Hunter x Hunter, Volume 13

April 1, 2007
Hunters seek rare items and hard-to-find people, and Gon's father, Ging, is one of the bestbut Gon has never met him. To find him, Gon enters the dangerous hunter's license exam, where he meets Leorio, a would-be doctor in need of money; Killua, rebellious heir to an assassin family; and Kurapika, out for revenge on the Phantom Troupe that killed his clan. The four become friends during the examthey're among the few survivors. Afterward, Killua and Gon learn of a video game created by Gon's father that only hunters can play by literally entering it. Chasing after the game leads them through a tournament and to an underground auction where they run into their other friends and enemies, including the Phantom Troupe. By Volume 13, they're all closer to achieving their goals, with Kurapika defeating some of the troupe and Gon and Killua finally in the game. Plenty of violent battles and special techniquestypical of fantasy martial arts mangafill the pages, though the fights are not as lengthy as in Togashi's other work, YuYu Hakusho (see review above), and the plots, world, and characters are much more complex. Togashi can write great characters one wants to root for, with better art than many shonen authors, and his pacing has improved in this series.Teresa Copeland, Yuma Cty. Lib. Dist., AZ

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.