Every Season Of Hunter X Hunter Ranked

“Hunter x Hunter” is one of the greatest anime of all time. Based on the manga of the same name by Yoshihiro Togashi, creator of “Yu Yu Hakusho,” the story starts out as simple as they come — we follow Gon Freecss, a young boy who sets out on a journey to become a Hunter in order to find his dad.

It is a familiar premise to fans of action manga like “Naruto” and “Dragon Ball,” but that is only the beginning, because “Hunter x Hunter” quickly evolves into a unique adventure like no other. Every story arc feels like part of an entirely different genre — from a creature feature about mutant ants to a noir mystery and a fun video game adventure — and the story constantly changes tone, setting, and even cast. It’s so good and popular that “Hunter x Hunter” has been turned into an anime twice (since the original manga remains incomplete), with fans still waiting for a seventh season of the most recent adaptation. But even if unfinished, the show works as a complete and hugely satisfying narrative.

Like most anime, “Hunter x Hunter” was not produced in traditional “seasons,” but rather it aired uninterrupted weekly on TV. For the purposes of this list, though, we’re splitting the show up into seasons, with one for each story arc (which is how the anime is presented in many streaming platforms).

Simply put, this is a great and creative way of starting an anime. Starting out with what’s essentially a big tournament arc filled with ridiculous tests eases viewers into the world of “Hunter x Hunter,” along with its fantastical creatures and powers, without overwhelming audiences with what is to come. Whether it’s killing a wild boar, running the longest marathon ever, or just a cooking contest, the Hunter Exam is a delight.

This is also the season that introduces us to our main team — Gon, Killua, Leorio and Kurapika. It is a testament to the writing of the anime that it is so easy to fall in love with them as a group, only to never really have them together again. Now, because so many of the elements that make “Hunter x Hunter” great haven’t been introduced yet, this season doesn’t rank as high as others. Still, it’s the one that showed that there was something special about this world.

While many an action anime’s protagonist acts childish, “Hunter x Hunter” is the rare show of its type that stars an actual kid. Luffy may be a lovable clown, and Goku may be a kid with the body of Superman, but Gon and Killua literally are pre-pubescent kids and they act like it. Take season 2, where Gon and Killua decide to kill some time and train to become stronger by entering Heavens Arena, a giant tower where people can fight increasingly stronger opponents and earn money doing so. This is mostly a training arc, but it’s also a delightfully silly season where two 12-year-olds beat up dozens of adults, earn a ridiculous amount of money, and spend it on snacks. It’s like if the Strongest Under The Heavens tournament was made into an entire season of TV, and the protagonists were Goten and Trunks disguised as Mighty Mask.

As silly and funny as the season is, it is also hugely important — as this is where we learn about Nen, the power system of “Hunter x Hunter.” This is the most complex, intricate, and fleshed-out power system in anime, and the show’s exposition actually does a great job of explaining it all.

The sixth and final season of “Hunter x Hunter” had big shoes to fill after the monumental, world-shattering events of the “Chimera Ant Arc.” Luckily, the arc easily stands out on its own by finally introducing audiences to the raison d’etre for the entire story — Gon’s dad. After several seasons trying to look for him, we meet Ging Freecss and he is not at all like his reputation would indicate. This arc is also the first proper indication that “Hunter x Hunter” is a show with no protagonist, as Gon is out of commission for most of the season and others take his place.

He makes what is a rather politics-heavy arc exhilarating, as the mind games and backstabbing of the Hunter Association’s upcoming election is balanced out by the zany personalities in the association’s board. Even better, Leorio finally comes back and becomes a big part of the story in the most ridiculous way possible. But as funny as the arc is, it is also heavy with heartbreak. There’s the aftermath of the previous arc and Gon’s condition, but also Killua has to deal with his messed up family of killers again as he tries to rescue his sister from the rest of his relatives, which results in some thrilling fights against Illumi and Hisoka. 

Despite the story being incomplete by the time the anime came to an end, the final season of “Hunter x Hunter” ends in the most perfect way possible for these characters and this story. There are heart-wrenching goodbyes, an emotional reunion, and teases for a much larger story and universe out there. The very final words by Ging, about enjoying the little detours along the way, is the perfect coda to end the story on.

The third season of “Hunter x Hunter” finally brings back the main group after a season apart, only to immediately split them again. It is the arc where it becomes clear this anime would not follow the expected tropes of the genre, as it heavily changes the tone of the story to deliver a much darker tale involving an exclusive underworld auction and the arrival of a band of blood-thirsty thieves. 

Kurapika gets the focus this time as he gets involved with a revenge plot against the Phantom Troupe, resulting in some thrilling development for the character as we learn more about his tragic backstory and the lengths he’d go for vengeance. It is this season that also gives us one of the best fights in the entire anime when Kurapika takes down Uvogin. However, like many things “Hunter x Hunter,” the fight is not so much exhilarating as it is tragic because of the pain it causes Kurapika to reach this point. This pain is best encapsulated in the infamous (and yes, hilarious) “Kurapika is drowning in an indescribable emptiness.”

And yet, as dark as the season is, we still get some hilarious side stories with Gon and Killua trying to raise money to buy a copy of a video game. Seeing them try different money-making schemes like scamming people with an arm wrestling booth, or Gon getting involved in underground fighting, makes for some delightfully ridiculous moments.

Video games are an essential part of anime; there is an entire genre all about people living in video games or getting transported to video games world. So, when “Hunter x Hunter” does a video game season, it unsurprisingly results in a great time. It starts with a great concept — a real island with magical game mechanics where people play a card game a la “Magic the Gathering,” stealing, trading, and otherwise earning new cards with a variety of effects. It is the perfect setting for Killua and Gon to mess around and have fun. Then, when Biscuit is introduced, we get a fantastic mentor character and also one of the best training arcs in the entire show.

Of course, the highlight of the season is the dodgeball match at the end of it — a thrilling, nail-biting set of episodes where villains become allies and our hero pushes himself to the very limit. It is a fantastic exercise in world building and a great example of Togashi’s ability to flesh out even the simplest and weirdest of concepts and make them feel fantastical yet real.

This is the arc that changed “Hunter x Hunter” forever — the one that not only raised the stakes, but forever altered our hero, with overwhelmingly powerful ant-hybrids beginning a crusade to conquer the world. The titular chimera ants have some all-time great creature designs straight out of an H.R. Giger sketchbook, mutating and becoming hybrids of different creatures with all sorts of bizarre and threatening looks. But they are not just mindless monsters; they also have moral complexity and distinct personalities like we rarely see in this kind of action anime. Yet, at the same time, the show understands that you don’t have to root for a villain in order to make them sympathetic.

This is best encapsulated in Meruem. The king of the ants, Meruem is more than a villain; he’s a being more human than most of the human characters. His growth throughout the season is spectacular and makes him one of the best characters in anime, period. He may be the greatest threat for humanity, but he also becomes multi-dimensional — someone capable of both horrific violence and extreme empathy toward the weakest being.

Then there’s Gon, who has always been a rash, reckless character who jumps head-first into danger. This season makes it clear that Gon is not a character who should be rewarded for being a go-getter or enjoying fighting. Rather, the season punishes Gon for his attitude and makes it clear this bubbly and kind boy also has a dark side that can easily take over him. When he crosses a line and gains a big power-up, “Hunter x Hunter” avoids what any other anime would do and makes it a heartbreaking tragedy (rather than a moment of triumph).