A Comprehensive Timeline of the Phantom Troupe Arc

The Yorknew City story arc, often called the Phantom Troupe arc, stands as one of Hunter x Hunter’s most tightly plotted and emotionally charged narratives. It introduces the Phantom Troupe — a band of thieves known as the Spider — and thrusts Kurapika, the last survivor of the Kurta Clan, into a brutal quest for vengeance. This guide unfolds the arc’s events chronologically, unpacks the motivations behind each move, and highlights the tactical brilliance and moral ambiguity that make this segment unforgettable. For fans seeking a structured walkthrough of every major beat, this timeline will serve as an essential companion.

The Prelude: Kurapika’s Vow and the Gathering Storm

Before the arc begins in earnest, the groundwork is laid in the Hunter Exam and Heaven’s Arena arcs. Kurapika reveals little about his past, but sharp-eyed viewers notice his seething hatred for the Phantom Troupe. The Spider wiped out the Kurta Clan to steal their Scarlet Eyes — a sought-after treasure that glows crimson when a Kurta experiences intense emotion. Kurapika survived only because he was away from the village. Driven by loss, he dedicates himself to becoming a Hunter and mastering Nen, the life energy that grants extraordinary abilities.

Kurapika’s Nen proficiency grows under the tutelage of a veteran Hunter, and he develops a contract-based ability: Emperor Time. When his eyes turn scarlet, he becomes a Specialist, able to use all Nen categories at 100% efficiency. In this state, he wields five chains linked to his fingers — each serving a distinct purpose. The most critical chain is the Chain Jail, which forces a captured individual into a state of Zetsu, sealing their Nen completely. However, Kurapika imposes a fatal restriction: he may use Chain Jail only on members of the Phantom Troupe. If he breaks this rule, the chain will pierce his own heart. This self-imposed death sentence demonstrates the depth of his obsession and raises the stakes of every encounter.

Simultaneously, the Phantom Troupe gathers in Yorknew City. Their target: the Mafia Community’s underground auction, which features rare items, including exotic body parts from endangered species and — unbeknownst to most — the Scarlet Eyes of the Kurta. The Troupe operates under a strict code: the Spider’s head, Chrollo Lucilfer, commands the legs; the individual is secondary to the whole. Members come and go, but the Spider must survive. This philosophy will become central to the arc’s resolution.

The Yorknew City Auction Heist

The arc ignites on September 1st, the night of the Southernpiece Auction. The mafia families — under the Ten Dons — expect an extravagant showing, with thousands of bodyguards and state-of-the-art security. The Troupe, however, moves with chilling efficiency. Uvogin, the physically strongest member, easily tears through the guards. Shizuku uses her vacuum cleaner, Blinky, to inhale bullets and debris. Machi’s needle thread stitches wounds and entraps foes, while Feitan’s tormenting aura leaves survivors begging for death. By the time the dust settles, the auction hall is a slaughterhouse, and all items have vanished.

But the Troupe soon realizes the auction items are counterfeit. The real treasures have been spirited away by the Nostrade family’s clairvoyant bodyguard, Neon Nostrade. Her ability, Lovely Ghostwriter, writes prophetic fortunes that pinpoint future events, allowing the Nostrade group to anticipate the attack and swap the items. This setback does not demoralize the Spider; instead, it fuels their next move: they will lie low and then steal the genuine articles during the rescheduled auction, setting the stage for a cat-and-mouse game with the mafia and Kurapika’s team.

The Spider’s Identity Revealed: Uvogin’s Capture and Fall

Kurapika, hired as a bodyguard for the Nostrade family, recognizes Troupe member Uvogin among the assailants. Using his Nen chain Dowsing Chain, he tracks Uvogin to a bar, where a tense standoff occurs. Uvogin, a towering Enhancer, scoffs at Kurapika’s chains — until the Chain Jail snaps around his heart. In an instant, Uvogin’s might is nullified. Kurapika interrogates him, demanding information about the Kurta massacre and the remaining Troupe members, but Uvogin offers nothing but defiance and contempt.

What follows is a psychological duel. Kurapika, whose hatred wars with his innate compassion, ultimately lets Uvogin go with a warning, but the Troupe warrior sees this as weakness. He tracks Kurapika to a desert outside the city and challenges him to a rematch. This time, Kurapika does not hesitate. In a brutal, high-speed clash, Kurapika uses Emperor Time to bolster his physical strength and binds Uvogin once more. With the chain tight, he reveals the truth: the Spider murdered his people for profit. Uvogin shows no remorse, calling it just another job. Kurapika then drives the chain deeper, crushing Uvogin’s heart. The first leg of the Spider falls.

