The candidates could only scratch their heads in frustration, their expressions gloomy as they racked their brains to solve the questions. Meanwhile, Netero, whom they had placed their hopes on, was leisurely flipping through the written exam papers prepared by Morin.
"My profession as a Hunter? Ho ho ho, it's been so long, I can hardly remember myself," Netero chuckled, stroking his beard while nodding at the questions.
"I think, if possible, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have Beans give this a try with all the Hunters in the association," he mused.
Far away in the Hunter Association office, Mr. Beans and many Hunters shivered in unison.
"To be honest, I never expected you to come up with such a question, Morin," Netero spoke softly through the wall.
"It was a stroke of luck, an inspiration," Morin replied with a smile, having heard Netero's words. Indeed, it was the inspiration he got from "Naruto."
Speaking of which, the entanglements between "Naruto" and "Hunter x Hunter" have always been a topic of debate. Ever since "Naruto" became immensely popular, there's been a persistent rumor: "Naruto" gained fame through plagiarism! Many plot elements and settings resemble those in "Hunter x Hunter" and "Yu Yu Hakusho," like the Sharingan and the Chūnin Exams!
Most Naruto fans deny these claims, as no one wants their favorite work labeled as plagiarism, and there's no official statement on whether "Naruto" plagiarized or not. However, during a conversation between Kishimoto, the author of "Naruto," and the notorious Togashi, the answer was revealed!
In the Japanese manga industry, it's common for renowned manga artists to have discussions, such as the meeting between Oda, the author of "One Piece," and Toriyama, the author of "Dragon Ball," or between Kishimoto and Oda. In the meeting between Kishimoto and Togashi, the author of "Hunter x Hunter" and "Yu Yu Hakusho," they discussed the influence of Togashi's works on the creation of "Naruto."
Firstly, it's confirmed that Kishimoto is a fan of Togashi, greatly enjoying his works and highly admiring his suspense-building techniques. This admiration is akin to Oda's reverence for Toriyama, which "One Piece" fans can surely understand.
When Kishimoto began serializing "Naruto," he was heavily influenced by Togashi's works. For instance, Naruto's signature Shadow Clone Technique was inspired by Suzaku's cloning technique in "Yu Yu Hakusho."
A deeper level of imitation is seen in Sasuke. According to Kishimoto, he's not very adept at drawing such cold characters, so he used Hiei from "Yu Yu Hakusho" as a model to gradually create Sasuke's character. The elements of the "Sharingan" and "Amaterasu" also stem from Hiei's "Evil Eye" and "Black Dragon Wave."
All these admissions came directly from Kishimoto, with interview records to back them up. Kishimoto mentioned using "Hunter x Hunter" as a textbook, adopting some of its narrative techniques and settings.
In essence, Kishimoto's statements, though carefully worded, are seen by most as an acknowledgment of his reference to "Yu Yu Hakusho" and "Hunter x Hunter" in creating "Naruto." However, based on the attitude of the Japanese manga industry and Togashi himself, it seems no one considers this shameful plagiarism but rather a form of homage to predecessors.
At the conclusion of their discussion, Kishimoto and Togashi even collaborated on an artwork, depicting a joyful meeting. It featured Gon and Naruto together, and Togashi frequently drew "Naruto" characters on the cover pages of "Hunter x Hunter" as a form of promotion. Their relationship is indeed excellent.
However, among the fans, debates rage on. "Hunter x Hunter" was published in March 1998, while "Naruto" began serialization in September 1999, just over a year apart. Assuming one chapter per week, excluding holidays and combined issues, "Hunter x Hunter" could have serialized around sixty to seventy chapters first.
This coincided with Gon and the others battling Hisoka in the Heaven's Arena. The Hunter Exam and the journey to Kukuroo Mountain were already complete, offering a comprehensive testing process for others to draw from. The concept of Nen was also fully developed.
In reality, this kind of test-based progression has always been well-received. Even the recent Korean drama "Squid Game," ranking second in American TV series charts, relies on test-based stages to captivate audiences.
But when it comes to tests, few can rival "Hunter x Hunter." The series' outstanding test-based scenarios have become a reference point for many anime.
For instance, a certain popular Chinese animation "The King of Beasts" also borrowed from the Hunter Exam. The most typical example is the requirement to defeat five opponents to advance to the next round.
"Naruto" is no exception. The collection of "Heaven and Earth Scrolls" and the survival test on the island are quite similar to the badge hunting in "Hunter x Hunter."
The protagonist team includes a red-eyed boy whose clan was wiped out, making revenge his goal. The early part of the series is a professional qualification exam, with tasks including retrieving items from other candidates in a forest, concluding with one-on-one duels.
During the exam, there's a bizarre boss with peculiar skills and interests who sees great potential in the protagonist and wishes to mentor him. After the exam, one member of the protagonist's team leaves due to his brother's influence, prompting the team to retrieve him.
