Hunter X Hunter 1999 Filler Guide

Hunter X Hunter is an ongoing Japanese shonen anime series based on Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga of the same name. The show was first aired on NTV (Nippon Television) from October 16, 1999 to April 14, 2001 for 92 episodes. The series was then remade in 2011 as Hunter X Hunter (2011), also known as Hunter × Hunter: Phantom Rouge, which was aired for 148 episodes from October 16, 2011 to June 26, 2014.

Hunter X Hunter 1999 Plot

Hunter X Hunter follows two young boys who decide to become hunters in order to find their missing fathers. However, they must pass a series of deadly tests that will put their lives at risk. In order to pass the tests, they must learn to become strong enough to defeat powerful beasts and even other human hunters.

How popular is Hunter X Hunter anime?

The original 1999 series of Hunter X Hunter was popular with critics and viewers alike. The series won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in both 2000 and 2001, which is a prize given to anime that are popular with both critics and viewers. In addition, the series also won the 12th Annual Seiun Award for Best Manga in 2001. The 2011 version was also well-received by both critics and fans, with many fans praising its soundtrack and animation style. However, some criticized its pacing as being too slow for modern audiences.

How Much Filler is in Hunter X Hunter 1999?

There are a total of 5 episodes that were not based on Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga from the 1999 series of Hunter X Hunter. There are a total of 92 episodes in the 1999 series, which means that roughly 8% of the total episodes were filler episodes.

Quick Filler & Canon Lists

Complete Filler List

List of Filler episodes for Hunter X Hunter 1999 in chronological order – Learn if it is worth watching

Episode 2: Encounter × Hesitation × Departure

Leorio and Gon are wandering around Whale Island looking for the ship that will take them to Dolle Harbor. They encounter a man who is trying to arm wrestle another man. Leorio steps in and wins the match by cheating. The man gets mad because he still thinks he has a chance at winning, but Leorio knows the guy is already tired from hunger. He then gives the guy an apple, for which he is thankful for. The guy tells them that there are two ships; one going to Dolle harbor and the other going to Spiders Cafe, which Gon mistakenly thinks it is a restaurant. He follows Leorio as they go towards a bridge where they see three masked men robbing people, including an old lady. Leorio walks up to them and gives the old lady back her purse and the three robbers, thinking he’s one of them, run away. Gon is annoyed by Leorio’s actions.

The man who bought from Gon earlier that day thanks Gon for bringing his briefcase back. He then tells Gon that he was saved by a boy with an armadillo nose. He says that there are two ships; one heading to Dolle Harbor and the other going to Spiders Cafe. Leorio comes along and tries to convince him to go to Spiders Cafe, which confuses Gon, but he thinks it’s a restaurant instead of a ship.

Leorio then tells him that the ship is called “Kaijinmaru” and it’s going to Dolle Harbor. Leorio tells him that the ship sails at night and they have to go see the captain at the harbor. He then tries to leave, but Gon refuses to go with him.

Gon then asks him why he is always alone and Leorio says it’s because he can’t trust anyone. Gon then offers his friend, Kurapika, who is walking by with a briefcase, to help them get on board Kaijinmaru. Kurapika declines, saying that he has an exam tomorrow and must study for it.

As stated earlier, this episode was a filler episode as they were already at Dolle Harbor before the episode.

Episode 4: Decision × Shortcut × Detour

In this episode, Gon and his friends begin their journey towards Zaban City, which is where the next phase of the Hunter Exam will take place. However, they run into a pair of examinees who are already there

Gon and his friends are all at the harbor, waiting for their ship to arrive. The ship arrives, and they all board. As they leave, Netero reveals himself to be the captain of the ship.

Later that night, Leorio is sleeping on deck when he is woken up by Kurapika. Kurapika tells him that he has been taking care of the other passengers on board, including Gon and Killua, who have been working hard to help out in any way they can. Leorio is impressed by this and decides to do something for them as well. He decides to cook a meal for everyone, but it ends up being a total failure due to his inability to cook.

The next morning, Leorio wakes up to find himself on the floor. He soon hears Gon and Killua arguing downstairs, and he realizes that they are fighting over button mushrooms. They both refuse to give in, so Leorio decides to make a bet with them. If they can defeat him in a game of rock-paper-scissors, they will get all the mushrooms they want. Gon and Killua accept the challenge, but Gon ends up losing after missing twice.

At this point, Kurapika appears and tells Leorio that if he wants to do something for his friends, he should accompany them on their journey to Zaban City. The ship reaches Dolle Harbor at the same time as a bus is supposed to arrive there as well. The ship captain tells the group that the bus is a shortcut to Zaban City, but Kurapika and Leorio are suspicious of it. However, the ship captain also tells them that not taking the bus would make it difficult for them to get a boat for the next leg of their journey. The group ends up taking the bus after deciding they would rather take their chances with it than with a boat.

The bus ride turns out to be a trap, and everyone on board is held at gunpoint by several masked men who threaten them all.

This episode is a filler episode because nothing significant happens in this episode that contributes to the overall story of Hunter X Hunter.

Episode 7: Trauma × Limit × Sweet Trap

In this episode, we can see that Leorio is a very kind and compassionate person. He is willing to help his friend even though he is about to die. He also wants to become a doctor to cure his friend and other sick people. In fact, Leorio was going to be a doctor before he chose being a Hunter instead.

Gon and Kurapika were both affected by the sweet scent of the Illusion Tree sap, which causes illusions. However, both Gon and Kurapika are able to snap out of their illusions because they have strong willpower. In the case of Killua, it may be because he is used to smelling such odors since he grew up in an environment surrounded by blood and death.

Gon and Killua continue to look for Leorio. Gon then asks Killua to help him find Leorio. But Killua refuses, saying that he does not want to take care of someone else’s burden. He also tells Gon that he is just a kid and that he is not his friend. Gon then attacks him with his fishing rod. In the end, Gon wins the fight because he uses his fishing rod as a weapon against Killua, who is not able to use his Nen on such a weapon.

The Hunter Exam continues in this episode. The remaining examinees are still in the tunnel with illusions surrounding them. They have to continue moving forward, or they will die.

This episode is a filler episode as well. The original plot is that the examiners are not present during the second part of the second phase. Instead, they are outside the tunnel testing whether the examinees are still alive or not.

Episode 11: Exploration × Guts × Stowaway

The episode starts with Gon and Killua observing the night view of the city from the ship, which is their leisure time. Killua then explains his family to Gon, and how they are an assassin family. He also explained that they have been living in Kukuroo Mountain for generations.

Meanwhile, one of the examiners, Menchi receives a call about a stowaway on board and goes to investigate it. She finds Anita and takes her away. The reason why she is a stowaway is because she has a grudge against Leorio’s family, who will represent her father’s killers in court (the Zoldyck Family). She attacks Killua in revenge, but she gets stopped by Chairman Netero.

Later, on the next day, Chairman Netero, Menchi, and Satotz arrive at the site for the next phase of the exam. The examinees are given their task: to find a ‘goshawk’, which is a parrot that can only be found in one place in the world: Swindler’s Swamp. The first examinee to obtain it will pass the exam.

In order to get out of the airship safely, Gon and Killua use a parachute given by one of their fellow applicants. After landing on solid ground, they see a card that has directions towards the location of Swindler’s Swamp. They follow the card’s instructions and come across a forest full of traps. They are almost caught in a pitfall trap, but they use a metal pole to get across it by transferring it from one side to the other. They then proceed to the swamp, where they are about to be attacked by a giant spider.

Meanwhile, Kurapika and Leorio meet 3rd Phase Examiner Satotz, who drives them using a four-wheel vehicle (a jeep) towards their destination on the exam site. Kurapika explains that he is an applicant for becoming an officer of the Kurta Clan (the clan that protects the Kurta’s Vow). The reason why he is attending the exam is because he wants to confirm if there is someone who can place a “Shadow Beast” on his body. However, he has to be in contact with the target first. Leorio also explains that he wants to become a doctor because his family is not wealthy enough to pay for his studies.

At the site, Chairman Netero explains that the examinees have two hours to capture the goshawk. Any other bird will not be counted as an examinee’s mission. The first person to capture it will pass the exam and get a Hunter License. After Netero gives his instructions, he leaves Satotz in charge of monitoring the examinees while they are searching for it.

Episode 12: Good Boy? × Bad Boy? × Killua

The Hunter Exam arc is a popular arc of Hunter X Hunter. However, this arc is also very long. So, in order to make sure that the anime does not end before December 1999, which was when the manga had ended at the time, the anime producers decided to create a filler arc in 1998 while they are waiting for Yoshihiro Togashi to finish the manga. As a result, this filler arc is a complete fan-service to anyone who has read the manga.

The plot of this episode is about Gon and Killua trying to get one ball from Chairman Netero as part of their test for getting their Hunter Licenses. The Chairman plays football with them because he wants to measure how far Gon and Killua have grown: if Gon and Killua do not get the ball from the Chairman, then it means they will not pass the test. The ball is supposed to represent their lives, so Gon and Killua must not lose it.

The plot of this episode is exactly like that of chapter 215 of Hunter X Hunter 2011 manga, except that in the manga, the ball was a bomb instead of a normal football. In addition to that, the plot of this episode is also exactly like that of chapter 119 of Hunter X Hunter 2011 manga, except that in the manga, the boy who played against Gon and Killua was named Tonpa instead of Chairman Netero. The only difference between this episode and both chapters mentioned above is the fact that this episode focuses on Killua while the chapters focus on Gon.

Gon and Killua fly to the Hunter Exam site. The examiner named Buhara welcomes them and tells them that the first part of the Hunter Exam is a ball game. In this game, they have to get a ball from an old man named Chairman Netero. Gon complains about how hard the game is, but Killua says it is not hard at all because he has already done it before. However, he refuses to tell Gon what his strategy is.

The two start playing against Chairman Netero. The old man uses his devil’s hand and foot technique in order to make sure they do not get close to him at all. After a while, Killua falls asleep while playing against the old man, which allows Gon to finally get the ball from him. The old man praises Gon and tells him that he has passed the first part of the test, and so Gon leaves to go sleep too. However, Gon wants to know more about Killua, so he stays and plays against the old man again.

This time, Killua does not fall asleep, but he still loses to Chairman Netero. The Chairman tells Killua that he is not a bad boy anymore, but instead he is now a good boy because he knows how to lose well. He then offers Killua to join his side if the boy wants to play against him again in the future. Then Chairman Netero tells Gon that he has passed the test too because his heart is pure and strong. Gon, however, does not understand what that means. The Chairman tells him to talk to Killua and then leaves.