Recaps

Menchi rejected A Luo’s nigiri sushi because she believed cooking should bring joy rather than serve malicious schemes, then eliminated examinees one after another for their poor dishes. Hanzo revealed how to make nigiri sushi, but Menchi ate through the remaining submissions and ended the test without passing anyone.

• Menchi eliminated A Luo after condemning the malice behind her cooking, despite A Luo insisting her seasoning only improved the taste.
• Menchi rejected Leorio’s misshapen rice-and-fish ball and Gon’s rice wrapped around a live fish.
• Kurapika copied Gon’s approach with a smaller fish and rice, and Menchi rejected his dish as being on the same level as Number 403.
• Menchi tasted Hanzo’s nigiri sushi, rejected its flavor, and Hanzo accidentally revealed the basic method to the other examinees.
• Menchi raised her standards, ate the examinees’ remaining dishes, and announced that no one had passed the second half of the second test.

After Chairman Netero intervened in Menchi’s failed cooking test, she set a new challenge: collecting Grape Spider eggs from a gorge and boiling them. A Luo and Ponzu passed the test, and the second phase continued with forty-two successful examinees.

• Takuto protested Menchi’s decision, but Buhara knocked him aside, and Menchi defended her judgment by saying Hunters needed to be skilled fighters.
• Chairman Netero arrived, persuaded Menchi to continue as an examiner, and arranged a new test in which she would also take part as an examinee.
• Menchi demonstrated how to leap into the gorge, collect Grape Spider eggs, climb back up, and boil them.
• A Luo and Ponzu jumped into the gorge with the other examinees and passed the test, while Takuto stayed behind.
• Gon shared his egg with Takuto, who admitted defeat and vowed to return next year; forty-two examinees passed the second phase.

A Luo spent the Hunter Exam airship’s free evening trying to avoid Hisoka, but ended up fighting him and Illumi after they blocked her exit. Elsewhere, Gon continued playing ball with Netero while Killua left and killed two examinees who confronted him.

• Netero introduced himself aboard the airship, and Beans told the examinees they could spend the night as they wished.
• A Luo parted ways with Ponzu, warned her to stay inside, and tried to find a room away from Hisoka.
• A Luo discovered Illumi disguised as Gittarackur in the room, and Hisoka and Illumi blocked her from leaving with thrown needles and cards.
• A Luo attacked Hisoka and Illumi, and the three fought until A Luo and Illumi called a truce.
• Gon and Killua played a ball-snatching game with Netero, but Killua stopped after realizing they could not take the ball from him.
• Killua left Gon to continue playing, then killed two examinees who confronted him after they bumped into each other.

A Luo and the other examinees arrived at Trick Tower for the third phase of the Hunter Exam, where she proposed using the nearby airship to descend to the ground. As Illumi and several bold examinees rushed to seize it, Beans realized they were attempting to hijack Chairman Netero’s airship.

• A Luo convinced Hisoka and Illumi to stop fighting so they could rest before the next exam, then fell asleep in their room.
• Netero watched Gon sleep after their ball game and called the airship captain to ask him to take the journey slowly.
• The examinees arrived at Trick Tower, where Gon told Killua he had made Netero use his right hand despite failing to steal the ball.
• A Luo left Illumi and Hisoka behind to greet Ponzu after the two men watched Gon and Killua with interest.
• After Beans explained the third-phase rules, A Luo proposed taking the airship down to the ground, and Illumi and other examinees rushed to seize it.

Netero stopped the examinees’ attempted airship hijacking, only for Hisoka, A Luo, Ponzu, and Illumi to seize the airship themselves and dive toward the bottom of the Trick Tower. Hisoka fought Netero to buy the others time, and after being struck down, launched himself at Netero again using a Nen String.

• Netero intimidated the examinees into abandoning their hijacking attempt and returning to the test.
• Hisoka, A Luo, Ponzu, and Illumi took control of the airship, and Illumi used a Nen Needle to make the captain dive toward the bottom of the Trick Tower.
• Netero realized the group had tricked him and summoned his 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva to pursue them.
• A Luo persuaded Hisoka that fighting Netero would not disqualify him, and Hisoka rushed out to confront the chairman.
• Netero struck Hisoka into the top of the Trick Tower, but Hisoka used an elastic Nen String attached to Netero to launch himself back toward him.

