Hunter x Hunter is a fantastic shounen battle anime that was beloved by fans across the multiple series of adaptations, even long after the most recent series stopped airing in 2014.
Written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi, the original Hunter x Hunter manga was amongst the most popular stories published in Shounen Jump for the duration of its initial run. Due to health problems, Togashi has placed the manga on an indefinite hiatus since 2018, making the future of the series uncertain.
For now, there are a few animated versions of the show that are still well worth watching, even if the story remains incomplete.
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How Many Series of Hunter x Hunter Are There?
There are three distinct ‘series’ when it comes to Hunter x Hunter. The first is the adaptation produced by Nippon Animation which began in 1999. This continued for 62 episodes and eventually came to an end in 2001. After this initial adaptation ended, there was a short series of OVA episodes between 2002 and 2004, also created by Nippon Animation and continuing where the first adaptation left off.
The next series of Hunter x Hunter came much later in 2011, rebooting the series for a modern era and adapting the story from the beginning. The 2011 version of Hunter x Hunter is the most popular of the adaptations and is the one that most fans would recommend. Produced by studio Madhouse, the 2011 version of Hunter x Hunter has adapted more of the story than the original season or OVAs, but came to an end in 2014 due to the infrequent releases of the source material.
How Many Seasons are in Hunter x Hunter?
In the 1999 version of the show, Hunter x Hunter ran for one continuous season. In the 2011 reboot of the show, the show runs for one continuous season, but was split up into ‘arcs’ that functioned like seasons and allowed the show to take breaks. There are six main arcs in the 2011 show: The Hunter Exam arc, the Heavens Arena arc, the Phantom Troupe arc, the Greed Island arc, the Chimera Ant arc, and the Election Arc. These arcs varied in length, lasting between 20 and 60 episodes each. The 2011 show managed to cover most of the story told in the manga up to the end of its broadcast in 2014.
How Many Episodes are in Hunter x Hunter?
The 1999 version of the show has 62 episodes which cover most of the events up to the Greed Island arc. The OVAs add an additional 30 episodes. The 2011 show has covered more ground across 148 episodes. That makes for a total of 240 twenty-minute episodes across both ‘versions’ of the show, or approximately 88 hours of watch time!
If you’re new to Hunter x Hunter, we recommend diving in with the 2011 version of the show first for the most focused viewing experience.
