Hunter Association

The Hunters Association is a fictional global organization appearing in the Japanese manga 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.

Hunter License


Hunter License is a type of card exclusively owned by Hunters after they passed the Hunter Examination. It proves the status of the owner and has multiple benefits. It also grants the ability to kill without facing any charges.

Hunters Commandments

 * 1. Hunters must hunt something.
 * 2. All hunters require a minimum level of martial proficiency. Being able to use Nen is the minimum level necessary.
 * 3. No matter what may happen, one who has become a hunter will never have their title revoked. However, no matter the circumstances, a hunter license will never be issued a second time.
 * 4. Hunters may not hunt their fellow hunters, except for those who have committed atrocities.
 * 5. Hunters who achieve extraordinary accomplishments in a certain field will receive a star.
 * 6. Veteran Hunters who have received a star, become superior officers, and have had their students receive star will receive two stars.
 * 7. Hunters with two stars who achieve extraordinary accomplishments in multiple field will receive three stars.
 * 8. If the hunter in charge does not receive a minimum level of support, then they will have their post removed. In this case, the minimum level is the support from the majority of his fellow hunters. If the seat of chairman becomes open, an election for the next chairman must happen immediately. The vice-chairman is to be left in charge until the new chairman is decided.
 * 9. The chairman decides how new hunters are chosen. But in order to make a great change in the existing method, he must receive support from the majority.
 * 10. Everything not written here is to be decided by the chairman, vice-chairman, and their advisers. The chairman has the right to choose who becomes the vice-chairman and advisers.

Becoming a Hunter
To become a Professional Hunter, two requirements have to be fulfilled: passing the Hunter Exam and learning how to use Nen.

Finding the Exam
The Hunter Exam takes place annually in the second week of January. Even reaching the area in which the Hunter Examination is held is an extremely difficult challenge because there are too many applicants each year for the Proctors to see them all. To reduce the number of applicants, the Hunter Association hires judges (like the captain) to pick out the best candidates to proceed to the area where the Hunter Exam is held. If you are deemed unworthy by one of these judges, you will be turned away even if you make it to the Examination site.

Once this area has been reached, one has to make his way to the Hunter Examination site. However, no applicant knows when or where the Hunter Examination will be held and it is impossible to find without a Navigator. Each candidate must find a Navigator to take him to the exam but to do this he must pass a series of test and traps, like the "Mind-Boggling Two-Choice Quiz."

The Navigators themselves will set up a test for the candidates to see if they are good enough to take the Hunter Exam. If passed, the Navigators will take them to the floor of the First Phase.

The Hunter Exam
The Hunter Exam is done in a varying amount of Phases, with each Phase being designed to test the candidates' skills and potential--also, to reduce the number of candidates. There are usually 5 or 6 Phases required to complete the Hunter Exam. In the Nippon Animation adaptation of the anime, bonus stages are added to further test the candidates. The content of each Phase changes every year because the Proctors change each year as well; Proctors decide what the Phases will test. Chairman Netero oversees the exam and settles disputes between Proctors when necessary.

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

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

288th Hunter Exam Passed by:
 * Killua Zoldyck

The Secret Hunter Exam
Although the formal examination annually occurs during the first week in January, there is a second, unstated part of the Hunter Examination that requires every Pro Hunter to go out into the world and accomplish: learning the basic principles of Nen. One only officially becomes a professional Hunter after passing the Exam; a Hunter is only considered as such by his peers when he learns how to use Nen. It doesn't matter how long it takes, but one will be unable to take on most Hunter jobs without learning the skill--it is often seen as a minimum requirement. To meet this requirement, a Hunter must either find a teacher and learn in secrecy (because doing so in public augments the risk of people with ill intent learning a potentially dangerous skill) or through a method known as initiation. However, some learn Nen before entering the exam and are thus instantly "qualified" if they pass it. It is known so far that all Hunters find a way to start their training shortly after the exam, therefore the difficulty of this requirement is reduced mostly to one's own adaptability to learn Nen.

Archaeological Hunters
Hunters who are dedicated to uncovering ruins and reviving ancient societies.

Beast Hunters
Hunters who feel a deep love for nature; their job involves the study and preservation of undiscovered animal species. There are two subcategories of Beast Hunter--Exotic Game Hunters and UMA (Unidentified Mysterious Animal) Hunters.

Blacklist Hunters
Hunters who 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.

Contract Hunters
Hunters who are hired by corporations in order to do specific jobs, such as biological survey or ecological research.

Crime Hunters
Hunters who try to reveal mysterious cases in the crime world.

Gourmet Hunters
Hunters whose goal is to find and collect rare ingredients, then bring their flavors to life by using new and creative styles of cooking recipes.

Hacker Hunters
Hunters who have vast knowledge of computers and specialize in working with the Internet and dealing with cyber crimes.

Head Hunters
Hunters who specialize in discovering and cultivating new talents.

Information Hunters
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.

Jackpot Hunters
Hunters who have only one goal: earning money, so they find rich people and make deals/contracts with them.

Lost Hunters
Hunters who specialize in seeking those from whom contact has been lost and has engaged in the problem related to lost members of the Hunters Association.

Music Hunters
Catered towards the musically talented, Music Hunters are ones in pursuit of rare musical pieces.

Sea Hunters
Hunters who hunt in seas either for animals or treasures

Temp Hunters
Hunters with governmental jobs subcontracted to them from the Hunters Association. Depending on the difficulty of the job and risks involved, they are guaranteed a standard fee for a job taken. Some Hunters choose to make this their career and are subsequently ridiculed by professional Hunters for doing so. The Hunters Association receives a plethora of applications depending on the job, and a review board assigns Temps based upon their skills and aptitude.

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

Trouble Hunters
Unknown Specifics

Virus Hunters
Hunters who try to find new elements to cure immedicable diseases.

Youth and Beauty Hunters
Hunters whose main goal is to maintain the beauty of people and make them look younger despite their age.