As this semester concludes, I have reflected on my journey of media analysis and creative storytelling. This process has allowed me to bridge the gap between my knowledge of technical media usage and narrative construction, which shows in my final project to explore the character of Kurapika from HunterxHunter.
In this final story, I put my efforts to weave together written storytelling with various forms of media, including:
Original Backstory and After Story: I crafted an original origin story for Kurapika, imagining his life as an orphan before his canon events. Than after all of the cannon event concludes, I created a story of his life based on what I know about the character for an after story.
Audio & Visual Integration: The narrative i chose is supported by a audio track that explores his themes, video clips depicting his canonical struggles, and collected official and fan art to help visualize his unseen “after story”.
Semester Reflection
What I Learned: This semester taught me how to approach media through a critical lens, using methods and ideas from those of Roger Ebert to deconstruct film, while also mastering the fundamental building blocks of using audio tell stories. I also used inspiration from other student examples from the audio, visual, and video assignments to understand further on how to expand my creations.
What I Would Do Differently: If I were to retake this course, I would have an even greater emphasis on the process of drafting and refining multimedia components of the assignments and lessons. This is so I can ensure the audio and visual elements feel as deeply integrated as the text.
Most Exciting Project: While the final narrative felt rewarding, the most exciting project for me was the photography-based “Design Blitz.” It pushed me to think about and apply principles like minimalism, rhythm, and symmetry to real world environments and photo which fundamentally changed how I view visual storytelling.
Kurapika is a character from the anime series HunterxHunter and he is often shown in the story to fight a villain or to assist the main cast. He is a boy with long blonde hair, red eyes, a tall-thin but built frame and dresses normally in blue. Besides his involvement in the story, their is not much known about him as a character and the story of what happens to him after where you are left off in the story.
From chapter 344 of the Official Hunterxhunter manga
Unwritten Beginnings
Kurapika grew up up as a street orphan in a sprawling, drenched urban city, Kurapika never knew he came from a powerful lineage aging back generations. He found himself a home after an elderly local blacksmith found him searching for food. The blacksmith Ponasaki taught him how to forge iron chains not for combat, but for simple protection and to also use for utility. His quiet life vanished in a flash when a stray spark in the workshop triggered his dormant, passed down power, causing his eyes to burn a permanent, scarlet red color that’s seen in his families ancient art. Panicking from the sight of his glowing eyes, the city’s civilians run to royalty officials and also gains attention from the Phantom Troupe. The rulers and Phantom Troupe hunted him down and burned the only place he’d ever felt safe, killing Ponasaki and forcing Kurapika to flee into the shadows with nothing. He now has a goal of getting his revenge and having a desperate urge to find out who and what he truly was as he doesn’t know much about his family history. His life continues on like a song of adventure but also a song of anger as he searches through the lands in desperation to achieve these goals.
(This Backstory is completly originally written by me)
Kurapika’s Theme
Adventure and After Story
What Is Seen In The Anime
Kurapika begins his journey in the anime by joining the Hunter Exam to obtain his license, seeking the power and resources needed to hunt the Phantom Troupe, the criminals who massacred his loved ones. Throughout the show, he masters Nen to enhance his developed specialized chain abilities, tailored to destroy the Troupe and royalty. His pursuit of vengeance leads him to break into the underworld, where he becomes a bodyguard for a powerful crime family. This path brings him directly to the Phantom Troupe, forcing him to make brutal compromises that push him to his emotional and physical limits. Kurapika’s focus shifts toward the long-term goal of recovering the stolen remains of his people. This transforms him into a cold strategist who is constantly balancing his moral integrity against the immense personal cost of his mission to reclaim his heritage and achieve justice for his fallen kin.
(Kurapika fighting Phantom Troup members)
Unseen After Story
After the final battle, Kurapika walked away from everything, trading his identity as a Hunter for the life of a ghost. He put his adventure days in the past, and spend his days traveling around earth, not to hunt down enemies, but to teach younger people to control Nen and to protect helpless towns. Every time he recovered one of his kin’s stolen eyes along the way, it felt like a small, private funeral. His mission has came at a steep price, as every use of his power chipped away at his remaining life. Eventually, he simply faded into legend, choosing to vanish rather than be remembered as a hero, leaving behind only the cold, quiet stillness of a man who gave everything to settle a debt that could never truly be repaid. He created a positive impact on the world and instilled fear into all evil from the years he spent protecting the helpless.
(Fanart made from Jacob Noble on Instagram)
Why I Chose Kurapika?
This epilogue is purely my own head canon for how Kurapika’s journey might end, especially since his official story is still ongoing in the manga. I’ve always found him to be a deeply compelling character to analyze from a psychological perspective, even with how little we’ve seen of his private life. Honestly, I feel like he was underutilized in the series; he possesses more depth and delivers some of the most powerful scenes in the entire show compared to any other character.