A Luo, Ponzu, and Gittarackur were stranded outside Trick Tower after the airship incident, and Examiner Lippo refused to let them in easily. A Luo threatened to destroy the tower with her bomb bell, leaving the countdown underway.

• A Luo strapped a parachute onto Ponzu and pushed her out of the airship, then jumped herself after Netero caught the falling airship and saved it from crashing.
• A Luo found Ponzu and Gittarackur outside Trick Tower, but they could not locate an entrance or break through its walls.
• Netero flew away in the airship, and Lippo told the trio over a loudspeaker that they would fail unless they reached the tower’s bottom.
• A Luo realized the group had no easy way inside and feared that the disguised Illumi might attack Ponzu in anger.
• A Luo showed Lippo her bomb bell and threatened to blow up Trick Tower unless he opened the main entrance within one minute.

A Luo, Ponzu, and Gittarackur forced their way into Trick Tower with a threat involving a supposed bomb and secured a first-place tie. Hisoka later emerged injured after fighting Chairman Netero, then teased A Luo about using him as a shield and offered to do it again.

• A Luo threatened Examiner Lippo with a supposed weapon of mass destruction until he opened Trick Tower’s entrance.
• Lippo accused A Luo of bringing a dangerous weapon, but Ponzu argued that the rules allowed their airship plan and A Luo pressed him to recognize their success.
• Lippo announced that A Luo, Ponzu, and Gittarackur had reached the bottom in fifty-two minutes and tied for first place.
• The other candidates began their own paths through the tower while Hisoka went to meet the former examiner in a hidden passage.
• After sunset, Hisoka emerged injured, confronted A Luo about using him as a shield, and offered to serve as one again if she found another strong opponent.

A Luo pressured Lippo into supplying food and water while she and the other candidates waited on Trick Tower’s first floor. As more candidates arrived and joined their meals and games, the group continued waiting for the remaining contestants to clear the test.

• A Luo threatened to expose Lippo for reducing dangerous prisoners’ sentences for entertainment, and Lippo gave her a large supply of snacks and drinks.
• A Luo shared food with Ponzu, accepted Hisoka’s offer of help in exchange for a meal, and received a discount offer from Gittarackur, whom Hisoka identified as Illumi.
• Hanzo emerged from the tower, joined the group’s picnic, and offered A Luo a favor in exchange for food.
• After night fell, A Luo and Ponzu slept together for warmth, and A Luo obtained more food from Lippo the next day.
• The candidates ate and played cards while waiting, and A Luo endured two more days and nights as contestants intermittently cleared the test.

A Luo and the other candidates began the fourth phase of the Hunter Exam on Seibilu Island, where they had to collect six points’ worth of number plates within seven days. A Luo followed Gittarackur, hoping to claim her target’s plate, and rushed into the forest when he sensed someone nearby.

• The candidates drew target numbers, and Lippo explained that they had to collect six points in seven days on Seibilu Island.
• A Luo and Ponzu revealed their targets: A Luo was assigned the gun-carrying candidate, while Ponzu was assigned the Snake Charmer Bapeng.
• A Luo, Ponzu, and Gittarackur drew lots to determine their landing order, then A Luo gave Ponzu a tracking device and followed Gittarackur into the forest.
• A Luo followed Gittarackur for a day without finding her target, Number 80.
• Gittarackur defeated his target, Number 371, beneath a waterfall and sensed someone in the forest, prompting A Luo to chase after his Nen Needle.

After securing No. 80’s number tag, A Luo got lost in the forest and witnessed Illumi reveal his real appearance before burying himself underground to sleep. She followed Hisoka in hopes of finding Gon, but their path led straight to Leorio and Kurapika, who encountered Hisoka as he blocked their way.

• A Luo watched Gittarackur kill No. 371 after releasing him, then followed Hisoka’s trail while looking for Ponzu.
• A Luo’s tracker malfunctioned in the forest, and she became lost before stumbling upon Hisoka and Illumi.
• Illumi removed his Nen Needles, revealed his handsome appearance, then dug a pit and buried himself to sleep until the test ended.
• A Luo followed Hisoka, hoping to ask Gon for help finding Ponzu, while Killua faced the Amori Brothers and Leorio and Kurapika left Tonpa and Suomi tied up.
• Hisoka blocked Leorio and Kurapika’s path, and A Luo stepped out from behind him to greet them.