The Requiem: Mourning and Carnage

When Uvogin fails to return, Chrollo dispatches the Troupe to find him. Shalnark and Kortopi recover his body, confirming the worst. Chrollo’s reaction is chillingly composed. He orders the Spider to perform a Requiem — an act of mass killing to mourn their fallen comrade and send a message. That night, the Troupe launches an all-out assault on the mafia’s Celestial Tower command center. Machi, Nobunaga, Feitan, Phinks, and the others unleash devastation. Chrollo uses his stolen Nen ability, Indoor Fish, to conjure piranha-like creatures that devour victims in enclosed spaces without leaving a trace. The mafia’s elite forces are annihilated.

Yet amidst the carnage, Kurapika’s name remains unknown to the Troupe. Chrollo deduces that the chain user must be a Nen exorcist or a Specialist, and he correctly suspects a personal vendetta. He orders the Spider to operate in pairs and avoid solo engagements. The Troupe’s demeanor shifts from arrogant conquerors to focused predators. The Requiem also attracts the attention of the Hunter Association, but the Ten Dons are too afraid to cooperate. The city descends into a silent war with no clear front line.

Kurapika’s Pursuit and the Troupe’s Countermeasures

Kurapika, now aware of the Troupe’s capabilities, forges an unexpected alliance with Hisoka Morow, a magician and temporary Spider member. Hisoka has his own agenda — he craves a deathmatch with Chrollo — and provides Kurapika with critical intel: the Troupe’s hideout location and the date of their next gathering. Kurapika and his friends Gon, Killua, and Leorio devise a plan to shadow the Spiders and retrieve the remaining Scarlet Eyes.

Gon and Killua are caught tailing Machi and Nobunaga and are taken captive. This moment reinforces the Troupe’s eerie duality: Nobunaga, grieving Uvogin, oscillates between threatening to kill the boys and arguing they should be recruited. Chrollo questions them calmly, sensing no immediate threat. The boys’ innocence and resolve confuse the Spiders, and they exploit this to buy time. Kurapika, meanwhile, uses the distraction to approach Pakunoda and threatens to kill Chrollo unless the Troupe releases Gon and Killua.

The hostage exchange becomes a convoluted psychological game. Kurapika’s Judgement Chain — a needle that enforces a rule with death — is wrapped around Pakunoda’s heart. He forbids her from revealing his identity or harming his friends. Pakunoda, a Specialist whose ability allows her to read and implant memories, becomes the linchpin. She must convince her comrades to trust her without spilling a word about Kurapika. The situation pushes the Troupe’s loyalty to its limit.

The Climax: Pakunoda’s Sacrifice and the Spider’s Rebirth

At the designated exchange point, Kurapika faces Chrollo. Chain Jail is on Chrollo, and Judgement Chain constricts Pakunoda. Kurapika demands that Chrollo release him and order the Troupe never to pursue him or his comrades. Chrollo, ever serene, agrees. Pakunoda searches Chrollo’s memories and confirms his resolve: the Spider’s survival outweighs the leader’s life. When Pacanoda returns to the Troupe, she is met with suspicion. Some members, like Phinks and Feitan, want to attack Kurapika immediately, but Pakunoda physically blocks them. The Judgement Chain’s rule forces her silence; she cannot explain why they must stand down.

In a desperate act of faith, Pakunoda fires her Memory Bomb into six Spiders — Phinks, Feitan, Machi, Shalnark, Kortopi, and Nobunaga — transmitting her memories of the exchange and Chrollo’s will. The truth is revealed: Chrollo chose to sacrifice himself so that the Spider could continue. Pakunoda then faces the inevitable. As soon as she imparted the memories, the Judgement Chain’s condition was violated — she had effectively communicated confidential information. The chain constricts, and she dies in the arms of her comrades. Her final words: “Thank you… for letting me be part of the Spider.”

This moment is the emotional apex of the arc. The Troupe, once a faceless collective of killers, becomes a family bound by a tragic code. They now understand that Chrollo is alive but stripped of his Nen by Kurapika’s additional condition: if Chrollo ever uses Nen again, the chain implanted in his heart will kill him. The Spider must seek a Nen exorcist to free their head, a quest that will occupy them for much of the later series.

