The Hunter

"When I was young, my brothers and sisters and I would hunt each other in the nest. Now I hunt alone."

- The Hunter

The Hunter is a Quest NPC in Hollow Knight. He gifts the Hunter's Journal, a bestiary detailing all enemies in Hallownest.

Lore
When the Hunter was young, he and his siblings used to hunt each other in their nest. Ever since then, he hunts alone without any companion or partner.

The Hunter tries to kill any living being he can find, which he does only for his own sake, believing this to be the nature of the Hunt. In addition to this, he attempts to eat certain creatures, even infected ones, though he does not like the taste of those.

He looks down on the bugs of the kingdom of Hallownest, regarding them as weak and pathetic, with their kingdom being destined for ruin.

Upon completion of his quest, the Hunter will be biding his time before his next hunt begins, as he believes that a true Hunter has no home or kingdom.

Hollow Knight
The Hunter is located in Greenpath. When he is first approached, he gives the Hunter's Journal and tasks the Knight with completing the Journal by killing or defeating a specified amount of each enemy.

When the Hunter's Journal is complete, returning to the Hunter awards the Hunter's Mark and the True Hunter achievement.

Before getting the Hunter's Mark from him, the ground below collapses and it is revealed that the "cave" is actually a hood and the rest of his body is a large thin figure. He then roars and boss music briefly plays complete with a title card, making it seem like a boss battle. The music then stops abruptly and the Hunter puts his hand out with the Hunter's Mark in it.

Trivia

 * The Hunter was first revealed in a Kickstarter update:


 * "If you explore the Greenpath carefully, you'll come across the mysterious Hunter in his lair. He'll give you his Hunter's Journal, and charge you with the task of defeating enemies, adding their details to the journal. And so your hunt begins!"


 * If the Grimmchild Charm is equipped, the Grimmchild will attempt to attack the Hunter when he roars, but stop after a moment. This does no damage to the Hunter.


 * Before being dropped into the pit to receive the Hunter's Mark, the player will be given a choice of "Ready to receive reward?".


 * The roar the Hunter uses is the same as Brooding Mawlek's.