It would have been a lot more interesting if we were shown every one of his attacks one by one and then when he gets killed by pitou he uses his last attack
@@applenewmoon4402 He remembers his name, so chances are he'll get the ability back. Maybe, he'll even make it stronger. Kite as a chimera ant is the twin of Meruem, so chances are he's a specialist and also extremely powerful. Though you can see this another way, with Kite not being fully developed as Meruem is, which is saying something because Meruem was a premature hatching too.
Kite was seen as a shadow when talking about hunters in one episode though. So I think they intended on getting to him. I think madhouse decided to rush through the early arcs hence why they shortened stuff like the food phase.
@Shaman Xeed literally 10x as many people disagree. that it's a bit odd that he's so bent about Kite dying. The back story helps thats why the mangaka originally wrote it that way.
@@KyngD469 in fairness regardless of time he is friends with kite seeing him injured would spark a reaction because gon is geuninly a emotional headstrong kid
if i rember right im pretty sure the reason they didnt have kite in the series was cause they were origonaly planing on having hxh be a seasonal show only covering bout the hunter exam and zoydlocks but it got real popular so it got green light to continue on.
Where did you hear that? I'd love to look more into the production of the 2011 anime so I could actually answer some of these questions I have with it. Because if that's true, that makes a lot of sense and *potentially* explains why Kite wasn't foreshadowed at all before his appearance.
it was on a fourm back when the chimera ant arc first started i heard it. it may just be a roumor that got started cause of the fact that the series rounds out perfectly to 24 eisodes minus the recap episode at the end of the arcs.ive been looking into it more and i cant find any definitive proof of it though. another reason might also be that they didnt know they were gonna adapt the chimera ant arc cause apparently the manga only finished the arc 4 days befor ethe first episode aired.
That doesn't make sense. Why would they adapt it again without CA? CA was almost finished when the Anime started. All of the big climactic moments already existed in Manga form.
That's not true. I hope following explanation will help, but my English skill is poor. :( HxH2011 director Hiroshi Koujina answered why he left Kite out of episode 1. "再登場までの空白期間に視聴者がカイトを忘れてしまっては困るので、 アニメではもっと後半、劇的な出会いになるよう考えています" "Because it is troubled for the viewer to forget about kite during the blank period until re-appearance, I am thinking that it will be a dramatic encounter in the latter half in Anime." So I think he tried to refine, but failed. :'(
Having gotten into this series with the 2011 version, I too, thought Kite was just “new mentor for Gon and Killua” for the next arc. After reading the manga and the watching the 1999 series, I was surprised to learn he was incorporated into the story so early. While it doesn’t hurt the series overall enjoyment, it does hurt the impact of Kite’s appearance in the Chimara Ant arc when he shows up.
@Ruben Colon Disagree on the fast attachment and I already knew all the other stuff and it STILL is unbelievable if you don't know about their past and just that he "saved Gon once". And no, he was not one father figure if you consider just what is on the anime. At best, he would be one thing (I know person) precious to Ging, his actual father. It still feels unbelievalbe because he goes crazy to revenge Kite (he sacrificed his own life!). I don't care all the stuff you said, it is just too little for too much UNLESS you know about their past relationship that was kept out the 2011 anime.
@@ultimatedragon4281 If you already knew what was going to happen then you are disqualified in judging whether something is believable or not. Your obviously bias, and making that statement to prove a point. People who ONLY experienced 2011 up until that point will be the judge of whether it was believable because they are actually experiencing the moment for the first time so whether they believe Gon's actions afterwards or not is what matters. As one who has only seen the 2011 version I believed it because that was the first time Gon has ever had someone close to him get hurt that way. In the 2011 version at least Gon definitely looked up to him and respected him as a mentor and trusted him hole heartily. He also felt DIRECTLY responsible for his death so it wasn't something someone as naive and straightforward as Gon could handle. IMO it was very believable. I feel like the only people complaining are the people who have already watched/read the previous versions of the show ... which is pointless because they already knew the importance of Kite. It's just these armchair directors thinking they would've done it better.
@@GriFFonRec4 Let me say it. You have no ideia what you are talking about (in one of your points that I will specify right after). I didn't know what was going to happen (which basically makes your 1º, 2º and 4º paragraphs pointless). I don't even know where you got the ideia that I did... Is that because of "I already knew all the other stuff"? Because, if it is, you have to consider the context of the sentence to understand it... "@Ruben Colon Disagree on the fast attachment and I already knew all the other stuff and it STILL is unbelievable if you don't know about their past and just that he "saved Gon once"." Points that indicate that I didn't mean that I already knew what was going to happen: - I was answering another person who did some points defending how believable it was. I disagreed with one point and said that already knew all the others (points that he made) and it still is unbelievable. - Did you see the capslock? Did you notice that I used it always to emphasize the point that all of that doesn't make sense UNLESS you know about these events that the anime left out? Did you really think I was doing that because I knew beforehand? How the hell would it even make sense?! While it doesn't definitely shows that I didn't know, if you consider the context, WITH the other two points that I am saying indicated that I wasn't saying "I knew what was going to happen", it surely shoud help to indicate that I didn't know. - Not in a single moment I said anything on my previous comment that, unless someone goes out of someone's way to misinterpret, could be understood as me saying "I knew what was going to happen". That alone should be enough to make it clear that I didn't know... Interpretation matters. I know I probably sound incredibly full of myself and/or arrogant on this comment, but it pissed me off. You accuse me of being bias trying to shove a statement that I never did on my previous comment just to try justify your own gigantic bias. It pisses me off. If you are going to say that your are not bias, please read again you 4º paragraph with much attention and actually putting some effort on the interpretation and think about how bias it is before comming to say that it is not. Just in case, I will state it out loud. Your bias is to think that, just because you, somehow, thought that it is believable, everyone that didn't think the same must have known about the extra pieces of Kite's participation on the story beforehand and they are just being picky and prick towards the animation. And that is it, my patience to discuss the bias question is more than over. As for your 3º paragraph: It kinda goes the same way that @Ruben Colon 's comment. I agree that he felt directly responsible, that is one of the things that I already knew (NOT BEFORE WATCHING! WHILE I WAS WATCHING! IT WAS PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT HE FELT DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE!) and I kinda of agree that he kinda of looked up for him (I will explain the "kinda of"), that is other thing that I already knew (don't dare...). But the point is, on the 2011 animation, he knew Kite for too short. They stayed togheter what? 2 weeks (seemed like that)? 3 weeks, if you feel generous about it? At least that is how much it seemed to be. That isn't enough. It doesn't justify the amount of attachment that would be needed for Gon to do what he did (means that he hadn't plausible time to build such attachment). Actually, weeks is more of one plausible assumption. They met Kite, chatted a little, traveled back to where Kite's team was, chatted a little more, presumably spent some time with Kite's team (maybe some days), traveled to the country (whose name I forgot) where the chimera ants where and, after entering it, spent around one day exploring it and fighting ants. If I remember correctly, that was it (I didn't come back to the anime to check though). Now analyze the events. If you want to, you could fit it all in just some days, not even a week (that is what it felt like while watching). When I say it was about 2 weeks I am actually assuming that it took more than it felt like and trying to analyze, in a logic way, how much time it actually would be. It could easily be less, but hardly much more (I feel like 3 weeks already is quite the stretch and basically the biggest one I am willing to do). Now let's see your 3º paragraph. "Gon has ever had someone close to him get hurt that way" - My point is that he shouldn't be SO close to Kite after knowing him for too short. Again, he sacrificed his own life (I said it on my previous comment)! "In the 2011 version at least Gon definitely looked up to him and respected him as a mentor and trusted him hole heartily" - I agree that he looked up to him and can agree with the "respected him AS A MENTOR" part (empahsis on "as a mentor" to emphasize that this respect he should have on equal or greater proportion to his others mentors). Some people also say that he kinda saw Kite as a father figure, but I don't see it if you consider just the 2011 version. It totally makes sense if you know that Kite is supposed to have been there for some time before Gon gets out his home on the island, but not so much on the 2011 version. Again, time doesn't help. And time exactly the difference between my vision and yours here. You seem to not see the shortness (does that word exist?) of the time as a problem, but I do. I agree that these elements that you highlighted were present, but strongly disagree that they should be as strong/relevant to Gon as they were portraited to be. With the time they were given, all of this, on my vision, should be there as a kinda of weak, but exciting and promising new connection to Gon. "He also felt DIRECTLY responsible for his death so it wasn't something someone as naive and straightforward as Gon could handle" - Again, I understand that and it is, maybe, the first point where I agree with you almost 100%. However, once again, at some point, it just feels like they took Gon's reaction too much to the hyperbolic. I can understand and even totally agree with part of his reaction because of these points where we agree, but, starting together with the 2011 depiction of the light on Gon's eyes fading and disapearing for the first time and ending with his ultimate sacrifice to destroy Pitou, it just felt too much of a reaction for someone not so close. On the first scene that I talked about (where the light on his eyes fade and disapear for the first time) it was just a small feeling that Gon's reaction was becoming too great to believe and, as time passed, this feeling and the hyperbolic of Gon's actions escalated to one point were they weren't really believale for me anymore, feeling just ultra exaggerated at his ultimate sacrifice. If it made sense to you, great! I can't understand how it made so much sense to you, but great! It means you didn't lose so much of the experience because of the change that they did on the 2011 version. However a lot of people on this video, myself included, have stated that they didn't feel it to be believable and that, if they had known about how important Kite was to Gon on the original work, or even better, if the 2011 version had introduced him early as the figure he was to Gon on the manga, they would have believed it. In fact, a lot said they just understood why on the hell Gon reacted so intensely with that video, because it explains Gon's (supposed to exist) prior connection to Kite. I consider that so much people saying that goes to show that how believable Gon's reaction was defintely suffered with the change on the 2011, because, even if there are those like you (that believed it despite the change), a lot didn't believe back then and now, with the new information that wasn't present on the 2011 version, find it believable. And it (Gon's reaction) also makes a whole lot more of sense if you consider Kite to be what he was supposed to be in a logic perspective. And just to make it clearer, I never saw the first episodes of the previous version of the anime (to be accurate, all that I ever saw of that version was some random episodes on tv that were more advanced on the story, basically on the second last and last phase of the Hunter exam and the Zoldick's house arc, and that I barely remember, since I was too young) and never read more than one chapter of HxH's manga (and I read it AFTER watching the 2011 anime) up until this momment (the momment I am writing this), let alone at the time when I first watched the 2011 version. Okay, now I am done. After writing so much I don't know if I will have any patience or the time to answer any future comments here, so don't be surprised if I disappear from this conversation. Despite how big of a comment I just make, I don't really have a lot of free time.
GriFFonRec4 I agree with the other guy, It Was weird. Gon until that point Was very caring for his inner circle, but practically giving up on his life for a guy who Was just introduced Was kinda strange (granted he did saved his life in the past, but they didnt have such a huge bond to elicit that sort of reaction). It would have feel more organic and in character if he just got sad and then angry at Pitou after knowing Kite Was beyond saving, but having the determination for such an insane vow Was just too much. After reading the manga It made complete sense finally.
Yeah the 2011 made Kite seem more like an obvious plot device introduced to get killed off and make Gon angry, rather than an actual character with justified and believable importance to Gon. Also the way they handled Kite giving Gon Ging's Hunter license just before Pitou attacks instead of giving it to him in episode 1 was just fucking cliche and as misplaced as something can get, because of that moment it was easy to predict that Kite had fulfilled all his roles as a character and now he's gonna get killed off for "shock value". While in the Manga Kite already gave it to Gon in chapter 1 and Pitou's attack happened outta nowhere with no build up what so ever, making it 10X more shocking and unpredictable.
hmm I get where you are coming from with this comment and I do agree, like in this video, that Kite could've been introduced earlier with some kind of flashback but I actually prefer the way the 2011 adaptation handled the first few episodes. I guess I also kind of don't care about how the 2011 adaptation removed Kite because I read the manga
Kite's introduction really became a problem for me in the end. I couldn't understand why Gon was so angry at Pitou for killing him and I couldn't empathize.
So THAT's why Gon cared so much about Kite! That was my biggest issue with the Chimera Ant Arc; I was like "Uhhhh, why does Gon care so much about some guy he barely knows, when he laughs off so many other characters getting killed?"
To be honest, i wouldnt call it a problem. Leaving Kite out in the beginning creates two different Gons completely, the 99 version and the 11 version. Sure, they are technically the same characters, but with the different ways they are portrayed in each adaptation, you could make the argument that they would react totally different to the same situations. As is manga's Gon. They are each portrayed differently, hence making each version different. 99's Gon needs a reason to be motivated. He needs Kite, he needs Mito, he needs to feel like he helps his friends during the tag game in the hunter exam, needs to help Killua. Just needs. He's a growing kid still trying to fins his way and is on a journey to understand why his Dad became a hunter. As such, he needs that reason to go on the journey and become a hunter, so Kite needs to be in the beginning. Gon never 'needs' anything in 11, he only 'wants'. 11's Gon is totally self motivated, selfish, and always pushing himself. Kite's presence isn't needed in the beginning of 11, because we don't need him to explain why Gon wants to be a hunter. Gon wants to be a hunter because he wants to find his dad because that's what he tells us. Plain and simple. And that's who 11's Gon is. We don't need to know his reasoning because 11's Gon doesn't need a reason, if he wants it he's going to chase it. That's a big part of who 11 Gon is. As such, Kite isn't needed in the beginning. Would it have hurt to have Gon maybe mention him in passing before the chimera ant arc to hint that maybe this was a future character? Definitely not lol, but I could make the argument that Kite's overall importance in 11 is different than 99's. 99 Kite is important because it's what made Gon go on his own and become who he is as he progresses through the story. Kite has already impacted Gon's life before the story has begun in 99. But 11 Kite changes 11's Gon life only after his 'death'. Gon is who he is in the story because of himself, and he only grows/changes because of what happens to Kite. So while, as a whole, you might say leaving Kite out is a problem, its more like its only a problem if you wanted Gon to be exactly the same as his other counterparts. Its a problem for 99's and manga's Gon, but not for 11's Gon.
