With the return of the beloved manga Hunter X Hunter after four years of hiatus, its readers happily picked up the story where author Yoshihiro Togashi left it, in the middle of the Succession Contest arc. However, Hunter X Hunter is known for its complex storylines and large cast of characters, and this arc is no exception.

Considering the frequent interruptions in the serialization of Hunter X Hunter, caused by Togashi's health issues, it can be hard to everything that has happened in the story so far. The Succession Contest arc made things even harder by introducing a lot of new characters and by moving away from the usual protagonists such as Gon or Killua. Here is everything that readers need to know about the current arc in Hunter X Hunter before jumping again into this exciting and complex manga.

Where Is The Story Taking Place?

A War for the Crown on a Colossal Cruise Ship

One of the most interesting aspects of the Succession Contest arc is that it takes place entirely on a giant cruise ship, the Black Whale, headed towards the mysterious and dangerous Dark Continent. In previous story arcs, Beyond Netero, the son of the defunct chairman of the Hunter Association Isaac Netero, revealed to the world the existence of this legendary land where, according to ancient relics, humans originated, and that lies beyond the borders of the Known World. In this continent, incredibly dangerous things await, such as creatures or illnesses that could wipe out humanity, so the V5, the five most powerful countries in the Known World, prohibited its exploration.

Beyond Netero, however, wants to break this treaty and explore the Dark Continent, so he gained the sponsorship of the Kakin Empire, a powerful country not d with the V5. Thus, a huge cruise ship called Black Whale is prepared, which welcomes aboard Beyond's own team, all the of the Hunter Association enlisted for the expedition, a number of rich people from all over the world that can pay the exorbitant price of the voyage, and also the fourteen Princes of the Kakin Empire along with their guards and subordinates.

King Nasubi, in fact, is not only interested in the glory and economic returns from the exploration. He also intends to have his children fight a succession war during the voyage, as is in Kakin's tradition. This gives way to an all-out battle royale for the crown of Kakin, with familiar characters caught in the middle.

The Fourteen Princes And Their Nen Beasts

Nen Abilities Play a Major Role in the Story

King Nasubi has eight wives and fourteen children, who all have a right to succession. Centuries ago, Kakin was a small country under constant attack by neighbors. The first king of Kakin used his Nen ability to conjure the Seed Urn and had his children fight in a succession contest for the throne to find out who was the strongest and most fit to rule. The Seed Urn ceremony bestows on each Prince a Guardian Spirit Beast, a parasitic-type Nen Beast whose shape and ability are influenced by its host's character and disposition. The Princes are then forced to use their new powers to kill each other in the Succession War until only one is left.

The rules for the Succession War are very simple: the last person standing becomes the king. However, the assassination of a prince must be discreet or else the perpetrator will be jailed or sentenced to death. A Nen Beast can't attack another Prince or another Nen Beast, but can only defend or use its ability as long as it doesn't directly harm another Prince.

The Succession War prioritizes wit, deception, leadership and more, and is in a way grooming the winner to become king and continue leading Kakin into a prosperous future. However, something sinister is underway as the manga revealed 14 connected coffins and King Nasubi putting Prince Maryam, one of the first to be killed, in it.

King Nasubi's Succession War takes place on the Black Whale and is thus the main focus of the current Hunter X Hunter storyline. Every Prince has a small army of bodyguards (including Pro Hunters) and followers. Alliances are made, betrayal occurs, and all through it the Princes are learning about their newfound Nen abilities and trying to use them to take out their rivals.

The Princes all have different personalities and ambitions. Some, like Tserriednich, are wicked and vicious men who only care about their desires. Others, like Halkenburg, are pacifists who want to reform Kakin and stop the bloody tradition of the Succession War. Finally, some, like Kacho and Fugetsu, were forced to take place in the battle even if they held no ambitions.

Kurapika And The Scarlet Eyes

The only main character who appears in the Succession Contest arc is Kurapika, who was the protagonist of the Yorknew City arc. Kurapika's goal is still the same: as the last survivor of the Kurta Clan, he wants to recover the eyes of his brethren, a rarity that was sold to collectors after the clan was exterminated by the Phantom Troupe. Mizaistom, a member of the Zodiacs, the elites of the Hunter Association, informs Kurapika that the missing eyes are in the possession of Prince Tserriednich, in exchange for recruiting Kurapika into the Zodiacs and have him infiltrate the Succession War as the bodyguard of one of the other Princes, Woble, who is still a newborn.

