Facts but honestly it didn’t need to happen if Kite had told him before had he can come back 😂😭 So Gon lost kinda did all that for nun if u think on it which ig was the lesson Gin was tryna teach him before hand but I still don’t understand why it wasn’t told to them before hand given how bad ass the ability is
@iskasaciid5352 The closest thing I can think of is Killua having to live like his little sister didn't exist or living with the inability to free the person he loved the most.
One of the tings I liked about the Chimera Ant Arc is that shows Meruem acts more like a sane and civilized person, while Gon and Netero act inhumane and monster like.
That was the theme of the that arc Netero becomes a monster an embodiment of malice to save the human race and meruem sit down for a civilized chat, gon goes in to total destruction route where pitou give its life to save the king the human show there true innate nature whereas the monster shows there truest side.
@@SwayKryptic999I mean, maybe not to the standards that we hold as humans, but she executed her duties as a royal guard to a T, better than Shaiapouf (who wanted to go behind Meruem’s back and kill Komugi) and Youpi who showed a teeny bit of Mercy in one or two instance based on respect for the way the invading humans fought with everything they had when he could have killed some characters. The chimera ant society and morality system is different from human society and moral system. If anything, this arc showed both systems and positives and negatives, times when it’s people acted “good” and “evil,” but sometimes morality and society come down to a matter of perspective. As humans we have been raised in ways for centuries that make us act and think as we do today (with some variations among different groups), but the chimera ants have lived a different way for years and years and probably had to I order to adapt and survive their unique circumstances.
I always resonated with Killua more. So I saw Gon as the friend you think you want, but not the one you need. Killua latched onto Gon to have direction and they are happy for a bit. Killua covers for Gon and protects him through Heaven's Arena. Helping Gon in Yorknew gets Killua into trouble even he isn't strong enough to handle. Then in Greed Island, Killua becomes so used to helping Gon do what he wants that it comes at the detriment of his own health. He ruins his hands to help Gon. Gon nearly killing himself to beat the Bomber shows how he could easily die, which would be a massive trauma for Killua. In the Chimera Ant arc, Killua sees he can't protect Gon, cannot get Gon to stop, and then lets go of Gon after ensuring Gon will survive. To me, it is a story of Killua realising that he needs to take care of himself and find things for himself separate from others. But what do I know? Gon always creeped me out. He would like you even if you were a murderer, so long as you were nice or useful. Going after Hisoka to get revenge for that punch showed how easily he gets obsessed, and nothing would stop him from doing it. After the Hunter Exam, I knew Gon is the last person you ever want to get on the wrong side of.
Now is the first time I may have liked Gon lol I watched HxH 6 or so times and all I saw in him was the kind of person I tend to hate. Always happy, acting like the world is rainbows, unicorns and ice cream, no matter how tough things are 💀 I love HxH cuz of Killua and Kurapika, at least from the "good guys". At least till now Gon was just the character I tolerated... now I guess I'll watch it again and try to look at him with different eyes
I love how you explained Gon as a MC. He isn't your typical MC who gets stronger when a dire situation occurs. He Is what every child has to go through, growing up in the real world
I mean so far I still think he still fits the trope mostly. He does get strong enough for basically all obstacles each time. Now yes there are times when he is cleared out of his league but that happens with every MC in an Shonen show. Every character faces crazy odds at some point and they lose but they come back stronger. Gon mainly took Ls to Hisoka. But it seemed like they were building for more but the story still isn't over.
Gon has the vibes of a villian at the beginning stages of their development, kind of the opposite of killua. I always felt we'd see them full switch up by the time they reuinite, gon will be a cold blooded killer (he kinda already is) and killua will be more in line with the typical shonen protagonist.
sorry i didn't realise your first "them" referred to both Gon and Killua... i thought it was a new thing ppl are doing, and i'm just getting older and older @@tristanalain9239
Honestly I just see Gon as a kid who threw a temper tantrum. And there was no one there to stop him. Because once he is healed he doesn't seem to have a bad view point of the world at least as far as I have seen.
Simplicity, negative development (or w/e the proper writing term is) aren’t bad things for a character when done right. Gon is alot more subtle and nuanced in his development as a character than most ppl are willing to give him.
the opening to this video was beautiful, honestly. I think that you did a really good job of explaining how people (whether they realize it or not) can be drawn to characters in media that resonate with them/their own personality!
