- Today we're taking a look back at an iconic shonen
anime, "Hunter Hunter". Based on the currently
running quintessential Yoshihiro Togashi manga,
there's thrilling battles, wild monsters, and bloodchilling enemies. And the most best boys
and girls per capita than any other show out there. Disclaimer: we'll be
covering all the events of the 2011 anime, so
there are spoilers ahead. But as a licensed Hunter,
you knew that already, right? (relaxing music) In 1500 a dictator creates Meteor City, a penal colony and the future
home of the Phantom Troupe. 1925. At age 46, a martial
artist named Isaac Netero meditates in the mountains,
sensing that he has reached the limits of his strength. He decides that to push
himself further he must express gratitude for the gifts
martial arts have brought him. To express this gratitude,
he begins a ritual wherein he performs
10,000 punches every day. In the beginning, this
ritual lasts 18 hours. Four years later, he can complete the ritual
in less than an hour. Netero descends the
mountain and challenges a nearby dojo master for
ownership of the dojo. Awestruck by Netero's strength, the dojo master begs Netero to teach him. Thus the Shingen-Ryu school of Martial arts and Nen is formed. Netero spends the next 20 years or so teaching at his school, creating the Shingen-Ryu style of Kung Fu. He also becomes a Hunter in that time. In 1955, he's elected the Hunter
Association's 12th Chairman. Around 1977 a man named
Gyro creates the NGL, a country that rejects
all modern technologies. His goal? To spread evil throughout the world. Around 1978, an 11 year
old boy named Ging Freecss leaves his home on Whale
Island to see the world. A short time later, he
passes the 267th Hunter Exam. About 10 years later in 1987, Ging and his friends use their skills to create a video game
called Greed Island. The game is for Hunters only, and it quickly develops a reputation for containing incredibly
rare and powerful artifacts. If you beat the game, you can bring an artifact
out of the game to keep. In 1988, Ging takes his newborn
son, Gon, on an adventure. They make a pit stop at Greed Island then head to Ging's
home town, Whale Island. Once there, Ging leaves
baby Gon with his cousin, Mito, entrusting her with his care. Around that time, a multi-billionaire named
Battera begins buying up copies of Greed Island
and enlisting Hunters to beat the game. His beloved has fallen ill, but he's heard rumor
of a legendary cure-all that can be found within the game. 1993. At the tender age of six, a young boy named Killua
challenges Heaven's Arena on his father's orders. Heaven's Arena is basically
"Hunter Hunter's" version of the Living Towers from "Mortal Kombat". But luckily for Killua,
he's no normal kid, he's a baby assassin and a member of the notorious Zoldyck family. Which explains why so many
of them act the way they do. Elsewhere, a boy named Kurapika, a member of the isolated Kurta clan, leaves his people in search of adventure. Shortly after Kurapika's departure, a group of bloodthirsty mercenaries known as the Phantom Troupe
massacres his entire village, seeking to sell their coveted scarlet eyes on the black market. One year later, in 1994, Killua finishes his
conquest of Heaven's Arena after reaching the 199th Floor. Around this time, Killua's brother, Illumi Zoldyck places a
needle in Killua's head, forcing him to run from any
conflict he can't obviously win. Ging's constant adventures
make him a hard man to find to say the least. Wanting to keep it that way, he tells his student and protege, Kite, that he must track and find Ging to graduate from his training. In 1995, Kite heads to Whale
Island as part of this search. There he encounters a young
Gon and encourages him to take the Hunter Exam when he's of age. In 1996 Killua's father, Silva Zoldyk, accepts a contract to kill a
member of the Phantom Troupe. He also has to face off
against their leader, Chrollo Lucillfer, as part of the fight. It's a hard fought battle but Silva manages to take out his target. A nen user named Hisoka Morow joins the Phantom Troupe soon after. A year or two after he meets Gon, Kite and his team are
hired by the Kakin Empire to find and identify new
species in their country. By 1998, Gon is eager
to take the Hunter exam, but his aunt Mito isn't keen on letting him follow his
father's dangerous path. She tells him he must capture
the Master of the Swamp, a giant fish, to take the Hunter Exam. By December, he's caught the mighty beast. The year is now 1999 so strap in because this is where we cast off! In early January Gon leaves Whale island on a ferry bound for the Hunter Exam. He meets Leorio Paladiknight and Kurapika on the ferry, who're also
heading for the exam. Each of them has a different
reason for being a Hunter. Gon wants to track down his dad, Kurapika wants to avenge his family by destroying the Phantom Troupe, and Leorio just wants some
cash, and a medical degree. Fair enough. After surviving the
