With the return of the beloved manga Hunter X Hunter After a four-year hiatus, readers are delighted to pick up where author Yoshihiro Togashi left off, in the middle of Succession contest arc. However, Hunter X Hunter is known for its complex plot and large cast of characters, and this arc is no exception.
Considering the frequent hiatuses in Hunter X Hunter's run due to Togashi's health issues, it can be difficult to remember everything that's happened in the story so far. The Succession Contest arc makes things even more difficult by introducing a bunch of new characters and moving away from the usual protagonists like Gon or Killua. Here's everything readers need to know about the current arc in Hunter X Hunter before diving into this interesting and complex manga again.
Where does the story take place?
Battle for the Crown on a Giant Cruise Ship
One of the most exciting aspects of the Succession Contest is It takes place entirely on a giant cruise ship.Black Whale, heading to the mysterious and dangerous Dark Continent. In the previous stories, Beyond Netero, the son of the deceased Hunter Association president Isaac Netero, revealed to the world the existence of this legendary land, where according to ancient relics, humans have appeared and lies beyond the borders of the Known World. On this continent, extremely dangerous things await, such as creatures or diseases that can wipe out humanity, so V5, the five most powerful nations in the Known World, have banned exploration of this place.
However, Beyond Netero wanted to break this treaty and explore the Dark Continent, so he secured the sponsorship of the Kakin Empire, a powerful nation not affiliated with V5. So a giant cruise ship called the Black Whale was prepared, welcoming Beyond's team, all the members of the Hunter Association who had enlisted for the expedition, some wealthy people from around the world who could afford the exorbitant price for the trip, and also the fourteen Princes of the Kakin Empire along with their guards and subordinates.
In reality, King Nasubi was not only interested in glory and economic profit from the expedition. He also intended to have his children fight in a succession war during the trip, as was Kakin tradition. This paved the way for an all-out war for the Kakin throne, with familiar characters caught in the middle.
The Fourteen Princes and Their Nen Beasts
Nen abilities play an important role in the story.
King Nasubi had eight wives and fourteen children, all of whom had the right to the throne. Centuries ago, Kakin was a small country that was constantly under attack from its neighbors. The first king of Kakin used his Nen ability to summon a Seed Urn and let his children fight in a struggle for the throne to find out who was the strongest and most fit to rule.. The Seed Urn ceremony grants each Prince a Guardian Spirit Beast, a parasitic Nen Beast whose form and abilities are influenced by the personality and disposition of its host. The Princes are then forced to use their new powers to kill each other in the Succession War until only one remains.
The rules of the Succession War are simple: the last man standing becomes king. However, the assassination of a prince must be done in secret, or the perpetrator will be imprisoned or sentenced to death. A Nen Beast cannot attack another Prince or another Nen Beast, but can only defend or use its abilities as long as it does not directly harm another Prince.
The succession war prioritizes intelligence, deception, leadership, and more, and in a way, prepares the winner to become king and continue leading Kakin to a prosperous future. However, something sinister is going on as the manga reveals 14 coffins connected together and King Nasubi placed Prince Maryam, one of the first to be killed, in it.
The Nasubi King's succession war takes place on the Black Whale and is therefore the main focus of the current Hunter X Hunter storyline. Each Prince has a small army of bodyguards (including Pro Hunters) and followers. Alliances are formed, betrayals occur, and throughout the process, the Princes learn about their newfound Nen abilities and attempt to use them to take down their opponents.
The princes all have different personalities and ambitions.. Some, like Tserriednich, were cruel and brutal men who cared only about their own desires. Others, like Halkenburg, were pacifists who wanted to reform Kakin and stop the bloody tradition of the Succession War. Finally, some, like Kacho and Fugetsu, were forced to join the battle even though they had no ambition.
Kurapika and the Red Eyes
The only main character to appear in the Succession Contest arc is Kurapika, the protagonist of the Yorknew City arc. Kurapika's goal remains the same: as the last survivor of the Kurta Clan, he wishes to retrieve the eyes of his brothers, a rare item that was sold to collectors after the clan was destroyed by the Phantom Troupe. Mizaistom, a member of the Zodiacs, the elite of the Hunter Association, informs Kurapika that The lost eyes are in the hands of Prince Tserriednichin exchange for recruiting Kurapika into the Zodiacs and having him infiltrate the War of Succession as the bodyguard of one of the other Princes, Woble, who is still an infant.
