Hunter x Hunter (2011 Anime)

Hunter × Hunter (ハンターハンター) is a Japanese anime series created by Japanese author and illustrator, Yoshihiro Togashi. The story focuses on a young boy name Gon Freecss, who discovers that his father, Ging Freecss, who he was told was dead, is actually alive. His long lost father is a world-renowned Hunter, a licensed profession for those who specialize in fantastic pursuits such as locating rare or unidentified animal species, treasure hunting, surveying unexplored enclaves, or hunting down lawless individuals. Despite being abandoned by him since he was a infant, Gon departs upon a journey to follow in his footsteps, pass the rigorous Hunter Examination, and eventually find his father. Along the way, Gon meets various other Hunters and also encounters the paranormal. The second anime television series by Madhouse aired on Nippon Television from October 2, 2011 to September 23, 2014 with two animated theatrical films released in 2013. There are also numerous audio albums, video games, musicals, and other media based on Hunter × Hunter.

Plot
Mito Freecss is sorting fish when other people start talking about Gon Freecss, her twelve-year-old nephew. Gon is trying to catch the monstrous "Master of the Swamp," a feat done twenty years ago by Mito's cousin and Gon's father, Ging. It is a seemingly impossible condition set by Mito, for she is reluctant to allow Gon to take the Hunter Exam. Gon catches the fish and brings it to the harbor, to the amazement of the townspeople and to the dismay of Mito.

The night before Gon sets out, Mito tries to convince Gon not to pursue the exam and be like his father. However Gon replies by saying he wants to know why his father prefers to be a Hunter so much that he left his own son in other people's care. Mito says that it is dangerous, but Gon insists. Therefore Mito admits that Gon is just like Ging. The next morning, Mito and Abe bid Gon goodbye.

Upon boarding the ship, Gon bids goodbye to the inhabitants of Whale Island who flock the harbor to see him off. After he shouts that he will be the best Hunter, Gon is mocked by the ship passengers, who are also going to the Hunter Exam site. He observes the applicants on board, then he notices and helps Katzo, a crew member being bullied by its mates. The Captain of the ship goes out of the cabin and orders Katzo to hurry up with his chore. Gon then tells the Captain that a storm is coming. When the Captain asks how he knows, he says that the sea birds flying above them are warning each other of a huge storm. Gon confirms it by using his sense of smell. The Captain is suddenly reminded of someone.

While the storm rages, nearly every exam applicant on the ship is seasick except for Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio. The Captain summons them and asks for their reasons for taking the Hunter Exam. Gon quickly answers that he wants to know why his father chose to be a Hunter. Leorio and Kurapika refuse to reveal theirs; the Captain promptly tells them that he is hired to trim down the sheer number of Hunter Exam participants before they even reach the exam site, and thus he can pass or fail them depending on their response.

Kurapika reveals that he wants to be a Blacklist Hunter to catch the Phantom Troupe who annihilated his clan, the Kurta. Leorio wonders why Kurapika has to take the exam merely for revenge, to which Kurapika replies that a licensed Hunter has unprecedented access to information and places, as well as freedom to actions that are otherwise forbidden. Leorio says he wants money and the comforts and luxuries it brings like huge fortune and free use of public amenities to which Kurapika comments upon. Leorio is ticked by Kurapika not properly addressing him as Leorio-san several times already and he insults Kurapika's clan as disrespectful. This sparks animosity between the two and they go out to the deck to duel.

Meanwhile, the crew members try to stabilize the ship when Katzo is tossed and is about to fall from the ship, to which Leorio and Kurapika witness in horror. Suddenly Gon jumps out of the ship to catch Katzo and the other two promptly catch Gon's legs. The next day, Katzo thanks them, and Leorio and Kurapika also reconcile. The Captain is impressed with them and he promises to bring them to the port nearest to the Exam Site.

Upon finally reaching Dolle Harbor, the Captain tells Gon that going to the cedar tree at the top of the hill behind the city will lead them to the exam site. Gon relays the information to Kurapika and Leorio and they consult the map. They learn that the cedar tree is the opposite direction of Zaban City, the Hunter Exam site. Leorio says that there is a bus that directly goes to the city. Kurapika comments that the vague exam notice given to them is another test for the applicants. Gon chooses to go towards the direction of the tree; Kurapika follows suit after telling Leorio that he is curious about what Gon might do. Leorio bids goodbye as well and walks towards the bus stop when he overhears two senior applicants talking about the bus ride as merely a trap for new applicants. Leorio joins the other two and they reach a small deserted town. Leorio comments that there is nobody around there, but Gon plainly states that there are plenty of them.

