All Hunter x Hunter Anime Arcs, Ranked

7. Zoldyck Family Arc

• Episodes: 22-26
• Manga Chapters: 39-43

The Zoldyck Family arc is the shortest arc in the series but it uncovers some important secrets about Killua’s parents. It conveyed the message it wanted to in the needed time, hence, the short duration.

We were introduced to the mysterious members of the Zoldyck family surprisingly. And more importantly, we learned about why Killua’s character is portrayed in the way it is. It gave us a deep insight as well as brilliantly set up the pathway for the next arc with Gon & Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika going their separate ways. It is a short arc and fulfilled its purpose and is the least favorite arc in the whole show.

6. Greed Island Arc

• Episodes: 59-75
• Manga Chapters: 120-185

In Hunter x Hunter, the Greed Island arc features Gon and Killua entering a ready-player-one movie-esque game in search of his father. It was another major training arc for both characters ahead of the great Chimera Ant arc (ranked at #2 above). This arc had a great story that continued to entertain fans until the end, as it had the game going on around Phantom Troupe making their win, Gon and Killua’s training under Biscuit, and more.

While the aforementioned things were entertaining to watch, the antagonist Bomber wasn’t the ideal character for a bad guy, which made it a lot less appealing. Overall, it’s a great arc that had some great moments but lacked a final finish in my opinion.

5. Hunter Exam Arc

• Episodes: 1-21
• Manga Chapters: 1-38

The Hunter Exam arc set up the beautiful beginning of one of the greatest anime. We were introduced to our main characters and the tests to become a hunter began. It was fascinating to watch the series of tests, which will keep you hooked throughout. Alongside the tests, our MC also starts befriending three characters who went on to become our favorites later. Additionally, we were also introduced to one of the most bizarre antagonist characters, Hisoka, which made this arc the perfect introduction to this series.

The Hunter Exam arc is a great example of how an opening arc should be and was an influential arc to the other shonen anime. We have seen the exam arc tropes in other anime like Naruto, Demon Slayer, and others. Therefore, this is one of the best HxH arcs, and it mostly goes unnoticed by the fans in many ranked lists.

4. Heaven’s Arena Arc

• Episodes: 27-36
• Manga Chapters: 44-63

The Heavens Arena arc has to be the most underrated arc among all of the Hunter x Hunter anime arcs. This is the very first training arc for the boys’ Gon and Killua. They both enter a fight club-like Heavens Arena to participate in the fighting tournaments and make their way to the top along with winning cash. That’s right where they meet Wing, and we are introduced to the concept of Nen.

This arc heavily focuses on developing the powers and characters of Gon and Killua and does it flawlessly. On top of it, we even get to see the much-awaited Gon vs Hisoka match-up in this arc in the anime. Thus, along with the growth of the characters and the intense fights, this arc was extremely gripping and enjoyable to watch.

3. 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc

• Episodes: 137-148
• Manga Chapters: 319-339

The 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc is the final arc of the HxH anime, and it was a wonderful conclusion to the saga. For the first time in the series, we get to learn more about the Hunters’ organization and the politics around it. The new character added in the form of Pariston was interesting to watch. But the main show-stealer in this arc was Killua’s sister Alluka. It was so intriguing to witness her powers and abilities and how her character got intertwined with the main plot. Furthermore, Hisoka and Illumi’s team-up added more heat to this arc.

Moreover, we finally get to see more of Ging Freecs and Gon finally gets to meet his dad. The ending was good to end the series and mark the beginning of something even better. Thus, it is by far one of the best Hunter x Hunter arcs and is ranked high by many fans; albeit has fewer action scenes.

2. Chimera Ant Arc

• Episodes: 76-136
• Manga Chapters: 186-318

The Chimera Ant arc is easily one of the GOAT arcs in the history of anime and manga. Want to see the protagonists fight an OP villain? It is the Chimera Ant arc that will fulfill your wish. This arc took nearly 8+ years to finish in the manga and two years in anime, which speaks volumes about its story.

There were a large number of characters involved in this arc and everyone’s participation was shown effortlessly. The Hunters Association going head-to-head against the supreme and powerful King Mereum was a sight to behold. While the writing is absolutely top-tier high in this arc, the pacing dips down slightly at the beginning of the setup, which was something I didn’t expect.

This arc featured several incredible battles, and one was hands down among two of the greatest battles I have ever seen in an anime. You can’t even predict how things are going to turn out as there were many twists and shocking moments along the way. I can talk all day about the character development in this arc, but let’s not spoil the fun.

Finally, this arc is filled with the highest of all the high moments in the show and will always be one of the best Hunter x Hunter arcs of all time for many.