'Hunter x Hunter' Reveals Why the Succession Contest is a Death Match

Yoshihiro Togashi's Hunter x Hunter has resumed from its latest hiatus and things are building toward the climax of the Dark Continent arc. But the major focus of it so far has been the mini-arc focusing on the Succession Contest, a deadly battle between princes in order to decide a new king of the Kakin Empire.

But why does it have to be a death match? The latest chapter finally answers this question as the current king explains that it's for the bettering of the people if the king gets their hands dirty.

When Prince Halkenberg confronts his father, the current king, about stopping the Succession Contest he's unfortunately able to do so. The king says the contest is already begun, and he can't stop what's already in motion. Halkenberg's angry that it turned out to be a death match that he agreed to, but the king says that adapting to change is a necessary quality for a king.

Halkenberg then tries to kill his father, but his bullet is stopped by the king's nen beast. Halkenberg then tries to kill himself, but he's saved by his own guardian beast. It's then that the king explains that in order to be a good ruler, one must bear bad karma and without becoming the king, Halkenberg won't be able to change a thing or put an end to the Succession Contest.

It's then that Halkenberg decides to put his all into the contest because, unfortunately, he needs to become king in order to change the way things are done. So the Succession Contest among the Princes has to be a death match because the current king believes that a good ruler has some marks on their past.

Without getting blood on their hands, or without making troubling decisions, they will not be able to decide what's best for the people. A good king is one with a chip on their shoulder in this world, and sadly, it's going to be a bloody one.

Hunter x Hunter was originally created by Yoshihiro Togashi for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1998. The story follows a young boy named Gon Freecss, who discovers that his previously thought to be dead father is in fact alive. Not only is he alive, he is a famous Hunter, a professional traveler who specializes in finding rare treasures, exploring unidentified lands, and hunting down dangerous individuals. Gon then decides that in order to meet his father he has to become a licensed Hunter, but in that journey gets wrapped up in way more strangeness than he ever could have anticipated.