Episode 1 (1999)

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 1^st episode of the original Hunter × Hunter anime. It aired on October 16^th, 1999.

OverviewEdit

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.

SynopsisEdit

Mito is seen talking about Gon with her grandmother while retrieving the clothes hanging from the clothesline. Mito is worrying about her nephew, but her grandmother convinces her that Gon will be alright. Meanwhile, Kite is walking in the forest when he hears a bear's voice. He comes to see a giant Foxbear lunging at Gon, who cannot run since his leg is trapped by thick vines. Just when the bear is about to hit him, Kite attacks the bear and kills it in an instant. He then frees Gon by cutting the vines 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 that he is taken care 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 in 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 he was attacked by a Foxbear, so Mito lets him in.  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.

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 grandmother tells her that she will regret that later. Mito says that she is scared that Gon is going to leave her, but her grandmother encourages her that every boy will leave their mother one day and follow in his father's footsteps. Later that day, Gon shows both Mito and his great-grandmother the Hunter Exam Application Card and tells them that he wants to take the Hunter Exam. However, Mito does not allow him to unless he is able to 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 to just 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.

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 he bids farewell, he sets off in a small boat, leaving his home to begin a new journey. 

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