A group of masked people appear and block the way with a stage where an old woman sits. She tells them that they have to undergo the quiz in order to reach the cedar tree. She posts a riddle requiring them to choose between two possible answers and giving the answer within five seconds. The three are taken aback by the question for it is something that has no correct answer. Unfortunately, refusing to partake in the quiz will disqualify them from taking the exam. A scheming participant who overheard the conversation between the captain and Gon has followed the three and goes ahead to answer. The masked people let him by as he continues up the road. The old woman then poses a similar question to the three, angering Leorio even more. It dawns on Kurapika that it is a trick question and is about to tell Leorio when the old woman forbids them from communicating with each other. When the time is up and no one has given an answer, Leorio angrily grabs a wooden stick to hit the woman, but is stopped by Kurapika. Kurapika tells Leorio to calm down for he will waste the correct answer, which is silence.

A door to a tunnel opens, and they are instructed to meet the navigators living in a house by the cedar tree. Upon reaching the cedar tree, they find the navigators, a couple being attacked by a shapeshifting creature, the Kiriko. While Leorio tends to the wounded man, Gon and Kurapika go after the Kiriko who kidnaps the woman. They are able to keep up with the Kiriko and Gon hits it with his fishing rod. The Kiriko drops the woman and is saved by Kurapika, but he notices a tattoo on her arm and he becomes wary of her real identity. Leorio comes, stating that he has given the wounded man painkillers. Kurapika then attacks him. This Leorio turns out to be another Kiriko in disguise and asks how Kurapika knew. Kurapika states that even if he was Leorio, he would have still hit him for leaving a wounded person alone. The Kiriko leaves and Kurapika asks the woman who she really is.

Meanwhile, Gon loses sight of the Kiriko momentarily, then it appears and he follows it. He loses sight of it again, then the Kiriko jumps from a tree and corners Gon. Gon is about to be hit when he flatly says that the Kiriko is not the one he is pursuing. The Kiriko laughs hysterically and calls out its partner. The three applicants reunite and the couple reveals themselves to be the offspring of the two Kirikos. They pass the three due to their unique characteristics and fly them to the exam site.

Gon, Leorio and Kurapika arrive at Zaban City and Gon is fascinated by the bustling selling and trading businesses there. They stop where a high-rise building stands, the three thinking it's the exam site. The navigator leads them to a small restaurant beside it instead. The navigator "orders" something from the chef, who tells them to go to the backroom. The "order" turns out to be the password to the backroom, which is actually an elevator that goes a hundred floors underground to the tunnel where applicants wait. The navigator praises and wishes them luck. He tells them that he will be willing to guide them again for the next Hunter Exam. Gon thanks him, the navigator is taken aback and is pleased.

While the elevator descends, Kurapika deduces that the navigator expected them to fail the exam, since a rookie passing it is rare indeed. Gon guesses that the Hunter Exam is a risk worth taking, to which Leorio and Kurapika reply with a list of great advantages of being a Hunter. They even argue about their opinions and ideals about being a Hunter and ask Gon what type of Hunter does he want to become.

When they reach the tunnel, they are given identification numbers by Beans. Later, they are befriended by Tonpa, also known as the Rookie Crusher. He tells them about the other applicants; the most notable is Hisoka, who nearly killed an examiner from last year's examination. An applicant bumps into Hisoka without apologizing, and Hisoka does something that makes the applicant's arms disappear. Tonpa then offers the three juice with laxatives. Gon and Leorio quickly detect that there is something wrong with the juice, saying that they might be expired already. Kurapika promptly pours the juice out of his can. Tonpa hastily leaves them after apologizing and remembers the other applicants who have not taken his bait like Hanzo and Nicole.

Another rookie applicant Killua, approaches Tonpa and asks for another can of juice. He drinks it, then tells Tonpa that poison (from the juice), does not affect him. Satotz, the first examiner, introduces himself and tells the participants to follow him through the tunnel as part of the first exam phase.

