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| Image Credit: Vizmedia |
Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi never ceases to surprise its passionate fans. The manga is considered one of the most popular shōnen ever written, but it has suffered from a particularly long and troubled serialization due to the health problems of its author. The end of the story, in short, seems far away, and there are still many open mysteries. One above all: but how do you really pronounce the title of the work? There has been a heated debate around the pronunciation of the mysterious "x" since the time of the first publication. It is a mainly aesthetic sign, added by the author for stylistic reasons (and then taken up as a tribute by other more recent mangaka, such as Tatsuya Endo, who used it in his Spy x Family).
However, it does not represent the letter x, but rather the mathematical symbol for multiplication (technically, it should be written Hunter × Hunter). The character could therefore have different meanings, from “per” to “e”, passing through “versus/vs”. This has generated a multiplicity of different interpretations when it comes to the official pronunciation of the title. There are those, for example, who pronounce the symbol as if it were the letter x, so literally “Hunter x Hunter” (or “Hunter ex Hunter” in English).
Other versions are “Hunter versus Hunter”, referring to the challenges between – precisely – the hunters, figures who in the imaginary universe created by Togashi are attracted by mystery and dedicate themselves to the search for rare and precious objects, hidden treasures, monstrous animals, and exotic species. Finally, some fans read it as if it were the mathematical symbol, therefore “Hunter per Hunter”. The most common pronunciation, however, is the one in which the “x” is silent, or simply “Hunter Hunter”. And for those who are still in doubt, know that it is also the one adopted by the creator of the series himself.
In fact, in an old video in which he shows the public his studio and his works, Yoshihiro Togashi introduces himself as the author of “Hunter Hunter”, using this precise reading. In short, the enigma is solved: the official pronunciation of the title of the work seems to be exactly this! Now we just have to wait patiently for the arrival of the next chapters to find answers to the other mysteries surrounding Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio.
Source: CBR
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