File:Hunterxhunter03.jpgArtwork for the first Hunter × Hunter volume that was released in Japan in both DVD and Blu-ray format.
Hunter × Hunter is an anime television series that aired from 2011 to 2014 based on Yoshihiro Togashi's Hunter × Hunter manga. The story begins with a young boy named Gon Freecss, who one day discovers that the father whom he thought was dead, is in fact alive and well. He learns that his father, Ging, is a legendary "Hunter", an individual who has proven themselves an elite member of humanity. Despite the fact that Ging left his son with his relatives in order to pursue his own dreams, Gon becomes determined to follow in his father's footsteps, pass the rigorous "Hunter Examination", and eventually find his father to become a Hunter in his own right.
This new Hunter × Hunter anime was announced in July 2011. It is a complete reboot of the series starting from the beginning of the manga, with no connections to the first anime from 1999. It is directed by Hiroshi Kōjina, produced by Madhouse, and features scripts by Jun Maekawa and character designs by Takahiro Yoshimatsu. Instead of having the old cast reprise their roles for the new adaptation, the series features an entirely new cast to voice the characters. The new series premiered airing weekly on Nippon Television and the nationwide Nippon News Network from October 2, 2011.[1] An hour after each episode is aired in Japan, American website Crunchyroll provided English subtitled simulcasts in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.[2] The series started to be collected in both DVD and Blu-ray format on January 25, 2012.[3]Viz Media has licensed the anime for a DVD/Blu-ray release in North America with an English dub.[4] On television, the series began airing on Adult Swim's Toonami block on April 16, 2016.[5][6]
The anime series' opening theme is alternated between the song "Departure!" and an alternate version titled "Departure! -Second Version-" both sung by Galneryus' vocalist Masatoshi Ono. Five pieces of music were used as the ending theme; "Just Awake" by the Japanese band Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas in episodes 1 to 26,[7] "Hunting for Your Dream" by Galneryus in episodes 27 to 58,[8] "Reason" sung by Japanese duo Yuzu in episodes 59 to 75,[9] "Nagareboshi Kirari" also sang by Yuzu from episode 76 to 98, which was originally from the anime film adaptation, Hunter × Hunter: Phantom Rouge, [10] and "Hyōri Ittai" by Yuzu featuring Hyadain from episode 99 to 146, which was also used in the film Hunter × Hunter: The Last Mission.[11]
