Is Hunter X Hunter the next DBZ blow out?

[Bansho64]

I'd bet money that its the OST that is boring OP's nephew whether or not he consciously realizes it.

Are you talking about Kai's placement of the Kikuchi tracks or just Kikuchi in general?

[Cure Dragon 255]

Dude he already said its the "nonstop talking". Sure I dont agree but that's what he feels and that's that.

[Bansho64]

Dude he already said its the "nonstop talking". Sure I dont agree but that's what he feels and that's that.

Huh? Were you talking to me? (I'm not very good with clarification on the internet)

[Cure Dragon 255]

Oops! I knew this was going to be a problem! No, I was talking to the guy you were responding to, you are cool.

[kinisking]

How long has hunter x hunter been going on dub wise? My nephew and his friends are into dragonBall (I introduced my nephews to it but I don't know how their friends got into it) and especially sonic. He hates sonic boom though haha. He's probably a bit younger though. My sisters a 5th grade teacher and says her students keep switching between Pokémon and DBZ depending on the year.

[sintzu]

How long has hunter x hunter been going on dub wise ?

Toonami aired the 16th episode last week so they're 4 months in.

[qjz123]

No way never, Bleach and Naruto had a chance to grab onto the coattails of Dragon Ball and have some success on Toonami but both were pretty much derailed by their respective filler. It really takes a perfect storm for something to get that big. I feel like if Attack on Titan had come over to the US with the Manga complete and the entire show adapted, something like a 70 episode complete story it is the one show that would've had the ability to break into the mainstream beyond just anime fans. Alas that too never managed to break out amongst casuals because it's been years now and season 2 is still not out and the dub of season 2 will have to wait even longer.

But yeah getting back on topic, no HXH does not have what it takes, I've watched the show and enjoyed it but even at it's peak it didn't come close to how hooked I was on DBZ in my first full watch through.

[sintzu]

Bleach and Naruto had a chance to grab onto the coattails of Dragon Ball and have some success on Toonami but both were pretty much derailed by their respective filler.

HXH does not have what it takes, I've watched the show and enjoyed it but even at it's peak it didn't come close to how hooked I was on DBZ in my first full watch through.

I know Z isn't the best anime ever made but there's something about it that always brings people back to it that other anime (including its predecessor and 2 sequels) lack.

[qjz123]

Bleach and Naruto had a chance to grab onto the coattails of Dragon Ball and have some success on Toonami but both were pretty much derailed by their respective filler.

HXH does not have what it takes, I've watched the show and enjoyed it but even at it's peak it didn't come close to how hooked I was on DBZ in my first full watch through.

I know Z isn't the best anime ever made but there's something about it that always brings people back to it that other anime (including its predecessor and 2 sequels) lack.

There definitely is and honestly I don't even know what exactly does it but there's just something about it. Where it doesn't matter if you watch it in Japanese or English, it doesn't matter if you watch it in Kai form or the original filled with filler. There's just something special about it that makes it standout.

For me other series have done that for brief moments or arcs but not throughout its entirety and not to the level of DBZ.

And that's coming from someone who isn't really into the series much anymore... even still I remember what it was like watching it all the way through a few years back and that experience stuck with me.

[kinisking]

Bleach and Naruto had a chance to grab onto the coattails of Dragon Ball and have some success on Toonami but both were pretty much derailed by their respective filler.

HXH does not have what it takes, I've watched the show and enjoyed it but even at it's peak it didn't come close to how hooked I was on DBZ in my first full watch through.

I know Z isn't the best anime ever made but there's something about it that always brings people back to it that other anime (including its predecessor and 2 sequels) lack.

There definitely is and honestly I don't even know what exactly does it but there's just something about it. Where it doesn't matter if you watch it in Japanese or English, it doesn't matter if you watch it in Kai form or the original filled with filler. There's just something special about it that makes it standout.

For me other series have done that for brief moments or arcs but not throughout its entirety and not to the level of DBZ.

And that's coming from someone who isn't really into the series much anymore... even still I remember what it was like watching it all the way through a few years back and that experience stuck with me.

It's the choreography and raw emotion. I still get chills at a lot of the iconic moments. I think it's too early to say super doesn't have the same potential though. Looks like we're in for a long ride and it keeps getting better.

[Saikyo no Senshi]

Hunter X Hunter may never reach the levels of popularity DB reached in the West cause of reasons already mentioned like high speed internet and streaming services availability due to which the TV audience is declining rapidly.

But it is far better than DB in every way. I remember watching it when it aired and being hyped for every episode. It revived my interest in shonen. I would say it is underrated and maybe always will be in the West.

