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* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: The villains have GrayingMorality and ambiguous backstories, which leads to a lot of interpretation. Even the protagonist himself isn't safe from this:
** Is Gon really a self-centered psychopathic child who doesn't care about anyone else but his friends, or just an [[AmbiguousInnocence innocent child who wasn't taught normal values]] since he lived away from society before being thrown into an unforgiving world?
** The Zoldycks are either a BadassFamily that has every right to do whatever they do, or a [[BigScrewedUpFamily creepy family]] who treats each other immorally.
** Also, [[ToughLove Silva Zoldyck and Ging Freecss]]. Do they really think that their sons are more than capable enough to last without their dad at such a young age, or are they just fathers who just don't care that their sons might be killed because they were too weak? It is more ambiguous with Ging though.
** The Phantom Troupe. Are they justified for being upset [[spoiler:for having one of their members die]] or are they, like [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Gon]] said, {{Hypocrite}}s to be in such despair when [[spoiler:they kill thousands of people with no remorse]]? Also is Chrollo stealing precious items ForTheEvulz or does he just want to make the troupe be remembered by the masses for having he and his group being [[UnPerson Un-People]]?
** Are the chimera ants in the wrong for wanting the world to be ruled with Chimera Ants? Because on one hand, [[spoiler:humans won't necessarily die and may become a chimera ant]] and any evil chimera ant only wants to kill humans, who are also resisting. But on the other hand, [[spoiler:not all humans will survive and remember who they really are. There are also some questions with Chimera Ants that haven't been answered (Can a Chimera Ant get pregnant with a baby? Would their friends, Chimera Ant or human, always recognize them? etc.)]].
** Is Meruem a legitimate WellIntentionedExtremist who believes HumansAreBastards, or is he a HolierThanThou {{Hypocrite}} who wants to justify the times he murdered innocent people and didn't truly grow morals until he met Komugi?
** In Netero's battle with Meruem, did Netero [[spoiler: kill himself and set off the Rose Bomb]] because he was trying to save humanity and this was [[spoiler: desperate last resort since it was clear he couldn't beat Meruem in a fair fight]] or [[spoiler: he was aware he couldn't defeat Meruem and was always intending to use the bomb but [[BloodKnight wanted one last battle]]?]]
* AngstWhatAngst:
** Gon. His father abandoned him to be a Hunter, never once contacting him or checking in on him afterwards. His response? Try to become a Hunter to find out just how great it is that you would be willing to abandon your only son. Gon doesn't care to find out who his birth mother is and would rather let Mito fill that position and passed up a chance to learn who it really was that is now permanently tabled. He also isn't upset about most things. He isn't even upset about Mito lying to him for years about his father. The first anime subverts this by giving post-traumatic reactions after receiving pity from Hisoka in the exam.
** [[spoiler: Finally subverted in the Chimera Ant arc, where he goes through a severe BreakTheCutie situation when his mentor is killed by an AxCrazy cat ant. He becomes infuriated with the latter's sudden show of empathy to an insult to his simple world view, and the AwfulTruth that his mentor has been long dead finally drives him down the DespairEventHorizon]].
* AntiClimaxBoss:
** The ''Heavens Arena'' arc usually gets this for wasted potential beyond being just a training arc for Gon and Killua to learn the basics of Nen. Throughout the arc, there is legitimate build-up to fighting possible "tower-heads" if one was to rise high enough in the tower...and yet Gon and Killua never get a shot to fight at least one of these leaders and basically called it quits after Gon's fight with Hisoka. A possible explanation is that since they had trouble against upstarts, many of whom were handicapped, quitting then was probably a wise decision.
** The Phantom Troupe arc was noted by many to have one of the most disappointing endings in the series due to almost all fights being cut short and others shoved offscreen and some wonder if the author actually plans to make it continue in some time.
** [[spoiler: Depending on who you ask, Meruem. Most tend to argue that there was hardly a reason to bring him back after his battle against Netero if he was just going to slowly die off to the poison of Netero's rose-bomb. Pouf and Youpi also contract radiation poisoning from being around him, and they die offscreen]]. While [[spoiler: Youpi at least gets a flashback, Pouf doesn't even get that]].
** If one was expecting some epic battle between Killua and Illumi at the end of the Election arc especially since it would be [[CatharsisFactor extremely satisfying]] for Killua to pay back everything [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Illumi]] has done for him, then they might be disappointed when Killua just merely had Nanika teleport Illumi back to the manor.
* ArcFatigue:
** The Hunter Exam in the original anime where portions of the arc was extended with {{Filler}}.
** The Chimera Ant arc ran for more than ''8 years'', thanks to it having long breaks on top of lasting ''132 chapters.'' This arc has been ''much'' better received in the 2011 anime due to the long breaks not existing...but even then, the arc took over a year to get through at 61 episodes! (In comparison, the Dragon Ball Z Namek/Frieza saga, infamous for being packed with filler and stretched with padding, lasted 67 episodes.)
*** Even then, parts of the arc can REALLY drag. Particularly once the palace invasion starts, with most of the fights taking even longer than would be natural due to the narration constantly freezing the action. You'd be forgiven for thinking it was done to pad out episodes, but it wasn't.
** The Succession Contest arc that takes place on a massive boat headed for the Dark Continent started in 2012 and is on-going as of ''2024'' due to Togashi's frequent long hiatuses. Even when he does come back from hiatus, he puts out only a few chapters (usually around 10 to fill up a single volume), which the arc remains no closer to being finished. The arc has now suffered the longest manga hiatus to date with an almost 4 year gap that lasted from November 26th, 2018 to October 24th, 2022.
* AssPull:
** Killua is repeatedly shown to fear fighting (perceived) stronger enemies as a result of strict teaching from Illumi and Silva to not take risks. In the Chimera Ant arc, he’s pressured by Biscuit (who, again, sees the issue as a result of strict teaching) to either overcome the issue or part ways with Gon, as he’ll probably end up abandoning him someday to save his own hide. So how does Killua solve the issue? [[spoiler:Turns out Illumi put a needle in his brain enforcing the psychological handicap, and he just needs to rip it out. While Illumi’s needles have been shown to manipulate minds, the victims are essentially dead.]] This resolution had little buildup and is generally considered anticlimactic.
** While Alluka herself was foreshadowed back during the Zoldyck family arc as an unseen fifth child, her role when she actually shows up is highly controversial [[spoiler:due to Togashi cheapening any real repercussions Gon would have had to suffer from as a result of what happened to him in the Chimera Ant arc. Instead, Gon ends up getting completely healed in the next arc thanks to a newly introduced character. This would later be rectified during the Dark Continent arc, as Gon finds out that post-revival, he can no longer use Nen.]]
** [[spoiler:Kite's revival as a Chimera Ant is viewed this way by some fans. Ging vaguely explained that Kite's powers were what revived him rather than standard phagogenesis. He mentioned a form of his Crazy Slots that would only appear if his life was in danger, which was implicitly linked to his reincarnation.]] An ability like this was never mentioned beforehand.
** [[spoiler:Hisoka's resurrection can be seen as this. He came back to life by using Bungee Gum to perform CPR on himself after Chrollo killed him. Nen after death was first introduced during the Yorknew city arc, but a post-mortem resurrection Nen ability came out of nowhere.]]
* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt:
** There's no doubt that the series could really use the Creator/{{Madhouse}} touch, especially considering the manga's bad artwork (which gets fixed up in the volumes). The 2011 series is praised more for its animation being consistently polished and above-average quality, as it was a weekly series and most other weekly anime series often suffer many dips in animation quality during their long runs, than for being incredibly well-animated, at least until the latter part of the Chimera Ant Arc, where the action scenes get a large AnimationBump.
** Creator/NipponAnimation's work on the 1999 anime is no slouch either, with lots of consistent fluid animation that still holds up even by today's standards that can be compared to or is even better than its 2011 counterpart like [[https://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/40000000/Kurapika-1vergil-40078040-398-294.gif this]] and [[https://preview.redd.it/5ablp4kxq8u71.gif?format=mp4&s=f3e828a1b2c0de8eb0844056a640eaa68c65d4cc this]]. That's why the OVA's made in 2004 look like a downgrade compared to their earlier work due to switching to digital animation, which was still in its primitive stages at the time.
* AwesomeEgo: Killua Zoldyck has a huge ego but the fact that he participated in many a CurbStompBattle makes him able to back it all up.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The original 1999 and the newer 2011 TV series has a great, fitting soundtrack befitting their shows as can be seen [[AwesomeMusic/HunterXHunter here.]]
* BaseBreakingCharacter:
** Ging. He is either a badass father who is just trying to test Gon's abilities, or a worthless deadbeat. Not helping matters was the end of the Greed Island Arc, after Gon [[spoiler: went through hell and back just to find a means to teleport to him, only to end up getting teleported to Kite instead]].
*** [[spoiler:Since the original anime ended with Greed Island, it can easily be interpreted that Gon did indeed find Ging, since the shot of the meeting is the very last thing shown before screen shifts to white. So, in a way, it can be an ambiguous happy ending.]]
** The Phantom Troupe. Many people enjoy them for their CreepyAwesome personalities. However, some fans dislike them as they are built up to being dangerous villains, but disappear for long sequences of the story so that it is hard to take them seriously when they do appear. Then there are fans that think the group plays such a minor role in the story that they should just be killed off already. Not helping matters is Hisoka [[spoiler:effortlessly killing Shalnark and Kortopi]] before preparing to do the same to the rest of the Troupe.
** Gon has gotten a divisive reception after the Chimera Ant arc. Some fans hate him for threatening to murder an innocent girl in order to [[spoiler:heal Kite]], and especially hurting Killua's feelings within that arc. However, while fans don't exactly ''justify'' his actions, they can ''understand'' it especially with [[spoiler:Gon going through the DespairEventHorizon with Kite's death]]. Fans also point that he ended up actually apologizing to Killua for hurting his feelings though many of his detractors prefer if the apology was more sincere.
** Alluka is either a sympathetic {{Woobie}} character that made fans like her or a cheap DeusExMachina that was designed to [[spoiler:save Gon]]. [[TakeAThirdOption Alternatively]], her character is liked but her actual narrative role is hated.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** In his EstablishingCharacterMoment in the 2011 anime, Hisoka causes a man's arms to ''disintegrate into flower petals''. While fitting his magician theme, this is completely unrelated to his DeathDealer fighting style ''or'' his actual Nen-based power, and is never used again. It should be noted that this was likely BloodlessCarnage style censorship - in prior depictions, Hisoka simply [[LiteralDisarming severs the limbs]].
** During Gon's fight with Hisoka at Heavens Arena a LongHairedPrettyBoy randomly appears next to the commentator, gives an ExpositionDump about referee's point awarding style and just as quickly disappears without a trace. This character is evidently a cameo from another of the author's other series, ''Manga/LevelE'', but no one other than the commentator acknowledges him and he's quickly forgotten as soon as he disappears.
* BrokenBase: All over the place ever since the new series began airing, and even before that
** The Greed Island arc is the most divisive arc in the series. Its supporters love it for the detailed worldbuilding that goes into the game's mechanics, along with its great high points (like the Dodgeball match and the final battle with Genthuru). Its detractors however, consider most of that worldbuilding tedious and unnecessary, and the antagonists and supporting cast boring compared to the rest of the series.
** The [[NarratingTheObvious narration]] throughout the palace invasion portion of the Chimera Ant arc gets this in both the manga, and the 2011 anime adaptation. You either enjoy it, because it brings a different approach to portraying how the battles go down, or you find it annoying, and just wish it did the battles in normal Shonen fashion.
** 1999 vs 2011. Some prefer the former for not censoring anything, while others prefer the latter for having less filler. The lone exception being their adaptations of the ''Greed Island'' arc, which many agree that the 1999 version is the inferior product due to its lackluster animation.
** The way female characters are portrayed. With a few exceptions, most female characters are in non-combat roles and have little presence in story arcs. Some fans think it's better than having a group of [[FauxActionGirl Faux Action Girls]] running around and [[YaoiFangirl other fans prefer the lack of female characters not distracting the male characters from each other.]] Other fans, particularly female fans are annoyed that there are no characters they can relate to. It doesn't help that Togashi's previous work, ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', didn't feature many strong female characters either.
** Gon's {{Wangst}} period during the Chimera Ant Arc. Some people justify it as him going through grief over [[spoiler: Kite]], but others think that Gon was acting harshly out of character for the sake of drama, particularly in the scene where he threatened to murder an already-injured Komugi just so Pitou will [[spoiler: heal Kite for him]]. Others take issue with the fact that Gon [[CompressedVice has never even implied such malice before]]. This isn't helped by [[spoiler: Kite's rebirth as a Chimera Ant]], making everything Gon went through entirely pointless.
* CatharsisFactor:
** After finding out that Ging abandoned his son Gon for his own selfish reasons, watching Leorio punch him hard in the face for it was incredibly satisfying for many fans. Even characters in the audience cheered on Leorio.
** Fans also cheered when the Gun-toting Chimera Ant that killed fan favorite [[spoiler:Ponzu]] ended up getting crushed to death by Bonolenov.
** After all the horrible things Pitou does to the Hunters throughout the Chimera Ant Arc, [[spoiler: watching them get demolished by Gon is ''extremely'' satisfying.]]
* CompleteMonster: [[Recap/HunterXHunterChimeraAntArc "Chimera Ant" arc]]: [[{{Sadist}} Zazan]] is a commander of the [[Characters/HunterXHunterChimeraAnts Chimera Ants]], and the most sadistic of them all. Zazan leads raids like her fellows to kidnap humans to feed the hunger of the Queen, but also murders humans [[ForTheEvulz for fun and sport]]. Once the Queen dies in childbirth, Zazan relocates to Meteor City with designs on [[TakeOverTheWorld world domination]]. Using her "Queen Shot" to [[PainfulTransformation agonizingly mutate people into twisted monsters]], Zazan plans to convert every human being in Meteor City in this way before using the army to overrun the world.
* CrackPairing:
** Some fans have shipped [[BestFriend Gon]] and [[BigBrotherInstinct Alluka]] when they only interacted once for the sheer hilarity of seeing Killua's reactions to his only loved ones getting together. There are even a few who ship the two ''years before'' Alluka made her actual debut in the manga when she was just foreshadowed in the Zoldyck family ThemeNaming.