journey to the exam site, the trio arrives at the 287th
Hunter Exam on January 7th. Gon quickly befriends a silver-haired kid with a sick deck, Killua! They bond over being the
youngest people taking the exam while running an 80 kilometer marathon, the first part of the exam. Which is why I'll never become a hunter. Over the next two weeks,
Gon and Killua's bond grows, and another examinee, Hisoka becomes interested in
these two super-talented kids. Chairman Netero also
notices the boys' potential. Meanwhile, Killua discovers
that his older brother, Illumi, is also taking the exam. But his only real goal
is to sabotage Killua, because Illumi is a huge jerk. Illumi manipulates Killua into
murdering another examinee before he can complete the
exam, failing as a result. Convinced he isn't
worthy of having friends or being a Hunter, he heads
home to nurse his wounds. Before the exam ends, Hisoka tells Kurapika he knows something about the elusive Phantom Troupe. Hisoka promises to reveal
his knowledge if Kurapika can meet him in Yorknew
City on September 1st. ♪ Do you remember ♪ Copyright, I don't know. With Killua gone, the remaining examinees are
rewarded for their tenacity. Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, Illumi, Hisoka, and a few others become licensed hunters. Gon may have reached his goal, but he lost a friend along the way, and that doesn't sit right with him. Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio
head to Killua's family home to see what's up. Killua lives in a giant,
scary, booby-trapped mansion full of evil assassins who
also happen to be his family! And their assassin butlers, of course. The path to Killua is
blocked by the testing gate which has multiple, super heavy doors and to reach him they train
to open the first door, which weighs about four tons. About a month later in February, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio make
it through the testing gate. They have to face off against
the Zoldyck family's butlers, but soon enough, the trio
is reunited with Killua! Though they've just been reunited, the four buddies go their separate ways, promising to meet again in six
months time in Yorknew City. Leorio enrolls in med school, Kurapika begins his quest
to avenge his people, and Gon and Killua head
to Heavens Arena to train. Unbeknownst to these
fresh Hunters and Killua, there's still an important
skill they've yet to learn. Which is known as Nen. Kurapika finds a Nen teacher
in a man named Izunavi. Meanwhile at Heaven's Arena,
Gon and Killua encounter a kid named Zushi on the 50th floor. He wields a mysterious power. Still, Killua defeats him, but the boys are curious to
learn about his special skills. They meet Zushi's master, a man named Wing, and ask
him about Zushi's power. He isn't forthcoming however, and the boys leave dissatisfied. They continue fighting
their way up Heaven's Arena, reaching the 200th floor before Hisoka blocks their path with Nen. Frustrated, Gon and Killua force Wing to teach them about the real Nen. He reveals that Nen is
crucial for a Hunter. It's even considered the secret second half of the Hunter Exam. There are six Nen types: Enhancement, Transmutation, Conjuration, Specialization,
Manipulation, and Emission. After Wing's crash course
in Nen, Gon and Killua breeze past Hisoka's barrier, officially entering the 200th floor. Over the next few months, the pair fight through the
arena while mastering nen. When Gon completes his training, he challenges Hisoka to a match. Gon loses but Hisoka recognizes
Gon's incredible potential as a rival, and vows to
fight him again one day. With nen skills under their belts, Gon and Killua make a
detour to Whale Island. While there, Mito presents the boys with an old memento of
Ging's: a metal box. But it's no ordinary
box, it's sealed by Nen. The boys open it and find a
recording from Ging inside. Gon's absentee father
challenges his son to find him. You know, typical dad stuff. The box also contains a
memory card for Greed Island, the game Ging created. Gon and Killua are pumped to try it out, but like anyone who want a new console, they discover that it's expensive, even for two kids with Hunter Licenses. So the boys make a plan
to earn some extra dough. In late July, Kurapika concludes
his training with Izunavi, creating a personal Nen-technique
based around chains. Each of his fingers has a
different chain ability. He can heal himself, puncture
the heart of an opponent to seal Nen, and even guide himself to things he's trying to find. Even better, his abilities amplify when his eyes turn Scarlet. To properly focus these
powers, he has a conviction that they only be used for finding and destroying
the Phantom Troupe. It's August, just one month before the crew meets up in Yorknew city. Kurapika is hired as a
bodyguard for the daughter of mafia don Light Nostrade. He joins a group of
assassins that include, Basho, Baise, and best girl, Melody. The bodyguards follow the
