leorio’s light skin stare makes the zoldyck arc the indisputable best

Great list, nobody can deny the masterful storytelling of the ant arc. I havent started the newest arc, waiting until it finishes. Might take 10 years.

The manga's current arc is a total wildcard for me. I could very well see it matching Chimera Ant given the level of complexity at play. However, it's also such a stacked story that I think much of it will come down to when we see its climax and conclusion. For as great as the setups for Chimera Ant and Yorknew are, it is how Togashi brings together all of those seemingly unconnected details and plotlines that makes both of them such satisfying narratives.

The Chimera Ant arc is the greatest single arc that I've ever seen. As someone who up until my rewatch had a Haikyuu arc in first place for me, that pains me to say, but Chimera Ant does things with its story, message, and characters that I haven't seen presented in a story arc ever before. It is Madhouse's magnum opus, taking the raw gem of Togashi's manga and polishing it into a complete, breathtaking masterpiece, the likes of which I've never seen before.

Chimera ant arc was peak anime period. I love how they present humanity in this ark. It puts humanity in the same position that animals have been in, when it comes their interactions with humans. Merieum isn't portrayed as villainous in any particular way but a king who is trying to carve out a place in his world for his species. Originally he is uncaring about how his species success requires the suffering of humanity as he sees the his species (the chimera ants) as the top of the natural higherachy. Since chimera ants on average have higher levels of nen in comparison to humans and may have intelligence that may supass humans. Merium treats humanity through the same cold and calculated lenses that we use when it comes to the treatment of other animals in our world and thus highlights how cruel we can be to the world around us.

Chimera ant arc is the best for me. The storytelling, character development, especially Gon's and Meruem's was amazing to watch. Togashi's masterful writing and view on humanity inspired me to write my own fantasy story.

"It bewilders me that human beings are capable of writing stories like this." My thoughts on Chimera Ant exactly.

You say at the end that you can't imagine how humans can write an arc like chimera ant. But i think it is crazy that people like you can make such good analysis about anime and tv shows. Thank you!❤

I feel so lucky that im not the only one who loves hxh this much and in the same way i do. Especially because i doubt i would feel the way i do about the series if it weren’t for your wonderful insight. And i cant help but get goosebumps thinking about succession war and its potential. Also, although chimera ant is also my favorite in so many ways, I’ve always felt that if I were to ever teach a class on writing i would present yorknew as an example of what perfect writing looks like

I've watched and read hxh again and again for over 10 years and I'm still so mind blown about Togashi's storytelling. I study writing and creative writing and the more I learn about the craft, the more impressive hxh becomes. I genuinely believe hxh should be studied and analyzed so much more- it's the best story out there.

Never really considered the Chimera Ant arc to be the "hard mode" version of Greed Island until you brought up consequences. Makes me appreciate both arcs a bit more with that juxtaposition.

Not related the arcs so much but... I love Illumi so much. I think there is a lot more complexity to his character that hasn't been shown yet. Ironically despite him being a master of puppets, he seems to be the biggest puppet when it comes to his family's/parents ideologies about how the kids should be. I think he truly believes the things that he said to Killua during the Hunter Exam arc to be about himself as well. I wish there was more character development/interaction between the two.

Hell yes!!! The peak of peaks being discussed once again. I think your picks are extremely sound and the reasonings are eloquent and beautifully put as always. Great vid AJ. Here’s to more hunterxhunter greatness!

The chimera ant arc changed my life. Isaac netero inspired me to change my life from being a drug addict to someone successful. I owe it all to togashi and depiction of isaac netero/humans.

Great list. I´d switch the Chimera Ant arc and the York New City Arc because the Phantoum Troupe as a group, Kurapika, Chrollo and the overlaying mystery of it intrigues me a bit more. Uvos requiem is one of the best scenes in anime. It tells so much about the troupe in a beautiful, dark way. I also really love the character dynamics: Kurapika and Chrollo, the troupe as a whole. Gon, Killua and Nobu, Kurapika and Melody to name some. But I can understand Chimera Ant being others first pick. It blurries the borders of humans vs monsters/evil and at the end even switches the coin with Gons and Meruems developement. It also isn´t afraid to portray the darkest sides of humanity. As for the Dark Continent/ Succesion War Arc I will wait wth reading until it is finished. Or I will die waiting for the next chapter.

