User blog comment:Kaido King of the Beasts/Chapter 814: Mewl Like a Kitty, Bite Like a Viper/@comment-24850639-20160128161007/@comment-24850639-20160129170316

Not quite sure what makes you think that ONLY legal instistitutions are capable of issuing bounties. A mob boss, pirate, king/governor, or anyone with deep pockets really is capable of putting a price on someone's head.

In either case, I never meant to get that technical about it in the first place. The only point I was trying to make is that in my opinion, they both take down high-value targets. Hired killers. The only nuances I see are that an assassin doesn't always necessarily have to be hired (though they usually work for SOMETHING), and a bounty hunter doesn't always necessarily have to kill (though given the free choice between "dead or alive" dead makes A LOT more sense). An assassin doesn't need to have a bounty, and a bounty hunter doesn't always need to assassinate. Whatever the story is, people seek out the Vinsmokes when they want someone DEALT WITH, and I highly doubt they got the standing they do in society by doing it for free.