don's daughter, Neon Nostrade, and head to the Underground
Auction in Yorknew. This Auction is swarming
with underworld types as well as rare and illegal items. Neon is a Nen user and a
collector of human flesh, including the scarlet
eyes of the Kurta Clan, which also happen to be on sale. She's also got a special Nen ability that allows her to predict the future. This ability has led to her
father's success in the mafia, and puts a giant target on her back. She doesn't care though, she
just wants to go shopping. The auction draws out a
lot of unsavory characters out of the woodwork,
including the Spiders, also known as the Phantom Troupe. As professional thieves and assassins, the Underground Auction is an opportunity to
make off with a fortune. As the September 1st
meeting date rolls around, Gon, Killua, and Leorio
descend on Yorknew City. Still coming up a bit
short for Greed Island, the trio decides to earn
money through arm wrestling. As a high profile auction with only the top mafiosos
in attendance begins, the Phantom Troupe massacre the guests. Even the mafia's strongest enforcers, the Shadow Beasts are
helpless against the Spiders. But at least they give us a few disturbing and creepy
battles, so there's that. Rest in peace Shadow Beasts. The leech one was gross though. Kurapika, acting as Neon's
bodyguard, is also on the scene. He uses his nen chains to capture Uvogin, but the Phantom Troupe frees him. The next day, the news of the Phantom Troupe's
attack is everywhere. Still struggling to make enough
scratch for Greed Island, Gon, Killua, and Leorio
seemingly strike gold when they're enlisted to capture the phantom troupe for the mafia. If they're successful,
they'll be richly rewarded. Kurapika, is still doing
his bodyguard thing. He faces off against Uvogin again, this time defeating him with yet another special nen ability, judgment chain, to pierce his heart. Killua's neckbeard older brother, Milluki, finally emerges from his
mancave in the family mansion for the first time in seven years to try to get his hands on Greed Island. He travels to Yorknew City. Meanwhile, Killua and Gon spot two members of the Phantom Troupe, Machi and Nobunaga. The boys tail them, only to get captured and
brought back to their lair. The Phantom Troupe
executes the second part of their attack on the auction. Murders? Check. Thievery? All in good time. The Spiders use a copy
ability to create forgeries of the items up for auction
and steal the originals. With the heist complete, the Troupe leaves behind a few
fake corpses of their members to make it look like
the Troupe was defeated. Back at the hideout, Gon and
Killua make their escape. More heavy hitters show up in Yorknew when Mafia leaders hire
Silva and Zeno Zoldyck, Killua's Grandfather, to
assist in capturing the Troupe. Chrollo and the two Zoldycks clash. However, Chrollo approaches Illumi Zoldyck and hires him to slay the Mafia leaders. Illumi succeeds in killing
the dons before Zeno and Silva can kill Chrollo, so
with their client dead, the Zoldycks let Chrollo
go on his merry way. In the aftermath of the latest attack, the Mafia cancels their
bounty on the Phantom Troupe, believing them to be defeated. But when Kurapika meets with Hisoka, he learns that the corpses are fake. Kurapika, Gon, Leorio, and Killua reunite and make a plan to take
down the Phantom Troupe. Gon and Killua are captured
by the troupe once again. This time, the Phantom
Troupe's resident mentalist, Pakunoda, reads their minds and uncovers information
about the chain user that killed Uvogin. Before they can take him out, Kurapika captures Chrollo
using those special chains. The two groups agree to
exchange hostages at midnight. At the exchange, Kurapika uses his
Judgement Chain on Chrollo, cursing him to die if he
speaks to any Phantom Troupe members or uses his nen. Hisoka leaves the Phantom Troupe, he's no longer interested in fighting the Spider boss if he's nenless. Chrollo heads East in
search of a nen exorcist who could remove
Kurapika's Judgement Chain. Just six days after the
Underground Auction kicked off, the public auction begins. The boys resume their
hunt for Greed Island, learning they can enter the
game without paying a dime by joining the Greed Island Task Force, run by pro hunter Tsezguerra and Battera. Upon being inspected
by Tsezguerra however, Killua and Gon are deemed too weak. Gon and Killua begin practicing their nen's ren form to retake the exam, Killua also experimenting
with electricity. They return a few days later to take Tsezguerra's exam and pass! The billionaire Battera wins all seven Greed Island copies that
were up for auction. Disappointed by his loss,
Milluki Zoldyck returns home. But not before eating a whole ton of food. The crew splits up again as the auction begins to draw to a close. Kurapika and his fellow
Nostrade bodyguards leave Yorknew City and Leorio