- Travis

[Bansho64]

Hunter X Hunter may never reach the levels of popularity DB reached in the West cause of reasons already mentioned like high speed internet and streaming services availability due to which the TV audience is declining rapidly.
- Travis

Eh, I feel it's more of the times that Toonami runs their anime. And the fact that American Cartoon Network in general doesn't really air anime more than once a week on Saturday nights. I say this because a lot of other countries air anime like Dragon Ball during weekdays and they generally get a lot of viewers. Heck, I think it was just a couple of months ago that a member named Cure Dragon here posted that Dragon Ball specifically does really well in Mexico on Canal 5 and is a favorite program of the kids over there. Toonami Asia has been airing Super during the week. I think it's specifically us in America that don't really get the anime programming like other countries do. Not saying that our Toonami doesn't get viewers but I feel we could do a lot better. It's a shame. A lot of us didn't get to experience Toonami in its heyday

[sintzu]

I would say it is underrated and maybe always will be in the West.

I think it's underrated everywhere including Japan which could've been prevented if the manga didn't stop as much as it did.

[Saikyo no Senshi]

I would say it is underrated and maybe always will be in the West.

I think it's underrated everywhere including Japan which could've been prevented if the manga didn't stop as much as it did.

It has sold more than 65 million copies in Japan alone which is impressive so it definitely is in a much better position in Japan compared to everywhere else. But yeah if not for the hiatuses it had the potential to rival the"Big 3" that is One Piece, DB and Naruto or maybe even surpass them.

- Travis

[darkerspare]

I'd bet money that its the OST that is boring OP's nephew whether or not he consciously realizes it.

Are you talking about Kai's placement of the Kikuchi tracks or just Kikuchi in general?

Honestly, I'd say Kikuchi in general. The only OSTs I'm a fan of are Yamamoto and some Faulconer Studios. Anecdotally, I've shown Kikuchi scored episodes to my little cousins as an experiment and they've always been bored pretty fast (though not knowing why) compared to Faulconer scored episodes (scored properly via Faulconer Revival Project so not nonstop music) and to a lesser degree Yamamoto scored episodes. I do like Kikuchi for DB though.

[swimtrunks]

Some of you guys are overrating the crap out of DBZ. It's great and all but the reason why Hunter X Hunter will never take off the same way as DBZ did for the late 90's early 00's generation is because of America's airing practices. Naruto is/was pretty much the next DBZ. What screwed Naruto up was Cartoon Network deciding to cancel Toonami. If Toonami had returned to it's normal airing weekdays, Naruto and other cartoons would be popular.

Hunter X Hunter will never have that chance. We can't blame the internet/streaming services because if it wasn't for them, we'd only get to see HXH, Naruto, One Punch Man, and DBSuper once a week. Not to mention the late night run time.

CN screwed the pooch on Naruto. But you know it brought good ratings because CN still aired Naruto at 10 for a few more Saturdays despite no longer having an anime block like Toonami. Then we had to deal with Naruto Shippuden being aired on Disney XD at odd times.

I have no doubt Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, etc... would be popular. Naruto already proved that. That's why Naruto's video games are still pretty popular here in America. It's lucky it came along when it did or else it'd be in the same boat as Hunter X Hunter.

All these anime have potential but do you really expect them to reach the heights of DBZ ratings/sales wise when they're only aired once a week at midnight when the majority of adults, teens, and children are asleep?

[sintzu]

What screwed Naruto up was Cartoon Network deciding to cancel Toonami.

We can't blame the internet/streaming services because if it wasn't for them, we'd only get to see HXH, Naruto, One Punch Man, and DBSuper once a week. Not to mention the late night run time.

What screwed Naruto was its 80+ episodes of filler that happened after the battle with Sasuke, the ratings dropped so much it got Toonami cancelled cause at the time they put all their $$$ into it.

That's the problem, if you like something on TV you're probably going to finish it online instead of waiting for whatever station to finish it.

What made Z so popular at the time simply can't be done again for these reasons :

1- It was one of the 1st anime to become mainstream so it was completely different and new from everything else back then while today, HXH is just another anime and doesn't stand out.

2- It was released before all this political correct nonsense so CN and other channels could air shows like Z & Naruto without any trouble while now, they'd have everyone breathing down their necks.

3- It didn't have much competition from other media while today, video games, comics, TV & blockbusters have gotten extremely popular so it'll have to go up against them.

HXH is a great show and one of the best anime I've ever watched but unfortunately it doesn't have anything going for it that will get it noticed.

[Saikyo no Senshi]

Not just the US I don't think Hunter X Hunter is even remotely popular in Europe and other major markets like Australia, New Zealand etc. It is impossible for it to do what DB did which is sad.

- Travis

[Hellspawn28]

Anime can become popular on TV. Space Dandy did well on Toonami and most people saw the dub before seeing it subbed. Attack on Titan, Sword Art Online and Parasyte did well on Toonami. Even Akame Ga Kill got 2 million views on it's first episode and I doubt most people knew what AGK was until it air on Toonami. Anime always been on Saturday nights on TV. Trigun, Inuyasha, YYH and Naruto already had fan subs on the web before they air on TV and the Internet has become mainstream since the early 2000's. Dial up was pretty much dead by 2003. What makes a show do well on TV is good marketing letting people know it's going to out on TV soon.

[GodKaio-Ken]

FWIW I had never seen Hunter X Hunter before it came to Toonami recently and I really love it. It has some DB type feel to it and I really enjoy it. So maybe it is.