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Hunter × Hunter [ハンター×ハンター] #20

ハンター×ハンター 20 [Hantaa Hantaa]

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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.

WEAKNESS
Deep in the heart of the land of NGL (Neo-Green Life), Gon and Killua have one month to train if they hope to beat their powerful foe Knuckle! But first they need to increase their baseline stamina just to get to his level. Gon discovers that his windup leaves something to be desired--it sucks up all his energy until he passes out! Meanwhile, Biscuit confronts Killua about a serious flaw in his fighting ability--one that could cost them everything!

191 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2004

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828 people want to read

About the author

Yoshihiro Togashi

323 books1,335 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.

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5 stars
1,174 (53%)
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285 (12%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
Profile Image for thi.
807 reviews81 followers
November 15, 2022
sir it’s actually illegal to keep putting characters on the covers of volumes and not have them actually be in the volume just saying
Profile Image for DonutKnow.
3,403 reviews49 followers
February 6, 2018
Exciting! Finally seeing more of Killua's development ✊️
Profile Image for yel ᰔ.
644 reviews204 followers
July 12, 2020
4 of 5 stars

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This is another training for Gon and Killua, and again with the help of my best girl Bisky. But this time, a lot of things are on the line including their chance to go back to NGL and rescue Kite themselves. I knew from the beginning that it would be hard for them to achieve their goal of defeating the two pro-hunters they are supposed to defeat in just a span of a month. They progressed rapidly in strength even if they would get defeated but that means they won't be able to rescue Kite themselves. But for those two kids, it was not nearly enough. They sought to be stronger in order to save Kite.

It always melted my heart on how Killua always looked out for Gon. It was pure and sweet, but it could also get destructive on his part. Maybe because Gon was his only and true friend, he was willing to devote everything for him to the point where he was willing to sacrifice himself. And the worse part is that he always do anything for Gon without Gon knowing, for his friend's sake. That's where Killua's possible emotional destruction lies. He always kept his thoughts to himself that it was piling up inside him. For instance, about what Killua thought after what happened to Kite. This issue about them would be brought again in the next volumes and would be Killua's greatest hurdle while fighting.

Bisky's argument about Killua's fighting tendency was also on point. When he faced an opponent he thought was stronger or even the same level as his strength, he fights with the goal of running away. He gives up too easily. That was his biggest weakness. Bisky was right. It was not his fault that it was how his family trained him. A very selfish and twisted way to teach someone you love. From the start, I was always waiting for Killua to overcome that part of him. In my opinion, as my ultimate favorite character, it was actually the only downside of him that I know.

But I care to disagree to the one thing Bisky said about Killua leaving Gon to die. I don't think he would do that. What I think he would probably do is to sacrifice his own life to let Gon run away, just like what he was about to do when they were captured by the Phantom Troupe. It was not exactly a good thing, because that was what I mean when I said destruction on Killua's part. But I don't think for a second that he would let Gon die if there's even a smallest thing he could do. He was not the selfish one in their friendship *oooppsss*

We also have newly introduced characters. I don't really feel Palm, even in the anime. She was weird in an awkward way. I remember I found myself rolling my eyes whenever she was on the screen, though I did liked her a bit more in the later battles. But I do liked the characters of Shoot and Knuckle. Well, I liked Knuckle more, if I have to choose one. These team of Hunters would be the future defenders against the vicious Chimera Ants.
Profile Image for Brandon.
2,854 reviews40 followers
October 20, 2022
I generally like training arcs! They're a fun way to showcase character growth as we see everything they can do thrown against a wall of something they cannot yet do, with the hint that this is what they will be able to do in the future. They end up being rewarding, showing the work it takes to improve. But... not digging this here. I was getting into the arc and it suddenly stops to take a month to watch Gon and Killua stand around. Biscuit is back too, so it feels like we never actually left Greed Island. Worse yet, their training looks like it's nothing more than being stronger. Hold your energy for longer, conserve your energy more, use your energy for more strength. This is the first time in the series where everything was repetitive. Sure, the ending of Yorknew dragged, but at least the stakes kept rising and the relationships were more complex. Here? Just train, stand around going "I huff and I puff and I charge my aura!!!" for a month straight.

At least there's some neat motivation for Killua here, that's nice.
Profile Image for elif.
140 reviews14 followers
May 21, 2022
killua my beloved 😵‍💫
Profile Image for Natalie.
835 reviews63 followers
January 10, 2019
Mostly build-up in this volume, as Gon and Kil train to defeat the two "assassins" sent by the chairman in order to prove their worth as backup against the Chimera. And who better to help them train than the one and only... BISCUIT! 8D

Meanwhile... the royal guards from the Chimera appear to be awakening, and if these other two are anything like that first one... all of the "heroes" are in BIG trouble ._.

