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To earn the recognition of his master, Ging, Kite traveled to Ging's hometown in hopes of finding him. Instead, he encountered Ging's son, Gon. After saving the boy from a giant fox-bear in the forest and telling him of his father's legendary exploits, Kite unknowingly planted a seed in the ten-year-old's heart. Gon decided then and there that he would leave Whale Island to become a Hunter.
The content of the first chapter of Hunter x Hunter was simple enough for a child to follow. There were no complex power systems or detailed explanations about what a Hunter actually does, how to become one, or what the process entails. Yet, the first chapter possessed a subtle, magnetic pull.
Sanji knew that if his snoring roommates were reading this, they likely would have given up by page fifteen. They lived for flashy combat panels, cool supernatural abilities, or the sudden appearance of a beautiful heroine.
For the more patient Sanji, however, the manga was exactly to his taste.
He wasn't particularly interested in the Hunter profession just yet, but the characterization of Aunt Mito and Gon touched him deeply. He was particularly struck by a heated exchange between the two.
"What is so special about being a Hunter? You have to abandon your family and your home, and now you want to become one just to find the man who left you behind?" Mito asked with a sorrowful expression, still trying to dissuade him.
"But if it is a job so important that he would even leave his own child behind, doesn't that make it an incredible profession?" Gon replied, looking directly at her.
Sanji nearly choked on his breath when he read that. What kind of logic was that? Was there any career worth sacrificing one's family and life for? Moreover, as the victim of Ging's irresponsible parenting, why did Gon hold such a perspective?
"You really are his son," Mito whispered, her face clouded with grief.
Readers experiencing HxH for the first time might find Gon's words a bit irrational. However, this work was not a typical shonen battle manga. The characters did not adhere to a binary sense of justice. Were all Hunters "good" people? Hisoka was a mass murderer, yet he was a Hunter. Shalnark from the Phantom Troupe was a Hunter. Killua, an assassin with a blurred sense of morality, was a Hunter, as was his brother. These characters had taken hundreds of lives. In any other shonen manga, the protagonist would have felt a moral obligation to destroy them.
In Hunter x Hunter, Gon didn't care about any of that. He chose his friends based on whether he liked their personality, regardless of whether they were "good" or "evil."
Looking deeper, the Chimera Ants in the later Chimera Ant arc were often honorable, loyal, and lived by a strict code.
In contrast, the Hunters sent to exterminate them were frequently depicted as cunning, cruel, and deceptive. This was exactly what the original author had intended.
In past interviews, the creator mentioned that he never intended to make Gon a "good" person, but rather a "mad" protagonist who allowed the story to progress without being hindered by moral conflicts.
Thus, from the very first chapter, a reader like Sanji could sense that Gon's view of the world was slightly off-kilter.
There was no absolute justice or evil here.
Even the protagonist's choices could be chilling to witness.
Villains like Hisoka or Chrollo didn't need a redemption arc to become fan favorites because the readers eventually accepted the world's logic: do not impose real-world morality on these characters, because you will struggle to find a single "good" person in the entire cast.
If you disliked a character, it was usually only because they opposed the protagonist. Once that hostility vanished, characters like Hisoka immediately revealed their charisma.
Sanji felt a slight sense of unease at this realization, but he quickly moved past it. Adapting to the moral compass of this world would take time.
The rest of the chapter followed a bet between Gon and Mito.
If he could catch the "Lord of the Lake" in the forest swamp, she would allow him to take the Hunter Exam. Naturally, as the protagonist, Gon succeeded. In the final pages, as he prepared to say goodbye, Mito made a confession.
"I'm sorry, Gon. I lied to you. I told you Ging abandoned you, but I was the one who fought for your custody in court and took you away."
"I know. I always knew it was a lie," Gon said, smiling at her. "Whenever you lie, you never look me in the eye."
"Aunt Mito, you are my mother. No matter where I go, I will never forget that."
The first chapter ended there. Sanji let out a long breath, a lingering sense of warmth in his chest. To be honest, the plot hadn't advanced much. It threw out the concept of a Hunter without explaining it and then ignored it to focus on the relationship between Gon and Mito. Yet, it was undeniably interesting. Sanji couldn't pinpoint exactly why he was hooked, but the feeling of wanting more was undeniable. Compared to the explosive first chapter of Initial D, this was certainly quieter, but he understood that a battle manga needed several chapters to truly establish its world.
His roommates were still snoring away. Sanji shook his head and logged onto the AniSphere forums. As expected, the site was flooded with discussion threads about Hunter x Hunter.
"So, what did everyone think of the first chapter?"
"I'm not sure. It was good, but not mind-blowing. It definitely leaves you wanting more, though."
"It seems like it's going to be a slow burner."
"Well, it is Haruto. Remember how slow To the Moon and Anohana were in the beginning? Just give it time."
"I was hoping the first chapter would be more exciting than Initial D, but this felt a bit underwhelming by comparison."
"It's definitely a different vibe than Initial D, but 'underwhelming' is a stretch. The bond between Gon and Mito was really touching."
"Touching? I don't care about family drama. I like protagonists who start with their whole family dead so they can just kill their way to the top."
"That's just a matter of taste. Personally, I think it's intriguing. Even with all the hype, Haruto hasn't lost his touch."
"I'm a bit disappointed. Other shonen manga are about destroying planets or fighting across the galaxy. This 'Hunter' thing sounds like a glorified mercenary group."
"It's the first chapter. How can you tell all that already?"