returns to medical school. Gon and Killua go to Battera's castle where they finally enter Greed Island. Back in Yorknew, The Phantom Troupe believes they can find a nen
exorcist in Greed Island, prompting Phinks and
Feitan to steal a copy. The two Spiders enter the game. Greed Island is basically Yugioh. Greed Island is basically
a card capturing game; players win by collecting
all of the special items in the game and storing
them in their card binder. But it's no normal game,
only nen users can play it, and players are immediately transported into the game when they boot it up. On top of that, players
can only leave the game using a special card, so it's
easy to get trapped inside. Oh, and if you die in the
game you die in real life. Undeterred, the boys head to Antokiba, Greed Island's city of prizes. While there, they're
invited to join an alliance. During the gathering, a player is killed by an in-game terrorist
known as the Bomber. The alliance wants to
unite and complete the game before the Bomber takes them out. But Gon and Killua aren't convinced, so they go off on their own. It's September 15th, just two weeks after the
boys met up in Yorknew, and they're already in
a deadly video game. The life of a professional
Hunter is never dull! The Spiders get their bearings in-game while Shalnark realizes that
the game is taking place in the real world. They'd assumed it was a Zordark
online situation until then. The Spiders continue their
search for an exorcist, while Killua and Gon just wanna have fun. The pair meets another pro-Hunter, the forever young Biscuit Krueger. AKA Bisky. I know I said Melody is best
girl and she totally is, but so is Bisky. There can be two. Interested in learning
more about the card system, Killua, Gon, and Bisky head to
Masadora, the city of magic. As they continue through the badlands, the three are stalked by a member of the Bomber's squad, Binolt. He attacks but is promptly
defeated by Bisky, who holds him captive while Gon and Killua train by fighting him. As it turns out Bisky is
a formidable Nen master, and Wing's original teacher. The boys enjoy a shonen-style
training montage, eventually defeating Binolt. Gon, Killua, and Biscuit head to Masadora. They make it to Masadora in early October, completing level one
of Biscuit's training. By December, Gon and
Killua have learned Ken, and it's more advanced form, Ryu, and begin focusing on
their specific nen types. Enhancement and
Transmutation, respectively. Elsewhere, the members
of the Phantom Troupe who aren't in the game
travel to Greed Island, but are kicked out as soon
as they reach the shores by Razor, a formidable
Nen-user in short shorts who guards Greed Island's
borders from IRL intruders. Several weeks later,
a player named Genthru reveals himself to be
one of three bombers. He activates his nen
ability countdown on bombs he discreetly placed on
everyone in the alliance over the last few years. Killua uses a special card that allows him to leave the game to take
the 288th Hunter Exam, so he can finally get his license. He beats it in a day. Back in the game, Gon and Biscuit learn that
Genthru is the bomber. They find out from a guy named Abengane, a former member of the player alliance. Abengane is a rare nen exorcist; he's able to remove
Genthru's invisible bomb using his special ability. But before he can remove
the other players' bombs, the Bombers detonate them, wiping out the remaining
members of the player alliance. During this time, Gon sees a familiar name on the list of players in
the game, Chrollo Lucilfer. 2000. It's the new millennium
and apparently Greed Island is immune to Y2K, thankfully. Two weeks after leaving,
Killua returns to Greed Island, this time with some
special weaponized Yo-Yos, courtesy of his bro, Milluki. When Killua meets up with Gon and Bisky, Gon explains the whole Chrollo
Lucifer situation to Killua. With Killua back in the game
the boys continue their quest to capture all the Clow Cards. Around February, Battera's
lover succumbs to illness. But Biscuit and the boys keep on trucking. Gon, Killua, and Biscuit are
invited to join a new alliance that wants to stop the bombers
from completing Greed Island. Their first goal is to obtain
Card 002, Plot of Beach, which Genthru and the
bombers have yet to acquire. Once they obtain the card,
other members of the alliance will gather all available copies, monopolizing the card and
preventing the Bombers from completing their card binders. It turns out that Razor,
Greed Island's bouncer, stands between the boys
and the Plot of Beach card. Razor makes quick work of the alliance. After suffering a brutal
defeat, the alliance loses faith in their plan to defeat
the Bombers and disbands. Still wishing to defeat Razor, Gon and Killua start
looking for new players to take on the challenge with them. They're joined by Goreinu, who was in their original alliance. But they still need to fill another slot on their roster before they
can take on Razor again. They search out the