Chapter notes below for reference:
Profile Image for Brandon.
1,342 reviews
June 23, 2024
Chimera Ant shenanigans are mostly put on hold, but that doesn't mean this isn't a good volume.

New Royal Guards are born: Shaiapouf (whom we see interact with Pitou) and Menthuthuyoupi (of whom we only see the back of his head). Netero, Morel, and Knov work to whittle down over half of the CA troops. We get a minor diversion on the backstory of crime-boss-turned-Ant Gyro, which has little to do with anything, and basically has no payoff almost two-hundred chapters later.

Most of the volume is about Gon and Killua training with new character Palm and returning character Biscuit (with new haircut!) to defeat Morel's pupils Knuckle and Shoot. Well, technically, most of the volume is Gon constantly challenging Knuckle, specifically; Killua doesn't get to fight for the majority, and even when Biscuit takes pity and decides to spar with him, the fight is offscreen and we only see flashbacks to dialogue about how Killua can train his weaknesses. If I'm not mistaken, that will either come to fruition next volume, or at least soon-ish, regarding how Illumi fucked Killua's training. But, anyway, Killua starts fighting Shoot at the very end of the volume (like, the last panel), so he'll get more shit to do soon.

We're getting into more unusual Nen powers now, as well. Hakoware is a very fun power, especially how it's so technical compared to what one might otherwise expect from Knuckle's raw strength. I'm actually totally blanking on what Shoot's Ability is, so I'm looking forward to being reminded shortly.

Oh, and Jajanken is named!

To return to the subject of Gyro: I wouldn't mind if Togashi dies before getting back to him. Ah, well, what I mean is I don't want Togashi to die at all, and I want to see the manga to its completion, but Gon meeting Gyro is extremely low on my list of things I want to see. Really, I just want to resolve the Succession War and see a little bit of the Dark Continent - enough to see Ging and Leorio in action, but I can accept a "Their battle is just getting started!" afterward. Next, I'd like to see the resolution of the "Hisoka versus Spiders" story. Then, and only then, do I want Gyro. The thing is, the language in this volume suggests Gyro will encounter Gon eventually, which means Gon will resume adventuring after Kurapika and Leorio's respective adventures resolve, which means Gon will probably definitely need to all the way back, which will further undermine some things that happen later in the Chimera Ant Arc. Actually, by the Chairman Election Arc, Gon and Killua both get decent endings, making Gyro superfluous as a shoehorned "Final Boss" for Gon. I suppose Killua can still go fight Illumi if he wants to, but Gon doesn't need to continue beyond . And at this pace of a volume every four years... priorities should definitely just be finishing the Succession War and having something happen with , then at least setting foot on the Dark Continent. Unless we can get Takeuchi to start drawing, which would actually be really dope, assuming she still has it in her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Anushka Malik.
539 reviews44 followers
October 30, 2024
Okay this volume was bleh. There were some breadcrumb moments that kept me going, namely Biscuit and Palm and Knuckle. These three minor characters were a blast while all the major ones were being total snoozes.
I stayed at it because I have to know what the next King (Chimera Ant Queen's heir) would be like -just how strong and if or when poor old Kite would be avenged.

P.s. I can't wait for Pitou to be smacked around a bit. skjzndcsdncks.
Profile Image for claire.
782 reviews137 followers
Read
September 2, 2024
idk why do hxh fans like the training volumes so much lmao this was boring!! plus the math and debt lesson? actually the scariest part of the series yet

every volume read is a volume closer to the return of chrollo which is why i’m doing this in the first place LOL
Profile Image for Khari.
3,129 reviews77 followers
September 11, 2018
うわ!ナックルの能力の説明が全く分からなかった。利率の事は英語でもあまり分からないから日本語では無理!ゴンと同感@_@!

他の印象がない。
Profile Image for MajesticalLion.
677 reviews62 followers
October 19, 2022
If my spoiler knowledge serves me correctly, I believe Neferpitou is a pretty major character. And I see why. He has to be the single most powerful character we've seen in the series so far. Also, it seems like Kite has been corrupted?? I couldn't quite tell, but that's what my theory is. Can't wait to see where that goes.
Profile Image for Shubhankar Sharma.
175 reviews5 followers
July 14, 2023
This is not the time for a training mini arc. We have more pressing issues to deal with right now.