The applicants have run continuously for two hours; a distance of over thirty kilometers from where they came from. Leorio starts to get exhausted and he becomes irritated when he sees an applicant using his skateboard. He sees it as a mockery of the Hunter Exam, but Gon defends the applicant, saying that the examiner just told them to follow him, without forbidding them to use whatever means.

The applicant takes an interest in Gon and asks for Gon's age. Upon learning that they are of the same age, he jumps from and catches the skateboard with a maneuver, starts running alongside Gon and introduces himself as Killua. Meanwhile, exhaustion and frustration starts to take its toll on Nicole, a plump and geeky applicant. He initially thought they were near the exit, but his calculations seemed to have been wrong. The Amori Brothers taunt him even more, and leave Nicole slowly losing his mind from the emotional abuse and exhaustion. Tonpa approaches and pays them for what they did to Nicole.

Leorio, completely exhausted and covered in sweat, was on the verge of surrendering and the rarity of rookies passing the exam was all the more affecting his enthusiasm. The urge to give up was approaching him until he looked at Gon, who had decided to wait till Leorio wills to move forward. Killua is waiting for Gon and tells him to forget Leorio and just continue, but Gon does not even move an inch, to Killua's incredulity. Leorio gains the motivation to catch up with the rest of the applicants and starts running even ahead of Gon and Killua. Gon then happily 'fishes' for the briefcase Leorio dropped behind. Satotz starts increasing his pace when they reach eighty kilometers, marked by a long, wide staircase. Leorio now catches up with Kurapika, who asks him if he is alright. Leorio tells him that he can keep up if he does not mind how stupid he looks, for he has taken off his suit to make himself more comfortable. Kurapika follows his example by taking off his blue outer garment. Kurapika then asks Leorio if he really is after money, because he doesn't see Leorio as such a shallow person.

Eliciting no answer, Kurapika shares to Leorio about the Scarlet Eyes of the Kurta Clan as the reason for his clan's demise. Claimed as possessing one of the seven most beautiful colors in the world and prized by people as rare, wealthy people as well as thieves like the Phantom Troupe want to get their hands on the remaining pairs. Kurapika plans to become a Blacklist Hunter and be hired by wealthy families to get access to the black market, be able to collect his clan's eyes and also avenge them from the Phantom Troupe. Leorio comments that Kurapika would have to swallow his pride, to which Kurapika replies that his pride is nothing compared to the anguish his clan experienced. Kurapika prods Leorio about his reason to be a Hunter, but he says that he really is after the money. Kurapika does not believe him, and Leorio snaps that money can buy everything, even people's lives. Kurapika thinks he is insulting the Kurta Clan again and threatens Leorio.

Leorio snaps back that his friend would not have died if he had money, then becomes embarrassed by the revelation and turns away. Kurapika deduces that Leorio's friend died from an illness; Leorio says that it was treatable if they had the money for the operation. He wants to be a doctor to treat poor children for free, but realizes that he has to gain much more money to be able to study.

Gon and Killua also share their reasons for taking the Hunter Exam. Killua joined for fun, thinking that the Exam is challenging enough. Gon wants to be a Hunter like his father. When Killua asks what type of hunter his dad is, Gon cannot tell. Killua finds it weird and Gon explains that he is raised by his Aunt Mito, thus he does not know much about his father. Gon says he wants to know why his father chose being a Hunter over raising his son. They agree to have a race to the exit and the one to win will pay for dinner. They arrive at the exit also and Gon and Killua race ahead of Satotz. They bicker about who arrives first and asks Satotz to judge for them. Satotz answers that they both arrived at the same time. Gon proposes that since he and Killua won, they will treat each other to dinner.

Other applicants come and Satotz introduced them the location as the Numere Wetlands, also known as the Swindlers' Swamp. He had just warned them about the creatures' creative means to fool their victims, when a Man shows up and drags with him an unconscious ape with a face like Satotz's. He claims to be the Examiner and accuses Satotz of being a masquerading man-faced ape. The applicants become confused, especially Leorio and Hanzo, a ninja. Hisoka then attacks the two "examiners" by throwing his blade-sharp cards. The man with the ape is killed and is eaten by scavenger birds. However Satotz catches the cards with his bare hands, proving himself to be the real examiner and warns Hisoka not to attack him again lest he wants to be disqualified. He then tells the applicants to follow him into the swamp.