Chrollo Lucilfer contact they've seen in the game. Turns out Chrollo Lucifer is just an alias being used by Hisoka! He wanted the other Spiders
to find him in the game, so he used Chrollo's name as bait. Hisoka agrees to take on Razor. The group invites him to locate Tsezguerra and his group to join them, too. After the toughest game
of Volleyball in history, Gon's team emerges victorious, but Killua's hands are
destroyed in the process. With Plot of Beach secured, Tsezguerra's group feels confident enough to attack the bombers. In the meantime, Killua and
Gon continue their training, hoping to take out the
bombers when they're done. As March begins, Tsezguerra give up on attacking the bombers
and flee the game. Upon leaving, they find
a heartbroken Batera. Following his lover's death, the billionaire has given up
on the Greed Island Task Force. That means there's no reward for securing the artifact he seeks, so Tsezguerra's team quits playing the Greed Island game for good! Gon, Killua, and Biscuit face the Bombers in one-on-one combat. Killua debuts his brand
new electric Yo-Yos and kicks some ass. They successfully defeat the Bombers, collect all the remaining
cards, and win the game! Thus ending what sometimes feels like the longest arch in this entire series. As a reward for their victory,
Biscuit, Killua, and Gon are each allowed to bring a
card back to the real world. Gon deduces that a player they encountered under the pseudonym Nigg could
in fact be his dad, Ging! Gon takes a card from the
game that would allow him to warp to that player's
location in the real world. Back in the real world,
Gon activates the card, expecting to meet Ging, but instead it brings him
to Ging's protege, Kite. After a brief conversation, Killua and Gon join Kite's research team. They're tasked with finding new species in the foreign country of Kakin. The team finishes their research in April, and Kite is called to
examine something strange, a leg belonging to the Chimera Ant Queen. Kite sees the writing on the
wall, and it's terrifying. Chimera Ants, like Xenomorphs, consume other species
and assimilate their DNA. Each subsequent generation of Chimera Ants becomes more powerful
and evolved as a result of this genetic blending. By May, Chimera Ants begin an
aggressive culling of humans in the NGL, planning to use the
corpses to feed their Queen, thus creating more ants. Because NGL is so isolated
from the rest of the world, news of the slaughter has
yet to reach the outside. By the end of the month, the Hunter Association gets involved. Several groups of Hunters
enter the NGL to investigate and they're promptly
wiped out by Chimera Ants. They also play a crucial role in escalating the Chimera Ant crisis. These Hunters are the first nen users the Chimera Ants consume. They discover that nen users' corpses are especially nourishing
and tasty, and Colt, the Chimera Ant Queen's
most devoted servant, is among the first of
them to unlock nen powers. With these new nen-wielding super beasts, the situation gets real bleak real quick. And because things can
only get worse from there, the Chimera Ant queen begins
gestating a Chimera Ant King. Gon, Killua, Kite, and the rest
of their team enter the NGL. Gon and Killua are able to
deal some damage to the ants, but they rely on Kite, who is truly one of the
baddest dudes they've ever met. Until the first Royal Guard
Chimera Ant, Neferpitou is born. Pitou is overwhelmingly strong,
even stronger than Kite. Pitou almost instantly slays him. But not before Kite tells Killua and Gon to get the heck out of Dodge. At the end of May, Gon and
Killua leave NGL, meeting Netero, and Pro Hunters Morel and
Knov on the country's border. Determined to save Kite, Gon and Killua ask to be allowed to take part in the Hunter's mission. The group heads to Doli
City where the boys have to face off against
Morel's apprentices to earn their spot on
the infiltration squad. It's there that they meet Palm, yet another best-girl
and Knov's apprentice. She quickly becomes infatuated with Gon, who implies that despite being a kid, he's had plenty of
experience romancing women. Biscuit also shows up in Doli City to continue Gon and Killua's training. Meanwhile, Netero, Morel, and Knov locate the Chimera Ant nest. Around this time, the
second royal guard member, Shaiapouf is born. When June rolls around Gon and Killua head to challenge Knuckle. Alas, they're pretty outmatched, but being an understanding guy, Knuckle says they can
challenge him every day until the deadline to join
the other pro Hunters. It's around this time that Menthuthuyoupi, also known as Youpi, the third and final member
of the Royal Guard is born. On June 29th, with the deadline looming, Gon and Killua face Knuckle and Shoot to see who will join
the extermination team. Overwhelmed by Shoot's
abilities and influenced by the needle that Illumi
implanted in his brain, Killua runs away, forfeiting the match. Gon puts up a great fight,
but Knuckle's Nen ability, Hakoware, renders him powerless,
