Antokiba

Antokiba
Kana	アントキバ
Rōmaji	Antokiba
Also known as	The Town of Prizes
Location Statistics
Located in	Greed Island
Controlled by	G.I. Game Masters
Inhabitants	NPCs Cat Diner NPCs Trade Shop NPC G.I. Players
Debut
Manga Debut	Chapter 129
Anime Debut	Episode 74 (1999) Episode 61 (2011)

Antokiba (アントキバ, Antokiba), also known as "The Town of Prizes", is a city on Greed Island and the closest to the center of the island.

Overview

Antokiba is the first town many new players find since it's so close to the Starting Point. It offers a variety of shops and numerous rewards, which it advertises through posters. On the 15^th of every month, a major contest is held in which the winner is rewarded with a specified slot card. The only known contests are rock-paper-scissors and two-person tug of war.

Locations

• Caveau de Riquewihr
• Wig & Pen
• Antokiba Trade Shop

Plot

Greed Island arc

Antokiba's monthly contest list

Upon reaching Antokiba, Gon and Killua are surprised to see so many reward posters, with Killua unable to tell if the "Cursed Statue of Lady Luck" for finding a lost dog is a good item. Gon then spots the monthly contest list and notes that September is rock-paper-scissors, with Killua pointing out that it may not even be September in the game. Gon asks a nearby man, who says that it's September 11. After the two learn that the dates are the same, Killua sees that there's a contest on the 15^th of every month and that September's prize is the "Sword of Truth". As they wonder if it's an item they need, they spot several of the players hired by Battera and guess that the competition will be tough, but decide to enter several contests and gather information until then.

The two then spot a nearby restaurant that also offers information and prizes. The cat waiter brings them two large plates of spaghetti and tells them that if they can eat it all in half an hour, they get the meal for free and also win a "Gargaida" card. The waiter is left confused by some of their questions, and when he leaves to get their prize, Killua tells Gon that he's a game NPC, explaining that they will have to ask people one by one to learn everything. The waiter returns with their cards and explains the information, with Gon and Killua realizing how bad the card is. The two prepare to leave, but the waiter points out that they still owe 1,020 for the three drinks they had, threatening to call the police if they don't pay. The two are forced to wash dishes since even the money is in cards.

Jeet lying dead in the street

After paying off their debt, the two go outside and suddenly hear screaming around the corner. They see a large crowd gathered together and find Jeet lying dead on the ground, with blood covering his midsection. The two recognize him as one of the players hired by Battera and had seen him earlier at the monthly contest list, learning from one of the onlookers that he suddenly exploded from the inside. As Gon is left stunned and says that it doesn't seem at all like a game, the corpse vanishes and returns to the real world, with Gon now worrying about the spell cast on Killua. Nickes overhears their conversation and assures them that the player wasn't killed by a spell, but by the Nen of another player. He then asks if they want to join his alliance and promises that his group has a perfect strategy to clear the game.

The two eventually agree to listen to Nickes' offer and follow him to Antokiba's plaza where they find other members of the alliance (including three other new players who were also invited to join). They learn about the deadly Bomber, and the alliance's plan to monopolize spell cards. The alliance assures the new players that they intend to put an end to the killing from the Bomber by clearing the game, with Nickes again asking them if they will join.

Gon and Killua happy to stay together after refusing Nickes' offer

After Puhat and Abengane agree to join, Gon declines the offer and says that he wants to play on his own, with Killua following his lead and the two leaving Antokiba's plaza. Gon tells Killua that he wants to just enjoy the game as Ging told him. As the two continue to talk about the game and their journey together, Biscuit listens in on their conversation and understands why the two didn't join the alliance, saying that little boys are innocent and gleefully adding that it's fun to ruin their friendships.

Gon and Killua then practice rock-paper-scissors for the upcoming tournament, with the latter becoming more and more frustrated at losing. Gon tells Killua that there's a trick to it that a fisherman who came to Whale Island taught him. After the explanation, Killua becomes angry at Gon for cheating during all their bouts, but Gon doesn't want the others to overhear. He tells Killua that it seems simple, but takes a lot of talent and practice, adding that Leorio couldn't do it. Killua still calls it cheating, but isn't against it in order to win the Sword of Truth. They eventually face each other in the finals of the rock-paper-scissors tournament, and Killua clinches the win by using rock with his left hand. The judge presents him with the Sword of Truth, which immediately transforms into the card once Killua touches it. He sees that it's a specified slot card, and the two rejoice that it's their first one.

Other players planning to steal the "Sword of Truth" card

Although Gon and Killua are able to keep multiple players from taking the card, a group of at least eight players suddenly ambushes them and says that they can't run away. They play rock-paper-scissors among themselves to decide the order to cast spells, and Kazsule says that only idiots enter the contests. After the card is taken from them, Gon sulks at the loss, but Killua tells him to forget it and be glad that the players didn't use violence. The two agree that it's time to head to Masadora for spell cards.

Before they leave, they visit a trade shop and sell four "Gargaida" cards and earn 120,000. Gon suggests buying food and water so they can head to Masadora as soon as possible, but Killua tells him that they still need a map. The two return to the shop and decide whether they should buy the detailed or empty map. Gon opts for the latter since it will be more fun to find locations on their own. They pay 30,000 to the shopkeeper for information on Masadora, and he gives them specific directions, but warns them about bandits and monsters. This excites the two as they make their way toward the city.

Gon and Killua winning the Paladin's Necklace

While collecting specified slot cards, Gon and Killua suddenly remember that the monthly tournament in Antokiba is tomorrow and make their way there, with both of them eventually winning and receiving the "Paladin's Necklace." They aren't exactly sure what it does, so they head to |a trade shop where the shopkeeper explains that the necklace casts "Reflect" on someone as long as it's being worn and allows them to revert cards cursed by "Clone" or "Fake" by touching them. Killua is ecstatic that they won't have to worry about having their cards stolen, but Gon says that they won't be able to have it as a card then. Biscuit points out that it's the prize for January and so they only have one chance to get it a year. Killua has them both take a closer look at the card, pointing out that the card is D-rank, which means they can cast "Recycle" on it. Gon wonders why it's D-rank if they can only get it once a year, but Killua checks his notes on spell cards and says that it's also possible to get it using "Compromise" and "Corruption." Gon turns the card into the necklace and puts it on, with all three rejoicing as they make their way to Dorias.

When Kazsule contacts Gon to offer a trade, he says that he was that took the "Sword of Truth" from him at Antokiba. When Goreinu tells Gon and Killua that the light next to a player's name goes off when they leave or die, he asks if they know Jeet and reminds him that he was the one killed in Antokiba.

Trivia

• The contest won by Gon and Killua in January is a tug of war, as revealed by the panel written in the in-world writing system.

Intertextuality and References

• Some places in Antokiba are visually based on the real-life Rothenburg ob der Tauber—a tourist town of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its preserved medieval architecture and for being part of the Romantic Road.
  • The last image in Chapter 131 is based on the city's Tourismus Service building.
  • The first image in Chapter 133 is based on a place called Plönlein, one of the most photographed and painted places in Germany.
• The old-style metal sign with a pharmacy symbol, which Gon and Killua pass by before their card is stolen, is based on the almost identical sign for Raeapteek (English: Town Hall Pharmacy)—one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe—located in the center of Tallinn city, Estonia.