After boarding the ship, Kurapika takes his duty of guarding the newborn Prince seriously and fends off the assassins sent by the other Princes. Kurapika decides to teach the guards of the other Princes how to use Nen, and he also allies with Prince Zhang Lei, a powerful contestant. However, Kurapika's goal remains to get close enough to Tserriednich and recover the Scarlet Eyes, something that is almost impossible to do in the middle of the Succession War. Meanwhile, he also has to act as a spy for the Hunter Association and try to find out what Beyond's real goal is.

The Spiders And The Jester

The Phantom Troupe Is on the Black Whale

What Kurapika still does not know is that his worst enemies are also on the ship. The Phantom Troupe has boarded the Black Whale, hunting for Hisoka, their former member who killed two of the Spiders as an act of revenge for losing his battle against the leader of the Troupe, Chrollo.

Kurapika also killed two Spiders during the Yorknew City arc, when his only purpose was to get revenge for the massacre of his clan, but since then he has partially moved on and focused on recovering the Scarlet Eyes. However, Kurapika does not know that Chrollo has recovered the Nen powers that he took away from him, and this revelation could make things further complicated.

For the moment, the Phantom Troupe is still focused on finding Hisoka, and it's unlikely (but not impossible) that they will cross Kurapika's path. Meanwhile, the Spiders' search for Hisoka has attracted the attention of the three great Kakin Mafia families, who are all on board the Black Whale, wanting to secure land and resources on the Dark Continent. Each family wants to find Hisoka first, in order to use him as a bargaining chip to control the powerful Phantom Troupe. The three bosses of the families also have stakes in the Succession War, as each one of them has a hidden sponsor in one of the Princes.

The Mafia Feud Plot Line

This Hunter X Hunter Arc Keeps Getting More Complicated

The three major mafia groups from Kakin, Hei-Li, Cha-r, and Xi-Yu, are onboard the ship to secure influence and land on the Dark Continent. However, things take an unexpected turn when of the Hei-ly family start killing both civilians and other mafia , leading to the Cha-r and Xi-yu families working together alongside the Phantom Troupe to take down the leader of the family as well as the . Furthermore, the Cha-r is interested in working with the Phantom Troupe as they want to monitor the dangerous group as well as find Hisoka first.

What Happened In the Latest Chapters of Hunter X Hunter?

Chapter #400 ends with Nobunaga, Phinks, and Feitan looking for a transmitter that will lead them to the Hei-li's secret headquarters, which was planted by Xi-yu's Hinrigh. After confirming that the transmitter is not in tier 3 of the ship, the three head to meet up with Franklin to accompany them upstairs in case the top-ranking Hei-ly have troublesome abilities or if they see Hisoka, a very likely possibility given that Hisoka was already spotted in tier 3 and could've made his way up after being spotted.

Meanwhile, the ghost of Prince Kacho (created by her Nen ability), her bodyguard Melody, and the head of the Ministry of Justice, Kaiser, discuss the predicament Prince Fugetsu (Kacho's sister) is in and how Melody is being requested by four Princes. After much talk, they agreed that they'd assassinate the Princes in the next banquet using Melody's hypnotic-like music.

However, Fugetsu, the person they're trying to protect, is slowly rotting away and her health deteriorating due to her constant use of her ability and spirits possessing her. According to Melody, one of the Princes who requested to see her is behind this, and so she meets up with Zhang Lei, Tsserendiech's guard but rules them out. Kurapika, on his end, strengthens his position even more after allying with the fifth Prince Tubeppa.

The Succession Contest arc is shaping up to be one of the longest and most complicated in Hunter X Hunter. The sheer number of characters involved, each with their own goals and stakes, and the fact that they are all confined in the same place, means that there are a lot of storylines, and they often intersect, creating an intricate design.

Fans of Hunter X Hunter can only hope that their curiosity will be satisfied soon and that the many plot threads presented during the Succession Contest arc will unravel before Yoshihiro Togashi is forced to take another long break from his manga.