After boarding the ship, Kurapika takes his mission of protecting the newborn Prince seriously and fends off assassins sent by the other Princes. Kurapika decides to teach the other Princes' guards how to use Nen, and he also allies with Prince Zhang Lei, a powerful fighter. However, Kurapika's goal is still to get close enough to Tserriednich and retrieve the Scarlet Eyes, something that is nearly impossible in the midst of the Succession War. Meanwhile, he must also spy for the Hunter Association and try to find out what Beyond's true goals are.
The Spiders and the Clown
The Phantom Troupe is on the Black Whale.
What Kurapika doesn't know yet is that his worst enemy is also on the ship. The Phantom Troupe has boarded the Black Whale, hunt down Hisoka, their former member, who killed two Spiders in revenge for losing a battle with the leader of the Gang, Chrollo.
Kurapika also killed two Spiders during the Yorknew City arc, when his sole purpose was to avenge the massacre of his clan, but since then he has shifted his focus to retrieving the Scarlet Eyes. However, Kurapika is unaware that Chrollo has regained the Nen power that was taken from him, and this revelation could make things even more complicated.
Currently, the Phantom Troupe are still focused on finding Hisoka, and it is unlikely (but not impossible) that they will encounter Kurapika. Meanwhile, the Spiders' search for Hisoka has attracted the attention of the three major Kakin Mafia familiesAll aboard the Black Whale, they want to seize land and resources on the Dark Continent. Each family wants to find Hisoka first, to use him as a bargaining chip to control the powerful Phantom Troupe. The three family bosses also have a stake in the War of Succession, as each of them has a hidden sponsor in one of the Princes.
Mafia Feud Plot
This Hunter X Hunter arc just keeps getting more complicated
Three major mafia groups from Kakin, Hei-Li, Cha-r, and Xi-Yu, are on board to secure their influence and land on the Dark Continent. However, things take an unexpected turn when members of the Hei-ly family start killing both civilians and other mafia members, leading to the Cha-r and Xi-yu families teaming up with the Phantom Troupe to take down the family leader and his members. Furthermore, Cha-r is interested in teaming up with the Phantom Troupe as they want to track down this dangerous group as well as find Hisoka first.
What happened in the latest chapters of Hunter X Hunter?
Chapter #400 ends with Nobunaga, Phinks, and Feitan searching for a transmitter that will lead them to Hei-li's secret headquarters, which was planted by Xi-yu's Hinrigh. After confirming that the transmitter is not on the ship's 3rd floor, the three go to meet Franklin to accompany them upstairs in case the highest-ranking Hei-li members have the ability to cause trouble or if they see Hisoka, a very likely possibility since Hisoka was spotted on the 3rd floor and may have gone upstairs after being spotted.
Meanwhile, the ghost of Prince Kacho (created by her Nen powers), her bodyguard Melody, and the head of the Ministry of Justice, Kaiser, discuss the predicament of Prince Fugetsu (Kacho's younger sister) and Melody's request for help from the four Princes. After much talk, they agree that they will assassinate the Princes at the next banquet using Melody's hypnotic music.
However, Fugetsu, the person they were trying to protect, was slowly rotting away and her health was deteriorating due to her constant use of her powers and the spirits possessing her. According to Melody, one of the Princes who asked to see her was behind this, so she met with Zhang Lei, Tsserendiech's bodyguard but eliminated them. As for Kurapika, he further strengthened his position after allying with the fifth Prince Tubeppa.
The Succession Contest arc is taking shape one of the longest and most complex in Hunter X Hunter. The large number of characters involved, each with their own goals and concerns, and the fact that they are all confined to the same place, means that there are many storylines and they often intersect with each other, making for a complex design.
Fans of Hunter X Hunter One can only hope that their curiosity will soon be satisfied and more plot details presented in Succession contest This arc will end before Yoshihiro Togashi is forced to take a long break from writing his manga.