Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
Hunters are a special breed, dedicated to tracking down treasures, magical beasts, and even other men. But such pursuits require a license, and less than one in a hundred thousand can pass the grueling qualification exam. Those who do pass gain access to restricted areas, amazing stores of information, and the right to call themselves Hunters.

N.G.L.
Welcome to the country of NGL (Neo-Green Life), a unique place led by an eco-group that's totally against any kid of technology! No metal, synthetic material or modern tools are allowed, and death is considered "nature's will". But a secret and powerful drug cartel operates within in the country, and when the queen of a colony of huge insects eats the cartel thugs, her offspring begin to exhibit unnatural signs of aggression! When Gon and friends arrive on the scene, will they too end up in the belly of the insect queen?

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2004

67 people are currently reading
788 people want to read

About the author

Yoshihiro Togashi

322 books1,322 followers
Yoshihiro Togashi (冨樫義博) is a manga artist. Credited in Chinese translations as Fu Jian Yi Bo.

He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college, the publisher Shueisha recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres during the past three decades. He is perhaps best known for writing and illustrating the YuYu Hakusho and Hunter × Hunter series, both of which have been published in the popular Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. Togashi is married to Naoko Takeuchi, the author of Sailor Moon.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,236 (55%)
4 stars
686 (30%)
3 stars
249 (11%)
2 stars
35 (1%)
1 star
8 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
Profile Image for Nicole.
887 reviews2,574 followers
February 2, 2016
If it was only for the story, I would give it 5 stars without second thoughts. But the art quality is too bad for 5 stars. It was better in the last volumes. My biggest disappointment is Neferpitou. She's one of my favorite villains and she's so pretty in the anime, however, she looks like a combination of random lines here.
Profile Image for yel ᰔ.
635 reviews199 followers
July 11, 2020
4 of 5 stars

-----


This is the part where things get so dark so fast! This depressed me so much, and will continue to do so! It will get really hard for everyone of them. Maybe I'm getting too biased but what concerns me the most here is Killua. Between him and Gon, though Gon gets too emotional that it clouded his judgement, Killua's more sensitive and I'm worried about his emotional state. I know that Gon was the one closest to Kite the most and will get affected a little bit more than Killua after learning what happened to Kite, but I worried about Killua the most. Especially now that I know what will happen after watching the anime. This arc still left me with a heavy feeling inside of me.

I still hated Morel and Knov here. They appeared too conceited for me, but I understand them because they still haven't seen the Chimera Ants, especially the royal guard Pitou. It was so terrifying to know that those creatures, maybe even stronger physically than people, were able to use Nen. It was kind of hopeless in that situation, if you think about it. I can't say I'm excited for what will happen, because damn this arc was a masterpiece, but the darkness of this is still affecting me heavily.

PS. Killua and Gon's beautiful and pure friendship will get tainted with darkness and pain. My heart is already breaking.
Profile Image for MajesticalLion.
677 reviews59 followers
October 19, 2022
There's a very noticeable shift in tone in this volume. Gon and Killua have spent the entire series getting stronger to the point that anybody they faced folded before them and all it took was a couple chapters of training. This was the first time they ever faced an opponent so overpowered that they had to run before throwing a single punch or they'd die. I'm curious to see how they'll be able to compare to the Chimera Ants.
Profile Image for Olivier Pols.
38 reviews
Read
March 23, 2025
Greed island arc voorbij. Is volgens lezers de minst leuke en dat snap ik wel.
Profile Image for Brandon.
2,812 reviews40 followers
October 20, 2022
Dang, this arc really isn't afraid to go dark. I wonder how much darker? Sure, we've had murder and killing and gore and all that but this is escalating quickly. They Yorknew arc had the Phantom Troupe that, funnily enough, didn't feel too much like major villains. There was a big emphasis on them being friends, goofing off, and their abilities always looked more 'weird' than outright powerful. But now we get the chimera ants that are ripping people apart and stabbing them and fighting everything with direct violence. They seem so much darker, like a clear threat - unlike the Phantom Troupe which Gon and friends specifically targeted but could have left alone - which needs to be handled ASAP.

