Is it just me or did Naruto copy Hunter x Hunter?

[bladesworn]

Is it just me or did Naruto copy Hunter x Hunter?

If you haven't watched the anime/read the manga for Hunter x Hunter AND Naruto then please don't try to start and argument. I have no intention of starting a flame war I just wish to point out a couple of things I noticed and to see what others opinion on this is, maybe even gain a new perspective. In NO way am I trying to bash Naruto.

I have been watching the anime Hunter X Hunter lately and I was wondering why the series felt so vaguely familiar, when during the auction arc I finally figured out why this all felt so familiar.

• A main character that acts almost identically to the way Naruto does (not that other series don't have that though)
• a friend of the main character who wants revenge on the people that murdered his clan, not to mention he has red eyes that activate when he is feeling strong emotions
• one of the main characters friend has a brother that looks very similar to Itachi, complete with a genjutsu type technique.
• A criminal organization that has an assortment of people very similar to Akatsuki
• Nen, basically just a more complicated version of ninjutsu

I'll be the first to admit the plot is significantly different from naruto, but it almost seems like Masashi Kishimoto pulled a bunch of basic plot ideas from Hunter X Hunter when he first created Naruto.

 

[Skr]

This is called Shounen, my friend.

 

[bladesworn]

This is called Shounen, my friend.

Yes, but this is a bit more blatant than anything I've ever seen.

 

[Nare]

Cliches are most likely to be seen as copy. a cliche ain't bad per se, what can be pooly done is it's execution.

Is interesting you point out the revengeful side-kick since it's a huge change from HxH since Sasuke is his measure-rival and main side-kick; meanwhile in Hunter x Hunter Killua is the main sidekick and measure-point, but the grudging is Kurapika. (and there's no such defined "rival" in his group)

Nen, Ki, Cosmos, that spirit stuff from Bleach or call them simply a kind of energy like in Yu Yu Hakusho; all series that dwell into power battles rely on such a concept or in machine power.

About the siblings, I guess you mean Illumi, yet I don't see the resemblance so much.

For last, on a mostly personal opinion, I've seen Naruto always act a lot more out of sheer will and inteligence than Gon, who acts more on impulse and instinct. While is true that they usually use the "final goal" as a motion for their will, Gon most of the time rely on more "at hand" purposes.

 

[bladesworn]

I didn't say that they were exactly the same, more like he took certain elements from them. I am just saying that it looks like he took a couple of plot points from Hunter X Hunter when he first created naruto. After that he built his own story on top of those points. And by the way Hunter X Hunter was made by the mangaka of Yu Yu Hakusho.

 

[Role]

Welcome to shounen animu, my friend, where every story is in copy-pasted form, just with a different face job each time.

It's all the same stuff, that's why if you've seen one action shounen, you've seen them all.

@Nare: *inhales deeply* DIIIIIIINAAAH! Yay! Another swordcraft story fan!

 

[nekosama]

Yes

I agree with you 100%

 

[bladesworn]

The one thing I find that is amazing is that gon doesn't have a tragic past like most action shonen (naruto: No parents and is a sealed evil in can, Fullmetal Alchemist: they tried to ressurect their mother, one lost his arm the other their body then then the one lost his leg to get his brother back and put him in a suit of armor, bleach: mom got killed by a hollow to save the main character, Kurokami [aka black god]: the main characters mom saw her doppleliner and got run over by a car right in front of him, then the same happens to a friend from school, and then the neighbor girl that he babysits sees her doppleliner and gets T-boned by a semi right in front of him [when that scene was shown at the screening of Kurokami at Otakon half the audience left]) It's usually done to make you sympathize with cardboard cut-out characters. Or in case of Fullmetal Alchemist it makes the story better.

 

[Nexus_Schwarz]

The one thing I find that is amazing is that gon doesn't have a tragic past like most action shonen (naruto: No parents and is a sealed evil in can, Fullmetal Alchemist: they tried to ressurect their mother, one lost his arm the other their body then then the one lost his leg to get his brother back and put him in a suit of armor, bleach: mom got killed by a hollow to save the main character, Kurokami [aka black god]: the main characters mom saw her doppleliner and got run over by a car right in front of him, then the same happens to a friend from school, and then the neighbor girl that he babysits sees her doppleliner and gets T-boned by a semi right in front of him [when that scene was shown at the screening of Kurokami at Otakon half the audience left]) It's usually done to make you sympathize with cardboard cut-out characters. Or in case of Fullmetal Alchemist it makes the story better.

On FMA, Ed lost his leg first, then used his arm to get Al back.

And... This whole topic is basically pointing out that every shonen has its cliches, much like shojo.

It's unavoidable, really.

Edit: It's also probably because Kishimoto took inspiration from it. To any artists (and writers), don't you also take bits and pieces of stuff you like but combine it in different ways to make it your own?

 

[bladesworn]

I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right, my memory of things gets jumbled. I don't really notice cliches because I really don't notice stuff like that unless it's really blatant. Yeah I just realized that.

 

[Lawliet]

Weeee a HxH forum
"It's shonen"? Yeah shonen have similarities, same with Shoujo and seinen. Also if you mention each similarity individually, then it seems normal. But when it's too many, and too familiar, that's copying.

 

[bladesworn]

Weeee a HxH forum
"It's shonen"? Yeah shonen have similarities, same with Shoujo and seinen. Also if you mention each similarity individually, then it seems normal. But when it's too many, and too familiar, that's copying.

Yeah, it's a shonen, and I don't really read shonen anymore. I prefer Seinen series due to a good portion of them having more original ideas.