Is Hunter X Hunter the next DBZ blow out?

[MozillaVulpix]

I truly wonder if Kai's musical score has an influence on these kids' experience with the show. Even I tend to get bored because of it.

I dunno, HunterXHunter's OST sometimes sounds like iPhone ringtones. It clearly doesn't stop them from enjoying it.

[Nejishiki]

Well, this is an unreasonable request, I understand, but I rather they seek out Kai with the Yamamoto score. The placement fit much better with how the refreshed cut was edited. Unfortunately, I'm expecting them all to be hardcore and that would likely just be a few out of many.

[sintzu]

HXH & One Piece both have the potential to be the next Z in America but they won't be able to do it being stuck on a small midnight weekly block like Toonami.

[rereboy]

Hunter x Hunter is not a new series. If it was going to be the "next dbz", it would have already happened, imo.

[Cure Dragon 255]

DBZ was a decade old when it came to the USA. And yes, that's counting...Wait, no, there was Harmony Gold in the 80's... FINE! It formally came on 95 but that's still a decade!

[rereboy]

DBZ was a decade old when it came to the USA. And yes, that's counting...Wait, no, there was Harmony Gold in the 80's... FINE! It formally came on 95 but that's still a decade!

The anime of Hunter x Hunter (the first one) has been available in the USA since 2008.

The second anime began in 2011 and ended in 2014, with Crunchyroll having subtitled simulcasts in the USA.

The manga has been available in the USA since 2005.

[Cure Dragon 255]

You have a point there, lol. I do hope HXH is watched by kids, even if it isnt a success.

ALSO, MAJOR COINCIDENCE, Mike O Toole made an article about HunterXHunter because HIS nephew loved the show!

Here it is!

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mik ... 15/.102150

[Lord Beerus]

I don't think any new anime can become the next DBZ. I mean, DBZ itself has a very niche audience and with the age of the Internet 2.0 and streaming from every mobile device imaginable, I don't see Hunter X Hunter, as awesome as the show is, gaining any kind of major footing in regards to a TV audience. Hell, if the ratings on Toonami are any indication, Dragon Ball is still the king of anime in the west with no real competitor. And that not even taking into consideration the success of Battle Of Gods, Resurrection F and Xenoverse.

[Theophrastus]

Even aside from HxH being quite violent (though the 2011 anime does tone it down in the earlier parts), I don't think your average 7-to-8 year old is going to be quite...ready for Hisoka:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_gzxZZuQEc

[Vijay]

Never was & will never be

DB was a beast in the 80's. Z was beast in 90's. GT, Kai & Super (despite their varying degree of success) are STILL raging phenomenon all around the globe

HXH even at its peak can only dream of tasting the same level of succcess as DBZ

Forget DBZ. Let it first touch Bleach, Naruto or OP's level. Then talk abt DBZ

[Kuririn Fan]

Nothing can beat Dragon Ball. NOTHING.

[B]

Maybe if it was on Netflix... But as others have pointed out, the conditions that allowed for DB to soar don't exist anymore. In the age of the internet, we have access to these shows before there's even an inkling of a Western release. A fan following is built in long before that, and then when something is announced to be brought over, that's the group following that news and where it's going to air and all that jazz. This process is not conductive to fresh eyes.

[rereboy]

I disagree with people saying that things can't explode in this day and age. Things like Game of Thrones have exploded in this day and age, and the new technologies have helped in that. Heck, the term viral only really applies for this day and age. As far as anime goes, One-punch man is a much better success story of an anime becoming popular and well-known than Hunter x Hunter. Hunter x Hunter just doesn't have what it takes.

[Bansho64]

Hunter X Hunter could make it with the right marketing and airing times. It still wouldn't even begin to come close to Dragon Ball's height of popularity back in the day but it would certainly make an effort. Not to mention that media wasn't as available as it is now back in the day. I think Toonami needs to leave Adult Swim and go back to being on Cartoon Network on weekdays.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I disagree with people saying that things can't explode in this day and age. Things like Game of Thrones have exploded in this day and age, and the new technologies have helped in that. Heck, the term viral only really applies for this day and age. As far as anime goes, One-punch man is a much better success story of an anime becoming popular and well-known than Hunter x Hunter. Hunter x Hunter just doesn't have what it takes.

I don't think you can compare the success of a show like Game of Thrones to what will potentially be the next Dragon Ball Z because Dragon Ball Z, as we all know was marketed towards young people, while Game of Thrones is intended for late teens and adults.

It's a different age nowadays. Dragon Ball Z became what it was because of the wider availability of cable, the absence of other sources of entertainment, and the committed fans who bought everything from toys to video games to DVDs, and so fort.

Keep in mind younger audiences have more time on their hands, and the greater variety in entertainment sources means that they are more easily swayed by other anime/shows. You might see a lot of kids watching Hunter X Hunter, but how many of them stick with it and support it through buying merchandise is another thing.

Older audiences have more money to spend on merchandise (and there's lots of Game of Thrones merchandise out there), and because they have other commitments (work, social lives, relationships) and less time they are more likely to be relatively hardcore fans in whatever property they dedicate their spare time to, especially because shows like HBO dramas tend to be very long with complex storylines. I'd tend to think it was the same thing with Star Trek in the 60s, granted Star Trek can be enjoyed more by kids than Game of Thrones, but it was ultimately the adult fanbase that were dedicated fans and helped it to retain a substantial following.

This is actually a really interesting discussion, it makes me all the more interested to read Derek Padula's upcoming book on Dragon Ball in the US .

In short, I don't think the youth following is as influential as it used to be, and no I don't think Hunter X Hunter will achieve the heights Dragon Ball Z did.

[rereboy]

I don't think you can compare the success of a show like Game of Thrones to what will potentially be the next Dragon Ball Z because Dragon Ball Z, as we all know was marketed towards young people, while Game of Thrones is intended for late teens and adults.

Game of Thrones is an R show. If anything, the intended market should make it harder for it to explode compared to an all ages show.

It's a different age nowadays. Dragon Ball Z became what it was because of the wider availability of cable, the absence of other sources of entertainment, and the committed fans who bought everything from toys to video games to DVDs, and so fort.

No, Dragon Ball became what it is because it had something that appealed to a great number of people on an extraordinary level. You are putting way too much importance in how we view products instead of the products themselves. Things still explode nowadays. We see it everyday with things going viral. By that logic, something like GANGNAM Style shouldn't have become popular and it would be impossible for it to get 2 billion views on youtube and be everywhere at its peak.

Keep in mind younger audiences have more time on their hands, and the greater variety in entertainment sources means that they are more easily swayed by other anime/shows. You might see a lot of kids watching Hunter X Hunter, but how many of them stick with it and support it through buying merchandise is another thing.

You are basically saying that the reason why Dragon Ball exploded was because there was no other things distracting kids. I completely disagree.

Older audiences have more money to spend on merchandise (and there's lots of Game of Thrones merchandise out there), and because they have other commitments (work, social lives, relationships) and less time they are more likely to be relatively hardcore fans in whatever property they dedicate their spare time to, especially because shows like HBO dramas tend to be very long with complex storylines. I'd tend to think it was the same thing with Star Trek in the 60s, granted Star Trek can be enjoyed more by kids than Game of Thrones, but it was ultimately the adult fanbase that were dedicated fans and helped it to retain a substantial following.

I completely disagree with this notion of people liking things and things being popular because people have no time to check out other things. When things get popular, they get popular because all kinds of people, with different amounts of free time, and different amount of interests, like them, and they like them because of the products themselves.

[FortuneSSJ]

I started to think of it as Kai being "Outdated" in terms of animation and art. They all loved BOG and ROF, I am curious to how they will react to a dubbed Super, but he and his little classmates seem all stuck on HXH.

Pretty sure the outdated part plays a role here. Most Kids have problems with that. It's like when you make them play a PS2 game, when they have PS4 nowadays.

The "they talk too much" part is hilarious. It will be funny to see their reaction when the Palace Invasion in Chimera Ant arc starts.

[sintzu]

Nothing can beat Dragon Ball. NOTHING.

Of course not, DB (the manga & the original 2 anime) is lighting in a bottle kind of success that will most likely never happen again.

[Hellspawn28]

DBZ was a decade old when it came to the USA. And yes, that's counting...Wait, no, there was Harmony Gold in the 80's... FINE! It formally came on 95 but that's still a decade!

DBZ came out in 1989 in Japan and 1996 in the US. DBZ was only seven years old when air in the US and DBZ just ended 8 months ago when it first air in the US.

Maybe if it was on Netflix... But as others have pointed out, the conditions that allowed for DB to soar don't exist anymore. In the age of the internet, we have access to these shows before there's even an inkling of a Western release. A fan following is built in long before that, and then when something is announced to be brought over, that's the group following that news and where it's going to air and all that jazz. This process is not conductive to fresh eyes.

Anime like Attack on Titan, Sword Art Online and Akame Ga Kill still able to become popular over here in the US thanks to Toonami airing them. I think Attack on Titan became the closet anime that reach a very popular mainstream level for anime. Two years ago, Attack on Titan started to become very big here in the US with a lot of merchandise for it able to be bought at stores. More casual people learn to learn about the show compare to it in 2013. Attack on Titan even got a crossover with Marvel.

Also Bleach, Naruto and Death Note still became popular in the US when you could find subs for them on the web at the time. The idea of people having access to these shows before they got a Western release is nothing. People act started to become a thing like 6 years ago when it has been around for over a decade. I remember people on Youtube and Dailymotion would post episodes of Naruto in 2006-2008.

[Kunzait_83]

In the age of the internet, we have access to these shows before there's even an inkling of a Western release. A fan following is built in long before that, and then when something is announced to be brought over, that's the group following that news and where it's going to air and all that jazz. This process is not conductive to fresh eyes.

While the scale of this has certainly increased tremendously in the last 16 years, this has more or less always been the way of things with Western anime fandom since at least the mid/late 80s. Stuff comes out in Japan, it gets some degree of a U.S. following before its official licensing, this helps drum up hype for it leading to licensing interest, and when it finally does get licensed its official release/translation are scrutinized a ton by the built-in fanbase that were on board with it from the early goings. Some variation on this pattern has been around and a major factor in Western anime fandom since well before I even came into things more than 25 years ago.

All that's really changed about it is the immense fluctuation of the number of people engaging in this over the years, which comes also part and parcel with the increased ease of access to pre-licensed anime thanks to better and more widespread internet connection, streaming, torrenting, etc. But even long before we had all those things, the whole cycle of "Japan makes things, it catches on overseas, fanbases get built up, then there's a licensed release which gets nitpicked apart" has been around and been a substantial and inseparable part of anime fandom in the West for close to 30+ some-odd years now give or take.

DBZ came out in 1989 in Japan and 1996 in the US. DBZ was only seven years old when air in the US and DBZ just ended 8 months ago when it first air in the US.

All very true, but its fair to note also that almost NO ONE outside of its already established fanbase was paying a lick of attention to it from 1996 to 1998 or so. The pre-dub fanbase was dissecting the fuck out of it (hence why there was so much online hostility towards it in the earliest years), but the amount of genuine newly minted fans that the earliest, pre-CN run of the DBZ dub had racked up was relatively speaking pretty minuscule: the already-initiated still outnumbered most dub-oriented fans by a fairly wide margin throughout those few years before it came to CN, which is when an actual substantial post-dub audience was finally built up - which by then was just barely shy of a decade from its Japanese debut.

The dub EXISTED before the decade mark, but it wasn't really an actual THING that was actually roping in very many new converts (though there were SOME certainly) until it crept up pretty damn close to a decade later. The 1996-1998 syndication era just didn't have the same degree of exposure: its intended audience of 10 year olds were still sound the hell asleep in the wee early ass-crack of dawn hours of a weekend morning, as opposed to the average 20-something mid-90s Otaku who were much more apt to be up (drinking) all night into the next morning on a weekend, or else otherwise just taping it in order to pour over it to compare with their fansubs/raws.


Anyways to the topic at hand: wasn't there a different anime adaptation of Hunter X Hunter all the way the hell back around roughly when DBZ was first catching on on Toonami back in the day anyway? Considering the landscape at that point, that would've been the ideal time for it to have caught on if it was ever going to. I could be wrong on this point (and feel free to correct me if I am), but didn't that original anime also air over here in the U.S. on some kids' channel or other circa the early/mid 2000s? I remember there being a TON of discussion about this series back during the earlier years of this forum around 2004 to 2008-ish or thereabouts.

Either way, HxH isn't exactly some exciting brand new Shonen thing that's only just now blossoming and finding its audience: its been around for as long as the Toonami era of fandom has been around, which is fairly long now. If it hadn't "clicked" with mainstream American kids over here 15 years ago during the heyday of mainstream TV airings of Shonen anime or at some point throughout all that length of time, I don't really see why that would suddenly change now all of a sudden: especially with the manner in which mass media is broken up in today's day (death of cable packages, rise of streaming services, etc.) as many others here have already noted. Even the "newer" anime series for it started some years back right? Even that can't be all THAT new anymore by this point.

The whole premise of this thread in 2016 seems a bit mystifying to me, especially given the "old news" nature of the series' in question here combined with how absurdly "of the moment" and overly fixated on "what's happening in anime RIGHT NOW this very millisecond" modern anime fandom has generally and consistently been for at least a decade and change now.

Not even gonna touch too deeply on the whole thing about how "dark" HxH supposedly is, save to say I still can't believe that so many grown people this many years later still find genuine "shock" value in the INCREDIBLY mild content of any given typical post-1995/1996 Shonen series like this one. Shonen fandom in general is such an endlessly bizarre creature.