Episodes

 * 148

Films

 * Hunter x Hunter movie 1
 * Hunter x Hunter movie 2

Sagas

 * Hunter Exam arc (Ep. 1 – 21)
 * Zoldyck Family arc (Ep. 22 – 26)
 * Heavens Arena arc (Ep. 27 – 36)
 * Yorknew City arc (Ep. 37 – 58)
 * Greed Island arc (Ep. 59 – 75)
 * Chimera Ant arc (Ep. 76 – 136)
 * 13th Hunter Chairman Election arc (Ep. 137 – 148)

Theme Songs

 * Opening


 * Departure (Ep. 1 – 26)
 * Departure second version (Ep. 27 – 49)
 * Departure third version (Ep. 50 – 75)
 * Departure fourth version (Ep. 76 – 136)
 * Departure fifth version (Ep. 137 – 148)
 * Closing


 * Just Awake (Ep. 1 – 26)
 * Hunting For Your Dream (Ep. 27 – 58)
 * Reason (Ep. 59 – 75)
 * Sparkling Shooting Star (Ep. 76 – 98)
 * Two Sides of the Same Coin (Ep. 99 – 136)
 * Two Sides of the Same Coin (Ep. 137 – 148)

Voice Cast

 * Japanese


 * Megumi Han as Gon Freecss
 * Mariya Ise as Killua Zoldyck
 * Miyuki Sawashiro as Kurapika
 * Keiji Fujiwara as Leorio Paradinight
 * Keiko Han as Mito Freecss
 * Rikiya Koyama as Ging Freecss
 * Hisako Kyoda as Abe
 * Daisuke Namikawa as Hisoka
 * Chisa Yokoyama as Biscuit Krueger
 * Masaya Matsukaze as Illumi Zoldyck
 * Shuichi Ikeda as Kite
 * Aya Hirano as Menchi
 * Toshihiko Seki as Wing
 * Yuka Terasaki as Zushi
 * Yukitoshi Tokumoto as Pokkle
 * Haruka Kudo as Ponzu
 * Toshio Furukawa as Satotz
 * Mamiko Noto as Kalluto Zoldyck
 * Motoko Kumai as Canary
 * Kotono Mitsuishi as Cocco
 * Daisuke Kishio as Hanzo
 * Machiko Toyoshima as Khara
 * Toshiharu Sakurai as Tonpa
 * Junichi Kanemaru as Buhara
 * Masatake Yamamoto as Lippo
 * Takuma Suzuki as Togari
 * Junko Iwao as Kikyo Zoldyck
 * Maaya Uchida as Alluka Zoldyck
 * Hiroshi Otake as Zeno Zoldyck
 * Kenyu Horiuchi as Gotoh
 * Megumi Toda as Amana
 * English

all information on the Hunter x Hunter (2011 Anime) came from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_%C3%97_Hunter
 * Erica Mendez as Gon Freecss
 * Cristina Vee as Killua Zoldyck
 * Erika Harlacher as Kurapika
 * Matthew Mercer as Leorio
 * Rachael Lillis as Mito Freecss
 * N/A as Ging Freecss
 * Barbara Goodson as Abe
 * Keith Silverstein as Hisoka
 * N/A as Biscuit Krueger
 * N/A as Illumi Zoldyck
 * N/A as Kite
 * Amanda Celine Miller as Menchi
 * N/A as Wing
 * N/A as Zushi
 * N/A as Pokkle
 * N/A as Ponzu
 * John DeMita as Satotz
 * N/A as Kalluto Zoldyck
 * N/A as Canary
 * N/A as Cocco
 * Ray Chase as Hanzo
 * N/A as Khara
 * Michael Sorich as Tonpa
 * N/A as Buhara
 * Derek Stephen Prince as Lippo
 * N/A as Togari
 * N/A as Kikyo Zoldyck
 * N/A as Alluka Zoldyck
 * N/A as Zeno Zoldyck
 * N/A as Gotoh
 * N/A as Amana

Trivia

 * Mito is played by Gon's Japanese voice actress' real life mother.
 * In episode 25, "Yorknew City" is mentioned. It is clearly a reference to "New York City".
 * In episode 41, on Neon's phone strap, you can see Puu, the little spirit bird from Togashi's other famous work, Yu Yu Hakusho.
 * In episode 73, the background music during Killua's battle is the karaoke track from his character song, "Tell Me".