Oh man. Kite's my favorite character, and this is a huge problem I have with '11 (among.... others, but they're not relevant here). I loved Kite in the Chimera Ant arc, was devastated by everything that went on with him, and yet I see so many people failing to understand or comprehend why Gon gets so upset and vengeful over someone he seemingly only knew for a few days... which, even if I didn't agree, I could at least see why they might feel that way. ...Then I watched the first episode of '99, and I was absolutely dumbfounded. Then I went and read Kite's CA arc chapters in the manga, and was even more dumbfounded. There's so much more to the beginning of the original story than just Gon meeting someone who saved him from a foxbear and gave him a bit of advice; no, Kite literally gave him Ging's license from the very beginning and told him a _lot_ of things; like you said, he's the first person that could be a considered a father figure for Gon that Gon ever has. He has a huge impact on little Gon, and I think it's more impactful to us and to the story for Gon to be motivated to find his father/become a Hunter upon actually meeting one originally, and one who is connected to his father, no less, to make him want to start his journey. Kite is someone Gon remembers for a long time between the beginning and the CA arc, if he brings him up occasionally like mentioned in the video, and when they meet up again in the manga, they _immediately_ recognize each other, and their reunion is _friendly._ Not like in '11 where they're strangers and Gon has to strain to remember him. Changing that, and keeping only the foxbear part of the flashback, of all parts, undermines how strong and important their relationship is, and is why you have so many people thinking Gon is making a big deal out of nothing in the CA arc (heck, '11 even cuts out some more scenes in the beginning of the CA arc where they just explore around more for the heck of it before the ant hunt really even begins). I won't deny that unfortunately Kite doesn't have much of a personality in '11's CA arc (though I did like the little backstory flashback they added), and that he's pretty much only set up as a plot device to die for Gon's angst arc (which isn't helped by all the glaring red death flags on him, the biggest one being him returning the damn license literally two minutes before It Happens...), but since that is the unfortunate case, even so, I could still sense how close Gon and Kite became even before I knew of their history that should have been shown that wasn't. And keeping that would have helped out the audience who was meh about it all understand better, I think. Kite isn't just some random guy: he's literally the reason the story begins at all, and he's someone Gon has great respect and admiration for, someone he sees as a father figure, again. It's only natural that he would lose it and go so far like he does, but then again, people not understanding/sympathizing with him here not only has to do with how Kite is portrayed, but also because of the fact that in general, a lot of people don't sense Gon's low self-esteem issues and insecurities that are evident BEFORE this point if you pay attention enough, so he gets a lot of hate for his actions when they seem to come out of nowhere to them even though they really don't at all (Killua's issues are shown way out in the open, so people tend to feel sorry for him way more than they ever do Gon). I would have preferred for episode 1 to be kept the way it is in '99, but if they didn't want to do that, at least shoehorn Kite in _somewhere_ else, like this video says. I know he doesn't show up for a long, long time again, but still, it's important to include him early for the sake of the CA arc, and I still feel like putting him in early leads to people pondering the mystery of "was this guy just a one-shot character, or might he make an appearance again later?" and then be pleasantly surprised when he does -until they're crying ten episodes later haha -*-ahem-*- sorry- .
This post might sound a bit arrogant but I'm just being honest...I really don't understand how so many people completely miss the point of Gon and Kite's relationship, EVEN IF they've only seen the 2011 version. I watched that version first without any prior knowledge of the manga, and even then it was still VERY obvious what the writers were going for with their relationship and Gon's subsequent breakdown. It was extremely clear to me that Kite was a father figure that Gon looked up to and was likely inspired by. And then, on a journey to find his father, he FINALLY finds this sort of secondary father figure again that has a link to his actual father...and then he's just ripped away from Gon just as fast as he appears. I could totally buy Gon's breakdown even without the prior context. I'm certainly not arguing that it was a good idea for the 2011 anime to completely omit Kite, as including him early on would've only served to make their connection even stronger and more realized...but frankly, I don't understand how there are people out there that were seriously like "Wow so Gon just flipped out over some dude he just met?! What an overreaction!" So many people somehow miss the point completely and I just don't see how. It requires the most basic of narrative interpretations to get this.
Just because you know what the writer is going for doesnt mean it's well executed. That's the issue with the 2011 version. I know they want me to believe Gon is really attached to Kite. But not everyone wears their heart on their sleeve like Gon does. So having Kite be introduced as someone he grew up with. Well the vast majority of people can potentially relate to losing someone you knew as a young child or at least imagine what it would be like, thus sympathizing with Gon more. THAT HITS HARDER, than being super friendly and losing that person in less than a year.
Don't see much of an issue with putting Kite in the first episode. A lot of anime only people complain about finding Gon odd as a character, so putting in the backstory of Kite being his hunter father figure inspiring awe about his actual dad would have served to make Gon more understandable. Personally, I enjoy when an anime takes the first few episodes to study its main character(s) so I can become better invested when it goes full trottle into its plot. I think many people share this preference, so it wouldn't have been a big deal. Look at MHA. On the other side, while I see putting the backstory at all as a plus over not at all, holding back on giving it during the Hunter Exam would have been odd for people who weren't sold on him. They'll go, "Well, that made sense of some things, but why did I have to wait over ten episodes to care for this guy?" Arguably characters can stand on their own without backstories, however it's clear that without one, Gon comes off as incomprehensible to many. And while he certainly is odd in certain respects, I don't think he's devoid of humanity like others perceive.
For Backstory I think adding a backstory can be one of the stupidest things you can do but that depends on the story. Just Look at Sherlock, In Season 4 we got Sherlock's backstory and look how that turned out. I think to add backstory or not to add should be done case by case. There is also the timing as well since if you do add Backstory then adding it at the wrong time can also be stupid.
Aaron du Bourg I agree with this, which is why I brought in reasons it would be favorable for Gon in particular. Namely because Kite is a key component of his motivations later on in the narrative and contributes to his childhood development. As for Sherlock, well, I haven't seen the tv series, but my experience with the books makes it seem largely unnecessary. Holmes as I understand him draws his audience by being an almost inhuman embodiment of rationality, among just being able to do cool stuff in general. That in itself is innately interesting. So yeah, case by case basis.
I don't think Gon needs a backstory at all. His whole journey IS the story, and it's how we get to know him. Wanting to find his dad may seem like a half-assed backstory, but the past isn't what's important to Gon; it's the future.
Mason Attano Gon is indeed a very forward thinking guy. They, like anyone else, have their influences. People who steered them on the course they're on. In all versions of Hunter x Hunter, the childhood influence of Kite is at some point addressed with varying approaches. In common, we get that Kite was part of Gon's motive to become a Hunter and chase his dad. Seems to me a mistake to leave that tidbit about him out until way later, as we get an incomplete picture of Gon as someone spontaneously obsessed. Kite brings in the human element of someone who sparked the interest of Gon, and understandably so.
HxH stands out uniquely as a shounen precisely because it doesn't follow other patterns in shounen. As I've gotten older, I very much appreciate the mature tones in HxH. It's like an adult story which just so happens to be written with childlike protagonists. I am very happy it's not like MHA. Preserving its style of narrative depends on *not* just taking a few episodes' break to spell out every detail for the viewer. That's something other shounen do, and this hamfisted shoveling out of details is used because it's easier for younger audiences to immediately grasp the story they're being immersed in; however it precludes a more elegant style of storytelling where details are more organically revealed with the storyline's progression. A narrative only has so much real estate; it's a zero sum game. Every moment you spend doing one thing, is a moment you aren't spending doing another thing. This might seem small, but it's actually one of the biggest factors in shaping the storytelling experience. In fact, Kite's arc is a great example of this. We can compare episode 1 of 1999 vs 2011, to see what it means to spend that time developing Kite vs developing more relevant characters. This was discussed in the video above; the 2011 version feels more proactive, a more ideal starter episode to get the story rolling. We can examine how the 2011 version takes advantage of Kite's late introduction to expand upon Killua's role as a protagonist, since the story uses his perspective heavily in the chimera ant arc. By revealing Gon's relationship to Kite at a point in the story where Killua takes over, we open the door to learn more about Killua and increase his impact on the story by discovering important events through him. Before the Chimera Ant Arc, I would have said Killua was a secondary protagonist, one step beneath Gon. After the Chimera Ant Arc, Killua taking front and center with the nanika arc didn't feel out of place at all; he felt just as important as Gon. Having an arc revolve around him and not Gon felt completely natural, thanks to his prominence in the chimera ant arc having elevated his status as a character. Finally, by minimizing Kite's role early in the story, it begs us to question why Gon is so attached to a seemingly minor character later on. The reason is because Gon recognizes Kite as one of Ging's closest accomplices, one of Ging's treasures. That's why the first thing Gon says to Ging is an apology for losing Kite. He's apologizing *to ging* , ie. he feels he lost something important to Ging. In 2011, Gon's attachment to Kite was never about a history together but Kite representing Gon's devotion to his father. Kite was the first thing Gon encountered which was treasured by his father. And he lost that treasure. The failure *to his father* overwhelmed him. It reminds us he's a child in awe of his dad; it's beautifully consistent with Gon's nature and reason for being on his journey. And so we see that sacrificing mention of Kite early on enabled the story to do other things better. This is what I mean by narrative real estate. Spending your time on one thing has a cost or trade-off of not spending it on something else. Your gains in one area are always at a loss in another area. It's just a matter of where you lay your priorities, both in terms of time spent and content revealed. 2011 HxH was able to do some pretty elegant storytelling because they avoided the traditional shounen hamfisted shoveling of details into your face. People love HxH but don't always realize that these are the reasons why HxH feels great to watch. Other shounen will have conditioned their expectations to have a more opaque style of storytelling, where every detail is laid out bare to see, and criticize HxH for not being this way, unaware that if HxH did that, it would actually make other aspects of the story worse, pushing it toward a more generic style of shounen and probably overall a less enjoyable experience, or at least a less standout experience.
I actually completely bypassed this problem. I watched the first episode of the 1999 version, though, “hey, maybe I should watch the newer version”, and switched. I skipped to the second episode of the 2011 version. So I was very confused when I saw this video, haha.
Same, I started watching the 1999 version when I was new to the series but the filler was annoying so I dropped it. But recently I watched 2011 and I had the same thought.
I mean... all Kite does is fly in the sky. What's so special about paper in the air? I get Benjamin Franklin did some shit with Kite, but besides that what does a Kite accomplish? In all honestly, I prefer Gon bowling or playGing video games.
Kite's sudden introduction and lack of actual... impact? made me so mad at Gon in the later parts of the Chimera arc because, to me, Kite was some random fuck who came and almost ruined Killua and Gon's friendship. I didn't understand why Gon cared so much or felt so close to Kite after such a short time, even with the flashback. It felt like an unnatural progression that had been shoved in to fill a hole of "Haha oh hey here is a random dude who Gon knows! They're really close!" It was badly done, like when a character from a game suddenly appears and is close friends with your playable character in the second game, despite never being mentioned in the first, you know? It was only after venting my frustrations to a friend did I learn Kite had more of a role in the manga - and that he was genuinely like a father to Gon. Kite not being shown in the 2011 anime until so late genuinely ruined my image of Gon for a long time. When it was going on, Gon plummetted from being one of my favourite characters to my least favourite in the show. That's how much of a negative impact the poor handling of Kite had in the 2011 adaptation. It could have been handled so much better...
To me personally I think it works because it plays into his obsession with other people’s well being to the point that it’s unhealthy. He even ignores killua because hese not in any present danger and it shows a side of him that if unchecked is terribly unsettling in the 2011 he cares way to much and pays the price for it
I finished and rewatched the 2011 arc and I hated gon in the end, why does this guy care so much for someone he saw on whale island once and just met again by pure coincidence, he never obsessed about any of his other friends like this, like when he saw ponzu's bloody hat minutes after she was eaten, so just because it's convenient for the plot his character is being changed to fit it.
That! Something very similar happened to me! While there are some other reasons that drive him into that state, without his relationship with Kite being well stabilshed, it just feels of and a big exageration on Gon's part and, once it is one exageration where he actualy hurt his best friend emotionally and almost kills someone innocent on top of that just to basically throw his life away for the same reason a little later, it just makes Gon's overall image a lot worse, even if you do understand his selfish nature and that he saw Kite as something close to Ging.
Thank you so much for this video!! I'm so glad someone addressed this. This is in my opinion BY FAR the biggest issue with 2011. There are some pacing issues throughout the show, but I would even go so far as to say that, for me, the absence of Kite in the first episode is the only major issue I have with it. I first read the HxH manga, then I watched the 1999 anime, and only then did I watch 2011. I purposefully exposed myself to the series in that order because I love manga and the original creator's vision, as well as the adaptation history, is very important to me. When I saw that Kite was omitted from the beginning of 2011, I immediately dropped my expectations of the show. I was pissed, because the CA arc is my favorite arc, Gon is my favorite character, and Kite in the first chapter/episode was SO crucial to both of those things. But more than that, I was just confounded. Half the reason 2011 even happened was so they could animate the then-being-concluded Chimera Ant arc. Why on earth would they omit such an important set-up to what would be an incredible payoff later on? That, combined with the way they rushed through several early events a la FMA Brotherhood because they assumed you'd already seen 1999, made my opinion of 2011 really tank early on. Luckily, my opinion of the show skyrocketed after the Hunter Exam arc. Still, that Hunter Exam arc...the 1999 version of it is better. I don't care if 2011 Gon IS a "different" character, I still think he and the show and the CA arc would have all been much better off with Kite's inclusion in the beginning. It's like if they made a reboot of Naruto that omitted Iruka from the first episode. Can you imagine? That would be so dumb. Or if they made a reboot of FMA that omitted countless important scenes and content from the earlier arcs that were supposed to set the foundation--oh, wait... Anyway, I think your ideas about alternate points to introduce Kite are spot-on even if he couldn't be included in the first episode due to understandable time constraints. Side note, I totally agree about adaptations adding something to the project. That's why I far prefer FMA 2003 to Brotherhood, the latter of which is a cheap imitation of the manga. Overall I prefer HxH 2011 for...just how excellent it is, as well as the fact that it adapts my favorite arc, and the fact that what it does adapt, though it is really close to the manga, it gets so right. But I also adore the 1999 version, which I saw first, because of all that it adds to the story, because of the creative lens through which it shows you the story. 1999 feels unique to me in a way that 2011 just doesn't.