This is a really good analysis and I love the breakdown. One thing I'd like to add though is I feel Gon himself probably believes himself to be innocent, but right out of the gate his view of the world is a bit twisted. Sure, he hates evil people who hurt and kill others, but in certain circumstances this doesn't bother him. A really interesting thing I realized about Gon: he doesn't care about people's pasts too much and only judges people by his interactions with them and their interactions with his friends. Gon hates the Phantom Troupe, sure, and the large amounts of killing they do is part of that, but I think the bigger reason is because of their effect on his friend, Kurapika. Gon's best friend is also Killua, who's killed a lot of people as well, but was completely unphased by learning he's an assassin, and thought it was super cool when he ripped the prisoner's heart out in the Hunter Exam. Gon also takes a quick liking to Razor as well, even after hearing he was a death row inmate for murder (though perhaps being friends with Ging had an influence). There's of course Hisoka, who isn't exactly Gon's friend and Gon hasn't really had positive interactions with him, but he views him as a goal to surpass some day. He's wary of Hisoka, but doesn't see him as evil, even despite going after his friends, as he was the most willing to team up with him when they needed extra help for the volleyball match, even though Gon should know Hisoka has definitely killed people before. Gon is also, if I recall correctly, pretty indifferent to people dying during the Hunter Exam, but does his best to protect his friends from meeting a similar fate. He doesn't like killing or people dying, but if you're outside the circle of people he cares about, it's little concern to him. Chimera Ant is where Gon's morality is the most interesting because during the stripping of his innocence, his moral compass doesn't actually change too much. He joins the mission to stop the Chimera Ants, but he does so to get Kite back, rather than to stop a global threat. During the raid, his sole focus is finding and eventually getting revenge on Pitou. The crack in his moral compass is when he threatens to kill Komugi to get what he wanted from Pitou. At this point he was willing to do anything to get Kite back, no matter what it took, tying into his loss of innocence. I overall agree that the events of Hunter x Hunter steadily chip away at Gon's innocence, resulting in what he becomes at the end of the Chimera Ant arc, I just also think Gon's "innocence", his naïve view of the world and how he ignores people's pasts, good or bad, shows that some part of the way he thinks was warped to begin with.
Gon is a kid. Kids don't think deeply. Their view is very egocentric. They dislike anything that stops them for doing what they want, being around what/who they want or hurts who they like. But there is less mercy with kids because they are more black or white with things.
I’ve seen a few people make these same points about Gon’s “warped innocence”. I wonder if this is because Gon is a main character in anime who is a kid and actually acts like it. When we have an important character in anime who is young, they always seem to be very adult like in their decision making and overall character (look at Killua). Gon does have a naive view of the world, because he is a kid who was introduced to the dark parts of the world at 12, and unlike Killua, he just wasn’t able to handle it. I’m not disagreeing with you or knocking your analysis, I think it’s fantastic. Just wanted to give my thoughts on what I think is the reason for that viewpoint.
@@cake7337 I agree with this. I don't want to say people are wrong about their analysis. But I feel like people are always psychoanalyzing characters and its probably not that deep lol. Gon is a child and really acts like it. Most kids live in a black and white world and that's Gon. He is stubborn and only cares about what he wants and if what you want doesn't align it frustrates him.
I love this breakdown. Gon losing himself at the end was a perfect silhouette to his bright and optimistic counterpart at the start of the anime. I like the fact that hes written so differently from the typical shonen protagonist. I also agree that the Chimera ant arc is the best arc of the anime. Id like if you could do a killua breakdown as well because his character development I also find interesting as his personality changes the more Gon loses that innocence and he comes to the realization that hes losing his friend slowly.
Quick question what makes him so different though then let's say Naruto? Naruto loses his cool many times and lets the nine talks out. Most of those rampages were solely emotional responses. I view Gons fight with Pitou to be right on brand. He has to end Pitou because of what he did to his friend. Naruto did the same to Pain. Ichigo gave up all his soul reaper powers to try and beat Aizen. To me is isn't that different
@@jacobhayes8324 Gon is different because how the story is written, his downward spiral is fairly obvious whereas Naruto and the others isnt. Naruto was born as an orphan and quickly understood how dark the world was. His story is more of a redemption-and-overcome-story by never giving up and fighting for what he believed in. Thats typical for most shonen MCs. Gon on the other hand starts off innocent and optimistic and slowly loses himself as he comes to understand his own weakness and inadequacies more and more. In the end, he still defeats his enemy but it cost him everything to the point where i question if it was even worth it to begin with. Its almost sad
"losing his friend slowly" damn. this is so sad. but I have so much love for hxh. honestly I think shinobu and gon have a lot in common. The only difference is that shinobu actually lost those she cared about, meanwhile gon never had them.
yeah he didnt poop that whole time. dont think theres something wrong with him??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? im serious no one can go without pooping for that long. also stop talking about onions im sick of it
I think the most alluring part of shounen MCs is their ambition. They all tend to have the same trait of an ambitious dream to become the best at what they do, which is something we can all relate to. While my goal may not be to become hokage or wizard king, i can relate to working hard to become good at what i do, and admire their ambition to truly become the best at their craft, a feat that most people will give up on at some point in favor of a more “realistic” goal. They never gave up on that ambitous dream and actually achieved it through blood sweat and tears
I recently rewatched Hunter X Hunter from the start to the end of Greed Island specifically examining Gon as a character. One of the most recurring issues with Gon was that any breach of his concept of "fairness" deeply infuriates him. The earliest example being his quasi-battle with Hisoka during the Hunter Exam, even though Gon failed Hisoka would give him his victory anyways. After his defeat Gon immediately went to help Leorio to clear his - much easier - exam trial because it was the only thing he could do at the moment to dampen some of that frustration he was stewing in. He was driven to fury by the Zoldycks "testing" Killua's friends before they could see him, more than the whole assassination business thing. He hated not being meaningfully included in Kurapika's war against the Phantom Troupe, despite really not being all that useful objectively and an active hindrance at some points. Then he went to Greed Island, where he was probably most infuriated by the idea that the other players weren't experiencing the game properly. The actual breaking point for Gun was the idea of Kite dying due to his weakness. People criticize that Togashi - kinda-sorta- brought Kite back at the end of the arc, but the emotional ramifications of Kite's death wasn't about what he as a character meant to Gon but rather Gon inability to come to terms with his role in his death fundamentally poisoned his mindset thereafter. It was always about Gon fundamentally.
To me one thing people never really factor in is that Gon is a child. Children are not mature and can't handle emotions very well. Their perspective is very short sighted and Gons more than most because all he has done is simply live in practical seclusion and nature. Gon is a good example of what happens when a kid has powers with minimal guidance and gets mad. Yes he went though something terrible but as a child he lacks that maturity for anything else but lashing out.
Gon is so interesting cuz all the other main characters are more dark or realistic but they highlight truths of humanity. Kurapkia with the price of revenge and anger. Killua with his assassin origins and battle for agency. And leorio with his relatively simple goal of being a doctor but the grand idea to help everyone is willing to accept the risk if reaching that goal is a possibility. Gon is an innocent boy, while gift, is still just a boy. He doesn't understand what consequences are and how to deal with them. It's why we see him be selfish and later on lash out cuz all of this is new for him where as everyone else had a head start on the cruelty of their world.
I agree. That's why I just don't view Gon as this super complex character. He to me just seems like every other Shonen character, just able to not have anyone stop their tantrums.
Nick, your channel is why I finally got into HxH. Seeing you get so hype every time you mentioned it was infectious. And now, I can finally understand everything you're saying about it!
Watched HunterXHunter after Naruto and One Piece. He’s the realist person as shonen mc. He’s starts like Naruto and Luffy, then the mental toll of his trails and tribulations culminates and retrospect is 20/20. It’s like watching Eren in AOT on rewatch knowing the monster he’ll become. On rewatch I had a similar eire feeling watching Gon, Greed Island where he sacrificed his arm was a huge turning point. I was shocked that he did that shit just cause. He’s not a psychopath, he’s a kid who is adapting to his surroundings. Everything post Kite he tosses his morality aside and becomes terrifying because he’s so unpredictable. Love his character.
Gon didn’t get mad at the phantom troupe because they hurt people. He was mad because they hurt his friends (Kurapika). He doesn’t care about people doing bad things. For example, he was kind to the scissors guy in Greed Island even though he was a serial killer because he helped him and Killua.
