Hunter X Hunter is a story that has mesmerized anime and manga fans for decades. Its worldbuilding was already on par with One Piece but with the introduction of the Dark Continent, the worldbuilding just skyrocketed. The revelation that the world Gon, Killua, and the others had been treading on is just a small island on a grander piece of land stuck in a vast ocean filled with unknown creatures was mind-blogging for fans.
The discovery, according to many, is on par with Attack on Titan‘s reveal that humanity thrives beyond Paradis Island. However, some fans still have problems with the series and it’s not because Hunter X Hunter keeps going on frequent breaks.
The major flaws with Hunter X Hunter
According to Animeking1108 on Reddit, Hunter X Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi has 2 major problems.
One of them is that Togashi keeps sidelining the series’ supporting cast quite often, a complaint fans have been having with other series like Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen.
Take Leorio and Kurapika for example. Both have been accompanying Gon and Killua during the Hunter exam, Zoldyck family, and the Yorknew City arcs, but that’s about it. Sure, Leorio does appear in the Election arc but his role wasn’t as impactful as before.
According to the Redditor, they have basically been relevant to the plot only for about 25% of the series.
Even the new cast members who were introduced later in the story did not stick around for long. During the Heaven’s Arena arc, Wing was created to be Gon and Killua’s Nen master and a first-time watcher would think, “Hmmm… he’s a pretty important character. So he’ll definitely be involved in a lot of future events, right?“
Nope! He quickly becomes irrelevant after the arc, where he barely appears in the Greed and Election arcs for a single scene.
The same applies for characters like Kite, Knuckle, Knov, Shoot, and Morel. They’re basically B-tier characters because they stick around for one single arc and Togashi takes them away and brings in new characters.
The Chairman Election arc had Alluka, with the Zodiacs being the focus of the B-Plot. With the Dark Continent Arc, Togashi decided to spice things up and sideline Gon and Killua while making Kurapika the protagonist.
As a result, fans find it difficult to get invested in these characters, especially those who aren’t going to stick around for long.
Another problem Hunter X Hunter has is that Togashi unnecessarily kills off characters after building them up just for shock value. For instance, during the Exam Arc, Hisoka whispered something to Bodoro to make him surrender their fight. A lot of fans thought that would be revealed later on but unfortunately, Killua kills Bodoro immediately after.
The Redditor concludes the argument by saying that the series deserves to be criticized for its flaws, just like Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen. Togashi failed to do what Oda does best: bringing characters back to relevance in later arcs.
However, the post attracted a bunch of responses countering these claims.
Debunking fan criticisms of Hunter X Hunter
One of them states that one should judge a character or development by what the author is trying to do more than some arbitrary expectation of what the author should do.
Sidelining characters isn’t actually a flaw if the author knows what they’re doing. For instance, Kurapika disappeared from the scene after the Yorknew City arc but Togashi had bigger plans for him in the Dark Continent arc, basically making him the central character.
Gon was sidelined because he lost his Nen powers, but a lot of fans have faith he’ll return to the spotlight once he does regain them. Killua served his purpose and decided to journey around with Alluka, saying goodbye to Gon in one of anime’s saddest separations.
With the current Succession War arc taking place in the manga, the world of Hunter X Hunter has gotten so big that it’s hard to stick to just few characters all the time.
Regarding deaths in Hunter X Hunter, Togashi makes sure it always serves a purpose to other characters. For example, Bodoro’s death had huge implications for Killua as a character, setting the stage for his origin story. Kite’s death made Gon reveal his true powers and kick start another journey to regain his powers.
The stakes in Hunter X Hunter are always kept high, while keeping the kill count controlled. As the series makes its grand comeback in Weekly Shonen Jump on October 7, 2024, fans are eager to find out what has become with Kurapika and the lot.
Hunter X Hunter is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
