And while the series is technically on hiatus, fans are still excited about what’s to come—and until that time comes, we’re stuck rewatching the series and reliving all of its best scenes and moments. From scenes that feature the power of teamwork to darker moments filled with murderous intent, here are our picks for the best Hunter X Hunter scenes and moments from throughout the series.
17. Leorio Attacks Ging
Let’s start with one of Leorio’s best moments, which also shows how strong Ging Freecs is. We can definitely see how Leorio improved in that exact moment, as he uses an Emitter-type Nen ability to hit Ging. We can also say that Ging lets that happen for some reason. He actually knew that something was coming and would surely hit him by the way he looked at where it would appear—but he did nothing and let it happen.
16. Gon vs. Gethru
Genthru was a mass murderer in the Greed Island Arc, and what Gon did to him served justice to his victims. Upon learning that he has no place to hide, being trapped under a boulder, Genthru admits defeat and pleads for his life, but Gon still hits him with a Jajanken. At the end of the battle, they heal Genthru’s team with the card “Breath of Arcangel,” showing that they aren’t murderers like them.
15. Pitou vs. Kite
The Pitou-versus-Kite scene was cut short, but the preceding scenes sent chills down our spines and the scene afterward was such a heartbreaking outcome. The moment Kite senses Pitou’s menacing aura indicates that something terrible will come next, even making Gon lose his temper and release his own sinister aura (thanks to Killua, it didn’t happen).
14. Kite Using His Scythe
Before Kite’s death, he showed us how scary he was in battle. He eliminated a swarm of Chimera Ants with one fell swoop of his Scythe. The Scythe is numbered “2” in his Crazy Slot and can only be used with the technique “Silent Waltz.” With just its presence, the leader of the Ant squad felt the heavy tension, and even remembered what death is.
13. Illumi Oozing With Bloodlust
We’ve never seen Illumi get angry before, right? It’s his attitude that makes him cool and badass despite whatever situation he’s in. But when Hisoka talks about killing Killua, his face just turns black—denoting his total evil at the time—and threatens to kill him. If Hisoka didn’t admit to joking, it would’ve been one of the best fights in the series.
12. Gon and Killua Escape From Nobunaga
Gon and Killua were held captive by the Phantom Troupe, with Nobunaga guarding them. During that time, they have just encountered Nen and the duo’s abilities were nowhere near the Troupe’s swordsman. But with their cunning and wit—plus some ideas they picked up over a short period of time—they managed to escape a swordsman who was ready to slit anyone who entered his aura’s range.
11. Gotoh’s Coin Test
The Zoldyck butler, Gotoh, proposed a game to Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio while waiting for Killua. Though it was meant to be a form of entertainment just to kill time, the stakes grew more serious as the butlers held Canary hostage and threatened to kill her if they chose wrong. Gon managed to correctly pinpoint where the coin was and saved Canary’s life. Luckily, Gotoh’s side played fair—because Killua stated that there was a trick with that coin game.
10. Killua vs. Johness
During the Hunter Exam, particularly in the Trick Tower test, Killua proved and showed his abilities in his battle against Johness, a convicted killer. In an instant, Killua took the prisoner’s heart. The scene was all the more badass as Johness asked for his heart back before he died. (In the 1999 anime series, Killua crushed the heart. In the 2011 anime series, Killua handed it over to the dead body.) This scene also introduced how terrifying the Zoldycks were when Killua said that if it was his father, no one would hear a drop of blood.
9. Gon, Killua, and Hisoka vs. Razor
Hisoka has mixed reception from the Hunter X Hunter fandom. Many hate him, some like him (even if he’s a villain), and the rest are simply unsure whether he’s good or bad. But the scene where Hisoka entered a combination stance with Gon and Killua in their battle against Razor? Every fan was amazed and fascinated by Hisoka giving a helping hand. He even finished the game in a way Gon wanted: a total victory, not just winning by dodging.
8. Zeno’s Dragon Dive
Zeno Zoldyck’s Dragon Dive ability was the mark of humanity’s offensive move against the Chimera Ants. It covered a wide range of area, was a perfect surprise, and an all-out attack. It surprised everyone on the mission and caught the enemies off guard, which gave the Hunters enough time for the infiltration.
7. Netero vs. Meruem
Chairman Isaac Netero’s last fight was with the strongest creature introduced in the arc, Meruem the Ant King. Though he lost a couple of limbs to the king, he still fought bravely and full of pride, stating that the Ants never knew what humans were capable of. His last resort—of detonating the Poor Man’s Rose—was so badass that it even showed the face of Isaac himself as the Grim Reaper.
6. Killua’s Godspeed
Killua’s Nen ability is too complex and unordinary. When we see him shine with his “Godspeed”—particularly the “Whirlwind”—that’s when we know he’s no longer the same boy we met in the early parts of the story. He’s now more powerful and more dangerous than he was before, able to face two of the Royal Guards (in two different instances). He also showed off his incredible abilities at another time: when he was escaping his butlers who were watching them.
5. Gon Returns the Tag
Talk about a vendetta from the past! Gon never forgot the challenge Hisoka gave him: “Return it when you can hit me like that.” It’s about the tag Hisoka gave him in one of the Hunter tests. During their fight in the Heaven’s Arena, after some tile-breaking (which weren’t ordinary tiles) and ground-shattering bouts, Gon actually managed to hit Hisoka in the face. At that point, Gon respectfully returned the tag, which Hisoka accepted.
4. Feitan Unleashes His Powers
During the Chimera Ant Arc, no one expected the appearance of the Phantom Troupe, especially highlighting their abilities. One of the best parts was Feitan’s devastating wide-scale attack: the Rising Sun. He unleashed a power we never saw during the early parts of the series, which burned the castle down along with the Queen who angered him.
3. Nanika Appears
As Killua’s last resort, he returned to his home to ask for the help of his family, particularly that of Alluka. Alluka was the younger sister of Killua who had an entity living inside of her: Nanika. Nanika has the power to grant any wish—even if the wish seems too impossible to grant—as long as Nanika’s own three wishes are granted first. Via flashbacks and backstory, we learn how terrifying Nanika’s power can be and why Alluka and Nanika were locked up. In the end, the creepy doll-faced character saved Gon per Killua’s wish. This moment also showed that Alluka and Nanika understand each other, as Alluka states that Nanika was sad when Killua told it to stay away.
2. Adult Gon
There are a lot of best and badass moments in the Hunter X Hunter series, but the Adult Gon moment is one of the best, most badass, saddest, most terrifying, and darkest scenes in the entire anime. It features the emotions of Gon, who’s saddened and angered by the death of Kite. His emotional flare causes him to forge a Covenant and Restriction, which gives him the power to defeat Pitou. We were blown away when that black aura appeared around Gon, indicating that something bad was about to happen—and it all got more intense when Pitou used her Terpsichora to enhance herself in response to the overwhelming power filling the room.
1. The World Tree
The World Tree was introduced as the place where Gon and Ging meet, but there’s so much more to the Tree itself. As Ging explained, the Tree where they stand—which is about 1,700 meters tall—is actually just a sapling that never grew to fruition because it was deprived of the nutrients it needed. This was huge for fans, as it got us expecting much more for the future and showed us that there are lots of things beyond the known world—things that could be harsher than even the Chimera Ants. Read next: The most common anime tropes (and anime series that subverted them)
