Best Hunter X Hunter Arcs Ranked.

Hunter X Hunter is one of the best anime series of all time. With its adventurous, action-packed story combined with gritty and dark moments, Hunter X Hunter leaves an everlasting impact on the viewers.

There are seven arcs in the anime and two more in Manga. I have included the manga arcs too that haven’t been animated yet, so there will be spoilers.

9. Greed Island Arc

Episodes: 59 to 75

Greed Island arc tells the story of Gon and Killua entering a game called Greed Island. Greed Island was created by Ging Freecs along with 10 of his friends. Greed Island is a real-life island where the players get transported when starting the game. While playing the game, a bomber starts killing others for their cards. Gon, Killua and Biscuit defeat the bomber and Gon meets Kite.

This arc lacks the Hunter X Hunter feel to it. Physically going to a game world is a concept that is difficult to engage with. But I think Greed Island happening on a real island is great and also the game elements aren’t emphasized too much which was good.

Genthru was a really underwhelming villain for a series that has some of the best antagonists in manga ever. Compared to Hisoka, Chrollo, Mereum, etc Genthru just isn’t interesting in any way.
The only interesting new characters are Biscuit and Razor to an extent and most of the other side characters are unforgettable that I didn’t even remember anyone’s name.

Notable Moments:

• Gon Vs Genthru.
• Biscuit’s Introduction.
• Dodge Ball Game.

8. Zoldyck Family Arc

Episodes: 22 to 26

Zoldyck Family arc tells the story of Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio going to the Zoldyck mansion to retrieve Killua. On their mission to go inside the mansion, they face a few problems like opening the door, Canary, Butlers, etc but eventually Silva Zokdyck allows Killua to leave. Zoldyck family members are introduced in this arc and all of them are interesting and unique including the butlers.

It is a very short arc and lasts just five episodes. It seemed like there will be serious fights to retrieve Killua, but the arc subverted the expectations. I think that is a great decision to not stretch this arc more than that. For its length, it is great but obviously will be ranked lower than other arcs due to lack of content. Despite the short screen time, the members of the Zoldyck family were captivating.

Notable Moments:

• Gotoh’s Coin trick against Gon.
• Meeting Of Silva and Killua.

7. Heaven’s Arena Arc

Episodes: 27 to 36

Heaven Arena arc tells the story of Gon and Killua entering the competition in Heaven’s arena. They find out about Nen and learn it under Wing. Gon and Killua are shown to be prodigies as they learn Nen at an alarming rate. Gon meets Hisoka and fights him in the arena but loses the fight. Hisoka also fights against Kastro and it is revealed that he is also part of the phantom troupe. We also see Kurapika trying to get a job and learning Nen.

This arc doesn’t drive the story forward but rather acts as a visual spectacle. Nen is introduced and it is one of the best power systems in anime. Gon’s fight with Hisoka is really good. Hisoka shines throughout this arc and shows why he is one of the most iconic characters in anime ever. Barring Hisoka, other fighters in the arena aren’t memorable.

This arc lacks any stakes or emotional storytelling that is in other arcs due to which I cannot put it any higher.

Notable Moments:

• Gon’s fight with Hisoka.
• Hisoka’s fight with Kastro.

6. Hunter License Exam Arc

Episodes: 1 to 21

This is the first story arc of the series which tells the story of how Gon enters the license exam and meets Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio. They compete in the five-phase exam in which Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio passes but Killua fails. Also, Hisoka and Illumi are introduced. The first phase is a very long Marathon, the second one is a cooking phase, the third one is the Trick tower, the fourth round is a manhunt in Zevil Island and the last phase is a fighting tournament.

Tournament arcs aren’t my favorite things in anime since they end up underwhelming storywise usually but Hunter’s examination delivers by not having certain cliches. The arc doesn’t focus too much on the power level and the fights, which really helped the narrative. Also, the dark aspects of this arc and the presence of chaotic characters like Hisoka and Illumi make this an amazing arc. The questionable morality of the main characters and the ruthless Hunter X Hunter world in this arc makes this a great arc.

Notable Moments:

• Gon gets the batch from Hisoka.
• Killua takes heart from Johness.
• Gon’s stubbornness against Hanzo.

5. Dark Continent Expedition arc

Episodes: N/A Chapters: 340 to 348

Isaac Netero’s son decided to embark on an expedition to the forbidden Dark Continent and the Zodiacs try to stop his goal. Beyond has the backing of the Kakin empire. Zodiacs enlist Leorio and Kurapika as Zodiacs, while Ging joins Beyond’s party while also attempting to obstruct Pariston. V5 eventually backs Beyond and Kakin’s plan, appointing the Hunter Association as a chaperone.

This is a short arc that is yet to be animated. The arc had a lot of exposition dump about the Dark continent and acted as a great setup chapter for the future arcs. Not a lot happened in this arc but I just like the expansion of world-building done in this arc.

Notable Moments:

• Reveal of Five Threats.

4. 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc

Episodes: 137 to 148

Election Arc tells the story of the chairman’s election to decide the next chairman as Netero died fighting Mereum. Zodiacs are introduced which include Ging and Pariston Hill. Parallelly, Gon is fighting for his life due to the power he gained by his resolve in fighting Neferpitou. Killua tries to get Alluka to save Gon. We get introduced to Alluka/Nanika and her powers. Also, Gon finally meets Ging and Ging drops the existence of the Dark Continent.

