Top 5 BIGGEST PLOT HOLES in Hunter x Hunter

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Writing a complex story featuring hundreds  of characters and dozens of storylines is a daunting and difficult task in its own  right, particularly when the story in question is written over a timespan of many  years. Plot holes, timeline inconsistencies and out-of-character behavior meant to forcibly  push the story in a particular direction are all borderline unavoidable oversights and trappings in  the process of constructing a complex narrative.

[00:00:26]Things can get so bad that authors end up putting  themselves in a situation where avoiding any of these story-telling trappings makes it  nigh impossible to continue their stories in the way and at the pace they initially  intended (if you’re at all familiar GoT, just look up what George RR Martin has to say on  the ‘Meereenese knot’). Keeping a story straight becomes even more difficult when an author  doesn’t just play the role of the writer, but also the main illustrator, needing to design  the characters, create panel layouts and then actually draw everything unfolding. Things get  especially insane, when the writer-illustrator then has to keep to a weekly schedule of pumping  out 17-20 pages each week, taking care that each individual chapter is as interesting as possible  and ends in such a way that will make the reader want to check the next one the following week. The  world of weekly manga serialization is hellish.

[00:01:22]If you needed any additional proof of that,  just take a look at this horrifying equation Togashi-sensei did to calculate the amount  of free time he had during his Yu Yu Hakusho run. A solid 3-4 hours. Per week. Three  to four hours. Per. Week. No wonder his health issues got to be as bad as they are now. Suffice it to say, that the weekly manga format isn’t conducive to a cohesive and consistent  plot to say the least and I personally can’t name a single long-running manga series  that hasn’t exhibited the aforementioned trappings to some degree. It’s never a matter  of ‘if’ only ‘how often’ and ‘to what degree’.

[00:02:03]Hunter x Hunter is not exempt from this at all.  Especially near the beginning of the series, when Togashi was doing his damnest to actually keep  the weekly serialization to a weekly schedule, quite a few major plot inconstancies occurred  which had profound consequences on the story as a whole. In this video, I’ll be listing 5 of  what I view to be some of the most egregious and most narratively relevant plot holes,  inconstancies and retcons in chronological order of their appearance. Let’s get into it. Number 1: Specialization’s placement in the Nen diagram. Ah, I could feel the collective groans  of at least a few hundred of you the moment I said that. Longtime viewers of the channel will be  more than well acquainted with this incontinency, and since I do have multiple videos going into  the topic in excruciatingly unnecessary detail, I’ll cover it incredibly briefly here. I swear. When we were first introduced to the six types of Nen, Izunavi told Kurapika that the reason  Specialization was placed between Conjuration and Manipulation was a bit arbitrary since it  doesn’t really behave like any of the other five categories and was placed between those  two simply because the people belonging to them tended to become Specialists later on in life  more frequently than the members of any other category. This is why the users of both categories  are set as having a 1% affinity for it. More as a symbolic gesture than an indication of actual  affinity. However, despite Izunavi claiming that it’s positioning is arbitrary, Specialization,  nonetheless, regularly affects the affinity distribution of all the other types, meaning  that, for example, Conjurers and Manipulators, have a 60% affinity for each other’s categories.  If its placement was truly arbitrary, they’d, of course, have an 80% affinity and, realistically,  the diagram should’ve looked more like this, with Specialization properly separated from  the regular affinity distribution wheel.

[00:03:46]Now, one could argue that this was simply an  error on Izunavi’s part and not Togashi’s. As in, isn’t it possible that Izunavi, serving the role  of a character and not an omniscient narrator, simply made an error or had imperfect information?  That doesn’t work for two reasons: a) Izunavi is a Nen veteran and the Nen diagram is, together  with the Four Principles, the most fundamental and basic aspect of Nen; and b) Kurapika, as  character, is incredibly intelligent, analytical and, quite frankly, combative. He would’ve  noticed such an obvious error in Izunavi’s reasoning and immediately pointed it out and  asked for clarification instead of just letting something as jarring as that slide uncontested. As  such, this fumble was obviously not intended to be an in-world character error, but was a slip  of the tongue on the part of Togashi-sensei.

