Hunter × Hunter (ハンター×ハンター Hantā Hantā), pronounced "Hunter Hunter", is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated byYoshihiro Togashi. The story focuses on a young boy named Gon, who discovers that his father, whom he was told was dead, is actually alive and well. He learns that his father, Ging, is a legendary Hunter, an individual who has proven themselves an elite member of humanity and who specializes in finding rare creatures, secret treasures, and other individuals. Despite Ging having left his son with his relatives in order to pursue his own dreams, Gon becomes determined to follow in his father's footsteps, pass the rigorous Hunter Examination, and eventually find his father to become a Hunter in his own right. The original inspiration for the manga came from Togashi's own collecting hobby.

Hunter × Hunter began its manga serialization on March 3, 1998 in the Shueisha magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump. As of November 2011, its 310 chapters have been published in 29 tankōbon (chapter collections) in Japan. However, the manga has frequently gone on hiatus since 2006. Hunter × Hunter was translated into English and released in North America by Viz Media beginning in April 2005. In 1999, the manga series was adapted into a 62-episode anime series produced by Nippon Animation and directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi. The anime premiered on Japan's Fuji TV and Animax. Three separate original video animations (OVAs) totaling 30 episodes were subsequently produced by Nippon Animation and released in Japan from 2002 to 2004. The television series has been licensed and released in North America by Viz, and it aired on the Funimation Channel starting in 2009. A second anime television series by Madhouse began airing on Nippon Television in October 2011.There are also numerous audio albums, video games, musicals, and other media based on Hunter × Hunter.

                                            

The Hunter × Hunter manga has been a financial success in Japan, having sold over 55 million copies there as of August 2011. Popularity and viewer recognition of the anime series have proven much more modest. Critics of both the manga and its television adaptation have praised it as having a complex plot, endearing characters, and superb art and animation. However, reviewers disagreed on the quality of the anime's music and sound.