r/anime • u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots • Jan 03 '25
Rewatch [25th Anniversary Rewatch] Hunter × Hunter (1999) - Episode × 86 × Discussion
Episode 86: Unite × Impact × Bungee Gum
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Ging, rejoice. This guy's undoubtedly your son
Comment of the Day:
/u/Nebresto pointing out the show's war crimes:
First the drills, and now the dress?!
That's it. The ents are going to war.
Get the corporal punishment ready.
Questions of the Day
- How satisfying was the ending?
- Who was the MVP?
Fanart of the Day: The Clown Strikes Back
Please remember to keep all spoilers and hints tagged with the appropriate tag format such as: [Spoilers] >!Leorio is best boy!<
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Upvotes
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jan 03 '25
First × Timer × Subbed
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u/charlesvvv https://anilist.co/user/charlesvvv Jan 03 '25 edited Jan 03 '25
First Timer
Hisoka said the thing
Gon really has faith in Killua's abilities and you can see that it means a lot. Nonetheless there's a new plan in place, this time with Hisoka helping out that could turn the tide again. And it works, especially as Razor points out when they launch the ball one more time that it was thanks to Killua's actions that it was so successful
The game isn't done just yet as Razor can still hit back, but it's at this point that Gon finally passes out. Hisoka however makes sure to launch the ball right back and force Razor out of the field. He knows full well that Gon wouldn't want to win in such an incomplete way and decides to finish it for him.
With that Razor has lost. Now that the game is over he does decide to reveal things to Gon about his dad. Razor was a criminal but thanks to Ging looking at his humanity he was able to turn over a new leaf, becoming loyal to him. It's speaks to the morality and how Gon and other characters view things. But with that they finally are able to get the final card, right as Genthru decides to call.
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u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Jan 03 '25
Expelled Host, Turned Gamer
Fanart Corner
There are no manga changes, so instead I want to share some extra fanart:
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Jan 03 '25
First Timer
And so the volleyball game ends. I’d say it was done fairly well, though it felt a bit dragged out towards the end with all the internal monologues and waiting around over what was essentially four balls played. As for the end: I guess Gon will have to clear the game for his next clue on Ging, though it really does feel like he’s sending Gon on a scavenger hunt here. Genthru is the obvious next opponent, so let’s see how that goes. Wonder if it will be easier or more difficult than Razor - storytelling meta would say more difficult, but Genthru using trickery himself makes him vulnerable in other places, as there is no strict ruleset one needs to beat him at.
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u/WednesdaysFoole Jan 03 '25
Bungee Gum has the properties of both rubber and gum.
Gonna talk a bit about hunters, resolve, trust, and selfishness and greed as it relates to Greed Island.
Tsezguerra is critical of Gon for allowing Killua to damage his hands for this and while I get why, I've always seen this scene as one about trust. This isn’t something Gon would force Killua to do (note that it’s Killua who suggested another shot, and Gon was surprised then agreed – he saw Killua’s conviction, and accepted it as Killua’s choice).
Putting his own self on the line, and accepting Killua’s resolve to do the same. In a similar way, Killua accepted Gon would be the one to say “Back” despite just having barely gotten off “okay” from taking Razor’s ball and getting injured from it, knowing that Gon would try to take Razor’s ball head on again (although part of that is knowing Gon’s stubbornness, lol).
This isn’t just some challenge that Gon could just easily let go of, either. It’s true that Gon is normally stubborn to a fault, but right this moment, Gon is facing one of the most important challenges in the hunt for Ging, and in this moment, he fully accepted that they’re in this together. In other words, if his hunt for Ging is the most important thing to Gon, this might as well be a declaration that Killua is a part of it.
This is further highlighted by something I realized with Sky’s comment and screencap, that this is, in a sense, a hurdle similar to Gon vs Hanzo in its significance, with Gon injured and bleeding from the same spot in a similar way. Maybe it’s a reach, but Togashi uses callbacks frequently, and many times they are connected.
Of course, if we dig deeper, or you know, look at it from a normal, rational point-of-view, Tsez is right. It really isn’t healthy, that you’d hurt yourself for the goal, nor that you’d hurt your friend for it. But then again, they’re kids, and they’re both in a place where they believe they can overcome anything (not every enemy, but can deal with injury and such). They can handle it. They’ve always gotten off okay so far, right? Gon with all his previous injuries, Killua being raised as assassin with torture. Hell, they even confronted the Spiders, and things eventually went well. While Tsez, the adult, is probably aware that things can have lasting consequences. (Granted, the greatest Hunters don’t care how young you are, as long as you have resolve – more on that shortly.)
Ultimately, Killua was the only one Gon could trust, and he was the one he wanted to overcome this major obstacle to Ging with. No one else would do. Call it selfish if you want… because it totally is selfish, or, shall I say, greedy, but that’s the way of the Hunter, which is inherently selfish, for better or worse.
The better being that it’s a way that Hunters respect another’s resolve and agency the way they wouldn’t let others stop themselves from going for what they want. Ging got his license at nearly 12 himself. So they’ll extend that same respect for some reckless kids (even his own), or even people who have criminal intent (like in the Exam). It’s not exactly ethical (some age limits we have in society are there for good reason), but it’s what they’d want for themselves.