[00:04:42]Now, while the downstream plot-related  consequence of this may be minimal, since realistically, Specialization’s placement  would change basically nothing with regards to the development of the story and characters  proper, the Nen diagram is such an iconic and essential aspect of HxH’s world-building and  power-system to make this error warrant at least a brief mention. And yes, that was as brief  as I could manage; and just to warn you now, each of these points is longer than the other. Number 2: Kurapika’s chains. So, as you’re all well aware, Kurapika’s strategy for defeating  the far stronger, durable and more experienced brawl-type Enhancer that was Uvogin, was to make  the Spider believe he was actually a Manipulator attempting to strike and capture Uvo with real  chains in an attempt to trigger an effect capable of neutralizing this bazooka-tanking, ear-drum  bursting, brain-munching, Cherry Pit Spitting champion. This tactic worked, as Kurapika, a  Conjurer, applied In to his conjured chains thereby making them imperceptible to  Uvo and successfully incapacitated the Spider by forcing him in a state of Zetsu via  Chain Jail; at which point, it was game over.

[00:05:56]See, the trouble is, that Uvo really should’ve  known that Pika’s chains were Conjured. When he was initially captured by Kurapika following his  slaughter of the Shadow Beasts, Uvo was completely paralyzed from the neck down owing to Rabid  Dog’s venomous fangs, meaning that Kurapika never needed to activate the feature of Chain Jail that  enforced Zetsu on him, and thus risk revealing his ultimate trump card. However, instead of making  that horrendous mistake, he instead makes the next worst one, and reveals to Uvo that his chains are  indeed conjured. Or at least, what he did should have revealed that fact. You see, in chapter 77 of  the manga, a captured and paralyzed Uvo politely advises Kurapika that he really should kill him  instead of doing whatever this was. Kurapika gets miffed at this, and his elevated emotional  state resonates through his conjured chains, thus imbuing them with an amazing amount of  Nen. This, of course empowered the chain which was already specifically made to combat Troupe  Members, and far more importantly for us here, increased its size. An object increasing in  size, particularly because of an increase in the user’s aura output is a telltale sign  of that object being not entirely physical, but actually created though Nen. Now, one could argue that Uvo, being a straightforward ball-to-the-wall  brawler may not have recognized this as a telltale sign of a conjured object. Listen, Uvo  may not have been a genius, but he wasn’t an idiot. He was able to deduce what time it was  based solely on the fullness of his stomach, and immediately realized that something was off  with Kurapika’s Nen capabilities during their fight. Is he the sharpest leg on the spider? No.  Is he braindead? No. The fact that the strength, durability and even size of conjured objects  can vary depending on the user’s proficiency in Conjuration and their aura output, should be  pretty basic stuff for someone of Uvo’s experience level. As such, as a veteran Nen-combatant  and the Phantom Troupe’s vanguard along with Nobunaga ever since the Troupe’s founding, Uvo  really should’ve at the very least been certain that the chains were indeed conjured. If he  then, in the heat of battle, made an error of somehow entirely forgetting that objects  and substances made of aura can be Inned to make them imperceptible, I’d begrudgingly accept  that as, while still an incredibly convenient, nonetheless viable explanation. I don’t think  it’s accidental this detail was completely skipped over in the 2011 anime. Kurapika’s and  Uvo’s encounter works much better without it.

[00:08:33]Number 3: Hisoka’s Texture Surprise.  I’ve mentioned this a few times by now, but Hisoka’s Texture Surprise may be the most  inconsistent ability in the whole of HxH bar none. Essentially, almost every time we see  it, it acts fundamentally different. The first time it was introduced against Kastro, it was  established by Togashi in chapter 55 of the manga, to be nothing more than a parlor trick  essentially, as Hisoka could only use it to manifest images on smooth papery surfaces, making  it very useful when paired with his world-class sleight of hand and misdirection for pulling  off his magic tricks and performances. It was initially explicitly stated that he cannot copy  textures and that physical contact with it would give away the wrong texture, but Hisoka liked it  because it made his deceptions more challenging and exciting. The abilities full name was even  introduced as Texture Surprise: Flimsy Lies.