so he loses his fight. Gon also loses his ability
to use nen for 30 days. Killua promises to protect
Gon until his Nen returns. Still feeling outgunned, Netero goes to enlist
Zeno Zoldyck's assistance in defeating the Chimera Ants. As the battle to save humanity
reaches a fever pitch, King of the Chimera ants, Mereum, is born. He kills the Queen
shortly after his birth. Posthumously, the queen delivers one more small baby Chimera
Ant, a reincarnation of Kite. Mereum and his Royal Guard
head to NGL's palace. They quickly take it over
and use the NGL's dictator as a puppet to hide their machinations. The other Chimera Ant Squadron Leaders are left with little to
do now that they no longer have to protect and
harvest food for the Queen. Most of them spread throughout the World to follow their own paths. Only a handful stay by the king's side. Elsewhere, Knuckle and Shoot are forced to battle Kite's corpse, which is being manipulated like a puppet thanks
to Pitou's nen ability. Outside the borders of NGL,
Palm and Gon go on a date. It seems pretty good
all things considered? As July begins, the extermination team
returns with Kite's Corpse. It mindlessly attacks
Gon and is unresponsive to the normally effective
emotional speech special attack that all shonen protagonists rely on when facing old friends. Gon is heartbroken to
see Kite in this state. He's also enraged. We start to see the dark
side of our main good boy. At the end of the month, the Chimera Ants begin gathering the remaining human population
of NGL into one place so they can slaughter them. They call this process the Selection. On July 28th Gon's Nen returns! The Selection is 10 days away, and Chimera Ants begin
attacking smaller villages around East Gorteau to get a
head start on their massacre. As the Chimera Ants
approach their endgame, all of the major players
face off against Ants. Killua fights Leol, and then takes out the
cutest of best boys, the Octopus-Infiltrator ant, Ikalgo. Killua's conviction inspires Ikalgo, who dons a beanie and then
joins the hunter's cause! Killua then fights a couple
of dart throwing ants who are surprisingly tough to beat. Incapacitated from his last fight, Killua is rescued by Ikalgo,
cementing their friendship. The chameleon Chimera Ant,
Meleoron introduces himself to Gon in hopes of befriending the boy and helping him take down the King. Some of the ants are
beginning to recover memories of their former lives as humans, causing them to stray from
the Chimera Ant cause. Meleoron is a powerful ally thanks to his Nen
ability God's Accomplice, which allows him and
anything he's touching to disappear completely from existence for as long as he can hold his breath. In the castle, Mereum begins
contemplating his existence in a very Saitama-like way. If he was born the most
powerful being in the universe, what's the point of life? He begins honing his
intelligence by facing off against masters of different human games. He defeats the national shoji champion, then the national go champion. It's too easy. He's left unsatisfied and
hungry for a worthy opponent. In August, his royal guard brings him the national Gungi champion
and yes, that's right, the most purest of best girls, Komugi. Komugi is extremely skilled in
Gungi, yet extremely humble. They play, and Meruem loses. He loses again. And again. And if you ever thought
tabletop gaming wasn't worthy of an extended, multi
episode shonen style battle, Komugi and Meruem are here
to tell you you're wrong. Meruem worked the other
game masters to exhaustion, so it's surprising when
he gives Komugi a break to rest and recover so they
can play more the next day. Meruem's royal guard Pouf takes note of this concerning behavior. Meruem offers his arm if he loses. But he tears it off before they even play in penance for accidentally
shading Komugi. Pitou uses their nen ability, Dr. Blythe, to patch the King up and if
the rest of us had access to Dr. Blythe maybe the healthcare system would be a little better. And also we could create
evil corpse puppets, but that's beside the point. Back with the Hunters, Gon introduces Meleoron
to the rest of his team. Morel and Knov begin scouting the capital. Morel fends off multiple
Chimera Ant attacks. Knov infiltrates the palace to set up markers for his nen ability, which allows him to create
portals on flat surfaces. These portals are perfect for
an infiltration like this. However, Knov is so
traumatized after encountering Pitou's bloodthirsty aura
that he is forced to retreat and spend the rest of
the mission sidelined. Netero and Zeno initiate
an attack on the palace with Zeno's patented nen
Dragon Dive technique, which rains hundreds of dragons
over the Chimera Ant HQ. This attack damages the castle, but hits one unintended target, Komugi. Meruem rushes to her aid, demanding that Pitou use
their ability to save Komugi. Touched by the ant's compassion,
Zeno loses his desire to defeat the king, leaving