Predictably, Gon and Killua are strong after Greed Island, but need to find a way to overcome a much more powerful threat. I wonder what's going to happen now, and what their direct route to getting stronger was. First it was learning nen at all, then it was developing specific techniques, I wonder what the new strategy is going to be.
Profile Image for Natalie.
834 reviews62 followers
January 10, 2019
3.5 / 5

I have mixed feelings about this volume - I mean, it's cleverly done and the storyline is phenomenal (as with all the previous volumes)... but those chimera ants freak me the fuck out, and I'm not sure I'll get over that 8'D It makes it kinda difficult for me to read as a result because every single time I think I'm okay with it a new one comes out and I have another minor freak out and it's just not good, y'know? XD

So please excuse me while I put myself through another creepy/terrifying installment, as the arc continues in the next volume.

...apparently I am REALLY not good with giant mutant ants. Who knew.

Chapter notes below for reference:
Profile Image for Brandon.
1,338 reviews
June 22, 2024
The Chimera Ant Arc truly begins here!

I don't feel like spending too much time writing about the Chimera Ant Arc, because it's a hot topic among pseuds who try to find "depth™" in shōnen battle manga, and I'm sure a lot of "essays" have been written already. HxH is one of my favorite manga, and Chimera Ants is tentatively my favorite arc in this manga (Succession War is "better," in my opinion, but it's still ongoing, so I will reserve judgment for a while yet), but... at the end of the day, it's still battle manga. Simple as.

So we saw the Queen eating people and birthing Soldiers last volume, pretty sure. But that doesn't matter on its own. The important things are a) the Ants have developed individuality and a passion for wanton violence from eating too many humans, and b) they've started encountering Nen-users. The Ants are supposed to be bringing humans - alive - to the Queen for feeding, so she could nourish her gestating son, the future King. But the Ants have started to enjoy murder, and sometimes just test their strength against humans and let the corpses rot, rather than take them alive, or at least hasten the delivery of the corpses so the Queen can eat them almost-fresh. As we've seen ages ago, humans can awaken to Nen from being hit with opposing Nen, and this same thing happens to the Ants; killing basic humans draws the attention of Nen-user Hunters, the Hunters use Nen against the Ants, the Ants survive because of the durability of their insectoid carapaces, the Ants then awaken to Nen, and the Ants start practicing Nen similar to Gon and Killua's training with Biscuit, et al. Most significantly, the Queen births three Royal Guards for her fetal King, and the first we see, Neferpitou, uses acupuncture to make a captive Hunter explain the principles of Nen to a host of Ants (I can't recall if the needles will actually be part of xir Hatsu, but xe doesnt know xe is a Specialist until fiddling with the needles, so whatever (I'm being ironic about Neferpitou's pronouns, by the way; I'd soonest call him a twink rather than a chick, but all Ants are sexless except the Queen and King, iirc)).

One thing I don't exactly love about this manga, but I guess I do feel it has its charm, is that we're nineteen volumes in and Gon and Killua are still learning Nen. Unlike other battle manga with special Ability systems, HxH is pretty much eternally about teaching/learning/training Nen. Just gotta accept it. So, anyway, we see Gon use Transmutation on his Aura for Jajanken - Scissors (ah! Well, it's not called "Jajanken" yet, is it?), turning his Aura into a blade. We see Killua... uh... does it count as Emission...? He shoots a lightning bolt down from his Aura, but the principle isn't unlike how Bungee Gum works. Like, Killua is extending a bit of electrical Aura to hit the bunny, not actually shooting his Aura out separately, as in e.g. Jajanken - Paper. Regardless, new techniques for the boys, but they still ain't worth shit. As Killua deduces near the end of the volume, Gon and Killua combined are weaker than a one-armed Kite. (Oh, we see Kite's Hatsu! Did we see it before? In re-reading the manga, I find I can't remember what I'm already supposed to know...)

