Chapter Summaries

Gale told Kite that the Nen Snake had been dealt with, and Ging sent them an antidote formula that Moro had provided. Meanwhile, Gon, Leorio, Killua, and Kalluto reached the underground Hunter Exam venue, where Moro arrived separately and encountered Tonpa.

• Gale told Kite that the Nen Snake was gone, and the two agreed to split the cost of Moro's Nen removal.
• Ging sent Gale an antidote formula, which she realized Moro had supplied through him.
• Killua and Kalluto met Gon and Leorio while they searched for the Hunter Exam entrance, and the four exchanged a skateboard and fishing rod before heading there together.
• Gon, Leorio, Killua, and Kalluto reached the underground passage and joined the crowd of examinees, where Tonpa watched them.
• Moro entered the restaurant disguised, ordered chicken cutlet rice, used the code phrase to reach the exam venue, and was approached by Tonpa.

Tonpa tried to trick Moro into drinking a laxative by posing as a helpful veteran, while Moro used the conversation to inspect the candidates and identify Illumi in disguise. Registration closed, and the Hunter Exam began.

• Tonpa introduced himself to Moro as a thirty-five-time Hunter Exam veteran and warned him about dangerous candidates, including Hisoka.
• Tonpa described Hisoka's past killings and disqualification, while Moro noticed Gon, Leorio, Killua, Kalluto, and a candidate he suspected was Illumi in disguise.
• Tonpa offered Moro a drink as bait, but Moro declined and gave the false name Kakashi while showing his own canned drink.
• A bell rang, and a mustached man announced that registration had closed and the Hunter Exam had officially begun.

As the first Hunter Exam test began, the examinees endured Satotz’s marathon through the underground passage and into the dangerous Lake Moblesh Wetland. Hisoka began hunting in the fog, while Moro’s targeted Killing Intent drew Illumi away from Killua and Kalluto and prompted him to prepare a response.

• Hisoka focused on Kalluto, while disguised Illumi watched Hisoka and Moro watched Illumi; Satotz then announced the first test and led the examinees onward.
• Satotz explained that the examinees had to keep up with him, and the 476 who remained began an exhausting run that left the chubby computer-carrying examinee behind.
• After the survivors climbed the stairs to the surface, Satotz warned them that human-eating creatures inhabited Lake Moblesh Wetland and led them into its fog.
• Killua warned Gon to avoid Hisoka, while Kalluto moved toward the front and Moro quietly left the group under cover of the fog.
• The wetland creatures attacked the examinees, Hisoka began killing, and Illumi secretly watched over Killua and Kalluto.
• Moro’s concentrated Killing Intent reached Illumi; Illumi moved away from Hisoka and the children, used Nen needles to create seven or eight Needle People, and prepared to investigate the threat.

Illumi used a disguised Needle Person and a scattered group of decoys to lure Moro into a prepared ambush, eager to kill the man he had trained for over a year to defeat. Moro exposed the decoy and countered Illumi’s layered attack with Flying Star, leaving the fight underway as Illumi recognized a resemblance to his father.

• Illumi gathered around thirty Needle People, set up a perimeter in the fog, and hid while a double with his face and Aura acted as bait.
• Moro destroyed a lookout Needle Person, emerged from the fog, and confronted Illumi, whose disguise he had already seen through.
• Illumi learned Moro was the source of the Killing Intent and launched his Needle People at him, while Moro ignored his warning that Hisoka had targeted Kalluto.
• Moro used Star Brilliance Condensation to identify Illumi’s double, then rushed through the Needle People toward it.
• Illumi attacked with threaded Nen needles, the charging Needle People, and his double, but Moro retracted his ability and fired Flying Star through the assault.
• Illumi watched Moro’s Aura spheres pierce the Needle People and needles, and the sight reminded him of his father.

Moro outmaneuvered Illumi’s substitute Needle Person and revealed that he had known it was fake, using the fight to draw Illumi into a fatal attack. Illumi died after Moro used Flash Strike to tear out his heart, while Moro left him to attempt one last futile defense.

• Moro defeated the substitute Needle Person in close combat and used Star Brilliance Condensation to bind it and place a Star Mark on it.
• Illumi’s plan relied on Moro mistaking the substitute for the real Illumi and attacking while Illumi struck from behind.
• Moro destroyed the substitute with a Flying Star, then activated Star Brilliance Condensation as Illumi launched his attack.
• Moro used Flash Strike to appear behind Illumi and tear out his heart, while Illumi’s Nen needles struck empty space.
• Illumi asked why Moro had given him a chance, and Moro said he had wanted to show how far ahead he had become before crushing Illumi’s heart.
• Illumi tried to use a Nen needle to prolong his life, and Moro did not stop him.