YES! I love your Hunter X Hunter videos and this will be the cherry on top! thanks man!

Yorknew City is my personal favorite because of the Phantom Troupe and Kurapika. I haven't caught up on the manga yet, but do know on some stuff that's happened in the Succession War Arc (Phantom Troupe origins, Hisoka vs Chrollo, and Kurapika as the MC) so that has potential to be my favorite arc. There isn't an arc I actually dislike in Hunter x Hunter, but I guess the Zoldyck Family would rank the lowest since its so short.

I love the election arc for Pariston and Cheadle

thanks for another great vid AJ

Its wild how similar our experiences are 😅. Same episode of Yorknew effected me the same way, yet I still place Chimera Ant above it. This was a fun watch!

Togashi is a genius York new city arc it was a prediction or maybe a msg from him Last chapter of this arc was on 1999 and first anime version last ep was on 2000 Arc's name: To york new city Spiders attacked the auction on September Look at the auction's building it looks like the twin towers And whose died were Uvo number 11 and Pakunuda number 9 of spiders Too crazy And look at the heaven's arena building looks like Dubai's tower (Burj Khallifa) And the amazing thing that he put a character Nostrad Neo ( Like Nostradamos who was a predictor with quotes) And The chimera ants arc that Togashi showed us that Human are far worst than ants from Netero's nuclear bomb and at ep 134 he put things from the real world like the vietnam war... And on the succession war the 3 mafias family Shu and Ei and Sha that equal Shueisha the first name of the jump and too many other msgs in the history HxH a big masterpice!

Fantastic video as usual!!!

Loved what you said about the succession war arc, i feel like it's very underrated. Feels weird to say about a half finished arc, it could still fall flat on its ass, but I've seen lots of people say they just want it to be over with and got to the dark continent, and i just can't agree. It's a very dense arc, in terms of plot, characters, and mechanics, but if you take the time to pass it through there's so much potential. Also i think greed island is the one arc better served by the manga. The animation VA etc are great, but you just can't read card descriptions carefully and think about all the details and possibilities in anime form...

does anyone here know where tha dark continent arc begins in the manga? been a while since i read it and id like to start from the beginning since its alot of new characters and events that i frankly dont remember since i stopped reading

Even though I differ with some of the placements, your analysis is always comprehensive and descriptive in a way that is easy to follow without losing depth, and allows us to understand your viewpoints even in areas of disagreement. This has been my favorite video ranking the HxH arcs out of the many I have seen 💚

Great list (and also great video)

Lol, we have the same ranking order. I know it's a given, but I'd like to point out what you said about the subtle character progression of Gon and Killua (and the dynamic between them) being great in Yorknew, it also applies to the entire story. One of my favourite things is discovering the nuances of their interactions and reactions to each other, in every single arc.

I was waiting a long time for this video

YOOO I finished watching the anime less than 24 hours ago! Absolutely fantastic video, all of this was really well-presented! If I had to rank the arcs right now, I would struggle with the lower rankings, but I'm virtually certain that #1 would be ant arc and #2 would be Yorknew arc. I love HxH so much.

As I've watched your One Piece videos and as I start this video, one thought stirs in the back of my mind: Aleczandxr is gonna make some crazy FFXIV videos once he gets through Shadowbringers and Endwalker (assuming you aren't there already)

HxH is a masterpiece but the top 3 arc really stands out. The only thing I'm sad about is that the potential best arc in manga history may never be finished

Oh my gosh our rankings are practically the same! It doesn't even matter how you rank them though; any excuse to hear you talk about hxh arcs is a blessing 🙏

Greed Island has and will always be the only HxH arc i go back and watch every year. Forever my favorite.

I was always interested to see how you rank the arcs. My list is the same as yours

hunter x hunter as a whole is a masterpiece but to this day there is no piece of fiction that has surpassed the chimera ant arc for me and i dont think there will be. i was so enthralled and immersed in its storytelling and characters that i remember on my first watch staying up over 24 hours just binging it all up until the end of 135 which left me as a sobbing MESS and i still cannot watch nor think about that episode without at least tearing up. this entire series is something i could gush about for hours on end and brings me endless joy and entertainment each time i rewatch it which has led it to become my go to when i need some comfort media to get me through rough times in my life. this series will also always have a heavy impact on me emotionally and i will forever be so grateful to it because ill always have memories of watching the dub as it aired every saturday for about 2 years with my mom and dad, who were never the type to watch anime but knew how much i adored this show and how important it had been to me for years, and they became enthralled with it too and looked forward to each new episode. its some of the most precious memories i have within the last few years i had with my dad before he passed away and im so, so happy i had the chance to create something special for us all to enjoy. hunter x hunter as a whole is something i love with my entire being and has granted me precious memories i will carry with me for the rest of my life. togashi is a genius of his craft and i look forward to (but can wait as patiently as needed) for more of this beautiful story that he has painstakingly created.

