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* ExhaustedEyeBags: "Hunting Palismen" reveals that he's got deep bags under his eyes.
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* ExhaustedEyeBags: "Hunting Palismen" reveals that he's got deep bags under his eyes. "Any Sport In A Storm" reveals that ''6am'' is considered ''sleeping in'' for the Emperor's Coven, which explains how he got them.
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* [[AmbiguouslyHuman Ambiguously Witch]]: [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" implies that Hunter may be a homunculus-type creature called a [[ArtificialHuman "Grimwalker"]] Belos created. "Hollow Mind" has him outright admit this, but the original genetic source is not stated.]]
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* [[AmbiguouslyHuman Ambiguously Witch]]: AmbiguouslyHuman: [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" implies that Hunter may be a homunculus-type creature called a [[ArtificialHuman "Grimwalker"]] Belos created. "Hollow Mind" has him outright admit this, but the original genetic source is not stated.]]
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* InadequateInheritor: "Any Sport In A Storm" reveals that he isn't the first Golden Guard. Darius (who was mentored by his predecessor) considers him to be an unworthy replacement, though he does start to change his tune when he shows some backbone by standing up to him.
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* InadequateInheritor: InadequateInheritor:
** "Any Sport In A Storm" reveals that he isn't the first Golden Guard. Darius (who was mentored by his predecessor) considers him to be an unworthy replacement, though he does start to change his tune when he shows some backbone by standing up to him. [[spoiler:It turns out Darius' dislike of Hunter was likely due to his complete and utter obedience to Belos while his predessor betrayed the emperor and was killed for doing so]].
** "Any Sport In A Storm" reveals that he isn't the first Golden Guard. Darius (who was mentored by his predecessor) considers him to be an unworthy replacement, though he does start to change his tune when he shows some backbone by standing up to him. [[spoiler:It turns out Darius' dislike of Hunter was likely due to his complete and utter obedience to Belos while his predessor betrayed the emperor and was killed for doing so]].
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* NurtureOverNature: [[spoiler:Subverted, but Belos really tried his hardest. It's revealed that Hunter is a Grimwalker and all the previous ones eventually turned on Belos and were killed as a result. The emperor tried creating a clone that wouldn't betray him and Hunter is apparently the closest he ever got, employing emotional and physical abuse to keep him in line. However, just like the others, Hunter is ultimately unable to stomach the atrocities Belos committed]].
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* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler:Like most Boiling Isles residents, he does not think highly of humans and only refers Luz as 'human'. However, after learning the AwfulTruth and nearly getting killed by the emperor, Hunter saves Luz and calls out to her with her name, signifying he can no longer himself as above her]].
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: It's revealed that he is more of this than Belos is. When forced to [[spoiler:ally with Luz, he says that he serves the Emperor because the latter saved his life as a younger child, giving him a staff and a purpose. While he has no compunctions initially about kidnapping the Palismans that are sapient, it's because eating them is the only way Belos won't succumb to his mysterious curse and Hunter doesn't want his uncle to die. Luz convinces him that he doesn't want their deaths on his conscience, or the fragile trust they built ending in betrayal. Eventually, Hunter decides that he will study wild magic against Belos's orders to save him and protect the Palismans at the same time]].
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: WellIntentionedExtremist:
** It's revealed that he is more of this than Belos is. When forced to [[spoiler:ally with Luz, he says that he serves the Emperor because the latter saved his life as a younger child, giving him a staff and a purpose. While he has no compunctions initially about kidnapping the Palismans that are sapient, it's because eating them is the only way Belos won't succumb to his mysterious curse and Hunter doesn't want his uncle to die. Luz convinces him that he doesn't want their deaths on his conscience, or the fragile trust they built ending in betrayal. Eventually, Hunter decides that he will study wild magic against Belos's orders to save him and protect the Palismans at the sametime]].time]].
** [[spoiler:He tries using this to justify Belos' actions, explaining he had to do some bad things so people would listen to him and only ever wanted to help people. However, Hunter is completely broken upon realizing all of that was a lie, and therefore his own WellIntentionedExtremist acts were meaningless since he was just aiding a fraud and murderer]].
** It's revealed that he is more of this than Belos is. When forced to [[spoiler:ally with Luz, he says that he serves the Emperor because the latter saved his life as a younger child, giving him a staff and a purpose. While he has no compunctions initially about kidnapping the Palismans that are sapient, it's because eating them is the only way Belos won't succumb to his mysterious curse and Hunter doesn't want his uncle to die. Luz convinces him that he doesn't want their deaths on his conscience, or the fragile trust they built ending in betrayal. Eventually, Hunter decides that he will study wild magic against Belos's orders to save him and protect the Palismans at the same
** [[spoiler:He tries using this to justify Belos' actions, explaining he had to do some bad things so people would listen to him and only ever wanted to help people. However, Hunter is completely broken upon realizing all of that was a lie, and therefore his own WellIntentionedExtremist acts were meaningless since he was just aiding a fraud and murderer]].
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* ColorCodedWizardry: He shares the Emperor's red-colored magic, [[spoiler:since it's artificial magic.]] When using [[spoiler:Little Rascal, it's yellow instead.]]
* ColorMotif: Being the Golden Guard, he primarily wears shades of yellow, alluding to his high status within the Emperor's Coven. [[spoiler:While masquerading as a Hexside student, he sports the yellow, potions track uniform]].
* ColorMotif: Being the Golden Guard, he primarily wears shades of yellow, alluding to his high status within the Emperor's Coven. [[spoiler:While masquerading as a Hexside student, he sports the yellow, potions track uniform]].
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* ColorCodedWizardry: He shares the Emperor's red-colored magic, [[spoiler:since it's artificial magic.]] When using [[spoiler:Little Rascal, [[spoiler:Flapjack, it's yellow instead.]]
* ColorMotif: Being the Golden Guard, he primarily wears shades of yellow, alluding to his high status within the Emperor's Coven. [[spoiler:While masquerading as a Hexside student, he sports theyellow, yellow potions track uniform]].uniform, and his magic is yellow while using Flapjack]].
* ColorMotif: Being the Golden Guard, he primarily wears shades of yellow, alluding to his high status within the Emperor's Coven. [[spoiler:While masquerading as a Hexside student, he sports the
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* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder:
** He's been in several EnemyMine scenarios, and almost always chooses to at least try backstabbing the other person no matter how much kindness they show him due to his fear of failing Belos.
** Played with. [[spoiler:All Golden Guards, including Hunter, were Grimwalkers Belos kept making to serve as tools in his quest to kill everyone in the Demon Realm. However, he killed each and every one of them for betraying him and when Hunter learns the AwfulTruth, the emperor decides it's better to kill the boy before he gets the chance to turn on him]].
** He's been in several EnemyMine scenarios, and almost always chooses to at least try backstabbing the other person no matter how much kindness they show him due to his fear of failing Belos.
** Played with. [[spoiler:All Golden Guards, including Hunter, were Grimwalkers Belos kept making to serve as tools in his quest to kill everyone in the Demon Realm. However, he killed each and every one of them for betraying him and when Hunter learns the AwfulTruth, the emperor decides it's better to kill the boy before he gets the chance to turn on him]].
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already mentioned.
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** [[spoiler:Ultimately confirmed in "Hollow Mind". He's a Grimwalker clone of someone Belos once knew- implied to be his brother]].
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* TheRunaway: [[spoiler:Of the abused variety. At then end of "Hollow Mind", the emperor decides he needs to kill Hunter for learning the AwfulTruth, and the boy has a panic attack upon realizing Belos will murder him if he goes home, forcing him to flee]].
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* CharacterDevelopment: He starts out fully willing to kill a selkidomus no questions asked just because he was ordered to by the emperor. [[spoiler:Slowly, he starts to think for himself as he makes connections with people outside his coven and even begins defying Belos before being forced to flee the emperor after learning the AwfulTruth. It's unknown whether this will result in a HeelFaceTurn]].
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* Hypocrite: PlayedForLaughs. He makes fun of Luz for being afraid of eyeballs after she becomes afraid of what appears to be a [[spoiler:twisted Inner Belos]], only for him to squeak in fear when her walkie-talkie goes off.
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* Hypocrite: PlayedForLaughs. HypocriticalHumor: He makes fun of Luz for being afraid of eyeballs after she becomes afraid of what appears to be a [[spoiler:twisted Inner Belos]], only for him to squeak in fear when her walkie-talkie goes off.
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: He‘s never makes circles and is only seen casting magic with his staff, also later tells Luz it's how he got back onto his ship after she blasted him off. [[spoiler:This foreshadows his dependence on it for power and his lack of innate magic]].
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: {{Foreshadowing}}:
** He‘s never makes circles and is only seen casting magic with his staff, also later tells Luz it's how he got back onto his ship after she blasted him off. [[spoiler:This foreshadows his dependence on it for power and his lack of innatemagic]].magic]].
** In the charity livestream, he recalls learning [[spoiler:his Palisman's name is Flapjack, though as he has no idea what that means, he asked Belos who told him it means 'pancake', which wasn’t any more helpful as Hunter still doesn't know what that is. It serves to hint at the fact that Belos is really a human]].
** [[spoiler:The instructions for how to create a Grimwalker as seen in "Eclipse Lake" depict a humanoid creature with magenta eyes, the same color as Hunter's. Several episodes later, he's revealed to be a Grimwalker]].
** He‘s never makes circles and is only seen casting magic with his staff, also later tells Luz it's how he got back onto his ship after she blasted him off. [[spoiler:This foreshadows his dependence on it for power and his lack of innate
** In the charity livestream, he recalls learning [[spoiler:his Palisman's name is Flapjack, though as he has no idea what that means, he asked Belos who told him it means 'pancake', which wasn’t any more helpful as Hunter still doesn't know what that is. It serves to hint at the fact that Belos is really a human]].
** [[spoiler:The instructions for how to create a Grimwalker as seen in "Eclipse Lake" depict a humanoid creature with magenta eyes, the same color as Hunter's. Several episodes later, he's revealed to be a Grimwalker]].
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* HopelessWithTech: Not so much tech in general given how his staff appears to be {{Magitek}}, but [[spoiler:both "Any Sport In A Storm" and "Reaching Out" show that he has yet to get the hang of using a scroll. In the former episode Willow comments on how slow of a typer he is, and his messages to Luz in the latter have periods in place of spaces, random capitalization, and a comma in the middle of an ellipsis.]]
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* HopelessWithTech: Not so much tech in general given how his staff appears to be {{Magitek}}, and he can use a walkie-talkie but [[spoiler:both "Any Sport In A Storm" and "Reaching Out" show that he has yet to get the hang of using a scroll. In the former episode Willow comments on how slow of a typer he is, and his messages to Luz in the latter have periods in place of spaces, random capitalization, and a comma in the middle of an ellipsis.]]
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* Hypocrite: PlayedForLaughs. He makes fun of Luz for being afraid of eyeballs after she becomes afraid of what appears to be a [[spoiler:twisted Inner Belos]], only for him to squeak in fear when her walkie-talkie goes off.
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* MoralityPet: [[spoiler:Flapjack is the only one who shows Hunter the unconditional love his uncle denies him, and he starts proving himself to be a better person after meeting his palisman. In his first ever act of defiance, he decides against giving the bird to Belos, and Flapjack seems to encourage Hunter's interactions outside the Emperor's Coven]].
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* MoralityPet: MoralityPet:
** [[spoiler:Flapjack is the only one who shows Hunter the unconditional love his uncle denies him, and he starts proving himself to be a better person after meeting his palisman. In his first ever act of defiance, he decides against giving the bird to Belos, and Flapjack seems to encourage Hunter's interactions outside the Emperor's Coven]].
** [[spoiler:Flapjack is the only one who shows Hunter the unconditional love his uncle denies him, and he starts proving himself to be a better person after meeting his palisman. In his first ever act of defiance, he decides against giving the bird to Belos, and Flapjack seems to encourage Hunter's interactions outside the Emperor's Coven]].
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* MoralityPet: Surprisingly enough, he seems to be this for [[spoiler: Darius, the Abomination Coven Head, Hunter brings out a protectiveness in him not yet seen for anyone else in the show.]]
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** On the other hand, he himself is one for [[spoiler: Darius, the Abomination Coven Head, Hunter brings out a protectiveness in him not yet seen for anyone else in the show.]]
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* MoralityPet: Surprisingly enough, he seems to be this for [[spoiler: Darius, the Abomination Coven Head, Hunter brings out a protectiveness in him not yet seen for anyone else in the show.]]
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* MalevolentMaskedMen: Wears a gold mask that covers his whole face. The only times he removes it in public is to go undercover at Hexside, and when only Luz is around.
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* MalevolentMaskedMen: Wears a gold mask that covers his whole face. The only times he removes it in public is to go undercover at Hexside, and when only Luz is around.[[spoiler: This might serve Belos the dual purpose of hiding that Hunter is of a long line of clones both to himself and the public.]]
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* YouCantGoHomeAgain: [[spoiler:He learns of Belos' true plans and lies, plus the fact that just the latest Grimwalker Belos made to serve as his Golden Guard. Expecting Hunter to betray him as all the other Grimwalkers did, Inner Belos decides to kill him but Hunter is able to escape into reality. However, upon reappearing in the Owl House he realizes he's now considered a traitor and can't return]].
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* YouCantGoHomeAgain: [[spoiler:He learns of Belos' true plans and lies, plus the fact that he's just the latest Grimwalker Belos made to serve as his Golden Guard. Expecting Hunter to betray him as all the other Grimwalkers did, Inner Belos decides to kill him but Hunter is able to escape into reality. However, upon reappearing in the Owl House he realizes he's now considered a traitor and can't return]].
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* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Once Hunter discovers the truth about Belos' plan to wipe out everyone in the Boiling Isles and that the emperor only views him as a mere tool, Belos decides to once again kill off his Golden Guard, only lamenting that he'll have to make a new one]].