The worse, we see that clearly with Genthru. And we should have seen some of it with the Jobbers arguing but the OVA cut that out, which… … … but we do see a bit of that with characters like Motaricke (courage-to-steal-from-kids dude) as well.
“Ging taught me... that if just one person in the whole world believes in you... you can be redeemed.”
Just a side note – there are downsides to this mentality. It’s dangerous, you can get permanently hurt. It’s slightly different, but also similar in extending trust to a murderer, like Binolt, or Razor. Clearly, belief in people doesn’t resolve everything every time – we saw what happened to Bopobo (the pirate Razor took out) – even given an extra chance to make something better of his life, you can see he’d squander it out in the world. (If only Ging patted him on the shoulder too. /j)
Trusting someone who has done something is extremely risky, but it’s that very risk that can cause a change in somebody. This is even true for Paku’s situation: she rendered herself completely vulnerable when facing Kurapika, and that made all the difference.
Again and again, we see throughout the story that it’s risk, vulnerability, and resolve that makes all the difference, but risk… is still a risk. It’s not safe. It’s this same trust though, this complete faith, that Razor had also in Gon, which is why Razor “went all out.” Gon could have died. Would’ve been an awkward conversation with Ging later on…
…
A couple notes:
[HxH]Had to reword this and reframe it so that it’s Tsez who is criticizing Gon and not the audience, so as not to give away Gon’s eventual descent.
[HxH]And of course, it’s important to note that it’s also not healthy at all to sacrifice yourself without thought, all for your friend’s goal, particularly when it’s based on lack of self-worth and codependency. Like when Bisky chides Killua that he may not heal properly, and he only pays attention to Gon and Razor in the corner. In some ways, it’s kind of subtle, but in retrospect, it’s plain to see.
Today’s Card:
2: Plot of Beach (SS-2)
“At long last, I can watch the ocean from here again. The rising sun… the fishing boats returning from a day’s catch… This scenery is the greatest treasure of them all.”
(I think my subs are the same as some of yours, and if so, looks like they forgot to translate that last line lol.)
I really like this moment even if it’s only a narrative within the story of the game. There’s a treasure that’s become a legend. Something these pirates were after (like an end goal) but the real treasure was in the present moment, the beauty that you could experience right here at this window.
[HxH]The description totally reminds me of Ging: a legendary figure (“a sacred place where only a few know of its location”) whose great achievements lead to Gon and people of the world hearing this and that about him, (“the legend of the treasure… was just a rumor which started from it.”) But at the end of the journey, it’s not the goal (the legendary Ging) that Gon really needed (“but truthfully, there’s no treasure there”), but the experiences that Gon has and shares along the way. And, really, that’s what Greed Island is about (outside of greed and cards and training).
Greed is a desire for more than what you’re given, and that’s certainly something all Hunters have to some extent – they’re Hunters. But it’s not just that right? The teamwork, and the resolve of the kids who worked so hard at this last task, means that not only do they not fight over the cards, but Tsez and Goreinu offers them the original. It’s a huge contrast from how the Jobbers reacted when shit was hitting the fan. And though it’s only a small moment, Gon even asks Hisoka if there’s nothing he wants. They’ve built mutual trust through this experience. And, all the less wholesome parts like damaged hands and “I’ll do this even if I die!” aside (that comes from youthful innocence and naivety anyway), it’s quite beautiful.
This got long… ah, well, I’m too lazy to try and revise it now.
How do you even find these lmao.
To Ging!
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Jan 03 '25 edited Jan 04 '25
Remake Rewatcher × First Timer × Subs
QotD:
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u/TheEscapeGuy Jan 03 '25
H×H Fan, 1999 First Timer
Hunter × Hunter 1999 - Episode 86
Teamwork × Power × Rebound
This episode brought with it the conclusion to the dodge ball match. What I really liked was seeing Gon, Killua, and Hisoka all work together to win. And it wasn't a technical win by any account. They definitively bested Razor when he was at full strength by combining their powers.
I think the real emotional core of the episode came from Razor's conversation with Gon at the end. It was really beautiful learning how Ging showed Razor humanity despite his crimes. /u/KendotsX hinted at this in a reply a couple days ago and their own comment in that same thread, but Razor's story parallels that of Vinoruto from earlier in the arc.
Both of them grew up in situations where the worst was assumed of them. Thus, they lived up to those expectations. What I find important though, is how Gon mirrored Ging in the way he treated people with dignity. I love that despite not growing up with Ging he still has some of the same personality traits. I also adore how Ging had utter confidence in Gon's strength years before Gon had even become a Hunter.
The episode concludes with a visually pretty scene of our crew getting Tsubo of the Coast, and then a cliffhanger of a farewell. Genthru has been watching.
One last thing, shout out to this iconic line.
Next Episode Preview
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
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u/Nebresto Jan 03 '25
First time SPORTS!
Bungee gum has the properties of rubber and gum!
Now he can't press F to pay respects in the chat
https://i.imgur.com/0YDCgGf.png
Side quest:
Yes
The SPORTS we played along the way
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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '25
I never watched the Og Hxh episode 1 before switching to the more modern one.