CBR writer Areeba Khan published a retrospective on October 18, 2026, explaining why several key Hunter x Hunter episodes become far harder to watch on a second run [1]. Madhouse adapted Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga into a 148-episode television anime starting in October 2011, earning a 9.03 rating on MyAnimeList while hiding deep sorrow behind an energetic shonen exterior [3]. Viewers who return to the story already know which promises will break and which heroes will fall, turning early conversations into painful countdowns to grief [1].
Yorknew Clashes That Turn Revenge Hollow
Kurapika’s quest for vengeance reaches a turning point in “Condition x and x Condition” (Episode 47), where he confronts Uvogin in a desolate desert outside Yorknew City. Kurapika asks whether the Phantom Troupe remembers the people it slaughtered, but Uvogin answers with detachment [1]. Uvogin laughs at his opponent until Kurapika activates his scarlet eyes and Emperor Time, trapping the brute in Chain Jail [3]. Kurapika uses Judgment Chain to pierce Uvogin’s heart once the warrior refuses to betray his comrades. That strike reveals Uvogin’s loyalty, leaving Kurapika emotionally hollowed out rather than peaceful [1].
The violence escalates in Episode 51, titled “A × Brutal × Battlefield,” as Chrollo Lucilfer and the Phantom Troupe attack the mafia across Yorknew. Chrollo steals Neon Nostrade’s fortune-telling ability before conducting an eerie requiem for Uvogin set to classical music. The mafia cannot stop them. The Troupe’s slaughter shows that the thieves casually extinguish human lives, turning street violence into theatrical spectacle [3].
Episode 58, Signal x to x Retreat, brings Pakunoda’s sacrifice into sharp focus as she chooses death to preserve the Troupe’s future. She points her revolver at her fellow founding members and fires a Memory Bomb into their minds, knowing Kurapika’s Judgment Chain will kill her instantly for revealing his secret identity. Pakunoda doesn’t hesitate. Her selfless choice mirrors Kurapika’s devotion to his slaughtered clan. Both sides fight out of deep love for their people. Rewatching her final steps removes any clean moral divide, because viewers see that Kurapika’s revenge destroys enemies who share the same capacity for fierce loyalty as his closest allies [1].
Earlier Hunter x Hunter Episodes Reveal Slower Pacing
Rewatching the complete adaptation means sitting through 148 episodes and close to 57 hours of material, which can expose pacing unevenness. CBR writer Dave Carl Cutler explained that the Heavens Arena arc slows down significantly once Gon and Killua encounter Hisoka’s Nen aura. Teacher Wing steps in to instruct both boys on aura nodes, Ten, and Ren, framing several episodes as extended classroom training. That careful instruction helps first-time viewers understand power systems, but it can feel like a detour when someone already knows the rules [2]. In Episode 35, “The x True x Pass,” Gon finally lands a clean punch on Hisoka to repay an earlier debt, though getting to that cathartic moment takes patient viewing across extended training sequences [3]. The training takes time [2].
Why does Greed Island feel different to longtime fans? Cutler wrote that Genthru serves as the simplest antagonist in the entire franchise, lacking the moral ambiguity that defines the Phantom Troupe or the Chimera Ants. Gon’s final duel against Genthru tests his tactical grit, but the card-collecting rules can turn tedious on a second watch. The stakes feel small. Genthru can’t match them [2].
The Chimera Ant storyline presents a similar pacing challenge because it spans 61 episodes, running just 13 episodes short of half the anime’s total length. The narrative moves slowly through ant colonies and scouting missions before converging on the royal palace. It’s a long story that demands patience. When rewatching Hunter x Hunter episodes, fans often want to reach the palace invasion sooner [2].
Gon and Pitou in Episode 131
The emotional unraveling of Gon Freecss begins in Episode 85, Light x and x Darkness, when Kite encounters Royal Guard Neferpitou near the ant nest. Pitou severs Kite’s arm in a single flash. Human Hunters face predators far beyond their normal experience. Killua knocks Gon unconscious to save his life, carrying him away while Kite buys time. Gon wakes up believing Kite survived, holding onto Ging’s Double-Star license as proof of an unpaid debt [1]. The episode ends with Pitou smiling over Kite’s decapitated body. Gon refuses to acknowledge that reality for dozens of episodes [3].
