"Never overreach your limits...! Make your move only when you're 100% positive you can make the kill. Otherwise, bide your time...!! It's foolish to show your hand when the odds are against you." — Silva's philosophy as an assassin in "September 10th: Part 2" |
Silva Zoldyck (シルバ゠ゾルディック, Shiruba Zorudikku) is a professional assassin, the current head of the Zoldyck Family and the father of Killua.[3]
Appearance[]
Silva is a tall, muscular man in extremely good physical condition. He has long, silver-blond hair with deep blue cat-like eyes. He is always dressed in a sleeveless or short-sleeved shinobi shōzoku outfit and wears a pair of wristbands.
Personality[]
Silva is a stoic, calm, and pensive person. Silva has little shown interaction with his son Killua, but he holds him in high esteem and has made Killua the heir to the family. Silva later realized that Killua didn't share his passion for assassination, and allowed his son to go with Gon on their journey to find his father, but only because he saw it as a crucial step in Killua's development as the heir to the Zoldyck Family.[3] He is shown to dislike Zeno's somewhat windbag attitude and reminds himself to ignore half of everything Zeno says whenever Zeno has a new experience to talk about.
According to Killua, Silva worked carefully as an assassin. Like his eldest son, Illumi, Silva believes it is logical that an assassin should never take risks on a mission, no matter how small, and you should only enter combat when victory is 100% certain; otherwise, he must wait.[4][5]
Despite being a cold assassin to the core, he doesn't seem to be entirely devoid of compassion, as he rescinded the lookout orders on Killua and Alluka given to his butlers after watching (through a camera) their emotional fraternal moment, possibly touched by the event. Additionally, he decided to have his first fatherly conversation with Killua, asking him about everything that happened to him during the Hunter Exam, demonstrating an interest in him, and affectionately tussling his hair. He also has an honorable side, as he made Killua swear a blood oath never to betray his friends.[3]
Silva has a good relationship with most of the other Zoldycks, as he's stated to love his wife Kikyo, and to have a give-and-take relationship with his father Zeno, and his sons Illumi[6] and Milluki.[7] He apparently does not agree with Illumi about killing Alluka, only wanting to control her power.[6]
Background[]
Silva is Zeno's only son and was born from an unnamed mother. He is also the only great-grandson of Maha. Not much is known about his childhood, but he was trained from a very young age in the art of assassination, which gave him such abilities as strong resistance to almost all types of poisons and high tolerance to electricity. Later on in his life, he married Kikyo, a fellow assassin, and fathered five children with her. Three years prior to the start of the series, he was hired to assassinate one of the Phantom Troupe members. The Spider in question was Shizuku's predecessor. Although the mission was a success, he felt disappointed that the payment he received wasn't worth it - the highest compliment he ever gave to a target. Upon returning, he warned all of his sons (minus Alluka) to stay away from the Troupe.[8] He also fought their leader, Chrollo Lucilfer.[9]
Plot[]
Zoldyck Family arc[]
Silva makes his first appearance when he has a father-and-son conversation with Killua. He asks Killua about the new friends that he met during the Hunter Exam and what he thinks of the Hunter Exam. Killua says that he never really wanted to be a Hunter, but he really enjoyed the exam and the company of his new-found friends. Silva claims that since he himself was raised to be an assassin by his parents, so he has raised Killua the same way. He admits to Killua he has failed to realize how different they are, and says he wants Killua to be happy by doing whatever he pleases because Killua is first and foremost a person in his own right, and not just Silva's son.[3]
Silva allows Killua to be reunited with his friends but not before having Killua take a blood oath not to betray any of them. After Killua has left, Silva is seen arguing with his wife, Kikyo. She disapproves of his decision to allow Killua to leave them again, so soon, with his friends, saying that Illumi tried so hard to bring Killua back home and that this is the decisive and critical moment to find out if he deserves to be their successor. But he tells her that since she understands what's at stake, she should stop talking. Laughing sinisterly, he claims that he knows Killua will return home one day because he is his son.[3]
Yorknew City arc[]
Several months later, Silva appears in Yorknew City together with Zeno as two of the assassins hired by the Mafia Community. They are paid to assassinate the Phantom Troupe's members.[10] While the assassins are meeting some members of the Mafia in the auction building to learn what their task will be, Kurapika notices that Silva and Zeno are at a different level than the rest. Silva says he and Zeno are going to work in their own way without accepting orders from others.[11] Not long afterward, a large number of Mafia gangsters are killed in a short time by the Phantom Troupe, causing panic among the Mafia leaders in the building. Silva throws a punch at the wall, making a big noise and a hole, to silence them while Zeno warns them of the danger posed by the enemies.[12]
The two Zoldycks immediately start to search for the enemies inside the building using Zeno's En. They find Chrollo in the basement. Silva tells his father that Chrollo can steal others' abilities then they attack him together. At first, they quickly gain the upper hand, but Chrollo suddenly draws a Ben's Knife and makes a small cut on Silva's left arm. Realizing that it is a poisonous knife, he ties a strand of hair around his left upper arm to stop the poison from spreading throughout the body and assures Zeno that there is no problem. Chrollo is somewhat surprised when Silva does not seem to be affected by the poison, as only 0.1 milligrams of the poison is enough to paralyze a whale. Zeno deduces that Chrollo is a Specialist and that even if Chrollo can steal another's Nen, a higher level ability implies a higher activation cost. Hence, Chrollo must meet four or five conditions before he can use his stealing ability, which will likely be hard, if not impossible, to meet if he is fighting people like Zeno and Silva. Zeno also deduces that Chrollo's use of the poison knife is evidence that Chrollo can't use his stealing ability in combat freely. So, Zeno decides to attack Chrollo alone, and he tells Silva to back him up and kill the enemy as soon as he has him blocked, even if Silva must kill Zeno too.[12]
As the fight goes on, Silva notices that Chrollo has gotten stronger than the last time he fought him and thinks they would not be able to kill him without risking their lives due to the unknown powers that Chrollo has stolen since their last fight. Suddenly, Chrollo is distracted by Silva for a moment, and Zeno is able to pin him against the wall. Zeno then orders Silva to kill Chrollo; Silva immediately throws two huge balls of aura at them, causing a large explosion.[9] However, Silva misfires at the last second, directing the orbs slightly to his right, due to sensing his transmitter ringing. Before the Zoldycks could finish Chrollo off, in fact, Illumi calls and tells Silva that the Ten Mafia Dons have been killed in a job carried out by himself, Maha, and Kalluto and asks if his client, Chrollo, is still alive, to which Silva answers that he is almost dead. Silva and Zeno then decide to withdraw from the job, sparing Chrollo's life in order to collect on the fee Chrollo owes Illumi, Maha, and Kalluto, because the Dons are now dead, they cannot collect on the fee for Chrollo's life anyway. As Silva leaves, he gives Chrollo a glare.[13]
Chimera Ant arc[]
Silva later appears amid the Extermination Team's assault on the Royal Palace of the Republic of East Gorteau to pick up his father. Seeing that Zeno is being followed by a Squadron Leader Chimera Ant, Cheetu, he dives from a dragon in the sky and crushes Cheetu's head with a single punch, creating a large crater on the ground. As they are leaving East Gorteau on the dragon, Zeno tells him that he met Killua in the palace, that he has grown up, and that he may have removed Illumi's needle, but Silva stays silent.[14]
13th Hunter Chairman Election arc[]
Silva appears again when his son Killua comes home wanting to see Alluka in order to help Gon restore his normal self. However, Silva disagrees with his intentions because he believes Alluka to be uncontrollable and even refers to her as an 'it'.[15] After Killua appeals to the promise not to betray his friends that he had made, he finally relents and leads Killua into a dark tunnel where Alluka's room is, locked in a vault behind four 10-digit-keypad password-protected security doors. Before Killua goes in, Silva asks him to repeat back the rules about Alluka's power, citing as the root of his concern how many people she has killed—to which Killua snaps that the family has killed more.[16]
After Alluka's three requests to Killua, he is supposed to make a wish. Milluki makes a smart remark stating that granting his wish was too easy for Killua because the computer he wished for was nothing special making his requests too easy. This causes Silva to give his son a sharp glare for taking his wish too lightly, causing Milluki to cower in fear and promise not to do something so foolish. However, Killua insisted that he and Alluka should leave. Silva disagrees, saying that he has to make a wish inside her room. Killua responds by making a request of the wish-granter—that if they can't leave the mountain within 30 minutes, their mother Kikyo will be killed. Alluka's face transforms and she agrees, and Silva allows them to leave the mountain. When Killua decided to take Alluka with him, he ordered two female servants, Tsubone and Amane, to accompany them along with Gotoh.[17] After Illumi is teleported back to the Zoldyck mansion in the Kukuroo Mountain, and Killua has an emotional moment with Alluka and Nanika, Silva orders Tsubone that the lookout order on Killua has been canceled.[18]
Equipment[]
Zoldyck Personal Transmitter: The assassins of the Zoldyck Family can contact each other with a special transmitter to report the fulfillment of a murder contract.[13]
Abilities & Powers[]
Being a world-renowned assassin and head of the infamous Zoldyck Family, Silva is an extremely skilled Nen user and unarmed combatant, as he was trained in the art of assassination from a very young age. Like many Zoldyck Family members, Silva is extremely resistant to poison and has great strength, speed, and superhuman control over his body. He also defeated and killed an unknown member of the Phantom Troupe three years prior to the start of the main story, and dueled against Chrollo to an unknown result (both of them survived, though, and in the anime, Silva was shown coming back with no visible injury).