This arc is one of the most underrated arcs in the series and often gets overshadowed by the Yorknew City arc and the Chimera Ant arc. On its own, it is really enthralling with two separate stories intertwined.

Pariston Hill is another character that is amazing just being in a few scenes. The battle of wits between him and Ging was fun to watch. Also, we get to see Killua’s more emotional side, and his role as a friend and as a brother was great to watch. The introduction of the Dark Continent was an amazing development.

Notable Moments:

• Ging meets Gon
• Killua accepts Nanika.
• Gotoh’s fight with Hisoka.
• Dark continent Name drop.

3. Succession Contest Arc

Episodes: N/A Chapters: 349 to ongoing

The 14 princes of the Kakin Empire need to kill each other off and the person who survives becomes the next king. Kurapika is recruited by the eighth Queen as a bodyguard. Kurapika is trying to retrieve his clan’s eyes from the fourth prince Tserriednich. Meanwhile, Hisoka and Phantom Troupes also board the ship to the Dark Continent. Ging and Pariston have a story of their own.

This arc was shaping up to be my favorite arc. The list of characters in the ship is simply great. The claustrophobic setting, ensemble cast, mysteries, etc are some of the things I enjoy greatly and this arc has everything. The art is poor and the manga medium isn’t used at its best due to Togashi’s health but when anime adapts it, the arc will become the best in the series.

Notable Moments:

• Hisoka vs Chrollo
• Tserriednech gaining Hatsu

2. Yorknew City Arc

Episodes: 37 to 58

This arc takes place in Yorknew where Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika agreed to meet. Kurapika joins the Nostrade family of bodyguards while Gon, Killua, and Leorio meet together. Phantom Troupe is introduced and they steal everything in the auction house. Shadow beasts try to stop them but get defeated. But Kurapika captures Uvogin and then later fights him leading to Uvogin’s death.

Phantom Troupe hunts Kurpaika without knowing his identity. Gon and Killua are captured by Troupe while Chrollo is captured by Kurapika. Later it becomes a cat and mouse with each side wanting to outsmart the others. In the end, Kurapika sets a Nen chain on Chrollo and Pakunoda. But Pakunoda breaks it and thus gets killed but reveals the identity of Kurapika to others. Hisoka acts as a wildcard in this arc helping Kurapika.

Yorknew City Arc is perfect and doesn’t have any issues. The arc is really fast-paced with great storytelling. The plot is extremely non-linear and unpredictable and the usage of Nen as a power system was just a treat to watch here. Phantom Troupes are extremely interesting with each character having their own personality. The dynamic between the Phantom Troupes is just amazing considering none of them have an in-depth origin story.

Uvogin’s fight against Shadow Beasts is amazing. The fight between Kurapika and Uvogin showed why Nen’s power system is one of the best ever.

Notable Moments:

• Uvogin’s fight with Shadow Beasts.
• Chrollo Lucifer’s Symphony.
• Uvogin’s fight with Kurapika.
• Chrollo Kidnapped by Kurapika.
• Pakunoda’s death.

1. Chimera Ant Arc

Episodes: 76 to 136

Chimera Ants arc tells the story of the growth of the Chimera Ants and their subsequent quest for power in this human world. Queen Ant gives birth to several Chimera ants who then bring humans as food.
Queen later gives birth to three Royal Guards and then, at last, the Ant King Mereum.

Kite is killed but Gon not knowing Kite is killed is having an empty hope that Kite will be saved. While Netero, Morel, Knov, Knuckle, and Shoot also join the quest to save humanity from the ants. Meanwhile, Komugi starts playing Gungi with Mereum and he can never defeat and their relationship starts developing.

The fight between the hunters and the ants ensues with Netero fighting Mereum, Gon fighting Neferpitou, etc. In the end, Mereum dies near Komugi after being poisoned by Poor Man’s Rose. While Gon kills Neferpitou after gaining enormous power through his resolve. All the other royal guards are also poisoned and are dead.

One can argue that Yorknew City Arc is a more perfect arc overall. Yorknew Arc didn’t have one bad thing about it. Chimera Ant arc had so many pacing issues in the first half and a few unnecessary plotline lines like Phantom Troupe, Palm’s date, etc. But the payoffs in the arc are among the greatest in the anime genre itself. The stakes were incredibly high throughout the arc. Mereum’s journey from an emotionless killer to someone who can actually show love for Komugi, and Gon’s journey from a happy-go-lucky kid to a monster that can kill someone without remorse are one of the best parallels between the antagonist and the protagonist in the anime.

All the characters are well written in this arc. Even the minor ants have their own unique personality. Netero’s fight with Mereum is one of the best fights of all time. Mereum gets defeated by a bomb that can be built cheaply and it shows even the strongest individual in the world is no match for the human’s evil creations thus raising the question of who is the real monster.

Notable Moments:

• Kite’s Death.
• Zeno’s Dragon Dive.
• Mereum vs Netero.
• Mereum playing Gungi with Komugi.
• Gon turning into an adult human.
• Mereum dies along with Komugi.

Do you agree or have your own rankings? Feel free to comment below.