Created, written, and illustrated by the author Yoshihiro Togashi,the Hunter X Huntersmash hit series of 1998 is set to continue its manga series following an extended hiatus lasting over two years since it’s set to return on October 7th, 2024. While the return of one ofthe most beloved Shounen seriesof all time is worth getting excited about, there are some things in the ever-expanding world-building in the series that need closer examination into what they are and the significance of these things.
One of these such is the mysterious Meteor City. Within the almost boundless universe that is the Hunter X Hunter, very little is known about Meteor City, a junkyard of a city inhabited by outcasts who can be considered dead to the world, alongside the worst possible vices present in the series. Therefore, this piece zooms in on the city, its history, affiliations, and, ultimately, its overall significance to the story’s central plotline.
History of Meteor City
The City of Outcasts
A city run and inhabited by the worst of the worst people; not much is publicly known about Meteor City other than the rumors about its creation and age. Rumored to have been created initially as an internment camp by an unknown dictator, Meteor City is at least a thousand and five hundred years old. Believed to be the most diverse planet on the planet, Meteor City has an estimated population of about eight to ten million people, most of whom are no more than hitmen and assassins. The city is run by a gerontocracy, where an assembly of elders oversees the city. However, since its creation, the city has been no more than a dumping ground for other countries. The time between its creation and the serie’s current timeline is marked by several not-so-memorable moments. All of which have added to the city’s notoriety through the series.
First of which is the incident of mass abductions. Meteor City, before its alliance with the Mafia, was the target of extreme human trafficking. Being a city whose residents are considered nonexistent to the outside world, purchasing humans appeared to be an inevitable venture at some point. However, what was unexpected was the sheer volume of the victims of the trafficking, with seventy percent of the trafficked humans under the age of 15. The abductions continued until about a decade and a half before the beginning of the series’ storyline when Sarasa of the Phantom Troupe was abducted and murdered. This singular act became the catalyst for the creation ofthe Phantom Troupe.
Another of these moments is the Bum Incident that happened a decade before the damage caused by the Phantom Troupe in Yorknew City. A bum / delinquent was arrested for murder in Yorknew city. With no form of identification and the police finding no trace of him ever existing, his claim of innocence would be disregarded, even after confessing that he was from Meteor City. Prosecuted and found guilty without proper defense, the bum is imprisoned until after three years, when the real murderer appears and is arrested for his past crimes.
Right after, every person involved in the prosecution of the bum, from the cops involved, the judge, the prosecutor, the jury, witnesses, and the defense, totaling thirty-one people, are all assassinated through suicide bombings. It is believed that the assassins were thirty-one residents of Meteor City who approached their targets and blew themselves up at the same time simultaneously across the city. This was done as an act of revenge, as a message was found near what was left of the targets’ bodies, reading, “We’ll accept anything you leave here, but don’t ever take anything away from us.”
The final moment, and arguably the worst of all, is the Kurta Clan massacre by the Phantom Troupe. Five years beforethe 287th Hunter Exambegins the story, the Kurta Clan, a clan infamous for their Scarlet Eyes, is approached by the Phantom Troupe for the most prized possession. The request erupts in a one-sided massacre of the Kurta Clan by the Phantom Troupe that left all 128 members of the clan dead in very morbid ways.
The news of the massacrereported that family members were made to face one another and stabbed multiple times while still alive, while some had their heads severed while alive in front of their other family members. A rather gruesome tactic to increase the value of the merchandise the Phantom Troupe came for. Pure clan members had their eyes gouged out, while those married into the clan had their eyes squashed and mangled. The report further stated that the Phantom Troupe members tortured the children of the clan in front of their parents and ultimately severed the heads of those with Scarlet Eyes.
How Does Meteor City Tie Into The Central Story?
The Phantom Troupe = Meteor City
Meteor City finds itself in the spotlight quite a few times in the series due to the actions of the Phantom Troupe, making it a somewhat important part of the series’ central narrative. However, the most notable times when the city attracts attention come in two separate arcs: the Yorknew City arc and then the Chimera Ant arc, of which the latter is arguably the series’s most important arc.
Yorknew City arc kicks off with the four main characters reuniting at Yorknew City for the world’s largest auction. The reunion sees the four characters, Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio, go on different adventures while maintaining different objectives. On the one hand, Gon, Leorio, and Killua can not seem to find any way to make enough money to buy a game. On the other hand, Kurapika is pursuingthe Scarlet Eyesto be sold at the auction, leading him closer to his revenge on the Phantom Troupe. The Phantom Troupe has also made its way to the auction at Yorknew City. Both sides eventually find a point of contact when Kurapika encounters Uvogin, member number 11 and founding member of the Phantom Troupe, who Kurapika ultimately kills after the former discovers he is part of the Phantom Troupe.
When the Mafia community attempts to identify the dead Phantom Troupe, a hacker suggests that the dead might be from Meteor City. This leads to an explanation about the Phantom Troupe and how they stay anonymous. Uvogin’s death, albeit briefly, explores the Phantom Troupe’s past, highlighting the significance of Meteor City in dealing with the crime syndicate.
Meteor City once more comes to attention in the Chimera Ant arc when half of the Phantom Troupe returns to the city to find and kill Zazan, Chimera Ant Squadron Leader, who defected and was trying to form her colony by turning inhabitants of the city into Ants, to use as her soldiers. The joint war against the Chimera Ants comes to a head withthe deaths of Netero and Meruem, the King. The aftermath sees some survivors return to Meteor City with nowhere left to go.
The Relationship between Meteor City and The Phantom Troupe
The Spider Within The City of Outcasts
Meteor City is essential to the Phantom Troupe, asthe group was foundedin the city, and all its founding members are residents. The Phantom Troupe is no more than a notorious band of thieves with enormous bounties on their heads due to a severely revolting reputation of ruthlessness and efficiency.
The group was founded fifteen years before the story’s beginning, with the founding members being Chrollo, Pakunoda, Sheila, and Sarasa, all of whom were then joined by Uvogin, Feitan, Phinks, Nobunaga, and Shalnark. Due to the city’s vengeful nature, the Phantom Troupe’s members are known within the city but not outside of it, with the city being a barrier of protection to mask their identities. The Troupe is also responsible for breaking down the perfect relationship between Meteor City and the Mafia community, an act that essentially turns them into Meteor City’s biggest asset. However, the group’s actions are so extreme that they are even considered outliers by the city’s leadership.
Through all the arcs in the series, the Phantom Troupe is a major recurring force, from the Hunter Exam arc to the Chimera Ant arc, which means that all of their contributive actions to the series have a resounding effect on Meteor City.