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* RousseauWasRight: [[spoiler:He was raised to believe that the Emperor's Coven is the best thing in the world, that wild magic is evil and that he must constantly prove himself worthy of being loved. While he's introduced as evil, he's also shown to be a pretty nice guy when he isn't obsessively trying to make Belos happy. It turns out, he's a Grimwalker much like the previous Golden Guards, who were all killed for betraying Belos, and Hunter is likewise horrified when he realizes how awful the emperor is, to the point that the he decides to preemptively kill the boy before he can turn on him. It's further revealed Belos has been trying to rid his Grimwalkers of this trait]].
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* MalevolentMaskedMen: Wears a gold mask that covers his whole face.
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* MalevolentMaskedMen: Wears a gold mask that covers his whole face. The only times he removes it in public is to go undercover at Hexside, and when only Luz is around.
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* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:In a similar vein to Luz, He's freaked out to find that he has been unwittingly helping a fraudulent psychopath in a plot to kill everyone in the Boiling Isles]].
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** [[spoiler:He's horrified to find that Belos really just wants to kill everyone in the Boiling Isles and Hunter has been helping a complete psychopath. It's then revealed that all the other Golden Guards were this as well, since Inner Belos decides it’s time to do away with Hunter once he's learned the truth, as his predecessors all ended up betraying the emperor]].
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* SkewedPriorities: [[spoiler:He and Luz get trapped in the emperor's mind with the Inner Belos after them. When they're contacted by Eda, his main concern is making sure Flapjack, who was not pulled into the mindscape, is safe]].
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No spoilers above the example line.
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!![[spoiler:Hunter]] / The Golden Guard
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[[WMG:[[center:[-''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' '''[[Characters/TheOwlHouse Main Character Index]]'''\
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[[WMG:[[center:[-''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' '''[[Characters/TheOwlHouse Main Character Index]]'''\Index]]'''\\
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[[WMG:[[center:[-''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' '''[[Characters/TheOwlHouse Main Character Index]]'''\\
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[[WMG:[[center:[-''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' '''[[Characters/TheOwlHouse Main Character Index]]'''\\Index]]'''\
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* ReplacementGoldfish: In "Hollow Mind", [[spoiler:we learn that he's only the latest in a ''long'' line of Grimwalkers Belos has created as "better versions of an old friend", implied to be his brother.]]
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!![spoiler:Hunter]] / The Golden Guard
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-->[[spoiler:"Belos… H-he knows we were in there… I can’t- I can’t go back!"]]
[[/folder]]
[[/folder]]
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-->[[spoiler:"Belos… H-he knows we were in there… I can’t- can't- I can’t go back!"]]
[[/folder]][[/folder]]
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----
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[[WMG:[[center:[-''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' '''[[Characters/TheOwlHouse Main Character Index]]'''\
[[Characters/TheOwlHouseTheBoilingIsles The Boiling Isles]] | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseTheOwlHouse The Owl House]] ([[Characters/TheOwlHouseLuzNoceda Luz Noceda]] | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseEdaClawthorne Eda Clawthorne]] | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLilithClawthorne Lilith Clawthorne]]) | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseTheEmperorsCoven The Emperor's Coven]] ([[Characters/TheOwlHouseEmperorBelos Emperor Belos]] | '''The Golden Guard''') | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseHexside Hexside]] ([[Characters/TheOwlHouseAmityBlight Amity Blight]]) | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseOther Other]]]]-]]]
!![spoiler:Hunter]] / The Golden Guard
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ZenoRobinson
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/golden_guard.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see him unmasked. ]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hunter___profile_3.png ''"There's nothing worse than disappointing someone who thinks you're special."''[softreturn][[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Genius Teen Prodigy]]
->''"The Emperor is not a merciful man. ''[Beat]'' [[AffablyEvil Byeeee!]]"''
A mysterious member of the Emperor's Coven who seems to hold a high rank and is entrusted by Belos to keep an eye on the Owl House and its occupants.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: A-E]]
* ABoyAndHisX: A boy and his [[spoiler:Palisman]] in this case. [[spoiler:He's approached by the cardinal Palisman, Flapjack, after he returns home from failing to kidnap the Palisman from Hexside. Hunter then forms a bond with the bird and for once defies Belos by not handing him over to be consumed. Furthermore, Flapjack starts providing Hunter with the unconditional support he sorely lacks in his life]].
* AbsurdPhobia: He's been raised to distrust wild magic, and in the charity livestream [[spoiler:he believes Flapjack has to be evil and tries provoking his Palisman into revealing his true, evil nature while adding that he's in full armor in case the tiny cardinal tries retaliating]].
* AbusiveParents:
** [[spoiler:Emperor Belos is supposedly his uncle and Hunter's only family. However, Belos treats him as a tool rather than a person, being emotionally manipulative and threatening him with violence for mentioning wild magic. It's bad enough that Hunter doesn’t even understand the concept of a healthy relationship and constantly lives with the fear of being replaced]].
** [[spoiler:It gets even worse when Hunter learns he's only the latest in a line of Grimwalkers that Belos keeps making and killing off the second the betray him, as Belos decides to do the same to him]].
* AffablyEvil: His tone of voice and attitude towards Luz and Eda is rather casual for someone threatening to arrest them.
* AllEncompassingMantle: His cloak is shown like this in his first appearance, hiding any hint as to what he looks like underneath, though the Season 2 opening does show a hint as to his facial features.
* [[AmbiguouslyHuman Ambiguously Witch]]: [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" implies that Hunter may be a homunculus-type creature called a [[ArtificialHuman "Grimwalker"]] Belos created. "Hollow Mind" has him outright admit this, but the original genetic source is not stated.]]
* AmbiguouslyRelated:
** [[spoiler:In [[Recap/TheOwlHouseS2E6HuntingPalismen "Hunting Palismen"]], the Golden Guard, whose real name is Hunter, is revealed to be Emperor Belos's nephew, but it is unknown if Hunter is adopted or biologically related to the emperor due to there being evidence supporting both. When Hunter is talking with Belos alone and suggests researching wild magic, Belos reminds him that wild magic destroyed their family and that they are all that is left. However, when talking to Luz, Hunter reveals that he couldn't use magic, that many of his ancestors could not use magic, and he did not think he had a future in this world until Emperor Belos took him in. This could mean Hunter is an orphan from a magic-less family that Belos took in, or he is a member of Emperor Belos's family that was magic-less, and after their family was destroyed, Belos took him in.]]
** [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" implies that Hunter may be ''actually'' something called a "[[ArtificialHuman Grimwalker]]", created by Belos as a literal ingredient in his plans. And when speaking to him in the cold open, Hunter addresses Belos as "Emperor Belos" rather than "Uncle", and privately refers to him as just "Belos".]]
** TheReveal in "Elsewhere and Elsewhen" that [[spoiler:Belos is actually Philip further muddles things. Did Philip have hybrid descendants, or is there no blood relation between the two of them at all?]]
** [[spoiler:"Hollow Mind" reveals that Hunter is a Grimwalker, and it's also implied he's a Grimwalker of Belos' brother.]]
* AntagonistAbilities: Just like Belos, he's capable of casting magic without drawing circles: a single swing of his staff will do the trick. [[spoiler:This is balanced by him being unable to cast magic ''without'' said staff, though he can still carry himself regardless.]]
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler:"Hunting Palisman" shows that he is actually a pretty good kid, who works for Belos in order to repay him for giving him his staff and a place to belong.]]
* ArtificialHuman:
** [[spoiler:The opening scene of "Eclipse Lake" not only ''strongly'' implies that he's a synthetic creation called a "Grimwalker", but that he's a literal ingredient in the Emperor's plans. Outright confirmed in "Hollow Mind," with him only being the most recent of Belos' Grimwalker minions.]]
** [[spoiler:Ultimately confirmed in "Hollow Mind". He's a Grimwalker clone of someone Belos once knew- implied to be his brother]].
* AwfulTruth: [[spoiler:He starts to break down when he learns Belos is a fraud plotting on killing everyone in the Boiling Isles and that Hunter's entire life has been a lie as he is just Belos' latest Grimwalker. When he tries to question Inner Belos about it, the emperor decides to kill him before he can betray him like all the other Golden Guards did. Upon surviving the attempt, he has a complete panic attack and runs away]].
* AtrociousAlias: [[spoiler:With Flapjack's help, he comes up with a fake name on the spot when pretending to be a Hexside student, with the result being 'Caleb Jasper Bloodwilliams'. While Gus was already suspicious of Hunter, the name certainly did not help]].
* ATeamFiring: He sends a barrage of lightning blasts at [[spoiler:Amity]], yet even despite them ricocheting all over the cave they're in, he fails to hit anything. [[spoiler:Justified since he's unused to using his Palisman staff, and demonstrates difficulty with it when the fight starts]].
* BadassCape: Well, at least he thinks so. [[spoiler:While [[InstantCostumeChange switching into his uniform]] to reveal himself as the Golden Guard to the Emerald Entrails, he's not wearing his cloak and admits he'd look cooler with it on]]. [[spoiler:He gets rid of it upon realizing the emperor is a horrible person and looking to kill him]]
* BadLiar: [[spoiler:When pretending to be a Hexside student, he does an incredibly bad job of trying to quell Gus's suspicions surrounding him being a student the younger boy has never seen or heard of before, which is not helped by Hunter giving the alias 'Caleb Jasper Bloodwilliams' in the most unconvincing tone possible]]. However, the Golden Guard is otherwise alright at lying.
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:In "Hollow Mind", he's cast into Belos' subconscious to die, and ends up dragging Luz's jacket into the ground with him when she tries pulling him out. When the Inner Belos prepares to murder her, Hunter is able to use the glyphs in the jacket to create a barrier and give the both of them the opportunity to escape]].
* BlindObedience: During his debut, when asked about why he has to kill the selkidomus, he casually replies that he was told to, with no indication he knows what the reason for it is. [[spoiler:He also loyally follows his uncle and never questions what 'big plans' the Titan has for him, nor any of the orders he carries out. Darius thinks of him as an ExtremeDoormat as a result]].
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: He's seen as a male equivalent by the Emperor's Coven, who believe him to just be a teenager with an ego who thinks he can boss the adult coven heads around [[spoiler:because he's the emperor's nephew]]. As a result, he isn't taken seriously and, upon finding out he's supposed to lead a meeting, the coven leaders decide to reschedule.
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:In "Hollow Mind" he laughs in Luz's face when she suggests the emperor could be evil, praises his own knowledge of the mindscape and goes on about how awesome Belos is. He then spends the episode learning that Belos is just a fraud, he doesn't know much about the mindscape and that he's only the latest in a line of numerous Grimwalkers Belos keeps killing off. By the end, Hunter is nearly killed by Belos, and upon surviving, throws off his cloak and runs off in a panic]].
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Hunter looked up to Belos all his life in spite of the abuse he endured, but is horrified to discover his uncle is a fraud who wants to kill everyone in the Boiling Isles and isn’t even really his uncle, as Hunter is a Grimwalker part of a long line that Belos keeps killing and has been lied to all his life. He soon tears off his cloak in fear and runs away]].
* BroughtDownToBadass: Played with. When stripped of his staff [[spoiler:and therefore magically powerless]] he still shows a keen strategic mind and LeParkour skills to make up for it.
* BoringButPractical: Downplayed. When chasing down Luz, she uses an ice glyph to send her onto a roof, but rather than use magic to follow, he resorts to parkour to vault himself up. [[spoiler:This is because without his staff he has no power and must instead use a mundane solution]].
* ButtMonkey: As early as his second episode, he's rocketed off his own ship and disarmed of his staff by Luz, who slaps him across the face and generally gets the best of him in their spats throughout the episode. Also, Eda, King and Amity don't exactly hold him in the highest esteem when they meet him in "Eclipse Lake".
* BrilliantButLazy: He has Eda and Luz do the dirty work of killing the Selkiedamus for him, and doesn’t even bother to check if the creature is actually dead.
* ChekhovsGag: [[spoiler:In ''Any Sport in a Storm'' he suggests vetting recruits for the flyer derby by forcing them to participate in a witch's duel, sticking them in a maze of traps and stranding them on the top of a mountain and see who survives. Later, it turns out all these things are part of the Emperor's Coven's TrainingFromHell, and a reminder of that and Belos' habit of taking Palisman from Steve causes Hunter to change his mind about forcing the Emerald Entrails to join the coven]].
* ChildishToothGap: "Hunting Palismen" reveals that he has a prominent gap in his front teeth. This shows how, despite his high position in the Emperor's Coven, he has a rather casual and sometimes immature demeanour.
* ChildLikeVoice: Granted he actually is a child, but Kikimora and Eda finds his voice rather annoying. When Eda tell it to his face, he does seem genuinely hurt that people keep saying his voice is annoying.
* ChildProdigy: If Lilith saying he was a teen prodigy when he's still 16-years old is true, it's implied that he was this. [[spoiler:Complicated in "Hunting Palisman" with the reveal that he cannot cast spells innately, though with the staff he is on par with a fully grown witch.]]
* ChildSoldier: He’s sixteen at most and is apparently the second in command of the emperor’s army. It's implied that he’s had this position for at least a few years now.
* ClonesArePeopleToo: Played with. [[spoiler:It's clear Hunter is an expendable tool in the emperor's eyes, as talks about replacing him and killed the previous Grimwalkers. However, Belos also says their betrayals personally hurt him, but phrases it as though Hunter and all the other Grimwalkers are all a single person. Hunter is also merely described as a 'better version of an old friend'. Luz of course, sees Hunter as a person]].
* CloseRangeCombatant: While he is capable of attacking from a distance with magic, he prefers to get up close and personal with his opponents by [[TeleportSpam teleporting around them]] and beating them with his staff. This is in a very sharp contrast to most other witches in the series, who tend to favor using their magic to fight from a distance.
* ColorCodedWizardry: He shares the Emperor's red-colored magic, [[spoiler:since it's artificial magic.]] When using [[spoiler:Little Rascal, it's yellow instead.]]
