Episode 16: Hiding in the bushes, still stalking Hisoka, Gon awaits when he can attack. Unbeknownst to Gon, however, Hisoka has found his own prey in Kurapika and Leorio. He runs after Hisoka, torn between what to do: help them or stick to his plan to steal Hisoka's tag. He quickly picks the more honorable choice, helping his friends if they need it. Leorio whines to Kurapika about not knowing where his target is when both stop in their tracks. Hisoka greets them, leaning on a tree. He asks for their tags, needing two points, and Leorio quickly refuses. Kurapika figures they must not be his target, so he begins to negotiate. He tells Hisoka the tags he has, but neither are helpful, filling the air with more and more tension.
Gon awaits nearby, eavesdropping on the conversation. Kurapika offers the tag that has no meaning for him, and if that still is not enough, he challenges Hisoka to take the others by force. Leorio also pulls out a knife, ready to fight. Hisoka merely laughs at their feeble threat and accepts the initial deal. Kurapika leaves the tag in a tree and leaves with Leorio. Gon sits frozen behind a tree still, gripping onto his fishing rod and sweating. Hisoka comments to himself he is happy about their progression, but they still have much to learn. Gon sighs in relief, but knows he doesn't have much time left to steal the tag.
Gon becomes anxious from the thought of the next person Hisoka meets not fighting either when suddenly, Hisoka's killing intent drastically increases. It scatters the nearby animals and frightens Gon to no end. Hisoka's bloodlust has risen to a point that must be satisfied. The next day, after Hisoka has awoken from sleeping standing up and hunts his next victim, Gon begins to follow once again. He believes whomever Hisoka runs into next will be attacked no matter what, so he runs ahead to find them. He spots Agon heading in the opposite direction of Hisoka and picks a vantage point. His nerves begin to sway as his heart beats out of his chest. He knows he must completely hide his presence while taking deep breaths. Just then, Hisoka stops, sensing someone. It is Agon. He dashes forward, an insane look on his face. Agon sees Hisoka, almost too late, and draws his sword. Gon readies his fishing rod, anticipating the attack.
Closer and closer, Hisoka runs towards Agon. Gon waits for the perfect moment. Agon preparing as well. Hisoka takes out one of his cards and shouts a chilling scream. Gon winds back his fishing rod and let it loose. Agon thrusts forward with his sword, missing Hisoka's head by centimeters. Hisoka is so entranced by the thought of killing Agon, Gon's fishing hook is able to catch onto his tag. Hisoka notices too late, the tag has been reeled in! Hisoka and Agon stand after the instantaneous exchange. Agon falls dead to the ground, while Hisoka has already moved on to the matter of his tag. Gon stands up and catches the tag, which lands perfectly in his hand. Unfortunately, Hisoka sees this and looks as stunned as Gon does. Instead of being upset though, Hisoka smiles, a glint in his eyes and another ripe fruit to play with.
Gon rushes off into the brush, trying to get as far away from Hisoka as possible. Before he can truly celebrate, he loses control of his body, paralyzed and collapses to the ground. Geretta appears, telling Gon how many times he could have killed him. A small dart with some immobilizing drug on it is in Gon's neck. Geretta commends Gon for his concentration while training with his fishing rod, but adds how open he was for the attack. He mentions Gon was so focused on Hisoka, he didn't check his own surroundings. He takes both Hisoka and Gon's tags and leaves. Gon is left alone with his shame of losing, as a single Hemotropic Butterfly lands on his hand. It flies away and gets caught in a spider's web, emphasizing Gon's own faults.
Not a moment later, Geretta falls dead next to Gon. Hisoka stands over him, a smile on his face, expressing how impressed he is with Gon's ability to hide his presence, his timing and attack. He drops Gon's and his own tags, giving them back to Gon for a job well done. Geretta was Hisoka's target, so he no longer needs his, but Gon doesn't want Hisoka's tag in this way. Remarkably, Gon is able to stand with a paralyzing drug that lasts 10 days for normal people. He tells Hisoka to take his tag back, but Hisoka refuses, keeping Gon alive so one day he can kill Gon when he's more experienced. Hisoka hits Gon with a ferocious punch to the face and says he'll take his tag back once Gon can do the same to him. He walks off, leaving Gon. Later that night, Gon sits alone in a tree, having won, but also lost.
