Understanding the Yorknew City Arc in Hunter x Hunter

Essential Insights

Kurapika embarks on a quest for vengeance, serves as a bodyguard, confronts members of the Phantom Troupe, and manages to capture Uvogin.
The Phantom Troupe wreaks havoc, prompting Kurapika to unleash his latent powers, leading to intense clashes with Troupe members.

The arc intricately delves into the mechanics of Nen, exploring how Hunters harness its potential with perilous implications. After enduring challenges in the extensive 251-floor Arena, Gon and Killua finally make their way back to Whale Island, marking Gon’s first return home in over seven months. As they re-enter their world, the upcoming conflicts promise to be far more complex. The Yorknew City Arc highlights the heightened stakes for Gon and his comrades within the Hunter ecosystem and the substantial growth they will require to confront these challenges.

This installment significantly broadens the series’ universe by introducing new factions, Hunter endeavors, antagonistic groups, and deeper insights into Gon’s father. While Gon and Killua remain pivotal, the spotlight largely shifts to Kurapika as he relentlessly pursues vengeance for his clan. This arc is also notable for the emergence of the notorious Phantom Troupe.

The following discourse focuses on the 2011 animated series of Hunter x Hunter, which may present divergences from its 1999 predecessor.

Gon Returns Home

Gon and Killua Learn About Ging

Anime Episodes	37–58
Manga Chapters	64–119

Upon his return to Whale Island after seven months, Gon presents his Hunter License to Mito, as promised. He then guides Killua around Whale Island, discussing their aspirations for the future. When they return home, Mito surprises Gon with a gift from his father, Ging.

This gift, a box initially inscrutable, eventually reveals that it requires Nen to unlock. Inside, another box is discovered, which necessitates a Hunter’s License for access. Each layer of the gift reflects Ging’s foresight regarding Gon’s journey as a Hunter. After overcoming these challenges, they uncover a video tape featuring Ging. Although it begins with a reference to Gon’s mother, Gon abruptly interrupts, choosing to explore the remaining treasures instead.

Among these treasures, they find a memory card for a game console containing files for “Greed Island,”a highly sought-after game with a lucrative completion reward. This realization directs them to Yorknew City, where an auction for Greed Island is anticipated to occur.

Preparing for the Auction

Kurapika’s Quest for Revenge

Simultaneously, Kurapika is determined to leverage his Hunter’s License by seeking a position as a bodyguard. Initially turned away for lacking sufficient training, he perseveres and eventually secures a role with the Nostrade family after exhibiting his enhanced abilities in a fierce battle against multiple assailants.

Arriving in Yorknew City, Kurapika uncovers the true nature of Greed Island, which is structured not merely as a console game but as a life-or-death challenge for Nen users, immersing them in a digital world where failure translates to fatal consequences.

The Auction is Interrupted

The Troupe’s Initial Attack

As the auction is set to commence, the Phantom Troupe gathers under the leadership of Chrollo, who audaciously declares their intent to steal everything at the event and eliminate all obstacles.

In the meantime, Gon and Killua encounter Leorio, who assists them in securing funds for the auction. Kurapika takes a position as a bodyguard at the entrance, although this precaution proves futile when the Phantom Troupe infiltrates the venue in disguise, leaving chaos in their wake. As they proceed to raid the auction vault, they find it previously emptied, inciting the wrath of Chrollo and his crew.

The Troupe Meets Their Match

Or Did They?

Chrollo later discovers that the auction’s security breach has been anticipated, prompting the Mafia to empty their vaults beforehand. In retaliation, Chrollo conspires to confront the Mafia’s enforcers, the Shadow Beasts, which leads them into a fierce confrontation.

Uvogin, renowned for his formidable strength, finds himself face-to-face with multiple Shadow Beast members before he is ensnared by Kurapika, who identifies his Spider tattoo. However, Uvogin’s capture is short-lived, as the Troupe intervenes to free him. Driven by vengeance, Uvogin vows to hunt down Kurapika.

In a dramatic confrontation, Kurapika seeks out Uvogin for a duel. He attempts to extract information regarding the Phantom Troupe’s whereabouts but finds Uvogin resistant, even to his compelling truth-inducing abilities. In a climactic battle, Kurapika delivers a fatal blow, taking Uvogin’s life and burying him at the site of their conflict.

In parallel, Gon and Killua continue to pursue the means to acquire Greed Island, with Gon even resorting to selling his Hunter License to expedite their quest.

“It makes me sick… the sensation left on my hand… the grating sound of each strike… the smell of blood! It all throws my senses into disarray… How can you do these things yet think and feel nothing at all!? Answer me!”

— Kurapika

The Phantom Troupe’s Impact

Troupe Neutralizes Mafia Threats

With a new auction approaching, the Mafia Dons strategize to protect their interests, hiring assassins to eliminate the Phantom Troupe. Kurapika receives an invitation to join their ranks. Concurrently, Gon and Killua fall into the hands of the Troupe while tracking them, facing the imminent risk of their identities being exposed due to a memory manipulator among the Troupe members.

Meanwhile, an escape allows Gon and Killua to avoid detection before their association with Kurapika is revealed. When Chrollo questions a Mafia member with fortune-telling abilities, he uncovers Uvogin’s demise, leading to a swift and brutal assault by the Phantom Troupe on the Mafia.

Amid the chaos, Chrollo finds himself cornered by Zoldyck family assassins but escapes due to a sudden shift in power dynamics resulting from the Dons’ deaths. Later, the Troupe arranges an underground auction, masquerading as the deceased while executing an elaborate con involving replica auction items.

“I thought you were just cold-blooded killers. But I see you can shed tears for your friend. So why couldn’t you spare some of that empathy for the people you killed?!”

— Gon

Kurapika’s True Power Unleashed

The Troupe Faces Their Test

Kurapika’s emotions are tumultuous as he contemplates the deaths of Troupe members, but Hisoka’s revelation about the fake corpses intensifies the tension. Kurapika remains behind to guard the Nostrade family, while Gon and Killua find themselves ensnared by the Troupe.

A pivotal moment arises when Chrollo’s whereabouts become uncertain during an attempt to probe Gon and Killua’s memories. Kurapika intervenes, threatening Pakunoda to protect his friends, leading to a fraught hostage negotiation with the Troupe. Ultimately, Kurapika orchestrates a successful exchange to secure Gon and Killua’s freedom but places the Troupe in a precarious situation.

Using his abilities, Kurapika binds Chrollo and Pakunoda to silence, but Pakunoda, defying the odds, sacrifices herself to reveal Kurapika’s true nature to the Troupe members by imbuing bullets with her memories before her death.

“Please, let me… be the last…”

— On demand

The Yorknew City Arc is an intense narrative that highlights both the Phantom Troupe’s prowess and Kurapika’s relentless pursuit of retribution for his clan.

Hunter x Hunter is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu.