Hunter × Hunter (ハンター×ハンター, Hantā Hantā?), pronounced "Hunter Hunter", is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi with an anime adaptation. The first chapter of the Hunter × Hunter manga series was published in March of 1998, in Weekly Shōnen Jump.[1]
The story of Hunter × Hunter focuses on a young boy named Gon Freecss, who one day discovers that the father he had always been told was dead was alive and well. He learns that his father, Ging Freecss, is a legendary Hunter. Despite the fact that his father abandoned Gon with his relatives in order to pursue his dreams, Gon becomes determined to follow in his father's footsteps, pass the Hunter Examination, and eventually find his father to prove himself as a Hunter in his own right.
The manga series was adapted into an anime produced by Nippon Animation, along three OVAs as well. It premiered on the Japanese terrestrial television network Fuji TV and the satellite television station Animax on October 6, 1999.
Plot
See also: List of Hunter × Hunter characters
Twelve years prior to the start of the story, a legendary Hunter named Ging Freecss leaves his infant son, Gon Freecss, with his cousin Mito on Whale Island. Gon, raised believing his parents were dead, finds out from Ging's apprentice, Kite, that his father is still alive. As such, Gon leaves his home to follow in his father's footsteps as a Hunter by taking the Hunter Exam. Prior to the Hunter Exam, Gon meets and befriends three of the other applicants, Kurapika, Killua Zoldyck, and Leorio. Another of the applicants in the Hunter Exam is Hisoka, a villainous examinee who takes it upon himself to test the worthiness of his peers attempting to become Hunters and takes an interest in Gon and his friends.
The Hunter Exam tests Gon's physical and mental strengths through a series of bizarre stages. During the final portion of the exam, after confronting his elder brother in a tournament, Killua is forced to return home to his family on Kukuroo Mountain. Determined to get him back, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio all head to the Republic of Padokea to retrieve Killua, to what they succeed. After the retrieve, Kurapika departs to find work and Leorio leaves to attend medical school. Gon and Killua decide to gain combat experience by training at the Heavens Arena, a 251-story building where over 4,000 fighters compete daily in fighting tournaments. There, they meet the kung-fu master, Wing, who teaches them about Nen--a chi-like life energy that can be used to manifest superhuman powers.
The third story arc reunites the main characters for the world's largest auction in a sprawling metropolis called Yorknew City. Gon, Killua, and Leorio try different methods to make enough money to buy Greed Island, a video game that could help Gon find his father. This story arc introduces the Phantom Troupe, a group of thieves who, among many other crimes, slaughtered all the other members of Kurapika's clan. Kurapika crosses paths with them while working as a bodyguard. By the end of the Phantom Troupe story arc, Kurapika has killed two members of the Troupe. These are accomplished via an unsteady alliance with Hisoka, who betrays the Phantom Troupe in exchange for a chance to fight Chrollo Lucilfer, though when he learns that Kurapika has sealed Chrollo's nen-abilities and loses interest.
Finally Gon and Killua's find the Greed Island, the seemingly-magical video game that sucks players within. It is later revealed that the game is actually set on an island in the real world, created and run by a group of powerful Nen users led by none other than Gon's own father, Ging. The goal of the game is to collect a number of set cards, although almost everything in the game, from food to money, can be turned into cards. Inside Greed Island Gon and Killua are joined by Biscuit Krueger, a master and experienced teacher of Nen who trains them. As part of their reward, they are allowed to take three cards to be used in the real world. Using the card 'Accompany', Gon and Killua travel to a player under the username 'Ngig', who they believe to be Ging. However, it ends up bringing them to Kite instead.
Gon and Killua meet up with Kite, the Hunter who told Gon about Ging and Hunters in the very first chapter. They are all hired to investigate a strange insect leg that washed up on a beach. Genetic testing determines that the leg belongs to an abnormally large queen chimera ant, an insect that eats other insects and animals, and then gives birth to children that inherit the characteristics of all the different insects and animals it has eaten. The queen chimera ant itself happens to wash up on the shore of an island nation called the NGL (Neo Green Life) inhabited by a neo-luddite culture. She quickly develops a taste for humans after given the opportunity to eat them. The Chimera Ants proceed to wipe most of the population out and spawn hundreds of offspring before Gon, Killua, and Kite arrive.
The queen dies due to the King ripping himself out of her womb too early. With the Queen dead and their inhibitions gone, many of the warrior Ants proclaimed themselves kings and departed the hive; two of them end up joining the Hunters' side. The King and Royal Guard Ants pull a "coup d'etat" on the nearby Republic of East Gorteau and from there begin the process of "selecting" humans that have the capability to gain Nen powers. This causes many deaths as only a small amount of humans are able to gain Nen powers. As warrior Ants from the old hive rejoin the King, the Hunters mobilize quickly to stop the massacre.
