The Hunter

Overview

The Hunter is the player character of Bloodborne — a foreigner drawn to the city of Yharnam seeking a cure for an unspecified affliction, only to find themselves thrust into a night of unspeakable horror. After receiving a blood transfusion from a mysterious elderly man in Iosefka’s Clinic, the Hunter awakens in a world of beasts, ancient rituals, and cosmic entities far beyond human comprehension.

Unlike the Chosen Undead or the Ashen One, the Hunter is not a prophesied hero or anointed champion. They are simply someone desperate enough to seek the healing blood of Yharnam — and once the hunt begins, there is no turning back.

The Night of the Hunt

The Hunter’s journey traces a single, endless night through increasingly nightmarish layers of reality:

• Central Yharnam — First steps into the blood-soaked streets, where beasts and Huntsmen prowl
• Cathedral Ward — The heart of the Healing Church and its dark secrets
• Old Yharnam — A burned district haunted by beasts and the outsider Djura
• Hemwick Charnel Lane — Witches and the tools of ritual murder
• Byrgenwerth — The academic roots of the blood ministration
• The Nightmare of Mensis — The grotesque dream of the School of Mensis
• The Hunter’s Dream — The Hunter’s refuge, guided by Gehrman and the Moon Presence

Lore & Significance

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: The following discusses Bloodborne’s endings.

The Hunter’s story is fundamentally about insight — the pursuit of knowledge that reveals truth but erodes sanity. As the Hunter gains Insight, the world transforms: previously invisible enemies appear, the Amygdalas clinging to cathedral walls become visible, and the scope of the cosmic horror underlying Yharnam becomes terrifyingly clear.

The blood that heals is not divine — it is the heritage of the Great Ones, eldritch beings from beyond the waking world. The Healing Church’s ministration is worship disguised as medicine. The beasts the Hunter slays were once people, transformed by the very blood they sought for healing. And the hunt itself is a cycle, orchestrated by the Moon Presence through its servant Gehrman.

The Three Endings

Bloodborne offers three conclusions that define the Hunter’s ultimate fate:

1. Yharnam Sunrise — The Hunter submits to Gehrman, who severs their connection to the Dream. They awaken in the morning sun, the night forgotten — but the cycle continues for the next Hunter.
2. Honouring Wishes — The Hunter refuses Gehrman and defeats him, only to take his place as the Moon Presence’s new guardian of the Dream. The wheel turns.
3. Childhood’s Beginning — Having consumed the Umbilical Cords, the Hunter resists the Moon Presence and ascends, becoming an infant Great One. Humanity’s next evolution — or its final end.

Each ending reflects a different philosophical resolution: ignorance, servitude, or transcendence. None are truly happy. This is Bloodborne’s genius — the Hunter cannot save Yharnam. They can only choose what they become.

Trivia

• The Hunter’s default appearance is officially known as the “Trailblazer” set
• The game never confirms what affliction the Hunter sought to cure — it may have simply been the lure of the blood
• The “Insight” mechanic is unique to Bloodborne and has no direct equivalent in other Souls games
• The Hunter can be named by the player, but they are never referred to by name in the story

See Also

• Bloodborne
• Gehrman, First Hunter