It’s 2024 and Hunter x Hunter fans are still eagerly waiting for Yoshihiro Togashi’s popular shonen manga to resume. Not all hope is lost, especially since Togashi tweeted last year that he had come back from hiatus, but let’s look at some of the coolest trivia from the series in the meantime.
Did you know there are multiple characters in HxH that have baseball-themed names? One of the biggest is Gyro, based on the baseball pitch known as a gyroball. Now that you know this, can you think of three other characters who also follow this theme? Read on for the answer to that and many more in-depth pieces of trivia that even big Hunter x Hunter fans might not know.
1. A Random Miyazaki Character Inspired Kurapika
Whatever you think inspired Togashi to create Kurapika, you’re probably wrong. That’s because it’s something totally unexpected. Kurapika was apparently based on the Ohmu, gigantic insects from Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
Like Kurapika and the rest of the Kurta clan, Ohmu’s eyes glow red when their emotions change. What’s more, the Ohmu are hunted for their valuable body parts – just as the Kurta clan was for their eyes.
2. Netero Is Even More Incredible Than We Realize
It’s supposed to be a lot harder for Nen users to use techniques that don’t match their natural Nen type. That’s why it’s so amazing that Isaac Netero’s most powerful technique, Zero Hand, requires a combination of Emission, Manipulation, and Transmutation, when his natural type is an Enhancer. Most people can’t use any type of Nen outside of their natural abilities, let alone make that their strongest attack.
3. Togashi Becoming A Father Heavily Influenced The Plot
Shortly after the first volume of Hunter X Hunter was published, Togashi and his wife Naoko Takeuchi welcomed their first son. Togashi believed that having a son would likely have a significant influence on his manga, since the protagonist was a young boy in search of his father.
4. Gon’s Name Has A Cool Origin
Many of the characters have names with interesting origins, so for now we’ll focus on the protagonist, Gon Freecss. English speakers might notice that his surname sounds a lot like the word “freaks” – this was likely intentional.
Meanwhile, his given name, Gon, may refer to the onomatopoeia that’s often used in manga to show that someone has been hit hard: (ゴン/ごん, gon). This could be reference to his special attack.
5. The Protagonists All Have Significant Birthdays
All four of the protagonists of Hunter x Hunter have a birthday that’s in some way significant. All four have birthdays where the month number is the same as the day number – so does Hisoka.
Gon’s birthday, May 5th, is also a holiday called Children’s Day. Killua’s birthday, July 7th, is also Tanabata, a festival celebrating a piece of folklore in which the protagonist bears some resemblance to Killua. Leorio’s birthday is March 3rd, the date of a festival called Hinamatsuri.
Kurapika’s birthday, Apirl 4th, is not a holiday, but because “four” is a number that signifies death, it suits his vengeful character.
6. The Title Has An Unexpected Source
Why is the series called Hunter x Hunter, anyway? Togashi explained that he’d always been a collector, so he wanted to call a manga “something hunter.” He came up with the final name when he was watching a variety show called Downtown. On this show, the hosts often repeated words for humorous effect. The x is silent.
7. The Royal Guards Are Connected To Two Religions
The Royal Guards, the group responsible for protecting the Chimera Ant King Meruem, have associated imagery from two real-world religions. Volume 28 of the manga uses cover art that greatly resembles Diego Velázquez’s “The Coronation of the Virgin”, with Menthuthuyoupi appearing as Jesus Christ, Shaiapouf as God the Father, and Neferpitou as the Virgin Mary.
Also, all three of them have names that reference Egyptian gods: Shaiapouf and Shai, Menthuthuyoupi and Neferpitou as Nefertem, and Menthuthuyoupi as Montu. All three of their names also reference French children’s books.
8. Naoko Takeuchi Helped With The First Volume
Yoshihiro Togashi rarely uses assistants to create his manga, but he did have somebody help him apply screen tones to the first volume of Hunter X Hunter. That assistant was actually his future wife, Naoko Takeuchi.
Takeuchi is a famous manga creator in her own right – you’ve almost definitely heard of her most famous series, Sailor Moon.
9. There’s A Continuity Error Involving Killua’s Mom
Except when she appears in flashbacks, Killua’s mother Kikyo always appears covered in bandages. She wears these because of injuries inflicted on her by her son. But during the Killua rescue arc, there’s a continuity error in which she’s depicted with no bandages. Though clearly a mistake, it’s interesting to think that perhaps she doesn’t really need the bandages, and is wearing them to elicit an emotional reaction in her son.
10. The Canon Language Is A Decipherable Code
At least 200 different languages exist in the world of Hunter X Hunter, but the primary language, which is used across multiple countries, is one that anyone with a knowledge of Japanese kana can read. It uses a substitution cipher, with each runic symbol standing in for a different piece of Japanese kana.
11. Kurapika Is The Only Character With Two Nen Types
Every Nen user in Hunter X Hunter falls into one Nen type – except Kurapika, who uses two. Normally, he’s a Conjurer, which means he can create weapons out of his aura. When his eyes turn scarlet, he becomes a Specialist, which grants him multiple unique abilities.
12. Gyro Is Named After A Baseball Pitch Typically Thrown In Japan
A gyroball is a type of baseball pitch typically used in Japan. Thus, Gyro’s name is derived from gyroball. The characters Knuckle, Shoot, and Palm are also named after baseball pitches. Yoshihiro Togashi is no stranger to baseball given that his first published manga work, Buttobi Straight, follows a boy who aims to become the captain of his school’s baseball club. Togashi received the prestigious Tezuka Award for this manga.