HxH was published in Weekly Shonen Jump (aimed primarily for older children/teens) in Japan from 1998, in America, Viz released it in Shonen Jump Advanced (aimed for older teens/young adults). The 1st anime was on during Golden Time on Saturday evenings, and the 2nd anime Saturday mornings, so it seems like it was considered kid-friendly, due to some censoring of violence. Shounen can imply the intended age group, younger boys/teens; a series that is somewhat inspired by or similar to Dragon Ball (although there are other grandfathers of the genre); or if a series possesses certain tropes (think Naruto, One Piece, Boku no Hero, Bleach, Fairy Tail etc.).
I guess it depends on your definition of Shounen. Hunter x Hunter is either considered the ideal Shounen, a subversive (correctly done) take on Shounen, or a Shounen-like Seinen series. I tend to see it as a Shounen just with some darker elements (whereas Kingdom is a Seinen with Shounen elements), but one that tends to pleasantly surprise me the most with its clever twists and turns. I understand why it is the ideal for many people but for me Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ticks all the boxes. It is undoubtedly in the top echelon of Shounen, whether we’re talking about the Manga or the Anime, although the Manga comes with a great deal more criticisms, while the 2011 anime managed to finish in a decently satisfactory way. HxH 2011 has great animation, story, characters, music, voice acting, action, comedy, etc. The initial HxH anime has its strengths, but I think it misses out on some key features of what makes HxH what it truly is. At times HxH is surprisingly lighthearted, funny, and warm, but it can turn on a dime into dark/brutal events and themes. Gon’s journey as a Shounen protagonist is incredibly unique and one of the only to legitimately disturb me, thus why the initial bright and cheery feel that slowly fades is immensely fitting, culminating in the “good guy” being more of a monster than the villain he is facing. Togashi is a fantastic writer and incredibly creative, but he really seems to struggle with taking care of his health, accepting help, or remaining focused. Being a Mangaka is brutal work, but when I see someone like Oda manage to endlessly pump out One Piece, carefully taking breaks when necessary, but not allowing it to halt his progress, I recognize that Togashi may be making poor choices, even if it’s just his perfection or fierce independence in keeping his work his own. Even if he never finishes the series though, it’s still one of the greats, and the current Manga-only fight between two of the best villains in the series is really worth a read. Kurapika is my favorite character, but Killua is also incredible. Meruem, Hisoka, and Chrollo are some of the best villains in anime. The Chimera Ant arc is mind-blowing towards the end. HxH has one of the absolute best power systems ever created, and it allows for super creative and exciting fights. Kite being removed from the beginning was really stupid and kinda ruins what happens later, Leorio feels like he gets neglected compared to the other parts of the main cast, the world doesn’t get explored as much as I’d like, the arcs don’t always have a smooth through-line, the beginning of the Chimera Ant Arc almost lost me, Togashi becomes a bit too dependent upon the narrator and exposition, and the anime cut out some important manga details that come up again later. Those are just some criticisms, but overall it’s still an incredible series.
So, TL;DR HxH is the 2nd best Shounen imo, but I understand why it’s many people’s first. It’s sad that it may never finish, but at least the anime stopped at a good point. It’s not perfect, but I consider it a solid 9/10.
.
