Hunter x Hunter is a shonen series that serves up a successful formula for delivering comedic moments that add to the story without detracting from any intense or emotional interactions. In particular, the 1999 version of the anime contains a lot of fun, light-hearted scenes that allow the viewers to spend time with the characters and see firsthand the friendships they’ve forged. Not only does this help audiences establish a stronger connection with those characters, but it also makes for an even more memorable experience for viewers watching the anime.
Although there are a lot of these amusing moments speckled in throughout the available episodes of the 1999 Hunter x Hunter anime, there are several that stick out. For the way that they add dimensionality to beloved characters and bring a smile to the faces of audience members everywhere, these are some of the funniest moments in Hunter x Hunter.
10 Video Game Downtime
This is a really quick scene that occurs when the main cast is spending some downtime in Trick Tower. The audience eventually sees Gon and Killua playing some video games with Kurapika watching and commenting. Shortly after, there’s a shot of Killua and Gon watching Kurapika play video games. Evidently, he’s very bad at it, as he ends up tossing the controller aside with an annoyed expression. Judging by the looks on Killua and Gon’s faces, the overall gaming session did not go well. When viewers are treated to scenes where Kurapika, who is normally portrayed as a fairly pragmatic and calm individual, ends up overreacting to something innocuous like this, it’s inherently very comical. Despite how brief it is, it’s also a fun moment of characterization for him.
9 Sweet Fight
Alongside a very sweet reunion between the four main characters, there is a great deal of shenanigans. Upon seeing Kurapika at the park, Gon enthusiastically spits out some of his ice cream onto Killua, also dropping his cone on his friend’s head in a rush to greet their friend. He is completely unaware of the war he just started with Killua, who interrupts Gon’s meaningful conversation with Kurapika to shove some sweets into Gon’s face. They tussle in a classic anime dust cloud with Kurapika nearby. Leorio has his own heartfelt moment with Kurapika before said moment is disturbed by Gon and Killua shoving some kind of dessert in his face. Leorio attempts to snag the perpetrators to no avail. These moments of the four characters coming together and making each other laugh are truly the highlight of the series.
8 Killua Fishing
During the Abandoned Warship Arc, Gon teaches Killua how to fish. What makes this particular scene humorous is really in Killua’s response to several of the essential components of fishing. Despite being a trained assassin since birth, Killua is put off by the idea of baiting his own fishing hook. This is especially ironic considering not long before this scene, he had ripped out the heart of a serial killer. The scene goes on as Gon instructs him on how to catch a fish, leading to more comical moments, such as Killua disgusted response to the fish he catches and, eventually, him being unsettled by the eyes of the cooked fish. Gon’s final internal inquiry of “Were you really a professional assassin, Killua?” sums up the overall humor in the situation perfectly.
7 A Moment of Separation
The humor in this scene really lies in the drama building up to it and the characters’ subsequent responses. Once the main four each find a way into Trick Tower, they realize they may end up going their separate ways for a while. They vow to ‘see each other on the other side’, so to speak, and jump through their respective entrances. All of them descended a short distance through the darkness and landed skillfully, serious expressions on their face as they ready themselves to combat the danger ahead. When the lights flicker on, they immediately realize that they all actually landed in the same room. The tension of the moment fades with Gon and Killua laughing and Kurapika commenting “That was a brief separation” to which Leorio responds “Indeed”.
6 The Treasure Trove
Tonpa is up to his usual aggravating tricks when the Hunters-to-be are forced to scour for treasure in order to get room and board. After Gon makes a discovery that seems to be worth a fortune, Tonpa convinces him that there are better treasures further out. This prompts Gon to hand over the treasure and go off in search of more. Killua confronts Tonpa about his lies, but it turns out Tonpa had unintentionally led them to a bigger treasure trove. After all the dishonesty and deceit that Tonpa has shown throughout the competition, the way this scene plays out is the kind of chuckle-worthy just dessert that he deserves.
5 Bodoro and Goz’s Competition
The silent competition that develops between Bodoro and Goz during one phase of the Hunter exam is one of the rare hilarious moments that doesn’t involve the main characters. Bodoro and Goz become roommates in the Abandoned Warship Arc and shots of their interactions are juxtaposed with Tonpa’s underhanded attempts to get a better roommate. This ‘competition’ between them starts with Goz beginning push-ups and Bodoro silently beginning his own workout routine. As the scenes cut back and forth between Tonpa’s scams, the exercises that the two conduct seem to get more elaborate. At one point, they use barrels for added weight. They’re even exercising the next morning after everyone has realized that they’re stranded on the island. This subtle interaction that seems to escalate while all these other events (some quite serious, some simply shenanigans) occur around them is definitely a subtle, but humorous addition.
4 Kamuri’s Betrayal
Once again, Kurapika’s overreaction to a fairly harmless situation—granted, there does seem to be a little bit of teasing on Leorio’s part—serves to supply the audience with a little bit of a playful moment between Kurapika and Leorio. After Sommy’s monkey, Kamuri, agrees to show Kurapika and Leorio where the hidden 403 badge is, Leorio states that “a monkey will always follow the alpha male.” An irritated Kurapika counters with “Who you calling king of the hill?” and Leorio follows up with “I didn’t say anything like that!” It’s true that what Leorio said doesn’t quite align with that and Kurapika’s exaggeration emphasizes an instance of that playful nature between the two of them.
3 Chocolate Robots
This scene is worth mentioning for the shot of Killua’s face alone. However, the overall scene where Gon finds out that Killua spent all of the money he’d just earned in Heavens Arena on chocolate is pretty humorous. Gon realizing that Killua’s claim of spending two million jenny on chocolate four years ago was not an exaggeration when faced with a ton of boxes of said treat, the two of them playfully tussling over Gon’s money, and Killua’s passionate response to Gon calling chocolate robots a waste of money—all of these are an amusing series of instances that are sure to elicit a laugh or two.
2 A Written Exam
All the hunters are nearing the end of the line, the Final Phase, when the worst possible scenario is presented to them. What if the Final Phase is a written test? Many of the Hunters’ horrified expressions in response to the Final Phase being a written exam make this scene priceless for a few different reasons. The sheer drama in the expressions being #1, and #2 being the irony that they’ve definitely faced far more terrifying scenarios up until this point. The ensuing panic some of the Hunters experience as they run-off to try and cram as much knowledge in their head as they can is amusing and, in some very real cases, entirely relatable.
1 The Rock-Paper-Scissors Cheat
Killua is distraught to learn that the reason that Gon keeps beating him at Rock-Paper-Scissors is because of some ‘cheat’ he learned a while ago. Gon tells him of this strategy and Killua seems put off by it. However, he uses the knowledge to his advantage when he and Gon go head-to-head later on and Killua is able to beat Gon’s nearly fool-proof method. Using a strategy he devised himself, which he calls the anti-Gon secret weapon, Killua wins The Sword of Truth. This playful moment where Killua puts a ton of stake into coming up with a strategy to beat Gon at Rock-Paper-Scissors is a great example of how humorous it can be when characters seem to take certain things a little too seriously. There’s humor in knowing that, despite the fact that the Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament was a more serious matter, Gon and Killua would have likely had interactions like this regardless of the stakes.
There are plenty of other entertaining moments out there for fans and future fans of Hunter x Hunter to discover. The funniest scenes in Hunter x Hunter’s original anime might only be mere seconds long, but the joy they bring lasts a lifetime. Whether it’s an unexpected character reaction, unnecessary drama in the face of something seemingly innocuous, or playful banter, the 1999 Hunter x Hunter anime has plenty of funny moments for viewers to think back on fondly.
