Yoshihiro Togashi is one of the most prestigious figures in manga and anime. After all, he wrote and illustrated the Yu Yu Hakusho series and married Sailor Moon's author. The artist is fully aware of the massive fandoms that admire his works, but he probably never expected his most popular series to become an excellent source of memes.
Hunter x Hunter is a rollercoaster ride from start to "finish," so to speak—the manga is technically considered "ongoing". So, it's no surprise that the abundance of emotions within this series would spark an endless stream of memes. Here are 10 of our favorites that true HxH fans will love.
10 Force Feeding
If there's anything that fans of Hunter x Hunter love doing more than reading the manga/watching the anime, it's talking about Hunter x Hunter in general. Anyone who isn't familiar with the extensive storylines and the impressive character list obviously needs to be informed immediately.
It's especially easy to summon the topic with friends and family that are already fans of animated series. If a show is hailed as one of the best animes of all time, it's basically your civic duty to spread the word to those who may be unaware. At the end of the day, you're just doing them a favor.
9 Hisoka Jar
There are plenty of deranged characters on HxH, yet Hisoka Morow might just be the most polarizing of all. Sure, he's an outstanding magician and a formidable fighter, but he's also a selfish creep who rubs people the wrong way more often than not.
While many fans prefer to ignore his existence, countless others simply can't stop thinking about him... or talking about him. As a matter of fact, the bulk of Hisoka's fans love to bring him up during unrelated conversations. To be fair, Hisoka is an incredibly well-written adversary whose ambiguous moral alignment serves as a fun character study.
8 World's Best Boss
Chrollo Lucilfer could be described in numerous ways: a cunning thief, a Nen specialist, a cold-blooded killer, the leader of the Phantom Troupe, Michael Scott from The Office—the list just goes on. This meme correlates more with the 1999 anime over any other incarnation, but fans of the 2011 series may be able to recognize the similarities as well.
Basically, the Troupe's boss has an uncanny resemblance to Steve Carell. The secret presumably lies within the eyebrows, although the dead eyes could also be a contributing factor. Perhaps Chrollo should ditch his criminal ways and pursue a career in television.
7 Dad's Out For Groceries
While Gon does occasionally discuss his father, Killua never actually interrogates him about Ging's absence. Nonetheless, this meme is probably an accurate depiction of what would happen in that hypothetical scenario. Gon justifies his dad's disappearance with the power of a thousand suns, so, if Ging says he's at the store, then he's at the store. If he says he's stepping out to grab some milk or a pack of cigarettes, then he should take all the time he needs! Being a father is hard work and sometimes you just need to get out of the house... and never return.
6 Wall Hisoka
Attack on Titan's characters already have enough problems to deal with, but why not up the ante a bit by introducing a new Wall Titan? The monsters are known for their terrifying appearance, and who better to join their ranks than our favorite insane clown? No, we're not talking about the Joker.
Hisoka Morow's "excited" face would certainly give Eren Yeager and his friends nightmares for months. It would also serve as one of the most ambitious crossovers in anime history. We're positive that the thrill-seeking magician would have no qualms about being tossed into a post-apocalyptic universe riddled with powerful enemies to fight.
5 Incoming Chimera Ant Arc
Oh, the Chimera Ant arc. It's Hunter x Hunter's love-it-or-leave-it saga brimming with overpowered animal/human hybrids. The 60-episode season was a tedious watch for certain fans, but others continue to praise it for its brilliant social and political commentary.
However, the defining moment of this arc occurs towards the very end where Gon's sanity is pushed to the limits and he ultimately snaps. Whether you liked the Chimera Ant arc as a whole or not, this moment in the series was soul-crushing and astonishingly dark. Most viewers weren't mentally prepared for the somber conclusion to this storyline, especially when the preceding Greed Island arc was comparatively bright and lighthearted.
4 Short People
Hisoka has a prevalent presence throughout the anime and manga, so it's no surprise that he's the most meme-worthy character. The pictures used for this meme hail from two different story arcs, but they work like a charm regardless. The shot on the left is particularly special—this was the moment that Gon finally delivered a well-deserved punch to Hisoka's face and returned the badge he acquired during the Hunter Exam.
Unfortunately, no one's thinking about this. We're more concerned with the mental image of grabbing our short friends by the neck whenever we want to make eye contact. That's far more important.
3 Chef Menchi
Menchi is a renowned Gourmet Hunter who revels in the art of cooking. Her fiery passion for exquisite meals and impeccable flavors made her one of the most frustrating Hunter examiners.
In all honesty, this meme is about as accurate as an Internet joke can get. Menchi really is the manga/anime counterpart of Gordon Ramsay in all of his overly critical glory. As a matter of fact, this character's brutal pickiness might be intimidating enough to make the Hell's Kitchen star run away with his tail tucked between his legs. Hopefully, Netflix will take this meme to heart and explore its live-action options.
2 Meruem's Math
Meruem was the head honcho of the aforementioned overpowered Chimera Ants. Komugi was a clumsy, naive blind girl who really enjoyed Gungi, a two-player strategy board game. The two developed an unlikely bond that exposed the flicker of humanity that lay dormant within King Meruem. Shaiapouf, a member of the King's Royal Guard, loathed Komugi for distracting his boss from their number one priority: world domination.
This meme is a brilliant visual depiction of the dynamic within this trio where the Ant King would always side with the innocent, simple-minded child over his scheming subordinate. Better luck next time, Pouf.
1 Father of the Year
Gon's father was so blatantly despised that everyone tried to make Leorio the Chairman of the Hunter's Association because he punched Ging in the face. The blow was completely rationalized by the fact that Ging was such a shamelessly absent father. He left his child in the hands of his cousin Mito and disappeared to go do really important Hunter things... because that's what all admirable parents do.
Hunter x Hunter could best be summarized as Gon Freecss' journey to meet his dad and Ging doing everything in his power to avoid him. It's like a really sad game of "the floor is lava" where the lava is actually your son who's dying to meet you. Can someone please get a family therapist on the phone?