I remember reading something about kites exclusion a while back, but I'm not sure if it's true or not. Apparently Madhouse originally weren't going to adapt the manga as far as the chimera ant arc because they didn't think togashi was going to finish the arc any time soon. When togashi announced that he finished the arc madhouse was to far into production to change the first episode.
I disagree. The 1999 first episode is brilliant. Because it does not create any expectation and doesn't have any real plot. The main goal of that episode is to introduce you to Gon and to a, somewhat, fantastic new world. Kite is part of, delivered by exposition and by his unique presence, the information you need to know about what a Hunter actually is and Mito is Gon's family that knows Ging, is hesitant about Gon following his dad's path, but, because of that and because the previous encounter between Gon and Kite, it is something that in the end creates a whole new curiosity on the boy and a will to leave his home and start a big adventure, trying to become as cool as Kite and trying to find his father. The slow pace from that 99 first episode is deliberate because it makes you relate to Gon, create a natural connection with him and makes you enjoying him as a character. Without any of that - as the 2011 version - you don't know nothing about the actual motives that drive Gon foward to the Hunter exam. I loved Gon after the first episode from the original anime, but, even already knowing the character, in the 2011 version, it fell flat to me in the beggining. And overall, in the 2011 version, the first episodes do feel rushed or something that the creators of this new adaptation thought the audience already knew beforehand.
This is why when I watched HxH with my dad, I had him start with the first episode of the 1999 version, and then continue on with 2011 (which he loved). I did something similar with FMA:B, I skipped the first episode (and started with "The First Day") because it not only felt pointless, it ruined an already great display of character introductions that came immediately after in episode 2. (The first episode was really only 'important' when the one-off villain voices the reason behind his attack, a reason/call back we wouldn't be reminded of until like 40 episodes later for a millisecond to serve as: "Oooh Foreshadowing!")
Completely agree with you, pal. The 2011 version felt rushed and also failed to capture that sense of comradery between the Hunter examinees as seen in episodes 18-20 of the 1999 adaptation. In those episodes you get to know more about them which strongly affects our opinion as to feel even worse when some of them die.
I feel like they could've GON into Gon's family and upbringing, later on, like when Gon and Killua visited Gon's home. After all, the first few episodes are meant to hook you into the show and the action does that. No one really cares about learning about the character yet until you decide if the show is worth watching or not. Also, it explains his reasoning for the Hunter exam just fine that most people are satisfied with is that he wants to be like his dad and find him.
As someone who watched the 2011 anime 1st I never understood why Gon had such an exteram reaction to what happened to Kite until I read the manga, and that made a lot of his moments in the future have less impact.
I wouldn't mind changes in the source material , but this here is a situation where sticking to the manga would be best , mito and kite might not be major characters in the story (compared to kurapika and leorio) however building their characters would serve to build gon's character further , I believe a slow introduction to each of the characters is the best way to do it and that's what the 1999 hxh did , wich is why I prefer the hunter exam arc in the 1999 version to that of tge 2011 , what I specially love is the kurapika introduction scene , it's so full of character and at the same time badass and misterious , and then we slowly get to know him wich is the best way to do it in my opinion
I think the best time would've been when he was in the tree. I mean I really wanted to know what he was thinking, which I bet was the goal, but it would've been cool to see Kite before CA
Wow thanks for this video, I never knew until now that kite actually had such a close relationship with Gon- I always thought it was stupid and overdramatic how upset Gon was over someone he only met just recently.
Yeah it really fucks up the arc. His introduction isn't even enough, you have to mention Kite throughout the whole thing like Ging to establish his presence.
This all is amongst the many reasons why I and many other people would REALLY recommend checking out the 1999 adaptation first. The 2011 version just speeds through, and outright skips tons of content, plus does not even attempt to improve the source material so that it'd work better in the animated form. More than anything Kite-related, I was utterly shocked what '11 version did to the entire YorkShin arc.
I don't necessarily think that removing Kite from the earlier episodes hurts the justification of Gon's later feelings towards Kite's death. No one close to him has ever been killed before. After looking at Gon's character a bit more, you can easily see why (even with Kite being removed from earlier episodes) it really doesn't matter much. The chimera ant arc is and forever will be my favorite arc of the series (and manga). ua-cam.com/video/1XnqUDIxZhw/v-deo.html here's a video that explains Gon's morality an at the same time character in great detail and also mentions the kite conflict very briefly.
Owen Purdy Read the manga. It's really worth it, besides, the new Dark Continent Arc and the Husoka VS Krollo battle are fucking amazing. HXH is da best
Yes. THIS is the real problem with his lack of introduction. It's not just that it makes his eventual introduction jarring, it comes back to plague the arc way later on when Gon is turning into an 8 foot black & white monster over some guy he killed a few ants alongside and had a brief encounter with years prior.
I just watched Hunter x Hunter (The 2011 one) for the first time last month, and I had no idea Kite was supposed to be in an early episode. That makes total sense though.
Thank you so much for this video. This completely changes how I view Gon's character and the Chimera Ant arc. One of the biggest (and possibly only) issue I had with Gon is how he reacted upon Kite's death. It didn't feel believable at all and that sort of reaction really hurt him as a character in my eyes for years. If it was his father I could understand it because it's someone he's wanted to meet his whole life. If it was Killua I could understand it because Killua is Gon's best friend and they share a lot of memories together. Mito would be easily understandable despite her short screentime. Even if it were Leorio or Kurapika I could still buy it. But Kite was someone he just met after almost completely forgetting about he existed and suddenly gets THAT level of pissed/hurt over it? A generally happy/innocent character like Gon? Not at all. Generally I just didn't respect the character as much as a result of this. However upon learning that the 2011 anime cut out Kite's earlier appearances changes everything. I can completely understand Gon's reaction now and I understand his character isn't flawed or moreso I don't dislike his character at all now, it was the 2011 anime that was flawed in this area. There were a few ways they could have fixed this, the flashback portion is the first thing that came to mind even before you suggested it. Unfortunately there isn't changing any of that now. But thank you for creating this video, I can now view Gon and the Chimera Ant arc in a completely new light.
Okay I'm glad I'm not the only one. I was watching this Hunter x Hunter 2011 series and it pissed me off that Kite literally came out of no where. It was just crazy how they just brought him in and Gon is all going to hold for this character that we've never even seen or was alluded to.
Honestly the main reason I like you is because you talk about HxH 1999. Keep it up! I believe the pilot for the 1999 covers the same material as the first episode of 2011 but I'm not 100%sure about that
The pilot from 1998 covers basically the same ground as 2011 episode 1, only they fight a giant sea monster instead of just surviving a rough storm. Kite and Kon are there too, though I'm not sure if I'm a big fan of that pilot episode. It feels like a mix of both other versions without capturing all of the elements that make the other two special. The first episode from the '99 episode is very atmospheric. It goes for a slower, more subdued tone, and that's what I like about it. I like the character development it goes for with Mito, because that development adds a stronger emotional weight to Gon's departure. The first episode from 2011 is vibrant and lighthearted. It captures the excitement of setting out on a grand adventure perfectly while still managing to introduce more serious elements like Kurapika's backstory. It puts me in a good mood and makes me excited to watch the next episode. The '98 pilot kind of goes for both, perhaps leaning more towards the quick pacing of 2011, and as a result, I think it pales in comparison to its contemporaries, both in tone and in fleshing out the material it covers. Then again, it is just a pilot, so the intent was probably to craft a somewhat (and I use this word loosely) self-contained story, so it had to introduce just enough material to create an interesting conflict without going overboard and creating an overcrowded mess. Maybe I'll mention the pilot episode when I start my comparison series, because I feel like it will be an effective tool at conveying my interest in each anime's introduction of Hunter x Hunter.
I conveniently watched Hunter X Hunter 2011 in the best way...I watched the first 2 episodes of Hunter X Hunter 1999 and then 2011. So I was well aware of Kite's importance.
Then you likely missed the amazing introduction of Tompa and the motivation of Leorio being expanded upon. Tompa in the 11 version is just some incompetent jerk. But if you saw the 99 version, there was an amazing plot twist regarding him and his character arc when he was forced to team up with Gon and Co were on another level. Leorio only cared about money, but we were shown why instead of told.
I don't believe the 1999 adaptation was fundamentally lackluster when it came to its introduction. I feel like it had a lot of heart to it. I liked how it took time to introduce the characters, and especially Gon and his relationship to Mito and Kite. Though admittedly, the second and third episodes are a bit of a blur as far as memorable moments. I can appreciate the laid back atmosphere of the original series a lot more than 2011's fast pacing.
I remember hearing that Kite wasn't included in the first episode because they didn't know if they'd get to a point where he'd become relevant. (AKA the Chimera Ant arc)
Coming from someone that hadn’t read the manga or seen the older anime, when the 2011 reached Kite’s introduction I had no idea who he was or y he was important to Gon. Despite the flash back Gon had it just left me empty for a bit on why such an important character like Kite was left out until that point.
@La Nausée cancerous 2011 only fanboy spreading bs. Kite has always been important to Gon from the start. He was the father/brother figure to him. You wouldn't think of it as you're a young biased 2011 only close minded ignoramus rex.
Thx for the video. I was one of those completely unaware of Gon and Kite's relationship when watching the 2011 series. You are indeed correct that this makes Gon's actions absurdly awkward because it appeared as though he was losing his shit over a stranger/mild acquaintance.
oh my god he was supposed to be an actual acquaintance? That explains SO MUCH! When Gon went all "I HAVE TO AVENGE KITE" I kept yelling at the screen "You've known the man for a week!"
As someone who watched the first season of 1999 5 TIMES and read the manga, Kite was pretty ingrained in my mind. I didn't notice that he just kind of came out of nowhere in the 2011. The only one confused by his appearance was my cousin who was watching with me, and had never seen 1999. That was my only hint at the fact that he just came out of nowhere. Oh, and this is like how in FMAB they expect you to know about that one time Edward saved that mining town. Only those who read the manga or saw the 2003 anime had a true understanding of what was going on.
I was lucky enough to watch the 1999 version with kite first, before my friend told me to switch to the 2012 version. I got extremely lucky there, god bless you Togashi.
they should have put kite in the beginning, you know i always saw his silouette in the opening but i never knew who it was until the chimera ant arc, i teared up when i saw kite's head in pitou's lap, that was REAALLLLLLY effective, and everything that followed after it was soooo well done and emotional, it was great. but i can say without a doubt that if i saw kite in episode 1 and saw their relationship beforehand, it would have been 100x more impactful than it ever was, foreshadowing is just so fun to me it really makes the show
Just realized that your solution is kinda like how the one piece anime handled chapter 1 because they adapted chapter 1 in episode 4 and used episode 1 to show the beginning of his journey instead of his backstory with shanks. Wow just realized how similar chapter 1 of hxh and op are.
Wyllowisp Yes in my opinion One Piece starts off great and slowly gets worse, mostly due to pacing problems. Keep in mind I'm only talking about the anime, the manga is fine.
I liked both of your sugestions/solutions on how to insert him on the 2011 adaptation. I would also like to add that i agree completely on Kite being a father like figure to Gon and i have argued for that point on numerous occasions.
I figured they omitted Kite from the remake because they wanted to build suspense for Gon finding out his father was someone quite powerful in the hunter world. I don't agree with that choice myself, for example in the manga during Gon's first conversation with Killua he tells him about Kite. It's immediately clear how much of an influence he's had on Gon, Kite was the catalyst that gave Gon the goal of becoming a hunter to find his father, prior to their meeting Ging was little more than an obscure concept to Gon. When my husband was watching hxh I told him to watch the first episode of the original series at the start of the Chimera Ant Arc so that he'd have a better understanding of Gon's breakdown. I do think that flashbacks definitely would have been a viable option.
I'm currently taking someone through the series for their first time, and I've been trying to figure out if I should throw in the first 15 minutes or so of the first 1999 episode, at some point, just to add a bit of context. Just say that it's just for fleshing out Gon's character and origin, and why exactly he's so motivated to do everything. That said, we're already up to Gon vs Hisoka, so I was kind of struggling to find a spot to put it in (I hadn't thought about it until after the introversion section of the Hunter Exam). This really helps, because I might actually put it where Gon and Killua are talking on Whale Island.
I still always make people watch the first episode of the 1999 before they begin 2011 (if they don't want to watch 1999 because it's too long). I feel it gives it a better overall feeling as a set up. (And yeah, Kite's intro).
I disagree with the first episode of 2011 being better. It feels insanely rushed to get the plot going and it makes it harder for newcomers to get into HxH. The 99 version may have characters in it that aren't as relevant, but they did make us care about Gon and his motivation. In fact, I think Gon overall is a bland shonen protagonist. There is nothing interesting about him, despite his motivation being something you get consider a good motivation. But the 1999 version did things differently, he discovered that he has a dad and that he is a hunter. He had been lied to by the only parental figure Mito-San. We also learned why Mito did that and why she doesn't want Gon to be a hunter. Mito isn't your average "Kids shouldn't go to an adventure because it's dangerous" just because she is his 'parent'. She gets Gon's resolve and respects it which is why she gave him the chance to proof his worth. That is why it was so satisfying when Gon actually caught the fish. We can understand Mito and Gon on an emotional level. The reason I consider the first episode of HxH 1999 one of, if not the, best first episode in anime.
Lmao when my friend recommended HxH to me, I watched the 1999 version. We realized this after I started talking to him about some of the events and what I thought of it. He was like “noooo! That’s a spoiler! You’re not supposed to see him until way later!” ... turns out it was just a spoiler for the 2011 anime. This is all to say that Kite served his original intended purpose for me 😅 instead of some plot device as Gon’s new mentor or a guy that gets killed to make Gon feel mad (though those are important, too).