Episode 17: Killua calls out Imori, who's been stalking him for a long time, to show himself, since he won't give an opening attack. However, Imori remains still and continues to hide because his plan is to attack Killua while he is asleep. Impatient, Killua decides to come over to him and frightening Imori. Suddenly, Amori and Umori appear to see if their youngest brother has finished taking the tag. Upon seeing that Imori hasn't beaten up Killua yet, they yell at him and force him to do it. Afterwards, Imori approaches Killua. He asks Killua to give his tag and he won't hurt him if he does. Killua replies by insulting him. Imori then kicks him, and sends him flying backwards. However, Killua gets up quickly and takes out Imori's tag from his pocket. Realizing that is not his target, he asks the older brothers if his target is one of them.
Amori and Umori realize that they are not dealing with an ordinary kid. They tell the youngest brother to get in formation. Meanwhile, Hanzo is seen watching from the shadows that a fight is about to begin. Before the Amori Brothers can make a move, Killua flies and suddenly appears behind Amori, taking him as a hostage. Upon realizing that Amori is not his target, he asks Umori to hand over his tag. After he receives it, he throws the other tags hundreds of feet away. Then he bids farewell and vanishes. Hanzo quickly runs for the tag that Killua threw and grabs it. But he ends up having the wrong tag, since Killua noticed he was there and quickly swapped the tags before he threw it.
Meanwhile, Kurapika and Leorio are seen behind the bushes. They are trying to see if anyone is back at the starting point to catch. Gon suddenly shows up and Leorio explains that they are looking for examinee #246, Ponzu. Gon offers his help to find her by following her scents, since she is known for using drugs that must have strong odor. Gon starts following her scent and gives directions about her whereabouts. After walking for a long time, they finally reach her location. Leorio decides to enter the cave alone while Gon and Kurapika wait outside. Inside the cave, he meets Bourbon and Ponzu. From the outside, Gon and Kurapika hear Leorio's voice, and they instantly run into the cave to find Leorio sprawled on the ground with snakebites all over his body. Ponzu explains that they cannot leave the cave because Bourbon had already set a trap: when someone tries to exit, his snakes will attack them. Ponzu reveals that she had already killed Bourbon, meaning they are all trapped inside the cave.
Episode 18: Gon and Kurapika run into the cave where Leorio went and find him lying on the ground with bite marks around his body. Ponzu tells them that Bourbon, who controlled the snakes, is dead after she accidentally killed him. They also find out that the snakes will attack if they touch Bourbon or try to leave the cave. Kurapika figures out how Bourbon died by looking at his wounds. Ponzu's target was Bourbon and she explains their fight involving her bees.
Ponzu gives up on her desire on passing the exam and waits for the examiners to rescue her through a tracking device attached to their badges to find their exact locations. However, the three can't afford to wait for the exam to end as poison runs through Leorio's body due to the snake bites. Gon decides to fearlessly sacrifice himself in order to search Bourbon to find an antidote. The snakes from Bourbon surround him and attack him, but he successfully finds the medicine.
Due to Gon's courageous act, both him and Leorio are saved. Gon recovers quickly and asks Ponzu about her sleeping gas to make all the snakes sleep so they can escape the cave. He requests a trade with Bourbon's badge, which he got along with the medicine, in exchange for her sleeping gas. Ponzu agrees, but it will take 5 minutes for all the snakes to fall asleep, stating it is impossible for someone to hold their breath for more than 5 minutes; however, Gon brags about his record. The gas is released and Gon holds his breath to stay awake. Gon carries all three of them outside and successfully escapes the cave. He gives Bourbon's badge to Ponzu, but takes her own badge for a service fee while she is still unconscious. As Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon each have 6 points of their own, and the Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam ends, all the participants who passed are taken to their next destination.
The Chairman, along with all the examiners, discuss the Final Phase of the exam and the Chairman wants them to go through a peculiar fight. But before that, the Chairman holds an interview with each examinee and asks them who they'd want to fight, and who they would not want to fight. Each of them gives an answer and after the interview the Chairman reveals the bracket to the examiners and tells them that a single win will make the applicants a Hunter. Meanwhile, Gon and Kurapika discuss what happened during the Fourth Phase of the exam and Gon tells everything to him regarding his encounter with Hisoka. Afterwards, the two thank each other for helping one another.
Episode 19: The nine remaining applicants arrive where the Final Phase of the exam is held. The Chairman explains to them that in order to pass they only need one win and the losers will move up the bracket until one applicant fails. This way, there will be eight new Hunters, and one that will not pass.
