About Jin

The title page displays "N°065 ABOUT JIN" in bold letters across the top. Gon sits casually on a thick tree branch, holding a long fishing rod over his shoulder. He wears a short-sleeved shirt, pants, and boots, with one leg bent and the other dangling. A small girl with pigtails and a patterned dress stands on the branch beside him, looking up. Leaves and foliage frame the upper part of the image against a dark background.

Gon stands with his back to the viewer, staring at a distant horizon as a single word floats in a box: HUNTER? Scattered leaves drift through the air. In close profile, Gon’s eyes are serious as he says there is something he wants. On a sunlit forest path, a small figure runs ahead while Gon follows; unseen voices question whether he is leaving the island and why. Gon confirms he is. In the present, inside a modest room, Mito sits across from Gon and recounts the past. After an argument, the man simply left the island without seeing her. He never explained what he wanted, so they quarreled, though she admits she only whined.

A hand rests on a wooden surface. An elderly woman smiles gently while explaining that Mito’s parents died in an accident. She continues that Jin is her eldest son’s only son and Mito is her second son’s only daughter. Gon’s eyes widen in surprise at the revelation. The old woman notes that everything changed after he left. A close-up shows Gon’s eye and a soft “Ahh…” escapes him. She adds that Jin’s father never returned from a fishing trip, and the family went on a long journey right after Jin departed. In the final panels, a light-haired boy stares at Gon, who looks back with a serious expression.

Mito sits with young Gon on the shore, a ship visible in the distance, recounting the day Ging came back. "Jin returned after 10 years," she says. "At that time, he was holding you when you were still a baby." In a dark panel, young Gon stares wide-eyed as an unseen speaker adds, "I know nothing about your mother..." Mito continues the tale: "I asked, 'What about the mother?' but he just says, 'We separated,' and that was it. He comes back after 10 years and says 'Can you take care of him for a while?'" Later, as an adult, Mito holds a cup and explains, "Afterwards, the guardianship was transferred, and... you know the rest. I just thought, 'I can't leave this boy in his care.'" She recalls the islanders' reaction: "But she shouted, 'Don't be ridiculous!' I thought the entire island heard it. I was about to say 'yes.'" Young Gon cries out "Grandma!" as Mito shouts, "She shouted to him, 'Never come back here!'" A large SFX reads "GRANDMA !!".

Gon holds a small wooden crate and looks surprised. A panel shows the empty crate as someone says, "Jin left this here." Gon exclaims, "Anyways!" In another scene, Gon throws the crate away with a loud "DON" SFX while saying, "I threw it away so many times because you kept putting it back where it was." Mito smiles and replies, "I don't know how many times she tried to throw it away..." Gon asks, "You understand?" and Mito answers, "That's all." She leans in close and warns, "If you really wanted to throw it away, you would've buried or burned it instead of putting it in a trash can." Mito laughs heartily with "HA! HA!" as Gon stares in shock, a question mark floating near him.

Mito-san leans forward with her hand near her mouth, her eyes wide as she begins to speak. "EVERYTHING THAT I KNOW ABOUT JIN." In the next panels Gon stands with hands clasped, listening intently while Mito continues, "THERE'S NO CLUE ABOUT HIM OTHER THAN THAT BOX." "HE DIDN'T LEAVE ANYTHING HERE." "IT'S THE SAME AS KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT HIM." Mito points upward with a thoughtful expression. "I LIKE THAT BETTER." Gon smiles warmly and replies, "YEAH... JIN... JIN..." The scene shifts to a starry night sky above a small house. Suddenly Gon bursts into the foreground with sparkling eyes and a huge grin, shouting, "ABOUT WHEN JIN WAS LITTLE!!" and "MITO-SAN, TELL ME MORE!!"

Gon asks with a curious smile, "IS IT STRANGE IF I CALL HIM LIKE THAT?" Mito-san turns her head away with eyes closed and answers, "I THINK IT'S BETTER TO CALL HIM LIKE THAT." She then looks back with a gentle expression. Gon leans in and asks, "DID JIN HAVE ANY FRIENDS HIS AGE?" Mito-san replies firmly, "YES!!!" She continues, "NO, I MEAN... YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW JIN'S CHILDHOOD?" Mito-san recalls, "YOU REMEMBER THOSE KIND OF THINGS?" Gon responds, "REALLY?" Mito-san adds, "SHE GOT LOST MANY TIMES." "I WANTED TO PLAY WITH HIM, BUT OFTEN WOULD GO SOMEWHERE ALONE." "LET'S SEE... THE ONLY CHILDREN WERE ME AND JIN." Two large narration bubbles appear against the night sky: "JIN COMES BACK ALONE AND WE ALL KNOW THAT SHE'S LOST, AND EVERYONE IN THE VILLAGE LOOKED FOR HER." "SHE WENT INTO THE MOUNTAINS CHASING AFTER JIN, AND SHE DIDN'T COME BACK."

Inside the hollow of an enormous gnarled tree, a small child with messy hair sits curled up on the grass, knees drawn to chest and head bowed. The massive roots twist overhead like a protective canopy. In a series of panels below, several adults react with shock. One man exclaims that they did not do that, while another shouts in disbelief. Narration explains that the rumor persisted because the two were deliberately searching, and that Jin was always the first to locate her no matter where she hid on the island. The whole island had been busy searching. A young girl with pigtails asks if it was really her hiding, and the adults confirm it was almost as if she were hiding on purpose, always at the most difficult places to find. Regardless of where she was, the search continued. At the bottom of the page, a hand reaches forward with an open palm, accompanied by a small rectangular label reading "MITO."