** Despite only interacting once that ends with [[spoiler:Kite killed off]], Kite/Neferpitou is a popular pairing as many fanfics and fanarts of Kite, in his original [[spoiler:and reincarnated]] body, and Pitou exists.
** Gon and Pitou is already an out-there pairing, but there are some who take it to the next level as there are many fanart and doujins pairing [[spoiler:Gon-san]] and Pitou. It's as ludicrous as it sounds considering [[DespairEventHorizon what happens]] in [[CurbStompBattle canon.]]
* CreepyAwesome: Many of the villains, especially [[MonsterClown Hisoka]], [[BadassCrew The Phantom Troupe]], and [[BigCreepyCrawlies The Chimera Ants]].
* CrossesTheLineTwice:
** ''A lot'' with Hisoka. In particular, his arousal of Gon and Chrollo, his ShowerScene and ''Biscuit's'' arousal of ''him'' and how he murders his opponents in glee.
** The abilities that Uvogin has are both disturbing and ridiculous. His attacks include creating a punch that has the power of a nuclear bomb, ''[[ImAHumanitarian biting off a person's head]]'', and finally ''[[SuperSpit spitting the skull fragments so fast to a target, that it has]]'' '''''the power of a bullet'''''.
** Speaking of the Phantom Troupe, at one point at their mini-massacre one of the gunners, manipulated by Shalnark, says something along the lines of "You want to know how strong the Phantom Troupe are? [[SuddenlyShouting LIKE THIS!!!]]", and guns down the police he was talking to. The way it is presented makes it so horrid and yet so humorous.
* CultClassic: The original anime and manga had such a strong following that it got a revamp by Creator/MadHouse in 2011.
* DracoInLeatherPants:
** Hisoka usually gets this treatment.
** Chrollo too. Heck, the whole Phantom Troupe could count, being a group of quirky, likable individuals (despite them all being murderous thieves).
** Neferpitou, who most fan depictions (and occasional official works, particularly games) make out to be female and at the tip of their CharacterDevelopment or even more benevolent in comparison to their AxCrazy roots.
** Meruem, who many believe was justified in his goals despite said goal involving genocide.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Hanzo is highly remembered due to the pure badassery that he displayed throughout the Hunter Exam. He's probably the character people are wishing for the most to make a glorious return in the story (that doesn't include his cameos in the Election arc). [[spoiler: As of chapter 350 and to the fandom's delight, this wish was granted.]]
** Melody is liked for her sweet personality, her soft voice, her UglyCute design and her role as a supporting character, who also possess a very useful SuperHearing.
** Knov was seen as mostly a bland character at first, but became a fan-favorite after a heartfelt performance was put on by his voice-actor for his infamous [[spoiler:mental breakdown]].
** Canary is fairly known in the general anime space and has attracted semi-widespread appreciation due to her commonly being perceived as a rare example of good black representation in eastern character design, at least of the era.
** While initial opinions about Pariston were mixed, his never-ending manipulations and the revelation of his true intentions made him stand out within the readers (even more than Gon's father!).
** Pitou has been very popular appearing in a number of fanart and even beating Hisoka in the third popularity poll.
** Queen Oito seems to have scored points with the fandom for her investment in the war of succession, her vivid support for Vincent's arrest, and her total trust and lack of passivity in Kurapika's plans.
** From the mid-2010s onwards, [[TeamDad Leorio]] has started to gain more recognition from the fandom for being a BadassNormal while also having a compassionate heart when it comes to his friends and loved ones. While he is a main character, he ended up being extremely OutOfFocus thus qualifying him to become this.
** Knuckle is an extremely popular character in the fandom due to his AllLovingHero personality despite his former past as a JapaneseDelinquent in addition to his very unique Nen ability.
** [[MafiaPrincess Neon]] [[SpoiledBrat Nostrade]], of all characters, has seen an upswing in fandom popularity following the release of the 2011 anime and the mobile app game, with some fans going so far as to ship her with Kurapika.
** Kastro is really liked for his design and personality, as well as his history with Hisoka. Many wished he was more of a recurring character.
** The Succession War arc introduced ''lots'' and ''lots'' of bodyguards, who are also surprisingly fleshed-out which makes them feel like real individuals, some of them having their own motivations and backstories, and they have distinct designs, personalities and roles. Notable fan favorite bodyguards include Bill, Babimyna, Theta, Vergei, Furykov, Balsamilco and more.
** She only appeared in chapter 397 (Phantom Troupe's flashback) but Renko the undertaker became a fan-favorite the minute she showed up, with reasons ranging from from her amazing Final-Fantasy-esque character design to the mere implication that she taught the members of the Phantom Troupe how to use Nen.
* EpilepticTrees: Some have theorized that Feitan is a Zoldyck, mostly due to him looking like a smaller and thinner version of Milluki. Some even go so far as to say that he '''is''' Milluki, using Nen to slim his body (or making himself bigger outside of the troupe) so he can keep an eye on Illumi and [[BigBrotherInstinct Kalluto]] without arousing suspicion (and stealing a Greed Island copy after he lost all of them at the auction). It helps that both of them are the TortureTechnician of their group/family, and that Milluki's Nen abilities are still a mystery to this day.
* EsotericHappyEnding: An example exclusive to the Madhouse anime adaptation: [[spoiler:Gon meets with Ging on the top of the tallest tree on the land, only for Ging to tell him that the ''tree'' they're on, is actually a small sprout from the Dark Continent much larger than their own homeland]] and all of it is taken to be very optimistic and exciting. Now it makes sense in the manga because it's the start of a new arc that will eventually succumb to CerebusSyndrome, but the anime ending implies this will lead to an idealistic adventure. And that's ignoring the unresolved plot threads the anime has. It is unknown if the anime will ever continue considering the Creator/{{Madhouse}}'s [[CutShort track record]] and the frequent and long [[ScheduleSlip hiatuses]] from the manga.
* EstrogenBrigade: If Website/{{Tumblr}} has anything to go by, ''Hunter x Hunter'' has a fairly large female fanbase. Most of it focuses on [[MonsterClown Hisoka]], but there are also fangirls for [[ArcVillain Chrollo]], [[TheStoic Illumi]], [[DracoInLeatherPants Feitan, Phinks, Shalnark]], [[{{Bishonen}} Kurapika]], [[BadassInANiceSuit Leorio]], [[DudeLooksLikeALady Kalluto]], [[AmbiguousGender Alluka]], [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Killua, and Gon]] (the last four are the {{Moe}} kind of appeal). The female fans tend to like to ship the aforementioned and others [[SlashFic with each other]].
* EvilIsCool: Where to start:
** [[MonsterClown Hisoka Morow]], the most recurring character throughout the series besides the main cast and the closest thing that the series has to a central antagonist. Despite being a [[AxCrazy psychotic]] murderer he proves to be a brilliant fighter, skilled illusionist, and an unpredictable wild card with a unique Nen ability, all the while displaying an [[CombatSadomasochist unsettling interest]] in Gon and Killua and waiting for the day he can fight them at their strongest.
** [[DiabolicalMastermind Chrollo Lucilfer]], leader of the Phantom Troupe, is a mastermind who meticulously plans out and performs elaborate heists and mass murders. Chrollo frequently manages to outwit and manipulate everyone around him, showing himself to be a brilliant tactician and combatant, and possesses the ability to steal the abilities of other Nen users. There is a reason why he is considered one of the series's most memorable villains.