As the Chairman reveals the bracket, he explains all the details on why some applicants have more chances passing the exam than others based on their previous performances. After the Chairman completes his explanation about their performances and the rules on winning, the final phase begins, the first match being between Gon and Hanzo. As soon as the fight starts, Gon makes his move, but Hanzo anticipates it and Gon is staggered from a hit. Hanzo tells Gon about his situation and asks him to give up, but Gon refuses as Hanzo continues to strike him. He tries to convince Gon again to surrender, but Gon was still determined to keep up with the fight while Hanzo continues to strike.
Due to Gon's stubbornness and his refusal to give up, Hanzo keeps attacking him, while his friends stand horrified and the other examiners blame the Chairman about his decisions. As the fight continues, Gon is exhausted and can barely move. Leorio was beginning to lose his temper and warns Hanzo he'll kill him and will take Gon's place instead, however, because of the rules, Hanzo is not doing anything wrong and Gon will be the one disqualified if Leorio interferes. Gon stands up and tells Leorio that he can still fight, but Hanzo takes Gon down again and warns him that he'll break his arm if he doesn't surrender. Gon is not giving up, leaving Hanzo no other choice but to break his arm, making Leorio and Kurapika enraged.
Hanzo takes his time explaining his past which doesn't impress Killua. Gon soon gathers the strength to kick Hanzo in the face. Suddenly the whole scene changes and Gon is back on his feet. However, Hanzo recovers and pulls out a sharp weapon from his sleeve and warns Gon that he'll cut his legs off if he doesn't surrender. But Gon tries to outsmart him by saying that it will be disadvantageous for both of them as Gon will die due to excessive bleeding thus disqualifying Hanzo. But Hanzo outsmarts him back saying that therefore he just needs to apply again next year. Due to Gon's innocence and stubbornness, the situation has suddenly changed and the atmosphere is made much lighter than before. Gon asks if they can find a way for Hanzo to lose without either of them getting hurt since he won't surrender. Naturally Hanzo is furious at the idea, but the other contestants laugh at Gon's naivete. Only Killua stands confused as to why the others are laughing, because in his mind Gon still has no chance.
Hanzo gets serious and tells Gon that he will kill him and will just take the exam next year as he stabs Gon in the forehead. Gon speaks about his father, that he is a Hunter and one day he will find him, but if he gives up now he may never find him. On seeing the unwavering determination in Gon's eyes, Hanzo concedes defeat, making Gon the winner of their match, however Gon refuses to accept the way he won and keeps pestering Hanzo about his decision. Out of utter annoyance, Hanzo delivers a hard punch, knocking Gon unconscious. Gon is the first applicant to pass the 287th Hunter Exam.
Episode 20: Gon awakes from sleep with Satotz sitting beside his bed. Satotz congratulates Gon on passing the Hunter Exam through a handshake, but Gon is not content on the results and declines. Satotz explains to him that he already passed the exam and can no longer fail. He presents the Hunter License, adding that whatever he wants to do with it, it's up to him and his decision. After hearing this explanation, Gon accepts the Hunter License and finally shakes Satotz's hand.
The two keep chatting. Satotz tells Gon that the exam is over and tells him that the one who failed was Killua. Gon is eager to know the cause of Killua's failure, and Satotz tells him about all the matches held after his fight with Hanzo. After revealing the applicants who passed and how each match unfolded, Satotz tells Gon what happened in the match between Killua and Gittarackur. Learning that Gittarackur is actually his older brother, Illumi, Killua was shocked as Illumi told him he's not fit to be a Hunter, but an assassin. Killua told his brother that he doesn't care about having a license and that he just wants to be friends with Gon. Illumi continued lecturing his brother, but Leorio reminded Killua that he just needs to beat his brother just like the other opponent he fought and adds that Gon is already his friend.
Upon hearing that, Illumi intended to kill Gon for he will only be a hindrance to Killua on his path to become a full-time assassin. Illumi then walked toward the exit to go to the room where Gon was resting but Hanzo, Kurapika, and Leorio stood up in front of the door to stop Illumi. Illumi realized that if he killed Gon, he would fail the exam. So instead, he would have to pass the exam first and then kill Gon. He approached his brother Killua and asked if he wanted to continue the match. Killua surrendered in fear of his brother and the situation of his friend. After Illumi won, he told him that he was just lying about killing Gon.
Afterwards, the match of Bodoro and Leorio took place. Killua suddenly appeared behind Bodoro and killed him, resulting in his disqualification and failure of the exam. Knowing this, Gon goes to the place where the others are having brief lessons about being a Hunter and confronts Illumi.
Rating: 8/10(Average)
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