Ponzu (ポンズ, Ponzu) was one of the 24 examinees that managed to enter the fourth stage of the 287th Hunter Examination.[1] She was examinee #246 in the 287th exam and #223 in the 288th Hunter Examination.[2]
Appearance
Ponzu 1999 Design
Ponzu Manga Design
Ponzu wears a big yellow hat (pink in the 1999 version) with white flaps which houses bees that transpire at her will or when she falls or screams. She wears ordinary clothes, a salmon blouse and baggy pants and orange shoes without heels.
Plot
Hunter Exam arc
Ponzu during the Hunter Exam.
Ponzu entered the 287th Hunter Examination and does the first three stages of the Hunter Exam with relative ease. During the fourth stage where the remaining contestants have to take the badges from their specific opponent, Ponzu learns that Bourbon is her target. She follows him up until a hidden cave and tries to set him a trap while he was inside. She let sleeping gas into the cave and as she enters and tries to take the badge, she realizes that Bourbon released his snakes and the gas didn't reach them; trapping herself in the cave along with Bourbon.[3]
Ponzu's bees accidentally end up killing Bourbon after falling into his trap, but she is later rescued as Leorio, who was targeting her, Kurapika and Gon entered the cave and planed their escape. As they release the sleeping gas again, Gon take them all out of the cave but her badge is taken by him and given to Leorio while she is unconscious, causing her to fail the exam.[3]
She is later seen in a car while Gon, Kurapika and Leorio go to Kukuroo Mountain.
Greed Island arc
Ponzu at the 288th Hunter Exam
Ponzu is shown to participate in the 288th Hunter Examination, although she then ends up being knocked unconscious in the first phase by Killua.[2]
Chimera Ant arc
Ponzu's death
Ponzu is seen with Pokkle and his friends in a park discussing the ant attack of giant insects in NGL Autonomous State. At first she wasn't allowed to go along but she proves that she would be helpful in relaying messages due to her ability to control her bees. Their group learns of the dangers of the Chimera Ants and attempt to warn the outside world. However, before they get the chance, Zazan's squad detects them and Ponzu is the only one able to escape. When Pokkle was knocked out, she immediately runs for it. Knowing that Pokkle won't be eaten immediately, she rushed to write SOS messages in blood and uses her bees to bring the message to the strongest Hunter nearby—who happens to be Kite. When she finally decided to go back to the border, she is shot and eaten moments later by an officer from Zazan's squad and her remains is then devoured, by the officer.[4]
Abilities & Powers
Ponzu calling out her bees.
Ponzu's primary weapons are traps using chemicals,[5] but she has shown to use also other means of combat: she carries a bee hive underneath her big round hat that the bees emerge and attack her enemies when she is threatened. Some of them have a paralyzing poison that caused Bourbon a lethal anaphylactic shock, since he had already been stung by the same race of bees in the past.[3] In the 2011 series, they resemble wasps.
Nen
Ponzu learned Nen sometime before sneaking into NGL, as she was able to see Pokkle's Hatsu. She has some skills with Manipulation, since she was able to manipulate her bees into delivering messages to Hunters with a powerful aura.[4]
Trivia
- Ponzu shares the same voice actress as Kortopi of the Phantom Troupe as well as Anita and Zushi, in the 1999 anime adaptation.
- She came 9th in the first popularity poll.
- Her hat looks similar to Koenma's of Yu Yu Hakusho.
- In the 2011 anime Ponzu's remains were found by Kite, Gon, and Killua.
References