* ColorMotif: Being the Golden Guard, he primarily wears shades of yellow, alluding to his high status within the Emperor's Coven. [[spoiler:While masquerading as a Hexside student, he sports the yellow, potions track uniform]].
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Actually finds the TrainingFromHell for coven scouts ''fun'', among other things.
* ConflictingLoyalties: [[spoiler:"Hunting Palismen" shows that he has a deep desire to study and understand wild magic which is at odds with his loyalty to Emperor Belos who despises wild magic. If it leads Hunter to discover a way to eliminate the Emperor's condition, then it's worth it.]]
* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: Compared to Lilith, an adult with an estranged relationship with Eda and generally professional demeanor, the Golden Guard is a teenager who had no established dynamic between himself and the residents of the Owl House, along with having a much bigger sense of humor. He also uses a staff similar to that of Belos to perform magic rather than anything like Eda and Lilith's circle magic.
* CopiedTheMoralsToo: [[spoiler:One of the problems Belos has with Grimwalkers is that all of them betrayed him at some point. It's unknown if the one they originated from was a good person or would disprove of what he does, but comments from Belos suggests he's been trying to make a Grimwalker that won't turn on him again. Hunter is apparently the most successful attempt, but him learning the AwfulTruth is enough for Belos to decide betrayal is inevitable]].
* CoveredInScars: "Hunting Palismen" reveals that he's got a large scar on his cheek and a notch in his ear at the ''least''. [[spoiler:Art from Dana Terrace imply he has hidden scars on his upper arms and legs.]]
* CurbStompBattle: He runs circles around Eda (who admittedly has been recently depowered) and Luz in "Separate Tides" with ease and even comes ''very'' close to actually killing them. The only reason he doesn't is because he wants them to do the dirty work for him. Luz returns the favor by ambushing him in his next appearance by [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments knocking him off his own ship]].
* CurbStompCushion: While he and Amity are equally matched during their fight, [[spoiler:he ultimately wins in the end by threatening Luz, which causes Amity to give him the portal key to keep her safe.]]
* CutenessProximity: Downplayed, but in "Separate Tides", he finds King waking up/falling asleep whenever he lifts/drops the curtain of his cage to be "oddly endearing".
* DespairEventHorizon:
** Briefly crosses it in "Eclipse Lake" when [[spoiler:he finds the lake of Titan's blood is completely dried up.]]
** [[spoiler:He learns in "Hollow Mind" that he's a Grimwalker, his uncle doesn't care about him, his entire life has been a lie and the emperor will be after his life. The result is a realistic panic attack complete with hyperventilation as he is unable to process the revelation]].
* DigYourOwnGrave: In "Eclipse Lake", [[spoiler:when he finds the titular lake empty of Titan's Blood, he starts digging his own grave.]]
* DishingOutDirt: When fighting [[spoiler:Amity]] in "Eclipse Lake", at one point he uses an Earth spell to create a giant fist that punches them into the air. He also manipulates the sand Eda and Luz are on in "Separate Tides".
* DisproportionateRetribution: For the crime of blasting him off his ship, the Golden Guard threatens to have Luz imprisoned for life in the worst cell in the Conformatorium. When she retorts that she keeps escaping, he tells her he'll just have zapped to dust.
* DopeSlap: [[spoiler:On the receiving end of one from Luz when she attempts to wake him up after their crash landing in order to escape from Kikimora's hungry pet dragon.]]
* TheDragon: He takes over as the (literal) poster boy for the Emperor's Coven after Lilith's defection.
* DramaPreservingHandicap:
** Him [[spoiler: being unable to cast magic without his staff]] makes him a lot more manageable than if he was a smaller, younger Belos.
** During "Eclipse Lake", [[spoiler:he's stuck using Palisman magic he's unfamiliar with while fighting Amity, making the fight much more even between them.]]
* DudeWheresMyRespect: A running theme is that no one in the Emperor's Coven seems to like him much. In "Any Sport In A Storm", when Belos puts him in charge for the day, the Coven Heads apparently decide to reschedule a meeting just to avoid having to deal with him.
* EarlyBirdCameo: His very first appearance was a background cameo during Lilith's meeting with the Emperor in "Agony Of A Witch"
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: He's effectively second only to Belos himself, and he has an unique costume that employs GoldAndWhiteAreDivine to emphasize his higher standing.
* EnemyMine:
** Briefly forms a truce with Luz when [[spoiler:Kikimora tries to kill him.]]
** [[spoiler:Establishes another truce with Luz when stuck in Belos' mindscape]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: His debut episode has him hunting down the selkidomus and upon trying to arrest Luz and Eda, threatens them, casually explains he's carrying out the emperor's orders, before threatening them again and then tells them to kill the selkidomus in exchange for their freedom. He also finds it funny when the two realize they're on a flesh-eating plant and returns King as promised when they appear to have fulfilled the mission. It neatly demonstrated him as a loyal official in the Emperor's Coven, but also quite young and more AffablyEvil, as well as more trustworthy.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
** [[spoiler:He loves his uncle despite the fact that Belos emotionally and physically abused him, and Hunter's main goal is to aide him in whatever way he can. However, he is utterly terrified when he finds out about Belos killing off the previous Golden Guards who were all Grimwalkers like Hunter]].
** He adores [[spoiler:his Palisman, Flapjack, and upon getting trapped in Belos' mindscape, one of his main priorities is making sure the little bird is okay. Eda and King even find it adorable when he tells Flapjack 'I love you']].
* EvenEvilHasStandards: In his introduction, he threatens to torture Luz and Eda by dangling them over the Boiling Sea where the steam will burn them alive before stating he 'isn't ''that'' mean'. [[spoiler:Also, he slowly becomes slightly less ruthless as a result of his CharacterDevelopment, as while he was okay with doing it initially, he eventually finds he can’t separate innocent kids from their families and Palisman to join the Emperor's Coven]].
* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
** [[spoiler:Hunter]] isn't a psychopath without morals, but has difficulty understanding the idea of healthy and mutually supportive relationships. He immediately assumes Luz's strange texts to Amity are threats, when they were actually helpful warnings and compliments [[spoiler:for her girlfriend]], with the idea that they could be anything else never even crossing his mind.
** He doesn't understand the idea that the current system of government is corrupt and needs to be changed, nor the idea that someone would even want to do that.
** In the charity livestream, [[spoiler:Hunter decides to test for his Palisman's 'evil' nature by feeding Flapjack a goreberry, knowing the Palisman won't like it, and expecting him to freak out in a violent rage while wearing full armor as protection. He's utterly shocked when Flapjack shares the fruit with him instead]].
* EvilCounterpart:
** For Eda, and he fits the role even better than her sister Lilith, being what Eda would've become had she joined the Emperor's Coven when she was young. Like Eda, he's brilliant and immature, even sharing a few of her quirks, such as the exaggerated way they say "Bye!", and wears a mask which makes him resemble an owl. Lilith apparently hates working with him, another indication of how misspent her time was trying to get Eda to join the coven.
** For Luz. Both of them are teenagers learning magic under a powerful witch (Eda for Luz, Belos for the Golden Guard) and both cast magic in a rather unorthodox manner. Luz uses glyphs, while the Golden Guard seems to use a modified staff and can cast spells without spell-circles, much like Belos himself. They also share a playful attitude and a fondness for cute things, as they both quickly grew fond of King.
** For both, he's revealed to [[spoiler:be fascinated by WildMagic, which Eda and Luz both wield. In addition, he's powerless without the artificial magic from his staff, while Eda (after Season 1) and Luz need glyphs to use magic themselves.]]
** For Amity, he's revealed to have a burning desire to prove themselves to those that they love: Hunter wants to prove he's useful to his uncle, Belos, and Amity [[spoiler:wants to prove she's an awesome girlfriend to Luz.]]
** For Willow and Gus, all of them are looked down at for the specifics of their magical talents and Willow and Hunter outright called themselves 'Half-a-Witch' for it. Both Gus and Hunter are also prodigies whose talent is far ahead of their respective ages. However Willow and Gus are by far a lot more friendly and, because Hunter lacks the same loving parents and friends that they have, Hunter's attempts to be a friend or a good person are warped.
* ExhaustedEyeBags: "Hunting Palismen" reveals that he's got deep bags under his eyes.
* ExpendableClone: [[spoiler:He is only but the latest in a ''long'' line of Grimwalkers, clones of someone Belos once knew that the emperor's been making for hundreds of years to serve as his Golden Guards, which have each been disposed of upon inevitably betraying him]].
* ExtremeDoormat:
** Darius accuses him of being one in "Any Sport In A Storm", claiming he is unable to think for himself and only does what he is told. From what we have seen of his behavior, Darius might have a point.
** [[spoiler:It gets darker when it's revealed that all the Grimwalkers before Hunter at some point turned on Belos and were killed for their betrayals. Belos states he's much more obedient than the other Golden Guards, implying one of his goals was to make a Grimwalker that would remain loyal]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: F-S]]
* {{Familiar}}: [[spoiler:At the end of "Hunting Palismen", the red cardinal Palisman chooses him as its partner. Despite some initial reluctance, Hunter decides to keep it rather than hand it over to Belos.]]
* {{Fanboy}}: [[spoiler:"Reaching Out" reveals that he's a fan of ''Ruler's Reach'' (King's novel from "Sense and Insensitivity"), to the point of naming his Penstagram account [=RULERZREACHF4N=].]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: He wears a golden shoulder pauldron on his right shoulder while his left shoulder lacks armor. This extends to his staff, which has only one wing, like Belos' own.
* FatalFlaw: His WellDoneSonGuy attitude is tripping up his CharacterDevelopment. Blind loyalty to Belos, and fear of being replaced motivate him to take underhanded actions to complete each task. [[spoiler:Case in point, Luz has to call him out for Hunter attempting to break their temporary truce, and Amity complains that he's an utter manipulative jerk after her attempt to give him a pep talk reveals that the owl portal key has the Titan's blood that he seeks.]] It's implied that the blind loyalty won't be rewarded on the Day of Unity.
* FictionalDisability: [[spoiler:He's a witch without the ability to use magic, leaving him reliant on his staff. Without it, he's as powerless as any human]].
* FiveSecondForeshadowing: [[spoiler:In "Hollow Mind", in one of Belos' memories a previous Golden Guard is heard talking and has the exact same voice as Hunter. It's later revealed in the same episode that the Golden Guards are all Grimwalkers, meaning they're all clones]].
* FlawExploitation: [[spoiler:At least part of the reason he can keep up with Amity is because of him exploiting Amity's drive to succeed and insecurities to trip her up.]]
* FlashStep: The Golden Guard seems to favor this tactic in battle and for intimidation, as seen in "Hunting Palismen".
* {{Foreshadowing}}: He‘s never makes circles and is only seen casting magic with his staff, also later tells Luz it's how he got back onto his ship after she blasted him off. [[spoiler:This foreshadows his dependence on it for power and his lack of innate magic]].
* FragileSpeedster: [[spoiler: He doesn't possess innate magic of his own like most witches on the Boiling Isles so much of his fighting prowess comes from his ability to speed quickly and use his staff, both the one Belos gave him and his palisman Flapjack, to teleport.]] This is especially notable in "Eclipse Lake" in his battle with Amity. Also, in "Any Sport in Storm" Willow picks him out for her Flyer Derby team when seeing him speed through the air to escape Viney's pet Puddles, and has him perform quick flying to attract other members to the team.
* FreezeFrameBonus: [[spoiler:He's absolutely broken upon viewing a hall filled with smashed Golden Guard masks. However, pausing reveals the hall is also filled with pictures of how the Grimwalkers in question died]].
%%* GemHeart: [[spoiler:The "heart" and power source of a Grimwalker is apparently made from a Galdorstone, and it is strongly implied that Hunter ''is'' one.]]
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: He wears a white cloak and gold mask, similar to Belos. This overlaps with LightIsNotGood.
* GreenThumb: [[spoiler:To save Luz from Inner Belos, he takes her plant glyphs to create a massive wall of vines]].
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:It's unknown if he will fully make one, but he's no longer serving the emperor. However, he's a Grimwalker of who is implied to have been Philip's brother, and each and every one of the previous Grimwalkers eventually turned on Belos]].
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:While he was already starting to break upon realizing Belos is just a fraudulent monster who never loved him, Hunter really shatters when he sees a hall full of smashed Golden Guard masks with portraits of how they died, followed by Belos revealing he's a clone and trying to kill him too. It's enough to send him into a horrifyingly realistic panic attack and run away in fear]].
* HistoryRepeats: [[spoiler:Every Grimwalker Belos made betrayed him and Hunter is horrified when he learns of Belos' crimes. However, expecting this trope to occur once again, Belos decides to kill Hunter before he even has the chance to betray him]].
* HopelessWithTech: Not so much tech in general given how his staff appears to be {{Magitek}}, but [[spoiler:both "Any Sport In A Storm" and "Reaching Out" show that he has yet to get the hang of using a scroll. In the former episode Willow comments on how slow of a typer he is, and his messages to Luz in the latter have periods in place of spaces, random capitalization, and a comma in the middle of an ellipsis.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Despite the abuse Belos inflicts on him on a regular basis, he sees the emperor as a good man and tries to justify his blatantly immoral actions. He also considers Luz and her friends threats and is initially wary of [[spoiler:Flapjack]], even though they're the only people who are nice to him.
* HumanResources: [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" hints that he's a literal ingredient in whatever plans Belos has.]]
* IdenticalStranger: [[spoiler:He has an eerie resemblance to a human man from Belos' memories. Whether this was the person Hunter is a 'better version' of, is unknown]].
* IGaveMyWord: While he ''does'' leave them stranded on an island afterwards, he does give King back after Luz and Eda (seemingly) hold up their end of the bargain as he promised. But, he does remind them that he will arrest them if he catches them defying the emperor again.
