Heavens Arena is a 251-story, 991-meter building and a mecca for fighters, as explained by the narrator in the Hunter × Hunter 2011 anime series. The rules are rather simple. If you win a fight, you climb 10 stories higher, but if you lose one, you descend 10 stories. Based on the referee’s assessment of one’s strength, the fighter can advance even faster. Up until the 100 floor, a fighter battles for scraps, very little money, but once he reaches the 100th floor he earns his own room. Killua, an elite assassin prodigy, Gon’s friend and one of the key protagonists of the show, was 6 years old when he battled at Heavens Arena, and it took him two years to reach the 199th floor. The maximum amount one can earn up to this point is 200 million Jenny, which is a significant amount in the world of Hunter × Hunter, although when compared to the money a professional Hunter can earn, it is a modest sum. Killua spent all the prize money on candy, as you might expect from an eight-year-old. Starting from the 100th floor, the prize money grows significantly. Weapons are not allowed, and the fighter is awarded points, depending on whether a hit is regular, critical, or results in knockdown.
Things get far more intense when the fighter advances to the 200th floor. He is greeted by a Nen user, and if he has not awakened Nen himself, he can suffer severe injury – as can be vividly seen in the veterans who fight from a wheelchair or are missing limbs. Nen represents a complex power system which can be learned by anyone, but not everyone can use its potential equally – the differences are staggering. Hardened by the Hunter exam, Gon and Killua quickly reach the 200th floor, but they are blocked by Hisoka’s terrifying Nen. Wing, a Nen master, decides to teach them the nuances of Nen. Gon resolves to land a single hit on Hisoka so he can return the badge he received unearned, while Hisoka eagerly anticipates Gon’s growth, so he can fight him on more equal terms. According to the show’s narrator, the basic forms of Nen are: “Ten [SHROUD]. The ability to build up a shroud of Nen aura. You can make your body harder and considerably slow the effects of aging. Zetsu [NULL]. A technique that nullifes your Nen aura. It’s effective for concealing your presence and recovering from extreme fatigue. Ren. A technique used to create an especially strong Nen aura. The ability is crucial for increasing your power. Hatsu [ACT]. The release of your Nen aura after boosting via Ren. The four are known as the four major principles and are critical to the mastery of Nen.”
This power system is fairly complex, as the different types of Nen users dictate which abilities they can master. As the narrator explains in the next arc of the show: “There are six distinct categories of Nen users… Enhancers are able to strengthen various objects’ effectiveness… Transmuters can use their aura to alter object’s qualities. [Conjurers are] somewhat akin to Transmuters. Conjurers are able to manifest their aura… Emitters can propel their aura like projectiles… Manipulators can use their auras to control objects and creatures… Specialists are those with rare abilities that don’t fit in the other five categories.” Determining which category one’s aura falls into defines a Nen user’s type, allowing his power to take any form he can imagine within the limits of his ability. For example, Gon is an Enhancer, while Killua is a Transmuter who later uses his power to give his aura the qualities of electricity.
Fighters on the 200th floor and above do not fight for money, but for glory. Winning ten matches without suffering four losses, allows them to challenge the Floor Masters and ultimately enter the Battle Olympia tournament. The Floor Masters earn their own penthouses on the top of the Tower, and are granted the privileges that come with it. It can hardly be said that Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of Hunter × Hunter, imagined Heavens Arena as a metaphor for the late-capitalist class system – a theme he explicitly explores later in the Succession Contest Arc aboard the Black Whale – but it can certainly be read as such, given how closely it mirrors our own world. Fighting in Heavens Arena is a deliberate choice, whereas we are simply born into our real-world class system. For example, the conditions on the lower 100 floors mirror those of disenfranchised classes in the Third World, though these struggles are present in the West as well.
Working for minimal pay and struggling to afford a decent housing is a reality for a significant number of people worldwide. This mirrors the struggle of fighters in Heavens Arena who endure low financial rewards on the lower levels in hopes of reaching the 100th floor, where they are granted their own room. The rewards of the 100th floor resemble the lifestyle of the shrinking middle class in in the West, but around the world as well. This implies having a place of one’s own, whether an apartment or a house, rented or bought. For many, however, attaining this standard of living is proving increasingly difficult. What is important and makes this analogy even more convincing is that by losing a fight one can lose these privileges and return to the situation in which one is worse-off, just like in the real world. One can lose a job or have unexpected financial expenses, becoming unable to pay rent or a mortgage. What makes this analogy more interesting is the situation on the 200th floor and above: entering carries a heavy cost, evident in the damaged bodies of some Nen users, while fighting there requires at a foundational knowledge of Nen.
To expand this analogy, it is worth recalling Carl Schmitt’s invocation of Tacitus, who noted that “every scientific discipline – theology, jurisprudence, business, fine art, the art of war, or medicine – has its arcane. In all these disciplines we find certain tricks; they employ even cunning and betrayal in order to achieve their goal. But in the state certain events are always necessary that conjure the impression of freedom, simulacra or decorative occasions designed to pacify the population.” Putting politics aside, it is evident that some professions have their ‘hidden knowledge’ – the arcane, which is unknown to the rest of the population but used to the advantage of an artist, lawyer, doctor, or businessman. It gives them an edge over those without that knowledge, potentially granting them access to upper-middle-class privileges. For example, Leo Strauss wrote of “esoteric writing” – a concept implying that authors of great works use deception and cunning to conceal their true meaning, which only initiates can understand. Similarly, in Hunter × Hunter, Nen functions as “hidden knowledge” that Wing selectively reveals to Gon and Killua.
When compared to Nen, the analogy becomes clear: to reach the highest levels, one must possess a fundamental body of knowledge that is theoretically accessible to anyone. Just as anyone can learn Nen, having this foundation makes a crucial difference – whether fighting in the Heavens Arena or navigating the real world. Much like the real world, the universe of Hunter × Hunter is heavily shaped by the advantages of birth. Killua comes from the absurdly wealthy and talented Zoldyck family of elite assassins, having undergone specialized training from a young age, while Gon benefits from belonging to the legendary Freecss bloodline. Extending the analogy between the real world and Heavens Arena, Floor Masters mirror billionaires, though the comparison diverges: unlike Floor Masters, who face constant challenge from proficient Nen users, actual billionaires utilize various safeguards to secure their wealth. All of this demonstrates how Heavens Arena, even if not consciously intended by the author as a metaphor for the late capitalist class system, bears a resemblance to our own world and its inherent struggles.
