Shounen such as My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan and of course, Hunter X Hunter have had a large impact on the anime community, while Hunter X Hunter itself never could manage to secure a fanbase as large My Hero Academia, seemingly nearly every single aspect of this show was greatly executed.
As everyone knows, Hunter X Hunter, is well… unappealing. It also contains 148 episodes, which is also a contributing factor to turning people off from the show. Unfortunately, those who decide not to watch it are obviously missing out on one of the greatest stories ever created in the entire world of anime.
Hunter X Hunter is about a kid named Gon, who was abandoned by his father as a baby. Hunters are… well, hunters. So, Gon leaves home and decides to become a hunter to find his dad.
Of course, it sounds like an average shounen, such as Naruto, which is just about becoming the strongest. As you know, anime like Naruto tend to have ridiculous amounts of power ups. And the journey there is just beating up villains and have tons of rivalries. Same goes with My Hero Academia and Black Clover. Those animes I had mentioned are all cliché and we know how it’ll turn out.
But is Hunter X Hunter any different? Indeed. If you want to know why I consider Hunter X Hunter the greatest shounen, keep reading, as the real reviewing will start in the next paragraph.
CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS
Hunter X Hunter executes aspects of the show surprisingly well. Considering the source material was published in 1998, Hunter X Hunter has worldbuilding, unrepetitive plot, and logic.
The power system in Hunter X Hunter is known as nen. Basically, it’s aura. It uses logic. You know how in shows when they’re in a crisis they get a rush of power? Well, they always forget what happens after that. Everyone’s in good condition. But not Hunter X Hunter. If they get that rush of power, eventually, you’ll have to pay the price for it. Energy isn’t free, it’s just your adrenaline managing to use more energy.
The arcs in Hunter X Hunter are something else, too. To becoming something, you need what we call an ‘Entrance exam.’ This is a must for battle shounens. It’s in My Hero, Naruto, Demon Slayer and others. I have to say, this is the most boring arc in my opinion, as it makes Hunter X Hunter seem just basic. They do have unique things such as running 10 km and surviving for a few days on an island, but overall, it’s just basic. Nothing special to make up for it. There are a few suspenseful scenes, but they aren’t uncovered in the exam.
The arc after that, is another boring arc, but now that I think about it, these arcs are used to set up the story. The arc I am talking about now is used to build up the tension of the story.
But after that, you have the best of arcs. Hunter X Hunter looks really light-hearted, but it is dark and violent. It starts getting dark by the fourth arc. Which just so you know, it’s full of a bunch of murder and suspense. By the fifth arc, things may be more light-hearted, but it’s still quite violent. It seems like Pokémon at the start, and it becomes seinen-type violence by the fourth arc and beyond.
And of course, you have the most famous sixth arc, the Chimera Ant arc. I won’t spoil much, but this arc said to be “the storm”. All I can say is there is a lot of murder and bloodshed and stuff that will break you, mentally.
Aside from creative story arcs, Hunter X Hunter can be quite mediocre at times. The biggest example of this is with the beginning of Hunter X Hunter. The first 2 episodes don’t exactly manage to capture you, as the real story starts in episode 3, when the exam starts.
Again, like I said, Hunter X Hunter has mediocre episodes. Sometimes you want the plot to progress, but they tend to push in a few episodes where nothing happens. As mediocre as it may be, the story uses these episodes to build the plot.
However, the pacing is the biggest problem. Hunter X Hunter’s pacing isn’t consistent. One time it’s slow, one time it’s fast and one time they manage to make a battle that’s 15 minutes become 30 episodes long. The inconsistency won’t exactly put you off your flow, but it will bore you in some moments, especially during the sixth arc. As much as I want to say the pacing is bad, I can’t, because the author needs to explain the aspects as much as he can.
There are some moments that’ll make you cry, and the comedy’s nice, and it can be wholesome. Treasure those moments as Hunter X Hunter can make a 180 turn.
As the story section comes to a close, I would like to say, Hunter X Hunter’s story surpasses many anime, and to be honest, they covered most of the story. The ending was satisfying; you can expect a lot of things in the show. Also, it lacks plot armour and talking bad guys into being good guys.