Later, a powerful criminal organization of about ten members plans a major event. The boss from the exam appears to be a member but eventually seems to leave the organization. The red-eyed boy separates from the protagonist for a while, significantly increases his strength, and independently defeats a member of the criminal organization.
Further strategies involve using traps and stones to defeat opponents. There's also a seemingly young woman who's actually a 50-year-old powerhouse.
The series features a variety of abilities: some use bombs, others wield electricity, some control puppets in battle, and some have ultimate moves that control themselves. There's a character who turns energy into fish to harm opponents, another who uses threads to sew a teammate's hand back on, and one who commands several dogs in combat. There's even someone who nurtures insects inside their body and has the skill to convert non-physical substances into small animals for reconnaissance.
When viewed this way, there are indeed many areas of crossover.
---
At the time, the editor for "Naruto" was the same one who had worked on the early stages of "Hunter x Hunter." So, in reality, "Naruto" initially followed a similar model to "Hunter x Hunter" under some pressure. This editor was quite capable; although many elements mirrored "Hunter x Hunter," the results were still impressive. Later, when Kishimoto switched to a new editor, he found the freedom to explore new creative directions, and the differences in brilliance between the two periods became apparent.
Regardless, while the formulas might seem similar, each work has its own unique appeal. The differences in paneling, pacing, lighting, and composition between "Hunter x Hunter" and "Naruto" are clear, each with its own strengths. There's no need to dwell on this aspect, especially since the authors themselves have openly stated there's no issue, so there's even less reason for fans to argue.
Now, hasn't Morin used the written test inspired by "Naruto" as exam questions here? Seeing the candidates racking their brains, it's clear that this test won't be easy for them. Before long, the two-hour period flew by, and all the candidates' papers were collected.
The robots quickly graded the papers against the answer key, and soon the scores for each candidate were available. Ultimately, 250 candidates passed this round of testing. It's not that these individuals performed exceptionally well or all adhered strictly to the rules. Rather, Morin employed a weighted scoring system, and for the short-answer questions, as long as the responses weren't too outrageous, they received a fair amount of points.
Thus, those who passed had a correct understanding of the Hunter profession and answered seriously without any tricks. Conversely, the 19 who were eliminated wrote incoherently and lacked a clear concept of their future direction as Hunters. Some couldn't even recognize all the characters, let alone write them.
Those eliminated could be described as all brawn and no brains—or perhaps even less than that. This way, over four-fifths of the candidates were filtered out, and the test progressed smoothly. Morin had given Netero a satisfactory explanation.
Netero made a call to the chief examiner for the second round, informing him to come and inspect, then left with Morin. "Is it finally over?" Upon receiving the notice of passing, the remaining candidates all displayed relieved and liberated smiles.
"No matter what, passing is a good thing," Ponzu said, clutching her chest to calm her racing heart. Sommy, Pokkle, and the Amori brothers, along with Tsubone, nodded in agreement, still a bit shaken.
Just then, the examiner for the second round entered, observing the scene and feeling the unique atmosphere, momentarily bewildered. "Didn't Piers say this was supposed to be a free-for-all battle? Defeating five opponents and taking their number badges was supposed to be the criterion for passing, but this seems a bit different?"
Unaware that the first round had changed hands, the examiner was puzzled. However, this didn't prevent him from starting the second round of the test. With about one-fifth of the candidates eliminated, the upcoming tests would be easier to manage. A smile appeared on the second round examiner's face.
While the Hunter Exam was in full swing, elsewhere, within the game of Greed Island, in a forest surrounded by towering trees, sunlight filtered through the branches, casting a clear light on two figures below. One of them, wearing green traditional attire, was tall and had dark skin.
At this moment, he was tense, warily watching the man in front of him who exuded a sense of danger. "You want me to remove a curse for you?" he asked.
"To be precise, it's to remove a curse from something I possess," replied the mysterious man with a cross on his forehead, a gentle smile on his face.
"A curse removal, huh..." The dark-skinned man, Abengane, furrowed his brows, deep in thought. Abengane was a player hired by Battera, and he was also a specialist in curse removal. His Nen ability involved harnessing the power of forest spirits, gathering the life energy of creatures residing in the forest, and combining it with his Conjuration-type abilities. This allowed him to create a Nen Beast capable of devouring and dispelling curses cast by others.
The size and appearance of the Nen Beast varied depending on the strength, nature, and form of the target's Nen ability. The Nen Beast would only disappear when the user of the cursed Nen ability died or when Abengane fulfilled the conditions to lift the curse.
In the original story, he had a bomb planted on his shoulder by Genthru, known as the "Bomber," and used his ability to remove it. Later, he was contacted by members of the Phantom Troupe to remove a curse for Chrollo, earning a substantial reward.