One of the best shōnen manga series ever created, Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter, is also one of the most influential, having popularized many tropes that have become staples in the anime and manga industry. One of the series’ most important, albeit underrated arcs, Greed Island, even predicted the rise of one of anime’s biggest genres: isekai.
Hunter x Hunter‘s fifth arc, Greed Island, which is composed of chapters 120-185 in the manga, is a classic example of what makes a classic isekai. Isekai, which translates to “another world”, is a fantasy genre in which the main character is transported to a new, unfamiliar world.
In Hunter x Hunter‘s case, Gon and Killua are whisked away to Greed Island in search of Gon’s father, Gin. While this is not the first utilization of the isekai genre, especially in a shōnen series, it is undoubtedly one of the most iconic depictions. The isekai genre continued to gain traction following Greed Island’s release, displaying how Hunter x Hunter‘s storytelling was ahead of its time.
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Ten Years in the Making: Hunter x Hunter To Sword Art Online
Hunter x Hunter’s trailblazing narrative predates one of the most popular isekai franchises ever created
Chapter 120 of Hunter x Hunter was published in 2002, which marked the official beginning of the Greed Island story arc in the manga. However, Greed Island predicted the popularity of isekai – releasing around the same time as the first chapters of the web novel, Sword Art Online, which is now considered one of the most popular isekai franchises ever created.
The first complete print volume of Sword Art Online was published in 2009 when the series was adapted to a light novel, and went on to become an immensely popular anime and manga series. Like Hunter x Hunter’s application of the isekai genre, the characters in Sword Art Online are trapped in a world that uses video game mechanics and are forced to survive a number of perilous trials and battles.
2002 Was a Pivotal Year For the Isekai Genre
While the genre was popularized in the early 2010s, isekai planted its roots a decade prior
2002 marked a pivotal year for the isekai genre. In addition to Togashi’s contribution with the Greed Island arc, the first .hack game and anime were released. The plot follows the protagonist, Kite, as he navigates a fantasy realm called “The World”. In .hack, players engage in a “game within a game” scenario, similar to what’s seen in Greed Island. While many point to the 2010s for the popularization of the genre in media, the early 2000s is when the genre was able to truly plant its roots and gain momentum.
Between 2002 and 2012, numerous isekai anime were produced, including The Familiar of Zero (2006), Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar (2009), and Battle Girls: Time Paradox (2011). While there is some debate about what exactly the first isekai series was, Paul’s Miraculous Adventure, released in 1977, is certainly one of the earliest examples of the genre as it exists today. Thirty years later, Togashi released Hunter x Hunter’s most underrated arc, Greed Island, which encapsulates everything that makes the genre so good today. While Greed Island is not the first story arc to use common isekai tropes and ideas, it helped launch anime’s biggest genre into the next decade.
