How Hunter x Hunter Keeps Applying the Pressure

Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga has powerful but tempered protagonists

Of those who watch anime and are in the online anime sphere, one of the most infamous stories to talk about is Hunter x Hunter. Togashi’s latest work may have been ongoing for decades, but it has inspired some of the most famous properties to come out of Japan, such as Naruto. That’s because HxH is filled to the brim with quality.

It’s difficult to pinpoint what exactly makes HxH a compelling and rich narrative. Is it the plot? The characters? The setting? All of those aspects are great, but if the protagonist suffers then everything else also suffers. Good thing Togashi has this part down. Gon Freecs and Killua Zoldyck are extremely overpowered. Despite being children, the two have shown to perform extraordinary feats that others could only dream of, and even surpass adults twice their age.

This kind of storytelling can lead to problems and is why many don’t like overpowered protagonists. There is no tension when the viewer doesn’t believe the character has a chance of being defeated. Our emotional investment becomes stale because there’s nothing challenging that investment. HxH handles tension well despite having very strong protagonists.

The Hunter Exam Arc

Gon Freecs and Killua Zoldyck meet during HxH’s first arc, the Hunter Exam. After becoming friends, it’s apparent that both of them have incredible talent, able to bash around adults that are twice their age or more. Yet despite that, there are some characters introduced that eclipse even their talent, like Hisoka. Gon and Killua learn that they need to train in order to become stronger, despite being already very strong. Hell, Killua is a trained assassin that has killed a multitude of people before already. Each arc has a great example of Togashi understanding how to create interesting scenarios for his protagonists.

Heaven’s Arena Arc

In order for Gon to be strong enough to take on Hisoka again, he and Killua train at the battle tower known as the Heaven’s Arena. There they compete against many fighters, climbing the floors, and becoming stronger. Two new characters are introduced in this arc: Wing and his disciple Zushi. Gon and Killua learn about Nen, the story’s magic system, through Wing’s guidance. As the arc goes on, Gon and Killua progress much faster than Zushi does despite Zushi having been in training already. The pair master abilities extremely quickly, taking months (and this would have been even shorter had Gon not broken the rules) to learn the four basics of Nen.

There’s no getting around it. The speed of which they learn Nen is absurd. Wing calls them “one in ten million talents.” However, the story was able to keep the tension high because Togashi kept Hisoka in play. Rather than use the arc as filler, the fight promised in the arc prior was going to happen in the arena. Not just Hisoka; Gon and Killua face multiple opponents that are extremely powerful. He doesn’t even end up beating Hisoka, which would happen in other manga of this type.

Despite learning Nen as fast as Gon, Killua takes a sort of backseat during this arc. It is mainly about Gon proving himself to Hisoka.

York New City Arc

Following their training at the Heaven’s Arena, Gon and Killua travel to York New City in order to procure a special item, the game Greed Island. What they didn’t know was that the city would be overcome by the Mafia, and worse, the infamous Phantom Troupe. Gon and Killua assist their friend Kurapika in order to diffuse the situation. Togashi continues the theme of very strong opponents. They’re easily defeated by the Phantom Troupe. They don’t really do much in this arc at all, either. They even become hostages. It’s because the Troupe keeps catching them every time Gon and Killua try to follow.

What’s interesting to point out here is that this formula wouldn’t work unless there was a spotlight on another character, which there was. Technically, Hunter x Hunter has 4 main characters. Kurapika and Leorio are the other two. However, they do not embody the classic protagonist tropes that Gon and Killua do. Kurapika becomes strong enough to take on the Phantom Troupe, but only the Phantom Troupe. There are rules placed on his abilities that allow for this to make sense within the plot. He and Leorio also disappear for a lot of the story’s runtime. Hunter x Hunter as a whole mostly focuses on Gon and Killua.

Greed Island Arc

Once Kurapika succeded in neutralizing Chrollo, the four go their separate ways. Gon and Killua finally obtain the Greed Island game. Once inside, the arc acts as another training arc of sorts. Trying to be the first players to beat the game, Gon and Killua start collecting the cards required. Bisky becomes the new mentor figure, teaching them new applications of Nen. They also face a new antagonist, who wants to kill them and take the cards they’ve collected.

Togashi keeps the tension simple in this arc. Their new enemy, Genthru, is a murderer also trying to be the first player to beat the game. He’s also stronger than Gon. During their final fight, Gon uses the environment to defeat him. Even though it’s simple, the tension remains because the plot keeps up with Gon’s strength.

Chimera Ant Arc

In Hunter x Hunter’s longest story arc, Gon and Killua are challenged by characters that not only are stronger than them but aren’t even human. The Chimera Ants gain Nen abilities by consuming humans that have the power. Now accompanied by yet another mentor figure, Kite, the trio must deal with a new threat.

Gon becomes quite attached to Kite despite not knowing him long, and when Togashi kills him off, Gon drops deeper and deeper into depravity as the arc progresses. In the end, when he faces Kite’s killer, Gon brutally murders Pitou with a Nen power very similar to how Kurapika gained his abilities in the York New City Arc. In exchange for this power, Gon sacrifices his powers and his life.

The Election Arc

With Gon now bound to a hospital bed clinging to life, Killua must find a way to heal him. Using his youngest sibling Alluka, Killua devises a strategy to get Alluka past his family in order to heal Gon. The Zoldycks don’t think too highly of Alluka, thanks to Alluka’s special powers. Killua has to defeat Illumi, who is stronger than him.

In the end, Killua ends up using Alluka’s abilities to defeat Illumi and heal Gon. Despite not dealing with much tension up until this point, Togashi puts Killua through the wringer when he’s on his own.

The Takeaway

When developing a story, writers should take into account how tension works within the fabric of the narrative that they’re trying to tell. A viewer/reader is invested because they think a character can die at any time. Not having this leads to stale storytelling.

Originally published at facetsoffantasy.net.