Kurapika and Leorio negotiated with Hisoka and escaped, while A Luo fled when Hisoka went berserk. Gon later stole Hisoka’s badge but was immediately struck by a poisoned needle and collapsed.

• Kurapika deduced that Hisoka did not want his Number 404 badge, and the group left Suomi’s badge behind for him.
• After Kurapika and Leorio departed, Hisoka retrieved the badge and became overwhelmed by bloodlust.
• Hisoka asked A Luo to fight him, but she fled into the night, and Gon stayed hidden nearby.
• At dawn, Gon followed Hisoka and stole his Number 44 badge while Hisoka attacked another examinee.
• Someone shot Gon with a poisoned needle, and he collapsed.

Geretta stole Gon’s Number Plates after poisoning and incapacitating him, but Hisoka killed Geretta and returned the plates to Gon, then knocked Gon unconscious when he refused to accept a favor. A Luo carried Gon to safety and, after he woke in despair, urged him to become stronger and strike back at Hisoka.

• Geretta revealed that he had stalked Gon, poisoned him, and taken Gon’s and Hisoka’s Number Plates.
• Hisoka killed Geretta, reclaimed the Number Plates, and praised Gon for secretly following him and seizing an opening.
• Gon refused to owe Hisoka a favor, so Hisoka punched him unconscious and told him to keep the Number Plates until he could land the same blow in return.
• A Luo arrived, left Hisoka, and carried Gon away from Geretta’s body.
• Gon woke that evening feeling defeated, and A Luo shared her hard-earned perspective and urged him to grow strong enough to repay Hisoka’s humiliation.

After Gon recovered from his defeat by Hisoka, A Luo enlisted him to help find Ponzu, and they joined Kurapika and Leorio. Gon rescued Ponzu and the others from Bapeng's snake-filled cave, while A Luo kept the plates she had collected and let Gon take Ponzu's plate for Leorio.

• Gon regained his spirits, and A Luo asked him to use his sense of smell to help find Ponzu.
• A Luo explained her goal to Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, and the four of them followed Gon to a cave where Ponzu was trapped.
• Leorio entered the cave, and Gon and Kurapika rushed in after hearing his warning cry.
• Gon released Sleeping Gas into the cave and carried Ponzu, Kurapika, and Leorio outside, suffering snakebites himself.
• Gon gave Ponzu Bapeng's Number Plate and took her Number 43 plate for Leorio, while A Luo kept her own two plates.

Ponzu passed the fourth Hunter Exam test with Number Plates A Luo gave her, while A Luo sacrificed her own chance to qualify. As the candidates boarded the ship, Ponzu promised to reach the final stage, and Gon kept asking where A Luo was.

• Gon asked Ponzu where A Luo was, and Ponzu glared at him because he had tricked her into losing her own Number Plate.
• The candidates recognized A Luo's Number Plate among Ponzu's plates and realized A Luo had given Ponzu the points she needed to pass.
• Killua recalled tricking Hanzo by switching the order of two Number Plates, leaving Hanzo with the wrong plate and one more target to find.
• Ponzu remembered how A Luo had found two Number Plates and given them to her, explaining that helping Ponzu become a Hunter mattered more to her than passing herself.
• A Luo asked Ponzu to pass the final stage and become a Hunter, then told her to surrender if she faced an opponent she could not beat.
• As the candidates boarded the ship, Ponzu worried about the opponents A Luo had promised would go easy on her and snapped at Gon to stop pestering her.

After giving up her chance to become a Hunter so Ponzu could advance, A Luo arranged for Killua, Hisoka, and Illumi to help Ponzu in the final trial. The chapter ended with Illumi accepting the job for a deposit and a possible additional payment if he faced Ponzu.

• A Luo told Killua she had given Ponzu her number plate so Ponzu could become a Hunter, and Killua asked whether A Luo would be upset if Ponzu failed.
• A Luo warned Killua not to fight Gittarackur, revealed that she considered Killua an important friend, and urged him not to believe his brother's manipulation.
• A Luo used information about Chrollo and Hisoka's promised favor to persuade Hisoka to let Ponzu advance if he faced her in the final trial.
• A Luo called Illumi and demanded he forfeit if he faced Ponzu, invoking his promise to give her a discount for his services.
• Illumi quoted a fee of 800 million Jenny, and A Luo countered with 500 million; Illumi then texted her his bank details and requested a 20-million-Jenny deposit.

