Hunter Association

The Hunters Association is a fictional global organization appearing in the Japanese manga and series series Hunter × Hunter. The Hunters Association is responsible for the testing and licensing of "Hunters," a person that has proven themselves through rigorous examination to be an elite member of humanity. With the passing of the examination, a Hunter is rewarded with a license to go almost anywhere in the world or do almost anything. Typically, Hunters devote themselves to tracking down priceless items, mystical places, and the unseen wonders of the world.

Benefits
Being licensed as an official Hunter bestows a number of desirable benefits on the licensee. Because of this, huge numbers of people register for the licensing exam, which is held only once per year, even though fatalities among the exam takers are common, and even expected. The first and foremost is the recognition a license holder can enjoy, being one of the few in the world who owns a license. Hunters are commonly seen at the head of whatever field they pursue, and experienced Hunters are virtually guaranteed lucrative offers of employment from people or organizations seeking the most capable agents possible.

There are also many material benefits to being a licensed Hunter, which include:
 * 1. 95% of all public facilities can be used at no cost. Furthermore, all such services are provided at first class.
 * 2. Unrivaled freedom to travel around the world. Access is granted to about 90% of countries which normally restrict the entry of outsiders, and access to 75% of areas that the general public is prohibited from entering.
 * 3. Almost no legal responsibility for murder.
 * 4. The ability to sell the Hunter License as a valuable collector's item. Though only the original owner of a Hunter License can take advantage of the normal benefits, it can be still sold for enough money to support the seller for at least 7 generations in luxury.
 * 5. The ability to use the license as collateral for a zero-interest loan of 100 million jenny (approximately 90 million yen) at any bank.
 * 6. Access to the secret Hunters Only Website, where secret intelligence about various subjects, uploaded by other Hunters, can be purchased.

Appearance
A Hunter license looks similar to a credit card, but slightly thicker and with an inbuilt computer chip. The front shows the licensee's Hunter rank, while the back has a magnetic strip with a unique serial number that identifies each individual to their license. The card's magnetic strip also allows it to be swiped through machines to verify its authenticity and to access special services.

Ranks
Upon passing the Hunter Exam, candidates will receive a standard Hunter License. However, Hunters can be awarded with stars for significant contributions to society.
 * 1 Star - Given to hunters who have made a significant contribution to a part of society.
 * 2 Star - Given to hunters who have made significant contributions to several fields.
 * 3 Star - Given to hunters who have made extraordinary contributions to society over several fields. This is the rarest and most difficult rank to obtain, and is considered a great honor. The number of 3-Star hunters is about 10.

Becoming a Hunter
To become a Hunter two thing are required. To pass the Hunter exam and to learn Nen.

Finding the Exam
The hunter exam takes place once a year and just getting to the Hunter exam is an extremely difficult challenge. This is because there are too many people applying to become Hunters every year for the examiners to see them all. To reduce the number of applicants, The Hunter Association hires people, such as the captain to pick out the best candidates to proceed to the Island where the Hunter Exam is held. If you are deemed unworthy by these people even if you make it to the exam site you will be turned away.

Once you are on the island you have to make your way to the Hunter exam starting point. However none of the candidates know where the Hunter exam will start and it is impossible to find without a Navigator. Each candidate must find a Navigator to take him to the exam but to eo this he must pass a series of test and traps, like 'The Exciting Quiz of Two Answers'.

The Navigators themselves will set up a test for the candidates to see if they are good enough to take the exam. If they pass the navigators will take them to the staring place fo the first exam.

The Hunter Exam
The Hunter Exam is done in a varying amount of stages, with each stage being designed to test the candidates skills and potential and to reduce the number of Examinees. there are usually 5 of 6 stages to complete. However extra 'suprise' stages are sometimes added to test the candidates further, like the 3rd Stage Bonus Round. The content of each stage changes every year because the examiners change every year and the examiners decide what the stages will be. Chairman Netero oversees the exam and settles disputes between examiners when necessary.

Known Hunter Exams
267th Hunter Exam Passed by:
 * Ging Freecss

287th Hunter Exam Passed by:
 * Kurapika
 * Gon Freecss
 * Hisoka
 * Hanzo
 * Pokkle
 * Illumi Zoldyck
 * Leorio

288th Hunter Exam Passed by:
 * Killua Zoldyck

Learning Nen
You are only officially a Hunter after you have passed the Exam and have learn how to use Nen. It doesn't matter how long it takes but you will be unable to take most Hunter job's without learning it as it is often seen as the minimum requirement.

Types of Hunters
Archaeological Hunters - Archeological Hunters are dedicated to uncovering ruins and reviving ancient societies.
 * Satotz
 * Ging Freecss (His interests are very diverse though his achievements are unparalleled in Archaeological Hunting)

Beast Hunters - Beast Hunters are Hunters that feel a deep love for nature; their job involves the study and preservation of undiscovered animal species
 * Kaito
 * Knuckle
 * Shoot

Black-List Hunters - Blacklist Hunters dedicate their skills to tracking down dangerous and wanted criminals. Aspiring Blacklist Hunters often have intentions of justice or revenge, although many do it simply for the wealth gained from the profession.
 * Kurapika
 * Lippo

Contract Hunters - They find rich people and make deals/contracts with them.
 * Tsezguerra

Gormet Hunters - The goal of a Gourmet Hunter is to find and collect rare ingredients, then bring their flavors to life by using new and creative styles of cookin recipies.
 * Buhara
 * Menchi

Information Hunters - Information Hunters are Hunters who love knowledge of all sorts and will go to great lengths to uncover rare or hidden bits of information. Common activities for Information Hunters include searching for rare books, hacking to retrieve protected data, and tracking down people who know desired facts.

Music Hunters - Catered toward the musically talented, Music Hunters are ones in pursuit of rare musical pieces.
 * Melody

Temp Hunters - Hunters with government jobs subcontracted to them from the Hunters Association. Depending on the difficulty of the job and risks involved, Temp Hunters are guaranteed a certain sum for whatever job taken. As such, many Hunters choose to make this their career and subsequently ridiculed by professional Hunters for doing so.

Treasure Hunters - Treasure Hunters scour the world in search of rare and valuable items.