"This is an investment!! With it, I'll be able to climb higher!! Neon is my ace in the hole, now and forever!! I've got to keep her in a good mood. As long as I have her, I'll have all the money I want!!" — Light Nostrade in "September 3rd: Part 17" |
Light Nostrade (ライト゠ノストラード, Raito Nosutorādo) is the former head of the Nostrade Family,[1] a Mafia group under the leadership of the Ritz Family,[2] as well as Kurapika's employer.[3] After Neon lost her ability to Chrollo and Kurapika took over the leadership of the Nostrade Family, his current role is unknown.
Appearance[]
He is a middle-aged man who has his hair combed back and a thick mustache. He usually wears a suit.
Personality[]
Light with Neon
Light usually has a calm personality, but gets put on edge when the safety of his daughter Neon is jeopardized.[4] He is very indulging of his daughter's whims. While it's unclear how much of his affection for her is sincere, a large part of his behavior is due to the value he places on her fortunetelling ability. It has been revealed that exploiting this ability was how he got ahead in the Mafia and is how he plans to rise to the top, declaring that he can rule the world with his daughter's ability.[1][5]
Background[]
Light was originally just the leader of a small gang,[5] but by shrewdly exploiting Neon's ability, he gained prestige and rose up the ranks of the Mafia.[1]
Plot[]
Yorknew City arc[]
En route to Yorknew City, Neon calls her father and threatens to stop writing fortunes after being flooded with more requests than she can handle. Light negotiates with her and promises her more gifts, which delights Neon. On the night of September 1st, Dalzollene, the leader of the bodyguards, contacts Light from the Hotel Beitacle to tell him about something troubling among Neon's fortunes.[1] He explains that four clients received the same fortune which involved death and that all four plan to attend the Underground Auction. Understanding the danger, Light tells Dalzollene not to let Neon attend and to bring her home immediately. Dalzollene warns that trying to talk her out of it will backfire, and Light says that while Neon cannot attend the auction, they should spend whatever they have to in order to win the items she wants. As Dalzollene expected, Neon throws an enormous tantrum after learning that her father forbade her from attending the auction. Dalzollene calls Light and asks if he can hear the noise, saying that they don't know what to do.[4]
Light making his way to Yorknew City
Light cancels all his plans and plans to head to the city, ordering Dalzollene to acquire the mummy so that Neon will be in a good mood.[6] On the night of September 2nd, Neon contacts Light to inform him that all of the auction items were stolen by thieves and that Dalzollene may have been killed. Light talks to Kurapika and is shocked to hear that Dalzollene is dead since he was a capable Nen user. After hearing Kurapika's thoughts, Light instantly promotes him to the head bodyguard position and says that his first order is to watch his daughter until he arrives.[7]
During the afternoon of September 3rd, Light meets with the bodyguards and learns everything that has happened. He asks Neon if she is okay with being sent home, and Neon replies that it would be pointless to stay since everything was stolen and the auction is canceled. Light assures her that the stolen items will be retrieved and she can attend next year's auction. He then orders Melody and Basho to take Neon back to the mansion and that they should put on disguises even though their pictures aren't on the Hunter Website. After Neon leaves the room to pack her things, Light reveals to the bodyguards that the auction will actually resume that very night, that all the Shadow Beasts aside from Owl are dead, and that the Ten Dons have hired a number of professional assassins to eliminate the Phantom Troupe and retrieve the stolen items. Not wanting the assassins to take all the credit, Light asks Kurapika to join them.[8]
Later, Light and Kurapika attend a meeting where the freelance assassins, Silva and Zeno Zoldyck, and a Mafia member named Zenji accompanied by bodyguards all discuss how to deal with the Phantom Troupe. After the meeting, Zenji confronts Light and, after a hostile exchange of words, punches him in the face repeatedly. Kurapika threatens Zenji with a knife, but Light tells Kurapika to stop as Zenji's bodyguards pull their leader away. Light admits to Kurapika that he has made a lot of jealous enemies with his success and will make even more as he continues to rise up the ranks. He expects great things from Kurapika and promises to award him generously for his efforts. Soon after, Melody contacts Kurapika and tells him that Neon has run away. Panic-stricken, Light is assured by Kurapika that his daughter must have discovered his lie and is making her way to the Cemetery Building to attend the auction. After Light contacts the police to have them be on the lookout for his daughter, one of them informs him that a young girl with different hair and clothes didn't know she needed a pass and mentioned her father before having her taxi turn around. Light urgently calls someone else and tells them to put out an A.P.B. for his daughter and print out her picture, pleading them to search for her. Keeping calm about the situation, Kurapika uses his Dowsing Chain and a map to discover that Neon is already inside the Cemetery Building.[5]