** The rest of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Phantom Troupe]] also apply. Each of them have unique personalities with interesting backstories and abilities such as [[MasterSwordsman Nobunaga]], [[TortureTechnician Feitan]], [[DarkActionGirl Machi]], [[PaperMaster Kalluto]], [[EnhancedPunch Phinks]], [[PeoplePuppets Shalnark]], [[FingerGun Franklin]], [[GirlWithPsychoWeapon Shizuku]], [[LivingLieDetector Pakunoda]], [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Bonolenov]], [[BloodKnight Uvogin]], and [[MesACrowd Kortopi]]. Many were rooting for them during [[EvilVersusEvil their conflict with the Chimera Ants]] during the Chimera Ant arc and some fans have even admitted to having a hard time rooting for Kurapika during the Yorknew City arc due to the Troupe's quirky personalities and hidden depths.
** More [[BlueAndOrangeMorality amoral]] than evil, the [[ProfessionalKiller Zoldyck Family]] are said to be the most notorious assassins in the world and every scene they display their actions backs up that reputation. Illumi’s use of needles to turn people into his puppets and in some cases being just as terrifying as Hisoka. Silva being able to fight on par with Chrollo and needing his father Zeno just to have an advantage. With Zeno being able to generate a dragon out of Nen and use it to create a meteor shower of smaller dragons during the palace invasion. Having a giant man-eating wolf act as their guard dog to eat any trespassing bounty hunters, and having an army of butlers whose apprentices are capable of single handily take out a hundred men just makes them more badass. After all it makes sense that resident badass, Killua would inherit their coolness.
** [[Characters/HunterXHunterMeruem Meruem]] and the [[PraetorianGuard Royal Guard]] are considered the series's best antagonists since the Phantom Troupe. Meruem is beloved for being an [[UltimateLifeForm ultimate lifeform]] that was born to [[TakeOverTheWorld conquer the world]] and considered to be the most [[SuperpowerLottery powerful character]] in the series, with his development from a sociopathic EvilOverlord to a WellIntentionedExtremist AntiVillain also being considered one of the series's most impressive examples of character development. Likewise, Neferpitou, Menthuthuyoupi and [[TokenEvilTeammate Shaiapouf]] are well-loved for their impressive showings and, in the case of the former two, going though extensive CharacterDevelopment of their own when demonstrating their [[NobleDemon loyalty to their aforementioned king and other noble traits]].
** [[TheCaligula Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou,]] [[TheEvilPrince Fourth Prince]] of the Kakin Empire, is a twisted psychopath with [[CollectorOfTheStrange a collection of human body parts,]] including [[MonsterMisogyny those of the women he has killed.]] He is also a [[WickedCultured refined and intelligent]] man befitting his standing who shows a [[TheGift prodigal talent for Nen,]] rapidly developing his gift to dominate the Succession Contest.
* FandomRivalry:
** With the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fandom. Certain fans accuse Naruto of ripping it off.
** There was a minor "war" with the ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'' fandom over who was the best [[TeamDad anime dad]]: Leorio or Reigen.
* FanNickname:
** [[spoiler:Gon's adult form is called Gon-san by Japanese readers.]]
** The manga itself has come to be known as [[SeriesHiatus HiatusxHiatus]]. To date (September 2021), [[https://hiatus-hiatus.github.io/ the series has been on hiatus for more than 65% of its duration]] when considering the Weekly Shonen Jump issues that should have featured it.
** Leorio is sometimes affectionately called by fans as Le Oreo, The Oreo or simply Oreo.
** Due to Tserriednich being difficult to spell, he's often called Terror Sandwich by the fans. Or even Tsundere Sandwich.
** Due to unofficial fan spellings, Vergei and and Babimyna are still called Wellgay and Babymaina (or Babymania), respectively, partly because these names are so meme-able.
* {{Fanon}}:
** Many fans of the 1999 anime insist that [[DudeLooksLikeALady Kurapika]] is female, usually a Sweet Polly Oliver, despite the manga having him as an androgynous boy. The 1999 version differs from the manga so fanon goes with this being another adaptation change.
** Since Kurapika's last name has not been revealed yet, some fans like the idea that his full name is "Kurapika Kurta" as many think his clan name is a logical last name for him.
** It's a popular headcanon that Gon and Killua aren't friends anymore, or at least think their friendship is irreperably fractured after the Chimera Ant Arc, basing this claim on their expressions on the separation scene and Gon isn't shown to sincerely apologized to Killua yet. Nothing of this sort is hinted in canon as 1) their separation is simply due to Killua finding other things to focus on 2) the easy-to-miss scene where Killua said that Gon apologized off-screen.
** Since Togashi didn't confirm their genders yet, many fans headcanon that both Pitou and Alluka are girls, or in the latter's case, as transgender, as only Killua refer his sibling as a female and all the other Zoldycks refer Alluka as "the fifth brother/son".
* FanonDiscontinuity: For some people, the series ended with the Chairman Election Arc. It had a grand finale feel with [[spoiler: Gon and Killua parting ways and Gon reuniting with Ging at long last]]. If not for the Phantom Troupe still being at large, you'd swear the Dark Continent arc was a PostScriptSeason.
* FriendlyFandoms:
** Many fans of the series are also fans of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', another DarkFantasy manga with excellent character building. Both are also equally notorious for [[SeriesHiatus long hiatuses]] lasting for years that fans would often jokingly compete which series will get out of the hiatus first, and it's even funnier that their longest hiatuses happen when the main characters are on a boat.
** Due to being an earlier creation of Togashi, ''Hunter x Hunter'' fans tend to enjoy ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''. While there is some rivalry here and there over which series is better, it's mostly in good spirit as both fandoms hold each other series in great respect and stand together as one fandom for Togashi.
** Due to Yoshihiro Togashi being married to Naoko Takeuchi in real life, fans tend to get along quite well with fans or her most famous work, ''Manga/SailorMoon''.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The 1999 anime adaptation is fondly remembered in Latin America thanks to its constant re-runs on Animax. It was so successful that the distributor bought the rights of the OVA continuation and brought back the original actors for the dub.
* GrowingTheBeard:
** The Zevil Island portion of the Hunter Exam arc. And the Phantom Troupe arc takes this full throttle.
** Another contender would be the Zoldyck Family arc.
** From the 2011 anime, the first 34 and a half episodes don't have any really "spectacular" moments with the animation alone despite the polished look the anime generally has. However, the first half of the fight between Hisoka and Gon would seriously make your jaw drop of how intense the animation and tone is. Also arguably Hisoka's [[MemeticMolester schwing]] will most likely bring the audience's attention for those who weren't too impressed before.
** The show's soundtrack is widely agreed to have improved in the Yorknew and Chimera Ant arcs, with much more dramatic and emotional songs compared to the often peppy sound of the earlier episodes.
* HarsherInHindsight: During a break in the Hunter Exam arc, Killua and Gon have a little fight with Netero, who is not using his right arm and his left leg. He’s forced to do the same in the climax of his fight with Meruem, twenty-four volumes later, because the Chimera Ant King chopped both of them.
** Kite [[spoiler:getting his arm cut off is pretty reminiscent of the time where [[Franchise/OnePiece Shanks gets his arm bitten off]]. The fact that his voice actor in the 2011 version is the same [[Creator/ShuichiIkeda guy]] who voices Shanks really drives this home.]]
