An all-time favorite and forever classic in the anime/manga industry, Hunter X Hunter is what is considered pinnacle shounen. In its time, it updated the codes, changed the tropes and redefined the genre.
Will the 2011 remake ever deliver Hunter X Hunter Season 7?
What happened so far in Hunter X Hunter
Hunters are exceptional individuals licensed by the Hunter Association after passing the rough and deadly Hunter Examination. Their abilities allow them to discover new species and territories, hunt dangerous criminals, reveal historical mysteries and hidden treasures. We are introduced to Gon Freecss, a twelve-year-old boy who decides to leave his island to go look for his father: Ging Freecss, a legendary Hunter. Gon decides to become a Hunter too to improve his chances to find him and takes the Hunter Examination.
There, he meets and befriends three people: Leorio, an aspiring doctor counting on the bottomless financial benefits given to Hunters to pay his way through college; Kurapika, the sole survivor of the slaughtered Kuruta clan, set on revenge and trying to get the scarlet eyes of his people back after they have been plucked from their bodies; Killua, a boy of the same age who decided to leave his family of notorious assassins behind to find a new path in life. During the examination, Gon encounters several times the mysterious and dangerous Hisoka who seems to be really interested in the young boy’s potential.
The group successfully passes the examination, except for Killua: he is disqualified for killing his opponent after his brother Illumi relentlessly pushed him. He decides to go back home, much to Gon’s disapproval. His three friends decide to go get him themselves and after convincing Killua to join them, the four companions decide to go their separate ways. Gon and Killua go train in the Heavens Arena, a tower where martial artists can refine their skills; Kurapika goes to find leads on the Phantom Troupe, the ones behind the carnage in his village; Leorio goes to school (yes). In the tower, Gon and Killua learn how to use their Nen, a life energy allowing the users to use powerful abilities based on their personal attributes and traits.
They later reunite with Kurapika in Yorknew City where they strongly clash with the Phantom Troupe. Kurapika succeeds in killing two members of the group and sealing Chrollo Lucilfer’s Nen, the leader of the Phantom Troupe. A few days later, Gon and Killua are ready to enter Greed Island, marking the beginning of a new adventure that will serve as the prologue of something bigger, lurking in everyone’s shadow.
What is going on with Madhouse?
Hunter X Hunter premiered on October 2, 2011 and ended on September 24, 2014, after running for 6 seasons and 148 episodes. The show is directed by Hiroshi Koujina, written by Atsushi Maekawa and Tsutomu Kamishiro, with a score composed by Yoshihisa Hirano.
The 2011 remake follows the manga more closely than the original in 1999. And what we all learn from that is that Hunter X Hunter is timeless. More than ten years after its original release as an anime, the title still managed to pull in new fans, lit a new fire under old fans and united the critics under one single banner. Taken at face value, HxH might look simplistic: the story of a young boy looking for his dad is simple, (Dragon Ball, Berserk, Samurai Champloo or G Gundam literally share the same storyline) as is the character design (compared to Yu Yu Hakusho, Togashi went for simpler lines, almost cartoonish). Now, like the series previously mentioned, mixed with that simple summary are a certain number of red threads, subplots and motivations forming an intricate narrative web born of good writing, rich characterization and mastered world building. Characters in HxH all have a motivation, a story showing them where they should go and what they should want. Literally all of them. Togashi knows how to narrate a story and when to use the “show, don’t tell” mechanics. Small details about his characters are not flatly delivered for exposition’s sake, but come in the shape of natural conversations, small talk or visual clues. Characters bond naturally.
There is so much at stake as all those wills clash against each other to achieve their goal, support their allies or endure their fate as collateral damage. Shounen archétypes are polished here. Gon is nothing new with his heart always turned to justice and its simplicity in living his life. Goku and Luffy are the same. But he has this fresh and childish outlook on the world against which all the violence comes crashing, and him being called “simple” does not mean that he is “dumb”.
You get attached really quick at the characters, whether they are bad or good guys (even boring Leorio is shown some love). As said before, the character design is simple, but highly efficient: the transition between comedic and neutral (to serious) moments is easier as it helps the characters retain most of their normal physical traits. Togashi mastered his style though, looking at how different everyone is from each other. Action scenes are dynamic and gorish and characters convey their feelings so well through their posture and features. One of the best examples is Gon’s transformation during the Chimera Ant Arc.