Assassination Skills: Silva is one of the best killers in the world. According to Killua, he can tear out the heart of a person without dropping a single blood drop.[19]
Immense Strength: Silva has tremendous physical strength, as demonstrated when he fell from the sky, crushing Cheetu's head with a single blow and creating a large crater while taking no damage himself.[14] During his fight with Chrollo his punch, although blocked, retained enough power to cause the Phantom Troupe leader to lose his balance.[12] Since he is a Zoldyck assassin, Silva can also open the Testing Gates,[20] although the number of doors he can open is unknown.
Immense Speed and Reflexes: Killua mentioned that he could rip out somebody's heart so fast that it would not even bleed.[21] He matched Zeno and Chrollo in speed during their confrontation.[12][9]
Enhanced Durability: Silva's skin cannot be pierced by ordinary blades. His hair is strong enough to act as a tourniquet.[12]
Immense Poison Resistance: Poison is ineffective against Silva, as seen when Chrollo attempted to poison him by cutting him with his Ben's Knife, Silva popped the poison out of the cut and resumed fighting with apparently no consequence, although he deemed necessary the application of a tourniquet. Chrollo himself was surprised because 0.1 milligrams of the toxin he used was enough to paralyze a whale.[12]
Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Silva is capable of gouging out a man's heart with his bare hands and at an impressive speed, Killua claiming he can do so without spilling a drop of blood from the wound.[21] He fights using his arms and legs, harnessing the full strength of his body. When in tandem with Zeno, he puts all his power into his blows at the expense of leaving himself open, knowing that his father will cover him.[12]
Nen[]
Silva is an Emitter[2] who can emit his aura in two large orbs[9] of frightening power,[13] The fact that he killed Cheetu at close range while creating a large explosion and taking no damage himself,[14] strongly indicates that Silva has also mastered Enhancement. The only techniques he has been seen using so far are Ten, Hatsu,[13] and In,[14] since Cheetu was not capable of sensing him coming.
