I came to Hunter x Hunter late. I had heard for years that it was one of the best anime ever made and I kept putting it off because 148 episodes felt like a lot and I had other things to watch. When I finally sat down and started it, I finished the entire series in about three weeks.
Then I sat there genuinely upset that there was no more.
Hunter x Hunter is the anime I recommend most enthusiastically to people who have already seen the basics and want something that will genuinely challenge their expectations of what the medium can do. Here is everything you need to know.
What is Hunter x Hunter?
The story follows Gon Freecss, a twelve-year-old boy who grew up on a small island believing his father was dead. When he discovers his father is actually Ging Freecss — one of the world's greatest Hunters — Gon decides to become a Hunter himself and find him.
Hunters are licensed professionals who can pursue almost any goal with legal authority: treasure hunting, headhunting, monster hunting, cooking — the Hunter license opens almost any door. The story begins with Gon taking the legendary Hunter Exam, which is brutal enough that most candidates do not survive it.
What makes HxH extraordinary is how completely it reinvents itself every arc. By the time you reach the final arc I watched, you will barely recognize the show you started in Episode 1 — and yet everything connects perfectly.
The Power System: Nen
Nen is the heart of HxH's combat system and one of the most intelligently designed power systems in anime. It is the ability to use one's aura — life energy — as a weapon.
Every character has a natural Nen type:
- ›Enhancer — Amplifies physical abilities directly. Gon's type.
- ›Transmuter — Changes the properties of aura into something else. Killua can turn his into electricity.
- ›Emitter — Projects aura at a distance.
- ›Conjurer — Creates physical objects from aura.
- ›Manipulator — Controls things or people.
- ›Specialist — Unique abilities that do not fit other categories. Kurapika's type.
What makes Nen interesting is that you can learn techniques outside your natural type, but at reduced efficiency. This creates a system where every fight is a tactical puzzle — figuring out what type the enemy is, what their technique likely involves, and how to exploit their limitations. Watching characters reason through fights is one of the great pleasures of the series.
Arc by Arc
Arc 1: Hunter Exam (Episodes 1-21) — Rating: 9/10
The Hunter Exam is a great entry point because it is full of interesting characters and genuinely creative challenges. Gon meets Killua (an assassin's heir traveling as a child), Kurapika (seeking revenge for his massacred clan), and Leorio (a future doctor who is more competent than he appears).
The exam tests not just strength but adaptability, moral judgment, and creative thinking. The fight between Gon and Hanzo — where Gon refuses to concede even when being brutalized — establishes immediately that this protagonist is different.
Arc 2: Zoldyck Family (Episodes 22-26) — Rating: 7/10
A short arc where Gon and friends try to rescue Killua from his terrifying assassin family. Important for understanding Killua's background. The Zoldyck family's dynamics are fascinating and pay off much later.
Arc 3: Heavens Arena (Episodes 27-36) — Rating: 8/10
Gon and Killua train at a massive fighting tournament tower and learn Nen for the first time. The way Nen is introduced — alongside the characters — is masterfully handled. By the time we understand how it works, we have invested in the characters who will use it.
Arc 4: Yorknew City (Episodes 37-58) — Rating: 10/10
The best arc in Hunter x Hunter, and one of my favourite story arcs in all of anime.
Kurapika is hunting the Phantom Troupe — a group of thieves who massacred his entire clan and stole their eyes. The Phantom Troupe themselves are extraordinary characters. Chrollo Lucilfer, their leader, is one of the most interesting and human antagonists I have encountered. He is a genius, a reader, a killer, and a genuinely compelling person. His subordinates are equally complex.
The moral of this arc is that in Hunter x Hunter, the line between protagonist and antagonist is not where you expect it to be.
Arc 5: Greed Island (Episodes 59-75) — Rating: 8/10
Gon and Killua enter a virtual reality video game world called Greed Island to find a clue to Gon's father's location. Lighter and more fun than what surrounds it, with a clever card-based power system. A necessary breather before the storm.
Arc 6: Chimera Ant (Episodes 76-136) — Rating: 10/10 — Greatest anime arc I have watched
I am going to try to describe the Chimera Ant arc without spoiling it. This is difficult because the arc's genius lies entirely in what happens rather than what is set up.
The basic premise: a species of ant called Chimera Ants can acquire DNA from creatures they consume. A Chimera Ant Queen lands in a remote country and begins consuming humans. The ants she produces develop human intelligence, human emotions, and Nen. The Hunter Association sends a team to stop them before they can threaten the wider world.
What follows is one of the most philosophically serious and emotionally complex story arcs I have encountered anywhere. The ants — particularly the King, Meruem — become more human as the arc progresses, while humans in the arc behave in ways that are monstrous. The line between humanity and monstrousness is examined from every possible angle.
Meruem's relationship with Komugi — a blind girl who is the world's greatest player of a board game called Gungi — is one of the most beautiful and tragic love stories in anime. Their scenes together made me genuinely emotional in ways I did not expect from a show I started thinking of as a shonen action series.
And then there is what happens to Gon in the final battle. I will not say more. Watch it.
Arc 7: Election (Episodes 137-148) — Rating: 8/10
A quieter epilogue dealing with aftermath. Important for character resolution and genuinely moving in parts.
Why HxH is Special
Most shonen anime are about escalation. Power levels go up. Protagonist trains and becomes stronger. Repeat. Hunter x Hunter is about something more interesting: consequences. Every significant ability has a cost. Every fight has strategic complexity. The protagonist is not always the strongest person in the room, and being the strongest person in the room does not guarantee survival.
The Chimera Ant arc alone makes this series essential. It is 60 episodes of anime that I believe are among the best 60 episodes of television ever made.
