A Boy Setting Out for a Journey × Leaving Behind the Sound of the Wind (旅行く少年×風の音を残して, Tabi Iku Shōnen × Kaze no Oto wo Nokoshite) is the 1st episode of the original Hunter × Hunter anime. It aired on October 16th, 1999.
Overview[]
Gon Freecss runs into a Foxbear in the forest. A mysterious stranger named Kite saves Gon by killing the beast. This man tells him that his father Ging is alive. Gon decides to take the Hunter Exam and become a professional Hunter, but can only do this after catching the Master of the Swamp to convince his aunt Mito to let him do it. Despite her feelings, after Gon catches it, Mito allows him to begin his adventure.
Synopsis[]
Gon with the Foxbear cub
Mito is seen talking about Gon with her mother while retrieving the clothes hanging from the clothesline. Mito worries about her nephew, but her mother convinces her that Gon will be alright. Meanwhile, Kite is walking in the forest when he hears a bear's roar. He sees a giant Foxbear lunging at Gon, who cannot run since his leg is trapped by thick vines. When the Foxbear is about to hit him, Kite attacks the bear and kills it instantly. He then frees Gon by cutting the vines that were trapping his leg. When Gon stands up, Kite punches him in the face, making him fall again. Kite then starts to scold him about the danger of entering that forest at that time of year and asks him if his father had taught him something that basic. Gon tells him that he has no parents and is taken care of by his aunt. Kite feels sorry, but Gon tells him that he doesn't need to. Kite then tries to kill the cub, but Gon immediately protects it, telling Kite that he will raise it. Seeing the familiar determination in Gon's eyes, Kite lets him be.
Gon gets back home to find Mito scolding him for being late. But when she sees Gon's body full of scratches, she stops and asks what happened to him. Gon lies by telling her that he fell into the forest. However, Mito does not believe him; instead, she pushes Gon out of the house and closes the door. She tells him that she won't let him in unless he tells her the truth. Gon apologizes and tells her that a Foxbear attacked him, so Mito lets him in.
Kite tells Gon about Ging
The next morning, Gon is seen digging a giant hole to bury the Foxbear that Kite had killed. After digging, he tries to push the bear into the hole but to no avail. Kite helps him to push it, managing to get the bear into the hole. He then introduces himself as Kite and tells Gon that he is a Hunter. He also explains what a Hunter is and that he is looking for his teacher as his final test. He then asks Gon about his father, to which Gon replies that he knows him only by his name, Ging. Kite tells the boy that his father is still alive and that he is his teacher, as well as the best Hunter in the world.
Gon fishing for the Master of the Swamp
Back home, Gon asks Mito about his father, but Mito refuses to tell the truth and only replies that Ging is dead. The next day, Mito is seen trying to burn Ging's stuff, but her mother tells her that she will regret that later. Mito says that she is scared that Gon is going to leave her, but her mother encourages her that every boy will leave their mother one day and follow in his father's footsteps. Later that day, Gon shows Mito and his grandmother the Hunter Exam Application Card and tells them he wants to take the Hunter Exam. However, Mito does not allow him to unless he can catch the Master of the Swamp within a week. Gon tries to catch it for days, but to no avail. One night, Mito tells him just to stop trying. But Gon refuses and says that he will become a Hunter and find his father. She tells Gon that his father abandoned him when he was a baby to continue being a Hunter, yet Gon still insists on finding him and says that being a Hunter must be a job that is worth continuing even at the cost of neglecting his own child. Hearing this, Mito admits that Gon is Ging's child after all, and leaves him.
Gon bids farewell to Mito
The following day is the last day of their agreement. Mito gives Gon a fishing rod that Ging used to catch the giant fish. Confident with his new rod and eager to catch the Master of the Swamp, he leaves the house and heads to the swamp. Later that day, Gon presents the giant fish he has caught to his aunt. He then shows her the Hunter Application Card and asks if he could take the Hunter Exam now. Reluctantly, Mito gives her permission and enters the house. On the day of departure, Mito admits that she lied to him all this time about Ging. However, Gon already knows that she was lying. After Gon bids farewell, he sets off in a small boat, leaving his home to begin a new journey.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Mito Freecss (Debut)
- Gon Freecss (Debut)
- Ging Freecss (Photo)
- Kite (Flashback; Debut)
- Mito's Mother (Debut)
- Konta (Debut)
- Master of the Swamp (Debut)
- Noko (Debut)
Manga & Anime Differences[]
- The familial relationships within the Freecss family are changed in the 1999 anime adaptation:
- Mito is Gon's actual aunt instead of his first cousin.
- Mito and Ging are changed to be sister-and-brother-in-law instead of cousins.
- Ging and Mito's Grandmother is changed to be Mito's mother and Ging's mother-in-law, making her Gon's grandmother instead of his great-grandmother.
- Gon's mother is mentioned in the 1999 anime adaptation as Mito's younger sister. Mito tells Gon about how she hated watching her sister suffer while Ging was off journeying, though it's unclear if this was part of her lies.
- Gon's foxbear friend, Kon, is instead known as Konta (コン太, Konta) in the 1999 anime adaptation.
- In the manga, Gon is shown catching the Master of the Swamp before the flashback of him meeting Kite. In the 1999 anime adaptation, the catch is not shown until after.
- In the manga, Gon waves goodbye to Mito at the docks as he leaves Whale Island on the Kaijinmaru. In the 1999 anime adaptation, he instead parts with Mito and his grandmother (great-grandmother in the manga) at a river near their home before setting off in a small boat.
- The 1999 anime adaptation cuts the following:
- The opening narration about Hunters.
- Gon fishing with Kon.
- Gon telling Kon that he is leaving to become a Hunter and that a King of the Forest like him cannot be friends with a Hunter.
- The 1999 anime adaptation adds the following:
- After being attacked by the foxbear mother, Gon returns home, where Mito questions him about his injuries and torn clothes.
- Gon are Kite are shown burying the foxbear mother together, whereas she is buried off-panel in the manga.
- After hearing from Kite that Ging is alive, Gon asks Mito about his father when he returns home. Mito restates that his father died in accident and says that she wanted him to forget about someone who is dead. Later, Gon worries that if Ging really is alive, it means that he was abandoned.
- Mito runs a bar with her mother (her grandmother in the manga), where Kite briefly stops to buy a drink.
- Mito decides to burn some of Ging's old belongings, including his old fishing rod, before her mother stops her.
- Kite states that someone becomes eligible to take the Hunter Exam when they turn 12 years old. This rule is never mentioned in the manga.
- Gon initially telling Mito about his desire to take the Hunter Exam and asking for her permission is shown.
- After initially struggling to catch the Master of the Swamp with his flimsy fishing rod, Mito gives Ging's old fishing rod to Gon to help him catch the giant fish.
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