* InstantCostumeChange: In one of his few non-violent uses of magic, [[spoiler:Hunter dramatically reveals himself as the Golden Guard after posing as a Hexside student by suddenly changing into his uniform and mask with a sweep of his staff, with added bonus of cleaning up the liquid the Emerald Entrails dumped on him]].
* InTheHood: His outfit includes a white cloak and hood.
* InadequateInheritor: "Any Sport In A Storm" reveals that he isn't the first Golden Guard. Darius (who was mentored by his predecessor) considers him to be an unworthy replacement, though he does start to change his tune when he shows some backbone by standing up to him.
* InsufferableGenius: Downplayed. He's knowledgeable when it comes to magic and the Boiling Isles, and has a slight tendency to treat other people as idiots. [[spoiler:When trapped in the mindscape with Luz, he praises himself for having read on up on it]].
* JustFollowingOrders: When Eda asks why he's hunting the selkidomus, he states this trope verbatim, saying he was told by Belos to slay one.
* KickTheDog: In "Eclipse Lake" he repeatedly exploits Amity's [[spoiler:love for Luz]] and drive to succeed to make her doubt herself and give him an advantage. When Amity proves his equal, if not his superior in combat later on, he threatens to go after Luz if she doesn't give him the key to the portal door. Shortly before that he also tripped her up and left her behind for Kikimora, after she freed him when he pleaded with her.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Played with. [[spoiler:While fighting Amity for the portal key, Hunter admits she's strong and he probably won’t be able to stop her from escaping, so he gives up the fight. He then proceeds to threaten Luz if she won't hand over the key to him, which is enough to scare Amity into giving it]].
* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: He showed up for a few brief seconds in "Agony of a Witch" standing beside Belos's throne, and in "Young Blood, Old Souls" when Belos nodded to him upon stating that they'd be keeping an eye on the inhabitants of the Owl House, hinting as his role as TheDragon for Belos upon Lilith's defection.
* LaughablyEvil: While evil, the Golden Guard is entertainingly humorous in his antics such as with trolling King by repeatedly taking the blanket off King's cage to invoke some response from him.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When abducting the palismans (and Luz) in "Hunting Palisman", he's whistling a slowed version of [[DiegeticSoundtrackUsage the main theme]].
* LegacyCharacter:
** "Any Sport In A Storm" reveals that he wasn't the first Golden Guard, and that the previous one, who could use magic, was Darius's mentor.
** [[spoiler:It's revealed all the previous Golden Guards over the centuries were Grimwalkers- effectively clones of someone Belos knew and had to kill off when they turned on him, and Hunter is only the latest in that line]].
* LeParkour: When chasing Luz in "Hunting Palismen", he shows some noteworthy agility. Especially in scaling a wall that Luz had vaulted using a pillar of ice magic.
* LightIsNotGood: He might be wearing white as his primary color, but he's serving [[BigBad Emperor Belos]].
* LiteralMinded: Highlighting just how out of touch he is with teenagers his age, when Willow tells him his flying skills are sick, he confusedly states he doesn't feel ill.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: [[spoiler:While he was aware of Belos making a portal and even helped out with making it, he was ''not'' in on Belos' deal with the Collector nor the fact that Belos is actually Philip- a ''witch hunter'']].
* MagicMissileStorm: Summons a barrage of lightning bolts from his staff during his fight with Amity.
* MagicStaff:
** He wields a crystal-tipped staff similar to that of the Emperor, though lacking the obvious technological bits that make the latter's stand out as unusual. [[spoiler:It channels artificial magic to compensate for the fact that he can't use magic himself.]]
** [[spoiler:At the end of "Hunting Palismen", Little Rascal decided to become his Palisman, forming a more conventional staff in the process. He can even use it in place of his regular staff, with his magic being yellow instead of red when he does.]]
* MalevolentMaskedMen: Wears a gold mask that covers his whole face.
* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:He's frequently seen hunting things down for the emperor, with his debut having him on a mission to slay the selkidomus. Fittingly, his name is actually Hunter]].
* MirthlessLaughter: [[spoiler:Amity finds Hunter digging in the ground at Eclipse Lake and wonders what he's doing. He tells her that there's no Titan blood left and starts laughing as he explains that since he's failed his one shot at redeeming himself for Belos, he's digging his own grave]]. Amity is understandably disturbed.
* ModifiedClone: [[spoiler:He's a Grimwalker described by Belos as 'a better version' of someone he knew, implied to have been his brother. However, he's said to bear the most resemblance to this person than any other previous Grimwalkers]].
* TheMole: [[spoiler:In "Any Sport in a Storm", he goes undercover as a student at Hexside in order to recruit people for the Emperor's Coven. He is roped into joining Willow's flying derby team, but [[BecomingTheMask genuinely enjoys playing with them]]. Unfortunately, he blows his cover when he reveals his ulterior motives, ruining their friendship...[[EasilyForgiven briefly]]]].
* MoralityPet: [[spoiler:Flapjack is the only one who shows Hunter the unconditional love his uncle denies him, and he starts proving himself to be a better person after meeting his palisman. In his first ever act of defiance, he decides against giving the bird to Belos, and Flapjack seems to encourage Hunter's interactions outside the Emperor's Coven]].
* MuggleBornOfMages:
** [[spoiler:He has the pointy ears of an Isles native but is unable to use magic. Played with in that much of his family is said to share this condition, so he's a few generations removed from the original.]]
** [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" implies that this might be a lie that he was told, and that he's ''actually'' be an [[ArtificialHuman artificial creation]] called a "Grimwalker". The fact that he can use Little Rascal in place of his normal staff to cast spells furthers this not being exactly true as well.]]
* MysteriousPast:
** [[spoiler:Supposedly, he's the emperor's nephew and is a powerless witch coming from a family of many other powerless witches, though he was taken in by Belos after something happened to them when he was young. However, the fact that Hunter resembles a 'Grimwalker' and Belos is almost certainly Philip Wittebane -a human- puts this information into question]].
** [[spoiler:His palisman, Flapjack, is only known to have been without a witch for a long time and has a scar over his eye. Whenever Hunter asks who the bird's previous witch was, he never answers]].
* NerdInEvilsHelmet: His first appearance has him look mysterious and intimidating, but he is really a dorky teenager.
-->'''Golden Guard:''' ''(ominously)'' Oh, and try to stay out of trouble. The Emperor is not a merciful man. ''(cheerfully)'' BYEEE!
* NotSoAboveItAll: He is quite serious and has extremely little experience with anything outside his job for the emperor, so he tends to view the other characters' goofing around as foolish. [[spoiler:However, while using the flyer derby as a means of scouting potential recruits for the Emperor's Coven, Hunter actually enjoys the game and has fun with the other teens]].
* NoSocialSkills: "Any Sport In a Storm" reveals that he has ''no'' idea how to interact normally with teens his own age.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler:He explains that he and Amity are alike in the sense that they can't bear to fail their loved ones. While she at first rejects the idea that they could be similar, Amity later agrees that she used to operate under the mindset that she had to always prove herself to be worthy of love, but she eventually learned she could be with people who'd love her unconditionally and tries to convince Hunter he can be the same]].
* ObliviouslyEvil: It's revealed he doesn't understand the issues with the coven system or the government, having been raised to believe that joining the Emperor's Coven is the best thing in the world and genuinely not getting why people wouldn't want to be separated from their families after being recruited.
* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler:After learning about Belos' true plans for the Boiling Isles and his status as one of the numerous clones Belos keeps making and killing off, the emperor decides betrayal is once again inevitable and tries to murder Hunter]].
* OhCrap: [[spoiler:A really painful one when he realizes that Belos considers him a traitor and will be planning to kill him]].
* OnlyOneName: He reveals his name is [[spoiler:Hunter]], but his full name is never given. This is especially strange since he is one of the few major witches in the series without a last name, and it's unknown if he even has one.
* OurHomunculiAreDifferent: [[spoiler:The ColdOpen of "Eclipse Lake" ''heavily'' implies that he is a kind of homunculus called a "grimwalker", more of an ArtificialHuman compared to the MuckMonster Abominations.]] [[spoiler:"Hollow Mind" confirms that he is one, and is basically a clone of someone Belos knew]].
* OurMagesAreDifferent: He initially relies solely on his staff for magic, lacking the magic everyone else on the Boiling Isles has. [[spoiler:He later picks up on glyph magic from Luz, using it in Belos' mindscape during "Hollow Mind"]].
* PetTheDog:
** In "Hunting Palismen", when [[spoiler:Kikimora is about to blast Luz with a spell, he jumps between them and stops the blow with his staff, saving Luz. He also lets Luz get away with the Palismen, even though he could easily teleport to the saddle of the dragon to stop her and retrieve them.]]
** [[spoiler:After spending all episode plotting to force the Emerald Entrails into joining the Emperor's Coven, once he's reminded of the hell they'll have to go through, he puts his life on the line to prevent them from being recruited]].
* PointyEars: Is shown to have this like all regular witches do in the second opening intro. His left ear has a chunk missing, complementing the RuggedScar on the right side of his face.
* PoisonousCaptive: [[spoiler:When he's captured by Amity and Eda, he starts getting under Amity's skin with his comments about letting loved ones down. He then makes it worse by reading one of Luz's strange texts as a warning to come back with the Titan's blood or there will be consequences. However, it's ambiguous as to whether he was intentionally trying to manipulate Amity]].
* PrecisionFStrike: Downplayed. In the charity livestream, during audio segment for Hunter, [[spoiler:he learns his palisman's name is Flapjack, and finds out from Belos is means pancake. However, not knowing what that is, Hunter angrily theorizes pancakes are what took his family and screams "damn you, pancakes"]].
* PsychologicalProjection: In "Eclipse Lake", he assumes that Luz's emoji messages to Amity are some kind of cryptic warning to come back with results or else there'll be bad consequences, [[spoiler:when they're really just Luz using the emojis to literally spell out words vertically,]] due to [[AbusiveParents his history with Belos]].
* PurpleIsPowerful: When unmasked, his eyes are revealed to be a reddish purple color that is so far unique to him. This proves both fitting and ironic when noted that he is a magical prodigy favored by Belos [[spoiler:and also Belos' nephew, but is also a MuggleBornOfMages who is powerless without his staff.]]
* PyrrhicVictory: Discussed. [[spoiler:While fighting Amity for the key, he points out that she could probably beat him and escape with it, but he can render that victory meaningless by sending the Emperor's Coven after her and Luz later]].
* RankUp: His promotion to head of the Emperor's Coven happened almost immediately after Lilith's treachery.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The opening of Season 2 reveals him to have reddish eyes. Reinforced in "Hunting Palismen" after his mask comes off. [[spoiler:The opening scene of "Eclipse Lake" ''strongly'' hints that this is a sign of him being a "[[ArtificialHuman Grimwalker]]".]]
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: [[spoiler:His Palisman is a sweet little cardinal who gives Hunter the unconditional support the witch lacks in his life. Furthermore, his name is Flapjack]].
* RoyalBrat: [[spoiler:He's Belos' nephew and those within the Emperor's Coven don't see him as much more than an immature child with too much power, with Lilith even describing him as a brat when he's first mentioned. In reality, he's not as self absorbed as others believe, and is mostly just incredibly obsessed with helping his uncle]].
* RuggedScar: He has a scar on the right side of his face that goes from his jaw to his cheek.
* SanitySlippage: In "Eclipse Lake" [[spoiler:Finding the lake empty of the Titan's Blood Belos needs, he starts digging his own grave and even offers to dig one for Amity.]] Seeing Amity has [[spoiler:the portal key]] causes him to snap out of it.
* ShockAndAwe: His offensive spells tend to be lightning-based.
* SmugSnake: When he's in control of a situation, he tends to be glib and playful with his opponents. When he's ''not'' in control, he becomes moody and utterly humorless.
* StealthHiBye: He literally does this to Luz when she blasts him off his ship, teleporting himself back on when she isn't looking and greeting the girl with a drawn-out 'hi'.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** [[spoiler:Amity gives Hunter a talk about how she learned she doesn't need to constantly prove herself and found people who love her unconditionally, in hopes of getting Hunter to give up on Belos and switch sides. Unfortunately, one small speech doesn't amount to much against a lifetime of abuse, and Hunter immediately attacks when he realizes she has the portal key]].
** [[spoiler:Upon finding out he's only the latest in a long line of Grimwalkers, that Belos never really cared for him, has been lied to all his life and that the emperor almost certainly wants his head, Hunter doesn't decide to turn against him in anger and stay with Luz, but has a highly realistic panic attack and runs off in fear]].
* SympathyForTheDevil: [[spoiler:According to Eda, Luz has described Hunter as a 'bad but sad boy'. Amity also expresses sympathy for his intense belief that he can only be loved if he constantly proves his worth]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: T-Y]]
* TeensAreShort: Despite being sixteen, he's still considerably shorter than the adult witches. It serves to highlight how the other members of the Emperor's Coven view him as just a kid.
* TeenGenius: Is described as a "teen prodigy" by Lilith in "Separate Tides". WordOfGod confirmed he's only sixteen years old, but he already managed to score himself a high position and special treatment in the Emperor's Coven.
* TeleportationWithDrawbacks: Typically he can appear and disappear as he pleases, [[spoiler:but when fighting Amity, his unfamiliarity with his Palisman staff results in him having trouble teleporting and it takes him a few tries before he can get it right, making the battle more even]].
* TeleportSpam: His fighting style utilizes a lot of short range teleportation.
* TemptingFate: Claims it would take more than Luz disarming him to stop him from completing his mission, cue [[spoiler:Kikimora's dragon making its appearance and dropping both teens straight out the sky.]]
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: Beneath his mask, he looks like an ordinary teenaged witch. This works against him in "Hunting Palismen" when he tries ordering around some Emperor's Coven scouts, only for them to refuse to belive that he's the Golden Guard since, without his mask or staff, he didn't have any way of proving his identity to them.
