List of Hunter × Hunter characters
The "Hunter × Hunter" manga series features an extensive cast of characters created by Yoshihiro Togashi. The series takes place in a fictional universe where licensed specialists known as Hunters travel the world taking on special jobs ranging from treasure hunting to assassinations. The story focuses on eleven-year-old Gon Freecss and his quest to become a Hunter in order to find his father, Ging, who is himself a famous Hunter. While on his quest, Gon meets and becomes close friends with Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika and Leorio Paradinight who are also on quests to become Hunters for their own reasons.
Hiro Mashima
Mashima has named his main characters after the seasons. In "Rave", the main character is named Haru, which is Japanese for spring. In "Fairy Tail", the main character is , which is the Japanese word for summer. In "Monster Soul", his main character is Aki (Autumn), and in "Monster Hunter Orage", he names a character Shiki, which is the Japanese word for seasons. He has also named a character Fuyu, which is Japanese for winter. Mashima said in an "About.com" interview that he did this because Japanese readers may not be familiar with western fantasy names. The main characters of both "Rave" and "Fairy Tail" do not have fathers, partly taken from Mashima's own experience of his father dying when he was young.