Let's get back to the carnage.
Profile Image for Ken Yuen.
1,018 reviews8 followers
October 24, 2025
A training episode. The chimera ants are an interesting foe though
Profile Image for Fahri Rasihan.
478 reviews125 followers
March 11, 2017
Cerita udah mulai ngawur. Terus Gon sama Killua kerjaannya cuma latihan melulu. Ditambah lagi jurus Gon ini hampir mirip-mirip sama kamehameha milik Goku.
Profile Image for Bumbo.
207 reviews17 followers
December 19, 2019
Togashi has really pumped the brakes here. To be honest, I'm tired of watching Gon and Killua train. Togashi has been pretty good about making it interesting so far, but it feels like they just got done a series of prolonged training sessions at Greed Island. And it's all for nothing since Gon and Killua still end up being underpowered.

On the bright side, Knuckle has won me over big time. He's like an even softer Kuwabara and I will die for him. And I'm all about every segment involving the ants. They are at such a weird space. They're somewhere between bugs and human. The ride a weird line between being cute animals and gross insectoid cannibals. Whenever they're in the spotlight, it's such a weird mix of emotions. They're a stack of contrasting points that I can't get enough of.
Profile Image for Marian.
391 reviews27 followers
July 23, 2016
After our main characters leave NGL, they are given another opportunity to return. They begin training under Bisky, after Palm contacts her, and they prepare themselves to fight against Knucle and Shoot. These new characters are all very unique and original. They are strong, yet have major weaknesses. Each of them is almost as intriguing as seeing Gon and Killua grow and learn even more about themselves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Corey Thibodeaux.
422 reviews22 followers
November 27, 2018
This is a transitional volume of sorts - we step away slightly from the Chimera Ant threat and hunker down for some character and Nen development. Of note:

- Of all the characters we've seen thus far, Palm irks me the most. I can't remember her background, so I reserve the space to change my opinion. She is wacked out.

- Knuckle, on the other hand, is a very interesting character. Mirrored in look and temperament from Yu Yu Hakusho's Kuwabara, Knuckle is one of Morel's students vying for a spot on the NGL team. He's brash, but very strong and has a tremendous heart, noted by the way he cares for animals (and vice-versa). But in order to get to NGL, he needs to beat up some kids named Gon and Killua.

- Bisky is back and ready to continue whipping these boys into shape. In a way, her presence in this volume is more effective than her time training the boys in Greed Island. Not only does she employ her Nen masseuse to help Gon recover from his battles, but she confronts Killua in what is becoming his fatal flaw: his propensity to run away from adversity. This explains why he acted when confronted by Pitou and will be a developing theme throughout the arc.

- Speaking of, that cat is scary AF. Pitou outclasses Illumi for being the creepiest character in this manga - the insane eyes, puppet Nen, the hideous strength. She is no joke.

- While our boys train, Morel, Knov and Netero have a nice little plan for disposing of the Chimera Ants. This is why they are the among the top dogs.

- Gon's fight with Knuckle is captivating for two reasons:
No. 1: Gon's battle tactics evolve significantly around his Ja-Janken. It's the perfect example of how to develop a character and his abilities in a somewhat stakeless battle. (I'm looking at you, superhero shows - especially CW's The Flash. Must you only try to get better when the plot depends on a miracle?)
No. 2: It wont be revealed until next volume, but the manga does something many stories are afraid to do.

- Foreshadowing? This volume explores the backstory of Gyro, the kingpin of NGL. This not only gives context of NGL's foundations, but might explain the cold-blooded thirst embedded in the Chimera Ants themselves - they are eating his people after all. After breaking away from the queen despite becoming a Chimera Ant himself, Gyro might very well be the embodiment of evil. That is chilling considering the volume hints that he will one day meet Gon. As the manga stands now, that has yet to happen.
Profile Image for Rolando Marono.
1,945 reviews19 followers
January 27, 2021
Había dejado más de un año pendiente esta serie. Desde el principio no me atrapó, pero la estaba leyendo por recomendaciones de amigos muy cercanos. Los personajes aunque interesantes, me costó trabajo empatizar con ellos. Y el arte en vez de mejorar, siento que ha ido a menos, es de los artes más feos que he visto en un manga tan popular. Los combates además son demasiado técnicos y el autor pasa demasiadas páginas explicando las reglas y cómo funcionan las habilidades de los personajes, pero en vez de ayudar más me confunden. Aunque en este tomo trataron de explicar cómo funciona la técnica especial de Gon y también la de Knuckel, no tengo ni idea de cómo funcionan, es confusa su explicación y satura de texto innecesario.
En el combate de Gon contra Knuckle, knuckle se detiene a explicarle con números y cálculos cómo funciona el pago de interés de la energía que le presta. Me es ridículo que detengan un combate para hacer matemáticas, que aún así no entendí, nuevamente.
Este tomo no avanza la historia de las hormigas quimeras mucho. Vemos a los miembros dela NGL que quedan tratando de frenar el avance de la colmena pero más que ver esos combates sólo vemos cómo los escuadrones de hormiga se van disminuyendo.
Todo se centra en realidad en Gon y Killua volviéndose más fuerte para ir con la NGL y rescatar a Kite. Un tomo más de entrenamiento, si no mal recuerdo en los veinte que hemos tenido, casi cinco tomos han sido meramente de entrenamiento de estos dos personajes. A kurapika, nuevamente no lo volvemos a ver.
Lo único que me gustó del tomo fue la historia de Gyro. Es cruda, cruel y profunda, tiene varias líneas muy interesantes y ya quiero ver a nuestros protagonistas enfrentarse a ese rival.
Profile Image for Dani Wladdimiro.
1,110 reviews4 followers
November 20, 2024
Hemos tenido ya varios volúmenes centrados en el entrenamiento, y sinceramente, no me parece una mala decisión. Este enfoque permite expandir las ideas relacionadas con el Nen, profundizando en sus conceptos y evitando tener que sobreexplicarlos o reintroducirlos en futuras peleas. Sin embargo, tener constantemente a Gon y Killua como los ejes principales del entrenamiento puede resultar agotador, especialmente cuando un volumen entero se dedica exclusivamente a ello.

