Hornet (Hollow Knight)

“	So you've slain the Beast... and you head towards that fated goal. I'd not have obstructed this happening, but it caused me some pain to knowingly stand idle ...What? You might think me stern but I'm not completely cold. We do not choose our mothers, or the circumstance into which we are born. Despite all the ills of this world, I'm thankful for the life she granted me. It's quite a debt I owed. Only in allowing her to pass, and taking the burden of the future in her stead, can I begin to repay it.	„
	~ Hornet

	“	Shaw!	„
		~ Hornet's battle shout

Background

Hornet is the mysterious princess-protector of Hallownest’s ruins, a major character in Hollow Knight and the protagonist of Hollow Knight: Silksong. She wields a needle and thread with deadly prowess. As a boss, Hornet appears in two forms, Hornet Protector in Greenpath and Hornet Sentinel in Kingdom's Edge. She must be defeated twice to unlock her Journal entry, but this can be either by defeating both forms or by defeating her Protector form once in Greenpath and once in Godhome.

This dropdown contains the synopsis of Hornet’s story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise!

Lore Hornet is the daughter of the Pale King and Herrah the Beast, the queen of Deepnest. Her birth was the result of a bargain for her mother to become a Dreamer, and as such, she spent only a short time with Herrah. Her shared father with the Knight and the rest of the Vessels makes them siblings. Raised in Deepnest, Hornet survived the Infection and the fall of the kingdom. She wanders its ruins, chasing off travellers who would seek to desecrate them, but also protecting the sealing of the Black Egg] She also guards the Cast-Off Shell in the Kingdom's Edge which can grant the King's Brand, the key to the Abyss. In her duties, she encountered Quirrel in the Howling Cliffs at his arrival in Hallownest. She attempted to fight him but was repelled by the mask of Monomon he wears on his head. Hornet leaves him be after recognizing the mask, knowing that he was called upon, despite him not knowing it. Like Quirrel and the Knight, she sensed the awakening of the Infection and started wandering Hallownest in search of answers. In Hollow Knight, she works to stop the impending doom looming on Hallownest. In Hollow Knight: Silksong, she ends up captured and brought to the haunted kingdom of Pharloom. In-game events Hornet appears at first as a wandering and recurring antagonist to the Knight. As their journey progresses, her involvement influences their quest in Hallownest. The Protector Hornet is first encountered at the entrance to Greenpath, where she observes the Knight before moving away. She is quickly seen two more times dashing away from them throughout the overgrown Pilgrim's Way. The Knight finally catches up with her at the standing stones marking the entrance to the Lake of Unn, standing by the body of another Vessel. Relating the Knight's quest to the awakening of the Infection, she denies them to pursue any further. They clash, and when defeated, Hornet flees without a word. Hornet reappears briefly before the end of the Pilgrim's Way in the Fungal Wastes, going in the direction of the City of Tears. She, later on, catches up with the Knight at the Fountain Square in the middle of the drenched capital. Finally understanding the truth behind their origin and their quest, she encourages them to learn of Hallownest's sacrifice. She then asks them before leaving to find her at the Cast-Off Shell if, knowing the truth, the Knight would still want to take part in Hallownest's perpetuation. This encounter does not occur if the Knight meets her first at Kingdom's Edge before entering the Fountain Square. The Sentinel At Kingdom's Edge, Hornet wishes to test the Knight's resolve in one more battle before entrusting them with Hallownest's future. Upon her defeat at the top of her strength, she allows the Knight to have the King's Brand burned onto their shell. She believes they would still continue their quest even after learning the truth of their conception at the bottom of the Abyss. Her trust compels her to save the Knight caught in the collapse of the Cast-Off Shell, trapped under piles of white ash. She leaves again without saying a word after saving them. If the Knight defeated Hornet at Kingdom's Edge before facing Herrah the Beast in Deepnest, Hornet appears next to them as they regain consciousness. Unlike her other appearances, she allows herself a respite to mourn the passing of her mother. She also expresses regrets that in order to repay her debt to her mother and perpetuate Hallownest, she had to let the Knight end her existence. Hornet also appears at the top of the Abyss after the Knight successfully acquires the Shade Cloak and safely returns. She now believes that since the Knight ascended the Abyss unscathed, they have a choice in their journey: to prolong Hallownest's stasis, or to face the heart of the Infection instead. The Sibling After the Knight acquires the Void Hear and faces all three Dreamers, Hornet waits for them at the Temple of the Black Egg in the Forgotten Crossroads. She is impressed by their feat of both breaking the seals and accepting the Void within themself, casting them as an exceptional being. Once the Black Egg is opened, she tells the Knight she cannot follow them inside as the egg, built to sustain Vessels, would drain her were she to join. She, however, promises to aid as best as she can if the moment presents itself. She fulfills her promise once the Hollow Knight has been nearly defeated. She breaks open their shell with her needle, allowing the Knight a way to use the Dream Nail on their sibling and reach the heart of the Infection. Godhome Hornet can be fought in both her forms in the Pantheons of Godhome. Like a few other beings partaking in the ritual of the Godseeker, she is conscious of her mind being invaded and her dream battle shared with the Knight. Endings Hornet's fate depends on the Knight's actions. If the Knight never acquires the Void Heart and seals the Radiance by themself, she does not get involved at the end of their journey. If they continue to fight the Hollow Knight or fail to enter their mind despite her aid, Hornet is knocked unconscious and sealed within the Black Egg along with her sibling. If the Knight successfully enters the mind of the Hollow Knight and defeats the Radiance, the Black Egg disappears, leaving behind Hornet and her needle, along with the cracked shell of her sibling. Alternatively, if the Knight completes instead the ritual of the Godseeker and defeats the Absolute Radiance, she witnesses the disappearance of the Infection's tendrils outside the Black Egg. Startled by the sudden appearance of the Hollow Knight coming out of their prison, she readies herself for battle.