Upon their arrival, Light immediately rushes to Neon's room and finds her unconscious. He becomes furious when he finds out that Neon's picture is actually available on the Hunter Website, and Kurapika quickly calms him down, reminding him that their top priority is Neon's safety. He also explains that the other bodyguards are on their way and predicts that the auction might be canceled again due to the upcoming battle.[9] A medical team arrives later to transport Neon to a local hospital, with Light staying by her side the entire time.[10]
Light learns from Kurapika that the Phantom Troupe members are dead and that he will attend the auction as ordered. He insists that Kurapika should win the Scarlet Eyes regardless of the cost. Ultimately, the Scarlet Eyes are purchased for a total price of 
2.9 billion because of a bidding war against Zenji. Although upset by the price paid for the eyes, Light reminds himself that the money is going back to the community and that his prestige will only be greater, adding that he can easily make the money back and continue to amass more power with Neon's fortunes.[11]
After regaining consciousness, Neon thanks her father for the eyes and forgives him. Outside Neon's hospital room, Light congratulates the bodyguards for a job well done and informs them that they just need to win the used tissue at the auction tomorrow. He lastly says that he will be leaving the city the day after tomorrow and that Neon can stay behind to go shopping.[11]
Greed Island arc[]
Light's breakdown over the loss of Neon's ability
Sometime after the auction, Light is seen having a serious mental breakdown after the loss of Neon's fortunetelling ability. He summons Kurapika to his unkempt room and begs him for advice. Although Kurapika tells him to leave everything to him, Light angrily replies that he has no idea what will happen, ordering him to return Neon to normal before he puts his hands over his face and wonders why it happened.[12]
Dark Continent Expedition arc[]
The Nostrade Family survived the loss of Neon's ability and is now led by Kurapika. The organization is exclusively involved in legal activities such as personal security details and gambling.[13]
Manga Appearances[]
Quotes[]
- (To Kurapika) The most important asset in this day and age is information. And what do you think makes information most valuable? When it's about the future. In other words, precognition. With accurate precognition in my hands... I can rule the world!![5]
- (To Kurapika) What do you know?! You have no idea what will happen in the future!! Neon!! Get Neon back to normal!! Now!!" Dammit! Argh... why did this happen...?[12]
Trivia[]
- The character's first name, Light, potentially derives from his daughter's name, Neon, (or vice versa), as in the term neon lighting.
- His last name, Nostrade, is most likely a reference to Nostradamus, the famous French seer (in relation to his daughter), and La Cosa Nostra, the nickname for the Italian mafia.
Intertextuality and References[]
- Light Nostrade resembles the character Ōtake, former captain of the Special Defense Force, an elite squad in YuYu Hakusho.
- Light Nostrade also resembles Soichiro Yagami, a character in Death Note whose protagonist son happens to be named Light.
Translations around the World[]
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
 Arabic
|
لايت نوستراد (Lait Nustrad) | |
 Brazilian Portuguese
|
Light Nostrad | |
 Chinese
|
莱特•诺斯拉/萊特•諾斯拉* (Láitè Nuò sī lā) | |
 French
|
Right Nostrad | |
 Korean
|
라이트 노스트라드 (Laiteu Noseuteuradeu) | |
 Russian
|
Лайт Ностраде (Lait Nostradye) | |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 8, Chapter 71
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 9, Chapter 75
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 8, Chapter 70
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 8, Chapter 72
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 11, Chapter 95
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 9, Chapter 73
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 9, Chapter 79
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 10, Chapter 89
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 11, Chapter 96
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 11, Chapter 100
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 11, Chapter 101
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 15, Chapter 149
- ↑ Hunter × Hunter - Volume 33, Chapter 343
[]
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