Hunterpedia
Register
Advertisement
Hunterpedia

The 287th Hunter Exam is an event that takes place at the beginning of the story.

Applicants[]

Passed[]

HxH2011 EP21 287th Hunter Exam Approved Applicants

The approved applicants of the 287th Hunter Exam

Failed[]

Exam and Examiners[]

Pre-Exam[]

Becoming a hunter has multiple benefits and carries great importance. As such, millions of people seek to take the hunter exam each year, even though fatalities are quite common during the exam. Since the Hunter Association doesn't have nearly enough time or resources to test that many people, they hire scouts to secretly carry out a sort of unofficial preliminary exam to "trim the fat", eliminating all the weak applicants who they deem wouldn't be able to handle the exam and become hunters anyway.[1]

If the scout deems a candidate worthy of the main exam, they will give the candidate special directions to the location of the next part of the preliminary.[2] After sufficiently proving themself, the candidate will be led to the site of the real exam. Statistically, only 1 in 10,000 people make it to the main exam.[3]

It is impossible for an applicant to reach the exam site without going through these preliminaries, as the public is only given approximate information on the location of the exam, such as the city where it's taking place. To reach the actual location, they must be led there by the person (or Magical Beast) assigned to guide the ones deemed worthy to the exam site.[2]

For 287th annual Hunter Exam, the first part of the preliminary that Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio participated in took place on the the ship that carried them to the mainland of Dolle Harbor. The proctor for the preliminary, the ships Captain, wrote off anyone who succumbed to seasickness when the ship sailed through a storm. Only Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio were able to ignore the turbulence. The Captain invited the three of them to the ship's bridge and asked them their reasons for wanting to become Hunters.[1] Upon reaching port, the Captain gave them special directions to the exam site that the other, less qualified candidates didn't receive.[2]

While following the Captain's directions, the three were ambushed by an old woman and her followers. She gives them a scenario where two loved one is held captive and asks them which one they would save if they had to choose. The correct answer to this impossible choice was to stay silent; if someone did choose, the old woman would allow them to pass and keep down the path. However, the way to the Hunter Exam was a secret passage to the old woman's right, which she would only reveal to those who stayed silent. Even though the test's answer is to stay silent, the true nature of the test was for the candidate to realize that they might have to face such a scenario one day and have to choose.[2]

Finally, the three of them were tested by a family of Kirikos, Magical beasts that can change their physical appearance to look like humans. The son and daughter use their shapeshifting abilities to pretend to be a human husband and wife under attack by a monster (the Kiriko father). Gon went after the monster when he fled the scene passed, Kurapika went to look for the man's missing wife, and Leorio gave the man medical attention. Gon passed when he displayed the advanced agility necessary to keep up with Kiriko and the heightened senses that allowed him to notice when the Kiriko swapped places with his nearly identical wife. Kurapika passed because he displayed great intellect and prowess of observation when he noticed inconsistencies that allowed him to figure out what was really going on, such as the wife having a tattoo only worn by women who have taken a vow of chastity. Leorio, despite the Kiriko not seeing his skillset, determined that he had the character worthy of being a hunter for the compassionate medical care he provided, so he also passed.[3]

After this, the Kiriko flew them directly to the Exam site, and the son used the password to grant them access to the Exam.[4]

First Phase[]

Satotsu

Satotz having people follow him

The examiner for the First Phase was Satotz,[5] who was later revealed to be a Ruins Hunter.[6] they arrive at the site of the Second Phase.[7] Technically speaking, the only requirement of the First Phase was to follow Satotz to the location of the Second Phase. The examinees are forced to run faster and faster to keep up with his speed.[5]

The First Phase of this Hunter Exam had two parts; the first part was a marathon of initially unknown length, later found out to be more than 80 km, through an underground tunnel, testing both physical and mental stamina.[5][8] The second part came after they exited the tunnel; the examinees had to get through the Milsy Wetlands (a.k.a Swindlers Swamp), a swamp filled with deadly man-eating animals who use every trick in the book to trap their prey.[8] After getting through the swamp,[9][10][7] they arrive at the site of the Second Phase.[7]

Second Phase[]