I'm honestly glad they didn't have Kite in the first episode. His lessons to Gon don't seem to hold much weight in the early arcs and at that point in the story HunterxHunter 2011 is trying to lull the viewer into a false sense of security. We're not yet used to characters showing up, getting development, and then being axed. Seeing Kite that early would only create the expectation that we'll see him again in some capacity, as well as contributing to Gon's plot armour, at least subconsciously in the audience's mind. There's a lot more uncertainty about whether Gon will ever actually find Ging, but if we see Kite give Gon lessons about how to be a Hunter, then the first thing we the audience is going to want once Gon gets his license is to see him show it to Kite. And nothing would contradict that while we wait, so there would be a lot less fear for Gon's life in, say, YorkNew or Greed Island. The other thing it does for the 2011 anime is help share Gon's protagonist role with Killua. When we meet Kite, we essentially do so through Killua's perspective, this stranger they get foisted onto instead of Ging. This serves double thematic duty because Ging would have been Gon's destination had he used the Greed Island Card 'Magnetic Force' (solo transport) instead of 'Accompany'. We learn that Ging is essentially a moment to moment solo artist who picks up people along the way only to drop them off, but our experience of Gon is that he sticks with Killua. Since the 2011 anime's arguably best quality is the presentation of Gon and Killua's dynamic, I'd argue that part of that is because we only know a little more about Gon - where he's from and what his goal is - than Killua when they meet, thus putting the audience on the level of their developing relationship. I think Kite in the first episode would have put that off balance, unless we also got Illumi in the first episode too :P
It's good he wasn't in the first episode because he didn't need to be, but he should have shown up or been mentioned at least one time before he was introduced in Chimera Ant arc. There was much less emotional connection from the viewer. Knowing he existed from the beginning helps you understand how much he means to Gon and why what happens in Chimera Ant arc happens.
I prefer the 1999 series. More "heart". The first episode serves as a stronger emotional grounding for Gon who really is the center of the show...to which we take a perspective rooted in his childlike exploration of the world(in all of its awe and mystery).
Leaving Kite out earlier is a massive no no especially when 2011 only biased fanboys stress how much 2011 is the better adaptation but have this massive mishap. Try watching 1999 up to Greed Island Ova, then continue onto CA arc. Things makes so much more sense to what happens with Gon's character development/breakdown
Very simple solution for everyone - For your first viewing, watch the 1st episode from 1999 and then jump right into the first episode of 2011. That's what I did.
I much preferred the 1999's introduction of Kite in ep.1 over the 2011 ignoring of him until mid-series. Your alternative of still giving Kite an early introduction, though not in ep.1, would have been preferable to the way 2011 handled it as well. // Another interesting choice made by 1999 was not anywhere near as important. The first ending song was Mito singing of her sense of separation from Gon and loss of not having him around. It helped to establish her as a more important character. It was probably beyond what Togashi envisioned, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Did you ever do your "Kon Problem" video? I would love to see it. Even though probably most of Kon's appearances could be called "filler" by some, I prefer the term "non-canon" in this instance. The scenes were additive to the narrative, not just empty pauses waiting for the manga to catch up. Especially poignant was when Kon's cub was shot and we saw Killua grow from thinking that killing was the best answer to realizing that life was important.
same, i wanted her and the (ye, sorry, kinda binged the series so some names are gone again) Rainbow Arrow hunter to live happily ever after. Well, guess that's never gonna happen...
I will admit, without knowledge of Kite from the manga and the previous anime, I just thought he was an exposition machine that was supposed to show how powerful the enemy was by comparison. Cool design, though.
I agree! I was so confused when they brought up the fox ear incident. If he was introduced earlier, Gon's attachment to him would have made more sense adding to the impact with Pitou/Gon climax scene too. Another reason they left him out is maybe they wanted to add more mystery to Ging at the start.
i think a good point to put the flashback would probably be having kite using zetsu to hide himself and explain it a little but it would have to be a thin line, and then maybe during the whale island revisit maybe he remembers that bite gave him ging's hunter license, and then he mentions kite during the dodgeball battle.
Ah yes Kon, the most shafted character in shounen history. Lol. Anyways, I’m still real glad I chose to read the first chapter of HxH before watching the 2011 anime. For whatever reason at the time I was in the habit of sampling first chapters of series which Viz was offering for free, especially if I planned to watch the anime version. I’ve made the comparisons (between HxH and One Piece) that while Ging is more of an end goal ala the One Piece, (sort of) Kite feels more like the old father/backstory mentor archetype ala Shanks. Similarly I won’t be surprised if Shanks bites the bullet within the next century One Piece ends lol. Anyways great video!
The people who are saying there's no issue with the 2011 anime. Think about if Goku went Super Saiyan because Frieza killed the great Namekian leader who was sitting in the chair. It doesnt have the same impact as Krillin being killed. Even if you didnt watch Dragon Ball you know Goku and Krillin have a long history just from Z alone. That's why that scene works so well. We were robbed of that when Kite was supposed to be Gon's Krillin to trigger his Dark transformation. How is it not obvious?
I think gyro is the epitome of all the problems I have with the chimera ant arc. A useless, uninteresting side character who only exists to flesh out the motivations of other useless, uninteresting side characters. I'd much rather be watching gon, killua, leorio, or any of the other characters who I'm already invested in and who have much more interesting motivations. I wish gyro never existed in the first place. (as well as the fucking octopus, the wolf, the fucking genji girl who meruem falls in love with, and like half the other new characters who get screen time)
mushy2626 What you just typed has to be the single dumbest thing ever typed out by a human in english. Every who sees it will have lost valuable brain cells from your contagious stupid. I award you no points and let whatever god you believe in have mercy on your soul
I didn't read the manga, but this justifies a lot more Gon's actions during the Chimera Arc, now, I kind of understand how Gon felt and why he was so on edge after being separated from Kite now.
Have a random stranger give Gon a note from Kite saying how much he’s grown. Killua ask who’s this Kite is and we have a flashback that shows Gon meeting Kite for the first time. Killua says Kite sounds cool and the final shot shows Kite looking at an ant hill foreshadowing the Chimera ants.
This is hands-down my biggest problem with the 2011 story. I haven't read the manga (since the hiatus x hiatus is seemingly never going to end so why bother blueballing myself on a story that might never get finished with the Dark Continent) nor the original animation, so my overwhelming reaction to Gon's reaction to Kite's death was "I don't believe you". I just didn't believe that the 2011 Gon would have that visceral a reaction to Kite's death, given the information we had as first-time watchers.
Eh, I can live with the way that Kite was introduced in the 2011 version. As someone who has only ever watched that version (and is watching it as Toonami airs it), his introduction, and Gon's flashback to their encounter when he was a kid, worked. They played it as if it had been a passing encounter that first time, and that they didn't really have a lot of interaction beyond that until they meet up again at the start of CA. That.... pretty well works, because it doesn't make it seem like an omission, but instead a "Oh, hey, you're that dude that saved my bacon once. How ya been?"
I just finished the 2011 version of HXH and the whole Kite thing just really bothers me. Just as you said it feels like he just pops out of nowhere. His importance isn't really known and then he dies.... Gon reaction made no sense but if they did what you stated that whole part of Gon losing himself would have made way more sense to me. I'm planning on reading the manga, but when I found out Kite was shown in the first chapter of the manga and 1990s version I was pretty upset. His death really didn't bother me but if they hinted his importance to Gon it probably would have....
I think that subtle hints to kite during other arcs that lead up to him would have made it nice when he is finally introduced. That way it shows that kite was an influence, and not just a guy that saved him and almost forgot about.
I've actually not watched the 99 version yet or read the manga and more than Kite coming out of nowhere, the fact that Gon got so extremely attached to him was a little more bizarre. I sortof shrugged it off as Gon just being intense, but hearing this side actually makes so much so much so much more sense. It means a lot more. I wasn't super keen on watching the older version but now I want to. I'd just thought the animation was different with a few more side characters, but i didn't anticipate the storyline to be so different.
You never take away a character who should have appeared on the 1st episode. 1.showing a "Mentor" character and one regular move which is op move will create hype and you'll be like I NEED MORE OF HIM! and people would be more hyped for the anime. 2. You'll understand his presence had more impact to the main character because that removed "character" was his dads/master ect. pupil or friend. Placing the stepping stone for our main dudes character traits and ways. just imagine ace from one piece never appearing in alabasta and we just end up finding out he was captured and yeah... youll be like oh ok.. i wont spoil anything. XD
I also despise how Kite and Gon react when they meet in the CA arc in the anime as compared to the manga. The fact that neither one of them immediately recognize the other just adds onto the idea that they seemingly don't have that strong of a connection. It just further confuses the average viewer and muddles things. They're subconsciously thinking "Well, if Gon didn't even RECOGNIZE this dude, then he can't be THAT important to him, right?"
I usually fix kite with a small tape. If you put too much tape it becomes heavy and won't fly. So when you have to fix a tear on your kite use the smallest tape possible.
I would actually argue that episode 1 could have included both chapter 1 and 2, including kites flashback. In the 1998 pilot episode of Hunter x Hunter, it manages to do just this, in only 25 minutes. There was even added filler in this episode, so with that removed, it could easily be cut down to 20 minutes. The first episode of the 2011 adaptation also had bunch of extra scenes not found the manga, such as the whole Katzo thing, Gon and Mitos thump kiss and Gons parkour fishing. The opening sequence of "strange beasts and monsters, etc" could also be removed without really losing anything significant, as it appears in the start of the next 25 episodes. This way there would be plenty of room for Kites introduction in the first episode.
I agree kite should have been mentioned somewhere in earlier episodes to build some anticipation towards his character. As someone who didn’t watch the original or read the manga, i didn’t know who kite was coming into hxh2011 so i was left kind of confused. Especially because kite becomes such a pivotal part of Gon’s character, there would have been more weight and intensity on the entire Chimera any arc. I definitely liked kite too and wanted to see more from him
Having restarted the 2011 anime for the fourth time (though I stopped part-way through the second and third times), I finally watched the first episode of the 1999 anime to get some context on the whole Kite thing. Apparently fans recommended watching that episode first, and then moving onto watching the entire 2011 series. I wish I knew that beforehand. Anyway, while showing Kite earlier definitely helped with setting him up for later, apparently he disappears and doesn't show up again until the Chimera Ant arc. It would've been nice if he showed up more and helped out or something, but if this is all the screen time Kite has before that, then I'm still not quite convinced of Gon's strong attachment to him. Gon mentioning him occasionally throughout the 90's show is better than nothing I suppose, but I agree with you that both anime adaptations should've taken some liberties, in this case adding some "good filler" by giving Kite more screen-time.
I always loved HXH but i never did understand Gons hate and wish for revenge for Kite, i never did understand why was Kite so important, until now, so thank you :D (i should really read manga than)
So I had no idea that kite was supposed to be in there, didnt read the manga or watch the original, but that would have fixed a lot of my issues with the chimera ant arc. One of my gripes was that Gon's reaction to Kite's death didn't seem warrented considering how long he'd known him, and with this context his reaction makes a lot more sense. And while you made a good point that cutting him out may have worked, it defintely made gon's arc in the chimera ant story weaker.
I'm so pissed we never saw all Kite's attacks
I think that was the point, but its still frustrating
Favorite fucking character in the series and we never got to see him go all out the way someone like kurapika does against uvo.
It would have been a lot more interesting if we were shown every one of his attacks one by one and then when he gets killed by pitou he uses his last attack
I mean he’s still alive but I don’t think he has the same nen ability
@@applenewmoon4402 He remembers his name, so chances are he'll get the ability back. Maybe, he'll even make it stronger. Kite as a chimera ant is the twin of Meruem, so chances are he's a specialist and also extremely powerful.
Though you can see this another way, with Kite not being fully developed as Meruem is, which is saying something because Meruem was a premature hatching too.
Scratch that, Kite IS more of a father figure than Gon's actual father.
Caroline Johnson-Pseudonym he like piccolo
fMuIcNkD true Goku can only hope to be that much of shit dad
Caroline Johnson-Pseudonym kite is piccolo 💀💀💀
Caroline Johnson-Pseudonym And Leorio, the guy Really cared about Gon more than anyone...well except Killua and Mito san
ironmaster64 not as much anymore with Killua though.
maybe madhouse thought they'll go bankrupt before reaching the chimera ant arc
They did
Kite was seen as a shadow when talking about hunters in one episode though. So I think they intended on getting to him. I think madhouse decided to rush through the early arcs hence why they shortened stuff like the food phase.
thought the same hahaha
*cough* *cough* redline *cough* *cough*
i think they didn't show kite for not "spoiler" him. a bad move, they screwed kite "death"
Thanks for this, dead ass was so confused why gon was so attached to kite
He's a fucking kid.
@@ded4lyfe1 yeah but still
@Shaman Xeed literally 10x as many people disagree. that it's a bit odd that he's so bent about Kite dying. The back story helps thats why the mangaka originally wrote it that way.
@@KyngD469 in fairness regardless of time he is friends with kite seeing him injured would spark a reaction because gon is geuninly a emotional headstrong kid
Same
if i rember right im pretty sure the reason they didnt have kite in the series was cause they were origonaly planing on having hxh be a seasonal show only covering bout the hunter exam and zoydlocks but it got real popular so it got green light to continue on.
Where did you hear that? I'd love to look more into the production of the 2011 anime so I could actually answer some of these questions I have with it. Because if that's true, that makes a lot of sense and *potentially* explains why Kite wasn't foreshadowed at all before his appearance.
it was on a fourm back when the chimera ant arc first started i heard it. it may just be a roumor that got started cause of the fact that the series rounds out perfectly to 24 eisodes minus the recap episode at the end of the arcs.ive been looking into it more and i cant find any definitive proof of it though. another reason might also be that they didnt know they were gonna adapt the chimera ant arc cause apparently the manga only finished the arc 4 days befor ethe first episode aired.
That doesn't make sense. Why would they adapt it again without CA? CA was almost finished when the Anime started. All of the big climactic moments already existed in Manga form.
Because hiatus x hiatus
That's not true.
I hope following explanation will help, but my English skill is poor. :(
HxH2011 director Hiroshi Koujina answered why he left Kite out of episode 1.
"再登場までの空白期間に視聴者がカイトを忘れてしまっては困るので、
アニメではもっと後半、劇的な出会いになるよう考えています"
"Because it is troubled for the viewer to forget about kite during the blank period until re-appearance,
I am thinking that it will be a dramatic encounter in the latter half in Anime."
