Who Is Shizuku Murasaki?

Shizuku Murasaki is a fictional character from the manga and anime series Hunter × Hunter, created by Yoshihiro Togashi. She is a member of the Phantom Troupe, an infamous gang of thieves and murderers. A major antagonist, Shizuku is member #8 of the Troupe and acts as their "spoliator" or cleaner.

Appearance

Shizuku Murasaki is a petite woman with short black hair, plum-colored eyes, and black-framed glasses. She is often seen in a black turtleneck and jeans, accessorized with a necklace featuring a St. Peter's cross and two horns. Shizuku also wears earrings decorated with a reversed cross, which are often hidden by her hair. Her outfit can also include bracelets on each wrist. She has an hourglass figure and, as a member of the Phantom Troupe, she has a spider tattoo with the number eight on the lower-left side of her midsection.

Personality

Shizuku is a serene and forgetful member of the Phantom Troupe who hides her deadly, cold-blooded nature behind an air-headed and unassuming facade. She tends to be extremely forgetful, even suffering from short-term memory loss. Shizuku sometimes forgets people she has met or their names, which contributes to her "air-headed" reputation. This, along with her unassuming appearance, often causes opponents to underestimate her combat ability.

She is typically very calm, rarely showing strong emotion. Her poker face is so good that she remained perfectly tranquil even after announcing that, according to her own fortune, she would die the following week. Shizuku doesn't mince words, and her blunt, cold statements can be unintentionally offensive to both allies and enemies. This also reflects her callous and ruthless nature when it comes to her criminal activities.

Despite her indifference to others, she shows fierce loyalty to her fellow Phantom Troupe members and follows the rules set by their leader, Chrollo. She has been visibly distraught over a comrade's death and is against infighting within the group. While she appears simple-minded, Shizuku is a highly capable and intelligent fighter. In a battle, she demonstrates tactical thinking by quickly assessing her opponent's weaknesses and formulating clever plans. 

Background

Shizuku was born and raised in Meteor City, a junkyard inhabited by outcasts. It is a place that does not exist on any official records, and its existence is known to very few people. People from Meteor City exist without official documentation. 

The unique conditions of Meteor City instilled a powerful sense of loyalty among its inhabitants, which the Phantom Troupe's members famously share. These bonds are described as "thinner than water, and yet thicker than blood".

Shizuku eventually became a member of the Phantom Troupe, a notorious group of thieves and murderers who also came from Meteor City. She is the eighth member of the group, with the spider tattoo to prove it. 

Shizuku is not an original member of the Phantom Troupe. She was recruited to replace the previous #8, who was killed by the assassin and father of Killua Zoldyck, Silva Zoldyck, approximately three years before the events of the Yorknew City arc.

As the newest member of the group, she primarily acts as their "spoliator". Her Conjurer Nen ability, Blinky, allows her to use a vacuum cleaner to suck up any object that is not living or a product of Nen. This is ideal for cleaning up the evidence of the Troupe's crimes.

Powers and Abilities

Shizuku Murasaki is a member of the Phantom Troupe and a Conjurer, whose primary ability is summoning a sentient vacuum cleaner named Blinky. Her powers center on Blinky's ability to suck up an infinite amount of non-living objects. While not physically the strongest member of the Phantom Troupe, Shizuku is a highly capable fighter.

Physical and Combat Abilities

• Enhanced Strength: Shizuku is strong enough to use Blinky as a blunt melee weapon, with which she can deliver powerful blows.

• Enhanced Speed and Reflexes: She possesses considerable speed and reflexes, allowing her to keep pace with other Troupe members.

• High Combat Intelligence: Shizuku has demonstrated sharp tactical and deductive reasoning skills in combat.

• Preternatural Perception: Like other Troupe members, she has a powerful sense of hostile intent.

Nen Affinity and Abilities

Nen (念) is a fundamental power system that allows individuals to control their life energy, known as aura. By manipulating their aura, Nen users can create unique supernatural abilities called Hatsu, enhancing their physical capabilities or creating complex, personal powers. 

• Nen Affinity: As a Conjurer, Shizuku uses her Nen to create a physical object out of her aura. Her signature ability is a vacuum cleaner named Blinky, which can inhale an infinite number of non-living objects and materials.

• Blinky (Deme-chan): Shizuku’s primary ability is summoning a sentient vacuum cleaner named Blinky. Her powers center on Blinky's ability to suck up an infinite amount of non-living objects.

  • Infinite Storage: Blinky can inhale and make disappear an endless quantity of non-living things, including liquids and corpses. Shizuku herself doesn't know where the vacuumed items go.

  • Evidence Cleanup: Shizuku often uses Blinky to erase all traces of the Phantom Troupe's crimes, such as blood and bodies at a massacre site.

  • Object Retrieval: Blinky can only regurgitate the very last item it sucked up.

  • Long-Range Suction: Shizuku doesn't need to be in direct contact with an object for Blinky to inhale it, as long as it's within range and sight.

  • Healing: In a more supportive role, she can use Blinky to remove foreign substances like poisons or gases from a person's body.

  • Limitations: Shizuku must clearly state what she wants the vacuum to suck up and Blinky cannot absorb living beings, objects made with Nen, or anything Shizuku considers to be alive. However, this restriction is based on her own definition of what is "living," which allows her to absorb things like blood from a wound, or even suck all the blood out of an opponent. Blinky's inability to absorb Nen-imbued objects also allows Shizuku to detect Nen-based traps.

Goals and Reputation

Shizuku does not seem to have distinct personal goals separate from the Phantom Troupe. Her primary objective is to serve the group and its leader, Chrollo Lucilfer. As with the other members, her allegiance is to the "spider" first and foremost. She accepts the rules and hierarchy established by Chrollo, including the brutal internal code that prioritizes the group's survival over any single member's life.

When on a mission, Shizuku is a dedicated tool for the Troupe's cause. Her role is often to clean up after the group's crimes by making bodies and evidence disappear with her Nen ability, Blinky. Like most of the Troupe, Shizuku hails from Meteor City, a lawless junk town. Her actions are partly motivated by the nihilistic worldview of her hometown and her loyalty to its people. 

Among both allies and enemies, Shizuku has a complex and often underestimated reputation. Deceptively air-headed, Shizuku has a forgetful and aloof personality, which causes opponents to underestimate her. She has a short-term memory, often forgetting people's names, while her calm, quiet demeanor hides her ruthless nature. However, she is far from unintelligent and can be very quick-witted in a fight.

Shizuku is known for her chillingly calm and nonchalant attitude, even when faced with her own potential death. She shows no remorse for her victims and, like other Troupe members, is capable of committing mass murder without hesitation. During the Yorknew City arc, she remained utterly indifferent to the prediction of her own death.

While she is physically the second-weakest member of the Phantom Troupe (ranking 12th in arm wrestling), she is still a powerful Nen user. She is a skilled combatant, using Blinky as a blunt weapon and as a way to exsanguinate opponents by sucking their blood out of wounds.

Despite her spacey exterior, her intelligence has been noted multiple times. For example, she was able to interpret Chrollo's cryptic Nen-based fortunes to help the Troupe. In combat, she is observant and analytical, capable of picking up on opponents' weaknesses and fighting patterns.