Nearly… what? Two months later? However long it’s been, my Hunter X Hunter review series is finally complete. Maybe now I can move on to other shows! Like One Piece! Or… uh… The God of High School? I don’t wanna talk about that one.
Shortly after the death of Netero, the Hunter Association starts an election to find their next chairman. Meanwhile, Gon is on the brink of death after his battle against Pitou. In order to save him, Leorio accidentally gets wrapped up in the election while Killua returns to the Zoldyck family manor to grab his younger sister: Aluka, who has the power to grant wishes with terrible consequences. In order to prevent those consequences, Killua’s brother, Illumi, sets out to kill Aluka, along with the help of Hisoka.
This arc was exactly the breath of fresh air I needed after watching the Chimera Ant arc. That arc felt distinctly different from all the others, given the tone and story. This one feels like a call back to older Hunter X Hunter. The stakes are high, but not world-ending. The pacing is way faster, making for a much shorter and more digestible story. It’s still dark, but not so dark that it might make the average viewer uncomfortable.
It helps a lot that the old characters are back. Seeing Leorio, Hisoka, and the Zoldycks was such a huge breath of fresh air after the last arc! We even see other returning faces, like Hanzo, Bisky, and a few others!
Not to say that we don’t get any new characters. Unfortunately, I don’t find all of them to be especially memorable. It’s clear that, in the manga at least, this was an introductory arc meant to bring these characters into the fold for later stories. Because the only ones who get any development are dog girl, rat dude, Alluka and Ging.
Speaking of which: Aluka and Ging are amazing characters. I love how Ging is portrayed as an unlikable asshole, contrasting with Gon’s image of him that’s been built up over the course of the series. Not that that image is all wrong; when Gon comes back to the fold and finally meets his father, it’s clear that he does have some fatherly wisdom and love to give to his son.
Even if he’s still a total dick. But that makes watching Leorio deck him in the face all the more enjoyable! But we’ll get to that after we discuss Aluka.
I have mixed feelings on Aluka. On one hand, her relationship with Killua is incredibly cute and her powers make for some pretty cool story ideas (even if it opens a shitzillion plot holes, but whatever). Plus, the contrast between cute little Aluka and the creepy, unknowable Something lends itself super well to her character design.
Side tangent: I love how Killua is the only one who calls Aluka by female pronouns, like she wants to be. Her parents still call her by male pronouns and her siblings don’t even acknowledge her as a person, much like a girl. It’s a very subtle detail that adds a lot to Aluka’s character and makes her relationship with Killua seem all the more meaningful. Alright, tangent over.
Speaking of cute relationships, I absolutely love Hisoka and Illumi’s dynamic! They’re simultaneously extremely terrifying and incredibly hilarious! You can tell that these two are the pinnacle of deranged individuals, given their shared boner for murder. But the two often get into disputes, as friends do. Unlike normal friends, however, they immediately go to ‘quit being an ass or I’m gonna fucking kill you’, and it’s great.
Plus, it feels like a twisted parallel of Gon and Killua’s friendship. Think about it! Hisoka is Gon’s greatest antagonist and Illumi is Killua’s. Both pairs are fairly casual around each other, but the kids feel like a much more unified pair then the adults, who could go and kill each other at any moment. It makes me wonder: would these two pairs have ended up in a two-on-two final battle?
If the manga ever finished, that is. Which it probably, sadly, won’t.
Alright, enough about murder bastards. Let’s talk about the best character in this arc: Leorio. He’s always been my favorite character, ever since episode one. This arc puts him in a fantastic little pinch. Because of his stunt with Ging, he’s ahead in the polls for the election that he never wanted to run in. Unlike all the others, he doesn’t actually want anything to gain. He just uses the opportunity, as well as his bluntness and honesty, to try and help Gon however he can. It’s super cute and leads to some of the most satisfying moments in the whole series!
And then there’s the ending. There’s so much to talk about here! Gon and Killua’s farewell which made me cry like a fucking baby! Gon climbing the tallest tree in the world, taking one last adventure. Ging revealing why he’s been such a dick to his son and the lesson he had hoped to teach. Gon and Ging trading stories of their adventures long into the night. The final montage as Departure plays one last time.
That last one would be so damn good if I weren’t so fucking sick of that song.
This makes me feel so many things. Happy. Content. Sad. Hollow. Suddenly deprived of a series to devote myself to for an ungodly amount of time. It’s everything a good ending should be. Satisfying enough to stop there while leaving enough open for more.
Which there is more. Just in the manga. Which will never get an anime adaptation. Cause that manga ain’t ever gonna be finished.
And with that, I’m finally done. There is still a metric shitton of stuff I haven’t talked about in Hunter X Hunter. It ain’t as long as One Piece, but it’s sure as hell just as dense! I could write a whole damn series of books about this show and still not cover everything! And god damn I want to!
Dude, you’ve got to watch this show! Not every arc is as good as the others. But the overall package is absolutely amazing! This is, without a doubt, one of the greatest Shounen series ever made! It is a true masterpiece and a classic in every sense of the word!
If you’re still not convinced, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve written nine articles about this show, if you include the original review. Can I make it any more obvious how much I love this shit?
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