Key Characters and Their Nen Abilities

A quick reference to the major Troupe members and their abilities contextualizes the arc’s battles:

  • Chrollo Lucilfer — Specialist. Skill Hunter: a book that steals others’ Nen abilities; the original user must be alive for Chrollo to use the power, and the stolen ability vanishes if the user dies.
  • Uvogin — Enhancer. Big Bang Impact: a devastating punch that combines aura and brute strength.
  • Pakunoda — Specialist. Memory Bomb: reads memories by touching a target; can implant those memories into others as a “bullet” fired from her revolver-like aura.
  • Machi — Transmuter. Nen threads stronger than steel; can reattach severed limbs and detects lies via thread vibrations.
  • Nobunaga Hazama — Enhancer. Expert Iaido swordsman with a 3-meter En field that acts as an early-warning system.
  • Feitan Portor — Transmuter. Pain Packer: converts damage taken into a scorching mini-sun conjured over the enemy; one of the most fearsome abilities in the series.
  • Phinks Magcub — Enhancer. Ripper Cyclotron: rotates his arm to charge up a devastating punch, the power scaling with number of rotations.
  • Shalnark — Manipulator. Black Voice: attaches a phone antenna to a target, then controls them via a flip phone; Autopilot: a self-manipulation emergency mode.
  • Shizuku Murasaki — Conjurer. Blinky: a vacuum cleaner that can swallow anything non-living; can also suck out venom from living beings.
  • Kortopi — Conjurer. Gallery Fake: perfectly creates a copy of any inanimate object; copies vanish after 24 hours and can be tracked by En.
  • Hisoka Morow — Transmuter (temporary Spider No.4). Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise, though his true allegiance lies only with his own amusement.

Thematic Depth: Revenge, Identity, and Found Family

The Phantom Troupe arc refuses to paint morality in black and white. Kurapika’s revenge is righteous, yet his willingness to throw away his life and manipulate friends mirrors the Troupe’s own extremism. When he binds Chrollo, he becomes a version of the monster he hunts. Conversely, the Troupe’s genuine grief over Uvogin and Pakunoda’s sacrifice humanizes them. They are murderers, but they are not mindless; they operate under a code that prizes the collective over the individual.

Identity is another core theme. Kurapika’s Kurta heritage is both his strength and his curse. His Scarlet Eyes are a source of pride and a death wish. The Troupe members, many of whom come from the impoverished Meteor City, have no official identity; they do not exist in any database. Their bond as the Spider is the only identity that matters. This paradox — having no past while clinging desperately to the present — resonates throughout the arc.

Finally, the notion of found family runs deep. Gon and Killua’s unwavering support of Kurapika contrasts with the Troupe’s familial loyalty. Both groups will do anything for each other, but the consequences differ. The arc leaves viewers questioning whether Kurapika’s path will ever allow him the same kinship that the Troupe, despite its horrors, has achieved.

Impact on the Overall Story

The events of Yorknew ripple through every subsequent arc. Kurapika’s Nen contract remains a ticking clock; every second he spends in Emperor Time shortens his lifespan. He becomes the central figure in the Dark Continent Expedition arc, still hunting the remaining Scarlet Eyes and navigating the volatile Succession War aboard the Black Whale. Chrollo’s quest to restore his Nen leads him to the Greed Island and later the Succession War arcs, where the Troupe reappears with new resolve. Hisoka’s betrayal also sows seeds of conflict, culminating in a deadly showdown in the heavens of the Black Whale.

Without Yorknew, Gon and Killua’s understanding of the world’s darkness would be incomplete. The arc serves as their first true encounter with moral ambiguity, preparing them for the Chimera Ant arc’s later horrors. For Kurapika, the arc is both victory and hollow torment — a reminder that revenge, once achieved, does not restore what was lost.

Conclusion

The Phantom Troupe arc is a masterclass in tension, strategy, and character-driven storytelling. By tracking the timeline from the auction heist to Pakunoda’s final memory bomb, viewers gain a deeper appreciation for the intricate web of loyalties and betrayals that define the Spider and its hunters. Whether you revisit the arc on Crunchyroll or explore the manga through Viz Media, the narrative density rewards multiple viewings. Understanding the timeline is just the beginning — the true richness lies in the moral fractures that this arc carves into the world of Hunter x Hunter, forever changing both its characters and its audience.