Nicolas

Nicolas participates in the 287th Hunter Exam, where he holds the examinee number 187.

He appears as a chubby, seemingly polite young elite, but his inner personality is arrogant and deeply condescending toward others.

On the surface he behaves courteously, giving the impression of a well-mannered intellectual.

In reality, he looks down on every other person, believing himself smarter and more capable than everyone around him.

Nicolas is arrogant and elitist, convinced that his intellect and preparation make him superior.

He treats other people as inferiors, mentally dismissing them and relying heavily on his own data and analysis.

This pride is fragile and built on the idea that he can outthink everyone else.

When events fail to go as he predicted, his confidence collapses very quickly.

According to Amori, who has experience with new examinees, Nicolas was “pretty promising for a rookie.”

This suggests that, despite his attitude, he did have some potential and ability before he was broken by the exam.

During the First Phase of the 287th Hunter Exam, Nicolas is unable to keep up with the overall level of the test.

Despite his confidence, he becomes the very first examinee to drop out of the First Phase.

His downfall is closely tied to Tonpa’s infamous “rookie crushing” tactics.

Tonpa collaborates with the Amori brothers and uses them to sabotage new candidates, with Nicolas among their victims.

In the original anime adaptation, Tonpa uses a different method to ruin Nicolas, but the result is the same: his pride is completely shattered.

As the exam progresses and he realizes he cannot keep up, his mental state deteriorates rapidly.

Physically exhausted and mentally broken, Nicolas eventually collapses under the pressure.

By the time he drops out, both his body and his self-image are in ruins.

Nicolas carries a laptop filled with information on other examinees.

He has compiled data and profiles, clearly intending to use analysis and preparation to give himself an advantage.

However, as he crumbles during the First Phase, his grip on both the exam and his belongings slips.

In his battered mental and physical state, he ends up dropping and losing this laptop.

His reliance on data over real-world adaptability highlights his biggest weakness.

When faced with the unpredictable, high-level reality of the Hunter Exam, his carefully gathered information proves useless.

After his humiliating loss in the 287th Hunter Exam, Nicolas does not appear in the following year’s 288th Hunter Exam.

It is implied that his pride was so thoroughly destroyed that he either chose not to return or was unable to recover enough to try again.

In the OVA adaptation, there is a background examinee who looks very similar to Nicolas.

This visual cameo suggests he might be present among the candidates, but it is never confirmed in the story.