It’s as if I’m watching my own ranking of the arcs. Excellent video as usual.

After doing a podcast ep on Greed Island I’ve warmed up to it(I nvr hated it just thought it was alright but rewatching it helped me appreciate it a lot more)

Rewatching HxH recently, just finished the Greed Island arc. And every time, it always strikes me with amazement at how COMPLETE it is. The amount of worldbuilding, history, lore, progression of plot, the way some players live inside the game, the way some players bend or attempt the break the rules, the interesting characters and NPCs that emerge. Pick out our main protagonists and change the power system from nen to something slightly different, and it could have been an entire manga unto itself, and not just part of a whole. Almost as if Togashi had the entire thing written out as a story before HxH, decided it was too short, and then shoehorned it in as an extended training arc.

I love greed island, and I don't see why it gets hated on. Gon and Killua's dynamic is at its best, there's a feeling of adventure like never before in the story, we get to see Gon's hatsu for the first time, and each episode (at least for the most part) is just pure fun, how could one not have a good time watching it ?

Great list. The Chimera Ant Arc us vastly underpreciated.

The top 2 are just the peak of the anime for me. York New made me fall in love with the anime with the introduction of the Phantom Troupe and CAA just captivated me throughout and solidified my love for the anime and features my fav character and is probably in my top 3 anime arcs in general. Fantastic ranking

good vid bro

This my Hunter x Hunter arcs ranking. 1. Chimera ant arc- It's a masterpiece, in my opinion it's the greatest anime arc of all time. 2. Yorknew City arc- It's perfect arc, it has no flaws. Chimera ant arc is higher, because it's more impactful in my opinion. Nevertheless Yorknew City arc is one of the best arc in anime period. 3. Heaven's Arena- This is the arc where the best power system is introduced, so it's a bit special for me. 4. Greed Island arc- The start is a bit boring, but the the dodge ball game and fight with the bombers are one of my favorite fights in anime. 5. Hunter exam- It's a good introductory arc. They didn't rush things, the pacing is not slow either. Overall a solid arc in my opinion. 6. Hunter Chairman Election arc- It's a short but good arc, it provides us a great ending (anime), Gon finally met his father. I just have a subjective feeling that I can't rank this arc higher than the others, although it's good. I've only watched the anime so I can't speak for the other arcs in the manga.

I cant quite put into words my feelings about the chimera ant arc so instead im just gonna drop in to thank you for being the person whose videos interested me enough to make me experience what is now far and away my favorite story of all time. Btw succesion war may be the number 1 arc in the future just saying. Yes the potential is that high.

Wow, I’m surprised how much I agree with this list. Literally the only change I would make is switching Hunters’s Exam and Heavens Arena. I also think the Succession War arc has the potential to rise to number 1 or 2 once it’s done, but even what we have right now already makes it one of the best in the series, which is crazy that something unfinished could rank so high

Love your list. Our top 4 are exactly the same. Hope to see such a video of One Piece from you one day. Even though that one might become more lentghy.

My favorite is the Chimera Ant arc (for obvious reasons), but the only thing that's really keeping Succession War from that number one spot is its unfinished status. If that arc's climax is on a similar level to Chimera Ant, I could easily see it becoming my favorite. A lot of what cemented Chimera Ant as my favorite was its conclusions (Meruem's character growth and death, Gon's decent and fight with Pitou). But looking at the set up phase of the Succession War, I can't think of another arc in anime/manga that comes close to that half of an arc. If it sticks the landing and manages some emotional gut punches of similar magnitude, I think Togashi can top his best arc. He's built the foundation for it.