"Just look at Kite. The manga says Ging is the ceiling of power in this world. As his student, Kite should be a top-tier fighter. But he fought a bear with a sword and couldn't even fire off a single energy blast. It's clearly a low-fantasy setting."
"I get the feeling a Hunter is more like a mercenary or an assassin. Being the 'Number One Hunter' is like being the world's best hitman."
"What's the point of arguing? It's only been one chapter!"
"Exactly. People said the same thing when Asuna died in SAO and the setting shifted to ALO. They said it was a failure and the series would tank. Now look at it, SAO is in the top seven all-time bestsellers. Here you go again with the blind predictions for Hunter x Hunter."
"It's just not that good! Compared to the marketing budget, the actual quality is just average!"
"To the guy above me, you're a well-known Haruto hater! You've been posting this garbage since To the Moon. It's been three years and you're still at it. It's the first chapter! When a baby is three days old, do you claim to know if he'll be a billionaire or a beggar? You're ridiculous."
"I'm a hater, so what? I was worried he'd pull off another masterpiece, but after reading chapter one, I actually laughed. Any amateur knows how important the beginning is. The main plot is about Hunters, yet he spent the whole chapter on an aunt. If I were writing it, I'd have the protagonist start the Exam on page one. Who wants to see boring family scenes?"
"That's why you're just a hater on the internet while he has tens of millions of fans. If Haruto wrote like you, he'd be a nobody like you too."
"Burned him! Nice one."
"Haha!"
"Haters never learn. It's been four years and they still love getting bitch-slapped by Haruto's success."
On the first day of serialization, the general consensus was that the story was a slow burn. This allowed Haruto's long-dormant detractors to crawl out of the woodwork. They weren't stupid; their goal was to manipulate public opinion and steer casual readers away. However, it didn't work.
The following day, the voting results for Prime Manga were released. Unsurprisingly, Hunter x Hunter took the number one spot in the magazine with 2.7 million votes. Its rating was a staggering 9.5 out of 10. With a fan base of tens of millions, Haruto could have serialized literal garbage and still stayed in the top two for the first few months based on reputation alone. Fortunately, the first chapter of Hunter x Hunter was genuinely high quality.
As for the haters online, Haruto just chuckled. However, seeing Shizuru looking nervous beside him, he finally spoke up.
"Relax. It's the number one spot. Why is the atmosphere so heavy?"
"But the reviews online seem mixed. When Initial D was running, everyone was praising it non-stop. Now, people are just saying it's 'okay' or 'interesting.' The public opinion feels volatile!" Shizuru said, looking at a tablet with a worried expression.
"Then stop reading them," Haruto said plainly. "You're just looking for trouble."
"I don't have your mental strength! If this new series underperforms, I'll feel like the one responsible."
"Why would it be your fault?" Haruto asked, surprised.
"Because it would mean my art wasn't good enough to carry the story!" Shizuru rested her chin on the table, her beautiful face clouded with worry.
"Don't put that much pressure on yourself," Haruto said.
"I should ask you, though, as the top figure in the anime industry, with a light novel in the top seven and a manga in the top nine of all time... do you not feel any pressure starting a new series?" Shizuru looked at him with curiosity.
"Aren't you worried a failure will tarnish your reputation?"
"No."
"Why?"
Haruto hesitated for a moment. He knew the legacy of Hunter x Hunter. He knew how it compared to Initial D. He knew exactly how it would perform. But he couldn't explain that to her.
"Because," Haruto said, pointing to his head, "I already know the rest of the story."
"And?" Shizuru asked.
"So I know for a fact that it will become the number one manga. Number one in history."
Shizuru was stunned.
She knew that with Haruto's current standing, he was obviously aiming for the top, but hearing him state it so matter-of-factly still shook her.
If he achieved that goal, it meant that she, as his collaborator, would also go down in history as part of the number one series.
"I have never even considered the possibility of this failing. You shouldn't either. Your art is fantastic, and I love working on this manga with you."
Shizuru was silent for a moment, then she gave a soft smile. "Your confidence is contagious. Suddenly, I'm not so nervous anymore. Alright, I'm going to go work on the next chapter. I'm looking forward to the day we surpass Initial D and reach the top."
Shizuru didn't actually have that much confidence in herself, it wasn't in her nature, but she had learned to believe in Haruto. She took one last look at him as he sat in the living room of their villa, sketching out the storyboards for the next chapter, then took a deep breath and headed up to her room to work.
A few days later, the buzz surrounding the first chapter of Hunter x Hunter began to fade, only to be replaced by the sales figures for the third Blu-ray volume of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. It sold 470,000 copies in its first week, officially breaking the record for the highest weekly sales of a final volume previously held by the Madoka Magica TV series.
Haruto had broken his own record after just one year. While the first-week sales didn't guarantee the total sales would be higher, the impact on the industry was massive. It proved that the success of Madoka was no fluke. Haruto had the ability to replicate and even exceed his past triumphs.
For those in the anime industry, this was the defining moment. People who get lucky once are common, but Haruto had proven he wasn't just riding a trend, he was the one creating it.
His status in the industry was now unshakable.
As a result, the prestige of his upcoming April anime, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, continued to skyrocket. Many mid-to-large-sized animation studios that had planned to release new titles in April began holding emergency meetings to discuss moving their series to a different season to avoid clashing with Code Geass.
Haru-Yuki Animation might not yet be as large as the Big Three studios, but with Haruto at the helm, the pressure it exerted on the industry was now equal to, if not greater than, the industry giants.
This subtle shift in the status quo was spreading rapidly throughout the ACG world.