Moro killed Illumi and absorbed the post-death Nen from his needles, then left for the second test. Meanwhile, Hisoka forced Kalluto to use his tracking ability to locate Moro, and the Paper Person of Life revealed that Moro was extremely close.

• Moro let Illumi use Nen needles to extend his life, avoided his final charge, and watched him die before absorbing the post-death Nen with the Annual Rings.
• Moro's level rose from Lv.72 to Lv.73, and Illumi's death Nen strengthened the needle in Killua's head before Moro destroyed Illumi's communication device and left his body to Lake Moblesh creatures.
• Moro left the wetlands for the second test as Hisoka held Gon and Killua, then pulled Killua back with Bungee Gum when he tried to flee.
• Hisoka threatened Killua and demanded that Kalluto find Moro, eventually making Kalluto agree by cutting Killua and threatening his life.
• Kalluto created Moro's Paper Person of Life, which vibrated violently and indicated that Moro was extremely close.

Moro was exposed when Kalluto’s Paper Person of Life tracked him across the Hunter Exam route, and Hisoka nearly forced him into a fight before Moro asked him to wait until the exam was over. Moro reunited with Kalluto and sent him, Killua, and Gon on toward the second test while Hisoka carried the unconscious Leorio.

• Kalluto’s Paper Person of Life led him and Hisoka to examinee number 502, whom they recognized as Moro despite his disguise.
• Hisoka unleashed his Aura and charged Moro, but stopped his playing card at Moro’s neck when Moro refused to fight and revealed his true face.
• Moro told Hisoka to hold on a little longer, then reassured Kalluto that he was not angry about the Paper Person of Life and urged him to continue to the first-stage finish.
• Moro had Hisoka carry the unconscious Leorio while Gon and Killua gathered Leorio’s belongings and left with Kalluto for the second test.
• As they ran through the forest, Gon thanked Killua and Kalluto for helping, and Kalluto insisted that Hisoka could not match Moro.

Moro reached the second Hunter Exam just before the deadline, where Menchi and Buhara began a cooking test that required applicants to hunt and roast Violent Snorting Pigs. In the forest, Gon impressed Applicant No. 22, who revealed her Nen ability and urged him to become a Beast Hunter.

• Satotz welcomed the 109 applicants who had reached Biskan Forest, and the warehouse opened as the first test ended.
• Menchi introduced herself and Buhara, then announced that applicants had to prepare dishes chosen by the two Gourmet Hunters, beginning with Buhara's whole roasted pig.
• The applicants raced into the forest to hunt Violent Snorting Pigs, while Moro stayed behind and Menchi recognized him as No. 502.
• Gon identified a Violent Snorting Pig's weakness and knocked it out, while Killua and Kalluto also completed their hunts with ease.
• Applicant No. 22 approached Gon, praised his talent for understanding creatures, and used her Nen to manifest an Electronic Illustrated Book.
• Kalluto watched Killua react to the Nen ability and reflected that recent encounters were restoring Killua's contact with Nen.

Barbara demonstrated her Ecological Compendium to Gon and invited him to become a Beast Hunter, but he asked about Kite instead. Moro and Hisoka competed to roast whole pigs before passing Buhara’s test; after 101 applicants passed, Menchi announced that the next dish was sashimi.

• Barbara used her Ecological Compendium’s Execution Protocol to kill a Violent Snorting Pig and encouraged Gon to pursue Beast Hunting, but Gon asked whether she knew Kite.
• Moro practiced controlling Nen balls while roasting a pig, and Hisoka borrowed the fire to cook his own.
• Hisoka burned his pig and concealed the charred parts with Texture Surprise, then challenged Moro to fight; Moro left to submit his test dish and said he hoped Hisoka had improved.
• Moro and Hisoka both passed Buhara’s whole-pig test, and 101 applicants passed the first half of the second-phase test.
• Menchi announced that the next dish was sashimi, surprising most of the examinees.

Moro passed Menchi’s sashimi test with a carefully prepared platter, while the other examinees failed to meet her standards. Menchi ended the test with Moro as the only qualifier, leaving Satotz to consider reporting the result to the chairman.