On to the sound, Hunter X Hunter has extravagant OSTs. You got that island-type theme to the intense battle themes. All of them are nice to listen to.
However, Hunter X Hunter’s OST is often misused. There are these moments where it’s enjoyable, but sometimes they happen to ruin an intense music with superhero themes. And for the Chimera Ant arc, they did overuse three soundtracks. It was fine at first but overtime it would get quite repetitive to listen to.
The opening of Hunter X Hunter is called, “departure!”. It’s easy-going and wholesome. Another surprise is that they use it for all 148 episodes. Though if I may complain, while Hunter X Hunter’s opening contains hype and is catchy, the opening doesn’t exactly match the tone of the story.
The endings of Hunter X Hunter are amazing too, though I can’t really delve deep into them, since the efforts in visuals lacked in the endings. All I can say is, the last two endings are tear-jerking.
The music in Hunter X Hunter could do better, as there are some minor flaws like overuse and repetition.
Now, let’s talk about the art. Hunter X Hunter has exceptionally unique art. I’m not sure if it’s because the manga was published in 1998, but I have to say, Hunter X Hunter has one of the most unique designs I’ve ever seen in anime. You have a clown, and you have all sorts of weird-shaped ants. They can look quite childish, but that’s the real appeal of a shounen. Amazing job by studio MadHouse. The fight scenes are amazing too, as they schedule the animations purely for the fight scenes. True fanservice, man. They really served the fans.
Finally, we can talk about the characters.
Gon, in our main character, and frankly, a well written one. As a shounen main character, they would have a normal goal. Hunter X Hunter really stuck to that one. Gon also has unique traits, such as stubbornness, even with such an original power, called “rock-paper-scissors”. What I noticed is that Gon lacks mental development. Though this isn’t exactly bad, as the environment he went through wasn’t exactly life changing. Gon had a lot of physical development though.
Killua, on the other hand, is Gon’s best friend. Also known as the guy everyone in the fandom simps for. Now, with Killua, I find him to be one of the greatest anime characters ever created. To put it simply, he had a 180-personality turn, whilst maintaining a lot of physical and character development.
Now I will dive deep into Killua’s character. Killua, is the “cold-hearted-type” character. Typical shounen trope. Shounens will always have that cold character. Killua is also an assassin. Though this may be exaggerated, as Killua is 12, it makes sense due to his background. Now, why do I say Killua is such an amazing character? Well… mediocre spoilers.
Killua turned from the edgiest character into a wholesome big brother. I won’t say anymore, as those spoilers will reveal a lot.
Aside from that, Killua not only gets the best character development, but he also gets physical development. Killua is already quite strong at the start, but compared to the end, there is a big difference.
Now enough about Killua. He is my favourite character anyway…
Hunter X Hunter consists of a large cast. You got a clown who gets turned on by strong people, a controlling brother, a guy who fulfils someone’s wish with destruction, and an ant with a midlife human crisis. All contribute to the plot or the character’s development.
However, most lack background. While this is such a big problem, the backgrounds given to certain characters certainly will make you attached to them. Most of the cast are certainly favourites, and while there isn’t anymore for me to explore, we’ll move on now.
Hunter X Hunter really affected me, and I haven’t experienced such a good anime since “Is the Order a Rabbit”. Not to mention, finishing Hunter X Hunter affected my anime flow. I didn’t feel like watching anime for a few days.
All I can say is, I love the characters, I love the way the story was executed, I am also depressed when I realize most anime won’t ever be on HxH’s level.
As my last words, I want to say, Hunter X Hunter really is worth it. While at its core, it isn’t really anything new in terms of shounen, but it is definitely something that stands out from most anime. While this is my own opinion, Hunter X Hunter is the greatest shounen. Honestly, the character development and how the story can break you is honestly mind blowing!
Give it a try. 148 episodes may seem like too much for you, but once you start, you can’t stop. Hunter X Hunter makes you go with the flow, whilst feeling like a rollercoaster of sorts. That being said, Hunter X Hunter is a masterpiece shounen of our generation, and I am quite disappointed that the story may never be finished.
Story - 9.8
Sound - 8.2
Art - 9.1
Characters - 9.9
Enjoyment - 9.7
Overall = 9.34
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