The upcoming fighting game adaptation of the manga and anime series ‘Hunter x Hunter’ is due out on the Switch and other platforms in 2025, but it seems it’s been refused classification in one particular country ahead of release.
The country (and classification board) that’s knocked back Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact is Australia. The official rating simply notes how it’s been “refused classification”. Automaton-Media reached out to the ACB and has got some extra insight as to why exactly it’s been blocked:
Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact was refused an age rating was because the game contains depictions that suggest “sexual violence against characters under the age of 18 by an adult male character.” They further explained that there was no context story-wise that would justify depictions of this kind being in the game, which contributed to the decision to reject it.
The same source speculates the character that could potentially be linked to this decision is Hisoka (you can see this character in the screenshot above):
If you’re familiar with Hunter x Hunter’s source material, you’re probably thinking of Hisoka right now, as the character is known for displaying inappropriate sentiments towards the 12-year-old protagonists Gon and Killua. We don’t know if this is the exact issue in question nor to what extent it has been depicted in the fighting game, but as things stand now, the game will not be able to launch in Australia unless Bushiroad takes some kind of action.
It seems Bushiroad and Arc System Works may now have to make some adjustments or add a bit more context to get this game accepted by the classification board. Whether or not this happens though is another question.
As noted by EventHubs, this isn’t actually the first time a fighting game has been refused classification in Australia. The brutal and bloody title Mortal Kombat 9 was “famously banned” in 2011 and eventually got classified alongside the local introduction of the R18+ rating.
Although this upcoming fighting game based on Hunter X Hunter has been refused classification, the series itself is still considered to be one of the greatest anime and manga of all time.