So I think he tried to refine, but failed. :'(
He’ll be Gon, but not forgotten 😢
Gon lol
I see what you did there, m8
Jun Mushfiq underrated comment
He’s a chimera ant now lmao
😑
😑🔫
Having gotten into this series with the 2011 version, I too, thought Kite was just “new mentor for Gon and Killua” for the next arc. After reading the manga and the watching the 1999 series, I was surprised to learn he was incorporated into the story so early. While it doesn’t hurt the series overall enjoyment, it does hurt the impact of Kite’s appearance in the Chimara Ant arc when he shows up.
It also changes how much of believable Gon's character arc is on the Chimera Ant Arc.
@Ruben Colon
Disagree on the fast attachment and I already knew all the other stuff and it STILL is unbelievable if you don't know about their past and just that he "saved Gon once". And no, he was not one father figure if you consider just what is on the anime. At best, he would be one thing (I know person) precious to Ging, his actual father. It still feels unbelievalbe because he goes crazy to revenge Kite (he sacrificed his own life!). I don't care all the stuff you said, it is just too little for too much UNLESS you know about their past relationship that was kept out the 2011 anime.
@@ultimatedragon4281 If you already knew what was going to happen then you are disqualified in judging whether something is believable or not. Your obviously bias, and making that statement to prove a point.
People who ONLY experienced 2011 up until that point will be the judge of whether it was believable because they are actually experiencing the moment for the first time so whether they believe Gon's actions afterwards or not is what matters.
As one who has only seen the 2011 version I believed it because that was the first time Gon has ever had someone close to him get hurt that way. In the 2011 version at least Gon definitely looked up to him and respected him as a mentor and trusted him hole heartily. He also felt DIRECTLY responsible for his death so it wasn't something someone as naive and straightforward as Gon could handle.
IMO it was very believable. I feel like the only people complaining are the people who have already watched/read the previous versions of the show ... which is pointless because they already knew the importance of Kite. It's just these armchair directors thinking they would've done it better.
@@GriFFonRec4
Let me say it. You have no ideia what you are talking about (in one of your points that I will specify right after). I didn't know what was going to happen (which basically makes your 1º, 2º and 4º paragraphs pointless). I don't even know where you got the ideia that I did... Is that because of "I already knew all the other stuff"? Because, if it is, you have to consider the context of the sentence to understand it...
"@Ruben Colon
Disagree on the fast attachment and I already knew all the other stuff and it STILL is unbelievable if you don't know about their past and just that he "saved Gon once"."
Points that indicate that I didn't mean that I already knew what was going to happen:
- I was answering another person who did some points defending how believable it was. I disagreed with one point and said that already knew all the others (points that he made) and it still is unbelievable.
- Did you see the capslock? Did you notice that I used it always to emphasize the point that all of that doesn't make sense UNLESS you know about these events that the anime left out? Did you really think I was doing that because I knew beforehand? How the hell would it even make sense?! While it doesn't definitely shows that I didn't know, if you consider the context, WITH the other two points that I am saying indicated that I wasn't saying "I knew what was going to happen", it surely shoud help to indicate that I didn't know.
- Not in a single moment I said anything on my previous comment that, unless someone goes out of someone's way to misinterpret, could be understood as me saying "I knew what was going to happen". That alone should be enough to make it clear that I didn't know...
Interpretation matters.
I know I probably sound incredibly full of myself and/or arrogant on this comment, but it pissed me off. You accuse me of being bias trying to shove a statement that I never did on my previous comment just to try justify your own gigantic bias. It pisses me off.
If you are going to say that your are not bias, please read again you 4º paragraph with much attention and actually putting some effort on the interpretation and think about how bias it is before comming to say that it is not.
Just in case, I will state it out loud. Your bias is to think that, just because you, somehow, thought that it is believable, everyone that didn't think the same must have known about the extra pieces of Kite's participation on the story beforehand and they are just being picky and prick towards the animation.
And that is it, my patience to discuss the bias question is more than over.
As for your 3º paragraph:
It kinda goes the same way that @Ruben Colon 's comment. I agree that he felt directly responsible, that is one of the things that I already knew (NOT BEFORE WATCHING! WHILE I WAS WATCHING! IT WAS PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT HE FELT DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE!) and I kinda of agree that he kinda of looked up for him (I will explain the "kinda of"), that is other thing that I already knew (don't dare...).
But the point is, on the 2011 animation, he knew Kite for too short. They stayed togheter what? 2 weeks (seemed like that)? 3 weeks, if you feel generous about it? At least that is how much it seemed to be. That isn't enough. It doesn't justify the amount of attachment that would be needed for Gon to do what he did (means that he hadn't plausible time to build such attachment).
Actually, weeks is more of one plausible assumption. They met Kite, chatted a little, traveled back to where Kite's team was, chatted a little more, presumably spent some time with Kite's team (maybe some days), traveled to the country (whose name I forgot) where the chimera ants where and, after entering it, spent around one day exploring it and fighting ants. If I remember correctly, that was it (I didn't come back to the anime to check though). Now analyze the events. If you want to, you could fit it all in just some days, not even a week (that is what it felt like while watching). When I say it was about 2 weeks I am actually assuming that it took more than it felt like and trying to analyze, in a logic way, how much time it actually would be. It could easily be less, but hardly much more (I feel like 3 weeks already is quite the stretch and basically the biggest one I am willing to do).
Now let's see your 3º paragraph.
"Gon has ever had someone close to him get hurt that way" - My point is that he shouldn't be SO close to Kite after knowing him for too short. Again, he sacrificed his own life (I said it on my previous comment)!
"In the 2011 version at least Gon definitely looked up to him and respected him as a mentor and trusted him hole heartily" - I agree that he looked up to him and can agree with the "respected him AS A MENTOR" part (empahsis on "as a mentor" to emphasize that this respect he should have on equal or greater proportion to his others mentors). Some people also say that he kinda saw Kite as a father figure, but I don't see it if you consider just the 2011 version. It totally makes sense if you know that Kite is supposed to have been there for some time before Gon gets out his home on the island, but not so much on the 2011 version. Again, time doesn't help. And time exactly the difference between my vision and yours here. You seem to not see the shortness (does that word exist?) of the time as a problem, but I do. I agree that these elements that you highlighted were present, but strongly disagree that they should be as strong/relevant to Gon as they were portraited to be. With the time they were given, all of this, on my vision, should be there as a kinda of weak, but exciting and promising new connection to Gon.
"He also felt DIRECTLY responsible for his death so it wasn't something someone as naive and straightforward as Gon could handle" - Again, I understand that and it is, maybe, the first point where I agree with you almost 100%. However, once again, at some point, it just feels like they took Gon's reaction too much to the hyperbolic. I can understand and even totally agree with part of his reaction because of these points where we agree, but, starting together with the 2011 depiction of the light on Gon's eyes fading and disapearing for the first time and ending with his ultimate sacrifice to destroy Pitou, it just felt too much of a reaction for someone not so close. On the first scene that I talked about (where the light on his eyes fade and disapear for the first time) it was just a small feeling that Gon's reaction was becoming too great to believe and, as time passed, this feeling and the hyperbolic of Gon's actions escalated to one point were they weren't really believale for me anymore, feeling just ultra exaggerated at his ultimate sacrifice.
If it made sense to you, great! I can't understand how it made so much sense to you, but great! It means you didn't lose so much of the experience because of the change that they did on the 2011 version. However a lot of people on this video, myself included, have stated that they didn't feel it to be believable and that, if they had known about how important Kite was to Gon on the original work, or even better, if the 2011 version had introduced him early as the figure he was to Gon on the manga, they would have believed it. In fact, a lot said they just understood why on the hell Gon reacted so intensely with that video, because it explains Gon's (supposed to exist) prior connection to Kite. I consider that so much people saying that goes to show that how believable Gon's reaction was defintely suffered with the change on the 2011, because, even if there are those like you (that believed it despite the change), a lot didn't believe back then and now, with the new information that wasn't present on the 2011 version, find it believable. And it (Gon's reaction) also makes a whole lot more of sense if you consider Kite to be what he was supposed to be in a logic perspective.
And just to make it clearer, I never saw the first episodes of the previous version of the anime (to be accurate, all that I ever saw of that version was some random episodes on tv that were more advanced on the story, basically on the second last and last phase of the Hunter exam and the Zoldick's house arc, and that I barely remember, since I was too young) and never read more than one chapter of HxH's manga (and I read it AFTER watching the 2011 anime) up until this momment (the momment I am writing this), let alone at the time when I first watched the 2011 version.
Okay, now I am done. After writing so much I don't know if I will have any patience or the time to answer any future comments here, so don't be surprised if I disappear from this conversation. Despite how big of a comment I just make, I don't really have a lot of free time.
GriFFonRec4 I agree with the other guy, It Was weird. Gon until that point Was very caring for his inner circle, but practically giving up on his life for a guy who Was just introduced Was kinda strange (granted he did saved his life in the past, but they didnt have such a huge bond to elicit that sort of reaction). It would have feel more organic and in character if he just got sad and then angry at Pitou after knowing Kite Was beyond saving, but having the determination for such an insane vow Was just too much. After reading the manga It made complete sense finally.
Yeah the 2011 made Kite seem more like an obvious plot device introduced to get killed off and make Gon angry, rather than an actual character with justified and believable importance to Gon. Also the way they handled Kite giving Gon Ging's Hunter license just before Pitou attacks instead of giving it to him in episode 1 was just fucking cliche and as misplaced as something can get, because of that moment it was easy to predict that Kite had fulfilled all his roles as a character and now he's gonna get killed off for "shock value". While in the Manga Kite already gave it to Gon in chapter 1 and Pitou's attack happened outta nowhere with no build up what so ever, making it 10X more shocking and unpredictable.
hmm I get where you are coming from with this comment and I do agree, like in this video, that Kite could've been introduced earlier with some kind of flashback but I actually prefer the way the 2011 adaptation handled the first few episodes. I guess I also kind of don't care about how the 2011 adaptation removed Kite because I read the manga
But kite gets reincarnated anyway, so what’s the problem?
Kite's introduction really became a problem for me in the end. I couldn't understand why Gon was so angry at Pitou for killing him and I couldn't empathize.
So THAT's why Gon cared so much about Kite! That was my biggest issue with the Chimera Ant Arc; I was like "Uhhhh, why does Gon care so much about some guy he barely knows, when he laughs off so many other characters getting killed?"
To be honest, i wouldnt call it a problem. Leaving Kite out in the beginning creates two different Gons completely, the 99 version and the 11 version. Sure, they are technically the same characters, but with the different ways they are portrayed in each adaptation, you could make the argument that they would react totally different to the same situations. As is manga's Gon. They are each portrayed differently, hence making each version different.
99's Gon needs a reason to be motivated. He needs Kite, he needs Mito, he needs to feel like he helps his friends during the tag game in the hunter exam, needs to help Killua. Just needs. He's a growing kid still trying to fins his way and is on a journey to understand why his Dad became a hunter. As such, he needs that reason to go on the journey and become a hunter, so Kite needs to be in the beginning. Gon never 'needs' anything in 11, he only 'wants'. 11's Gon is totally self motivated, selfish, and always pushing himself. Kite's presence isn't needed in the beginning of 11, because we don't need him to explain why Gon wants to be a hunter. Gon wants to be a hunter because he wants to find his dad because that's what he tells us. Plain and simple. And that's who 11's Gon is. We don't need to know his reasoning because 11's Gon doesn't need a reason, if he wants it he's going to chase it. That's a big part of who 11 Gon is. As such, Kite isn't needed in the beginning. Would it have hurt to have Gon maybe mention him in passing before the chimera ant arc to hint that maybe this was a future character? Definitely not lol, but I could make the argument that Kite's overall importance in 11 is different than 99's.
99 Kite is important because it's what made Gon go on his own and become who he is as he progresses through the story. Kite has already impacted Gon's life before the story has begun in 99. But 11 Kite changes 11's Gon life only after his 'death'. Gon is who he is in the story because of himself, and he only grows/changes because of what happens to Kite.
So while, as a whole, you might say leaving Kite out is a problem, its more like its only a problem if you wanted Gon to be exactly the same as his other counterparts. Its a problem for 99's and manga's Gon, but not for 11's Gon.
tehawsumninja Wow, this, just... thank you
My life has changed in an instant
His appearance was unnecessary in the beginning. The reveal of his introduction in 2011 added more mystery to him tbh.
Wow very insightful.
Whackashit not really but ok...
"So how would you fix the "Kite problem"?"
Just watch the series a second, third, fourth, and fifth time knowing he exists 8)
Gon caring for that cub kinda shows that he thinks a baby carrying on without a parent is tragic
Oh man.
Kite's my favorite character, and this is a huge problem I have with '11 (among.... others, but they're not relevant here). I loved Kite in the Chimera Ant arc, was devastated by everything that went on with him, and yet I see so many people failing to understand or comprehend why Gon gets so upset and vengeful over someone he seemingly only knew for a few days... which, even if I didn't agree, I could at least see why they might feel that way. ...Then I watched the first episode of '99, and I was absolutely dumbfounded. Then I went and read Kite's CA arc chapters in the manga, and was even more dumbfounded. There's so much more to the beginning of the original story than just Gon meeting someone who saved him from a foxbear and gave him a bit of advice; no, Kite literally gave him Ging's license from the very beginning and told him a _lot_ of things; like you said, he's the first person that could be a considered a father figure for Gon that Gon ever has. He has a huge impact on little Gon, and I think it's more impactful to us and to the story for Gon to be motivated to find his father/become a Hunter upon actually meeting one originally, and one who is connected to his father, no less, to make him want to start his journey.