I find myself mostly agreeing with the list, tho I have the Hunter Exam's Arc in 2nd place, which is a massive difference to you. The exams are so great to me because there's this constant tension as we aren't quite sure what hunters are and what to expect from them. Everyone is just there taking the exam yet the difference in experience and strength and paths in life is so massive that no one is comparable, yet they all follow the same exam with the same rules and go about it in their own differing method. When lethality gets added to the exam later on it just turns into a nailbiting arc because, while we dont understand all the Hunters taking the exam, we dó understand Gon, and we know that Gon is not up there yet, in a way, not ready yet. EDIT: I will add that it's also the start of the series, thus the series didn't establish itself yet in how ''real'' and cruel it's willing to get, which adds to that tension as well.

Yorknew arc is my favorite because i really like gothic and biblical themes. So even the atmosphere of this arc makes it the best arc in my opinion ❤ like the eerie soundtracks, abonded buildings and churches, candles, little use of light, shadows, spiders' punishments for their sins and the whole character design of chrollo etc. are very cool

I had the exact same ranking as you Alex. Chimera ant is absolutely legendary.

Chimera Amt is probably one of the 2 best arcs in existence.

My ranking would be 1: Chimera Ant 11/10 2: Election 10/10 3: Succession (think this will be 2 when it's over) 10/10 4: Yorknew 9.5/10 5: Greed Island 8.5/10 6: Heaven's Arena 8.5/10 7: Hunter Exam 8.5/10 8: Zoldyck Family 8/10 And you can never gush to much over hunter x hunter

I know this isnt really the place to ask something like this, but is the manga officially cancelled? I heard some people say that it is but im not sure

Amazing video! I agree with it to the fullest. The only arc that I think surpasses the legendary chimera ant arc, is twilight of the golden witch from umineko. If you count it as an arc.

I think the Succession War arc may be better than the Chimera Ant Arc (when it's finished ofc) and the Dark Continent Arc will probably be better than the previous two. I believe that Togashi "tops" himself and the story gets better as it goes a long. I could be overhyping the SW arc but I'm really REALLY liking it so far, it's just so complex. The CA arc is a 10/10 still for me though too

My favourite arc is the chimaera ant arc but I have such a hard time getting through it, and bizarrely I have found many people with the exact same opinion.

Perfect list

The moment I finished ep 51 and the music started playing I was literally like: standing up and OMG, THIS ANIME IS AMAZING. Its really nice to see you talk about it in a similar way. :)

My favorite fight in Hunter X Hunter was the fight between Heavens Arena and Greed island had for my attention 😴

OH MY GOD LETS GOO

Yorkew was my favorite for the longest time, but Chimera Ant took my #1 spot after my most recent rewatch of the series.

Totally the same. And im looking forward to seeing the succession war arc‘s end！

This video is great timing, I just finished Hunter x Hunter today lol

Succession war is 2nd with me and scratching at 1st. So far ant arc is still the best though. What I like about the current art is that I have the feeling it finally fully realizes the possibilities of nen battles and togashi is reaching his peak in his artistic abilities. I really hope he can finish it.

My list is 1. Yorknew 2. Chimera Ant 3. Succession War(will most likely take #1) 4. Heavens Arena 5. Election 6. Greed Island 7. Hunter exam 8. Zoldyck

My personal ranking 1.Chimera ant 2.Yorknew 3.Chairman Election 4.Hunter exam 5.Greed Island 6.Zoldyck family 7.Heaven's arena

You should watch/read Bungou Stray Dogs if you have the time. You’ll like it. In my opinion, it’s very underrated. It gets pretty good as story progresses. I’d love to watch a video about it, listening to your thoughts. Anyways, this was great as usual. Keep up the good work.

I would rank them the same way as you. With the expectation of Succession War eventually moving into #2.

This was a nice video, thanks. I agree that 7-5 are very difficult to rank. Hunter exam was so bombastic without even using a power system, Heavens Arena lacks in plot, but builds so much up in such a short time, and Greed Island...has the dodgeball game. (I feel like it's been a responsibility of mine to watch that once a year)

one of the greatest small details in hxh is the fact that u can't hear killuas footsteps the entire anime

impeccable taste, as always

I agree entirely on the expedition/succession arc. It is most certainly not the best at the time yet - but the set up really gives you that anticipation that the payoff could be even more amazing and profound than anything we’ve yet seen

Perfect!!!!

Yes! Amen on the Dark Continent and Succession War being the same arc. I hate when people unnecessarily split up arcs like that when it really makes no sense to.

