'Hunter x Hunter' Art Celebrates Franchise's 20th Anniversary

Hunter x Hunter just celebrated its 20th Anniversary on March 3, and fans could not be happier to see the series last as long as it has. Even with its numerous hiatuses, the series still has a dedicated fan base thanks to series creator Yoshihiro Togashi's great characters.

To celebrate those characters and the series' anniversary, artist A: shared a sketch featuring many, if not all, of the series' characters.

Massive 20th anniversary fan-art by "A:アルト" from r/HunterXHunter

Originally drawn in December 2016, this art is a great way to stroll down memory lane and look back on everything the series has introduced over the years. If it were to include the latest running arc, The Succession Contest, the portrait's number of characters would double in size so fans are happy just to see this much.

Premium Bandai is currently selling a replica set of its Greed Island card game. It runs 8,800 yen (about $78 USD) and Premium Bandai will be taking orders through February with shipment beginning in April. If this seems like it would be too cumbersome but you still want to show off your love of Hunter x Hunter, you can do so with Premium Bandai's other replica offering, the Beatle 07.

Hunter x Hunter is also launching an official collaboration with ANimate cafe in Japan from April 17 to May 13. You can check out more information on the official website (which you can check out here), and fans who vist the shop can purchase small charms featuring the series' characters like Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, and even the deadly members of the Phantom Troupe in adorable service maid uniforms.

For those unfamiliar with Hunter x Hunter, the series was originally created by Yoshihiro Togashi. 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.

The series first ran in Shuiesha's Weekly Shonen Jump in March 1998. Unfortunately, the series has gone on a number of hiatuses ever since 2006 which were most likely incurred by bouts of illness Togashi experienced when publishing his last work, Yu Yu Hakusho. The series has run for 360 chapters, and been collected into 47 volumes as of 2017. It's one of Shueisha's most successful selling series with over 66 million copies sold in Japan.