The following contains spoilers for Hunter x Hunter Chapter 395, "Founding: Part 1" by Yoshihiro Togashi, translated by Lillian Olsen available in English from Viz Media.
Hunter x Hunter has now been releasing chapters weekly ever since its return after a 4-year long break that started in November 2018. The author and illustrator of Hunter x Hunter, Yoshihiro Togashi, keeps fans on edge with each new chapter and given that the volume is edging closer to its end, things are getting more interesting. As of now, it's more than likely that Hunter x Hunter will only get 10 chapters this year, and with that, chapter 395 has marked the halfway point, with 5 more chapters to go.
The previous chapter of the manga focused heavily on the mafia families, especially Heil-ly since one of their base's entrances was discovered by Xi-Yu and Cha-R. It also introduced interesting new characters, currently known to be the 4th Prince Tserriednich's friends. With that in mind, Hunter x Hunter 395 was a pleasant surprise to readers and it is, perhaps, one of the most interesting chapters in the Succession Contest arc so far, exposing one of Hunter x Hunter's major character's backstories.
Hunter x Hunter 395: Hinrigh Biganduffno's Lead
In Hunter x Hunter 394, Hinrigh Biganduffno went back to the spot where he had left the camera that he had turned into a cat via his nen ability. Thanks to this trick, he was able to keep an eye on the area. Hunter x Hunter chapter 395 saw him take a closer look at what the cat had recorded. Thanks to this nen ability, he was able to figure out that the Heil-ly Family members are able to warp around the ship. His theory is that either there are hidden passages all over the black whale, or the more likely outcome being that one of their members has a nen ability that allows them to transit to their hideout.
So far, the only official office that the military is aware of is located on Tier 3 of the Black Whale. Due to a body being discovered in the area, the Tserriednich's personal army has closed off the area, making it inaccessible. Besides that, Wang and Hinrigh's groups discovered another entrance, thanks to Hinrigh's nen ability, and they notified the Phantom Troupe about it immediately.
Hunter x Hunter 395: Phantom Troupe And Heil-ly
After Hinrigh Biganduffno's discovery concerning Heil-ly's hideout, the three present Phantom Troupe members, Nobunaga, Phinks, and Feitan were seen heading to accomplish their goal of taking down Heil-ly. The last time they were seen was in Hunter x Hunter chapter 393, where they announced their desire to take down Heil-ly after their confrontation with their assassin, Luini.
With no strategy in mind, they knocked on the door of an apartment and were met with a man who seemed to be a loan shark. While Feitan held his sword to the man's neck, the other two were seen trying to activate the trap to be able to get into Heil-ly's hideout. After some discussion, Nobunaga decided to agree with Phinks and cut open a square in the wall behind the bathroom. The group then push the man to go in first to make sure it's safe. Interestingly, the Troupe comes to the conclusion that while people were definitely present there earlier, they had all fled. They realized that Luini was nothing more than an amateur and that his strength doesn't reflect Heil-ly as a whole. All of this ends up reminding Nobunaga of the Phantom Troupe's past in Meteor City, which is the meat of the chapter.
Hunter x Hunter 395: Chrollo Lucilfer's Past
Undoubtedly the most interesting part of Hunter x Hunter 395 was the reveal of more information on the Phantom Troupe's past, specifically the leader of the Spider, Chrollo Lucilfer. This part of the chapter starts with a younger Chrollo, as well as what seems to be young Franklin and Shalnark finding a video recording cassette. It's apparent that back then, the other members of the Phantom Troupe did not respect Chrollo or have him as a leader. Instead, the readers find out that Chrollo is worried that Machi could've seen them foraging around Uvo's territory. And indeed, Uvo ends up seeing them and chasing them around to retrieve the VHC.
While Franklin holds Uvo back, Chrollo is again stopped by young Phinks and Feitan to take the VHC, which Chrollo ends up handing over. However, it ends up being one that Chrollo switched to trick them. Following that, Chrollo steps into what seems to be a church. There, fans find out that due to Meteor City's inhabitants not being given birth certificates, the kids, especially, tend to be targeted for kidnapping, with hundreds of them falling victim each year.
The readers are also met with a short-haired girl, who Chrollo referred to as 'Paku', or in other words, the younger version of Pakunoda. It seems in their young age, Chrollo and Pakunoda were quite close as they spent a lot of time together, whether it was learning Gelman or watching an anime. In fact, they even decide to dub an anime together with the help of two other young girls. The chapter goes as far as to imply that these two could have had romantic feelings towards each other. At the end of the chapter, while Chrollo and his friends are working to dub the anime they found, the fans are treated to panels depicting a few men with tied children being kidnapped in a van and driven away from Meteor City. Undoubtedly, this chapter of Hunter x Hunter was certainly incredible in every way and left fans wanting for more. Next week, Yoshihiro Togashi will most likely continue to deliver more of the same to the fans. And if that's the case, the story is in for what could be one of its most important parts.