The Hunter x Hunter cartoon series was born as a manga comic in Japan in 1999 by Yoshihiro Togashi, the same as Yu Yu Hakusho . In Italy it is published by Panini's Planet Manga, every two months. The anime arrived in Italy by Shin Vision in 2003 and from Tuesday 23 January it is broadcast on Italia 1 every Tuesday and Thursday at 14,05 for a total of 62 episodes each lasting 25 minutes.

The protagonist of the series is Gon, a 12-year-old boy who is orphaned of both parents, who lives with his aunt Myto, who tells him that her father Jin Freecs, was the greatest Hunter in history.

For this reason Gon, also through the teachings of his friend Kon, will follow two objectives: the first is to become a Hunter, the second is to find his father, who according to some news seems to be still alive. During his adventures, Gon proves to be Jin's worthy heir, as he demonstrates a highly developed sense of smell and valuable fighting techniques. In particular the Jajanken, which consists in arranging the fingers in a very similar way to the game "rock, paper, scissors"; each location gives it a particular power.
The story begins with the sky that heralds a violent storm and with little Gon, who is in the middle of the snake beech forest, a long way from his village. Here while trying to capture a fox bear cub, he gets trapped in the middle of the vegetation. The cub's mother is about to pounce on Gon, but luckily Kaito arrives, who saves his life by killing the foxbear. He would like to do the same with the puppy, but Gon prevents him by promising to take care of the animal. Kaito later reveals to Gon that his father is alive and that he was his student to become a Hunter. After two years, despite his aunt's disapproval, Gon signs up for selections to become a Hunter, but on one condition: within seven days he will have to be able to fish "The master of the swamp". Given his poor results, his aunt, to reward his determination, gives him the fishing rod that belonged to his father and so he manages to fish The master of the swamp and leave for the Hunter exam. Arrived at the port city he meets Leorio, an aspiring doctor thief, who always carries a briefcase with him, able to exploit it as a weapon. Leorio seems very opportunistic and interested in money, but thanks to the help of the generous Gon, a beautiful friendship will be born between the two. While the two talk in a room they meet Kurapika, a character belonging to the Kurata clan, who wears strange clothes and earrings. When subjected to strong emotions, his eyes turn red and he undergoes a mutation. He too wants to become a Hunter and find the gang that exterminated his clan. Meanwhile, Leorio finds a job as a waiter, with the richest man in town. He has enriched himself with the exhibition of wild beasts that he raises in captivity and has Gon imprisoned together with his foxbear. He is freed by Leorio, to repay the many favors of Gon and he also frees the other animals locked in the cage. A mysterious Hunter, Popeye's champion threatens the two, who however manage to defeat him thanks to a punch thrown at him by Leorio, who regains his strength after eating. Meanwhile, the vessel that leads to the place where Hunter's exam will be held has already left and Gon and Leorio try to reach it in vain. In a desperate attempt, Gon takes the fishing rod and, hooking the line to a cliff, launches himself into the void together with Leorio. The two land softly on the sail of the ship where they meet Captain Sencho. This reveals to Gon his great knowledge of the elements of nature and the language of the seagulls, which speak of the imminent arrival of a storm. This will fill Captain Sencho with joy and admiration. Arrived in the city of Zaban City, the venue for the exam, the captain suggests a shortcut to them to get to the venue. Here the group splits up: Leorio waits for the bus, while Gon and Kurapica follow the shortcut, to which is added Mashu, another aspiring Hunter. The bus was just a trick to start rejecting the silliest would-be students and tries to waste the passengers' time, but Leorio manages to get off and join his friends along the way. The boys arrive in a strange village where the inhabitants have their faces covered by strange masks and long cloaks. Their leader is an old woman who tells the aspiring hunters that before they get to the big tree over the hill, they will have to submit to some very difficult questions.

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