• Menchi began the sashimi test, and Killua explained the dish to Gon, Leorio, and Barbara while the examinees searched for aquatic ingredients.
• Moro raced to Serpent River, caught a migratory sea fish, and prepared sashimi using the station’s tools, ingredients, and crushed ice.
• Moro presented an elaborate glowing sashimi platter, and Menchi enjoyed it and judged it qualified.
• Hisoka copied Moro’s presentation using leftover fish scraps, but Menchi rejected his dish and Buhara swallowed it.
• Menchi rejected the other examinees’ dishes and ended the test with Moro as the only person to pass.
• Satotz watched the result and wondered whether to report his judgment to the chairman.

Netero flew to the second-stage test venue after Menchi insisted that only Moro had passed, then ruled that the test’s timing needed to be extended until midnight. He sent the other examinees to catch Phototactic Fish and took Moro aside, where Moro wondered whether his Star Brilliance Condensation could evade Hyakushiki Kannon.

• After Satotz reported that this year’s examinees were unusually capable, Netero reconsidered ending the Hunter Exam early.
• Menchi told Bean that Moro was the sole person to pass and challenged the review committee to come discuss her ruling in person.
• Netero flew from the airship to the warehouse, where he confirmed Menchi’s evaluation criteria but said the test had been allotted too little time.
• Netero extended the test deadline until midnight, and Menchi revealed that Phototactic Fish lived in a lake south of the venue.
• Netero took Moro behind the warehouse to discuss the review committee’s authority, while Moro considered whether he could dodge Hyakushiki Kannon.

After Netero recognized Moro and refused to grant him a Hunter License directly, the second test ended with fifty-six examinees passing. At Trap Tower, Moro challenged Hisoka to fight on the exposed rooftop, then bypassed the third test by jumping safely to the ground.

• Netero recognized Moro, refused his request for a Hunter License, and offered him a chance to make a reasonable request about later tests, which Moro declined.
• Hisoka passed the second test by bringing back a migratory sea fish and serving Menchi sashimi she called delicious.
• The second test ended with fifty-six examinees passing, and Menchi prepared a meal for them while Gon and Killua raced to eat Leorio's food.
• Bean announced that examinees had to reach the ground alive within seventy-two hours to pass the third test at Trap Tower.
• Moro invited Hisoka to fight on the rooftop, but Hisoka entered the tower instead; Moro then jumped from the summit and landed safely, clearing the test at top speed.

Moro passed Trap Tower by exploiting a loophole and trained while waiting for the test to end. Kurapika arrived as the fourth examiner, gave the candidates a day to rest, and the remaining applicants began speculating about his test.

• Moro reached Trap Tower's first floor in six minutes and twenty-two seconds, becoming the first candidate to pass the third test.
• Rippo broadcast Moro's result to the candidates, while Moro continued training and later watched Hisoka and other candidates emerge from the passages.
• Kurapika arrived at the airship, requested records of the previous tests, and reviewed them before the third test ended.
• Twenty-one candidates passed Trap Tower, and Kurapika introduced himself as the examiner for the fourth test and gave them a day to rest.
• Tonpa joined Gon and the other candidates as they discussed the next test, then claimed it would be a written exam.

Tonpa convinced the examinees that the fourth stage would be a written exam so they would waste their rest time studying, while Moro and Hisoka stayed behind and played cards. The next day, Kurapika announced that the fourth test really was a written exam, leaving Tonpa shocked and sweating.

• Tonpa used his Hunter Exam experience to persuade the examinees that the fourth stage would be a written exam and that the airship library held useful information.
• The examinees rushed to the library, while Tonpa slipped away and admitted he had expected a combat test and wanted them to waste their rest time worrying.
• Hisoka asked Moro whether he expected a written exam, then cheated at Old Maid with Bungee Gum until Moro caught him using Gyo.
• Bean summoned the examinees the next day, and Kurapika announced that the fourth test would be a written exam.
• The examinees admired Tonpa for his prediction, while Tonpa stared in disbelief and broke into a cold sweat.

Kurapika began the fourth test, a six-hour written exam held in the airship library under strict library rules. Moro realized the questions were designed to be answered using the library’s books and began consulting them, leaving the other candidates astonished.

• Tonpa wavered over withdrawing after learning the fourth test was a written exam and hoped to ask others about the library later.
• Kurapika led the twenty-one candidates to the library, assigned them numbered desks, and warned them to follow its rules.
• Kurapika started the timer and left the candidates alone, while surveillance cameras and the threat of elimination kept them silent.
• Moro noticed Hisoka and the other candidates reacting gravely to the difficult questions on their papers.
• Moro inferred that the questions required books from the library, took one from a shelf, and began reading as he checked his exam paper.