Entiendo que muchos disfrutan enormemente la dinámica entre Gon y Killua, pero, en lo personal, habría sido interesante ver en detalle el entrenamiento de otros personajes como Kurapika o incluso Leorio. No obstante, es evidente que la trama está enfocada en llevar a Gon y Killua por este camino en particular. Mientras tanto, Kurapika y Leorio han quedado relegados en la historia debido a los acontecimientos actuales, lo cual es comprensible pero deja un poco de añoranza por su participación.
Profile Image for eliz.
296 reviews3 followers
Read
December 7, 2023
Profile Image for Diana Lynn.
670 reviews20 followers
October 26, 2017
Lots of character introductions in this volume. We meet Palm, many of the ants, Shoot, and my favorite new character to come out of this volume: Knuckle. I love him. We also get a random weird backstory of a man names Gyro which may or may not be a plot line somewhere in the show later. The King ant has not been born yet, but the royal guards have and, though we haven't seen all of them in action yet, we have seen Pitou and he is a fucking BEAST! Now we've seen a resemblance of Kite also and I know what is coming next and I can't wait! On to the next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Nightshade.
1,067 reviews4 followers
December 13, 2021
Gon and Killua train with Biscuit and Gon fights Knuckle.

I always manage to forget that Gon and Killua actually leave the Chimera Ants for a while. This is one of my favourite parts of this arc. It is good to see Gon and Killua recognise that despite all the training they have done so far that they are still quite weak, especially compared to those with many more years experience.

I love to see Biscuit back again as she is one of my favourite characters. I also like the introduction of Knuckle, Shoot and Palm as they are fun characters.
3 reviews
March 23, 2018
If you are a fan of the Hunter x Hunter series I can guarantee you will like this book due to the personality's of the characters. It has a very good story that continues what happened in Vol. 19 which is what makes it such a great book. Not only does it have a good story it is also very funny between the events of the characters. So if you are looking for something very enjoyable and fun I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Josh.
186 reviews
November 14, 2024
Volume 20 was very enjoyable. The Chimera troops are terrifyingly cool. I really like Gon & Killua fighting Knuckle and Shoot. Knuckle feels almost like Kuwabara from Yu Yu Hakusho. I also really like the Hunters that are with the Chairman, they seem pretty cool. Can’t wait to see their ability’s. There was also a tease of Gyro, who is think will be a villain later. His story was cool and I’m excited to see him eventually. This is a cool Arc so far
Profile Image for Anthony Wendel.
Author 3 books20 followers
March 27, 2025
With the Chimera Ants still increasing in numbers, Gon has no choice but to train and earn a place on the extermination team. Luckily, an old friend shows up and is more than happy to become a teacher again. The training isn't as interesting as the cut backs to what new vile act the Chimera Ants are enacting. They are truly the kind of villain who capture you with the wicked acts they perform.
Profile Image for Sophia Paul.
755 reviews6 followers
June 10, 2025
my goat BISKY IS BACK. but more importantly, KNUCKLE IS HERE YIPEEEEE I LOVE MY DOG LOVING HUNTER KNUCKLE. and his ability is so fucking cool and wild and just... like yeah sure! but the highlight of this volume was gyro and his story. just one early indicator of the story of this arc with humans and monsters. SO GOOD MAN.
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