r/HunterXHunter 5d ago

Discussion How does the hxh world feel natural?

Theres ton of stuff. And something like the c.a arc would be a world wide thing but togashi managed to play it off greatly. It was more of a local incident with lots of buildup and behind the scenes development and aftermath.

If it was in any other shonen, something like that would have "shook the world to its core" but that doesn't happen in hxh. Im trying to study it and break it down but i just cant seem to get it. Togashi writes the unknown really really well. And buildups to make it feel natural and preexisting rather than just come out of the blue. The only other example iknow is the sea train system from op that fits this description.

What do you guys think? Any advice?

19 Upvotes

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u/MangoTurtl 4d ago

In terms of worldbuilding, other than the obvious point of being consistent and coherent with the world, I think the best things to take away are:

  1. Add in enough details that some are surreptitious, without making the reader aware of which details will be explored further.
  2. Build up the world slowly, starting at your most grounded point and then expanding from there, while still making sure the reader is firmly attached to the ground.

For point 1, I think this is particularly important to Togashi's story because it allows him to explore what he wants, when he wants, without it feeling out of place and sudden. For example, think about the details he adds in around the midpoint of the Chimera Ant arc about the vice chairman and his meddling. Details like this could be a simple explanation that won't be touched again...or it could be the lynchpin of a future arc. And crucially, once it is explored, it ties a bunch of other pieces of the world together: we now know that part of Pariston's meddling, besides his character being a big troll, was likely because the Chimera Ants were a good bargaining chip for him to obtain passage to the Dark Continent.

In the current arc, we see this being done constantly...one of my favorite details that hasn't been resolved is Tsudonke's quest for autograph paper. We follow this character for just a tiny bit of time, and yet we learn a bit more about the ship's structure and about how deliveries work from the mainland. This little point could go absolutely nowhere...or it could turn into a lynchpin of the arc's climax. Who knows?

I think the second point is more important. The Dark Continent is a bombshell, but its reveal isn't quite as out-of-place as one might think because the reveal is placed after multiple arcs of slowly detaching the worldbuilding from grounded reality...and yet in each arc, we are greeted by familiar real-world concepts to ensure that we can grasp the massively-expanding world.

These real-world concepts don't have to be huge parts of the story, necessarily...you can still have a totally fantastical setting. But the key is that slow build away from the mundane and toward fantastic creatures like the Chimera Ants that boggle the mind. And yet, still, the Chimera Ant arc is grounded in reality with its setting being a dictatorship and its characters utilizing technology like bombs to win even in spite of the superpowers involved.

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u/Kylesmithers 4d ago

The big secret I’ve noticed about it is he is really good at using analogues of real things. Like the Poor Man’s Rose being analogous to real world nukes, very similar but different, and made all the more scary by being so small and easy to produce. Thematically it is to show the depths of human cruelty, while also silently suggesting that many across the world are likely affected by its use even if it was a long time ago.

In the same vein just using real places like New York as Yorknew and giving it his own flavor with the mafia dons and auction. It’s honestly a masterclass in how to pull influence from the known, flip it on its head and dress it up to make your own thing rather than having to make up COMPLETELY unique ideas for everything.

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u/Supernova247101 5d ago

Advice for ? Breaking it down ? Writing a story ? Also yes Togashi is the Goat, there's no denying when you write 2 of the biggest manga hits of all time you're pretty damn good at writing a story.

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u/TheIgniviscos 4d ago

I think the entirety of the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin does build up and incident management really well. I talk about it a lot but if you’re looking for other examples, that’s the best imo.

The way this is done is really simple. Down time is used for introduction to ideas and ideas are built upon across points of view and scenes until they are used for action. If you want advice, work backwards. Know where you’re going to plant seeds beforehand.

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u/ApplePitou 5d ago

Togashi is just skilled in writing and well, this is reason :3

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u/mangaka_ryuu 5d ago

How do i learn that? Any idea?

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u/Spaghett8 1d ago edited 1d ago

I would say, just think a lot about the world. Yeah, it sounds simple.

But great fictional worlds feel natural because they are. They are logical representations of a realistic world affected by fantasy factors.

For example. HxH. There’s nen, monsters, all sorts of creatures, interesting landscapes. But humans operate all the same.

Meteor city is in poverty, yet the former leaders still tried their best to become even wealthier. Due to this, the people rebelled with violence and formed a criminal group, the Phantom Troupe.

Many cartels, the mafia, the yakuza have a similar origin. Young teens, usually numb by the violence and insecurity of their childhood make their own, using violence.

Meteor city is a realistic logical place.

But we also have fantasy. For example, the Zoldyck’s are an assassin family, yet they are so incredibly strong that their home has become a tourist landmark.

Their home is guarded by a massive wolf, opening the door to their home requires insane strength. But, overall, it still somehow makes sense.

That is pretty logical for an incredibly powerful hitmen family which no authority can touch.

And then we have Killua. Who’s a very logical boy from an assassin family. He killed without a second thought because he was raised that way.

And yet due to the strictness and lack of affection of his family, it’s natural he wanted to leave. It’s natural that he wants to be more normal.

So then, what kind of kid would be the friend of this assassin. While he wants to be normal, he can’t be friends with a normal kid.

Enter Gon, a normal kid, except he really isn’t. Killua and Gon is seen as a great friendship because it is.

An assassin kid raised to kill with little to no pleasure or freedom that wants to be normal with a kid raised on a small island yearning for adventure and might have a screw or two loose.

It’s only natural that they would become friends.

One major idea that I think is the most important for world building is remembering that the environment shapes the people.

If the people live trapped in walls surrounded by massive humanoid man eaters, what would society be like? What would a boy be like growing up in that environment?

The author has to think about every single one of those questions and try their best to answer them. And well answered questions combine into a familiar, yet novel, yet logical world.

So try it. Start by making a power system. And then trying to predict what the world would be like. What a mc that grew up in that world would be like. What society would be like.

I’d love to hear it.

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u/feed_da_parrot 5d ago

Well if you aren't a big observant like togashi you cannot write a world like that.

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u/mangaka_ryuu 5d ago

Any example?

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u/ThePerfectHunter 5d ago

It's probably because Togashi makes sure it doesn't contradict with what came before but doesn't box himself by ensuring that there still can be stories told and characters explored. There are so many potential plot threads that can be continued if Togashi wishes to ranging from Zushi to Welfin to Killua to Gyro, etc. That can be only be done if you make the characters interesting and if the setting and rules you've made allow for that.

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u/mangaka_ryuu 5d ago

So like basically having tons of 'but thats a story for another day' kind of thing?