At night, a sheer cliff face covered in twisted roots rises beside dark water. A tiny figure clings to the rocky outcrop while another small silhouette stands in the waves below. A speech bubble declares "I FOUND YOU." In the lower panels, a young girl with light hair and large eyes looks up sadly and answers "YES..." Beside her, a boy with spiky black hair smiles and extends his hand, saying "LET'S GO HOME. COME ON." Ripples spread across the water's surface under a starry sky, and a circular inset shows a distant view of the cliff.

Gon smiles warmly in a close-up panel, his eyes bright and expression gentle. Beside him, a blonde girl rests her chin on her hands, gazing thoughtfully as she murmurs, "WAS IT REALLY LIKE THAT...". The scene shifts to a nighttime view of a large house with a sloped roof under the stars. Speech bubbles emerge from the darkness: "AND, AND..." and "OH YEAH, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN WE WERE ON A BOAT, AND...". In the bottom panel, Gon lies on his back with spiky hair fanned out, arms raised and body surrounded by motion lines and impact shapes, as if suddenly startled or reacting in his sleep.

Gon points at a wooden box with a puzzled expression, asking "SO THIS IS THAT BOX." A small "?" bubble appears near him as he continues, "BUT...". In the next panel he examines the box closely, wondering "HOW DO YOU OPEN IT?". The blonde girl watches with a concerned look, replying "THIS...". Inside a room, Gon sits on the floor holding the box and suggests "CAN I FORCE IT?". Killua, seen from behind, responds "I TRIED TOO." Gon insists "SURE." In the final panel Gon faces the blonde girl and explains, "I TRIED TO OPEN IT... BUT IT WOULDN'T OPEN."

Gon grips a sturdy striped box with both hands and strains with all his might, feet braced against a wooden platform as he twists and pulls. "ARGH!!" he shouts, but the box refuses to yield. Small panels show the box creaking under the force. Below, Gon and Killua sit on the floor examining it closely. Gon says, "I KNOW. I CAN TWIST OPEN A NORMAL IRON BOX EVEN IF IT'S WELDED." Killua replies, "THIS IS NO ORDINARY BOX." Gon holds the box to his ear and murmurs, "HMMM. THERE'S NO SOUND." Killua leans in and adds, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S INSIDE... SO WE CAN'T BREAK IT OPEN..."

Killua reacts with surprise as Gon throws the box into the air. Gon realizes, "WHEN YOU BECOME A HUNTER... THERE'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE YOU WERE A HUNTER." Killua asks, "WHAT?" and then "REALLY?" Gon continues, "THERE'S SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T TRIED YET." The box lands as Killua exclaims, "HUNTER'S LICENSE!" Gon shouts, "OH!! I KNOW!" They both stare at the box. Killua says, "IT'S NEN!!" Gon adds, "THAT'S NOT IT." Killua concludes, "THERE'S NO PLACE TO INSERT IT, THOUGH... BUT..."

Gon grips a wooden crate tightly with both hands, his face tense as he stares at it amid swirling black smoke. The crate fills the panel with its slatted sides and visible grain. From below, the same crate looms large, its wooden beams and supports emphasized by radiating speed lines. Suddenly a bright flash erupts across the page. Gon, Killua, and Zushi are hurled backward through the air, their bodies twisting from the force. Large impact lines and the word FLASH dominate the explosion while a speech bubble shows three exclamation marks from one of the boys.

A massive burst of light and debris scatters wooden fragments as Killua is thrown high in the air. The word CLAK appears near a small round object on the ground. Gon and Killua stare in surprise at the scene. In the foreground rests a large black-and-silver metal box with a prominent cross emblem on its front. Killua holds a thin metal strip and notes there is no sign of glueing at all. Someone remarks it is just a plain piece of iron. Another voice observes another box inside the box while Gon looks on with wide eyes.

Gon holds up a long, circuit-covered device and declares, "THIS IS..." Killua asks if he recognizes the inscription on the small card. Gon confirms it is the one that tore when Nen was used and notes that the promise string Wing-san gave him had the same inscription. Gon wonders if he should insert the card into the box. After a moment of thought, he does so. The box reacts with a loud "BINGO!!!" as the card slots in. Killua watches the box open while Gon crouches nearby, examining the result. Someone remarks that the inscription seems to have similar powers as Nen.

The opened box reveals a ROM card, a cassette tape, and an ornate ring resting inside a padded case. Gon and Killua stare at the contents in surprise. Gon points out the ROM card and cassette tape while Killua identifies the ring. They wonder if this means Jin will do something to them because of Nen. Killua holds up the ring, noting that it too carries the same inscription, and tells Gon to look closely at the markings.

Killua's face fills the panel as he states, "BECAUSE OF NEN." Gon, holding a small tape recorder, reacts with surprise: "WHAT?" In the next panel, an unseen speaker adds, "ALSO, COPY AT THE SAME TIME." Gon replies, "YEAH. SHOULD WE LISTEN TO THE TAPE FIRST?" The tape player is shown with sound effects "SHUUU" and "CLAK" as a hand presses play. In close-up, Killua looks at Gon and says, "YOU BECAME A HUNTER TOO." Gon turns toward him with a startled expression and answers, "HEY, GON." The tape recorder dominates the bottom panel against a dark background. A voice from the tape asks, "DO YOU WANT TO SEE ME?" followed by, "I NEED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING."