Greed Island (グリードアイランド, Gurīdo Airando) is a famous video game in the world. It is played on the "JoyStation", a video game console, is out of print, and sells at auctions for at least 8 billion 
.[1] The game transports its players' physical bodies into the world of "Greed Island", only releasing them when they die (at which point they die in "real life" too), when they win, or when they use a special card in the game that lets them out. It can only be played by people who can use Nen.[2] In actuality, it is a real place, an island located east of the Yorbian continent.[3]
History
JoyStation needed to play GI
Greed Island was first released in the World of Hunter × Hunter in 1987, created by Ging Freecss and his associates. It was produced and sold by Marilyn Inc.[1]
Intended for the exclusive use of Hunters, its 5.8 Billion price tag is the highest ever for any video game; there were 20,000 pre-orders for only 100 copies. After its initial sale, the game disappeared from the market. In 1988, Battera offered to buy the game for 17 billion and 50 billion for the clear data. However, no one came forward.[1]
Acquisition Difficulty
According to the Hunters' Tavern website, the difficulty level to get the game used to be at H-class (easiest) since it's already available on public auctions, but because of the sheer high price it's been raised to G-class (easy).[2]
Ring, Binder, and Cards
The Ring
All players will have a ring that allows them to use two keyword spells in the game (and is also required to join the game):
1. Book - by saying the keyword "Book", it will cause a Card Binder to materialize for the player's personal use to stash cards.
2. Gain - by saying the keyword "Gain", an item in its card form will turn back into its material form but can't return to its card form again.
The Binder
The Card Binder has a total of 100 specified card slots; the goal of the game is to collect and fill these slots with the properly specified cards. There are also a total of 45 unnumbered free slots in the binder for storing "undesignated" numbered cards. The binder can also be used to check the names of players met on the island. The binder does not materialize in the 'real world'. Only the three-slot binder obtained by passing the game can be summoned with the "Book" command after leaving the game. The same rule applies for cards and "Gain."
The Cards
All items that are picked up on the island transform into cards. These items can be materialized into item form again by holding it and saying "Gain". If the item is not placed in the binder within a minute, cards that are turned into items cannot be returned into their card form again and the player would need to find the same item once more to get the card version again. Cards cannot be used outside of Greed Island, and will not respond to "Gain," unless they are one of the three placed in a special binder obtained by clearing the game. Then they may be used in real life. There are four distinctive sets of different cards. These are the 100 Restricted Slot Cards, the 40 Spell Cards, the Unrestricted Slot Cards and the Game Master only Cards.
Parts of the card
Killua holding the Greed Island card #083 Sword of Truth
- Upper left - Item/Card Designation Number
- Upper center - Item Name
- Upper right - Acquisition Difficulty and Card Transformation Limit
- Center - Item Illustration
- Bottom - Item Description/Function
Card Rank/Acquisition Difficulty Levels
Each card has a difficulty level that's written on the upper right of the card. There are a total of 9 levels as listed below, from the most difficult to the easiest to get in the game.
- SS
- S
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
Maximum Card Transformations Limit
There is a limit on how many times an item can be transformed into its card form. The item can only be transformed into its card form a certain amount of times. Once that number has been reached no other player can turn that item into a card. The higher the card rank is, the lower its Card Transformations Limit would be.
Island's Currency
Greed Island also uses Jenny. However, Jenny is only acceptable by its inhabitants in card form (e.g. card #607 J10,000).
Locations
The map of Greed Island
Greed Island is as big as a small country. Based on the possible accuracy of the island's map, Shalnark estimates that its size is equal to the Kotoritana Republic (コトリタナ
- Shiso Tree: This is the starting point of the game.[4]
- Magic City of Masadora: This is the only place on the island where Spell Cards can be purchased.
- Spell Card Shop: Where players can purchase spell cards at a given price. When spell cards are used or players leave the game, the inventory of cards are replenished.
- Port City Soufrabi: A place where the player can find a method to leave Greed Island and return to the real world. It can be attained by bribing or knocking out the Harbor Master.
- The City of Love, Aiai: Filled with almost every 'romantic' scenario. Hisoka considers it a nice place to spend time.
- City of Prizes, Antokiba: Every month a different contest is held, with differing prizes for each month. Specified Slot Card can be won during the 'even' months. It is one of the two starting cities.
- Gambling City Dorias: Plenty of casinos are located in here, and this is also where some cards can only be acquired by playing in here. The item "Risky Dice" can be useful here.
- Rubicuta City: Another starting city in the game because of its short distance from the island's main entrance.
- Capital City, Limeiro: The capital of Greed Island that can only be accessed by those who have completed the Specified Slot Cards and won the End of Game Quiz to receive card #000 Ruler's Blessing. Dwun and List live here.
- Badlands: A series of hills (composed of eroded sedimentary rocks) in dry terrain with minimal vegetation and inhabited by many monsters. It is where Gon and Killua were trained by Biscuit. Within its area there is an abandoned town/camp and tunnels dug by Gon and Killua.
- Village of the Bandits from the Mountains: Where the Sick Villagers, that pose as bandits in the mountains, reside. Everyone in the village suffers from a curse, similar to an endemic disease that increases from a low to a high fever, fatal after one month. Once the player heals all of them, card #075 Wild Luck Alexandrite is given as a reward for the achievement.
- Bunzen (ブンゼン, Bunzen): Little is known about this city or village to which Abengane returns after talking with Gon and Biscuit; his purpose there was, apparently, mainly to use the forest nearby the city entrance to perform the ritual involved in his Exorcism Hatsu.[5]
Game's Creators
Most of the known GI Creators
There is a total of 11 people responsible for creating the game, and it turns out the name GREED ISLAND is actually an acronym composed of first letters of its creators names. Some of them are on the Island as Gamemasters.
- G - Ging
- R - Razor
- E - Elena (Game Master in charge of players leaving the game, twin sister of Eeta)
- E - Eeta (Game Master in charge of players entering the game, twin sister of Elena)
- D - Dwun (Actual name Wdwune, until Ging decided to change his name)
- I - Unknown (Presumed to be Ickshonpe Katocha)
- S - Unknown
- L - List
- A - Unknown
- N - Unknown
- D - Unknown
Location in the World Map
| World Map | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greed Island is located East of the Yorbian Continent | ||||||
Bestiary
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Cyclops - A group of one eyed humanoid giants who use blunt weapons, they prefer to move in groups and will attack anything that goes inside their territory. They are found in the mountains on the way to Masadora city. They collapse when they are hit in the eye.
Bubble Horse - A type of horse that releases red and white bubbles that when popped, releases a loud noise which it uses as an opportunity to escape.
Remote Control Rat - A timid rodent that manipulates objects to scare away predators while hiding. It faints when it is seen.
King Great White Beetle - A rare white beetle in Greed Island, it uses special pheromones to lure other insects to build a huge colony. It leaves the colony once a day for an evening stroll.
Melanin Lizard - A large lizard that can swallow a whole cow, it can use its huge body to pin down and kill its victim by suffocation. it has a mole on its back that is very vulnerable to attacks that is hidden by camouflage.
Galgaida - A type of fish that are given as a reward in Antokiba, it is edible and tasty whether it's boiled or grilled and is considered as one of the island's famed delicacies, it's eggs are believed to bestow long life.
Owl NPC - An owl that is used to send letters and mail.
Hyper Puffball - Also known as "Marimochi", are animals that move in incredible speeds, it's body's hardness is similar to that of a rubber ball so it does not do any serious damage.
Wolf Pack - A pack of werewolves that attacked Gon, Killua, and Biscuit.
Trivia
- The two cards Ickshonpe Katocha mentioned when asking Ging to trade were not available to players before party cleared the game. This may mean either that Ickshonpe is a Game Master and they have access to exclusive cards, or that the cards have been changed after Gon's victory.
- The card acquirement difficulty levels seem to be the same used by the Hunter Association.
- Tsukishito Amanuma, a character from Togashi's manga YuYu Hakusho, has the ability to bring video games to life. Furthermore, he is also known as "Gamemaster".
- In the 1999 anime, when Gon and Killua first reached Antokiba, they found out through a bystander that the date (the same day they entered the game) was September 11th (9-11).
- In both the 1999 and the 2011 anime, the first card seen and used was #1027 Trace, however in the manga, Trace was still the first one used, but #1001 Steal appeared before it.
- Greed Island was never actually in the 1999 anime until the second OVA series.