Squala

Squala serves as a bodyguard for the Nostrade Family and works under Dalzollene, acting as one of the senior guards before Kurapika and the others join.

He is second only to Dalzollene in seniority among the Nostrade bodyguards.

He has distinctive Latin-looking facial features, a mole on his forehead, and is strongly characterized as a devoted dog lover.

In the manga’s monochrome art he appears light-skinned, but both the 1999 and 2011 anime adaptations depict him as dark-skinned, which has cemented the image of him as a darker-skinned character.

Squala is an amateur Hunter rather than a licensed professional, and this gap in level is emphasized in the story.

There is a scene where he is clearly shocked by the skill and aura of professional Hunters.

He is romantically involved with Eliza, a maid and attendant of Neon Nostrade, and seriously plans to quit the underworld and find a normal, non-criminal job.

This desire to go straight and protect his future with Eliza makes his eventual fate particularly tragic.

Squala appears mainly in the Yorknew City (Yorkshin City) arc.

He works as one of Neon Nostrade’s personal guards during the underground auction events.

Before Kurapika and the main cast join the Nostrade Family, Squala is already active as a guard under Dalzollene.

Because of his experience, Dalzollene trusts him enough to have him help evaluate new applicants.

At one point Dalzollene asks Squala to test and screen the five people who come in for bodyguard interviews.

However, Baise’s Nen ability forces him to confess that he was supposed to act as a spy during this “exam,” exposing his role almost instantly.

In the 1999 anime adaptation, when Kurapika captures Uvogin, Squala drives the car in Kurapika’s place.

This changes the original manga situation, where Kurapika both restrains Uvogin and drives, something the anime staff likely found unrealistic and dangerous.

After Dalzollene’s death, Squala is once considered as a candidate to become the new leader of the Nostrade bodyguards.

He refuses the position, outwardly saying it would be too heavy a responsibility, but in reality he mainly does not want the burden of constantly looking after Neon.

Squala later acquires a pair of Scarlet Eyes at an underground auction.

Unfortunately for him, the eyes are actually copies created by Kortopi, and merely possessing them draws the deadly attention of the Phantom Troupe.

Realizing that the Phantom Troupe will inevitably come for the eyes, Squala tries to escape with them by car.

His attempt fails when he becomes stuck in traffic, giving Nobunaga and Pakunoda enough time to intercept him.

Squala is portrayed as pragmatic, cautious, and more street-level than the elite Hunters.

He relies on instincts honed through surviving several dangerous “battlefields,” even if he is not among the strongest Nen users.

He openly states that his survival instincts tell him he will die if he stays where he is, showing both a strong sixth sense and his awareness of his own limits.

Despite this, he chooses to act for the sake of the person he loves, which gives him an understated courage.

His love for dogs is genuine, not just professional.

He cares for his animals deeply, enough to base his entire Nen specialization around them.

His most important human relationship is with Eliza, Neon’s maid.

Squala and Eliza are in a serious romantic relationship, and he dreams of leaving his dangerous life behind to live as an honest civilian with her.

The mention of Eliza’s name by Pakunoda during his capture hits him harder than any physical blow.

It provokes an emotional reaction that ultimately leads to his death.

Nen Type

Squala is a Manipulator-type Nen user.

He specializes in controlling animals, specifically dogs, using a contract-like Nen ability.

Dog Manipulation Ability

Squala’s primary ability is an unnamed dog-manipulation Nen technique, sometimes informally referred to as a “dog-controlling ability.”

By taking complete responsibility for the dogs’ care and forming a Nen-based contract, he is able to freely control them.

His controlled dogs can fulfill multiple roles, such as guard dogs or spies.

Through his Nen, Squala can also communicate with the dogs he controls, allowing for precise coordination.

He has dogs trained for specific tasks, such as opening doors or pushing and pulling food carts.

He also uses a dog capable of detecting poison by smell, making his ability very versatile in a mafia environment.

During his capture by the Phantom Troupe, Squala appears to release his Nen contracts and set his dogs free.

This choice shows his desire to protect his animals from being dragged into his own demise.

Combat Capability and Limitations

Squala considers himself reasonably competent and notes that he has survived multiple life-threatening situations.

However, he is clearly outclassed by top-tier Nen users like the Phantom Troupe and even by many professional Hunters.

His greatest strengths lie in surveillance, guarding, and support via his dogs, not direct combat.

Against elite fighters such as Nobunaga and Pakunoda, he has virtually no chance in a straight confrontation.

When Squala attempts to escape with the Scarlet Eyes in his car, he is trapped in a traffic jam.

Nobunaga and Pakunoda from the Phantom Troupe track him down and capture him.

Pakunoda breaks his right arm, both to immobilize him and to intimidate him into cooperation.

She then uses her psychological insight and knowledge to bring up Eliza’s name, unbalancing him emotionally.

Hearing Eliza’s name enrages and panics Squala, who loses his cool and lashes out in anger.

In that vulnerable moment, Nobunaga decapitates him with his sword, killing him instantly.

Before this, Squala’s instincts had told him clearly that he would die if he stayed in the current situation.

Yet his attachment to Eliza and his responsibilities leads him to act anyway, fulfilling his own grim prediction.

Squala appears in both the 1999 and 2011 anime adaptations of Hunter × Hunter.

In both versions he is depicted as a dark-skinned man, reinforcing a visual interpretation that differs from the ambiguous manga shading.

In the first anime adaptation he is voiced by Norihisa Mori (Japanese voice actor).

In the second anime adaptation he is voiced by Takuma Suzuki (Japanese voice actor).

These portrayals emphasize his tough but caring nature, with a subtle mix of weariness and determination.

His scenes with his dogs and his interactions related to Eliza highlight his softer, more human side beneath the underworld exterior.