The Chimera Ant arch is one of the best archs in Manga. Its up there with Berserk's Golden Age arch.

I would actually love a 3 hours Harry Potter video of this anime

Would 100 % agree with me. The chimera ant arc is aging like a fine wine and is honestly poetry

For me: 1. Chimera Ant Arc 2. Yorknew City( it’s so close to number one loved it) 3. Succession War Arc 4. Hunter Exam 5. Heavens Arena 6. Greed Island 7. Dark Continent Expedition 8. 13th Chairman Election 9. Zoldyck Family Arc(Unofficial)

chimera ant is like my third favourite arc across every animanga i’ve ever experienced - it’s that good

It's been years since I've watched episode 131 and it is still my favourite episode of any show, chimera ant undeafeafed undisputed

man FFXIV music always caught me off guard, great video again, thank you!

first and last are the only 2 arc that i didn't hesitate to rank for the rest yorkshin city and greed island are competing for 2nd i haven't read dark continent yet and the 3 other are competing for 4-5-6th place.

I feel like the election arc is a bit high for me personally, but my God, that first line of how you describe the Chimera Ant Arc is exactly how I feel. I long for the day another anime, or even stand alone arc, reaches the heights of the Chimera ant arc. I think the only anime that has ever gotten anywhere near HxH for me has been Black Clover, but even then, it's light years from the masterpiece that is HxH.

"Worst" is in quotes, because really, there is no worst. They're all good.

Me and me mum started watching Hunter x Hunter out of the blue on Netflix. Made it to the bottom of Trick Tower in Hunter Exam. My first rewatch of the series, still peak.

Hope you also make a Gintama arc rankings

ranking hxh arcs is easily one of my least fav discussions, but i'm glad that you did every arc justice per usual and made use of the format to it's utmost potential!! :D

Agree with York new and Chemera ant arc

this is my sign to continue reading the manga/watching the 1999 version

Worst to best: Zoldyck Family 13th Hunter Chairman Election Phantom Troupe Greed Island Hunter Exam Heavens Arena Chimera Ant

8. Zoldyck 7. Greed island 6. Election 5. Heavens Arena 4. Hunter exam 3. Succession War/DC 2. Yorknew 1. Ants

Chimera Ant arc at number 1, Let's not pretend we didn't see that coming.

You're amongst the rare few creators i can muster the strenght to go through any ranking about any manga/anime.

Heavens arena and Greed island are my 2nd and 3rd favorite hunter exam being my no.1

ok here's my guess for his list: 1. Chimera Ant 2. Yorknew 3. Succession War 4. 13th Election 5. Greed Island 6. Heaven's Arena 7. Hunter Exam 8. Zoldyck Family edit: i was right 💪 my own list: 1. Succession War: my favourite characters (Kurapika, Hisoka, Spiders) caught in a political drama with death around every corner?? AMAZING 2. Chimera Ant: do i even have to say 3. Yorknew: Kurapika is in focus, the Spiders are introduced, we learn more about Hisoka and the story themes are beautiful 4. 13th Election: basically everything Aleczandxr said about it 5. Zoldyck Family: i loved the psychotic introduction of Killua's family and the implied backstory details given for Killua 6. Greed Island: it's overlooked because of its disconnected feel from the story's plot but to me hxh was always about detours so the idea of the story itself stopping for the sake of the characters learning cool new powers and getting character development was pretty solid and ofc the volleyball match is one of hxh's most iconic moments 7. Heaven's Arena: the infodump pages truly begin here with the introduction of nen and i can understand how it's off putting for people specially when its newly introduced to the series but i personally didn't find it that bad in the anime or the manga so i loved it and one of the best power systems in the entirety of shonen is introduced here 8. Hunter Exam: it's not bad by any means but it is my least favourite in the series simply due to the pieces still being setup and me not really knowing the characters yet

Can't speak on the succession war since I haven't read it but other than that I can agree

The Yorknew City arc is my favorite arc ever…

Man this is a peak ranking. Tho I love all the Hxh arcs.

My favorite feeling in stories is exactly that point where you go "holy shit a human being sat down and wrote this"

- Greed Island - Election arc - Zoldyck arc - Dark continent/Succession - Heaven's Arena - Chimera Ant - Hunter Exam - Yorknew.