Nanika, also known as Something, is a mysterious creature that resides within Alluka Zoldyck in the manga/anime series Hunter x Hunter. Nanika possesses extraordinary wish granting abilities but requires certain rules and restrictions to be followed. One of Nanika’s rules relates to the number of wishes that can be granted to a specific person. Understanding Nanika’s last rule regarding wish limits provides insight into how Nanika’s powers work.
Introduction to Nanika and the Zoldyck Family
Nanika first appears as a secondary personality within Alluka Zoldyck, the youngest child of the elite Zoldyck assassin family. Alluka was raised in isolation within the Zoldyck estate until her abilities were discovered by her brother Killua. Nanika only emerges when Alluka is asleep or unconscious, speaking through her mouth.
The Zoldyck family quickly realized Nanika possessed extraordinary powers, including healing and wish granting abilities. However, they also recognized the dangers of Nanika’s powers and feared what would happen if they were ever unleashed without restrictions. This led the Zoldycks to create rigid rules to control and limit requests made to Nanika.
Three Key Rules for Nanika’s Wish Granting
There are three main rules regarding Nanika’s wish granting powers that must be followed:
- The wish must be spoken directly to Nanika and not just near her.
- There are three wish limits per person – only three wishes may be granted per individual requester.
- Any additional wishes past three per person can result in ‘devastation’ as a consequence.
Understanding the specifics of the wish limit rule is key to avoiding potential disaster when making requests to Nanika.
What Happens When Nanika’s Wish Limit is Reached?
According to Killua Zoldyck’s experience and observations, Nanika can grant any three wishes for a person without negative repercussions. These wishes can be for anything, including bringing someone back to life. However, if a fourth wish is made by the same person, Nanika enters a mode called “devastation” where catastrophic things begin to happen.
During devastation mode, Nanika starts making gestures like she is crushing something invisible in her hands. Random calamities will then occur in the vicinity, including people suddenly dying from twisting their own necks or having their bodies torn apart. Killua compares the random nature of these deaths to a natural disaster happening.
Example of Nanika’s Devastation Mode
When Killua’s mother Kikyo Zoldyck wished for Nanika to heal Tsubone’s broken arm after already making three previous wishes, Nanika entered devastation mode. A phantom hand appeared and crushed a man’s throat nearby in response, killing him instantly. This demonstrated what could happen if Nanika’s wish limit rule was broken.
Why is the Third Wish Rule So Important?
Nanika’s third wish limit rule serves multiple important purposes:
- It prevents people from abusing Nanika’s powers by making endless frivolous wishes.
- It forces people to be selective and thoughtful about the wishes they make.
- It provides a clear cutoff point before negative consequences occur.
- It makes Nanika’s powers easier to control and limit.
Without a wish limit, it’s possible Nanika could be used carelessly or cause unintended harm through overuse. The third wish cutoff gives a defined boundary to work within when interacting with Nanika.
What Loopholes Exist in the Wish Limit Rule?
While the third wish rule is important, there are some loopholes within it:
- The wish count appears to reset after a period of time, allowing the same person to make 3 new wishes later on.
- Different people can make 3 wishes each without counting against each other’s totals.
- It’s possible the wish limit only applies to conscious, spoken requests and not implicit or accidental wishes.
More observations may reveal additional technicalities around how Nanika counts wishes toward the limit and for whom. But the basic rule remains – stick to three wishes or less per person to be safe.
What is Nanika’s Last Wish Rule Exception?
According to Killua, there is one exception where an additional wish can be made beyond the three wish limit without negative effects. This involves making a special fourth wish to force Nanika to retreat back into Alluka’s body and create a period of “cooldown” before more wishes can be made.
Essentially, if a fourth wish is made to command Nanika to go away temporarily, no devastation or consequences appear to occur. Nanika will then deactivate and refrain from granting any other wishes for an indeterminate length of time. This allows people to safely exceed the three wish limit in order to control Nanika.
The “Wish Reset” Fourth Wish
Killua refers to this special fourth wish as a “wish reset”, since it resets Nanika’s wish counter. Based on his experience, he finds this fourth wish command exceptionally useful in managing Nanika’s powers:
- It lets him safely make more than 3 wishes for himself over time.
- He can strategically time when to issue the fourth wish to control Nanika’s dormant periods.
- It prevents reckless use of wishes and devastation when Nanika is deployed for a mission.
In essence, the fourth wish exception gives Killua a tool to tightly regulate Nanika’s wish granting in a safe manner.
Examples of the “Wish Reset” Fourth Wish in Action
There are a few key examples where Killua uses the special fourth “wish reset” wish to control Nanika:
After Healing Gon
When Nanika first emerges, she heals Gon at Killua’s request. This counts as Wish #1. Killua then asks Nanika to make Gon “return to normal”, which counts as Wish #2. After this, Killua immediately issues the fourth wish for Nanika to stop granting wishes and go away. This avoids devastation and gives Killua control.
Before the Butler Mission
Later, when Killua wants Nanika’s help for a mission, he purposefully makes the fourth wish first to start Nanika’s cooldown period. This prevents random wishes being fulfilled during the mission timeline that could interfere.
After the Butler Mission
Once the mission is done, Killua has Nanika heal Tsubone’s hand at Illumi’s manipulative request. But directly after, Killua makes the fourth wish again to reset the wish counter and avoid any unintended effects from Illumi’s influence.
In all cases, Killua relies on the fourth wish to strategically regulate Nanika’s power for the desired outcome.
Conclusion
While Nanika’s wish granting power has great potential, it carries grave risks if misused carelessly beyond the established limits. Her third wish rule in particular provides a clear cutoff to prevent reckless overuse and unintended devastation. However, the special exception of a fourth “wish reset” gives greater control over managing Nanika’s dormant periods and resetting the wish counter. When used strategically, Nanika’s powers can be leveraged safely within the bounds of her rules.
In the hands of someone who understands these intricacies, like Killua Zoldyck, Nanika becomes a much more controlled and contained power. While Nanika’s full capabilities are still somewhat mysterious, uncovering the specifics around her last wish rule provides insight into mastering her wish granting in a responsible manner.