After learning that Killua had killed Bodoro and returned to the Zoldyck estate, A Luo reunited with Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio and warned them about the family guarding him. As they traveled to Kukuroo Mountain, A Luo decided she could not wait for the others’ usual training and planned to get Killua out as quickly as possible.

• Ponzu told A Luo that Killua had killed Bodoro during the final stage, allowing the remaining examinees to pass, and A Luo could not reach Killua by phone.
• A Luo called Illumi to ask where he was, confirmed Gon’s location, and later met Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio to prepare for the trip to Kukuroo Mountain.
• Illumi considered investigating why A Luo cared about Ponzu but postponed it to complete his job; by the time he investigated, Malena had been sent to Whale Island and Airo had erased the relevant memories.
• A Luo warned Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio that the Zoldyck Family were assassins and that Kikyo would try to stop them from reaching Killua.
• While traveling by airship, A Luo decided to enter the Zoldyck estate as soon as possible because she feared Killua was suffering there.

After Killua returned to the Zoldyck estate, Illumi’s threats and his own jealousy toward Gon left him convinced that he belonged in the darkness, and his family punished him in the Torture Room. Three days later, A Luo and the others reached Kukuroo Mountain and learned how difficult it was to open the Testing Gate.

• Milluki whipped Killua in the Torture Room while Killua replayed his failure to stand up to Illumi and worried that Gon would despise him.
• Killua recalled killing Bodoro after losing control and wondered whether Gon would regret befriending him.
• Kikyo berated Killua and ordered him to endure a month of whipping, and Killua silently accepted the punishment.
• A Luo, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio arrived at the Zoldyck estate three days later and heard the gatekeeper explain the Testing Gate’s immense weight.

A Luo learned that Killua had returned to the Zoldyck estate in a bad mood and went to find him while Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio stayed behind to train. She opened all seven Testing Gate doors and confronted Kikyo, who tried to keep her away from Killua.

• Zebro told Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio about the Testing Gate and Mike, then said Killua had returned three days earlier covered in blood and carrying his skateboard.
• A Luo told the others to train with Zebro while she went to see Killua.
• A Luo opened all seven gates of the Testing Gate at once, astonishing the people watching and the three boys.
• Kikyo and Canary confronted A Luo in the forest, and Kikyo ordered her to leave and threatened her.
• A Luo accused Kikyo of trying to turn Killua into a killing machine without asking what he wanted.

A Luo fought off Kikyo and Kalluto at the Zoldyck Family's Mansion, then took the unconscious Kikyo hostage to demand a chance to see Killua. Silva arrived to confront her, and the chapter ended with him asking who she was and what she wanted.

• Kikyo ordered Canary to attack A Luo, but A Luo threw the reluctant girl out of the fight.
• Kikyo and Kalluto attacked A Luo together, but her Golden Bell ability shielded her from their bullets and paper scraps.
• A Luo seized Kikyo and told Kalluto she would release his mother after seeing Killua.
• Kikyo urged Kalluto and Gotoh to kill A Luo, so A Luo knocked her unconscious.
• Gotoh alerted Silva, who arrived and asked A Luo who she was and what she wanted.

A Luo persuaded Silva to let her see Killua after explaining that she had come as his friend, but Silva secretly arranged to incapacitate her. The chapter ended with A Luo being overcome by sleeping gas in the Torture Room, realizing Silva had deceived her.

• A Luo told Silva she had come to see Killua and explained that she had knocked Kikyo unconscious in self-defense.
• Gotoh confirmed that A Luo had opened all seven gates of the Testing Gate, and Silva reviewed footage of her fight with Kikyo and Kalluto.
• Silva declared A Luo a guest of the Zoldyck Family and ordered Gotoh to take her to Killua.
• A Luo gave Kikyo a Great Tonic Pill before Silva carried her back to the main residence.
• Gotoh led A Luo to the Torture Room, where sleeping gas knocked her unconscious before she could reach Killua.