* TokenGoodTeammate:
** [[spoiler:Hunter is firmly on Belos' side, but isn’t a sadistic psychopath like Terra and Kikimora. He's capable of genuine kindness and, as relentless as he is in his goals, there are some lines he realizes he can't cross. Furthermore, he follows Belos because he can’t stand letting his uncle down, rather than for his own personal glory, and wants to heal the emperor's curse]].
* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler:Hunter lived his life believing he was a descendant of a family of many other powerless witches who were wiped out by wild magic so he was taken in by Belos, his uncle. However, he learns in "Hollow Mind" that that isn't remotely true- he's a Grimwalker, a type of clone, and only the latest in a long line, though all the previous Grimwalkers were killed off by Belos when they turned on him. Hunter is understandably horrified by the revelation, and even more so when Belos, expecting a betrayal is near, decides to kill him]].
* TrainingFromHell: Anyone recruited into the Emperor's Coven must endure a witch's duel, a maze full of traps and being left to survive alone on a mountain. He seems to look back on it fondly.
* TraumaCongaLine: [[spoiler:"Hollow Mind" is this for him. He spends the episode learning that Belos is a liar who only wishes for power and to hurt the inhabitants of the Boiling Isles and that Hunter himself is just one of many Grimwalkers Belos created to serve him. He's then almost killed by Belos' inner self and upon returning from the mind scape, Hunter promptly has a full on panic attack]].
* {{Troll}}: When the Golden Guard kidnaps King in a birdcage, he realizes closing the covering puts King to sleep and opening it wakes him again, and proceeds to do so over and over again. Later, while Luz searches for a way to land a ship after blasting him off it, he teleports back on, lies down on the controls and tells her how to land while waiting for her to notice him.
* UngratefulBastard: In "Eclipse Lake".
** He shows contempt for Luz, in spite of [[spoiler:their EnemyMine situation in "Hunting Palismen".]] Though it could just be him overstating his annoyance at Luz calling him a "bad but sad boy," as well as resentment because Luz [[spoiler:told Eda about his secret of being magicless, which he had revealed to her in confidence.]]
** He convinces Amity to release him so he can escape, only to immediately trip her and try to reach Eclipse Lake first. After that doesn't pan out, he goes to any lengths he can to [[spoiler:steal the key from her]], even though she tried to help him. Amity even complains that kindness usually works for Luz. He does, however, genuinely thank Amity for [[spoiler:handing over the key.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: He is extremely loyal to Emperor Belos, [[spoiler:to the point that when he believes he's failed a mission, Hunter's first instinct is to start digging his own grave. Darius doesn't think too highly of this behavior, seeing the Golden Guard as a complete pushover and only starts respecting Hunter when he demonstrates the ability to think for himself. Once he finds out that he's just one of Belos' many Grimwalker minions and his past crimes that got him to position of Emperor, and knowing that Belos himself knows he's aware of all of this, he freaks out and runs away, although only time will tell if Hunter has reconsidered this blind obedience]].
* UnskilledButStrong: His technique while [[spoiler:using Little Rascal as a Palisman]] leaves a lot to be desired, but he's ''still'' the Golden Guard for a reason. [[spoiler:If he had been at full power, Amity would've had a harder time.]]
* UnSorcerer: [[spoiler:He's a powerless witch and in fact comes from a line that suffers from this condition. He does his best to keep this fact a secret from everyone else.]] [[spoiler:It turns out he's a Grimwalker rather than a real witch, the implication that he's a copy of a human may have something to do with his lack of magic]].
* UnwantedAssistance: Downplayed. [[spoiler:He's determined to cure Belos of his curse, though Belos is only okay with having Hunter help by bringing him new Palisman to consume, getting physically abusive when Hunter suggests wild magic as a cure. Nevertheless, the Golden Guard decides he will learn about wild magic anyways to save his uncle]].
* VillainHasAPoint: [[spoiler:He threatens to come after Luz to get the portal key from Amity, explaining that he knows where they live. As underhanded as this is, Hunter is correct in that if they have something the Emperor's Coven wants, winning one fight with one official isn't going to prevent anyone from coming after Amity and Luz later]].
* VillainTeleportation: Teleportation is a tactic he likes to use to get around. [[spoiler:Upgrades into TeleportSpam during his fight with Amity.]]
* VillainsWantMercy: [[spoiler:He starts panicking when he's tied up by Amity on the way to Eclipse Lake and hears Kikimora making her way through the tunnels, looking to kill him. He pleads with Amity to either take him with her or release him so he can at least escape. She obliges, but unfortunately he takes the opportunity trip her and rush off while Kikimora captures her]].
* WeaksauceWeakness: [[spoiler:Just keeping his staff out of reach renders him completely powerless and even more vulnerable than Luz since he doesn't have the knowledge to draw glyphs]].
* WellDoneSonGuy: [[spoiler:Or nephew in this case. Hunter does not want to disappoint his uncle Belos, and often fears facing him when he messes up ''really'' badly. Plus, Belos is ''not'' willing to so much as entertain the idea of studying wild magic, which is what caused his condition. But, Hunter believes that if his study of wild magic leads to a cure, then his uncle will be grateful.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: It's revealed that he is more of this than Belos is. When forced to [[spoiler:ally with Luz, he says that he serves the Emperor because the latter saved his life as a younger child, giving him a staff and a purpose. While he has no compunctions initially about kidnapping the Palismans that are sapient, it's because eating them is the only way Belos won't succumb to his mysterious curse and Hunter doesn't want his uncle to die. Luz convinces him that he doesn't want their deaths on his conscience, or the fragile trust they built ending in betrayal. Eventually, Hunter decides that he will study wild magic against Belos's orders to save him and protect the Palismans at the same time]].
* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: [[spoiler:Belos has killed off every Grimwalker he's ever made and plans to do the same thing to Hunter after he realizes the truth about the emperor. Belos' justification is that he didn't want to murder them, but he had to because they betrayed him]].
* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises:
** [[spoiler:He undergoes a bit of SanitySlippage in his desperation to get Titan's blood for the emperor and his eyes get like this as he struggles to get the portal key from Amity]].
** [[spoiler:His eyes get like this again when he realizes what the Emperor has done to the previous Golden Guards and is about to be killed himself]].
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: When Li'l Rascal [[spoiler:follows Hunter home, Hunter for a moment considers handing it over to Belos, as that would earn him the approval that he so desperately craves. But when he accidentally squeezes Rascal too hard and it chirps in pain, Hunter immediately lets go, apologises, and pets it gently while softly telling it that it needs to leave for its own safety. After that Hunter never once even entertains the possibility of sacrificing Rascal, not even in "Eclipse Lake" when he is so desperate to please Belos that he'd rather dig his own grave than return with nothing.]]
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: The Season 2 opening reveals he has white hair under his hood and mask, and the first episode reveals he's not above threatening a teenager to do his dirty work of killing a monster for him. [[spoiler:Though with "Hunting Palisman", we're shown that he's otherwise a good person. If only he wasn't being coerced by Belos...]]
* WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler:Hunter isn't at full power in "Eclipse Lake" because he isn't using his advanced MagicStaff (which would've given him away to Kikimora). Later, when using Li'l Rascal, he has a learning curve with how to use a palisman in a fight, finding the magic he can use different from what he's used to. It's also a 1 VS 2 fight, since Amity is being helped by King. All of these factors make it much easier for Amity to fight against him, to the point he's forced to admit he'd likely lose in a straight-up fight; Hunter has to resort to VictoryThroughIntimidation instead of physically defeating Amity.]]
* WorthyOpponent:
** [[spoiler:He and Luz aren't exactly friends at the end of "Hunting Palismen", but he seems to have some respect for her and her viewpoint.]]
** He acknowledges Amity as strong enough to escape him at the end of "Eclipse Lake", [[spoiler:so he threatens Luz to get her to cooperate]].
* WrongContextMagic: Like Belos, he can cast magic without drawing circles. Unlike Belos, the Golden Guard is still reliant [[spoiler:on his MagicStaff.]]
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: [[spoiler:He learns of Belos' true plans and lies, plus the fact that just the latest Grimwalker Belos made to serve as his Golden Guard. Expecting Hunter to betray him as all the other Grimwalkers did, Inner Belos decides to kill him but Hunter is able to escape into reality. However, upon reappearing in the Owl House he realizes he's now considered a traitor and can't return]].
-->[[spoiler:"Belos… H-he knows we were in there… I can’t- I can’t go back!"]]
[[/folder]]
[[Characters/TheOwlHouseTheBoilingIsles The Boiling Isles]] | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseTheOwlHouse The Owl House]] ([[Characters/TheOwlHouseLuzNoceda Luz Noceda]] | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseEdaClawthorne Eda Clawthorne]] | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLilithClawthorne Lilith Clawthorne]]) | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseTheEmperorsCoven The Emperor's Coven]] ([[Characters/TheOwlHouseEmperorBelos Emperor Belos]] | '''The Golden Guard''') | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseHexside Hexside]] ([[Characters/TheOwlHouseAmityBlight Amity Blight]]) | [[Characters/TheOwlHouseOther Other]]]]-]]]
!![spoiler:Hunter]] / The Golden Guard
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ZenoRobinson
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/golden_guard.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see him unmasked. ]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hunter___profile_3.png ''"There's nothing worse than disappointing someone who thinks you're special."''[softreturn][[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Genius Teen Prodigy]]
->''"The Emperor is not a merciful man. ''[Beat]'' [[AffablyEvil Byeeee!]]"''
A mysterious member of the Emperor's Coven who seems to hold a high rank and is entrusted by Belos to keep an eye on the Owl House and its occupants.
----
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: A-E]]
* ABoyAndHisX: A boy and his [[spoiler:Palisman]] in this case. [[spoiler:He's approached by the cardinal Palisman, Flapjack, after he returns home from failing to kidnap the Palisman from Hexside. Hunter then forms a bond with the bird and for once defies Belos by not handing him over to be consumed. Furthermore, Flapjack starts providing Hunter with the unconditional support he sorely lacks in his life]].
* AbsurdPhobia: He's been raised to distrust wild magic, and in the charity livestream [[spoiler:he believes Flapjack has to be evil and tries provoking his Palisman into revealing his true, evil nature while adding that he's in full armor in case the tiny cardinal tries retaliating]].
* AbusiveParents:
** [[spoiler:Emperor Belos is supposedly his uncle and Hunter's only family. However, Belos treats him as a tool rather than a person, being emotionally manipulative and threatening him with violence for mentioning wild magic. It's bad enough that Hunter doesn’t even understand the concept of a healthy relationship and constantly lives with the fear of being replaced]].
** [[spoiler:It gets even worse when Hunter learns he's only the latest in a line of Grimwalkers that Belos keeps making and killing off the second the betray him, as Belos decides to do the same to him]].
* AffablyEvil: His tone of voice and attitude towards Luz and Eda is rather casual for someone threatening to arrest them.
* AllEncompassingMantle: His cloak is shown like this in his first appearance, hiding any hint as to what he looks like underneath, though the Season 2 opening does show a hint as to his facial features.
* [[AmbiguouslyHuman Ambiguously Witch]]: [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" implies that Hunter may be a homunculus-type creature called a [[ArtificialHuman "Grimwalker"]] Belos created. "Hollow Mind" has him outright admit this, but the original genetic source is not stated.]]
* AmbiguouslyRelated:
** [[spoiler:In [[Recap/TheOwlHouseS2E6HuntingPalismen "Hunting Palismen"]], the Golden Guard, whose real name is Hunter, is revealed to be Emperor Belos's nephew, but it is unknown if Hunter is adopted or biologically related to the emperor due to there being evidence supporting both. When Hunter is talking with Belos alone and suggests researching wild magic, Belos reminds him that wild magic destroyed their family and that they are all that is left. However, when talking to Luz, Hunter reveals that he couldn't use magic, that many of his ancestors could not use magic, and he did not think he had a future in this world until Emperor Belos took him in. This could mean Hunter is an orphan from a magic-less family that Belos took in, or he is a member of Emperor Belos's family that was magic-less, and after their family was destroyed, Belos took him in.]]
** [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" implies that Hunter may be ''actually'' something called a "[[ArtificialHuman Grimwalker]]", created by Belos as a literal ingredient in his plans. And when speaking to him in the cold open, Hunter addresses Belos as "Emperor Belos" rather than "Uncle", and privately refers to him as just "Belos".]]
** TheReveal in "Elsewhere and Elsewhen" that [[spoiler:Belos is actually Philip further muddles things. Did Philip have hybrid descendants, or is there no blood relation between the two of them at all?]]
** [[spoiler:"Hollow Mind" reveals that Hunter is a Grimwalker, and it's also implied he's a Grimwalker of Belos' brother.]]
* AntagonistAbilities: Just like Belos, he's capable of casting magic without drawing circles: a single swing of his staff will do the trick. [[spoiler:This is balanced by him being unable to cast magic ''without'' said staff, though he can still carry himself regardless.]]
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler:"Hunting Palisman" shows that he is actually a pretty good kid, who works for Belos in order to repay him for giving him his staff and a place to belong.]]
* ArtificialHuman:
** [[spoiler:The opening scene of "Eclipse Lake" not only ''strongly'' implies that he's a synthetic creation called a "Grimwalker", but that he's a literal ingredient in the Emperor's plans. Outright confirmed in "Hollow Mind," with him only being the most recent of Belos' Grimwalker minions.]]
** [[spoiler:Ultimately confirmed in "Hollow Mind". He's a Grimwalker clone of someone Belos once knew- implied to be his brother]].
* AwfulTruth: [[spoiler:He starts to break down when he learns Belos is a fraud plotting on killing everyone in the Boiling Isles and that Hunter's entire life has been a lie as he is just Belos' latest Grimwalker. When he tries to question Inner Belos about it, the emperor decides to kill him before he can betray him like all the other Golden Guards did. Upon surviving the attempt, he has a complete panic attack and runs away]].
* AtrociousAlias: [[spoiler:With Flapjack's help, he comes up with a fake name on the spot when pretending to be a Hexside student, with the result being 'Caleb Jasper Bloodwilliams'. While Gus was already suspicious of Hunter, the name certainly did not help]].