Kite is someone Gon remembers for a long time between the beginning and the CA arc, if he brings him up occasionally like mentioned in the video, and when they meet up again in the manga, they _immediately_ recognize each other, and their reunion is _friendly._ Not like in '11 where they're strangers and Gon has to strain to remember him. Changing that, and keeping only the foxbear part of the flashback, of all parts, undermines how strong and important their relationship is, and is why you have so many people thinking Gon is making a big deal out of nothing in the CA arc (heck, '11 even cuts out some more scenes in the beginning of the CA arc where they just explore around more for the heck of it before the ant hunt really even begins). I won't deny that unfortunately Kite doesn't have much of a personality in '11's CA arc (though I did like the little backstory flashback they added), and that he's pretty much only set up as a plot device to die for Gon's angst arc (which isn't helped by all the glaring red death flags on him, the biggest one being him returning the damn license literally two minutes before It Happens...), but since that is the unfortunate case, even so, I could still sense how close Gon and Kite became even before I knew of their history that should have been shown that wasn't. And keeping that would have helped out the audience who was meh about it all understand better, I think. Kite isn't just some random guy: he's literally the reason the story begins at all, and he's someone Gon has great respect and admiration for, someone he sees as a father figure, again. It's only natural that he would lose it and go so far like he does, but then again, people not understanding/sympathizing with him here not only has to do with how Kite is portrayed, but also because of the fact that in general, a lot of people don't sense Gon's low self-esteem issues and insecurities that are evident BEFORE this point if you pay attention enough, so he gets a lot of hate for his actions when they seem to come out of nowhere to them even though they really don't at all (Killua's issues are shown way out in the open, so people tend to feel sorry for him way more than they ever do Gon). I would have preferred for episode 1 to be kept the way it is in '99, but if they didn't want to do that, at least shoehorn Kite in _somewhere_ else, like this video says. I know he doesn't show up for a long, long time again, but still, it's important to include him early for the sake of the CA arc, and I still feel like putting him in early leads to people pondering the mystery of "was this guy just a one-shot character, or might he make an appearance again later?" and then be pleasantly surprised when he does -until they're crying ten episodes later haha -*-ahem-*- sorry- .
How fuck is your favour character? I hate him, seens to me ultra boring (i dont like the quimera arc too)
Mario Moneta ??? What in the world are you saying?
@@belo9083 in essence they dont like kite and the Chimera Arc.
This post might sound a bit arrogant but I'm just being honest...I really don't understand how so many people completely miss the point of Gon and Kite's relationship, EVEN IF they've only seen the 2011 version. I watched that version first without any prior knowledge of the manga, and even then it was still VERY obvious what the writers were going for with their relationship and Gon's subsequent breakdown. It was extremely clear to me that Kite was a father figure that Gon looked up to and was likely inspired by. And then, on a journey to find his father, he FINALLY finds this sort of secondary father figure again that has a link to his actual father...and then he's just ripped away from Gon just as fast as he appears. I could totally buy Gon's breakdown even without the prior context.
I'm certainly not arguing that it was a good idea for the 2011 anime to completely omit Kite, as including him early on would've only served to make their connection even stronger and more realized...but frankly, I don't understand how there are people out there that were seriously like "Wow so Gon just flipped out over some dude he just met?! What an overreaction!" So many people somehow miss the point completely and I just don't see how. It requires the most basic of narrative interpretations to get this.
Thank you! I don't really understand what people have a problem with
THANK YOU!!!!!
sameee! I completely agree with everything you said. thank you
This one wins
Just because you know what the writer is going for doesnt mean it's well executed. That's the issue with the 2011 version. I know they want me to believe Gon is really attached to Kite. But not everyone wears their heart on their sleeve like Gon does. So having Kite be introduced as someone he grew up with. Well the vast majority of people can potentially relate to losing someone you knew as a young child or at least imagine what it would be like, thus sympathizing with Gon more. THAT HITS HARDER, than being super friendly and losing that person in less than a year.
I love how you replaced every "filler" with some modified distortion of the first time you said it. Good stuff
James Campbell Same that was fucking great
@Benny Fair fax y did u click this video then
ikr
love how you upload the things you like and are interested in and not just what the anime hype of the week is on. Bless you have and awesome day
Don't see much of an issue with putting Kite in the first episode. A lot of anime only people complain about finding Gon odd as a character, so putting in the backstory of Kite being his hunter father figure inspiring awe about his actual dad would have served to make Gon more understandable. Personally, I enjoy when an anime takes the first few episodes to study its main character(s) so I can become better invested when it goes full trottle into its plot. I think many people share this preference, so it wouldn't have been a big deal. Look at MHA.
On the other side, while I see putting the backstory at all as a plus over not at all, holding back on giving it during the Hunter Exam would have been odd for people who weren't sold on him. They'll go, "Well, that made sense of some things, but why did I have to wait over ten episodes to care for this guy?"
Arguably characters can stand on their own without backstories, however it's clear that without one, Gon comes off as incomprehensible to many. And while he certainly is odd in certain respects, I don't think he's devoid of humanity like others perceive.
For Backstory I think adding a backstory can be one of the stupidest things you can do but that depends on the story. Just Look at Sherlock, In Season 4 we got Sherlock's backstory and look how that turned out. I think to add backstory or not to add should be done case by case. There is also the timing as well since if you do add Backstory then adding it at the wrong time can also be stupid.
Aaron du Bourg I agree with this, which is why I brought in reasons it would be favorable for Gon in particular. Namely because Kite is a key component of his motivations later on in the narrative and contributes to his childhood development. As for Sherlock, well, I haven't seen the tv series, but my experience with the books makes it seem largely unnecessary. Holmes as I understand him draws his audience by being an almost inhuman embodiment of rationality, among just being able to do cool stuff in general. That in itself is innately interesting. So yeah, case by case basis.
I don't think Gon needs a backstory at all. His whole journey IS the story, and it's how we get to know him. Wanting to find his dad may seem like a half-assed backstory, but the past isn't what's important to Gon; it's the future.
Mason Attano Gon is indeed a very forward thinking guy. They, like anyone else, have their influences. People who steered them on the course they're on. In all versions of Hunter x Hunter, the childhood influence of Kite is at some point addressed with varying approaches. In common, we get that Kite was part of Gon's motive to become a Hunter and chase his dad. Seems to me a mistake to leave that tidbit about him out until way later, as we get an incomplete picture of Gon as someone spontaneously obsessed. Kite brings in the human element of someone who sparked the interest of Gon, and understandably so.
HxH stands out uniquely as a shounen precisely because it doesn't follow other patterns in shounen. As I've gotten older, I very much appreciate the mature tones in HxH. It's like an adult story which just so happens to be written with childlike protagonists. I am very happy it's not like MHA. Preserving its style of narrative depends on *not* just taking a few episodes' break to spell out every detail for the viewer. That's something other shounen do, and this hamfisted shoveling out of details is used because it's easier for younger audiences to immediately grasp the story they're being immersed in; however it precludes a more elegant style of storytelling where details are more organically revealed with the storyline's progression.
A narrative only has so much real estate; it's a zero sum game. Every moment you spend doing one thing, is a moment you aren't spending doing another thing. This might seem small, but it's actually one of the biggest factors in shaping the storytelling experience.
In fact, Kite's arc is a great example of this. We can compare episode 1 of 1999 vs 2011, to see what it means to spend that time developing Kite vs developing more relevant characters. This was discussed in the video above; the 2011 version feels more proactive, a more ideal starter episode to get the story rolling.
We can examine how the 2011 version takes advantage of Kite's late introduction to expand upon Killua's role as a protagonist, since the story uses his perspective heavily in the chimera ant arc. By revealing Gon's relationship to Kite at a point in the story where Killua takes over, we open the door to learn more about Killua and increase his impact on the story by discovering important events through him. Before the Chimera Ant Arc, I would have said Killua was a secondary protagonist, one step beneath Gon. After the Chimera Ant Arc, Killua taking front and center with the nanika arc didn't feel out of place at all; he felt just as important as Gon. Having an arc revolve around him and not Gon felt completely natural, thanks to his prominence in the chimera ant arc having elevated his status as a character.
Finally, by minimizing Kite's role early in the story, it begs us to question why Gon is so attached to a seemingly minor character later on. The reason is because Gon recognizes Kite as one of Ging's closest accomplices, one of Ging's treasures. That's why the first thing Gon says to Ging is an apology for losing Kite. He's apologizing *to ging* , ie. he feels he lost something important to Ging. In 2011, Gon's attachment to Kite was never about a history together but Kite representing Gon's devotion to his father. Kite was the first thing Gon encountered which was treasured by his father. And he lost that treasure. The failure *to his father* overwhelmed him. It reminds us he's a child in awe of his dad; it's beautifully consistent with Gon's nature and reason for being on his journey.
And so we see that sacrificing mention of Kite early on enabled the story to do other things better. This is what I mean by narrative real estate. Spending your time on one thing has a cost or trade-off of not spending it on something else. Your gains in one area are always at a loss in another area. It's just a matter of where you lay your priorities, both in terms of time spent and content revealed. 2011 HxH was able to do some pretty elegant storytelling because they avoided the traditional shounen hamfisted shoveling of details into your face.
People love HxH but don't always realize that these are the reasons why HxH feels great to watch. Other shounen will have conditioned their expectations to have a more opaque style of storytelling, where every detail is laid out bare to see, and criticize HxH for not being this way, unaware that if HxH did that, it would actually make other aspects of the story worse, pushing it toward a more generic style of shounen and probably overall a less enjoyable experience, or at least a less standout experience.
I actually completely bypassed this problem. I watched the first episode of the 1999 version, though, “hey, maybe I should watch the newer version”, and switched. I skipped to the second episode of the 2011 version. So I was very confused when I saw this video, haha.
Same, I started watching the 1999 version when I was new to the series but the filler was annoying so I dropped it. But recently I watched 2011 and I had the same thought.
I mean... all Kite does is fly in the sky. What's so special about paper in the air? I get Benjamin Franklin did some shit with Kite, but besides that what does a Kite accomplish? In all honestly, I prefer Gon bowling or playGing video games.
Kite does a lot! Just ask Batman, HELL, YEAH!
Air *Aysee* Conditioner specifically playGing Dragon Quest.
I like you
Kite's sudden introduction and lack of actual... impact? made me so mad at Gon in the later parts of the Chimera arc because, to me, Kite was some random fuck who came and almost ruined Killua and Gon's friendship. I didn't understand why Gon cared so much or felt so close to Kite after such a short time, even with the flashback. It felt like an unnatural progression that had been shoved in to fill a hole of "Haha oh hey here is a random dude who Gon knows! They're really close!" It was badly done, like when a character from a game suddenly appears and is close friends with your playable character in the second game, despite never being mentioned in the first, you know? It was only after venting my frustrations to a friend did I learn Kite had more of a role in the manga - and that he was genuinely like a father to Gon.
Kite not being shown in the 2011 anime until so late genuinely ruined my image of Gon for a long time. When it was going on, Gon plummetted from being one of my favourite characters to my least favourite in the show. That's how much of a negative impact the poor handling of Kite had in the 2011 adaptation. It could have been handled so much better...
To me personally I think it works because it plays into his obsession with other people’s well being to the point that it’s unhealthy. He even ignores killua because hese not in any present danger and it shows a side of him that if unchecked is terribly unsettling in the 2011 he cares way to much and pays the price for it
I finished and rewatched the 2011 arc and I hated gon in the end, why does this guy care so much for someone he saw on whale island once and just met again by pure coincidence, he never obsessed about any of his other friends like this, like when he saw ponzu's bloody hat minutes after she was eaten, so just because it's convenient for the plot his character is being changed to fit it.
That! Something very similar happened to me! While there are some other reasons that drive him into that state, without his relationship with Kite being well stabilshed, it just feels of and a big exageration on Gon's part and, once it is one exageration where he actualy hurt his best friend emotionally and almost kills someone innocent on top of that just to basically throw his life away for the same reason a little later, it just makes Gon's overall image a lot worse, even if you do understand his selfish nature and that he saw Kite as something close to Ging.
Thank you. I had the exact same thoughts regarding Gon in Chimera Ant due to how the 2011 anime handled Kite's role and relationship with him.
same here! it made me so mad to see gon flip out over someone he met recently and completely disregard killua, his self-proclaimed best friend
Thank you so much for this video!! I'm so glad someone addressed this. This is in my opinion BY FAR the biggest issue with 2011. There are some pacing issues throughout the show, but I would even go so far as to say that, for me, the absence of Kite in the first episode is the only major issue I have with it. I first read the HxH manga, then I watched the 1999 anime, and only then did I watch 2011. I purposefully exposed myself to the series in that order because I love manga and the original creator's vision, as well as the adaptation history, is very important to me. When I saw that Kite was omitted from the beginning of 2011, I immediately dropped my expectations of the show. I was pissed, because the CA arc is my favorite arc, Gon is my favorite character, and Kite in the first chapter/episode was SO crucial to both of those things. But more than that, I was just confounded. Half the reason 2011 even happened was so they could animate the then-being-concluded Chimera Ant arc. Why on earth would they omit such an important set-up to what would be an incredible payoff later on? That, combined with the way they rushed through several early events a la FMA Brotherhood because they assumed you'd already seen 1999, made my opinion of 2011 really tank early on. Luckily, my opinion of the show skyrocketed after the Hunter Exam arc. Still, that Hunter Exam arc...the 1999 version of it is better. I don't care if 2011 Gon IS a "different" character, I still think he and the show and the CA arc would have all been much better off with Kite's inclusion in the beginning. It's like if they made a reboot of Naruto that omitted Iruka from the first episode. Can you imagine? That would be so dumb. Or if they made a reboot of FMA that omitted countless important scenes and content from the earlier arcs that were supposed to set the foundation--oh, wait...
Anyway, I think your ideas about alternate points to introduce Kite are spot-on even if he couldn't be included in the first episode due to understandable time constraints.
Side note, I totally agree about adaptations adding something to the project. That's why I far prefer FMA 2003 to Brotherhood, the latter of which is a cheap imitation of the manga. Overall I prefer HxH 2011 for...just how excellent it is, as well as the fact that it adapts my favorite arc, and the fact that what it does adapt, though it is really close to the manga, it gets so right. But I also adore the 1999 version, which I saw first, because of all that it adds to the story, because of the creative lens through which it shows you the story. 1999 feels unique to me in a way that 2011 just doesn't.
I remember reading something about kites exclusion a while back, but I'm not sure if it's true or not. Apparently Madhouse originally weren't going to adapt the manga as far as the chimera ant arc because they didn't think togashi was going to finish the arc any time soon. When togashi announced that he finished the arc madhouse was to far into production to change the first episode.