In Episode 116, “Revenge x and x Recovery,” Gon and Killua discover Pitou healing a wounded Komugi. Pitou breaks their own arm, begging Gon for time to finish treatment. That act of compassion breaks Gon’s worldview. Voice actor Megumi Han delivers a raw performance filled with choking rage. She portrays a boy pushed past his emotional limits. Gon doesn’t care about Komugi’s life. He only seeks vengeance [1].
Episode 130 and Episode 131, Anger x and x Light, deliver the devastating outcome of that rage when Pitou admits that Kite died long ago. Pitou can’t save Kite. Gon makes an extreme Nen covenant, sacrificing his future life force to age his body into a muscular adult capable of crushing Pitou with bare hands. Pitou’s corpse attacks through Terpsichora until Gon pulverizes the monster. The final gaze between Gon and Killua reveals a heartbreaking truth: the cheerful child who sailed away from Whale Island is gone forever [1].
Memorable Hunter x Hunter Episodes Featuring Meruem
While Gon descends into darkness, Chimera Ant King Meruem experiences the opposite journey through his encounters with Komugi. In Episode 103, “Check x and x Mate,” Meruem summons the blind champion to play Gungi, expecting an effortless victory. Instead, Komugi defeats him repeatedly, playing for three days without sleep while shifting the entire atmosphere of the throne room. Meruem accepts his defeat [1].
Humanity’s ruthless nature surfaces in Episode 126, titled “Zero x and x Rose,” where Isaac Netero battles Meruem inside a tomb and deploys his 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva to strike the King with thousands of blows [3]. When Meruem survives with only superficial cuts, Netero pierces his own heart to detonate the Miniature Rose bomb and release a lethal poison. Meruem senses fear as Netero’s emptied eyes stare back at him [1].
That poisoned fate leads into Episode 135, “This Person x and x This Moment,” which Chaudhary ranked among the finest achievements in anime history [3]. Meruem chooses to spend his final hours playing Gungi with Komugi rather than pursuing world conquest, repeatedly asking whether she is still there as the lethal Rose poison blinds him. She holds his hand in the dark, choosing to die with him [1]. Pop duo Yuzu’s ending song Hyori Ittai captures this tragic duality, showing how the monster learned love while the hero chose hatred [2].
Unresolved Storylines and the 2011 Finale
The final narrative movement, the 13th Hunter Chairman Election arc, introduces Vice Chairman Pariston Hill with performative charm, though the anime ends before resolving his murky political motives. Leorio Paradinight returns to help save a comatose Gon, earning an appointment to the Zodiac Twelve after punching Ging during a public debate. Cutler said that Leorio serves as the sincere moral center of the original quartet [2].
Episode 148, “Past × And × Future,” brings Madhouse’s adaptation to a quiet close as Gon meets Ging for a long-delayed conversation. Father and son sit together, sharing stories about why the detours in an adventure matter more than reaching a planned destination. Weekly television viewership often tracks audience sentiment across seasonal releases, as seen in recent coverage of the summer anime rankings, yet long-form shonen classics face different retention challenges during complete series replays [3]. The conversation gives Gon closure, but it leaves major plotlines concerning Gyro, Kurapika, and the Phantom Troupe without an ending. Fans never saw those arcs resolved [2].
Fans often ask why a continuation hasn’t appeared, but author Yoshihiro Togashi works around ongoing health limitations that slow his manga releases. Gon can’t use Nen after his sacrifice against Pitou, meaning the story can’t easily return to cheerful adventures [2]. When revisiting early Hunter x Hunter episodes, knowing how much pain awaits Gon, Killua, and Kurapika turns Madhouse’s 2011 series into a surprisingly emotional trial [1].
- ONLINE NEWS Khan, A. (2026, October 18). 10 Hardest Hunter x Hunter Episodes to Rewatch. Comic Book Resources. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Cutler, D. C. (2022, April 21). 10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Hunter X Hunter. Comic Book Resources. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Chaudhary, D. (2025, April 29). Hunter x Hunter 10 Best Episodes Ranked. The Nerds Junction. [Article Link]