Kurapika monitored a library exam designed to reward resourcefulness and cooperation, explaining that scores were only one factor and that he expected to eliminate just one examinee unless conflicts occurred. Moro found an answer and tried to quietly coordinate with Gon, while the candidates hesitated over the risks of helping one another; Kurapika marked examinee 502 with a check, apparently approving Moro’s conduct.

• The examiners questioned Kurapika about the test, and he explained that answers, how candidates obtained them, and their responses to the final question would determine advancement.
• Kurapika said he would theoretically eliminate only one examinee unless conflict incidents occurred, surprising Menchi, Buhara, and Bean.
• Moro found the first answer in a reference book, and the examinees realized they could borrow books but hesitated to communicate because of the uncertain risks.
• Hisoka tricked Tonpa into looking toward the library entrance, then went to the book stacks as Tonpa followed the other candidates.
• Moro approached Gon and pointed out a question about Whale Island, while Leorio cautiously intervened and tried to communicate by writing in a book.
• Moro pointed out the library notice forbidding writing in books, earning grateful looks from Gon and Leorio; Kurapika then checked examinee 502’s name in his notebook.

Moro built an eight-person answer-sharing group for the library test while Tonpa’s veterans tried to hoard books and block answers. Moro secretly gathered the missing answers and filled in nearly thirty difficult questions, leaving Tonpa and the others alarmed by what he had done.

• Moro showed Gon how to exchange answers, and Gon and Leorio agreed to divide up the questions with him.
• Moro expanded the cooperation group to include Ponzu, Kalluto, Killua, Barbara, and Hanzo, while ignoring Hisoka’s attempt to join.
• Tonpa and the other veterans began hoarding books to keep answers from Gon and the other newcomers.
• Moro used Star Brilliance Condensation to collect answers from the veterans’ movements and fill in nearly thirty difficult questions without consulting books.
• Gon and the others watched Moro finish the answers in amazement, and Tonpa’s group suspected that Moro had done something.

Moro completed the library exam and shared his answers with his team, while Kurapika used his enhanced lie-detecting chain and graded the papers. Tonpa was declared the sole examinee eliminated after his paper was found blank, and Moro suspected Hisoka had switched it; Netero began considering how to make the final test more interesting.

• Moro finished his answers, shared them with his team, and watched Hisoka linger by the bookshelves as the exam neared its end.
• Kurapika demonstrated his enhanced Chain of Finger Tracking and used its lie-detecting ability while examinees answered the final question honestly.
• Kurapika announced that only the lowest-scoring examinee would be eliminated, then graded the papers and named Moro first and Gon second.
• Kurapika called Bodrō twentieth and presented Tonpa's paper as blank, making Tonpa the sole examinee eliminated despite his protests.
• Moro suspected Hisoka had used False Masquerade to switch Tonpa's paper, while Netero watched the twenty successful examinees and considered the final test.

Netero interviewed the candidates to help arrange the final test, and their answers repeatedly identified Moro as the strongest and Hisoka as the least desired partner. At the martial arts grounds, Netero revealed the team duels and left everyone stunned by pairing Moro and Hisoka together.

• Netero decided to interview the candidates about who they considered strongest and whom they wanted as teammates for the final test.
• Moro named Kalluto as his preferred partner and Hisoka as the one he least wanted to work with.
• Gon, Leorio, Ponzu, Killua, Kalluto, Hanzo, Barbara, and other candidates praised Moro and said they did not want to cooperate with Hisoka.
• Hisoka said he considered himself the strongest, had no interest in teamwork, and would rather fight Moro to the death.
• Two days later, Netero announced that the final test would consist of team duels and revealed that Moro and Hisoka had been assigned to the same team.

The final Hunter Exam test paired candidates in duels where one victory secured a Hunter License, but Hisoka ignored the test to challenge Moro. Hisoka struck first after Moro revealed his true face, and Moro blocked the blow before crashing into a wall.

• Netero explained that winning one duel was enough to pass, that losing teams advanced to further matches, and that killing an opponent would disqualify the killer while passing everyone else.
• The candidates learned that Moro and Hisoka would face Gon and Hanzo, and Hanzo planned to surrender while Gon insisted on fighting.
• Hanzo argued with Gon over surrendering, then withdrew as Moro and Hisoka focused on each other.
• Hisoka told Moro he wanted to fight him rather than pursue a Hunter License, and Moro agreed after confirming the training ground's limits.
• Hisoka asked Moro to remove his disguise, and Moro restored his original face, which Hanzo recognized from Ryuuou Country.
• Hisoka attacked Moro with an elastic, compressed strike; Moro gathered Aura to block the blow but was hurled into a wall.