Cherry

Cherry is a physically trained fighter who participates in the Hunter Examination as a martial artist-type examinee.

Despite his combat background, he is quickly outclassed by Hisoka Morow during the first phase of the exam.

He appears differently across the original manga and its two anime adaptations, with his role partially reassigned to other characters.

These variations affect both how he dies and how much screen time he receives.

In the manga, Cherry holds examinee number 76 and is introduced as a martial artist-type Hunter candidate.

He encounters Hisoka Morow during the first phase of the Hunter Examination alongside Kurapika and Leorio Paradinight.

When Hisoka attacks them in the fog, Cherry proposes a tactical retreat: all three should run in different directions to split Hisoka’s attention.

While Kurapika and Leorio manage to escape, Hisoka easily catches up to Cherry.

Cherry is killed by Hisoka shortly after the separation, showing the huge difference in power between an average martial artist examinee and a top-tier fighter like Hisoka.

His death serves as a narrative device to highlight Hisoka’s ruthlessness and the danger of the Hunter Examination.

In the first anime adaptation, Cherry appears only briefly.

He is introduced to the main characters by Tonpa during the early stages of the Hunter Examination.

In this version, Cherry has no spoken lines and almost no characterization beyond his presence as an examinee.

His tactical role from the manga is effectively removed and given instead to Pokkle, who fills the position of the more prominent minor exam candidate.

Because of this shift, Cherry’s death is not depicted in the first anime.

He simply fades into the background of the large pool of examinees, and his fate is left unshown.

In the second anime adaptation, Cherry’s role is reimagined to give him a slightly more active part in the story.

Once again, he is an examinee during the first phase of the Hunter Examination.

During a thick fog, Cherry joins several other examinees in a coordinated attempt to kill Hisoka Morow.

They try to use the poor visibility to their advantage, hoping to ambush Him.

This plan catastrophically fails, and Hisoka effortlessly defeats and kills Cherry along with the others.

In this adaptation, Cherry’s failed ambush becomes the direct trigger for Hisoka’s infamous “examiner play” spree, where Hisoka starts judging examinees as if he were an unofficial examiner, attacking those he finds unworthy.

Interestingly, in this version, the tactical or situational role that Cherry held in the manga is instead taken up by Kurapika.

The narrative emphasis shifts to Kurapika’s decisions and observations, while Cherry mainly symbolizes the reckless overconfidence of some examinees.

The second anime also subtly implies that Cherry participated in the Hunter Examination in the previous year as well.

This suggests he is somewhat experienced with the exam process, though still far from the level needed to survive an encounter with Hisoka.

Cherry is presented as a confident martial artist examinee, willing to take action under pressure.

In the manga, he thinks strategically enough to suggest splitting up when faced with Hisoka, rather than panicking outright.

In the second anime, he is bold—or arguably reckless—enough to join an organized attempt to assassinate Hisoka.

This implies a mix of courage, desperation, and underestimation of Hisoka’s true strength.

His actual combat techniques, style, and Nen abilities (if any) are not explored in detail.

He remains a low-tier combatant in the story, used primarily to set power levels and tension rather than to showcase unique fighting skills.

Cherry’s main narrative function is to demonstrate the lethal danger of the Hunter Examination and the overwhelming power of Hisoka Morow.

His death underlines that being physically capable or calling oneself a martial artist is nowhere near enough in this world.

In the manga version, his quickly off-screened death adds realism and stakes to the exam, showing that named candidates can die abruptly.

In the second anime, his failed assassination attempt adds a psychological layer, giving Hisoka a personal reason to start his “examiner play” and toy with the other participants.

Across all versions, Cherry is a minor character with a brief presence, but his actions leave an impact on how Hisoka behaves and how deadly the exam feels to the audience.