'Hunter x Hunter's Creator Pays Homage To 'Sailor Moon'

One of the most famous couples in the manga and anime industry is the power couple of Hunter x [...]

By Nick Valdez

One of the most famous couples in the manga and anime industry is the power couple of Hunter x Hunter's Yoshihiro Togashi and Sailor Moon's Naoko Takeuchi. The two have often slipped references into each other's works, and a major reflection of this goes back to the very early days of Hunter x Hunter.

In the first volume for Hunter x Hunter released in 1999, Togashi paid tribute to Takeuchi's Sailor Moon by thanking her at the end of the volume.

While this reference is more overt, the two have managed to slip each other's series as Easter Eggs. For example, the Hunter x Hunter's game Greed Island can be seen during an arcade scene of Sailor Moon Crystal. Togashi's series paid back this kindness during the Zoldyck Family arc where Killua's sister Alluka played with toy versions of Sailor Moon characters.

This, of course, pales in comparison to Togashi's most overt tribute to Takeuchi in his previous series Yu Yu Hakusho. When Koenma shows up to watch Yusuke in the Dark Tournament, he wears a disguise to avoid being spotted. That disguise? The incredibly recognizeable look of Sailor Moon's Tuxedo Mask.

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.

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.

For those unfamiliar with Sailor Moon, the iconic franchise debuted back in 1991 thanks to Naoko Takeuchi when Nakayoshi published the manga's first issue. More than 20 years later, Sailor Moon stands as one of the most influential shojo series ever created, and it popularized the magical girl sub-genre with fans all over the world. The original series is available to stream on Hulu, and they describe the series below:

"Usagi Tsukino is a clumsy but kindhearted teenage girl who transforms into the powerful guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon. Meeting allies along the way who share similar fates, Usagi and her team of planetary Sailor Guardians fight to protect the universe from forces of evil and total annihilation."

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