The actual most significant thing in this volume is that Kite gets fuckin' killed by Neferpitou. This will greatly expand upon some stuff we already saw with Gon on Greed Island, ultimately climaxing in the most shocking moment of his character development quite some time in the future...!

Togashi continues effortlessly drawing cute minor female characters. Nen-user (human) Ponzu (who isn't named yet). Hirin/Hina, an Ant who also isn't named yet) led by Hagya/Leol. Ant Zazan. There's also a nameless bee-type Ant whose face is too insectoid/inhuman, but she has pretty good boobs.

EDIT: Also, it seems "people" criticize the art here, but these same subhumans praise the fugly whitewashed look of Madhouse's soulless, dogshit anime adaptation. But what are you gonna do? Most Western "fans" of HxH are 2011-only dickriders who only know the series after watching the dub on Netflix and shit. I wish we had '99 on Toonami or something back in the day™ so these fake fans would at least be "secondaries" rather than (*vomits in mouth*) "tertiaries," but so it goes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for claire.
773 reviews136 followers
Read
September 1, 2024
haters will say i’m wrong, but i’m not: the ant arc sucks

the beauty of hxh lies in its whimsy. obviously there is darkness throughout the entire series, but the ant arc is so dark and grim that there is no space to actually enjoy anything. gon is entirely devoid of all of his youthful exuberance and there is no deviation in tone. there is only grinding and training to beat the ants.

and just…i don’t care as much! there is no nuance to the ant evil! the phantom troupe is so captivating because there are layers to their nefarious behavior. and the ants are just…ants. FOR SO MANY CHAPTERS

i will push through but just know i’m not happy about it

(killua quote for those keeping track of the queer undertone: “gon…you are light itself. sometimes you’re too bright and i can’t look at you…but can i still…stay by your side?”)

also happy september 1st (york new city)
Profile Image for elif.
138 reviews14 followers
June 29, 2021
Gon... you are light itself. Sometimes you're too bright and I can't look at you.. but can I still... stay by your side...?
Profile Image for Maelyn ❤️.
292 reviews3 followers
January 11, 2023
The beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning.
It’s all happening now 😳
Profile Image for Britt.
47 reviews2 followers
Read
March 23, 2023
Nothing like a little genocide and depression to get you out of a reading slump am I right ladies?
Profile Image for Marian.
389 reviews26 followers
July 23, 2016
Oh, this arc. It's wasted no time in presenting all the characters and properly demonstrating the scale of this arc. I'm greatly disappointed in the art though. I mean, Neferpitou, a character that has such an incredible aura was reduced to scribbles, which took away from a lot of the things that made her threatening.
I was happy when they arrived with Kaito but simultaneously apprehensive for I know what is coming. Onto another note, I LOVE this arc. We see as the ant's single-minded mindset and community slowly begins shifting after they develop human characteristics and are capable of being individuals with independent thoughts. They do what they want, they aspire to be greater beings, they deceive others, they are cruel, and it is all very interesting to witness.
Kaito views that Gon can only fight them and kill them because they enjoy killing others and don't care about their companions, and that worried him, for a very good reason, what would happen if he met a chimera ant willing to help and sacrifice himself for his companions? And that is a very interesting question, and knowing Gon, one that will have a surprising answer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for duniamimpigie Anggi.
Author 2 books54 followers
March 20, 2015
Aaaaagh!!! I really hate this arc ;________;
I hate those alien-like-bugs with those alien-like-faces and their brutality ;___;
Saya benci bangeeeeet adegan si Pokkle ditusuk-tusuk kepalanya (eeer... otak, lebih tepatnya). Itu terlampau sadis buat saya ;______;
Dan Kaitooooooo!!! Kenapa dikau harus matiiiiii??? ;________;

Tapi ada yang manis-manis di akhir buku ini:

Gon... Kau adalah cahaya. Terkadang kau terlampau menyilaukan hingga aku tidak sanggup menatapmu langsung.
Meski begitu, apakah aku boleh tetap di sampingmu?


Killuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... kau juga terlampau menyilaukaaaaaan!!! Bisa-bisanya dikau berpikiran begitu soal Gon :"D
Saya jadi malu sendiri nerjemahin kata-katamu itu, tauk :"D

Haaah... saya berharap arc ini cepat selesai. Atau seenggaknya... membaik dengan berkurangnya serangga-serangga sadis itu ||orz
Profile Image for Chris Orme.
476 reviews3 followers
June 21, 2023
Ah, HxH definitely had some darker moments before but definitely not as dark as the start of this arc. I love it. I see comments from other criticising the artwork. Maybe it’s because I can’t draw for jack but I don’t think it’s bad. I think it’s stylised in places. Where it’s rough around the edges but there are parts where there is more detail too. Plus, you know the actual character designs. The imagination. One good thing about comics/manga as a medium is the different styles that the artists have. It’s distinctive with a lot of imagination, what’s not to like?
Profile Image for Irene ♡.
675 reviews13 followers
November 24, 2020
Action packed and shockingly horrid. No one’s safe...

In comparison to the anime, which I thought executed this particular part of the storyline extremely well, the manga felt a bit rushed and jumbled to me. Unsure if I’d feel the same had I read the manga first though.
Profile Image for Corey Thibodeaux.
414 reviews22 followers
November 19, 2018
The Chimera Ant saga is perhaps the single greatest story arc I’ve ever encountered, on par perhaps with the final season of Breaking Bad. Bold, but I stand by it.

They each achieved a rare blend of genuine shock, heartache and satisfaction spread out upon various layers of character development, the impossible choices they make and the dire consequences that follow. Storytelling at its zenith.

Once the story shifts its focus onto the Chimera Ants themselves, a breed of insect that can reproduce into bizarre creatures using the DNA from the species it consumes, the tone plunges into the abyss. And this volume is just the beginning, as the tension and bleakness will only get worse over the next several volumes. There are multiple instances in this issue alone that are incredibly unsettling – events that you do not see often in popular fiction, let alone a shounen manga.

For example, you see “safe” characters die, you meet villains with daunting adaptability, and learn that – once in the real world – Gon and Killua are truly outclassed by the elite Hunters they so wish to be. This is to be expected, as they are just kids. But to see Killua hopelessly retreat in the face of imminent doom, shaken and belittled – it’s heartbreaking. We’ve seen everything these boys have gone through and right now it amounts to very little, which is brutal for the reader.

I would say enjoy the ride, but that's asking a lot.

The art: Togashi was probably under extreme duress in these issues and had to cut corners where he needed to, scribbling unimportant transition panels. Some of those ants probably took a lot of time to design. Meanwhile, the scenes that really matter are gorgeous and the visuals hit home when they need to.
Profile Image for Trupti Nayak.
481 reviews4 followers
September 30, 2025
This book has been a start to a dark arc it seems. The Chimera ants 🐜 are getting stronger day in and out. Kite along with Gon and Killua have entered NGL abbreviation for Neo Green Life. This country is independent and does not allow modern technology. They believe in natural order of things. If any one dies due to a disease or an animal, it is not considered bad. It is survival of fittest. Anyone entering the NGL is checked thoroughly for having any modern technology. If they have anything embedded inside their body, which deems as modern then they are not allowed to enter. This part was different and I liked it.
Gon, Killua and Kite enter NGL passing all tests and confirm their suspicions of Chimera Ants having inhabitated in NGL and know they will not get any support from NGL to terminate the ants which are eating humans now.
They had a one on one fight with some of the ants and win. Kite's ability to use a roulette wheel 🎰 for a weapon is a different variety. He has to use the weapon and cannot exchange till it is used. He kills many at one go. He is stronger but not strong enough than the Ants Royal Guard Neferpitou and gets killed. He asks Gon and Killua to run and save their lives. Killua feels guilty for knocking Gon out so as to save him since he feels incompetent and the 2 hunters who come with Netero make him feel more guilty to be a coward and run.
I don't think Killua did anything wrong. He is just a 10 year old who feared death and ran to save his and Gon's life. He is the strongest of them all as he knows when to retreat and take his chances.
It was the fastest I read in the few days and was exciting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Anushka Malik.
536 reviews43 followers
October 30, 2024
I absolutely blazed through this one.
The Chimera ants arc has to be the most gripping (and somewhat gross too) arc of the manga thus far. The rapid rate at which the Ant colony is multiplying and the deaths of little kids and the innocents of the NGL is too much to process. This is the breakneck pace I enjoy in my mangas.
The action sequences were great too. Gon and Killua are still kids but Kite fights like a true trained warrior. It made me think of just how skilled Ging might be, if we ever see the guy that is.