[00:09:27]Fast forward a bit to chapter 80, and Texture  Surprise is now explicitly stated as indeed capable of replicating textures. This was  incredibly important as it was potentially pivotal in allowing Hisoka to alter his fortune later on  in chapter 106, and thus not only successfully deceive the Troupe into a) not ganging up on  him and tearing him a new one as soon as they saw his fortune, as his original one revealed he  had willingly bartered with Kurapika, and b) also convinced them into staying in York New longer  than they otherwise might’ve; all in an effort to force Chrollo to fight him. If Texture Surprise  was really as flimsy as the name suggested, someone among the Troupe, many of whom are  perception monsters mind you, would’ve assuredly noticed something was off via either sight or  touch (as not all paper has the same texture) as his fortune was being passed around among them. The reason why this is relevant is because, apart from keeping Hisoka alive, this successful  deception down the line facilitated the events as we saw them transpire in York New, namely the  sealing of Chrollo’s Nen as well as Paku’s death.

[00:10:32]Fast forward yet again all the way to chapter  357 and Texture Surprise can now apparently be applied directly to and paired with his Bungee Gum  to mask Hisoka’s ghoulish appearance following his very much one-sided deathmatch against Chrollo.  This definitely goes beyond the simple parlor trick Texture Surprise was initially supposed  to be and can now make his bungee prosthetics appear to be his genuine skin, clothing and so  on. The reason this is relevant is because the Troupe is currently on the hunt for Hisoka  and had his face remained disfigured and his bungee prosthetics plainly visible or rather  invisible to the general public if they were simply transmuted instead of properly Conjured,  this would’ve made the Troupe’s job of finding him far easier than simply looking into anyone  vaguely matching Hisoka’s height. It also may’ve given him many additional options as well, but  I think I’ll get into that in a separate video.

[00:11:23]Number 4: Heaven’s Arena in general. Seriously,  it’s so bad. This video idea came about because I initially wanted to make one detailing all the  things Heaven’s Arena screws up. The biggest and most obvious one is, of course, Nen being on  full display. However, since it is very obvious and since I’m sure everyone and their mother  has talked has it to death over the years, I won’t focus on it too much here. All I’ll  say is that the average Heaven’s Arena enjoyer, probably sees what the fighters above the 200th  floor do as either being fake, some advanced tech (weapons are allowed after all) or recognizes  it to be some kind of supernatural force, but simply has no way to learn about it more  (magical beasts are a known part of the world, after all). Now, what’s interesting to consider  is whether the HA staff actually know about Nen, particularly the commentators and judges. Do they  know about it, but just can’t say anything or are they in the dark and are just figuring stuff  along as they go along. Quite frankly, I’ve also no idea why a judge is even present at a floor  master battle. Even if they were experienced, there’s no way in hell a non-Nen awakened  non-combatant judge would be able follow half of what the fighters of Floor Master caliber  are doing most of the time, especially when Nen is involved, but that’s neither here nor there. Speaking of Nen, isn’t having your name and face plastered in public a huge liability to any Nen  user, but particularly those against whom people might hold a grudge, like Hisoka or Chrollo. I  mean, I know they both, Hisoka in particular, welcome all challengers, but there’re a lot  of annoying abilities the conditions of which could be met by the user simply knowing his  target’s name and seeing their face in person, as a member of the audience, for example.  Abilities that have to do with tracking someone’s movements or minor to moderate level curses could  and realistically should pose a genuine nuisance.

[00:13:18]Apart from that, it’s mind-boggling that at an  11-year-old can apparently run away from home, come to Heaven’s Arena, sign a legally enforceable  waver and then get 50 IQ stomped out of his skull when he comes across a particularly nasty  opponent. What kind of libertarian hellscape or insane corporatocracy would need to be  in place for something like that to even be possible? I guess the influence of whichever  organization or individual runs Heaven’s Arena is also responsible for why the Hunter Association  haven’t dismantled the whole thing already.

[00:13:50]The final issue with Heaven’s Arena is, of course,  Chrollo being a Floor Master and using his real name to fight. If Chrollo held the title of  floor master before the York New arc began, why wouldn’t have Hisoka sped-run his 10 matches  and then challenged Chrollo for his Floor Master title? From what we’ve been told, that’s how the  system works. A fighter needs to win 10 out of 13 matches and then challenge a specific Floor Master  for their title and floor. That, by far, seems like the easiest and most straightforward route  to getting a proper 1v1 against him when compared to Hisoka’s convoluted and mostly impromptu plan  to get Chrollo to fight him in York New. This, apparently, not being an option for our killer  clown implies that either a) Chrollo wasn’t using his real name and may’ve even used a disguise  in his previous matches; which is incredibly unlikely considering the announcer never mentioned  anything of the sort was amiss; or b) Chrollo became a Floor Master somewhere between regaining  his Nen and the deathmatch. This would’ve, again, been pretty awkward timing-wise since Chrollo  would’ve needed to have won probably at least a few matches, and then challenged a Floor  Master for their title while having Hisoka hot on his heels throughout. Chrollo suddenly  making an appearance in Heaven’s Arena under his real name would’ve not only attracted Hisoka,  but also potentially Kurapika. Even if Kurapika was now primarily focused on getting the eyes of  his clansmen back instead of pursuing revenge, he realistically should’ve at least informed other  Blacklist Hunters in the Association who Chrollo actually was, since, as I’ll talk about in another  video, his identity was not public knowledge. We do know that Dog Man, a professional wrestler and  member of Morena’s murder flock, was a big fan of Chrollo’s fighting carrier, meaning that Chrollo  had to have some degree of fame and couldn’t have been slipping entirely under the radar. All this  makes it incredibly weird how exactly he was able to stall Hisoka for so long, as well as how and  why Kurapika, along with other Blacklist Hunters like Saiyu and Lippo or even the Zodiacs in  general regardless of their Hunting query, didn’t see fit to take any kind of action and  waste such a golden opportunity as was nabbing an A class bounty and high level threat as Chrollo  (supposing they knew about his identity as the head of the Spider, of course). Actually, in  theory, letting the match between Hisoka and Chrollo happen and then jumping him after the  fact, would’ve been a decent plan, for example.

[00:16:20]Speaking of Morena’s flock: Number 5: The  conclusion of Morena’s and Borksen’s Negotiation Game. Borksen was robbed! I will die on this hill!  Alone, if I have to. To very quickly remind you of the whole setup: the fake Morena Prudo had Bork  captured and taken to their hideout after Dog Man identified her as a Specialist, forcing her to  play her Negotiation Game. The game itself is primarily a luck-based card game where the dealer  starts with 7 cards face-up, while the player has 5 cards face-down. The Dealer, i.e. Morena,  opens up by making a request of the player, i.e. Borsken, with her request in this case  being that Bork join their ranks. The player then chooses among the dealer’s 7 face-up cards,  each of which tells the player something about their circumstances, as well as Morena herself.  This includes cards like the “AIM” card which reveals Morena’s goals, and, the relevant for  us now, “POWER” card which reveals Morena’s ability. For every face-up card the player picks  in this way, a random card of theirs is discarded.

[00:17:25]Whichever card among the 5 facedown ones the  player has is the last one remaining serves as the answer to Morena’s request, with the possible  answers being “YES” meaning the player has become a preliminary member of the group, “NO”, meaning  death, and “X” which nullifies the game and serves as the get out of the jail free card.  Answering Morena’s request with a “YES” card, is also one of the requirements needed for  someone to become imbued with Contagion, Morena’s ability which allows for her followers  to level up their Nen through murder, with the purpose of attaining and then upgrading a Hatsu of  their own with the ultimate purpose of realizing Morena’s plan to kill everyone aboard the Black  Whale, then Kakin and ultimately, the world.

