The Ongoing Mafia War in Hunter x Hunter Explained

The Hunter x Hunter manga has captivated fans with its complex characters and intricate storylines. One of the most intense arcs currently unfolding is the mafia war centered on the Black Whale 1 ship. This conflict involves powerful factions vying for control, with high stakes and shifting alliances. Understanding the current state of this mafia war requires a close look at the key players, their motivations, and the events that have escalated tensions. This post breaks down the ongoing conflict, providing clarity on what’s happening aboard Black Whale 1 and why it matters in the current Hunter x Hunter arc.

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Key Factions Involved in the War

The underworld of the Kakin Empire is run by three mafia families. To survive, each family operates under the shadow protection of a specific Kakin Royal Prince. Crucially, they have a strict code to maintain balance and keep the peace, until now.

• Xi-Yu Family: They are the wealthiest and most populous of the underworld factions aboard the Black Whale ship.

  • The Boss: Onior Longbao leads the family. He is an illegitimate half-brother to Kakin’s King Nasubi Hui Guo Rou. Underworld power keeps these illegitimate children complacent so they do not challenge the throne.

  • The Underboss: Hinrigh Biganduffno manages the family's frontlines. He is a highly capable Nen user who orchestrates their current tactical operations.

  • The Royal Benefactor: Third Prince Zhang Lei acts as the family's official backer. Onior is strongly implied to be Zhang Lei's biological father, complicating their alliance.

  • Deck Control: Aboard the Black Whale, the Xi-Yu family controls Tier 4.

• Cha-R Family: One of the three major Mafia families of the Kakin Empire, playing a central role in the underworld power struggle during the Succession War arc aboard the Black Whale ship.

  • The Boss: Led by Brocco Li, who is an illegitimate half-brother of Kakin's ruler, King Nasubi Hui Guo Rou. Like other illegitimate royal children heading the mafia, he bears two distinct scars on his face and is banned from public politics.

  • The Underboss: Ken'i Wang is unlike more hot-headed mafia members, in that he is highly analytical, pragmatic, and cautious. He deeply respects traditional mafia rules and balance, making him a calculating strategist.

  • The Royal Benefactor: The family's official royal backer is 7th Prince Luzurus Hui Guo Rou. In exchange for financing and protection, the Cha-R Family executes dirty work and secures resources that advance the Prince's interests.

  • Deck Control: The Cha-R family completely controls the fifth tier of the ship, which dictates the distribution of all goods, commodities, and daily necessities for the poorest passengers.

• Heil-Ly Family: Unlike traditional mafia groups that operate solely for money or territory, the Heil-Ly function under a highly destructive, nihilistic agenda to completely upend the world order.

  • The Boss: The family is led by Morena Prudo, who was an illegitimate daughter of Kakin's King Nasubi Hui Guo Rou. Because she is an illegitimate child, her face was slashed at birth to disqualify her from the royal succession. However, it was later revealed that the person currently in charge of the Heil-Ly Family is merely posing as Morena. Her real identity is unknown; she murdered the actual Morena Prudo, faked her own death, and stole her target's name to orchestrate a bloody underworld coup.

  • The Underboss: None.

  • The Royal Benefactor: Every major Kakin mafia family is tied to a Royal Prince who acts as a benefactor. The Heil-Ly family was originally backed by the sociopathic 4th Prince Tserriednich. However, Tserriednich severed ties with the family after Morena took control and began acting against his long-term structural goals.

  • Deck Control: The Heil-Ly Family officially controls Tier 3 of the Black Whale ship. However, during the voyage, Morena abandoned this designated territory to wage a war of chaos against the Kakin Empire.

Each faction’s involvement is driven by a combination of loyalty, greed, and survival instincts. The alliances are fragile, and betrayals are common as the war progresses.

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Who Is the Fake Morena Prudo?

The "truth" about Morena Prudo in Hunter x Hunter reveals a deeply nihilistic, traumatized villain. She is not just a standard mafia boss, but a survivor of horrific abuse who faked her royal status and actively seeks to destroy the entire world.

• The Carnival Orphan: She was conceived during Kakin's "Carne Levare" festival, where her mother was used by the royal entourage. Her mother died without knowing she gave birth.

• Carne Levare: The royal family secretly travels to a randomly selected, isolated village and hosts a feast.

  • The Sorting: Every villager is forcibly sorted on the spot into two categories: "Entertainers" and "Others". The Entertainers are then subjected to cruel, often abusive hedonistic acts for the royals.

  • Human Trafficking: The festival serves as a gruesome front for human trafficking and exploitation. Children born as a result of these carnival visits (often referred to as "Carnival Orphans") are classified by human traffickers into illegitimate "fakers" or as mere "flesh".

  • Lèse-majesté: During and after the event, strict "lèse-majesté" laws are enforced, which dictates that any offense against the Crown (including contraception, abortion, or simply looking at a royal's face) is punishable by immediate execution.

• Classified as "Flesh": While illegitimate royal children are sometimes kept as "Second-Track Fakers," she was thrown into human trafficking and labeled as mere "meat".

• 20 Years of Slavery: She suffered decades of horrific abuse in an institution run by the Kakin mafia. This trauma triggered her Nen awakening.

• The Identity Theft: She found the real Morena Prudo (who was an actual illegitimate child of King Nasubi), slaughtered her, buried her in a hidden grave, recreated her face scars, and took her identity to infiltrate the Heil-Ly family.

• Her Ultimate Goal: Unlike typical mafia bosses who fight for territory or wealth, Morena is a genocidal nihilist. She despises the Kakin Empire and human society for how they treat the forgotten and downtrodden. Her explicit endgame is to destroy the entire world and wipe out all of humanity. She intends to use the chaos aboard the Black Whale ship to launch a massive death cult.

The horrific origins of her tale and the implication that the Carne Levare is attended by all of the Kakin royalty as a regular event humanizes a woman who was initially portrayed as merely chaotic for the sake of chaos. With such fury and trauma behind her actions, even readers find it difficult to determine which sides poses the greater threat and which will become the greater evil in the end.

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The Core Mafia Problem: Morena Prudo’s Nihilism

The entire conflict was triggered by Morena Prudo, the new boss of the Heil-Ly family. Because of her horrific origins, Morena is completely nihilistic. She does not care about taking over the mafia or getting rich; she wants to destroy the Kakin Empire, the royal family, and the entire world.

• The "Contagion" Nen Ability: To achieve total destruction, Morena uses a highly dangerous, viral Specialist Nen ability called Etyn-D-Anapsa (Contagion). She infects her followers by kissing them. Infected members gain a "level" system, similar to an RPG.

  • Killing a normal human raises their level by 1.

  • Killing a Nen user raises it by 10.

  • Killing a Royal Prince raises it by 50.

  • At Level 21, the member unlocks their own unique, lethal Nen ability.

  • At Level 100, that member becomes a new "Patient Zero" and can start their own infection circle.

Driven by this system, Heil-Ly members have been committing indiscriminate mass murder across the ship's lower tiers to rapidly level up and gain power.

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Enter the Phantom Troupe and Hisoka

The Phantom Troupe (the Spiders) boarded the ship with multiple goals, though their most pressing is to find and kill Hisoka, who is hiding somewhere in the lower decks. Because the mafia controls Tiers 3, 4, and 5, the Spiders had to interact with them to gain access to higher tiers.

• The Alliance: Seeing the Heil-Ly family as a rabid dog that needs to be put down, the Xi-Yu and Cha-R families formed a tentative alliance with the Phantom Troupe. They agreed to help the Spiders look for Hisoka in exchange for the Spiders wiping out the Heil-Ly.

• The Chaos: Heil-Ly members (like Luini) intentionally tried to trick the Spiders into attacking the other families. However, the Spiders quickly realized they were being used and are now actively hunting the Heil-Ly out of pure annoyance and a desire to clear their path.

• The Risk: Hisoka is well aware that the Troupe is aboard the ship and is also aware that they are working with the mafia families. Hisoka is currently located on Tier 1 of the Black Whale 1. Specifically, he has been found hanging out at the VIP Casino. He was ultimately spotted in Tier 1 by the Phantom Troupe member Bonolenov, putting him directly in the territory of the upper-class passengers, Kakin princes, and VIP recreation areas. However, as Bonolenov, himself has admitted, he is not well-suited to fighting Hisoka, so he may, in fact, become the first victim in the Troupe's war on the Black Whale 1.

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Why the Situation is Exploding Right Now

As the manga progresses, the mafia problem has reached a critical tipping point.

• Guerilla Warfare: Heil-Ly members are utilizing complex, localized teleportation abilities to ambush and murder rival mafia members and military personnel before vanishing back into their hidden base.

• The Military Threat: The mass slaughter in the lower decks is drawing the attention of the Royal Military, specifically 1st Prince Benjamin. The military wants an excuse to implement martial law. If the mafia conflict gets too loud, Benjamin will use his army to completely steamroll the lower decks, killing criminals and civilians alike.

• The Imminent Clash: Key Phantom Troupe members (like Feitan, Phinks, and Nobunaga) have successfully tracked down the location of the Heil-Ly hideout. But, as of yet, they are unable to access it due to the Nen ability of one of the Heil-Ly Family members.

Ultimately, the mafia war has transformed the lower decks into a volatile powder keg. It threatens to tear the ship apart from the bottom up, long before the Black Whale ever reaches the Dark Continent.

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