HxH2011 EP6 The Great Stamps

Great Stamps

The examiners for the Second Phase were Menchi and Buhara, a pair Gourmet Hunters Buhara's easy-going nature[7] contrasts with Menchi's highly selective one. Buhara was the judge in the first round of the Second Phase and passed everyone without a second thought, while Menchi judged the second round and was much more selective.[11]

The Second Phase of this Hunter Exam was a cooking contest with two rounds. For the first round, the candidates had to hunt down "any kind" of wild pig in the Visca Forest Preserve. The forest's only type of wild pig was the Great Stamp, a giant horned boar twice as tall as a human, with a weak spot on its forehead. Once they had their meat, the applicants were tasked with making a dish the proctor approved.[7]

The second round of the Second Phase was to prepare a piece of sushi for the proctor to taste. If it met up to her stringent expectations, the candidate would pass. However, the test did not quite go as planned, as everyone but Hanzo was baffled about what sushi actually was. He accidentally spills the information to the rest of the group, though this does not do much good. Each character delivered their idea of "sushi" to Menchi, only to be rejected.[11]

HxH2011 EP6 Menchi failing Todo

Menchi and Buhara eating pork.

In the 2011 anime adaptation, the exam topic was changed to preparing any pork dish from the dangerous Great Stamp, a species of pig living in the nearby Visca Forest. Though the trick to killing them was revealed quickly, almost all candidates chose to simply roast the pigs whole, resulting in poorly-cooked or boring pork. Menchi The first dish she actually tests is Kurapika's since he has sliced his pork and added vegetables and fruit in between, but considers it just as bad-tasting as the others.[12] This test aimed to see if the candidates were willing to brave the unknown, but they all just roasted the pork. Thus, none of the candidates passed at first.[13]

However, Netero later comes and convinces Menchi to give the candidates another chance since the challenge was rather unfair (primarily due to her stubborn nature, Menchi didn't even taste most of the samples given to her due to their shapes). Thus her test was changed to simply boiling an egg after retrieving it from the web of a Spider Eagle, which hung from the walls of a mile-deep canyon.[13]

Third Phase[]

8 - arena

A combat arena, one of the many obstacles

The examiner for the Third Phase was Lippo, a Blacklist Hunter, and the prison warden of Trick Tower, who monitored the progress of the applicants from his control room.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

After an overnight blimp ride,[21][22] the candidates dropped off on the roof of a prison structure known as Trick Tower, and the Third Phase of this Hunter Exam was to get to ground level. Several trapdoors around the roof allow a candidate to enter the tower, but after being used once, each trapdoor would be sealed shut and could not be used by anyone else.[23] Candidates had to navigate a network of devious traps and obstacles, such as the hurricane storm and the number tag stages, that test the candidates in different aspects of group dynamics, both in a communal and individual front. Many candidates are forced to work together to have any chance of passing.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Furthermore, a candidate had a time limit of 72 hours to complete this Phase.[23]

It should be noted that the outside of the tower is not only many stories tall, but also very smooth. Even if someone has the expert-level rock climbing skills to make it all the way down, large, flying, carnivorous monsters swarm around the tower.[23]

To coerce prisoners to fight Hunter Exam candidates in the Trick Tower, the examiner offers to shorten the sentence of any inmate by one year for every hour they stall the examinees. These prisoners include:[14]