Netero to finish the job. Netero convinces the
king that their battle should take place at a
military testing site. He agrees. Elsewhere in the castle Shoot
and Knuckle corner Youpi. The battle is strenuous. Fighting hard and annoyed
by Knuckle's Hakoware, Youpi pushes himself to the next level, transforming into a winged abomination with the ability to explode. His first blast creates a massive crater, nearly killing Knuckle and Shoot. In the throne room, Morel and
Pouf are locked in combat. Morel has trapped the ant
using his Smoky Jail technique, enveloping the entire area in smoke. The battle comes to a
halt when Pouf transforms into hundreds of miniature sized
Poufs that are small enough to escape from Morel's Smoky Jail. Gon and Killua head to Pitou's location with revenge on the mind. Well, Gon wants revenge, but Killua just wants to make sure Gon
doesn't get himself killed. Gon tries to attack Pitou upon arriving, but Pitou begs Gon to
wait at least a few hours so they can finish
healing Komugi's wounds. Good boy Gon agrees to wait. He also adds a stipulation
that when the waiting is over, Pitou has to heal Kite, too. Meleoron arrives and asks for some backup for Knuckle and Shoot, who still have their
hands full with Youpi. Killua leaves with the chameleon. He attacks the explosive
ant with a full showcase of his high-velocity
Nen technique, Godspeed. Youpi is unable to counter his moves. Back in the throne room, Morel realizes that Pouf has escaped so he dispels Smokey Jail. Pouf attacks and steals
Morel's signature giant pipe, but not before Morel
summons 89 smoke clones using a move called Deep Purple. As Killua heads back to Gon's side, Morel joins Knuckle's battle against Youpi using his smoke clones. But Youpi just transforms once again. With Deep Purple's last
smoke human defeated, Morel heavily injured,
and Youpi powered-up, Knuckle makes a last-ditch
effort to save his pals. But Youpi has bigger fish to fry. The king is in danger. He abandons the fight
to meet up with Pouf. Netero and Mereum kick off their battle with some philosophical conversations about the nature of humanity. "Hunter Hunter" is one big
morality tale, after all. Although Netero is
prepared to kill Meruem, the ant king refuses to fight back. He'd rather talk it out like an adult. But because the whole point
of all this is making us question whether humans
are inherently violent or inherently peaceful, Netero has no choice
but to provoke the king, even though his heart really isn't in it. Netero tells the king
that he knows his name. It's a question that's been plaguing him ever since he met Komugi. And because he doesn't have
this handy Timeline video, he doesn't know his name yet! The battle begins. While the king's physical
power is unparalleled, even with Netero's superior
experience, the Hunter Chairman is able to overtake him using
the speed of his nen ability, 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva. Despite Netero's speed, the king begins dismembering the chairman, in the hopes of stopping the battle. But Netero refuses to lose. The chairman makes a short speech, revealing the ant's name, Mereum. With no other way out, the chairman decides to
make the ultimate sacrifice, activating a small nuke
known as the Poor Man's Rose, which is hidden within his body. While Netero dies in the explosion, Mereum survives thanks
to his Royal Guards. Youpi and Pouf offer
their cells to the King, regenerating the king's body
in a sequence that exists so that we can see Pouf and
Youpi in their chibi forms. The king is whole again,
but he has amnesia. Specifically, he can't remember
his friendship with Komugi, but he's got a nagging feeling that there's something he's forgetting. But Pouf isn't going to
be the one to remind him. He sees Komugi as a liability. Back at the castle, Pitou has healed Komugi to
the best of their abilities. Now it's time for Pitou to heal
their second patient: Kite. Pitou leaves Komugi behind as a hostage to ensure their good behavior. Pouf tricks Pitou into thinking
they've recaptured Komugi, meaning the deal is off and
they can attack Gon at will. Pitou admits to Gon that
they already killed Kite. In an instant, Gon decides he's going to make
his own ultimate sacrifice, summoning all the power and life energy he'll ever have to force
his body to transform. Our lil guy is all grown up,
in the creepiest way possible. With his new power in hand,
Gon near-instantly kills Pitou. Killua arrives in time to
witness Gon's tragic sacrifice. He's heartbroken for his best friend. Nearby, it turns out that
Netero's death wasn't in vain. The bomb may not have
killed Meruem instantly, but it's a chemical weapon
containing a deadly poison. It's only a matter of time
until Meruem succumbs. Youpi and Pouf die from exposure to the poison before the king does. Knowing that the end is nigh, he remembers what he's forgotten, Komugi. He rushes to her side to
spend his last hours with her. He warns her that she'll be