The world building is easily the best in the genre. Togashi is meticulous and knows the rules he set himself. Everything makes sense in that world when taking into account the way it works and how it has been established for the viewers. When Gon and Killua learn about their Nen, the way it is explained is so detailed and logical that you can actually see it in motion. In Hunter X Hunter, abilities and skills make sense: they are based on a specific system, with its restrictions that one has to abide by because that is how it works and the rules are clearly explained. If it is often mentioned that Masashi Kishimoto got heavily influenced by HxH, it can be seen so clearly when reading Jujutsu Kaisen. So much attention is put on cursed techniques and events that the running joke in the fandom is that you need a PhD to follow: the same joke is pretty prevalent with Hunter X Hunter.
Madhouse delivers a work of quality, as usual. The animation is stable and slightly above average shooting straight to excellent during action scenes. It is also important to note that, even with 148 episodes under its belt, the studio maintained that quality until the end. Madhouse recently worked with MAPPA on Takt Op Destiny and has several projects aligned for 2022: season 4 of Overlord, the new anime Police In The Pod and the movie Goodbye, Don Glees!
What do we know about Hunter X Hunter Season 7 so far?
Unfortunately, nothing at the time. It looks like Madhouse and Togashi Yoshihiro want the remake to faithfully continue to follow the manga. But with the mangaka’s health issue and his prolonged hiatus, it is difficult to know whether or not the anime will ever get a new season.
What are fans saying about Hunter X Hunter Season 7?
Hunter X Hunter has a big community, active and non-problematic at that. Most of the fans have read the manga and also closely follow any updates on Togashi Yoshihiro. One thing that can be said is that the fandom is not delusional: the common opinion is that even when Togashi is going to start working again, the anime will never have enough material to continue. The gap in time is too big.
So, while not expecting too much on that side, they did not fully give up hope. As usual with such a fandom, interactions consist of fanarts, memes, bits of trivia and discussions. They have a subreddit and multiple fan accounts on Twitter. Hunter X Hunter boasts of stellar scores on IMDb, AniList and MAL.
Will there be Hunter X Hunter Season 7?
The manga has not been cancelled even with the repeated hiatus Togashi Yoshihiro has to take. It started on March 16, 1998 and ran for 36 volumes in total. By November 2019, Hunter X Hunter had 78 million copies in circulation. Volumes have often taken the top spots in the Oricon’s best selling manga during their release week. Togashi wrote and illustrated a 2-part spinoff titled Kurapika’s Memories in December 2012 that served as a prequel to the first movie. A series of OVAs was also released from January 17, 2002 to August 18, 2004 covering the Greed Island Arc, spanning over 30 episodes. The franchise was also adapted into two movies: The Last Mission and Phantom Rouge.
In 2016, Viz Media started licensing the anime on Blu-ray. In March 2021, Madman Entertainment released a limited edition of the complete series on Blu-ray. The franchise has an extensive merchandising surrounding it: if you wish for it, you might just find it, with how numerous the collectables are. But that is not all as the series also generated a card game (a collaboration with Namco Bandai), plays, musicals, CDs and even several video games. Reinforcing the fact that Hunter X Hunter is timeless and forever kept alive, Google Trends shows that the search queries never reach zero. It shows that the anime is continuously talked about and that fans are waiting for Togashi to feel better.
When will Hunter X Hunter Season 7 be released?
No date is available considering the fact that the main medium is at a complete stop for now.
What can we expect in Season 7 of Hunter X Hunter?
To get a season 7, it would first require more material from the manga, as both Madhouse and Togashi do not want fillers to pollute the pace. Unfortunately, the manga is at a standstill as the mangaka’s health is not getting better. It is indeed a heavy burden, as it is a known fact that Togashi does not want to use too many assistants and do most of the work himself. The manga stopped at a crucial moment, focusing now on Kurapika and Leorio, en route to the Dark Continent as stakes have changed and several conflicts between different factions are ready to wreak havoc.