[00:18:05]Getting back to Bork now. Bork manages  to seemingly clutch it at the very end by gaining the ability to return to her hand and  answer the Negotiation Game with the “X” card, which would invalidate the game. However,  instead of choosing the “X” card, in a Dark Continent-worthy twist, she instead answers the  game with the “YES” card. No, not because of a sudden change of alignment from neutral good  to chaotic evil, but because she was compelled to do so by Morena’s ability as a consequence  of having cheated. See, at the very beginning, Morena said to Bork that withdrawing from the game  would mean losing the freedom to do anything other than answering with “YES” or “NO” and then smugly  claimed that Bork should’ve intuited that cheating is tantamount to withdrawing from the game.  Sounds… reasonable, right? Yeah, not to me.

[00:19:00]While Morena was explaining the game  to Bork she stated the following: “Although it might go over your head a  little bit…I’ll tell you only the truth, without hiding anything. I’ll go into as much  detail as you want, until you understand.”

[00:19:15]However, when Bork chose the “POWER” card which  was supposed to explain Morena’s ability in full, Morena never, at any point, mentioned that  cheating would, and I quote “automatically trigger the manipulative aspect of the ability”.  What automatic manipulative aspect of your ability Morena? While you might casually insinuated at  something like that at the very beginning to a person that knows nothing about Nen (and this  game can’t be played with awakened Nen user as far as we know, anyway), but that really sounds  like something that should’ve been explicitly established as an important mechanic of your  ability. When I start talking in the second person to imaginary characters, you know things  have gotten bad. By not mentioning it any way when Bork explicitly picked the “POWER”  card, Morena went back on her promise to “tell only the truth, without hiding anything.” Also, I really feel like the fact that cheating entails abandoning the match, really should’ve  been established as well. There are competitive settings in which cheating doesn’t entail  disqualification, but can instead lead to either nullification or specific penalties. So,  this whole “you should’ve intuited that cheating is tantamount to abandoning this serious game”  bullcrap is just that… bullcrap. Let’s not even get into the fact that in an alternate translation  Morena says “fair game” instead of “serious game”.

[00:20:39]There was nothing fair about it from the moment  Bork got kidnapped and put on the casting couch, but since the official translation doesn’t  use that phrase, I’ll contain my weeb-rage.

[00:20:50]Due to all the aforementioned, from a  story-telling perspective, this twist, for me, feels forced. But apart from the story-telling  aspect there’s one more almost equally as important one I need to super briefly mention  at the end here: ability balancing. Morena’s ability is… way too powerful. I go into this in  my Hatsu Levels Ranked: Specialization video, but Morena’s ability is the most mechanically  complex Specialization-based ability we’ve seen in the series; and is absolutely among the most  powerful as well. Apart from allowing 22 people to speedrun years upon years of training in  mere days, it allows her to keep tabs on them, exert certain control over them, assist them in  developing their Hatsu in a certain direction and may even unlock an additional ability for her as  well, since she can also apparently gain levels.

[00:21:44]To make it worse, it’s an individual’s ability and  not a Symbiotic one like 9th Prince Halkenburg’s overpowered arrow. A Specialist with a somewhat  comparable overpowered ability, namely Chrollo has a whole laundry list of conditions he needs  to fulfill and restrictions he must abide by in order steal and maintain someone’s ability. If  on top of all the things her ability can do, her conditions are loose enough to allow  Morena the wiggle room to lie through omission, I… I frankly think that’s absurd. And that’s some of the biggest and, for the most part, most narratively relevant plot holes in HxH  done. There were a few others I could’ve included, but I, for the most part, either consider them  as one-off inconsistencies that are entirely inconsequential, such as Killua recognizing Zeno’s  Dragon Dive during the Palace Invasion despite, realistically, never having had the opportunity  to see his grandfather’s ability or were already covered by other, bigger youtubers, such as Ikalgo  not knowing about Hagya changing his name to Leol, meaning I didn’t see much point in talking about  them myself. With that said, what plot hole, inconsistency or retcon do you think would be a  good fit for this list? Is there enough to make a part 2? Feel more than free to share your thoughts  down in the comments below. Before signing off, I’d very much like to thank the Thinkers  and Overthinkers for going the extra mile in supporting the channel. As always, thank you  very much for watching. Your feedback is always appreciated. Subscribe if you’d like more content  like this. And I’ll see you in the next one!