* HilariousInHindsight: Fans were predicting that Shizuku and Bonolenov were going to be Hisoka's next target [[spoiler:in his hunt of killing the Spider]] because they're looked the easiest prey and seemed to be the most disposable. Chapter 377 has them team up with Chrollo because their abilities don't work well against Hisoka's Bungee Gum, which means they're actually self-aware of enough to avoid that.
* HoYay: [[HoYay/HunterXHunter Enough to have its own page.]]
* HypeBacklash: Inevitable when many fans declare the series, particularly the 2011 anime, a masterpiece. Given the series tendency to end arcs anti-climatically, and the abandonment of two of the main characters for a majority of the latter half of the anime adaptation's run, the fact some find it overhyped isn't surprising. The fact the series is incomplete (even if, unlike the 1999 series, it ends at the conclusion of an arc and not halfway through) and very likely will never be continued due to the manga's ScheduleSlip and Madhouse's history of leaving series unfinished, also makes it easy to criticize.
* InformedWrongness:
** During the second phase of testing, Hisoka is ambushed by a group of applicants, whom he easily defeats. Leorio sees this and attacks Hisoka, with Gon joining in a few moments later. It's possible that Leorio wanted to stop Hisoka from finishing off those who had only been injured, and he has an understandably shady history, but Hisoka was clearly [[NotMeThisTime acting in self-defense]] and the moment comes off as confusing.
** Netero [[spoiler:using the Rose Bomb]]. The narrative paints him as stooping to the Chimera Ants' level for even considering using it. However, it was a necessary evil to defeat Meruem since he has tanked everything else he threw at him, and there was no indication that he was setting it off in a place where innocent civilians could get caught in the crossfire. That being said, the narrative can also simply be saying that the bomb is a byproduct of immense malice which Meruem was not prepared for as he did not imagine humans are ''so'' dedicated to the cause of killing each other that they'd develop such a monstrously strong weapon in the process. In this case, Netero's usage of the bomb wasn't evil in its own context; rather, the bomb is symbolic of human evil in and of itself.
* LauncherOfAThousandShips: ''Gon, Gon, Gon, a thousand times Gon.''
** Killua's no slouch in this category either.
** Or Kurapika.
** And Hisoka, of course.
* LGBTFanbase: The series has attracted some trans fans due to the fact that some characters are implied to be non-cisgender or genderqueer. Examples include Neferpitou and Alluka, especially with the lack of notable females in the series, namely those close in age to the main protagonist.
* MagnificentBastard: See [[MagnificentBastard/HunterXHunter here]].
* MemeticBadass:
** Killua to the point where some fans declare him to be the most badass character in all of anime.
** Tonpa is jokingly treated as one of the most OP characters on the show to the point where there is fanart of him killing some of the Chimera Ant Royal Family members.
** On the Japanese side of things, Goreinu has gotten this treatment. He [[https://i.imgur.com/fjRlfn1.jpg became the leader of the Phantom Troupe]], [[https://i.imgur.com/inA6ous.jpg hijacked the Election results in his favor]], and [[https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/e_HIHhA8idYCn25e50IoT_IMS1JYsrlEKRkQLWkFKqk/https/i.imgur.com/T5T5CCJ.jpg?width=205&height=301 decided the order and way the Chimera Ants will die]].
** The [[CanonForeigner Elevator Girl]] in the 1999 anime is one due to her not taking [[AdaptationalJerkass Killua's crappy behavior]], beating him up in almost every scene she's in. Killua even wonders if she is ''stronger than Hisoka'', causing fans who are aware of her to declare her as one of the strongest characters in the series.
* MemeticHair: The climax of the Chimera Ant arc [[spoiler:sees Gon sacrificing all his Nen for an OlderAlterEgo NextTierPowerUp with extremely tall, [[Creator/DrSeuss who]]-like hair.]] This is a WhamEpisode, and is supposed to be the most major spoiler for those who haven't caught up with the series, but the hair's absurdity makes it even more ItWasHisSled. It's even been used as a LateArrivalSpoiler in some gacha game collaboration promotions.
* MemeticMolester: '''Hisoka'''. Even better (worse?) is that he appears to be an actual pedophile (thus, earning him the FanNickname "Pedoclown"). Couple that with his bizarre facial reactions, suggestive behavior, frequent arousals and the fact that he is a MonsterClown, and you get who is perhaps the best example of this trope in shounen manga history.
* MemeticMutation:
** [[spoiler:Gon's Nen-powered adult form]] seems to have become this in Japan as [[spoiler:Gon-san]], thanks to his [[spoiler:very odd hairdo and serious, stoic expression on such a cheerful character.]] [[https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_medium/11136/111367902/6709858-adult_gon_anime.jpg This pose]] is also so memorable that many fanartists and even some other anime shows draw other characters into doing this pose.
** [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/0fbeef57554564d3708933cd59fd36ef/tumblr_mf6bpuWNmY1r53x0lo1_500.png YOU CAN SMILE AGAIN!]] [[labelnote:explanation]]A minor meme is using saying the lines from the theme song, "You can smile again", with ironic images, as to make fun of the theme song in comparison to the actual content in the show.[[/labelnote]]
** O, MY RUBBER NEN/OH, MY [X][[labelnote:explanation]][[spoiler:Hisoka reviving himself from the dead with his Bungee Gum after his fight with Chrollo was the subject of mockery for quite a few fans, using the aforementioned quote to refer to the fight or to spam in threads. It also gets frequent use as a template for various other {{Ass Pull}}s in other series.]][[/labelnote]]
** Terrorsandwich. [[labelnote:explanation]]Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou's name is really hard to spell, so the fanbase opted for a nickname that is appropriate and easier to spell.[[/labelnote]]
** Hunter's Game of Thrones [[labelnote:explanation]]With the recent succession war within the Dark Continent Saga and its grand scale political speed chess in play, the comparison very quickly piled up with each move Kurapika makes on the chessboard.[[/labelnote]]
** "Kurapika should eat the scarlet eyes." [[labelnote:explanation]][[https://www.reddit.com/r/HunterXHunter/comments/7xu029/kurapika_should_eat_the_scarlet_eyes_he_collected/ A crackpot "theory"]] fans made, thinking about what Kurapika would do with his people's eyes once he collected them all. There is even [[https://twitter.com/huangdanlan/status/970212253831086082 fanart]] of it.[[/labelnote]]
** Hiatus x Hiatus [[labelnote:explanation]]This has become something of a FanNickname for the series due to the Togashi's habit of taking frequent and lengthy hiatuses.[[/labelnote]]
** It reads like a freaking LightNovel! [[labelnote:explanation]]The amount of dialogue that takes up each chapter for the Dark Continent arc is [[WallOfText so unbelievably long]] at times that it leaves people wondering if Togashi would be better off just writing novels rather than attempt to draw manga.[[/labelnote]]
** Chapter 388's wall of text.[[labelnote:explanation]]Chapter 388 has a page of Rihan's inner monologue, where the large majority of the original page is nothing but white panels and lots of text. This page has been not only mocked, but also parodied by other artists. The tankobon version added background into the white panels.[[/labelnote]]
** Leorio is Best Dad [[labelnote:explanation]]Leorio already served as the TeamDad to the main four as early as the Hunter Exam Arc. This further escalated during the Elections Arc when [[spoiler:Leorio did everything in his power to get help from the public for the hospitalized Gon. This was in stark contrast to his real dad, Ging, who didn't even bother to visit him. Leorio punching him in the face definitely earned him the title from the fandom.]][[/labelnote]]
*** _____ is a better dad than Ging. [[labelnote:explanation]]Many people who disapprove of Ging's "parenting" have a habit of stating this line. The characters most commonly applied to this example are Leorio and Kite, but some fans go so far as to state ''some of the villains'' are better dads than Ging. [[/labelnote]]
*** Leorio is the father, Kurapika is the mother, and Gon/Killua are the sons[[labelnote:explanation]]With Leorio's role as the TeamDad, and Kurapika's role as the TeamMom, some fans state that Leorio and Kurapika are the parents of Gon and Kilua.[[/labelnote]]
** "Bungee Gum has the properties of both rubber and gum."[[labelnote:explanation]]A line Hisoka states when he explains his Nen ability to people who were unaware of it,[[AsYouKnow repeatedly and at every chance he gets]]. This habit comes from [[LostInTranslation an untranslatable bit of Japanese wordplay]], as the two are the exact same word in Japanese, 護謨. The fandom decided to roll with it, and fanworks have him state that line constantly.[[/labelnote]]
** Killua learned [[Anime/DragonBallSuper Ultra Instinct]] before it was a thing.[[labelnote:explanation]]Many fans compare Killua's Godspeed ability to Ultra Instinct from ''Dragon Ball Super'', pointing out that Goku is copying Killua, because the concept of Godspeed predates Ultra Instinct.[[/labelnote]]
** [=Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp=] [[labelnote:explanation]]The name of manga creator [[https://twitter.com/Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp/ Yoshihiro Togashi's Twitter account]], created in 2022 to [[TeasingCreator tease his progress on pages he had drafted]]. Despite Togashi always censoring the pages he posts on Twitter, CreatorWorship abounds as celebratory memes are commonplace whenever he tweets.[[/labelnote]]
** "Kurapika is now drowning in an indescribable emptiness." [[labelnote:explanation]]A narrator line from the end of episode 47 of the 2011 anime which many viewers found {{Narm}}y, partly due to the way it [[MoodWhiplash contrasts with]] the cheerful notes of the ending theme starting up.[[/labelnote]]
* MisBlamed: Viewers who were first introduced to the series via the 1999 adaptation have a habit of accusing the 2011 version of cutting out or changing stuff. The 2011 version is actually a much more faithful adaptation of the manga - most of the things the 2011 version gets accused of "leaving out" were ''added'' by the 1999 version.
* MoralEventHorizon: The Bombers, specifically [[spoiler:Genthru]], crossed this when betraying all the other players by planting Nen bombs on them in order to force them to give up their cards promising to let them live if they do. And he crosses this further by detonating the bombs revealing he never intended to let them live and calling them losers before departing. This act of sadism makes his actions exceptional cruel even when compared to the Phantom Troupe.
* {{Narm}}:
** [[spoiler:Gon's Nen-powered adult form.]] He is an adult wearing a kid's clothes. Also, his hair doesn't appear to have an ending.
** Hisoka's "stunning" magic trick in episode 32 is one of the simplest number tricks in the world - basically any "trick" which calls for you to picture a number and then subtract it at the end always has the same result.
** On one hand, [[spoiler:Meruem saving Komugi from being killed by an eagle is the first strong kick of his CharacterDevelopment, and a dramatic and heartfelt moment. On the other hand, Komugi was getting mauled ''by an eagle that flew into her room for seemingly no reason at all.'']]
** The heart symbol that Netero makes with his hands during his fight with Meruem can be hard to take seriously as if Netero is telling the Ant King that he loves him. Even worse in the anime when the heart shape is colored pink.
** The Chimera Ants having blue blood. Whenever a Hunter kills one and gets covered in their blood (particularly Gon after [[spoiler: killing Pitou]]), it looks less like they survived a deadly battle and more like they just got back from a pie-eating contest.
** In VIZ's translation of the manga and dub of the 1999 anime, the Phantom Troupe refer to Kurapika as "the chain dude".
** Gon's father Ging is revealed to have at one point used an anagrammed version of his name: "Nigg". It can be difficult for English-speaking viewers to keep a straight face when the anime's voice actors say it aloud.
* NarmCharm: For some unexplained reason, the Colombian dub of the 1999 series gave Hisoka an [[MauriceChevalierAccent exaggerated French accent]]. Many fans from Latin America think said accent actually fits like a glove to the character and consider it the best aspect from that dub.
* NeverLiveItDown:
** Discussions of Gon's [[AmbiguousInnocence morality]] will inevitably bring up his unquestionably lowest moment in the series: [[spoiler: threatening to kill Komugi, an innocent, disabled, confused little girl who he was essentially holding hostage, if Pitou [[DisproportionateRetribution dared to delay him]]. His nightmarish expression made it clear he wasn't bluffing (not to mention he had previously come ''very'' close to attacking Pitou who was mid-surgery on a critically wounded Komugi, only stopping because he realized he needed Pitou to live rather than any concern for Komugi's wellbeing). This is made even worse by the fact that he never addresses any of this while recounting the events of the arc later on, and by the fact that much earlier in the series he chastised the Phantom Troupe for... [[{{Hypocrite}} killing people who have nothing to do with them.]]]]
** Fans will always remember the time [[spoiler:Gon [[KickTheMoralityPet harshly criticizes Killua's behavior]] and tells him ''"It means nothing to him/It's none of your business"'' when Killua did everything to help him]]. Many fans never forgave Gon for hurting Killua's feelings, labeling him as a ''selfish and toxic friend'' who abuses Killua all the time when this only happened once when he was [[spoiler:[[FiveStagesOfGrief slowly breaking down from guilt for Kite's death]]. The same people forget that Gon lashed out at the latter since he has nowhere to direct his anger due to the circumstances and he was ''[[FaceYourFears never told]] what [[DeclarationOfProtection Killua did]] for his sake [[AudienceAwarenessAdvantage in the entire arc]]]]'', not to mention turning a blind eye to Killua's unhealthy outlook of their friendship and PsychoSupporter tendencies.
* NightmareRetardant: While the series is noted for its brutality especially compared to other shonens, the impact of some scenes can really be lost by the artwork. Averted in the anime though.
* NoYay:
** Hisoka to anyone he fetishes over. Even if you ignore the paedophilia implications for Gon and Killua and how creepy he is, it still is uncomfortable considering the fact that he really wants to fight, and most likely kill, his victim.
** Illumi has a really disturbing fixation with his younger kid brother Killua.
** Palm and Gon. Gon is 12 years old and Palm is ten years older than him and not mentally stable, not to mention forcing Gon to have a date with her that didn't end well.