The fact that the Chimera ant soldiers have such distinct human-like personalities is what's intriguing and fun to read.
My heart breaks for Colt and what had happened in his human life to him and his little sister. If the chimera ants bring bits of their humanity with them in their next life, I don't understand what went so wrong with the other ants. ahnsdjjksznkk.

The point when Chimera ants started exhibiting nen powers absolutely stunned me. How the hell are humans supposed to beat these monsters now????

And then there is Neferpitou who is by far the strongest chimera ant to have hatched out which makes sense since he/she/they are supposed to be one of the King's royal guards. But my blood chills at the thought of what the King would be like.

The ending was beyond sad. I am in awe of Neferpitou's strength but but she (or is it he?) killed a character I really liked and I'm sooooo mad.
If only Gon and Killua had been stronger, faster, something. . . .
Profile Image for Rolando Marono.
1,944 reviews19 followers
August 2, 2019
El arco de las hormigas quimera arranca sin más pausa. Killua y Gon se ven haciendo equipo con Kite mientras investigan dónde están las hormigas quimeras y qué están haciendo.
Me sorprendió la velocidad con la que arranca esto. En pocos capítulos ves como comienza la invasión de las hormigas y muchos personajes secundarios mueren. Aunque no sean personajes sumamente importantes, es interesante ver lo sanguinarios que son como enemigos y lo fuerte que son. Gon y Killua van a tener un arco muy complicado.
Me gustó mucho que las hormigas comienzan a desarrollar Nen y la manera en la que empiezan a desenvolver sus poderes es muy interesante.
No me gusta que parece que Kurapika de nuevo no aparecerá. Gon no me encanta como protagonista, cae en la misma fórmula de otros personajes como Naruto, Luffy, etc. No voy a discutir quién fue primero o quién copió a quién, solo que esa fórmula de protagonista la he leído tanto en manga que ya me cansó un poco. Por eso tanto Kurapika como Killua funcionan como un buen balance para la serie y es triste que nuevamente no lo veamos.
Seguro el siguiente tomo será más entrenamiento porque tanto Gon como Killua se tienen que volver más fuertes si quieren enfrentarse contra este enemigo.
Definitivamente la serie va mejorando. Todavía no entiendo por qué todos la recomendaban tanto pero ahí va.
Profile Image for Dani Wladdimiro.
1,062 reviews4 followers
November 20, 2024
Comienza uno de los arcos más icónicos en la historia del manga: el de las Hormigas Quimera. ¿Es realmente tan bueno? Habiendo leído toda la obra y conociendo los acontecimientos posteriores, debo decir que este arco es excelente, pero, desde mi perspectiva, no supera al de la Genei Ryodan, el cual destaca tanto por su trasfondo como por su elenco de personajes memorables.

En este volumen se desarrolla un momento crucial de la serie: el enfrentamiento entre Kaito y Neferpitou. Este evento marca un punto de inflexión en la trama y se convierte en la principal motivación de Gon, cuya personalidad centrada en objetivos claros lo impulsa a no intimidarse ante nada ni nadie mientras avanza. Además, este tomo nos ofrece un vistazo a la dinámica de la Reina Quimera, mostrando cómo debe alimentarse de humanos para incrementar su poder, subrayando el creciente peligro que representa.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.