Silva's Nen Type: Emission | ||
---|---|---|
Type: Emission, Transmutation | Explosive Orbs* | |
Silva can create two huge spheres out of his aura, one in each hand, which he then hurls at the target.[9] Upon impact, the orbs cause a massive explosion that can devastate the floor of a building. They were said to be able to kill two Nen masters like Zeno and Chrollo with a direct hit.[13] |
Manga Appearances[]
39. Intruder | Mentioned |
40. The Zoldycks, Part 1 | Absent |
41. The Zoldycks, Part 2 | Absent |
42. The Zoldycks, Part 3 | Debut |
43. The Zoldycks, Part 4 | Absent |
44. The Heavens Arena | Mentioned |
45. "Ren" | Absent |
46. "Nen" | Absent |
47. The Invisible Wall | Absent |
48. Hisoka's Terms | Absent |
49. The Battle Begins!! | Absent |
50. "Zetsu" | Absent |
51. "Ten" | Absent |
52. Kastro | Absent |
53. Double | Absent |
54. Cause of Defeat | Absent |
55. As for Hisoka... | Absent |
56. Training Resumes | Absent |
57. Promise | Absent |
58. Rematch | Absent |
59. Making the Grade | Absent |
60. Passing the Exam | Absent |
61. Showdown | Absent |
62. Like You Mean It | Absent |
63. Next | Absent |
186. The Queen | Absent |
187. The Beast Fodder | Absent |
188. NGL | Absent |
189. Infiltration | Absent |
190. The Hunt | Absent |
191. Pros | Absent |
192. Human Dog | Absent |
193. Scissors | Absent |
194. vs. Hagya's Squad: Part 1 | Absent |
195. vs. Hagya's Squad: Part 2 | Absent |
196. vs. Hagya's Squad: Part 3 | Absent |
197. vs. Hagya's Squad: Part 4 | Absent |
198. Sudden Attack | Absent |
199. Light and Shadow | Absent |
200. Stipulation | Absent |
201. Reunion | Absent |
202. Duel | Absent |
203. Gyro | Absent |
204. Gyro's Story | Absent |
205. Time Remaining | Absent |
206. A Real Fight | Absent |
207. Weakness: Part 1 | Absent |
208. Weakness: Part 2 | Absent |
209. ? | Absent |
210. Weakness: Part 3 | Absent |
211. Loan Shark | Absent |
212. Water Breaking | Absent |
213. Birth | Absent |
214. Results | Absent |
215. Last Words | Absent |
216. Republic of East Gorteau | Absent |
217. Meat Orchard | Absent |
218. Confession | Absent |
219. Awakening | Absent |
220. Reunion: Part 1 | Absent |
221. Reunion: Part 2 | Absent |
222. Reunion: Part 3 | Absent |
223. 10: Part 1 | Absent |
224. 10: Part 2 | Absent |
225. 10: Part 3 | Absent |
226. 10: Part 4 | Absent |
227. 10: Part 5 | Absent |
228. 10: Part 6 | Absent |
229. 10: Part 7 | Absent |
230. 9: Part 1 | Absent |
231. 9: Part 2 | Absent |
232. 9: Part 3 | Absent |
233. 9: Part 4 | Absent |
234. 9: Part 5 | Absent |
235. 8: Part 1 | Absent |
236. 8: Part 2 | Absent |
237. 8: Part 3 | Absent |
238. 8: Part 4 | Absent |
239. 8: Part 5 | Absent |
240. 8: Part 6 | Absent |
241. 8: Part 7 | Absent |
242. 7: Part 1 | Absent |
243. 7: Part 2 | Absent |
244. 6: Part 1 | Absent |
245. 6: Part 2 | Absent |
246. 6: Part 3 | Absent |
247. 6: Part 4 | Absent |
248. 6: Part 5 | Absent |
249. 6: Part 6 | Absent |
250. 6: Part 7 | Absent |
251. 6: Part 8 | Absent |
252. 6: Part 9 | Absent |
253. 6: Part 10 | Absent |
254. 6: Part 11 | Absent |
255. 5: Part 1 to 2: Part 1 | Absent |
256. 2: Part 2 | Absent |
257. 1: Part 1 | Absent |
258. 1: Part 2 | Absent |
259. 1: Part 3 | Absent |
260. 1: Part 4 | Absent |
261. Charge: Part 1 | Absent |
262. Charge: Part 2 | Absent |
263. Charge: Part 3 | Absent |
264. Charge: Part 4 | Pictured |
265. Charge: Part 5 | Absent |
266. "In the Unlikely Event Of..." | Absent |
267. Activation | Absent |
268. The King | Absent |
269. Adversity Is a Good Thing | Absent |
270. Indebted To | Absent |
271. Separation | Absent |
272. Error | Absent |
273. We Meet Again | Absent |
274. Solution | Absent |
275. Promise | Absent |
276. Missileman | Absent |
277. Insult | Absent |
278. Destruction | Appears |
279. Escape | Absent |
280. Direct Hit | Absent |
281. Godspeed | Absent |
282. Sealed Area | Absent |
283. Determination | Absent |
284. Fifteen Minutes | Absent |
285. Doubles | Absent |
286. Core | Absent |
287. Present State | Absent |
288. Accolade | Absent |
289. Terms | Absent |
290. Name | Absent |
291. Soliloquy | Absent |
292. Hidden Agenda | Absent |
293. Metamorphosis | Absent |
294. Breakdown | Absent |
295. Determination | Absent |
296. Admission | Absent |
297. The Last | Absent |
298. Rose | Absent |
299. Regeneration | Absent |
300. Insurance | Absent |
301. Memory | Absent |
302. Target | Absent |
303. Pain | Absent |
304. Magic | Absent |
305. Sorry | Absent |
306. Relief | Absent |
307. Loss | Absent |
308. Flash | Absent |
309. Game | Absent |
