Hunter x Hunter (2011) is widely accepted as one of the best shonen anime of all time by fans and critics equally. There are certain aspects of this anime that qualify it as top-tier shonen. It has won numerous awards and gained respect from the entire anime community. Hunter x Hunter follows the story of Gon Freecss, a 12-year-old kid who aspires to be a legendary hunter just like his father Ging Freecss who abandoned him in his infant years. Gon goes on a journey to become a hunter and to find Ging while he experiences several adventures along the way with his friends.
Hunter x Hunter is a shonen genre anime developed from the manga with the same title authored and drawn by Yoshihiro Togashi running since 1998. Albeit, there have been different anime adaptations of Hunter x Hunter manga - the 1999 anime series; the Original Video Animations (OVAs) from 2001-2004 but, the 2011 anime adaptation is the most phenomenal one. It was announced in July 2011, and it was a reboot that restarted the story from the very beginning instead of continuing the story from where the OVAs left it. Hiroshi Kōjina took up the mantle of director for this series, and it was produced by the Madhouse animation studio. But what makes the series exceptional and worthy of being regarded as a cult classic and groundbreaking?
Well-Written Characters
One of the major things that make Hunter x Hunter spectacular is that the characters included in it which are quite well-written and nuanced. The characters complement the story almost perfectly. The protagonist of the series, Gon, accurately fulfills the criteria of a decent main character for an anime of the shonen genre. He is brave, confident, goofy, kind, and powerful in short all the things that a shonen protagonist is. Characters like Leorio, Kurapika, Killua, and Chairman Netero are quite promising, especially in terms of carrying the story of Hunter x Hunter and keeping things balanced. Togashi paid/pays a great amount of attention when it comes to writing characters and developing them as the story moves forward.
It is like almost every character brings their own little background or story to contribute to the story of the series. Even the side characters like Melody, Biscuit, Knuckle, Morel Mackernasey, etc., are intriguing and play an important role in the overall arc story. In terms of characters, Togashi sheerly focused on the notion of inclusivity which reflects in the diverse characters created by him for the series. Many characters are gender-fluid and comfortable with themselves. Alluka Zoldyck, the second-youngest child in the Zoldyck family, is hinted to be a transgender person even though her gender is listed as male, Killua refers to her as his sister and ensures her safety. Other numerous examples of characters with gender fluidity in the series are - Neferpitou, Kite, etc. Hunter x Hunter sets a healthy benchmark for other anime to be inclusive and represent diverse people.
Best Arcs
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Hunter x Hunter might be one of the few anime that have more than one arc that can be labeled as best. The Yorknew City arc is the best a shonen anime can get. It has all the ingredients required for a great storytelling experience. It has outstanding characters like the Phantom Troupe, Gon, and his friends. Sometimes the makers of the shonen series murder the story by stretching it too much to create unnecessary suspense, and hype they get derailed from the core plot points. But this is not the case with the Yorknew City arc. Even though the arc is lengthy spanning over around 22 episodes, it does not let the viewer notice it as the arc is anything but boring. The arc is also great because throughout the arc the spotlight is on a side character, Kurapika, and marks his road to redemption as he clashes with the Phantom Troupe.
The second best arc that Togashi blessed the anime community with is the Chimera Ant arc. It takes place almost immediately after the end of the Greed Island arc. There are so many aspects of this arc that make it special like the very fact that it's probably the only anime arc where the protagonist does not come across the villain even once for the entirety of it. Togashi just decided to kill the 'hero saves the day' trope with this arc. The antagonist of this arc, Meruem, has probably one of the best character developments in the anime world. Togashi made Mereum's character development very nuanced and engaging. He explored different shades of an antagonist character and did not limit Mereum to an average shonen villain.
Best Antagonists
Extraordinary antagonists are what makes Hunter x Hunter and its arcs, excellent. They are the characters who fully utilize different storytelling tropes and give a nice shape to the story. Hunter x Hunter excels when it comes to antagonists. It gets its first full-fledged antagonist in the form of Chrollo Lucilfer, the head of Phantom Troupe. Chrollo makes up for a great antagonist for several considerable reasons. He has a lethal nen ability called, Skill Hunter, making him one of the most powerful characters in the series. His character traits establish him as a real deal, he only speaks when it is necessary. Unlike other villain bosses, Chrollo never has to use fear to ensure the loyalty of his team members. Chrollo is firm and secure within himself and does not burst out like most of the antagonists. His backstory and motives prove that he is certainly a well-written antagonist in his own right.
Meruem on the other hand is initially showcased as an extremely powerful villain, the king of chimera ants who wishes to exterminate the human race from the face of Earth. But as the story unfolds and his character develops, he turns out to be more human than the humans themselves. Meruem is the most appropriate example of a carefully written gray character. His ideology regarding the human race, battle with Chairman Netero, and bond with Komugi work as catalysts to make the chimera ant arc a great one.
Excellent Storytelling
Togashi's storytelling style is unparalleled, peculiar, and intriguing. He introduced the world with his genius through Hunter x Hunter. Even though it's a shonen, Togashi made sure that the story is intense and crisp which is also the reason why some fans regard Hunter x Hunter as being a seinen since it has elements of the seinen genre. While maintaining its intense tone, the story also has its fair share of light moments and funny bits. Throughout the anime series, everything feels well-organized and rightly executed. The director and writer of the anime did a commendable in using the source material efficiently and wisely. How the adaptation of a manga turns out on the screen depends a great deal on the direction and storytelling decisions taken by the anime makers.
The animation of the series is also commendable concerning the year it was released i.e. 2011.
Another factor that puts Hunter x Hunter in the elite class of shonen is that it does not have a rigid protagonist. Recently, Togashi announced that he is returning to his desk and drawing new chapters for Hunter x Hunter. In the coming chapters, Kurapika will serve as the protagonist of the new arc. This step taken by Togashi proves why Hunter x Hunter is in a league of its own. Fans can hardly witness a side character becoming a full-fledged protagonist in an already successful manga or anime. Togashi's flexibility with his characters allows him as an author to explore the unexplored portions of the story that he creates and give himself creative intellectualism. These elements help Hunter x Hunter to turn out as a magnificent storytelling experience.
Originality and Complexities
Hunter x Hunter is a fest with plenty of original concepts and ideas. The originality and complexity of these concepts are the strength of Hunter x Hunter. Concepts like Nen, Ten, Zetsu, Ken, Ryu, etc., are dense in terms of technicality and understanding, but these concepts allow the audience to push themselves to get these concepts. In a way, this process allows the audience to mentally invest themselves in the series and virtually become a part of it. Nen abilities fill the series with interesting subplots and unique abilities like that of Knuckle, A.P.R is purely fascinating to watch in action.
Last month Viz Media announced that Hunter x Hunter manga would return with Togashi continuing the story and drawing new chapters which will start releasing after October 23rd. Togashi is returning from his hiatus from drawing that lasted for three years. He often goes on hiatus at specific intervals of time to care of his mental and physical health issues caused by the toxic work ethic in Japan specifically the hazardous work schedule of a mangaka (manga author). The future of the manga looks promising with new possibilities, arcs, and characters.
Togashi has confessed on various occasions that he plans on finishing the story before he dies since he doesn't want to disappoint his fan base. As far as the anime is considered, there are no possibilities for the Hunter x Hunter anime's return as there is not enough source material for future seasons. Maybe in the future with enough material at their disposal Madhouse might animate new season(s) for the anime as they are =open to continuing the series but have not made any announcement yet. Nonetheless, Hunter x Hunter remains an anime of extraordinary quality and one of the greatest of all time.