Hunter × Hunter Chapter 131: Answer

The striped-shirt man faces left and confirms, "YOU'RE PARTICIPATING AT THE REQUEST OF MISTER BATTERA, RIGHT?" He then states, "I'LL EXPLAIN." In the next panel he continues, "THERE COULD BE NO OTHER EXPLANATION FOR OVER TWENTY PLAYERS ARRIVING SIMULTANEOUSLY." The large close-up of the striped-shirt man declares, "WE'RE PLAYING BECAUSE MISTER BATTERA HIRED US. WE'RE THE SAME." He later clarifies the financial terms: "THE SHARE FOR EACH OF YOU WILL BE AROUND 200 MILLION." and "I WILL BE VERY CLEAR NOW, TO AVOID DISPUTES LATER. BEING SHARED AMONG ALL MEMBERS ON THE TEAM: ABOUT THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE 50 BILLION REWARD." The final panels show him raising three fingers while explaining, "THE OTHER 30 BILLION WILL BE DIVIDED AMONGST THE OTHERS, DEPENDING ON RISKS TAKEN AND LENGTH OF PARTICIPATION. THE TEN PLAYERS THAT HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING SINCE THE BEGINNING, FIVE YEARS AGO, WILL RECEIVE 20 BILLION TOTAL." Gon and Killua stand listening in the background.

Genthru stares ahead with a serious expression as floating spell cards swirl behind him. "Spell card collecting should proceed much faster," he states. In the next panel he continues, "After today we'll stop recruiting new members, so the surveillance and invitation team will also help gather cards." A bearded man in a dark coat leans against a brick wall and mutters, "Three months..." Genthru holds up two fingers and replies, "We'll get them in 2 months at most. The 500 or so spell cards we're targeting... In three months we'll have cleared the game. That means that..." A man with glasses appears and says, "We'll remove the spells they cast on you. Of course, if you become members..." From off-panel, Killua's voice answers, "I'm in." The glasses-wearing man explains the rules: "To leave the game you need to go to a certain place and fulfill a certain condition. A spell can only be removed if you leave the game. I'm sure you've heard of players that failed to get out of the game for years."

The glasses-wearing man continues explaining the difficulty of clearing the game alone. A large man with slicked-back hair and a torn suit raises his hand and says, "I was worried about the reward issue, but now you've cleared that up." He adds that finishing in three months is the good side and notes the 50 billion reward becomes 200 million with just a few others. On the steps below, several seated players watch the conversation. The glasses man asks, "How about you?" A spiky-haired man replies, "I'm in." Another character agrees, "OK." The glasses man offers, "If it's something of SS rank, we'll pay 500 million for it." The spiky-haired man asks if offering it to his "comrades" would boost earnings. The glasses man answers that acquiring a very hard item like SS rank would be difficult alone. At the bottom of the page Killua and Gon stand together while the group asks, "What about you guys?"

Killua stares forward with a serious, focused expression. In smaller panels, Killua reacts with surprise, saying 'ER? WHAT?' while Gon, looking back, replies 'SORRY, KILLUA.' Gon shows a surprised expression with a small '!' mark. In a larger panel, Gon faces Killua and states, 'BECAUSE I WANT TO PLAY USING MY OWN ABILITIES.' and 'I'M NOT GOING.' Below, a girl with pigtails watches from the foreground as Killua turns and walks away, saying 'WHAT ABOUT YOU?' Killua responds over his shoulder, 'I'LL PASS TOO. SINCE THE CHIEF SAYS SO...' Several townspeople stand in the background, one marked with a question mark. Killua continues walking with motion lines and a large '10' sound effect near his feet. An arrow points down to a small panel showing the pigtail girl looking up with a neutral expression.

Killua exhales with a '…' and takes a step, shown by 'STEP' SFX. From off-panel, a voice calls 'HEY, GON.' and asks 'WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?' Gon smiles and tells Killua, 'I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE APOLOGIZING TO ME.' and 'I JUST COULDN'T HOLD MYSELF BACK, KILLUA. I'M SORRY, KILLUA.' Killua replies that it is no problem and not a poison. Gon asks why Killua was so angry earlier. Killua explains that Jin's game is designed for massacre and robbery, calling it '…ONLY BAD THINGS.' Gon reacts with 'EH' and 'THAT'S CAUSE—' Killua continues that he wants to know why Gon was angry. In a large panel, Gon recalls that at the starting point the game felt like a joy ride, not terrifying, and says 'I WANT TO ENJOY THIS GAME, LIKE JIN TOLD ME TO.' ending with 'AH'.

Gon stares ahead with a serious expression as he speaks. "Hurting other people just to get cards. But what's frightening is not the game, but the mentality of the players." In a smaller panel, Killua's boots are shown walking on a surface. "I thought that everyone participating in the game... would be earnestly enjoying it." Killua looks down with a somber face. "It's true that people really die." Gon turns to him and asks, "Do you really mean that, Killua?" Killua replies while looking away, "I think this is as it should be." Gon continues, "Except the killing part. I approve of everything, but-" Killua smiles slightly and says, "That's why this is a hunters-only game." A wide panel shows two silhouetted figures facing each other with a bright impact between them. "And decide that the winner will get the opponent's card, wouldn't you approve too? If, for instance, two players would wager a card each." The scene shifts to an outdoor town setting where Gon and Killua stand with their backs partly to the viewer. Gon says, "It's not anything like acquiring the card yourself. But this could also be said to be robbery." Killua responds, "Right?" Gon turns with a surprised look, "Ah." Killua answers, "Yes."

Gon continues speaking while looking at the town buildings. "Although it's not a pretty way of doing things. The group strategy from the other guys was also something bound to happen in this game. To cast spells on the enemy seems completely natural, once you get it." He points upward with a smile. "Guys like the one who cast that spell on me are truly playing the game. We're going to enjoy the game to the fullest. Anyway forget about these guys." Killua responds, "Yes." In close-ups, Gon thanks someone with a smile, "Thank you." Killua looks at him and says his name, "Killua." A final panel shows Gon from behind as he speaks warmly. "To have met you... was really a fortunate thing. Yeah. To have come here with you."

Gon appears in close-up, smiling brightly as he points to himself and declares, "GON IT'S ME." In the next panel Gon and Killua stand together; Gon insists, "GON, I REALLY MEAN IT," while Killua retorts, "WHY? IT'S THE OTHER WAY AROUND" and adds, "STOP THAT, IDIOT. IT'S EMBARRASSING." The scene shifts to a full-body view of Gon standing tall in the foreground, one finger raised, proclaiming, "I'M THE FORTUNATE ONE." Beside him the words "MEETING YOU," trail off with ellipses. Killua stands a short distance behind, head lowered and hands clasped in front of him, looking subdued.

A blonde girl with pigtails leans forward, hands clasped under her chin, remarking, "BUT HOW NICE TO SEE A FRIENDSHIP THIS PURE BETWEEN TWO BOYS. MAKES YOU WANT TO HELP THEM." In a smaller inset she adds, "I SEE, SO THAT'S THE REASON FOR HIS ANGER," while tiny figures of Gon and Killua walk away in the background. The view changes to a wide shot of a town with many buildings. Below, Killua stands in profile and asks, "WHY?" A man in a hooded jacket replies, "IF YOU HAVE CARDS IN YOUR FREE SLOTS, PLEASE HAND THEM OVER NOW." Further panels show the hooded man continuing, "WHEN YOU GET BACK IN THE GAME, JUST WAIT AT THE STARTING POINT," and "WE'LL COME OUT TO MEET YOU." Another speaker states, "BUT YOU TWO NEED TO GET OUT OF THE GAME TO REMOVE THE SPELLS." A large speech bubble announces, "OUR BUDDIES WILL ARRIVE IN 20 MINUTES," accompanied by bold sound-effect lettering.