Definitely like how you broke this down. He one of my favorite MC’s and with plot armor he’s able to gain his nen back. Thank you again for another wonderful video
This Video made me realize that despite knowing HxH was an inspiration for JJK, that Gon and Yuji are written a lot more similarly than I originally thought. Yuji and Gon are both very sunny, just generally speaking good kids, and while their calls to adventure are very different, the way they both represent a loss of innocence is very similar. Gon experiences this loss in a more subtle, gradual method while Yuji has his torn away brutally quickly. I’ve yet to see all of HxH, and the parts I did see were several years ago, this video definitely put it on the list to watch seriously
Honestly I love how you described gon it’s exactly how I see him as a character his child like mindset was robbed from him by the cruel unbiased reality of the world and in order for him to compete with said reality he had to lose apart of himself the chimera ant arc was by far my favourite I’d tried to watch hxh years ago but couldn’t get into it but when I did it was peak fiction in my eyes
It’s insane! I also find Gon amazing and he is one of my top favorite characters. So I am always surprised that people don’t find him interesting when I tell them he is my favorite!
Gon is the result of when the MC didn't have the privileges of he's parents, he inherited nothing and most of he's powers are basically from he's hard work, this mirrors the reality that the world doesn't revolve around him
Your bias definitely is most of this video. I don’t think anything you said couldnt be applied to any other Mc. Like legitimately this is what’s happening in my hero.
Yeah I agree, But the differences in most of these animes, they revert back to Is there happy go lucky self, Right after they're Villain arc. With gon, The cracks stay. No matter how much sheer power he obtains it never mends the mental wound. I'm not saying the other characters just Completely get out of it scott free, But I feel like it's much more shown with gon
Never thought about Gon like this... Kinda makes me sad... But once again thank you NChammer23 for helping me with a totally outside the box perspective of one of my favorite animes👍👍
I'd say he's exactly what you said my problem is mostly the fact that he sacrificed everything for pretty much a stranger I was okay for his anger and hatred but to literally forget his most close friend for his father's friend/student is just crazy to me sure he met him as a kid but he has like zer0 Memory of it 😶
@@jacobhayes8324 Yeah but even so he still had Guidance and when Killua was right there helping him through his tuff time he just ran away kids are often more observative so Gon should have known and felt Killua's Fear and Sadness towards him that he was Consoling Gon and Gon should've felt that cuz kids feel the emotions around them more than anything else
@@dragonflyswataswata5135 if you don't mind me asking what guidance did Gon have? I mean he had the guy who exposed him to Nen. But that was just mainly about how to use Nen. Same with Bissy. As far as I can see Gon just had peers that gave consult but he has no supervision at all. Killua had a structured upbringing so he is different anyway. I don't disagree with what you said completely I just feel like Gon is the embodiment of youth, innocence and blissful ignorance.
@@zashgekido5616 I will agree she was his mother like figure but I am curious of her overall structure of his life. It seemed like Gon mainly just lived out in nature and did what he wanted. Not that he was a bad kid or anything. I mean he left the house at like 11 lol.
When people ask why do you watch anime. I’m going to show them this video. The depth of lore and individual character development is unmatched in regular movies or tv.
i think you perfectly described Gon and how i felt about him, and why i enjoyed his character so much. Killuwa will always be my favourite though, That heart stopping battle in the hunters exam blew my mind 😂
With great timing i watched this as i took a shit. As he said about feeling powerless and trying to overcome I was pushing through a huge shit. His speech and Gon's story helped me overcome my constipation, i am now stronger than before, my assshole bigger but i will recover and i will preserve because i pushed that shit out of me like giving birth. Thanks bro
2:56 man, I already respected you but right here is when you legit became one of my top 5 TH-camrs. I’ve watched your content since your TikToks became famous enough to be stolen and put on Facebook 🤣 you made it brother, congrats 🎉
Gon is the best character in hxh and his story arc just reached it's midel point the thing is a don't think we will ever see his arc fully developed because of togashi health
Dude, your videos are amazing! I love how you dive into philosophy of this, and explain it so beautifully and passionatley! You gave me new perspective on watching anime and life in general :D Keep up the good work man!
