Spoiler Alert !!!Spoilers from HxH manga ahead
One Piece and Hunter x Hunter are both stacked when it comes to art. Oda’s world is huge, colorful (even in black and white), and packed with details that readers love to overanalyze for the sake of theories. Togashi’s world, on the other hand, is very different.
HxH panels feel heavier, quieter, and way more personal. If Oda is a master at big group shots and huge battles that fill the whole page, Togashi is a master at making you feel something with just one image. That’s the real difference here. Let’s take a look at some panels where Togashi’s slower pace and heavier linework just can’t be matched.
1. Meruem’s Head in Komugi’s Lap
Komugi and Meruem from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
This is one of the most iconic panels in the entire manga, and it’s not just because of the emotional weight behind it, but also because of just how good the art was. In this panel, Togashi did not draw any background or anything else other than the subjects themselves: Komugi and Meruem. The details are insane, with perfect hatching combined with soft linework that Togashi is known for.
It’s also the proof that Togashi doesn’t need action to make you cry. One Piece has emotional death scenes too, but they usually come with a big speech and a wide shot. This one is just silence and two people. That quiet hits different.
2. The Ship From Chapter 369
The Ship from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
This is one of the simplest panels. While the subject of the entire page was the Black Whale silently moving at night, just above it we can see a ship as well. The entire ship contains only one-third of the entire page, but it is drawn with more detail than in one of One Piece’s entire chapters.
If you blur the screen just a bit, it would appear as if it is a photograph of a real ship in the sea, just converted to greyscale. The fact that such insane details are given in such a small panel proves just how amazing an artist Togashi is.
3. Adult Gon’s Transformation
Gon from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
This is probably the most famous panel from the entire manga. Gon’s long hair flowing up in the air, the raw brushwork instead of clean lines, the terrifying aura around him – it is easily one of the most iconic pages in manga history, not just HxH. It’s messy on purpose, as it also works to show the current state of Gon’s mind after losing someone important to him. This is Togashi drawing rage and horror at the same time, and honestly, it’s a panel most artists wish they could pull off once in their career.
4. Halkenburg’s Gun Aimed at His Father
Halkenburg from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
No monsters, no crazy powers, just a son pointing a gun at his father in a room full of paintings and gold. What makes this panel gorgeous is the setting. Togashi draws that whole palace room in painful detail, every painting, every piece of furniture, while the actual conflict is just two guys and a gun.
It is easy to not think much about panels like this when reading multiple chapters in a single sitting, but if you pause for a second, it feels like a painting done with charcoal. The contrast between the fancy room and the ugly family drama happening inside it says everything without a single extra word.
5. The Vista Conjured by Melody’s Flute
Melody from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
Melody plays her flute, and suddenly the whole page turns into a field of flowers and mountains, with rows of tiny faces underneath showing everyone who’s hearing the music. It’s such a creative way to draw sound. You can’t literally draw music, but Togashi finds a way to make you feel it anyway. It’s peaceful, but also a little sad once you know what’s actually happening in the story at that moment.
6. Walking Through the Black Whale’s Hull
Black Whale’s Hull from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
This is where Togashi shows off pure background art. The Phantom Troupe walking through the guts of this massive ship, surrounded by pipes, gears, and machines that look like they belong in an entirely different kind of story. This is the kind of double spread where you just stop and stare at the background instead of the characters. One Piece has huge ship designs that we see all the time as well, but the level of detail Togashi drew here is unmatched.
7. Crowd Shot at Prince Halkenburg’s Funeral
Crowd Shot from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
Instead of drawing one huge crowd as a blob of people, Togashi breaks the funeral scene into a row of individual faces, each one reacting differently. Some are sad, some look suspicious, some barely care. It’s a small choice that makes a huge difference, because you actually get to read the room instead of just seeing a mass of extras standing around. It turns a background moment into something worth studying panel by panel.
8. A Guardian Spirit Beast’s Jaws, up Close
A Panel from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
The Guardian Spirit Beasts in the Succession War arc are some of the most unsettling designs Togashi has ever drawn. To be honest, sometimes it ends up feeling like you are reading something by Junji Ito. This particular close-up of one tentacle-tongued mouth is horror movie levels of gross and detailed at the same time. It’s not a “pretty” panel in the traditional sense, but it’s beautiful the way a good horror illustration is beautiful. You can tell every single line was drawn with intention.
9. The Dark Continent’s Prehistoric Scale
A Panel from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
This double spread shows off just how insane the Dark Continent is compared to everything else in the manga. Giant prehistoric-looking creatures fill the whole page, dwarfing everything in sight, while a tiny character says the place feels too big. That’s the whole point of the panel. Togashi draws scale better than almost anyone, and this page makes the rest of the HxH world feel small in comparison.
10. Netero’s Zero Hand
A Panel from Hunter x Hunter | Credit: Shueisha
Netero’s final technique against Meruem is drawn with insane detail. The giant Buddha statue towering over everything, the shading on every single arm, the sheer scale of it all- this panel makes an old man look like a god, to be honest.
It’s the kind of panel you stop scrolling for and take a moment just observing it. Oda has a lot of experience drawing hands, thanks to the ability he gave Robin, but Togashi’s version feels more grounded in horror and desperation, especially since you know Netero is already losing.
Which is your personal favorite panel? Let us know in the comments.
Hunter x Hunter is available to read on VIZ Media.
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