A close-up shows a stern face explaining the rules: once you exit, card data in the free slots is lost because it is not saved. In the next panels, a bearded man with a serious expression listens as another character with wild hair confirms the retirement policy—if you are not back in 30 minutes, you are considered retired. Further details reveal that imposed slot data disappears if you fail to return within 10 days, while card data in imposed slots is automatically saved each time a card is inserted or removed. A voice calls out 'THERE HE IS.' as motion lines and impact symbols burst across the page. The spiky-haired young man in a black vest leaps into view holding a book-like device, his expression focused and ready. Two other figures stand in the background watching the sudden arrival amid swirling dust and dramatic speed lines.

The spiky-haired young man holds up the Leap spell card numbered 1014, noting it is actually pretty rare. He explains that the target player will leap out of the island to the location of another player. The card’s magnetic force property is discussed as he questions how the group arrived at the city entrance. He also reveals he possesses the Return spell, which lets the user fly to any previously visited city. Activating the Leap card on Pouhaato produces a burst of energy. The group decides there are no further questions and prepares to move, with the spiky-haired character leading the way while holding the device. Other players watch from the background as the team departs.

A group of men debates their expanding organization in a rocky landscape. One man with wild spiky hair states that new arrivals since last year directly impact payouts. Another replies that not everyone is happy about too many new members. They note the ideal team size is seventy strong and that they have already reached sixty-three members after recruiting eight new ones. A bespectacled man thinks silently that the others cannot be pleased inside. The discussion turns to needing to reduce shares because everyone is greedy, especially when big money is involved. Tension rises as one man shouts “Stop it!” while another warns that opening the door for more demands would backfire. In the distance three figures stand on open ground beneath a large stylized sound effect. The foreground shows a sweating man with spiky hair giving a thumbs-up gesture, noting that other members are present.

Gon demonstrates a secret technique on a town street. He shouts “JAN KEN PON!!” and begins with the fist. He explains that an old fisherman on Whale Island taught him a secret technique. In a quick exchange Killua is sent flying and yells “AARGH, LOST AGAIN!” while Gon asks about eyes and the technique. A woman watches from the side. Inside a building a large man in a vest tells Gon that the “starting with the fist” move is only a trick and that one must watch the opponent’s hand movement. Diagrams illustrate how the opponent’s hand form reveals the chosen technique and how lowering the arm nine times signals the start. Gon listens intently.

A series of panels explains a rock-paper-scissors tactic. Text reads: "USING THIS METHOD, PLAYERS WITH GOOD EYES CAN WIN MORE THAN 90% OF THE TIME. WITH 'STARTING WITH A FIST,' YOU MAKE YOUR OPPONENT PUT HIS FIST OUT IN FRONT SO YOU CAN SEE IT BETTER. PEOPLE WHO AREN'T GOING FOR 'ROCK' HAVE USUALLY LOOSENED THEIR HANDS ALREADY. EVEN IF IT'S NOT THAT OBVIOUS, OR JUST USE 'SCISSORS' AND YOU CAN'T LOSE. WHICH MEANS THAT IF YOU SEE THAT THE OPPONENT'S HAND IS FIRMLY CLENCHED, PLAY PAPER." Gon appears in a small panel, listening intently. In the next row, Killua and Gon lean close together. Killua hisses "SHHHH!! PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HEAR US!" while Gon angrily retorts, "YOU DIRTY BASTARD, TELL ME THAT BEFORE WE PLAY. are you saying that every time we play-" Killua replies, "SO YOU WON'T USE IT?" Gon snaps, "THAT'S CHEATING." A close-up shows Gon saying, "I TRIED TO TEACH LEORIO, BUT HE JUST COULDN'T DO IT." Killua smiles and answers, "THEORETICALLY IT'S EASY, BUT YOU REALLY NEED TALENT AND PRACTICE." Thought bubbles follow: "THOUGHT SO." and "YES I WILL." The final wide panel shows a town square with buildings as a dramatic voice declares, "'SWORD OF TRUTH' HERE WE COME! LET'S CALL IT THE 'GREAT WINNING-EYE STRATEGY'!!"

A full-page illustration shows a powerfully built man with wild, upward-spiking hair standing in a wide-legged fighting stance. His muscular torso is bare, fists clenched at his sides, and his expression is intense and confident. The background is completely blank, emphasizing the figure's imposing presence.