310. Action | Absent |
311. Deadline | Absent |
312. Resolve | Absent |
313. One Word | Absent |
314. Persuasion | Absent |
315. Home | Absent |
316. Real Name | Absent |
317. Answer | Absent |
318. Final Will | Absent |
319. Lottery | Absent |
320. Voting | Mentioned |
321. Monster | Appears |
322. Siblings | Appears |
323. Job Offer | Absent |
324. Butler | Appears |
325. Joining the Fray | Absent |
326. Open Hostilities | Pictured |
327. Riddle | Absent |
328. Arrangements | Absent |
329. Spy | Absent |
330. Confession | Absent |
331. Day of Reckoning | Absent |
332. Applause | Absent |
333. Rumble | Appears |
334. Total Defeat | Absent |
335. Decision | Absent |
336. Release | Appears |
337. Repentance | Absent |
338. Atop a Tree | Absent |
339. Stillness | Absent |
Battles[]
Battles |
---|
Quotes[]
- (To Killua) "I want to hear all about it. Your exam experiences, who you met, how you felt, anything and everything. Just... talk to me."[3]
- (To Killua) "We're father and son, but there hasn't been a lot of meaning in that. I was raised by my parents to be an assassin, and I believed that was how I should raise you. But you're no mere extension of me. The day you... left, I finally realized that while you're my son, you're also your own person. With your own path to follow. Perhaps, in time, it will lead you back here. All right? So I'll ask again... would you like to see your friends?"[3]
- (To Kikyo, referring to Killua) "Don't worry, he'll be back. He is, after all, my son."[3]
- (To Zeno) "I should take your stories with a grain of salt."[14]
- (To Killua, referring to Alluka) "That entity is not human. Don't think of him as family. He's something from another place... Something that came out of the darkness."[15]
- (To Killua) "If you can't keep your calm, it ends here. I value the promise I made with you, because I care about you as a father."[16]
Trivia[]
- In the official databook, his name is also spelled as "Sillva Zaoldyeck".[1]
- Before the official confirmation of Silva's Nen type from the Togashi exhibition, he was said to be a Transmuter* (🖱️).[1]
- Silva's name might be derived from his hair color, which is light and could be silver.
- His name, coincidentally, is also the Latin word for "forest" and a common surname in the Portuguese and Spanish languages.
- Silva keeps gigantic dogs inside his room, only a bit smaller than Mike.[3]
- According to Killua, he likes Benny Delon and his works.[22]
- He is the tallest member of the Zoldyck Family.
Intertextuality and References[]
- In a 1999 doujinshi titled "Weekly Togashi Empire" (週刊冨樫帝国, Shūkan Togashi Teikoku), Togashi revealed that Silva was based on the character of Yuujirou Hanma from the Baki manga series, written and illustrated by Keisuke Itagaki.[23]
Translations around the World[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Hunter × Hunter Hunter Association Official Issue: Hunter's Guide; Character & World Official Databook (pg. 140)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Exhibition: Togashi Yoshihiro -Puzzle-
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 5, Chapter 42
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 13, Chapter 125
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 21, Chapter 219
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 31, Chapter 326
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 8, Chapter 72
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 9, Chapter 80
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 11, Chapter 99
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 10, Chapter 89
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 11, Chapter 95
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 11, Chapter 98
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 11, Chapter 100
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 26, Chapter 278
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 31, Chapter 321
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 31, Chapter 322
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 31, Chapter 324
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 32, Chapter 336
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 3, Chapter 21
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 5, Chapter 39
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 3, Chapter 21
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 10, Chapter 85
- ↑ Weekly Togashi Empire (1999)
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