* OneTrueThreesome: Hisoka X Illumi X Chrollo, also know as the "Adultrio"
* PanderingToTheBase: The 13th Chairman Election Arc panders to a considerable amount compared to previous arcs. Almost all of the named and alive Hunters appear as cameos with some plot-important characters to their respective arcs, including [[EnsembleDarkhorse Hanzo]], [[spoiler:trying to help heal Gon from his injuries]]. Hisoka [[TheBusCameBack returns]] to team up with [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight Illumi]], when Illumi most likely didn't need help, and Illumi {{Lampshad|eHanging}}ing how he was PutOnABus during the Chimera Ant Arc. Not to mention how much of the story has [[BreakoutCharacter Killua]] acting more as the main character of the arc while Gon (who gained some detractors for his actions in the CA arc) was largely DemotedToExtra in that arc. But probably the most blatant pandering, is when Leorio punches [[RonTheDeathEater Ging]] [[spoiler:with his Transmitter Nen]] in public, with everyone cheering Leorio on and calling Ging out for being a terrible father to Gon. Whether all of this was done in a reaction to the fans, or Togashi expected people to want these things to happen, is unknown though.
* QuestionableCasting: In the 1999 dub, Gon sounds more like a full grown woman attempting to voice [[Franchise/DragonBall Adult Goku]] than a prepubescent boy, Killua sounds like a teenage girl (his voice actor was only around 18 when she did the role), and Feitan is very obviously voiced by a woman using HulkSpeak for some reason (possibly as an [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish an exaggerated attempt]] at a Chinese accent). The only character whose voice was well received in the dub was Hisoka's, to the point where some were disappointed that he didn't return for the dub of the 2011 series.
* RewatchBonus: A lot of things make sense during the Hunter Exam once you know about the whole Nen thing, notably the whole "murderous aura" thing with Hisoka and how Netero introduces himself to Gon and Killua on the blimp (His Hatsu being able to summon a presence far away from him, it's easy to understand how he was both to the left and the right). And let's not forget [[spoiler:that Kurapika is technically right about Killua being hypnotized by Illumi when the group debate in the classroom.]]
* SelfFanservice: Illumi is supposed to have emotionless, wide-open eyes (except for ''very rare'' occasions) yet fanart tends to give him more relaxed eyes to make him more attractive. This also applies to Chrollo and Feitan (albeit to a lesser extent) who have limited amount of emotions in canon.
* [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct She Really Can Act]]: At first, many fans didn't like the performance of Creator/CristinaValenzuela for Killua as it was viewed as Christina being unsure what to do with his character. However, as the anime dub went on, many people grew on her acting as by the later arcs, many fans believed that she ended up perfectly capturing Killua's confident attitude when he is about to kick ass as well as nailing some of Killua's more emotional scenes in the CA arc such as [[spoiler:the needle scene and Killua's breakdown in front of Palm.]]
* ShipsThatPassInTheNight: Despite their low amount of interactions, Kurapika x Neon Nostrade has a growing fanbase behind it ever since the 2011 anime was released. This is probably due to the fact that the series has a really low amount of noteworthy female characters compared to the men, so Neon tends to be a target for shipping. Some even go so far as to ship her with Chrollo Lucilfer.
* ShockingMoments:
** The final Bomb Devil fight. Particularly noteworthy because Gon fights a significant portion of the battle with [[spoiler: HIS FREAKING HAND BLOWN OFF.]]
** Episode 116: Gon's no longer being that innocent {{Moe}} kid seen at the beginning of the series.
** Episode 126: the Netero-Meruem fight.
** Episode 131: Gon's [[spoiler:adult transformation]].
* SignatureScene:
** In the Greed Island arc, the [[MundaneMadeAwesome Dodgeball match]], due to the considerable tension it contains and the impressive animation in the 2011 anime. Even people who dismiss this arc recognize this part as one of the highest points of the series.
** In the Chimera Ant arc, [[spoiler:Gon's adult transformation and his subsequent beatdown of Neferpitou due to the heartbreaking circumstances of the event. Unlike the usual heroic powerups to defeat a villain, this is the pinnacle of Gon's DespairEventHorizon and loss of innocence.]]
* SignatureSeriesArc:
** The Chimera Ant arc, which many consider ''the'' high point of the series in terms of action and storytelling, and even something of a modern classic when it comes to {{Shonen}} story arcs. It's known for its length, the complexity of its main villain, the twists and turns of its plot, the way it handles complex themes and adds a lot of moral ambiguity to both sides of the conflict, and its large cast of characters, most of whom receive extensive development over time. The Chimera Ant King Meruem in particular is considered one of the best villains in the series.
** The Yorknew City arc which introduces the [[BreakoutVillain popular]] Phantom Troupe and gives Kurapika his signature Nen chain abilities. Much like the Chimera Ant arc, it's seen as a standout of the series.
* SoOkayItsAverage: The general fan consensus on both movies is that they are simply "okay".
* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: If you take a look at the comments of one Website/YouTube video involving Pouf within the English Dub, chances are that you are likely to find somebody praising [[Creator/ChrisNiosi Chris Niosi's]] performance on the character.
* TakeThatScrappy: People who are disappointed with Ging's terrible parenting find it glad to see Leorio punching Ging. It also counts as an InUniverse example as well since the punch in-action became a viral video within the Hunter Association.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
** The original anime adaptation; most of the {{Filler}} material wasn't well-liked by the fan-base.
** The 2011 anime:
*** The early censorship throughout the ''Hunter Exam'' arc got a lot of flack for this. It cooled off once people saw how much darker it got from Yorknew City and beyond.
*** Episode 76 in particular got a lot of backlash due to the changes made to Gon and Kite's past relationship.
*** Kite's earlier mentions and appearances before the Chimera Ant arc not making the cut is a sore spot for some fans since it makes the {{Wangst}} Gon ends up suffering in said arc feels a bit forced and the former's appearance and role in Gon's backstory appear to come out of the left field, especially to those unaware of how it is in the manga.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
** Applies to many characters that ended up being DemotedToExtra as the manga went on; even Leorio and Kurapika.
** Neon Nostrade, the Yorknew City MafiaPrincess who has something of a VillainousCrush on Kurapika that could've made for a lot of tension ''and'' humor between the two later down the line, is given a good deal of prominence in the anime and other parts of the franchise, even appearing in the ''The Last Mission'' movie. However, she's ultimately irrelevant to the series beyond the Yorknew City arc and got few reappearances or mentions in the arcs that followed, [[spoiler: to the point where even her own offscreen "death" was rendered an AmbiguousSituation.]]
** Melody, a cursed flute player looking to find and destroy four pieces of music said to have been written by the devil. Almost sounds like the premise of an entirely new series, or at least a specific character arc.
** Pokkle and Ponzu, two characters who, after being absent since the very first StoryArc, are brought back at the start of the Chimera Ant arc, [[spoiler: just to get killed off almost immediately as a means to hype up the threat of the Chimera Ants]]. What makes it worse is that neither of them so far seem to have [[spoiler: Chimera Ant forms]].
** [[spoiler:Shalnark and Kortopi]] are unceremoniously killed by [[spoiler:Hisoka]] ''seconds'' after [[spoiler:Chrollo confirms that the Phantom Troupe will act during the trip to the Dark Continent]]. This was right after it was demonstrated how powerful and tactically useful their combined abilities were, [[spoiler:and now with them dead, Chrollo most likely loses those abilities as part of his Nen limitation]].
** Colt starts off looking like a major player at the start of the Chimera Ant arc, but despite the build-up of learning how to use Nen, he ends up getting pushed to the background in order to [[spoiler:watch over the last born child of the Chimera Ant Queen, who turns out to be a resurrected Kite]].
