I took a long break from the anime series Hunter × Hunter after losing interest during the Chimera Ant arc. It just didn’t click with me. But eventually, I couldn’t ignore the series forever. It kept showing up all over social media, and I figured it was better to actually watch it than keep piecing it together through Facebook Reels and memes. To my surprise, I ended up really enjoying this arc—much more than I expected.

Heads up: There are spoilers ahead.

The story picks up shortly after the end of the Chimera Ant arc. Chairman Netero had recorded a video before his death, announcing his resignation… because you can’t be chairman if you’re dead. In the video, he sets up a new election to choose his successor, and basically ensures that every available Hunter is required to show up and vote.

For the election, we’re introduced to the Zodiacs—a group of elite Hunters based on the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. Honestly, it makes you wonder why Netero didn’t bring them along to help with the Chimera Ant threat in the first place.

One surprise member of the Zodiacs is Ging Freecss—Gon’s long-lost father. Unsurprisingly, he’s not well-liked by the rest of the Hunter Association or even his fellow Zodiacs. Still, I respect that he showed up to honor Netero’s final wishes.

The main “antagonist” of this arc is Pariston, the Vice Chairman. He acts friendly on the surface, but it’s hard to tell what his actual goals are—beyond irritating everyone and creating chaos with strange plans that don’t seem to make much sense.

One of the most emotionally sweet parts of this arc is Killua reuniting with his younger sibling, Alluka. Alluka’s powers are incredibly god-like—and honestly, the wishes could’ve changed everything if they’d been invoked sooner. It’s also touching to see how deeply Killua respects Alluka’s gender identity, especially since most of their family refuses to acknowledge that their son/brother is now a girl.

Meanwhile, Illumi and Hisoka return as side villains and finally get to unleash their darker sides in more significant ways than in earlier arcs.

Strangely, this arc also marks the end of the anime. The manga still hasn’t been completed, even as of today. The last episode aired back (In Japan) in 2014, which was over a decade ago. At this point, Yoshihiro Togashi and George R.R. Martin could probably form a support group for authors who endlessly torment their fanbases with long breaks and even longer excuses.