Statistics

Key: Waking World (Pre-Hollow Knight) | Waking World (Post-Hollow Knight) | Dream Realm

Tier: At least 9-A | Low 2-B | Low 2-B

Name: Hornet

Origin: Hollow Knight

Sex: Female

Age: Unknown

Classification: Princess, Spider, Daughter of Hallownest

Status: Alive

Alignment: Neutral Good (Despite fighting The Knight twice, Hornet was doing so she can test his strength to see if it can defeat the Hollow Knight. We can also see her save The Knight and assist them in battle. She's also deemed as the protector of Hollownest)

Dimensionality: 3-D

Attack Potency: At least Room level+ (Far stronger than False Knight, who can shatter a bridge. Fought against The Knight) | Low Multiverse level (Pierced the Hollow Knight, who could fight against a post-Void Heart The Knight, who grew more powerful after collecting the Void Heart, which allowed The Knight to defeat The Radiance in a weaker form. The Radiance is far above her tribe, which have the ability to shape dream realms. The Radiance was also able to infect and corrupt all bugs within the Hallownest as well as light up each dream. The Knight was also able to completely darken the entire dream realm. A dream realm is a world that is noted to be a plane beyond the physical world, with even time having no power over it) | Low Multiverse level (Can fight The Knight after obtaining the Void Heart)

Durability: At least Room level+ (Took hits from The Knight) | Low Multiverse level | Low Multiverse level

Striking Strength: At least Room Class+ | Low Multiversal | Low Multiversal

Lifting Strength: Unknown | Unknown | Unknown

Travel Speed: Extra-Temporal (Comparable to The Knight, who can move within dream realms. It's stated that time itself has no power over dream realm beings, meaning that the locations lack time due to it not being able to go through dream realms) | Extra-Temporal | Extra-Temporal

Combat Speed: Extra-Temporal | Extra-Temporal | Extra-Temporal

Reaction Speed: Extra-Temporal | Extra-Temporal | Extra-Temporal

Stamina: High (Can fight The Knight twice for a good period of time and is able to quickly recover after losing both fights) | High | Limitless (Exists as a being made up of pure essence)

Range: Below Standard Melee Range to Tens of Meters with silk

Intelligence: Gifted (Hornet has learnt about the past of the vessels and the Hollow Knight. She seems to be knowledgeable about the world around her, often telling this to The Knight. She's deemed as the protector of Hallownest due to Hornet's skill as a fighter. She's skilled with both her needle and silk, being able to fight other skilled warriors such as The Knight and is superior to the various bosses and likely other former vessels. She's even managed to stay unaffected during The Plague)

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Powers and Abilities

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Small Size (Type 1; Hornet is about 1'7.6"), Weapon Usage (Hornet is skilled with her needle and silk combination. She can use her needle to parry and counterattack), Flight (Hornet can jump and direction her attack in the air), Thread Manipulation (Hornet can create silk out of thin air. She can also use it to maneuver herself around), Weapon Creation (In addition to creating silk, she can also create spikes), Surface Scaling (Can grab onto walls when charging), Soul Manipulation & Absorption (Within Hollow Knight, striking someone can absorb their soul for SOUL energy), Extrasensory Perception (Hornet is aware of being within a dream realm according to her Dream Nail dialogue). Resistance to Cold (Unaffected by the cold winds at Kingdom's Age when fighting The Knight), Soul Manipulation (Hornet's soul isn't fully absorbed by The Knight when it strikes her), Mind Manipulation and Essence Manipulation (Should her mind be invaded, her dream realm variation can protect it)

Same as before, Abstract Existence (Type 1), Incorporeality, & Intangibility (Within the dream realm, Hornet is made up of essence, thoughts, and memories)

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Standard Equipment

Needle, Silk

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Notable Techniques

• Lunge: Hornet lunges forward with her needle in front of her.
• Aerial Lunge: Hornet jumps in the air before aiming at the Knight and rushing downwards.
• Gossamer Storm: Hornet unleashes an area-of-effect attack centred on herself, using her thread to slice into anything around her. This attack can be done in the air.
• Throw: Hornet throws her needle forward, then pulls it back. The range of this attack is slightly smaller than the width of the battlefield. The needle can damage the Knight on the way back.
• Leap: Hornet jumps to move within the arena.
• Run: Hornet runs to move within the arena.
• Parry: Hornet holds her needle in a defensive stance, blocking any incoming attack. If struck while she is defending, she giggles before unleashing a wide-range counter slash.
• Spike: Hornet uses her thread to suspend spiked balls in midair. The spikes deal contact damage and remain until they are destroyed by Nail attacks, Spells, or certain Charms. There can only be a maximum of 6 spikes set up at once. Hornet only uses this attack after reaching 480 HP.

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Other

Standard Tactics: Hornet will use her needle to strike at an enemy, or use her silk and spikes.

Weaknesses: None notable.

Battle Records

None.

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