The Hunter Exam Arc: A Foundation for Hunter x Hunter's Journey

Calling all Hunter X Hunter fans! After over a year of watching I am proud to announce that I have completed Hunter x Hunter (2011 Version) After only hearing positive things and it being one of the highest-rated anime, I was excited to see if it lived up to the expectations. If you have read any of my past blogs you should know I struggle watching long anime. I stick with anime between the 12–26 range because I have a short attention span and enjoy the fast-paced storylines of short anime. Hunter X Hunter is only 148 episodes which might not be long for One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, or Naruto fans, but for me taking on Hunter X Hunter has been a challenge and it is the first long anime I have completed.

Since this is a long anime that I have a lot of thoughts on I will be breaking up this review into 7 parts with this blog being the second part. I know it's a lot but I don't want to write a novel so make sure to subscribe to not miss a part.

If you haven't read part one yet, make sure to check it out and I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Episodes 1–26: Hunter Exam arc

I could not believe how much I enjoyed this arc. This might be one of the best pieces of fiction ever written. This was the only arc that I binged through in a day. With that being said let's get into why I enjoyed it so much.

First off they waste no time getting into the story. We get a small introduction to the main character Gon but besides that, we are thrown into the exams. As we meet more characters their backstories are revealed as the exam goes on. Kept each backstory entertaining and shocking.

For there to be such a large group of both main and side characters there is a shocking amount of depth and thought put into each one. None of the characters have the same motivation for taking the Hunter exam but they all have the same goal of passing the exam. With different ages, backgrounds, and motives they all come together and use each other's strengths to take the hunter exam. 

The exam itself was creative and pushed even the most powerful of the candidates to the limit. Even before they have reached the exam site they are already tested. My favorite of the tests was the long-distance run. Who knew watching a bunch of anime characters run for an episode would be so thrilling? The run intended to weed out the weak quickly but also make every other exam after that much harder. Doing any of these tests would be hard on their own but doing them after using up all of your stamina and energy would be next to impossible.

It's hard to write about each arc without any spoilers so this might be the last one I do without any spoilers.

*** Spoiler warning here - Skip to the next picture***

Killua was by far my favorite character in the series. He came into this exam with unmeasurable power and completely without fear. When we see him rip out the heart of his opponent and then learn of his assassin's past we are instantly in shock. However his power and level head now make sense. He has done and seen horrors the other candidates can only imagine. 

In my opinion, Killua's character reverse developed. He started powerful and confident, so to my surprise, he failed the hunter exam. This was the first step in his character's reverse development. Did he end up crushing the exam the next time yes but I believe his failing the first time made him humble and learned not to allow others to control his power.

Overall I think this was one of the best being arcs I have seen in an anime. If you haven't watched Hunter X Hunter yet I'd give the first 26 episodes a try. I promise you will not be disappointed.

If you want to watch Hunter x Hunter I posted a full episode guide in part 1

I have to shout out to one of the most insightful looks into Gon from Hunter X Hunter and I highly recommend reading it! - Thank You, Gon by Angela Hepworth

What are your thoughts on Hunter X Hunter exam arc?

Thanks for reading!!

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