* ATeamFiring: He sends a barrage of lightning blasts at [[spoiler:Amity]], yet even despite them ricocheting all over the cave they're in, he fails to hit anything. [[spoiler:Justified since he's unused to using his Palisman staff, and demonstrates difficulty with it when the fight starts]].
* BadassCape: Well, at least he thinks so. [[spoiler:While [[InstantCostumeChange switching into his uniform]] to reveal himself as the Golden Guard to the Emerald Entrails, he's not wearing his cloak and admits he'd look cooler with it on]]. [[spoiler:He gets rid of it upon realizing the emperor is a horrible person and looking to kill him]]
* BadLiar: [[spoiler:When pretending to be a Hexside student, he does an incredibly bad job of trying to quell Gus's suspicions surrounding him being a student the younger boy has never seen or heard of before, which is not helped by Hunter giving the alias 'Caleb Jasper Bloodwilliams' in the most unconvincing tone possible]]. However, the Golden Guard is otherwise alright at lying.
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:In "Hollow Mind", he's cast into Belos' subconscious to die, and ends up dragging Luz's jacket into the ground with him when she tries pulling him out. When the Inner Belos prepares to murder her, Hunter is able to use the glyphs in the jacket to create a barrier and give the both of them the opportunity to escape]].
* BlindObedience: During his debut, when asked about why he has to kill the selkidomus, he casually replies that he was told to, with no indication he knows what the reason for it is. [[spoiler:He also loyally follows his uncle and never questions what 'big plans' the Titan has for him, nor any of the orders he carries out. Darius thinks of him as an ExtremeDoormat as a result]].
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: He's seen as a male equivalent by the Emperor's Coven, who believe him to just be a teenager with an ego who thinks he can boss the adult coven heads around [[spoiler:because he's the emperor's nephew]]. As a result, he isn't taken seriously and, upon finding out he's supposed to lead a meeting, the coven leaders decide to reschedule.
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:In "Hollow Mind" he laughs in Luz's face when she suggests the emperor could be evil, praises his own knowledge of the mindscape and goes on about how awesome Belos is. He then spends the episode learning that Belos is just a fraud, he doesn't know much about the mindscape and that he's only the latest in a line of numerous Grimwalkers Belos keeps killing off. By the end, Hunter is nearly killed by Belos, and upon surviving, throws off his cloak and runs off in a panic]].
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Hunter looked up to Belos all his life in spite of the abuse he endured, but is horrified to discover his uncle is a fraud who wants to kill everyone in the Boiling Isles and isn’t even really his uncle, as Hunter is a Grimwalker part of a long line that Belos keeps killing and has been lied to all his life. He soon tears off his cloak in fear and runs away]].
* BroughtDownToBadass: Played with. When stripped of his staff [[spoiler:and therefore magically powerless]] he still shows a keen strategic mind and LeParkour skills to make up for it.
* BoringButPractical: Downplayed. When chasing down Luz, she uses an ice glyph to send her onto a roof, but rather than use magic to follow, he resorts to parkour to vault himself up. [[spoiler:This is because without his staff he has no power and must instead use a mundane solution]].
* ButtMonkey: As early as his second episode, he's rocketed off his own ship and disarmed of his staff by Luz, who slaps him across the face and generally gets the best of him in their spats throughout the episode. Also, Eda, King and Amity don't exactly hold him in the highest esteem when they meet him in "Eclipse Lake".
* BrilliantButLazy: He has Eda and Luz do the dirty work of killing the Selkiedamus for him, and doesn’t even bother to check if the creature is actually dead.
* ChekhovsGag: [[spoiler:In ''Any Sport in a Storm'' he suggests vetting recruits for the flyer derby by forcing them to participate in a witch's duel, sticking them in a maze of traps and stranding them on the top of a mountain and see who survives. Later, it turns out all these things are part of the Emperor's Coven's TrainingFromHell, and a reminder of that and Belos' habit of taking Palisman from Steve causes Hunter to change his mind about forcing the Emerald Entrails to join the coven]].
* ChildishToothGap: "Hunting Palismen" reveals that he has a prominent gap in his front teeth. This shows how, despite his high position in the Emperor's Coven, he has a rather casual and sometimes immature demeanour.
* ChildLikeVoice: Granted he actually is a child, but Kikimora and Eda finds his voice rather annoying. When Eda tell it to his face, he does seem genuinely hurt that people keep saying his voice is annoying.
* ChildProdigy: If Lilith saying he was a teen prodigy when he's still 16-years old is true, it's implied that he was this. [[spoiler:Complicated in "Hunting Palisman" with the reveal that he cannot cast spells innately, though with the staff he is on par with a fully grown witch.]]
* ChildSoldier: He’s sixteen at most and is apparently the second in command of the emperor’s army. It's implied that he’s had this position for at least a few years now.
* ClonesArePeopleToo: Played with. [[spoiler:It's clear Hunter is an expendable tool in the emperor's eyes, as talks about replacing him and killed the previous Grimwalkers. However, Belos also says their betrayals personally hurt him, but phrases it as though Hunter and all the other Grimwalkers are all a single person. Hunter is also merely described as a 'better version of an old friend'. Luz of course, sees Hunter as a person]].
* CloseRangeCombatant: While he is capable of attacking from a distance with magic, he prefers to get up close and personal with his opponents by [[TeleportSpam teleporting around them]] and beating them with his staff. This is in a very sharp contrast to most other witches in the series, who tend to favor using their magic to fight from a distance.
* ColorCodedWizardry: He shares the Emperor's red-colored magic, [[spoiler:since it's artificial magic.]] When using [[spoiler:Little Rascal, it's yellow instead.]]
* ColorMotif: Being the Golden Guard, he primarily wears shades of yellow, alluding to his high status within the Emperor's Coven. [[spoiler:While masquerading as a Hexside student, he sports the yellow, potions track uniform]].
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Actually finds the TrainingFromHell for coven scouts ''fun'', among other things.
* ConflictingLoyalties: [[spoiler:"Hunting Palismen" shows that he has a deep desire to study and understand wild magic which is at odds with his loyalty to Emperor Belos who despises wild magic. If it leads Hunter to discover a way to eliminate the Emperor's condition, then it's worth it.]]
* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: Compared to Lilith, an adult with an estranged relationship with Eda and generally professional demeanor, the Golden Guard is a teenager who had no established dynamic between himself and the residents of the Owl House, along with having a much bigger sense of humor. He also uses a staff similar to that of Belos to perform magic rather than anything like Eda and Lilith's circle magic.
* CopiedTheMoralsToo: [[spoiler:One of the problems Belos has with Grimwalkers is that all of them betrayed him at some point. It's unknown if the one they originated from was a good person or would disprove of what he does, but comments from Belos suggests he's been trying to make a Grimwalker that won't turn on him again. Hunter is apparently the most successful attempt, but him learning the AwfulTruth is enough for Belos to decide betrayal is inevitable]].
* CoveredInScars: "Hunting Palismen" reveals that he's got a large scar on his cheek and a notch in his ear at the ''least''. [[spoiler:Art from Dana Terrace imply he has hidden scars on his upper arms and legs.]]
* CurbStompBattle: He runs circles around Eda (who admittedly has been recently depowered) and Luz in "Separate Tides" with ease and even comes ''very'' close to actually killing them. The only reason he doesn't is because he wants them to do the dirty work for him. Luz returns the favor by ambushing him in his next appearance by [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments knocking him off his own ship]].
* CurbStompCushion: While he and Amity are equally matched during their fight, [[spoiler:he ultimately wins in the end by threatening Luz, which causes Amity to give him the portal key to keep her safe.]]
* CutenessProximity: Downplayed, but in "Separate Tides", he finds King waking up/falling asleep whenever he lifts/drops the curtain of his cage to be "oddly endearing".
* DespairEventHorizon:
** Briefly crosses it in "Eclipse Lake" when [[spoiler:he finds the lake of Titan's blood is completely dried up.]]
** [[spoiler:He learns in "Hollow Mind" that he's a Grimwalker, his uncle doesn't care about him, his entire life has been a lie and the emperor will be after his life. The result is a realistic panic attack complete with hyperventilation as he is unable to process the revelation]].
* DigYourOwnGrave: In "Eclipse Lake", [[spoiler:when he finds the titular lake empty of Titan's Blood, he starts digging his own grave.]]
* DishingOutDirt: When fighting [[spoiler:Amity]] in "Eclipse Lake", at one point he uses an Earth spell to create a giant fist that punches them into the air. He also manipulates the sand Eda and Luz are on in "Separate Tides".
* DisproportionateRetribution: For the crime of blasting him off his ship, the Golden Guard threatens to have Luz imprisoned for life in the worst cell in the Conformatorium. When she retorts that she keeps escaping, he tells her he'll just have zapped to dust.
* DopeSlap: [[spoiler:On the receiving end of one from Luz when she attempts to wake him up after their crash landing in order to escape from Kikimora's hungry pet dragon.]]
* TheDragon: He takes over as the (literal) poster boy for the Emperor's Coven after Lilith's defection.
* DramaPreservingHandicap:
** Him [[spoiler: being unable to cast magic without his staff]] makes him a lot more manageable than if he was a smaller, younger Belos.
** During "Eclipse Lake", [[spoiler:he's stuck using Palisman magic he's unfamiliar with while fighting Amity, making the fight much more even between them.]]
* DudeWheresMyRespect: A running theme is that no one in the Emperor's Coven seems to like him much. In "Any Sport In A Storm", when Belos puts him in charge for the day, the Coven Heads apparently decide to reschedule a meeting just to avoid having to deal with him.
* EarlyBirdCameo: His very first appearance was a background cameo during Lilith's meeting with the Emperor in "Agony Of A Witch"
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: He's effectively second only to Belos himself, and he has an unique costume that employs GoldAndWhiteAreDivine to emphasize his higher standing.
* EnemyMine:
** Briefly forms a truce with Luz when [[spoiler:Kikimora tries to kill him.]]
** [[spoiler:Establishes another truce with Luz when stuck in Belos' mindscape]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: His debut episode has him hunting down the selkidomus and upon trying to arrest Luz and Eda, threatens them, casually explains he's carrying out the emperor's orders, before threatening them again and then tells them to kill the selkidomus in exchange for their freedom. He also finds it funny when the two realize they're on a flesh-eating plant and returns King as promised when they appear to have fulfilled the mission. It neatly demonstrated him as a loyal official in the Emperor's Coven, but also quite young and more AffablyEvil, as well as more trustworthy.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
** [[spoiler:He loves his uncle despite the fact that Belos emotionally and physically abused him, and Hunter's main goal is to aide him in whatever way he can. However, he is utterly terrified when he finds out about Belos killing off the previous Golden Guards who were all Grimwalkers like Hunter]].
** He adores [[spoiler:his Palisman, Flapjack, and upon getting trapped in Belos' mindscape, one of his main priorities is making sure the little bird is okay. Eda and King even find it adorable when he tells Flapjack 'I love you']].
* EvenEvilHasStandards: In his introduction, he threatens to torture Luz and Eda by dangling them over the Boiling Sea where the steam will burn them alive before stating he 'isn't ''that'' mean'. [[spoiler:Also, he slowly becomes slightly less ruthless as a result of his CharacterDevelopment, as while he was okay with doing it initially, he eventually finds he can’t separate innocent kids from their families and Palisman to join the Emperor's Coven]].
* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
** [[spoiler:Hunter]] isn't a psychopath without morals, but has difficulty understanding the idea of healthy and mutually supportive relationships. He immediately assumes Luz's strange texts to Amity are threats, when they were actually helpful warnings and compliments [[spoiler:for her girlfriend]], with the idea that they could be anything else never even crossing his mind.
** He doesn't understand the idea that the current system of government is corrupt and needs to be changed, nor the idea that someone would even want to do that.
** In the charity livestream, [[spoiler:Hunter decides to test for his Palisman's 'evil' nature by feeding Flapjack a goreberry, knowing the Palisman won't like it, and expecting him to freak out in a violent rage while wearing full armor as protection. He's utterly shocked when Flapjack shares the fruit with him instead]].
* EvilCounterpart:
** For Eda, and he fits the role even better than her sister Lilith, being what Eda would've become had she joined the Emperor's Coven when she was young. Like Eda, he's brilliant and immature, even sharing a few of her quirks, such as the exaggerated way they say "Bye!", and wears a mask which makes him resemble an owl. Lilith apparently hates working with him, another indication of how misspent her time was trying to get Eda to join the coven.
** For Luz. Both of them are teenagers learning magic under a powerful witch (Eda for Luz, Belos for the Golden Guard) and both cast magic in a rather unorthodox manner. Luz uses glyphs, while the Golden Guard seems to use a modified staff and can cast spells without spell-circles, much like Belos himself. They also share a playful attitude and a fondness for cute things, as they both quickly grew fond of King.
** For both, he's revealed to [[spoiler:be fascinated by WildMagic, which Eda and Luz both wield. In addition, he's powerless without the artificial magic from his staff, while Eda (after Season 1) and Luz need glyphs to use magic themselves.]]
** For Amity, he's revealed to have a burning desire to prove themselves to those that they love: Hunter wants to prove he's useful to his uncle, Belos, and Amity [[spoiler:wants to prove she's an awesome girlfriend to Luz.]]
** For Willow and Gus, all of them are looked down at for the specifics of their magical talents and Willow and Hunter outright called themselves 'Half-a-Witch' for it. Both Gus and Hunter are also prodigies whose talent is far ahead of their respective ages. However Willow and Gus are by far a lot more friendly and, because Hunter lacks the same loving parents and friends that they have, Hunter's attempts to be a friend or a good person are warped.
* ExhaustedEyeBags: "Hunting Palismen" reveals that he's got deep bags under his eyes.