exposed to the poison too, if they play one last game. Komugi doesn't care, she just
wants to be with this person who's been kind to her. The two play one last game
then peacefully pass on, hand-in-hand. Who are the real monsters here? Humans or Chimera Ants? I'll leave it for you to decide. But it's humans. With the Chimera ant conflict over, most of the survivors go
in search of the families they once had as humans. Former Squadron leader, Colt takes charge of
the Queen's last baby, naming her Reina. The team of Hunters returns
back home, including Palm, who was assimilated as a chimera ant. Knov will never be the same,
and Gon is in bad shape. Killua is desperate to save his friend, so he makes a rash decision and returns to his family's mansion to ask for the help of
his sibling, Alluka. Alluka is kept under lock and key because they have a disturbing ability, they can grant any wish, but
it's a monkey's paw situation. No matter how big or small the wish is, there are consequences to
suffer when its granted. And some of them are really bad. Although Killua is able to
escape with his sibling, what will it cost to save
his friend from death? Killua is Alluka's favorite family member because he's the only one who treats them like a human being, so it's
possible he'll get off easy. Hearing about Killua's plan, Illumi hires Hisoka to stop his brother, worrying that using Allkua will
result in the demise of Gon, Killua, Hisoka, and the
entire Zoldyck family. While Killua works to save Gon, the Hunter Association
must elect a new Chairman. Ging meets with Beans, the
association's cute secretary, to plan an election. Which is sometimes tedious,
not unlike actual politics, so I'm going to summarize
this part with broad strokes: there are a lot of candidates,
all with certain qualities that could make them good leaders. But one of them, Pariston,
Netero's number two, is a slimy slimeball
whose motives are unclear, except for his thirst for power. But he's charming so he's
able to sway lots of voters to his side in spite of his questionably proto-fascist leanings. After three failed votes, and
with our main crew of dudes occupied with Gon's recovery, Leorio interrupts a debate to
give Ging a piece of his mind. Ging's son is near death, so why is he messing around
with this election BS? He's got more important things to do! When Ging swerves Leorio's demands, Leorio punches him right in the piehole. And that's a deeply satisfying moment because Jesus Christ, Ging! Where'd you learn to be a dad? Anime? Leorio's rewarded with a groundswell of public support, after the next round of
voting he's in third place. Meanwhile, Killua is
heading to the hospital with Alluka in tow, protected by some of the
Zoldyck family bodyguards. It doesn't take long for
Illumi and Hisoka to begin attacking Killua and his crew. When Illumi confronts him again, he's forced to reveal
some interesting info about Alluka's power: if
you ask Alluka to heal, there's no negative effect after the wish. This is enough to convince
Illumi to abandon the chase. Meanwhile, the eight election vote has taken place and it's void, too. But now it's down to Pariston
vs Leorio for the final round. Back at the hospital, Killua
asks Alluka to heal Gon. Alluka's incredible powers
work, and Gon is alive and well! And hey, Ging is there! And he gets a public shaming from all of his Hunter
Association colleagues, which he deserves! Ging gives Gon some okay
advice before leaving Gon once again to visit Kite. Can't catch a break. With Gon awake, he and Leorio cast tie-breaking
votes for Pariston. Pariston quickly cedes
his victory to Cheedle, making her the 14th
Chairman and leaving us all with a lot of questions
about his election meddling. Gon meets up with Reina,
who now knows they are Kite, and they've retained
all of Kite's memories! Gon then goes to meet Ging
on top of the World Tree. But hey, found families are
way better than absentee dads, and Gon has plenty of
people looking out for him. After nearly 150 episodes together, Gon and Killua part ways. Killua wants to travel
the world with his Alluka. Gon wants to spend more time with Ging. Gon meets his father and the
two are finally able to bond, sharing tales of their adventures. In the anime, we then get
a little epilogue montage. Gon is traveling with Kite and friends, Kurapika has successfully
collected multiple scarlet eyes, Leorio is in school, Killua is traveling, Komugi and Mereum have
passed away while embracing. That was a perfect
ending to a perfect show. But there's more! And it's even wilder than
what we've seen so far! Nen Beasts! The Dark Continent! A cruise ship that looks
like an adorable whale! If you can't wait for
the anime to someday, maybe someday be adapted,
then check out the manga which is currently on hiatus hiatus. I'm Y. Chang, you've been
watching "Get in the Robot", your anime explainer. And if you've made it this far,
thanks for sticking around. Consider subscribing!
