Summary

Hunter x Hunter's Greed Island arc is a classic isekai story that predicted the rise of the genre in anime and manga. This was released around the time Sword Art Online began publishing as a web novel, marking 2002 as a pivotal year for the development and popularity of the isekai genre. The early 2000s saw the origins of isekai established with the release of .hack, leading to the isekai anime boom between 2002-2012, ultimately shaping the genre into what it is today .

One of the best shōnen manga ever created, by Yoshihiro Togashi Hunter x Hunter, is also one of the most influential, having popularized many metaphors that have become staples in the anime and manga industries. One of the most important parts of the series, although underrated, Greed Island, even predicted the rise of one of the biggest anime genres: isekai.

Hunter x Hunter's fifth arc, Greed Island, covering chapters 120-185 in the manga, is a prime example of what makes a classic isekai. Isekai, meaning “other world,” is one fantasy genrein which the main character is transported to a new, unfamiliar world.

In the case of Hunter x Hunter, Gon and Killua are taken to Greed Island to search for Gon's father, Gin. While this is not the first time the isekai genre has been used, especially in a shōnen series, it is certainly one of the most iconic depictions. The isekai genre continued to attract attention after the release of Greed Island, shows Hunter x Hunter storytelling was ahead of its time.

Ten years in the making: Hunter x Hunter To Sword Art Online

Hunter x Hunter's pioneering story predates one of the most popular isekai series ever created

Chapter 120 of Hunter x Hunter was published in 2002, marking the official beginning of the Greed Island storyline in the manga. However, Greed Island predicted the popularity of isekai – released around the same time as the first chapters of the web novel, Sword Art Online, is now considered one of the most popular isekai series ever created. create.

The first complete printed volume of Sword Art Online was published in 2009 when the series was adapted into a light novel and went on to become an extremely popular anime and manga series. Like Hunter x Hunter's application of the isekai genre, the characters in Sword Art Online are trapped in a world that uses video game mechanics. and forced to survive several dangerous challenges and battles.

2002 was an important year for the Isekai genre

Although the genre became popular in the early 2010s, isekai originated a decade earlier.

2002 marked a pivotal year for the isekai genre. In addition to Togashi's contribution to the Greed Island arc, the first .hack game and anime were released. The plot follows the main character, Kite, as he navigates a fantasy world called “The World”. In .hack, players participate in a “game within a game” scenario, similar to what is seen in Greed Island. While many people point to the 2010s as when the genre was popular in media, the early 2000s was when the genre really took root and gained momentum.

From 2002 to 2012, many isekai anime were produced, including The Fament of Zero (2006), Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar (2009) and Battle Girls: Time Paradox (2011). While there is some debate as to exactly what the first isekai series was, Paul's Miraculous Adventure, released in 1977, is certainly one of the earliest examples of the genre in existence to this day. now. Thirty years later, Togashi releasedHunter x hunterthe most underrated, Greed Island, encapsulates everything that makes the genre so good today. While Greed Island wasn't the first storyline to use common isekai ideas and imagery, it helped propel the anime genre into its next decade.