[edit] Media
[edit] Manga
Main article: List of Hunter × Hunter chapters
The Hunter × Hunter manga is currently serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in Japan. Shueisha compiles the manga's chapters into tankōbon volumes, of which 26 have been released. [2] The manga is currently being published in the United States by VIZ Media, with 23 English volumes released in North America as of November 2008. [3]
The publication history of the Hunter × Hunter manga has been plagued with hiatuses, the longest of which lasted from February 2006 through October 2007. These hiatuses are often attributed to the author suffering from an unspecified illness. The most recent hiatus started in mid-May, 2008, and the series officially returned on October 6, 2008. [4]
[edit] Anime
Hunter × Hunter box set 1, scheduled to be released in North America on December 9, 2008
Main article: List of Hunter × Hunter episodes
The anime adaptation was directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi, produced by Nippon Animation, and broadcast on Fuji Television and Animax from October 16, 1999 to March 31, 2001.[5] The television series concluded at 62 episodes, adapting the first eleven volumes of the manga series.
Viz Media has licensed the Hunter × Hunter anime for distribution in the Region 1 market. Season box sets of the series will be released starting on December 9, 2008 with subsequent box sets being released every two months. [6][7]
[edit] OVAs
Main article: List of Hunter × Hunter OVA episodes
Since the completion of the television series, three subsequent OVAs have carried the story from where the broadcast left off. The first OVA was directed by Satoshi Saga and released from January 17, 2002 to April 17, 2002. It adapts volume 11 and half of volume 12 into eight episodes.[8] The next two OVA releases, Greed Island and G.I. Final, were directed respectively by Yukihiro Matsushita and Makoto Sato while released from February 5, 2003 to August 18, 2004. They adapt the rest of volume 12 through most of volume 18 into a total of 22 episodes.[9][10]
An early pilot was also shown only at the 1998 Jump Super Anime Tour.
The Anime series may be starting again from where it left off, but this is yet to be confirmed.
[edit] Soundtrack
The background music for the anime was composed by Toshihiko Sahashi, and released onto six different soundtracks. The first three soundtracks correspond to the first series, while the latter three each were released in response to each Hunter × Hunter OVA.
[edit] Musicals
There have been three musicals[11], the second of which very little is known about. In the musicals, Killua, Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, and Hisoka, are all played by their Japanese voice actors;
The first is just called "Hunter × Hunter: Musical". It was originally performed during December of 2000. It is an original story that appears to take place in between the end of the "Yorknew City" arc and the beginning of the "Greed Island" arc. Gon gets a mysterious phone call, to come aid the citizens of Elrais. Once they get there they find that the country's four best performers have been kidnapped. It is later found that the kidnappers are controlling Madame Isabel (who is like a ghost). They plan to use her power to take revenge on Elrais. It is up to Gon and party to rescue the performers, and save the country.
The second Musical is called "Hunter × Hunter; Deja-vu in Summer." It ran from Aug 15 until Aug 26, 2001. This musical has not been released on DVD. The third Musical is called "Hunter × Hunter; The Nightmare of Zoldyck." It was originally performed during August of 2002. This is an alternate re-telling of when Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon go to Kukuroo Mountain to fetch Killua back. This includes a farewell party at the Zoldyck mansion, and Illumi placing a "switch" in Killua's mind. This switch will cause Killua to become murderous and attack his friends, if he ever tries to fight Illumi.
[edit] Play
There is also a play called "Hunter × Hunter: Real Stage; A Longing for Pakunoda ~ A Spider's Memory ~"[citation needed]. It was originally performed during August of 2004. It is a darker retelling of the kidnapping in the Phantom Troupe Story Arc. It has no singing and not too much humor unlike in the Musicals. In addition, Kurapika is played by Kimura Akiko; the voice actress of Mito Freecss and Biscuit in the Hunter × Hunter Anime. Killua and Gon are played by their respective voice actresses. It contains flashbacks of Pakunoda's (played by Ikeda Yukiko) memories and experiences with the Spiders.
[edit] Video games
As with several other anime series, Hunter × Hunter has spawned numerous video games created by Konami (most of which take place on Greed Island), and appeared along with other Shōnen Jump properties in the Nintendo DS fighting game Jump Super Stars and its sequel Jump Ultimate Stars and a trading card game (which is based on the cards used on Greed Island).
[edit] Reception
Hunter × Hunter is one of Togashi's two most famous titles (the other being YuYu Hakusho). As of June 2007, the first 20 volumes of the manga have sold over 36,958,000 copies combined in Japan alone.[12] The latest volume release of the manga (Volume 26) was the best selling manga in the first two weeks of its release,[13] [14] and has sold over 800,000 copies as of November 3, 2008.[15]The manga has also been translated to different languages in many countries around the world.
In a 2006 web poll conducted in Japan by the network TV Asahi, the Hunter × Hunter television anime series was voted as the 28th best anime of all time.
From:
www.en.wikipedia.org