A Luo realized Silva had captured her because she once hinted that she knew how to use Alluka’s ability without paying a price. She refused to reveal Killua’s secret and tried to distract Silva with a story about her previous life, leaving him stunned.

• A Luo woke in an underground chamber and wondered why Silva had attacked her.
• Silva recalled meeting A Luo in Meteor City four years earlier and demanded to know how she learned about Alluka.
• Silva admitted he wanted to learn how to make wishes without paying a price so the Zoldyck Family could gain absolute power.
• A Luo decided to conceal that Killua’s commands to Nanika carried no price, fearing Silva and Illumi would control Killua and Alluka.
• A Luo asked Silva whether people had souls after death, then claimed she knew so much because she had once been Kasuga, the family's butler.

A Luo claimed she had been Kasuga, a Zoldyck butler in her previous life, and offered Silva an antidote for Kikyo in exchange for her freedom. Silva considered the deal but demanded she return to butler duties, and A Luo refused.

• Silva questioned A Luo’s claim that she had once been Kasuga and pressed her about a supposed way to grant wishes without a price; A Luo admitted she had invented that claim to survive.
• A Luo offered Silva the antidote to Kikyo’s unknown Nen affliction in exchange for her freedom.
• Milluki urged Silva to use Alluka’s wish-granting ability to wake Kikyo, and Silva warned him not to repeat the past incident.
• Silva said he would consider A Luo’s offer only if she resumed her former butler duties after the trade.
• A Luo refused to become a Zoldyck butler again, and Silva rejected her offer, saying the family could eventually find an Exorcist to help Kikyo.

A Luo refused Silva's demand that she become a Zoldyck butler, escaped his attempts to kill her, and used the threat of exposing the family’s secrets to force negotiations. Zeno arrived and asked A Luo to state her conditions.

• A Luo rejected Silva's offer to become the Zoldyck Family's butler, and Silva attacked her with hidden weapons and lethal poison gas, but her Golden Bell shielded her.
• Silva filled the cell with Sleeping Gas and tried to attack A Luo while she was unconscious, but the Golden Bell continued protecting her.
• A Luo pretended to be unconscious, escaped the dungeon, and later warned Silva that a friend would reveal the Zoldyck Family's secrets if she did not leave Kukuroo Mountain within half an hour.
• Silva threatened to dispose of A Luo and Alluka, but A Luo challenged him to consider what might happen if Alluka's death freed the being inside her.
• Zeno arrived, reprimanded Silva for acting impulsively, and asked A Luo to name her conditions so they could negotiate.

Zeno brokered a deal between A Luo and Silva, and A Luo later secured a chance to see Killua by offering to remove the Nen affecting Kikyo. She found Killua imprisoned in the Zoldyck torture room and invited him to rejoin his friends, then left Silva alone with him to talk.

• Zeno proposed that A Luo become a butler in name only, with confidentiality as her sole obligation, and Silva and A Luo accepted.
• A Luo called off her plan to publish information about the Zoldyck family, and Silva asked her to remove the Nen affecting Kikyo.
• A Luo agreed to help Kikyo if Silva let her see Killua, and five days later Silva brought her to the family torture room.
• A Luo told Killua that Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika were training with Zebro, and Killua broke the chains holding him up.
• Killua asked Silva for permission to leave and train with his friends, while Silva asked to speak with him alone.
• A Luo left the torture room so Silva could talk privately with Killua.

A Luo denied Silva’s claim that she had been reborn as a Zoldyck butler, while Silva insisted she honor their agreement. When Gotoh arrived to handle her onboarding and asked her to cure the unconscious Kikyo, Killua eagerly embraced the family’s chaos, prompting A Luo to decide she should get him down the mountain soon.

• A Luo told Killua that Silva’s story about her being reborn as a former family butler was impossible, and she and Silva exchanged hostile looks before he stormed away.
• Killua explained that he was delaying his trip to meet Gon so he could buy snacks and work out how to get pocket money from his Second Brother.
• Gotoh told A Luo he would handle her butler onboarding and asked when she would neutralize the poison that had left Kikyo unconscious.
• Killua excitedly asked A Luo for more of her sleeping medicine so he could use it when Kikyo started screaming.
• A Luo decided to take Killua down the mountain to meet Gon and the others as soon as possible.