* ExpendableClone: [[spoiler:He is only but the latest in a ''long'' line of Grimwalkers, clones of someone Belos once knew that the emperor's been making for hundreds of years to serve as his Golden Guards, which have each been disposed of upon inevitably betraying him]].
* ExtremeDoormat:
** Darius accuses him of being one in "Any Sport In A Storm", claiming he is unable to think for himself and only does what he is told. From what we have seen of his behavior, Darius might have a point.
** [[spoiler:It gets darker when it's revealed that all the Grimwalkers before Hunter at some point turned on Belos and were killed for their betrayals. Belos states he's much more obedient than the other Golden Guards, implying one of his goals was to make a Grimwalker that would remain loyal]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: F-S]]
* {{Familiar}}: [[spoiler:At the end of "Hunting Palismen", the red cardinal Palisman chooses him as its partner. Despite some initial reluctance, Hunter decides to keep it rather than hand it over to Belos.]]
* {{Fanboy}}: [[spoiler:"Reaching Out" reveals that he's a fan of ''Ruler's Reach'' (King's novel from "Sense and Insensitivity"), to the point of naming his Penstagram account [=RULERZREACHF4N=].]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: He wears a golden shoulder pauldron on his right shoulder while his left shoulder lacks armor. This extends to his staff, which has only one wing, like Belos' own.
* FatalFlaw: His WellDoneSonGuy attitude is tripping up his CharacterDevelopment. Blind loyalty to Belos, and fear of being replaced motivate him to take underhanded actions to complete each task. [[spoiler:Case in point, Luz has to call him out for Hunter attempting to break their temporary truce, and Amity complains that he's an utter manipulative jerk after her attempt to give him a pep talk reveals that the owl portal key has the Titan's blood that he seeks.]] It's implied that the blind loyalty won't be rewarded on the Day of Unity.
* FictionalDisability: [[spoiler:He's a witch without the ability to use magic, leaving him reliant on his staff. Without it, he's as powerless as any human]].
* FiveSecondForeshadowing: [[spoiler:In "Hollow Mind", in one of Belos' memories a previous Golden Guard is heard talking and has the exact same voice as Hunter. It's later revealed in the same episode that the Golden Guards are all Grimwalkers, meaning they're all clones]].
* FlawExploitation: [[spoiler:At least part of the reason he can keep up with Amity is because of him exploiting Amity's drive to succeed and insecurities to trip her up.]]
* FlashStep: The Golden Guard seems to favor this tactic in battle and for intimidation, as seen in "Hunting Palismen".
* {{Foreshadowing}}: He‘s never makes circles and is only seen casting magic with his staff, also later tells Luz it's how he got back onto his ship after she blasted him off. [[spoiler:This foreshadows his dependence on it for power and his lack of innate magic]].
* FragileSpeedster: [[spoiler: He doesn't possess innate magic of his own like most witches on the Boiling Isles so much of his fighting prowess comes from his ability to speed quickly and use his staff, both the one Belos gave him and his palisman Flapjack, to teleport.]] This is especially notable in "Eclipse Lake" in his battle with Amity. Also, in "Any Sport in Storm" Willow picks him out for her Flyer Derby team when seeing him speed through the air to escape Viney's pet Puddles, and has him perform quick flying to attract other members to the team.
* FreezeFrameBonus: [[spoiler:He's absolutely broken upon viewing a hall filled with smashed Golden Guard masks. However, pausing reveals the hall is also filled with pictures of how the Grimwalkers in question died]].
%%* GemHeart: [[spoiler:The "heart" and power source of a Grimwalker is apparently made from a Galdorstone, and it is strongly implied that Hunter ''is'' one.]]
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: He wears a white cloak and gold mask, similar to Belos. This overlaps with LightIsNotGood.
* GreenThumb: [[spoiler:To save Luz from Inner Belos, he takes her plant glyphs to create a massive wall of vines]].
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:It's unknown if he will fully make one, but he's no longer serving the emperor. However, he's a Grimwalker of who is implied to have been Philip's brother, and each and every one of the previous Grimwalkers eventually turned on Belos]].
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:While he was already starting to break upon realizing Belos is just a fraudulent monster who never loved him, Hunter really shatters when he sees a hall full of smashed Golden Guard masks with portraits of how they died, followed by Belos revealing he's a clone and trying to kill him too. It's enough to send him into a horrifyingly realistic panic attack and run away in fear]].
* HistoryRepeats: [[spoiler:Every Grimwalker Belos made betrayed him and Hunter is horrified when he learns of Belos' crimes. However, expecting this trope to occur once again, Belos decides to kill Hunter before he even has the chance to betray him]].
* HopelessWithTech: Not so much tech in general given how his staff appears to be {{Magitek}}, but [[spoiler:both "Any Sport In A Storm" and "Reaching Out" show that he has yet to get the hang of using a scroll. In the former episode Willow comments on how slow of a typer he is, and his messages to Luz in the latter have periods in place of spaces, random capitalization, and a comma in the middle of an ellipsis.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Despite the abuse Belos inflicts on him on a regular basis, he sees the emperor as a good man and tries to justify his blatantly immoral actions. He also considers Luz and her friends threats and is initially wary of [[spoiler:Flapjack]], even though they're the only people who are nice to him.
* HumanResources: [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" hints that he's a literal ingredient in whatever plans Belos has.]]
* IdenticalStranger: [[spoiler:He has an eerie resemblance to a human man from Belos' memories. Whether this was the person Hunter is a 'better version' of, is unknown]].
* IGaveMyWord: While he ''does'' leave them stranded on an island afterwards, he does give King back after Luz and Eda (seemingly) hold up their end of the bargain as he promised. But, he does remind them that he will arrest them if he catches them defying the emperor again.
* InstantCostumeChange: In one of his few non-violent uses of magic, [[spoiler:Hunter dramatically reveals himself as the Golden Guard after posing as a Hexside student by suddenly changing into his uniform and mask with a sweep of his staff, with added bonus of cleaning up the liquid the Emerald Entrails dumped on him]].
* InTheHood: His outfit includes a white cloak and hood.
* InadequateInheritor: "Any Sport In A Storm" reveals that he isn't the first Golden Guard. Darius (who was mentored by his predecessor) considers him to be an unworthy replacement, though he does start to change his tune when he shows some backbone by standing up to him.
* InsufferableGenius: Downplayed. He's knowledgeable when it comes to magic and the Boiling Isles, and has a slight tendency to treat other people as idiots. [[spoiler:When trapped in the mindscape with Luz, he praises himself for having read on up on it]].
* JustFollowingOrders: When Eda asks why he's hunting the selkidomus, he states this trope verbatim, saying he was told by Belos to slay one.
* KickTheDog: In "Eclipse Lake" he repeatedly exploits Amity's [[spoiler:love for Luz]] and drive to succeed to make her doubt herself and give him an advantage. When Amity proves his equal, if not his superior in combat later on, he threatens to go after Luz if she doesn't give him the key to the portal door. Shortly before that he also tripped her up and left her behind for Kikimora, after she freed him when he pleaded with her.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Played with. [[spoiler:While fighting Amity for the portal key, Hunter admits she's strong and he probably won’t be able to stop her from escaping, so he gives up the fight. He then proceeds to threaten Luz if she won't hand over the key to him, which is enough to scare Amity into giving it]].
* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: He showed up for a few brief seconds in "Agony of a Witch" standing beside Belos's throne, and in "Young Blood, Old Souls" when Belos nodded to him upon stating that they'd be keeping an eye on the inhabitants of the Owl House, hinting as his role as TheDragon for Belos upon Lilith's defection.
* LaughablyEvil: While evil, the Golden Guard is entertainingly humorous in his antics such as with trolling King by repeatedly taking the blanket off King's cage to invoke some response from him.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When abducting the palismans (and Luz) in "Hunting Palisman", he's whistling a slowed version of [[DiegeticSoundtrackUsage the main theme]].
* LegacyCharacter:
** "Any Sport In A Storm" reveals that he wasn't the first Golden Guard, and that the previous one, who could use magic, was Darius's mentor.
** [[spoiler:It's revealed all the previous Golden Guards over the centuries were Grimwalkers- effectively clones of someone Belos knew and had to kill off when they turned on him, and Hunter is only the latest in that line]].
* LeParkour: When chasing Luz in "Hunting Palismen", he shows some noteworthy agility. Especially in scaling a wall that Luz had vaulted using a pillar of ice magic.
* LightIsNotGood: He might be wearing white as his primary color, but he's serving [[BigBad Emperor Belos]].
* LiteralMinded: Highlighting just how out of touch he is with teenagers his age, when Willow tells him his flying skills are sick, he confusedly states he doesn't feel ill.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: [[spoiler:While he was aware of Belos making a portal and even helped out with making it, he was ''not'' in on Belos' deal with the Collector nor the fact that Belos is actually Philip- a ''witch hunter'']].
* MagicMissileStorm: Summons a barrage of lightning bolts from his staff during his fight with Amity.
* MagicStaff:
** He wields a crystal-tipped staff similar to that of the Emperor, though lacking the obvious technological bits that make the latter's stand out as unusual. [[spoiler:It channels artificial magic to compensate for the fact that he can't use magic himself.]]
** [[spoiler:At the end of "Hunting Palismen", Little Rascal decided to become his Palisman, forming a more conventional staff in the process. He can even use it in place of his regular staff, with his magic being yellow instead of red when he does.]]
* MalevolentMaskedMen: Wears a gold mask that covers his whole face.
* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:He's frequently seen hunting things down for the emperor, with his debut having him on a mission to slay the selkidomus. Fittingly, his name is actually Hunter]].
* MirthlessLaughter: [[spoiler:Amity finds Hunter digging in the ground at Eclipse Lake and wonders what he's doing. He tells her that there's no Titan blood left and starts laughing as he explains that since he's failed his one shot at redeeming himself for Belos, he's digging his own grave]]. Amity is understandably disturbed.
* ModifiedClone: [[spoiler:He's a Grimwalker described by Belos as 'a better version' of someone he knew, implied to have been his brother. However, he's said to bear the most resemblance to this person than any other previous Grimwalkers]].
* TheMole: [[spoiler:In "Any Sport in a Storm", he goes undercover as a student at Hexside in order to recruit people for the Emperor's Coven. He is roped into joining Willow's flying derby team, but [[BecomingTheMask genuinely enjoys playing with them]]. Unfortunately, he blows his cover when he reveals his ulterior motives, ruining their friendship...[[EasilyForgiven briefly]]]].
* MoralityPet: [[spoiler:Flapjack is the only one who shows Hunter the unconditional love his uncle denies him, and he starts proving himself to be a better person after meeting his palisman. In his first ever act of defiance, he decides against giving the bird to Belos, and Flapjack seems to encourage Hunter's interactions outside the Emperor's Coven]].
* MuggleBornOfMages:
** [[spoiler:He has the pointy ears of an Isles native but is unable to use magic. Played with in that much of his family is said to share this condition, so he's a few generations removed from the original.]]
** [[spoiler:"Eclipse Lake" implies that this might be a lie that he was told, and that he's ''actually'' be an [[ArtificialHuman artificial creation]] called a "Grimwalker". The fact that he can use Little Rascal in place of his normal staff to cast spells furthers this not being exactly true as well.]]
* MysteriousPast:
** [[spoiler:Supposedly, he's the emperor's nephew and is a powerless witch coming from a family of many other powerless witches, though he was taken in by Belos after something happened to them when he was young. However, the fact that Hunter resembles a 'Grimwalker' and Belos is almost certainly Philip Wittebane -a human- puts this information into question]].
** [[spoiler:His palisman, Flapjack, is only known to have been without a witch for a long time and has a scar over his eye. Whenever Hunter asks who the bird's previous witch was, he never answers]].
* NerdInEvilsHelmet: His first appearance has him look mysterious and intimidating, but he is really a dorky teenager.
-->'''Golden Guard:''' ''(ominously)'' Oh, and try to stay out of trouble. The Emperor is not a merciful man. ''(cheerfully)'' BYEEE!
* NotSoAboveItAll: He is quite serious and has extremely little experience with anything outside his job for the emperor, so he tends to view the other characters' goofing around as foolish. [[spoiler:However, while using the flyer derby as a means of scouting potential recruits for the Emperor's Coven, Hunter actually enjoys the game and has fun with the other teens]].
* NoSocialSkills: "Any Sport In a Storm" reveals that he has ''no'' idea how to interact normally with teens his own age.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler:He explains that he and Amity are alike in the sense that they can't bear to fail their loved ones. While she at first rejects the idea that they could be similar, Amity later agrees that she used to operate under the mindset that she had to always prove herself to be worthy of love, but she eventually learned she could be with people who'd love her unconditionally and tries to convince Hunter he can be the same]].
* ObliviouslyEvil: It's revealed he doesn't understand the issues with the coven system or the government, having been raised to believe that joining the Emperor's Coven is the best thing in the world and genuinely not getting why people wouldn't want to be separated from their families after being recruited.
* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler:After learning about Belos' true plans for the Boiling Isles and his status as one of the numerous clones Belos keeps making and killing off, the emperor decides betrayal is once again inevitable and tries to murder Hunter]].
* OhCrap: [[spoiler:A really painful one when he realizes that Belos considers him a traitor and will be planning to kill him]].
* OnlyOneName: He reveals his name is [[spoiler:Hunter]], but his full name is never given. This is especially strange since he is one of the few major witches in the series without a last name, and it's unknown if he even has one.
* OurHomunculiAreDifferent: [[spoiler:The ColdOpen of "Eclipse Lake" ''heavily'' implies that he is a kind of homunculus called a "grimwalker", more of an ArtificialHuman compared to the MuckMonster Abominations.]] [[spoiler:"Hollow Mind" confirms that he is one, and is basically a clone of someone Belos knew]].
* OurMagesAreDifferent: He initially relies solely on his staff for magic, lacking the magic everyone else on the Boiling Isles has. [[spoiler:He later picks up on glyph magic from Luz, using it in Belos' mindscape during "Hollow Mind"]].