I disagree. The 1999 first episode is brilliant. Because it does not create any expectation and doesn't have any real plot. The main goal of that episode is to introduce you to Gon and to a, somewhat, fantastic new world. Kite is part of, delivered by exposition and by his unique presence, the information you need to know about what a Hunter actually is and Mito is Gon's family that knows Ging, is hesitant about Gon following his dad's path, but, because of that and because the previous encounter between Gon and Kite, it is something that in the end creates a whole new curiosity on the boy and a will to leave his home and start a big adventure, trying to become as cool as Kite and trying to find his father. The slow pace from that 99 first episode is deliberate because it makes you relate to Gon, create a natural connection with him and makes you enjoying him as a character. Without any of that - as the 2011 version - you don't know nothing about the actual motives that drive Gon foward to the Hunter exam. I loved Gon after the first episode from the original anime, but, even already knowing the character, in the 2011 version, it fell flat to me in the beggining. And overall, in the 2011 version, the first episodes do feel rushed or something that the creators of this new adaptation thought the audience already knew beforehand.
This is why when I watched HxH with my dad, I had him start with the first episode of the 1999 version, and then continue on with 2011 (which he loved). I did something similar with FMA:B, I skipped the first episode (and started with "The First Day") because it not only felt pointless, it ruined an already great display of character introductions that came immediately after in episode 2. (The first episode was really only 'important' when the one-off villain voices the reason behind his attack, a reason/call back we wouldn't be reminded of until like 40 episodes later for a millisecond to serve as: "Oooh Foreshadowing!")
Completely agree with you, pal. The 2011 version felt rushed and also failed to capture that sense of comradery between the Hunter examinees as seen in episodes 18-20 of the 1999 adaptation. In those episodes you get to know more about them which strongly affects our opinion as to feel even worse when some of them die.
Maurício Rodrigues i agree with you.
"Thought the audience already knew beforehand".
Exact word I said to a friend after watching it.
I feel like they could've GON into Gon's family and upbringing, later on, like when Gon and Killua visited Gon's home. After all, the first few episodes are meant to hook you into the show and the action does that. No one really cares about learning about the character yet until you decide if the show is worth watching or not. Also, it explains his reasoning for the Hunter exam just fine that most people are satisfied with is that he wants to be like his dad and find him.
As someone who watched the 2011 anime 1st I never understood why Gon had such an exteram reaction to what happened to Kite until I read the manga, and that made a lot of his moments in the future have less impact.
I was more invested with the first episode of the 1999 version did I was with the 2011 version.
Are you saying you liked the first episode on the 1999 version better? Your grammar is a little weird.
I wouldn't mind changes in the source material , but this here is a situation where sticking to the manga would be best , mito and kite might not be major characters in the story (compared to kurapika and leorio) however building their characters would serve to build gon's character further , I believe a slow introduction to each of the characters is the best way to do it and that's what the 1999 hxh did , wich is why I prefer the hunter exam arc in the 1999 version to that of tge 2011 , what I specially love is the kurapika introduction scene , it's so full of character and at the same time badass and misterious , and then we slowly get to know him wich is the best way to do it in my opinion
I think the best time would've been when he was in the tree. I mean I really wanted to know what he was thinking, which I bet was the goal, but it would've been cool to see Kite before CA
Wow thanks for this video, I never knew until now that kite actually had such a close relationship with Gon- I always thought it was stupid and overdramatic how upset Gon was over someone he only met just recently.
Yeah it really fucks up the arc. His introduction isn't even enough, you have to mention Kite throughout the whole thing like Ging to establish his presence.
This all is amongst the many reasons why I and many other people would REALLY recommend checking out the 1999 adaptation first. The 2011 version just speeds through, and outright skips tons of content, plus does not even attempt to improve the source material so that it'd work better in the animated form.
More than anything Kite-related, I was utterly shocked what '11 version did to the entire YorkShin arc.
I don't necessarily think that removing Kite from the earlier episodes hurts the justification of Gon's later feelings towards Kite's death. No one close to him has ever been killed before. After looking at Gon's character a bit more, you can easily see why (even with Kite being removed from earlier episodes) it really doesn't matter much. The chimera ant arc is and forever will be my favorite arc of the series (and manga). ua-cam.com/video/1XnqUDIxZhw/v-deo.html here's a video that explains Gon's morality an at the same time character in great detail and also mentions the kite conflict very briefly.
Owen Purdy Read the manga. It's really worth it, besides, the new Dark Continent Arc and the Husoka VS Krollo battle are fucking amazing.
HXH is da best
Yes. THIS is the real problem with his lack of introduction. It's not just that it makes his eventual introduction jarring, it comes back to plague the arc way later on when Gon is turning into an 8 foot black & white monster over some guy he killed a few ants alongside and had a brief encounter with years prior.
The introduction of the chimera ant arc is a bit clumsy, but c'mon, is awsome
Kevin Pereira Hunter X Hunter is awesome
@Benny Fair fax you were expecting mindless shonen action even after watching the Yorkshin arc?
The fact that the video isnt called the Kite Conundrum disappoints me...
I just watched Hunter x Hunter (The 2011 one) for the first time last month, and I had no idea Kite was supposed to be in an early episode. That makes total sense though.
Thank you so much for this video. This completely changes how I view Gon's character and the Chimera Ant arc.
One of the biggest (and possibly only) issue I had with Gon is how he reacted upon Kite's death. It didn't feel believable at all and that sort of reaction really hurt him as a character in my eyes for years. If it was his father I could understand it because it's someone he's wanted to meet his whole life. If it was Killua I could understand it because Killua is Gon's best friend and they share a lot of memories together. Mito would be easily understandable despite her short screentime. Even if it were Leorio or Kurapika I could still buy it.
But Kite was someone he just met after almost completely forgetting about he existed and suddenly gets THAT level of pissed/hurt over it? A generally happy/innocent character like Gon? Not at all.
Generally I just didn't respect the character as much as a result of this. However upon learning that the 2011 anime cut out Kite's earlier appearances changes everything. I can completely understand Gon's reaction now and I understand his character isn't flawed or moreso I don't dislike his character at all now, it was the 2011 anime that was flawed in this area. There were a few ways they could have fixed this, the flashback portion is the first thing that came to mind even before you suggested it.
Unfortunately there isn't changing any of that now. But thank you for creating this video, I can now view Gon and the Chimera Ant arc in a completely new light.
Okay I'm glad I'm not the only one. I was watching this Hunter x Hunter 2011 series and it pissed me off that Kite literally came out of no where. It was just crazy how they just brought him in and Gon is all going to hold for this character that we've never even seen or was alluded to.
Honestly the main reason I like you is because you talk about HxH 1999. Keep it up!
I believe the pilot for the 1999 covers the same material as the first episode of 2011 but I'm not 100%sure about that
The pilot from 1998 covers basically the same ground as 2011 episode 1, only they fight a giant sea monster instead of just surviving a rough storm. Kite and Kon are there too, though I'm not sure if I'm a big fan of that pilot episode. It feels like a mix of both other versions without capturing all of the elements that make the other two special.
The first episode from the '99 episode is very atmospheric. It goes for a slower, more subdued tone, and that's what I like about it. I like the character development it goes for with Mito, because that development adds a stronger emotional weight to Gon's departure.
The first episode from 2011 is vibrant and lighthearted. It captures the excitement of setting out on a grand adventure perfectly while still managing to introduce more serious elements like Kurapika's backstory. It puts me in a good mood and makes me excited to watch the next episode.
The '98 pilot kind of goes for both, perhaps leaning more towards the quick pacing of 2011, and as a result, I think it pales in comparison to its contemporaries, both in tone and in fleshing out the material it covers. Then again, it is just a pilot, so the intent was probably to craft a somewhat (and I use this word loosely) self-contained story, so it had to introduce just enough material to create an interesting conflict without going overboard and creating an overcrowded mess.
Maybe I'll mention the pilot episode when I start my comparison series, because I feel like it will be an effective tool at conveying my interest in each anime's introduction of Hunter x Hunter.
I was wondering why Gon was so pissed about him dying to Neferpitou.
I conveniently watched Hunter X Hunter 2011 in the best way...I watched the first 2 episodes of Hunter X Hunter 1999 and then 2011. So I was well aware of Kite's importance.
Smart
Then you likely missed the amazing introduction of Tompa and the motivation of Leorio being expanded upon. Tompa in the 11 version is just some incompetent jerk. But if you saw the 99 version, there was an amazing plot twist regarding him and his character arc when he was forced to team up with Gon and Co were on another level.
Leorio only cared about money, but we were shown why instead of told.
I don't believe the 1999 adaptation was fundamentally lackluster when it came to its introduction. I feel like it had a lot of heart to it. I liked how it took time to introduce the characters, and especially Gon and his relationship to Mito and Kite. Though admittedly, the second and third episodes are a bit of a blur as far as memorable moments. I can appreciate the laid back atmosphere of the original series a lot more than 2011's fast pacing.
I remember hearing that Kite wasn't included in the first episode because they didn't know if they'd get to a point where he'd become relevant. (AKA the Chimera Ant arc)
It always confused me on why Gon was so attached to Kite and why he was so upset over his death. They really should have included him more earlier on.
Same
Coming from someone that hadn’t read the manga or seen the older anime, when the 2011 reached Kite’s introduction I had no idea who he was or y he was important to Gon.
Despite the flash back Gon had it just left me empty for a bit on why such an important character like Kite was left out until that point.
@La Nausée cancerous 2011 only fanboy spreading bs. Kite has always been important to Gon from the start. He was the father/brother figure to him. You wouldn't think of it as you're a young biased 2011 only close minded ignoramus rex.
Omg thanks for this explanation! I was so confused why Gon cared so much for Kite (I only just finished the 2011 version)
Thx for the video. I was one of those completely unaware of Gon and Kite's relationship when watching the 2011 series.
You are indeed correct that this makes Gon's actions absurdly awkward because it appeared as though he was losing his shit over a stranger/mild acquaintance.
oh my god he was supposed to be an actual acquaintance? That explains SO MUCH! When Gon went all "I HAVE TO AVENGE KITE" I kept yelling at the screen "You've known the man for a week!"
This! Exactly This!
As someone who watched the first season of 1999 5 TIMES and read the manga, Kite was pretty ingrained in my mind. I didn't notice that he just kind of came out of nowhere in the 2011. The only one confused by his appearance was my cousin who was watching with me, and had never seen 1999. That was my only hint at the fact that he just came out of nowhere.
Oh, and this is like how in FMAB they expect you to know about that one time Edward saved that mining town. Only those who read the manga or saw the 2003 anime had a true understanding of what was going on.
I was lucky enough to watch the 1999 version with kite first, before my friend told me to switch to the 2012 version. I got extremely lucky there, god bless you Togashi.
they should have put kite in the beginning, you know i always saw his silouette in the opening but i never knew who it was until the chimera ant arc, i teared up when i saw kite's head in pitou's lap, that was REAALLLLLLY effective, and everything that followed after it was soooo well done and emotional, it was great. but i can say without a doubt that if i saw kite in episode 1 and saw their relationship beforehand, it would have been 100x more impactful than it ever was, foreshadowing is just so fun to me it really makes the show
I mean if the hunter exam had room for two recap episodes they could definitely have put in kite's stuff too
Your analysis is amazing
Just realized that your solution is kinda like how the one piece anime handled chapter 1 because they adapted chapter 1 in episode 4 and used episode 1 to show the beginning of his journey instead of his backstory with shanks. Wow just realized how similar chapter 1 of hxh and op are.
Oh so that's why ep 1 sucks ass.
Hey I liked episode 1 of One Piece. It only gets worse the more you watch.
I've found a few parallels with one piece and HxH, though they are just simple plot devices other than that they really aren't the same
Mushroom Cube Yeah, the number #1 shonen gets worse. Are you dumb?
Wyllowisp Yes in my opinion One Piece starts off great and slowly gets worse, mostly due to pacing problems. Keep in mind I'm only talking about the anime, the manga is fine.
This video turned out to be even better than I expected. Good Job!
I liked both of your sugestions/solutions on how to insert him on the 2011 adaptation. I would also like to add that i agree completely on Kite being a father like figure to Gon and i have argued for that point on numerous occasions.
thats why the right way to see HxH is watching the intro + hunter exam (1999) and the rest of the arcs (2011)
WHY ISN’T THIS CHANNEL BIG YET!?
Seriously, though, great quality stuff, you got a subscriber.
I'll get there one day lol. Thanks for the support! :)
I figured they omitted Kite from the remake because they wanted to build suspense for Gon finding out his father was someone quite powerful in the hunter world. I don't agree with that choice myself, for example in the manga during Gon's first conversation with Killua he tells him about Kite. It's immediately clear how much of an influence he's had on Gon, Kite was the catalyst that gave Gon the goal of becoming a hunter to find his father, prior to their meeting Ging was little more than an obscure concept to Gon. When my husband was watching hxh I told him to watch the first episode of the original series at the start of the Chimera Ant Arc so that he'd have a better understanding of Gon's breakdown. I do think that flashbacks definitely would have been a viable option.
I'm currently taking someone through the series for their first time, and I've been trying to figure out if I should throw in the first 15 minutes or so of the first 1999 episode, at some point, just to add a bit of context. Just say that it's just for fleshing out Gon's character and origin, and why exactly he's so motivated to do everything. That said, we're already up to Gon vs Hisoka, so I was kind of struggling to find a spot to put it in (I hadn't thought about it until after the introversion section of the Hunter Exam). This really helps, because I might actually put it where Gon and Killua are talking on Whale Island.
Nick Snyder Nice
Just watch it now.
I still always make people watch the first episode of the 1999 before they begin 2011 (if they don't want to watch 1999 because it's too long). I feel it gives it a better overall feeling as a set up. (And yeah, Kite's intro).
Thanks I was so confused by why gon freaked out over this guy he just met
I disagree with the first episode of 2011 being better. It feels insanely rushed to get the plot going and it makes it harder for newcomers to get into HxH.
