, though this statement is not considered trustworthy. What is evident is his exceptional intelligence, strategic foresight, patience, and mastery of persuasion and psychological manipulation. It is speculated that he is a Manipulation-type Nen user, partly because of his personality and partly because he appears to command the thousands of Chimera Ants in his possession. His Triple Star status indicates that he has accomplished extraordinary feats as a Hunter, and his greatest strengths are considered to be his mind and his unpredictability rather than physical combat.
In terms of background, Pariston was personally selected by Netero, who stated that he appointed Pariston as vice-chairman because he wanted to keep close the type of person he found most difficult to handle. Within the Association, Pariston built his own faction that opposed the chairman's faction, and he was known to obstruct the activities of Netero's allies, including interfering with the Association's involvement in the Chimera Ant incident. It is also said that he secretly recovered and took control of approximately five thousand Chimera Ant cocoons, a fact that was kept hidden from the rest of the Association.
Pariston's personality is deceptive. On the surface, he appears to be a pleasant, soft-spoken young man who never stops smiling, but in truth he is highly cunning, calculating, and unpredictable. He is an expert manipulator who uses skillful speech to control and provoke others, and he openly admits that he takes pleasure in being disliked and in aggravating people. Netero himself described him as the most difficult member of the Zodiacs to handle, and most of the other members deeply distrust and dislike him. He has been characterized as a trickster whose primary motivation is amusement rather than power or ambition. This is reflected in his behavior during the chairman election, when he won the position he had been maneuvering for and then immediately resigned, and in his own remarks suggesting that what he truly enjoyed was the game of matching wits with people like Netero and Ging Freecss.
His motivations are deliberately unclear. His actions in the election arc, including proposing an election process that went against the wishes of the late Netero and using the critical condition of Gon Freecss as a political tool, appeared designed to throw the Association into chaos for his own entertainment. After Netero's death, he seemed to be searching for new opponents who could amuse him. He also reportedly used his hidden Chimera Ant force to force the Association into a choice between two destructive options, though the full purpose behind this scheme was never revealed. His actual goals remain obscure, and most of his plans are only partially understood by other characters.
Pariston's role in the story is most prominent during the thirteenth chairman election arc, where he serves as the main instigator of the political turmoil. He manipulates the voting process, creates factions, and stages elaborate deceptions, even arranging events in order to draw out and observe Ging Freecss's abilities. He ultimately becomes chairman when Gon Freecss's vote, intended for Leorio, falls to him, but he surprises everyone by resigning in favor of Cheadle. Afterward, he shifts his attention toward the Dark Continent, joining Beyond Netero's expedition, and it is later revealed that he maintains a spy within the Zodiacs.
His key relationships include his rivalry with Ging Freecss, with whom he engages in a prolonged battle of intellect and who regards him as a dangerously similar kind of person but with a destructive streak. His relationship with Netero was complex, marked by a mixture of admiration and antagonism, as he both caused the chairman trouble and expressed a wish that he could have kept playing with him. He is largely isolated from the other Zodiac members, who regard him with suspicion, and his interactions with Cheadle and with Gon Freecss are chiefly shaped by political maneuvering.
His development is most visible through the election arc, where his behavior reveals that he is not genuinely interested in holding power, and through his later transition from Association politics to the Dark Continent expedition, where his long-term intentions remain unknown.
Regarding abilities, Pariston's Nen ability has never been clearly revealed in the story. He claims that he lacks strength as a professional Hunter in direct combat, though this statement is not considered trustworthy. What is evident is his exceptional intelligence, strategic foresight, patience, and mastery of persuasion and psychological manipulation. It is speculated that he is a Manipulation-type Nen user, partly because of his personality and partly because he appears to command the thousands of Chimera Ants in his possession. His Triple Star status indicates that he has accomplished extraordinary feats as a Hunter, and his greatest strengths are considered to be his mind and his unpredictability rather than physical combat.