  • Bendot: Used by Lippo to test the examinees. He faces Gon, Killua, Leorio, Kurapika, and Tonpa. Nothing is known about Bendot. He seems to be just a normal muscled fighter. He fights the first round against Tonpa, who gives up immediately after the start signal as a way to sabotage his fellows. However, Killua remarked that if Tonpa hadn't, Bendot would have tortured Tonpa without killing him to delay their progress in the tower.[14]
  • Sedokan: [15]
  • Majtani: Used to test the examinees. Majtani is a strong-looking criminal who tries to intimidate by claiming to be part of the Phantom Troupe, but Kurapika easily defeats him. He has a spider tattoo on his back and hearts on his chest to show the number of victims he has killed. Kurapika proves it is fake; Phantom Troupe members will engrave their member numbers onto the spider. He also states that they have killed too many people to keep track of the record. Majtani becomes the focus of a subsequent confrontation as both sides wager hours to conclude the battle according to the rules.[16]
  • Leroute: Used to test the examinees. Leroute is a former psychologist who reveled in the misery of her clients. She would often intentionally manipulate her clients into committing suicide. During the Trick Tower portion of the Hunter Exam, she faced Leorio's in a non-combat duel and easily manipulated him into a series of bets that caused his team to lose fifty hours of time.[19][20]
  • Johness The Dissector: Another prisoner used by Lippo to test the examinees. Johness is allegedly the greatest mass murderer of Zaban City. He killed at least 146 people with his bare hands, which were powerful enough to pull the flesh from bone and even crush stones. In Trick Tower, Johness was pitted against Killua in combat, whom he expected would provide the flesh he loved to tear apart. Instead, Johness swiftly pulls his heart out of his chest by Killua, who then crushes it right in front of Johness' eyes. Killua later commented that despite Johness' number of victims, he was still only an amateur killer.[20]

Fourth Phase[]

For the Fourth Phase of this Hunter Exam, the remaining 24 examinees are taken to Zevil Island by boat. Each of them is given a card with the badge number of one of their fellow remaining examiners. The badge whose number they got is their target. Their target's badge is worth 3 points, and keeping one's own badge is also 3 points, while any other badge is worth 1 point. To pass, an examinee must have 6 points by the time the seven-day period on Zevil Island is over. Unlike the previous Phases, this test cannot end early, and a badge could still be stolen or reclaimed before time is up.[24]

Nine people passed this stage, including six rookies.[25]

Examinee Prey Result Points
80 Siper 301 Dead 0
281 Agon 80, 118, 294, 404, 198 or 53 Dead 0
301 Gittarackur 371 301, 371 6
362 Kenmi 80, 281, 118, 294, 404, 198 or 53 Alive 0
118 Sommy 191 Alive 0
294 Hanzo 197 294, 198, 362, 89 6
404 Kurapika 16 404, 16 6
103 Bourbon 80, 281, 118, 294, 404, 198 or 53 Dead 0
99 Killua 199 199, 99 6
191 Bodoro 34 191, 34 6
384 Geretta 405 Dead 0
34 Ryu 80, 281, 118, 294, 404, 198 or 53 ? 0
199 Umori 362 or 89 Alive 0
198 Imori 99 Alive 0
197 Amori 362 or 89 Alive 0
405 Gon 44 405, 44 6
246 Ponzu 103 103 3
44 Hisoka 384 384, 80, 118, 281 6
105 Kyu 80, 281, 118, 294, 404, 198 or 53 Alive 0
403 Leorio 246 403, 246 6
89 Shishito 80, 281, 118, 294, 404, 198 or 53 ? 0
53 Pokkle 105 53, 105 6
16 Tonpa 403 Alive 0
371 Goz 80, 281, 118, 294, 404, 198 or 53 Dead 0

Badge number 197 was lost somewhere on the island. It can be inferred that Hanzo took badges 362 and 89 from Umori and Amori.[26]

Fifth Phase[]

Final Phase Bracket

The tournament Bracket

The Fifth Phase of this Hunter Exam was a tournament of one-on-one combat. The winner of each match would pass and become a Hunter; the loser would move on in the tournament and get another chance to become a Hunter. This means that of the final nine candidates; only one would fail to become a Hunter. The rules were that you had to make your opponent admit defeat to win. If you kill someone, you're automatically disqualified from the tournament, and everyone else becomes a Hunter by default.[27]

The examiner for the Fifth Phase was Netero, the Chairman of the Selection Committee for the Hunter Exam. He was assisted by his secretary, Beans.[27]

Before the tournament, Netero interviewed each of the remaining examinees, asking each of them two questions: "Who among your fellow remaining applicants interests you the most" and "Who among your fellow remaining applicants would you most like to avoid fighting". Their respective answers, along with observations made by the Hunter Association during the Exam, are what allowed Netero to figure out the bracket for the tournament. Although the bracket structure ended up being rather lopsided.[25]

Interview with Netero:

Candidate Who interests you the most Who would you avoid fighting
44 Hisoka 99 Killua and 405 Gon in second 405 first and 99 second
53 Pokkle 404 Kurapika 44 Hisoka
99 Killua 405 Gon 53 Pokkle
191 Bodoro 44 Hisoka 405 Gon and 99 Killua
301 Gittarackur 99 Killua 44 Hisoka
405 Gon 44 Hisoka 99 Killua, 403 Leorio, 404 Kurapika
294 Hanzo 44 Hisoka 44 Hisoka
404 Kurapika 405 Gon, 44 Hisoka
403 Leorio 405 Gon 405 Gon

Post-Exam[]

After the exam concluded, Beans gave a presentation on the uses of their Hunter License to the successful exam candidates.[28]

Those who passed now had to take the secret Hunter Exam, the learning of Nen. They all went their own way and met various people to teach them:

  • Wing (Gon and Killua): An assistant master of Shingen-ryu kung fu; his main pupil is Zushi. He meets Gon, and Killua at the Heavens Arena and eventually teaches them Nen. Although he initially refuses to train the two (even lying to them about the purpose of Nen), he changes his mind when they advance to the 200th floor of Heavens Arena, realizing they could die or be badly injured from the "initiation" rituals of other Nen users. For the next several months, he teaches them the basics of Nen, after which he announces they have passed the secret final requirement for being a Hunter. He does, however, somewhat fear their immense potential. Wing's teacher was Biscuit Krueger, who incidentally becomes Gon and Killua's second teacher.
  • Izunavi (Kurapika): Kurapika's master. He met Izunavi while looking for a job as a Blacklist Hunter. When Izunavi discovers that Kurapika is a Hunter, he suggests teaching him Nen. Later, Izunavi discovers Kurapika can become a Specialist when he activates his scarlet eyes.

Trivia[]

  • Leorio was informed that had he intervened in the match between Gon and Hanzo, Gon would be disqualified; however, when Killua attacked Bodoro in the latter's game against Leorio, it is Killua who was disqualified, possibly due to Killua having killed a fellow candidate, or because, as Netero stated, Leorio was likely to win in either case.
  • Ponzu and Pokkle are the only deceased examinees of the 287th Hunter Exam who did not die during the exam.
    • Pokkle is also the only graduate of the 287th Hunter Exam who has already died.

Intertextuality and References[]

  • In the Naruto franchise, the Forest of Death and tournament preliminary in the Chūnin Exam are likely based off of the Zevil Island stage and tournament stage in the Hunter Exam due to their strong similarities.
    • Similarities also exist with the preliminary stage of Maximilian Pegasus's Duelist Kingdom tournament from the earlier Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series, although to a significantly lesser extent.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 1, Chapter 2
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 1, Chapter 3
  3. 3.0 3.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 1, Chapter 4
  4. Hunter × Hunter - Volume 1, Chapter 5
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 1, Chapter 6
  6. Hunter × Hunter - Volume 4, Chapter 35
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 2, Chapter 10
  8. 8.0 8.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 1, Chapter 7
  9. Hunter × Hunter - Volume 1, Chapter 8
  10. Hunter × Hunter - Volume 2, Chapter 9
  11. 11.0 11.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 2, Chapter 11
  12. Hunter × Hunter - Episode 6 (2011)
  13. 13.0 13.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 2, Chapter 12
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 2, Chapter 16
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 2, Chapter 17
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 3, Chapter 18
  17. 17.0 17.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 3, Chapter 19
  18. 18.0 18.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 3, Chapter 20
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 3, Chapter 21
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 3, Chapter 22
  21. Hunter × Hunter - Volume 2, Chapter 13
  22. Hunter × Hunter - Volume 2, Chapter 14
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 2, Chapter 15
  24. Hunter × Hunter - Volume 3, Chapter 23
  25. 25.0 25.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 4, Chapter 32
  26. Hunter × Hunter - Volume 3, Chapter 29
  27. 27.0 27.1 Hunter × Hunter - Volume 4, Chapter 33
  28. Hunter × Hunter - Volume 4, Chapter 37
Advertisement