The 99 version may have characters in it that aren't as relevant, but they did make us care about Gon and his motivation. In fact, I think Gon overall is a bland shonen protagonist. There is nothing interesting about him, despite his motivation being something you get consider a good motivation.
But the 1999 version did things differently, he discovered that he has a dad and that he is a hunter. He had been lied to by the only parental figure Mito-San.
We also learned why Mito did that and why she doesn't want Gon to be a hunter. Mito isn't your average "Kids shouldn't go to an adventure because it's dangerous" just because she is his 'parent'. She gets Gon's resolve and respects it which is why she gave him the chance to proof his worth.
That is why it was so satisfying when Gon actually caught the fish. We can understand Mito and Gon on an emotional level. The reason I consider the first episode of HxH 1999 one of, if not the, best first episode in anime.
Couldn't have said it better myself 👏👏
I've thought about this same thing myself. I'm hyped for the Kon problem.
Lmao when my friend recommended HxH to me, I watched the 1999 version. We realized this after I started talking to him about some of the events and what I thought of it. He was like “noooo! That’s a spoiler! You’re not supposed to see him until way later!” ... turns out it was just a spoiler for the 2011 anime. This is all to say that Kite served his original intended purpose for me 😅 instead of some plot device as Gon’s new mentor or a guy that gets killed to make Gon feel mad (though those are important, too).
I'm honestly glad they didn't have Kite in the first episode. His lessons to Gon don't seem to hold much weight in the early arcs and at that point in the story HunterxHunter 2011 is trying to lull the viewer into a false sense of security. We're not yet used to characters showing up, getting development, and then being axed. Seeing Kite that early would only create the expectation that we'll see him again in some capacity, as well as contributing to Gon's plot armour, at least subconsciously in the audience's mind. There's a lot more uncertainty about whether Gon will ever actually find Ging, but if we see Kite give Gon lessons about how to be a Hunter, then the first thing we the audience is going to want once Gon gets his license is to see him show it to Kite. And nothing would contradict that while we wait, so there would be a lot less fear for Gon's life in, say, YorkNew or Greed Island.
The other thing it does for the 2011 anime is help share Gon's protagonist role with Killua. When we meet Kite, we essentially do so through Killua's perspective, this stranger they get foisted onto instead of Ging. This serves double thematic duty because Ging would have been Gon's destination had he used the Greed Island Card 'Magnetic Force' (solo transport) instead of 'Accompany'. We learn that Ging is essentially a moment to moment solo artist who picks up people along the way only to drop them off, but our experience of Gon is that he sticks with Killua. Since the 2011 anime's arguably best quality is the presentation of Gon and Killua's dynamic, I'd argue that part of that is because we only know a little more about Gon - where he's from and what his goal is - than Killua when they meet, thus putting the audience on the level of their developing relationship. I think Kite in the first episode would have put that off balance, unless we also got Illumi in the first episode too :P
It's good he wasn't in the first episode because he didn't need to be, but he should have shown up or been mentioned at least one time before he was introduced in Chimera Ant arc. There was much less emotional connection from the viewer. Knowing he existed from the beginning helps you understand how much he means to Gon and why what happens in Chimera Ant arc happens.
i really do think that moment where gon and killua lie down and talk to eachother would have been a great point to mention kite
Unfortunate you didn't see the OG 1999 version first which was way ahead of it's time compared to 2011 when it was released
I prefer the 1999 series. More "heart". The first episode serves as a stronger emotional grounding for Gon who really is the center of the show...to which we take a perspective rooted in his childlike exploration of the world(in all of its awe and mystery).
Leaving Kite out earlier is a massive no no especially when 2011 only biased fanboys stress how much 2011 is the better adaptation but have this massive mishap. Try watching 1999 up to Greed Island Ova, then continue onto CA arc. Things makes so much more sense to what happens with Gon's character development/breakdown
Very simple solution for everyone - For your first viewing, watch the 1st episode from 1999 and then jump right into the first episode of 2011. That's what I did.
I much preferred the 1999's introduction of Kite in ep.1 over the 2011 ignoring of him until mid-series. Your alternative of still giving Kite an early introduction, though not in ep.1, would have been preferable to the way 2011 handled it as well. // Another interesting choice made by 1999 was not anywhere near as important. The first ending song was Mito singing of her sense of separation from Gon and loss of not having him around. It helped to establish her as a more important character. It was probably beyond what Togashi envisioned, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
Did you ever do your "Kon Problem" video? I would love to see it. Even though probably most of Kon's appearances could be called "filler" by some, I prefer the term "non-canon" in this instance. The scenes were additive to the narrative, not just empty pauses waiting for the manga to catch up. Especially poignant was when Kon's cub was shot and we saw Killua grow from thinking that killing was the best answer to realizing that life was important.
Honestly, the "Kon problem" was just a joke, but you've brought up some good points here lol.
Am i the only one who feels sad about Ponzu?
same, i wanted her and the (ye, sorry, kinda binged the series so some names are gone again) Rainbow Arrow hunter to live happily ever after. Well, guess that's never gonna happen...
@@Maxos3200 pokkle
I will admit, without knowledge of Kite from the manga and the previous anime, I just thought he was an exposition machine that was supposed to show how powerful the enemy was by comparison. Cool design, though.
"Exposition machine." Ooh. That's good! I might have to borrow that one in the future lol.
My man, my face will light up if I hear you say that. Plus, you're eloquent, so you'll probably be able to use that phrase better than I ever could.
I agree! I was so confused when they brought up the fox ear incident. If he was introduced earlier, Gon's attachment to him would have made more sense adding to the impact with Pitou/Gon climax scene too.
Another reason they left him out is maybe they wanted to add more mystery to Ging at the start.
i think a good point to put the flashback would probably be having kite using zetsu to hide himself and explain it a little but it would have to be a thin line, and then maybe during the whale island revisit maybe he remembers that bite gave him ging's hunter license, and then he mentions kite during the dodgeball battle.
I’m still pissed they removed him from the first ep.. people don’t understand why gon was so emotional about his death
Ah yes Kon, the most shafted character in shounen history. Lol. Anyways, I’m still real glad I chose to read the first chapter of HxH before watching the 2011 anime. For whatever reason at the time I was in the habit of sampling first chapters of series which Viz was offering for free, especially if I planned to watch the anime version. I’ve made the comparisons (between HxH and One Piece) that while Ging is more of an end goal ala the One Piece, (sort of) Kite feels more like the old father/backstory mentor archetype ala Shanks. Similarly I won’t be surprised if Shanks bites the bullet within the next century One Piece ends lol. Anyways great video!
The people who are saying there's no issue with the 2011 anime. Think about if Goku went Super Saiyan because Frieza killed the great Namekian leader who was sitting in the chair. It doesnt have the same impact as Krillin being killed. Even if you didnt watch Dragon Ball you know Goku and Krillin have a long history just from Z alone. That's why that scene works so well. We were robbed of that when Kite was supposed to be Gon's Krillin to trigger his Dark transformation.
How is it not obvious?
This was an incredibly thorough explanation :) I enjoyed it a lot!
Glad to have seen this vid, I'm showing HXH to my friend and now I can insert Kite flashback to the whale island chill scene ♥ thank you
but wasnt kite the reason for gon taking the hunter exam?
which is why you should watch the hunter exam arc (hxh 1999) then proceed to watch the rest of hxh 2011
It's kinda interesting that kurapikas disguise at the end of the yorknew arch is very similar to how kite looks.
Hunter x Hunter 2011 has no issues!!! REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
This but unironically.
.
Gyro will be super important
Me irl
I think gyro is the epitome of all the problems I have with the chimera ant arc. A useless, uninteresting side character who only exists to flesh out the motivations of other useless, uninteresting side characters. I'd much rather be watching gon, killua, leorio, or any of the other characters who I'm already invested in and who have much more interesting motivations. I wish gyro never existed in the first place. (as well as the fucking octopus, the wolf, the fucking genji girl who meruem falls in love with, and like half the other new characters who get screen time)
mushy2626 What you just typed has to be the single dumbest thing ever typed out by a human in english. Every who sees it will have lost valuable brain cells from your contagious stupid. I award you no points and let whatever god you believe in have mercy on your soul
I didn't read the manga, but this justifies a lot more Gon's actions during the Chimera Arc, now, I kind of understand how Gon felt and why he was so on edge after being separated from Kite now.
Have a random stranger give Gon a note from Kite saying how much he’s grown. Killua ask who’s this Kite is and we have a flashback that shows Gon meeting Kite for the first time. Killua says Kite sounds cool and the final shot shows Kite looking at an ant hill foreshadowing the Chimera ants.
They did my boy Kite so fucking dirty.
This is hands-down my biggest problem with the 2011 story. I haven't read the manga (since the hiatus x hiatus is seemingly never going to end so why bother blueballing myself on a story that might never get finished with the Dark Continent) nor the original animation, so my overwhelming reaction to Gon's reaction to Kite's death was "I don't believe you". I just didn't believe that the 2011 Gon would have that visceral a reaction to Kite's death, given the information we had as first-time watchers.
Eh, I can live with the way that Kite was introduced in the 2011 version. As someone who has only ever watched that version (and is watching it as Toonami airs it), his introduction, and Gon's flashback to their encounter when he was a kid, worked. They played it as if it had been a passing encounter that first time, and that they didn't really have a lot of interaction beyond that until they meet up again at the start of CA. That.... pretty well works, because it doesn't make it seem like an omission, but instead a "Oh, hey, you're that dude that saved my bacon once. How ya been?"
I just finished the 2011 version of HXH and the whole Kite thing just really bothers me. Just as you said it feels like he just pops out of nowhere. His importance isn't really known and then he dies.... Gon reaction made no sense but if they did what you stated that whole part of Gon losing himself would have made way more sense to me. I'm planning on reading the manga, but when I found out Kite was shown in the first chapter of the manga and 1990s version I was pretty upset. His death really didn't bother me but if they hinted his importance to Gon it probably would have....
Is that Morel and Knuckle in Silloute frame too? I've never noticed that until now
I think that subtle hints to kite during other arcs that lead up to him would have made it nice when he is finally introduced. That way it shows that kite was an influence, and not just a guy that saved him and almost forgot about.
I've actually not watched the 99 version yet or read the manga and more than Kite coming out of nowhere, the fact that Gon got so extremely attached to him was a little more bizarre. I sortof shrugged it off as Gon just being intense, but hearing this side actually makes so much so much so much more sense. It means a lot more. I wasn't super keen on watching the older version but now I want to. I'd just thought the animation was different with a few more side characters, but i didn't anticipate the storyline to be so different.
You never take away a character who should have appeared on the 1st episode.
1.showing a "Mentor" character and one regular move which is op move will create hype and you'll be like I NEED MORE OF HIM! and people would be more hyped for the anime.
2. You'll understand his presence had more impact to the main character because that removed "character" was his dads/master ect. pupil or friend. Placing the stepping stone for our main dudes character traits and ways.
just imagine ace from one piece never appearing in alabasta and we just end up finding out he was captured and yeah... youll be like oh ok.. i wont spoil anything. XD
I also despise how Kite and Gon react when they meet in the CA arc in the anime as compared to the manga. The fact that neither one of them immediately recognize the other just adds onto the idea that they seemingly don't have that strong of a connection. It just further confuses the average viewer and muddles things. They're subconsciously thinking "Well, if Gon didn't even RECOGNIZE this dude, then he can't be THAT important to him, right?"
1:29 min Who is the Guy right from Netro?
I think its the guy who handled the prison part of the hunter exam, the warden
Kite is so charismatic that we like him instantly, but of course it could be better to introduce him earlier in the seris =)
I usually fix kite with a small tape. If you put too much tape it becomes heavy and won't fly. So when you have to fix a tear on your kite use the smallest tape possible.
I would actually argue that episode 1 could have included both chapter 1 and 2, including kites flashback. In the 1998 pilot episode of Hunter x Hunter, it manages to do just this, in only 25 minutes. There was even added filler in this episode, so with that removed, it could easily be cut down to 20 minutes.
The first episode of the 2011 adaptation also had bunch of extra scenes not found the manga, such as the whole Katzo thing, Gon and Mitos thump kiss and Gons parkour fishing. The opening sequence of "strange beasts and monsters, etc" could also be removed without really losing anything significant, as it appears in the start of the next 25 episodes. This way there would be plenty of room for Kites introduction in the first episode.
I agree kite should have been mentioned somewhere in earlier episodes to build some anticipation towards his character. As someone who didn’t watch the original or read the manga, i didn’t know who kite was coming into hxh2011 so i was left kind of confused. Especially because kite becomes such a pivotal part of Gon’s character, there would have been more weight and intensity on the entire Chimera any arc. I definitely liked kite too and wanted to see more from him
Having restarted the 2011 anime for the fourth time (though I stopped part-way through the second and third times), I finally watched the first episode of the 1999 anime to get some context on the whole Kite thing. Apparently fans recommended watching that episode first, and then moving onto watching the entire 2011 series. I wish I knew that beforehand.
Anyway, while showing Kite earlier definitely helped with setting him up for later, apparently he disappears and doesn't show up again until the Chimera Ant arc. It would've been nice if he showed up more and helped out or something, but if this is all the screen time Kite has before that, then I'm still not quite convinced of Gon's strong attachment to him. Gon mentioning him occasionally throughout the 90's show is better than nothing I suppose, but I agree with you that both anime adaptations should've taken some liberties, in this case adding some "good filler" by giving Kite more screen-time.
I watched the 1999 version first as a kid so i knew what he was to Gon before watching the chimera ant arc
I always loved HXH but i never did understand Gons hate and wish for revenge for Kite, i never did understand why was Kite so important, until now, so thank you :D (i should really read manga than)
So I had no idea that kite was supposed to be in there, didnt read the manga or watch the original, but that would have fixed a lot of my issues with the chimera ant arc. One of my gripes was that Gon's reaction to Kite's death didn't seem warrented considering how long he'd known him, and with this context his reaction makes a lot more sense. And while you made a good point that cutting him out may have worked, it defintely made gon's arc in the chimera ant story weaker.
I have seen Hunter x Hunter 2011, is it worth to watch the older version?
Yes. Mostly just to see a slightly different interpretation of the story.