Synopsis
The Yorknew City arc (or “Phantom Troupe arc” in the Viz version) is the fourth (officially third) story arc of the series and focuses on Kurapika’s involvement in the Mafia as he aims to retrieve the stolen Scarlet Eyes of his clan. Taking place mostly in Yorknew City itself, Kurapika’s mission eventually becomes intertwined with the killers of his clan and the target of his vengeance, the infamous Phantom Troupe.
Review
“Forever set a precious moon is lost.
The others mourn him with ceremony grand.
Rising up to heaven the mighty moon of frost
With a melody from the Mourning Band.“
I have been going through a rewatch of this series and I decided it was about time that I reviewed each arc as I go. So that’s what I’m doing!
The Yorknew City arc is where Hunter x Hunter goes from very good to great. Where do I even start? From the fast paced action to the character development, this arc is truly perfect in my eyes.
Kurapika gets a spotlight in this arc and it is utilized so well. His character development throughout this arc is incredible. His desire for revenge on the Phantom Troupe coupled with the desire to recover the stolen eyes of his people is the largest driving force of this arc, at least as far as the protagonists are concerned.
Gon and Killua are a little more in the background of this one, although they do still get significant screen time and we do get some really cool moments with them. Specifically a revelation about Gin, Gon’s mysterious father, in the beginning of the arc and some clues to a game called Greed Island that may or may not lead to Gon finally finding Gin.
Now we get to my very favorite part of this arc, and possibly the entire show, the Phantom Troupe. The Phantom Troupe is such a wonderful collection of seeming contradictions. They could care less about the people they hurt, but they care deeply about each other. They live by some sort of code, but we don’t fully get to see what that is. I am fascinated by this group of villains who are clearly despicable, yet compelling in their complexity and so very interesting in their unique powers.
Spoiler-Filled Discussion
There is so much to love about this arc! Let’s start with Chrollo Lucifer, leader of The Phantom Troupe. Not only is he powerful, but the complexity of his character is second to none in this arc. He seems callous, even cruel at times, but then he sheds a tear when he finds out that Uvo is dead. I just really love what we get to see of the Phantom Troupe’s relationships to each other individually and as a whole and I hope we get to see more of that throughout the series.
Kurapika’s new powers are off the chain! (pun intended) The oaths he took to be able to attain this power to get his revenge and justice for his people is so compelling. I also really like the symbolism of the chains because it both shows the resolve he has while at the same time showing how this obsession with revenge has bound him to this one path in his life.
I loved that we got more of both Kurapika and Leorio in this arc as they were almost, if not completely absent from the Heaven’s Arena arc. Leorio being the big brother figure to Gon and Killua and doing his best to help them out is always so wholesome.
THIS FIGHT! True it was quite brief, but we get to see both Silva and Zeno Zoldyck take on Chrollo and it was explosive! This was the first time in the series that we get a glimpse of incredibly strong Nen powers being shown off and it was so cool to watch. It did leave me wanting more, but in a good way as it got me excited for the potential of battles in the future.
There are quite a few other things that are worth note in this arc. The mafia and their seeming incompetence/weakness along with their somewhat underwhelming “elite” group of warriors the Shadow Beasts. A new character with a pretty cool power in Melody. All of the new powers on display from old and new characters alike. A super cool concept for a video game called Greed Island that Gon’s dad Gin made with his friends. These were all interesting concepts to me and ideas that kept me engaged throughout. Overall, this was my favorite arc of the series so far!
Leave a Reply