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“Bungee Gum has the properties of both rubber and gum,” is a quote that you’ll often hear from Hisoka, no matter what the circumstance. He could be boasting about its ability, or he could just be warning you about a potential trap he has set. No matter the case, Hisoka and his bungee gum dialogue are pretty famous in the fandom.
That said, in both manga and the anime adaptation of Hunter x Hunter, Hisoka is shown to use the Bungee Gum in a number of ways, which raises some doubts as to what this ability is all about. Read on to get a complete understanding on Hisoka’s Bungee Gum and what he can do with it.
Hisoka’s Bungee Gum explained:
The Bungee Gum is first introduced in the series when Hisoka is participating in the Hunter Exam, during which he demonstrates his ability to stretch his aura and attack his opponents from a distance.
He also uses the bungee gum to control his movements, and also spring surprises on his opponents. This is one of Hisoka’s signature styles, and he uses it throughout the series in many of his fights.
How is able to pull off all these moves?
Well, Hisoka is a transmuter, and thanks to this ability he is able to manipulate his aura to be like a rubber band, stretching it out to great lengths. Along with the shape of the aura, he can also play around with its strength.
However, like the eccentric fighter mentions, the properties of his transmuted aura is not limited to that of rubber, and also includes the properties of gum. Meaning, he can both stretch out his aura and also make it stick. This is basic mechanism behind the bungee gum.
The Bungee Gum snaps back with greater force the more it is stretched.
He can control his aura using his hands or his legs, but Hisoka mostly uses his hands and his fingers to control this ability. He is the personification of a puppeteer when seen in conjunction with this ability.
The Bungee Gum ability is one of the key reasons why Hisoka is such a formidable opponent, as it allows him to strike quickly and unpredictably, making it hard for his opponents to defend against him.
Applications of the Bungee Gum:
Hisoka can use his Bungee Gum ability for both offensive and defensive purposes.
The rubber like property allows him to whip his opponents from a distance. At one point he increases the strength of his aura and uses the bungee gum to create a whip that is capable of cutting through steel, which speaks volumes about its attacking prowess.
The other attacking properties of the bungee gum includes:
- Hisoka can use his Bungee Gum to extend his reach and grab opponents from a distance. By stretching his aura out and forming it into a hand-like shape, he can grab hold of opponents and pull them in for a close-range attack.
- He can use it to create projectiles. By stretching his aura out and forming it into small balls, he can launch them at opponents as a ranged attack.
- Hisoka also enhances his physical attacks using the Bungee Gum ability. By focusing his aura in his fists, he can increase the power of his punches and make them more destructive.
Coming to gum like property, Hisoka can stick and peel off his aura at will. The aura can be attached to opponents and/or objects.
In his fight against Gon in the Heaven’s Arena, Hisoka stuck his aura to Gon and used it as a flail to pull his opponent towards him, throwing the latter off balance and impeding his movements.
He can attach his aura either by detaching it from his body and throwing it at his opponent, or by slowly extending his aura and catching his opponent unawares, like he does with Gon.
Talking of defense, Hisoka is shown to use Bungee Gum to fend off attacks, by making a shield out of Bungee Gum. By stretching his aura out to its maximum length and then contracting it rapidly, he can create a barrier that protects him from attacks. This is useful for deflecting projectiles or blocking physical strikes.
He does so to block Gotoh’s coins and also Gon’s attack. By absorbing the kinetic energy of the projectiles thrown at him, the Bungee Gum can also be used as a trampoline and return an opponents attack with more force.
Hisoka can also use the sticky gum properties of the Bungee Gum to bind his opponents to a place. By stretching his aura out and wrapping it around an opponent’s limbs, he immobilizes them and restricts their movements, preventing the opponent from attacking or escaping.
Another way he uses Bungee Gum to bind opponents is by stretching his aura out and creating a net-like structure, he can ensnare opponents and make it difficult for them to move.
He can also use it on himself to make him stick to a place, or to walk on walls etc.
Other applications:
- Hisoka is seen using the Bungee Gum to cover up his wounds and stopping blood loss.
- He created his limbs using the Bungee Gum, by taking away its adhesive properties.
- Bungee Gum has also been used as a slingshot multiple times by Hisoka.
Considering all of the above mentioned factors, its pretty evident that the Bungee Gum extremely versatile and highly unpredictable in a battle.
However, a part of why the Bungee Gum is soo versatile is because of Hisoka’s high intelligence too. He is a mastermind when it comes to battle tactics, and knows how exactly to use his ability to trap and defeat his opponents.
Disadvantages:
As Togashi mentioned in a chapter 80 of Hunter x Hunter, the Bungee Gum, once detached from Hisoka’s body, can only have a max stretch of 10 millimeters.
Also, even when its connected to his body, Hisoka can only stretch his aura out to a certain length before it snaps back. This means that if an opponent can get close to him while his aura is stretched out, they can easily defeat him.
Additionally, Bungee Gum is not effective against Nen abilities that affect the aura such as Manipulation abilities, which can be used to control Hisoka’s movements and actions, or Enhancement abilities that can increase the strength of an opponent’s attack.
Bungee Gum and Hisoka’s personality:
Hisoka’s Bungee Gum is not only a powerful ability but also a representation of his character. Hisoka’s love for battle and his desire for excitement and thrill is reflected in his bungee gum ability. He uses it to find opponents to fight, and the thrill of battle is what drives him.
He enjoys the feeling of stretching his aura to its limit and pushing himself to the brink of defeat. Hisoka’s Bungee Gum is an important aspect of his character, and it is one of the reasons why he is such a memorable and iconic character in the series.
That’s all from us about the Bungee Gum. Do mention your thoughts about this peculiar ability from Hunter x Hunter in the comments below!