* PetTheDog:
** In "Hunting Palismen", when [[spoiler:Kikimora is about to blast Luz with a spell, he jumps between them and stops the blow with his staff, saving Luz. He also lets Luz get away with the Palismen, even though he could easily teleport to the saddle of the dragon to stop her and retrieve them.]]
** [[spoiler:After spending all episode plotting to force the Emerald Entrails into joining the Emperor's Coven, once he's reminded of the hell they'll have to go through, he puts his life on the line to prevent them from being recruited]].
* PointyEars: Is shown to have this like all regular witches do in the second opening intro. His left ear has a chunk missing, complementing the RuggedScar on the right side of his face.
* PoisonousCaptive: [[spoiler:When he's captured by Amity and Eda, he starts getting under Amity's skin with his comments about letting loved ones down. He then makes it worse by reading one of Luz's strange texts as a warning to come back with the Titan's blood or there will be consequences. However, it's ambiguous as to whether he was intentionally trying to manipulate Amity]].
* PrecisionFStrike: Downplayed. In the charity livestream, during audio segment for Hunter, [[spoiler:he learns his palisman's name is Flapjack, and finds out from Belos is means pancake. However, not knowing what that is, Hunter angrily theorizes pancakes are what took his family and screams "damn you, pancakes"]].
* PsychologicalProjection: In "Eclipse Lake", he assumes that Luz's emoji messages to Amity are some kind of cryptic warning to come back with results or else there'll be bad consequences, [[spoiler:when they're really just Luz using the emojis to literally spell out words vertically,]] due to [[AbusiveParents his history with Belos]].
* PurpleIsPowerful: When unmasked, his eyes are revealed to be a reddish purple color that is so far unique to him. This proves both fitting and ironic when noted that he is a magical prodigy favored by Belos [[spoiler:and also Belos' nephew, but is also a MuggleBornOfMages who is powerless without his staff.]]
* PyrrhicVictory: Discussed. [[spoiler:While fighting Amity for the key, he points out that she could probably beat him and escape with it, but he can render that victory meaningless by sending the Emperor's Coven after her and Luz later]].
* RankUp: His promotion to head of the Emperor's Coven happened almost immediately after Lilith's treachery.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The opening of Season 2 reveals him to have reddish eyes. Reinforced in "Hunting Palismen" after his mask comes off. [[spoiler:The opening scene of "Eclipse Lake" ''strongly'' hints that this is a sign of him being a "[[ArtificialHuman Grimwalker]]".]]
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: [[spoiler:His Palisman is a sweet little cardinal who gives Hunter the unconditional support the witch lacks in his life. Furthermore, his name is Flapjack]].
* RoyalBrat: [[spoiler:He's Belos' nephew and those within the Emperor's Coven don't see him as much more than an immature child with too much power, with Lilith even describing him as a brat when he's first mentioned. In reality, he's not as self absorbed as others believe, and is mostly just incredibly obsessed with helping his uncle]].
* RuggedScar: He has a scar on the right side of his face that goes from his jaw to his cheek.
* SanitySlippage: In "Eclipse Lake" [[spoiler:Finding the lake empty of the Titan's Blood Belos needs, he starts digging his own grave and even offers to dig one for Amity.]] Seeing Amity has [[spoiler:the portal key]] causes him to snap out of it.
* ShockAndAwe: His offensive spells tend to be lightning-based.
* SmugSnake: When he's in control of a situation, he tends to be glib and playful with his opponents. When he's ''not'' in control, he becomes moody and utterly humorless.
* StealthHiBye: He literally does this to Luz when she blasts him off his ship, teleporting himself back on when she isn't looking and greeting the girl with a drawn-out 'hi'.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** [[spoiler:Amity gives Hunter a talk about how she learned she doesn't need to constantly prove herself and found people who love her unconditionally, in hopes of getting Hunter to give up on Belos and switch sides. Unfortunately, one small speech doesn't amount to much against a lifetime of abuse, and Hunter immediately attacks when he realizes she has the portal key]].
** [[spoiler:Upon finding out he's only the latest in a long line of Grimwalkers, that Belos never really cared for him, has been lied to all his life and that the emperor almost certainly wants his head, Hunter doesn't decide to turn against him in anger and stay with Luz, but has a highly realistic panic attack and runs off in fear]].
* SympathyForTheDevil: [[spoiler:According to Eda, Luz has described Hunter as a 'bad but sad boy'. Amity also expresses sympathy for his intense belief that he can only be loved if he constantly proves his worth]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: T-Y]]
* TeensAreShort: Despite being sixteen, he's still considerably shorter than the adult witches. It serves to highlight how the other members of the Emperor's Coven view him as just a kid.
* TeenGenius: Is described as a "teen prodigy" by Lilith in "Separate Tides". WordOfGod confirmed he's only sixteen years old, but he already managed to score himself a high position and special treatment in the Emperor's Coven.
* TeleportationWithDrawbacks: Typically he can appear and disappear as he pleases, [[spoiler:but when fighting Amity, his unfamiliarity with his Palisman staff results in him having trouble teleporting and it takes him a few tries before he can get it right, making the battle more even]].
* TeleportSpam: His fighting style utilizes a lot of short range teleportation.
* TemptingFate: Claims it would take more than Luz disarming him to stop him from completing his mission, cue [[spoiler:Kikimora's dragon making its appearance and dropping both teens straight out the sky.]]
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: Beneath his mask, he looks like an ordinary teenaged witch. This works against him in "Hunting Palismen" when he tries ordering around some Emperor's Coven scouts, only for them to refuse to belive that he's the Golden Guard since, without his mask or staff, he didn't have any way of proving his identity to them.
* TokenGoodTeammate:
** [[spoiler:Hunter is firmly on Belos' side, but isn’t a sadistic psychopath like Terra and Kikimora. He's capable of genuine kindness and, as relentless as he is in his goals, there are some lines he realizes he can't cross. Furthermore, he follows Belos because he can’t stand letting his uncle down, rather than for his own personal glory, and wants to heal the emperor's curse]].
* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler:Hunter lived his life believing he was a descendant of a family of many other powerless witches who were wiped out by wild magic so he was taken in by Belos, his uncle. However, he learns in "Hollow Mind" that that isn't remotely true- he's a Grimwalker, a type of clone, and only the latest in a long line, though all the previous Grimwalkers were killed off by Belos when they turned on him. Hunter is understandably horrified by the revelation, and even more so when Belos, expecting a betrayal is near, decides to kill him]].
* TrainingFromHell: Anyone recruited into the Emperor's Coven must endure a witch's duel, a maze full of traps and being left to survive alone on a mountain. He seems to look back on it fondly.
* TraumaCongaLine: [[spoiler:"Hollow Mind" is this for him. He spends the episode learning that Belos is a liar who only wishes for power and to hurt the inhabitants of the Boiling Isles and that Hunter himself is just one of many Grimwalkers Belos created to serve him. He's then almost killed by Belos' inner self and upon returning from the mind scape, Hunter promptly has a full on panic attack]].
* {{Troll}}: When the Golden Guard kidnaps King in a birdcage, he realizes closing the covering puts King to sleep and opening it wakes him again, and proceeds to do so over and over again. Later, while Luz searches for a way to land a ship after blasting him off it, he teleports back on, lies down on the controls and tells her how to land while waiting for her to notice him.
* UngratefulBastard: In "Eclipse Lake".
** He shows contempt for Luz, in spite of [[spoiler:their EnemyMine situation in "Hunting Palismen".]] Though it could just be him overstating his annoyance at Luz calling him a "bad but sad boy," as well as resentment because Luz [[spoiler:told Eda about his secret of being magicless, which he had revealed to her in confidence.]]
** He convinces Amity to release him so he can escape, only to immediately trip her and try to reach Eclipse Lake first. After that doesn't pan out, he goes to any lengths he can to [[spoiler:steal the key from her]], even though she tried to help him. Amity even complains that kindness usually works for Luz. He does, however, genuinely thank Amity for [[spoiler:handing over the key.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: He is extremely loyal to Emperor Belos, [[spoiler:to the point that when he believes he's failed a mission, Hunter's first instinct is to start digging his own grave. Darius doesn't think too highly of this behavior, seeing the Golden Guard as a complete pushover and only starts respecting Hunter when he demonstrates the ability to think for himself. Once he finds out that he's just one of Belos' many Grimwalker minions and his past crimes that got him to position of Emperor, and knowing that Belos himself knows he's aware of all of this, he freaks out and runs away, although only time will tell if Hunter has reconsidered this blind obedience]].
* UnskilledButStrong: His technique while [[spoiler:using Little Rascal as a Palisman]] leaves a lot to be desired, but he's ''still'' the Golden Guard for a reason. [[spoiler:If he had been at full power, Amity would've had a harder time.]]
* UnSorcerer: [[spoiler:He's a powerless witch and in fact comes from a line that suffers from this condition. He does his best to keep this fact a secret from everyone else.]] [[spoiler:It turns out he's a Grimwalker rather than a real witch, the implication that he's a copy of a human may have something to do with his lack of magic]].
* UnwantedAssistance: Downplayed. [[spoiler:He's determined to cure Belos of his curse, though Belos is only okay with having Hunter help by bringing him new Palisman to consume, getting physically abusive when Hunter suggests wild magic as a cure. Nevertheless, the Golden Guard decides he will learn about wild magic anyways to save his uncle]].
* VillainHasAPoint: [[spoiler:He threatens to come after Luz to get the portal key from Amity, explaining that he knows where they live. As underhanded as this is, Hunter is correct in that if they have something the Emperor's Coven wants, winning one fight with one official isn't going to prevent anyone from coming after Amity and Luz later]].
* VillainTeleportation: Teleportation is a tactic he likes to use to get around. [[spoiler:Upgrades into TeleportSpam during his fight with Amity.]]
* VillainsWantMercy: [[spoiler:He starts panicking when he's tied up by Amity on the way to Eclipse Lake and hears Kikimora making her way through the tunnels, looking to kill him. He pleads with Amity to either take him with her or release him so he can at least escape. She obliges, but unfortunately he takes the opportunity trip her and rush off while Kikimora captures her]].
* WeaksauceWeakness: [[spoiler:Just keeping his staff out of reach renders him completely powerless and even more vulnerable than Luz since he doesn't have the knowledge to draw glyphs]].
* WellDoneSonGuy: [[spoiler:Or nephew in this case. Hunter does not want to disappoint his uncle Belos, and often fears facing him when he messes up ''really'' badly. Plus, Belos is ''not'' willing to so much as entertain the idea of studying wild magic, which is what caused his condition. But, Hunter believes that if his study of wild magic leads to a cure, then his uncle will be grateful.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: It's revealed that he is more of this than Belos is. When forced to [[spoiler:ally with Luz, he says that he serves the Emperor because the latter saved his life as a younger child, giving him a staff and a purpose. While he has no compunctions initially about kidnapping the Palismans that are sapient, it's because eating them is the only way Belos won't succumb to his mysterious curse and Hunter doesn't want his uncle to die. Luz convinces him that he doesn't want their deaths on his conscience, or the fragile trust they built ending in betrayal. Eventually, Hunter decides that he will study wild magic against Belos's orders to save him and protect the Palismans at the same time]].
* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: [[spoiler:Belos has killed off every Grimwalker he's ever made and plans to do the same thing to Hunter after he realizes the truth about the emperor. Belos' justification is that he didn't want to murder them, but he had to because they betrayed him]].
* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises:
** [[spoiler:He undergoes a bit of SanitySlippage in his desperation to get Titan's blood for the emperor and his eyes get like this as he struggles to get the portal key from Amity]].
** [[spoiler:His eyes get like this again when he realizes what the Emperor has done to the previous Golden Guards and is about to be killed himself]].
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: When Li'l Rascal [[spoiler:follows Hunter home, Hunter for a moment considers handing it over to Belos, as that would earn him the approval that he so desperately craves. But when he accidentally squeezes Rascal too hard and it chirps in pain, Hunter immediately lets go, apologises, and pets it gently while softly telling it that it needs to leave for its own safety. After that Hunter never once even entertains the possibility of sacrificing Rascal, not even in "Eclipse Lake" when he is so desperate to please Belos that he'd rather dig his own grave than return with nothing.]]
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: The Season 2 opening reveals he has white hair under his hood and mask, and the first episode reveals he's not above threatening a teenager to do his dirty work of killing a monster for him. [[spoiler:Though with "Hunting Palisman", we're shown that he's otherwise a good person. If only he wasn't being coerced by Belos...]]
* WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler:Hunter isn't at full power in "Eclipse Lake" because he isn't using his advanced MagicStaff (which would've given him away to Kikimora). Later, when using Li'l Rascal, he has a learning curve with how to use a palisman in a fight, finding the magic he can use different from what he's used to. It's also a 1 VS 2 fight, since Amity is being helped by King. All of these factors make it much easier for Amity to fight against him, to the point he's forced to admit he'd likely lose in a straight-up fight; Hunter has to resort to VictoryThroughIntimidation instead of physically defeating Amity.]]
* WorthyOpponent:
** [[spoiler:He and Luz aren't exactly friends at the end of "Hunting Palismen", but he seems to have some respect for her and her viewpoint.]]
** He acknowledges Amity as strong enough to escape him at the end of "Eclipse Lake", [[spoiler:so he threatens Luz to get her to cooperate]].
* WrongContextMagic: Like Belos, he can cast magic without drawing circles. Unlike Belos, the Golden Guard is still reliant [[spoiler:on his MagicStaff.]]
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: [[spoiler:He learns of Belos' true plans and lies, plus the fact that just the latest Grimwalker Belos made to serve as his Golden Guard. Expecting Hunter to betray him as all the other Grimwalkers did, Inner Belos decides to kill him but Hunter is able to escape into reality. However, upon reappearing in the Owl House he realizes he's now considered a traitor and can't return]].
-->[[spoiler:"Belos… H-he knows we were in there… I can’t- I can’t go back!"]]
[[/folder]]
