Gereta

Gereta is a candidate in the 287th Hunter Exam, bearing exam plate number 384.

He is introduced as a highly skilled hunter who specializes in blowguns and clubs to take down all kinds of creatures.

He wears distinctive goggles and has dark skin, giving him a memorable silhouette among the exam participants.

Despite his ruthless profession, he is portrayed as cautious and somewhat principled rather than purely sadistic.

According to Tonpa, Gereta is a “top-class” hunter when it comes to hunting with a blowgun and club.

He prefers to observe and wait for the perfect opportunity instead of rushing in, even when he has an overwhelming advantage.

Gereta is extremely cautious and methodical.

He shadowed Gon Freecss for a long time and later remarked that he had roughly 7,000 chances to finish Gon off but never rushed to attack.

He is patient and strategic, preferring to follow, study, and then strike when the enemy is most vulnerable.

This mindset makes him dangerous, especially against targets who underestimate him.

In the 1999 anime adaptation, he also shows a sense of gratitude and basic courtesy.

He thanks Gon when taking his plate during the exam, indicating he values minimal respect and etiquette even in predatory situations.

Gereta participates in the Fourth Phase of the 287th Hunter Exam on Zevil Island.

His designated target is candidate 405, Gon Freecss.

Gereta carefully tails Gon, who is himself plotting to steal a plate from Hisoka Morow (target 044).

He realizes that Gon cannot win in a direct fight against Hisoka, so he watches Gon’s training and stalking strategy from the shadows.

After Gon successfully uses his fishing rod to snatch Hisoka Morow’s plate at the critical moment, Gereta finally acts.

He fires a blowgun dart coated with a muscle-relaxant paralytic poison that immobilizes Gon and then calmly takes both Gon’s plate and the plate Gon stole from Hisoka.

Gereta’s plan collapses almost immediately when he runs into Hisoka Morow right afterward.

By cruel coincidence, Gereta himself is Hisoka’s designated target, and Hisoka kills him and takes his plate with little effort.

In the original manga, Hisoka Morow later brings Gereta’s severed head to Gon Freecss.

This graphic scene highlights the brutality of the Hunter Exam and serves as a harsh reminder to Gon of the stakes involved.

Both the 1999 and 2011 anime adaptations alter this moment to be less explicit.

Instead of showing Gereta’s severed head, they use different, toned-down visual depictions of his death and Hisoka’s message to Gon.

The 1999 anime adds an original episode set on a “Warship Island” prior to the main exam events.

In this version, Gereta’s life is once saved by Gon Freecss.

Because of this added backstory, Gereta experiences internal conflict during the Fourth Phase when he has to target Gon, his former savior.

Even as he takes Gon’s plate, he expresses thanks, showing that he is not devoid of honor or gratitude despite being a hunter who stalks and preys on others.

Gereta’s primary weapon is a blowgun tipped with a muscle-relaxant, numbing poison.

This poison quickly paralyzes opponents without killing them outright, allowing him to claim their plates or trophies safely.

He also uses a club as a close-combat weapon, giving him a reliable option when stealth is no longer possible.

Combined with his patience and tracking skills, these tools make him extremely effective in ambush scenarios.

In the 1999 Fuji TV anime adaptation, Gereta is voiced by Takashi Matsuyama.

In the 2011 Nippon TV anime adaptation, he is voiced by Nobuaki Kanemitsu.