** We only get to see 3 (with one being an invention of the anime) of Kite's 9 Crazy Slots weapons before [[spoiler:he gets killed off early in the Chimera Ant arc. Even with Kite's revival, it's unlikely we'll ever see more Crazy Slots again due to them being OutOfFocus and it being ambiguous whether they even have their old Nen ability]].
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
** For the ''Hunter Exam'' arc, the reason Bodoro forfeited his match against Hisoka was that he whispered something in his ear, tragically, Bodoro is killed by Killua before his fight against Leorio, and what Hisoka told him was never stated or mentioned again.
** For the ''Heavens Arena'' arc, it seemed like it was building up to Gon and Killua squaring off against Tower leaders if they climbed high enough while training up their Nen abilities. However, the two of them called it quits before ever reaching that point.
** For the ''Yorknew City'' arc, despite its huge buildup, it ended in a very anticlimactic way. The explanation to why it ends is close to AWizardDidIt (see the AssPull entry for this one, however) and most of the characters that had been well received by fans are DemotedToExtra as a result.
** For the ''Greed Island'' arc, the card-book game gimmick that helped establish the setting of this StoryArc really only scratched the surface as to what the card dueling game-world had to offer. It could have easily been its own series.
** The ''Chimera Ant'' arc has several examples.
*** Pokkle and Ponzu [[spoiler:could have made a cute couple had they not been killed by Ants]].
*** The Phantom Troupe only showed up for one major fight, but they never cross paths with Gon and the Hunters Association. There was a perfect opportunity for them to form an EnemyMine against the Chimera Ants. Instead, you could have cut their fight scenes out from the arc and nothing important would be missed apart from wondering what would have happened to Zazan's Chimera group.
*** The fact that Gon and Meruem never once interact or even walk into the same room as each other throughout this StoryArc. Gon had every reason to hate him as much as Pitou since [[spoiler: Kite had to be one of many casualties for the Chimera Ant Queen to find her worthy successor]].
*** It was established early on that the Chimera Ants that inherited [[spoiler:human DNA gained individuality]], which caused disorder within their ranks. Not only that, some of them later [[spoiler:regained their human memories, which completely negates their ant-like behavior.]] From beginning to end, the 3 Royal Guards stayed loyal to Meruem, as none of them ever [[spoiler:regained their human memories]]. We'll never see how different the dynamic would've been if at least one of them [[spoiler:remembered who they used to be and may have lost interest in serving Meruem]].
*** [[spoiler: Kite's rebirth as a Chimera Ant]]. Many felt that Gon's character arc would have had more of an impact if [[spoiler: Kite had stayed dead]]. Having him come back only made Gon's grief period completely pointless.
* TooBleakStoppedCaring: How some people felt about the Chimera Ant Arc. The antagonists slaughter innocent people left and right, the Hunters are forced to cross certain lines to stop them, and Gon has a grief-induced period of violent and malevolent behavior, which includes threatening to murder an innocent blind girl.
* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler: Kite, Uvogin, Netero, and the Chimera Ant higher-ups, especially Meruem who at that point was the strongest character in existence.]]
* ToyShip: Many fans like to ship Gon and Killua together. It helps that there's quite the HomoeroticSubtext on Killua's side especially in the Chimera Ant Arc and Madhouse themselves seem to ship the two in non-canon materials.
* UglyCute:
** Melody is oddly adorable for a balding, bucktoothed {{Gonk}} woman.
** Kortopi looks cute for someone who doesn't even show his face and looks like a walking mop.
* UnintentionallySympathetic: Netero is painted this way, because of his comment of the bottomless malice within the human heart, just as he [[spoiler:sets off the Miniature Rose bomb to [[MurderSuicide kill Meruem, along with himself]]. A little after the explosion, the narrator mentions that dictators funded the mass production of the Miniature Roses to conquer other countries. As vile as this weapon is, Netero [[LesserOfTwoEvils deemed its use necessary to kill Meruem]],]] whose NighInvulnerability wasn't something to take lightly. He also made sure to [[spoiler:detonate it in a remote area with no civilians around]]. Given Meruem's lack of empathy prior to this battle and his overall unpredictability, several fans completely understood why Netero went through with his actions.
* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: Benjamin Hui Guo Rou's Nen Beast's head looks very closely like a penis with teeth.
* ViewerGenderConfusion:
** Kurapika's gender was also ambiguous in the early days of the manga until WordOfGod confirms that he's a boy. The voices given in the anime versions can either add to the confusion or dispel it, as the Japanese and English dubs give him a [[CrossdressingVoice female voice]] while the French give him a male voice.
** [[LadyLooksLikeADude Melody]], due to her curse making her look like a balding rat person with a withered arm.
** Neferpitou's gender is a big argument of debate. And his/her gender is never confirmed in the story.
** The Zoldyck siblings deserve special mentions:
*** You wouldn't be blamed to misgender the youngest boy [[SilkHidingSteel Kalluto]] [[DudeLooksLikeALady for a little girl]] when you consider he wears a really feminine kimono, a bob haircut, and even has a beauty mark under the mouth.
*** Even Illumi, due to his owl eyes, [[LongHairedPrettyBoy long hair]] and thin stature, gets this sometimes; the biggest example was how in the South American dub he was voiced by a woman.
*** The most complicated case is Alluka (and Nanika, to some extent), who's heavily implied to be a trans girl; Killua, the only member of the family who cares for Alluka, always refers his sibling as a girl, while the rest of the family refers to Alluka as a boy (when they aren't referring to Alluka as "[[ItIsDehumanizing it]]").
* VindicatedByHistory: The Chimera Ant arc was controversial during its initial publication, mostly due to a severe case of ScheduleSlip and a few plot developments some fans found questionable, but is now seen as one of, if not the best arc in the entire series.
* {{Wangst}}:
** Gon getting overly emotional over the loss of Kite in the later portions of the Chimera Ant arc is seen as this by some, especially for viewers who are [[AdaptationDisplacement only familiar with the 2011 anime]], which cut out all mentions of Kite until the Chimera Ant arc despite his presence in the narrative starting in the ''very first chapter'' of the manga. Because of this, it's easy to view Gon's sudden and powerful attachment to the man as out of place in that adaptation, compared to the constant mentions of him and his relevance to Gon's journey in the manga.
** In the same arc, Killua gets a little ''too'' sad by Gon's decisions to do things alone.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids:
** Even by Japanese standards, the manga (especially), and both anime series are considerably violent, especially during the Chimera Ant arc in the manga. Nonetheless, the story was intended for family reading/viewing.[[note]]Especially the Creator/NipponAnimation (of Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater fame) version from 1999-2004, which tones down certain parts of the story.[[/note]]
** It's worth noting that the English version of the manga is published under the ''Magazine/ShonenJump Advanced'' label for older readers. Something not even done with its predecessor ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', which really says a lot considering that's a series with lots of demons, death, and gore.
** During the latter half of the Chimera Ant arc, the reboot of the anime was moved to a later time slot.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The way guns are treated in the NGL during the Chimera Ant arc is interesting considering current Japanese politics and Prime Minister Abe's desire to increase Japanese military strength, regardless of how the public feels. Gyro's forces illegally acquiring and using guns to protect themselves was a good idea...until the Chimera Ants used those guns against them. Interpret that how you will.
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