You do such a good job at analyzing these animes, past what I would have realized. Especially in terms of what the arcs meant. I’ve been listening to your HunterxHunter videos while farming for stone in Stardew Valley for the past few days (I have COVID, so, not a lot else to do lol🥲). I recently finished watching HunterxHunter for the first time and the show really really stuck with me, so I’ve been watching videos of HunterxHunter analysis and I gotta say that yours have been my fav to watch/listen to!! I can’t let the series go and I’m sad that it’s gone lol. It’s real nice to see someone appreciate it so much too, and also super interesting to hear your takes and analysis on everything!! Thanks for making these ❤
I greatly appreciate this character breakdown. Hunter x Hunter quite instantly became one of my favorite animes after 1 watch. Seeing Gon lose himself and become an adult reminded me of Goku's first Super Saiyan transformation.
Gon is a truly optimistic child facing the brutally of reality and displaying what happens often to innocent hearts not ready for the corruption world.
I love Gon above all the Arc types MC. His innocence was tested but it persisted on the Chimera Arc. I'm so sad regarding what happened to Hunter X Hunter. And btw, Nick do a deep dive regarding Sasuke Sarutobi on the other channel, please. Thanks. 😊
It honestly felt like Gon is on the path to be the final villain that anger he has is present well before kite died I don’t think the power hisoka sees in him is a good thing anytime some he cares about get injured or he has a strong opponent he’s always willing to sacrifice everything
It's possible I guess. I also think it's lack of maturity. Gon unlike the others wasn't raised with much structure. He was kind able to just go do whatever he liked. Killua was strictly raised to be an assassin. Gon is like an animal. Not harmful until you mess with it or something it cares about. I think many Shonen characters are this way. They usually just have safe guards to reel them back in.
In the manga kite was the one that Showed Gon his hunter's license and motivated him to become a hunter. It'd be like in One Piece, if Luffy lost Shanks
Love Hunter x Hunter, but I'm not sure I got why Kite's death affected Gon more than any other until I watched this video. The way you put it made a lot of sense. Also, I know it'll be a while even after the current hiatus, but the longwinded scheming and exposition of everything on the big ship in the manga has made me miss Gon and Killua so much.
Wait... There is a large group out there who think the Chimera Ant arc is bad? The arc up there with Mareinford (as an entire saga of arcs) as the greatest story in shonen manga, if not fiction in general? What the hell?
I like your interpretation. I've heard some others say that Gon only saw people as those who benefit him and those who didn't. But that seems ridiculous to me. As you said, he was always shown to be trying to risk his own life to save those around him whether they benefited him or not. Now I know the magic number of how many times I need to watch an anime in order to get it.
Hunter x Hunter by far my favorite show/anime just perfect a simple story he told and how if you put yourself the reader as a 10-12 year old kid as Gon, you too would often make the same decisions or mistakes Gon does. We were all just children once in this big world and Hunter X Hunter shows humility at its best and its worst. I believe Togashi made that one character "Gon" to represent humans true nature and everyone else in the show are fiction characters/persuaders that one wants to be or lies in themselves.
There seems to me to be a connection between Gon dealing with dangerous realities of the HxH world and the G6 countries dealing with explorers trying to make it to the dark continent. I wonder if Ging will be happy, or horrified by what he finds.
I feel like Naruto and Gon are far more alike that this guys says. Countless times Naruto’s innocence was chipped away piece by piece until he snaps and lets kurama take over. In all of Naruto (not shippuden) Naruto rarely bets powerful enough to win with overwhelming power. In fact it is this power than wins many of his fights. Every time I watch Naruto I feel more like on the inside he is a depressed child that puts in this persona of a happy kid. He clings on to any possibility of happiness. Several episodes show him with a depressed look in his face when he is by himself. But when around other people he has that smile and chipper go attitude. Buuut it could also be me projecting myself into the character…
Off topic, I know, but you made me realize I'm so neutral about nearly every character in Bleach and yet still love the manga. I like Orihime, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, Mayuri, and then a couple of bad guys. I don't dislike any of the other characters or anything, just not super hyped about them. On HxH, it's not an original idea for me to say Gon's character is the way it is either because A) it's a deconstruction and the point is to setup breaking Gon in the CA arc or B) Gon isn't the main character because there isn't a main "series" character. Instead, for any given arc(s), there's either no MC or it's Killua/Kurapika at the same time as Gon for the point of contrast. I mean, currently is Kurapika even the MC of the arc? As far as development goes, I think you're spot on. You see all these changes from arc to arc, though for me I couldn't see it in earlier arcs until I saw it in CA. Then you see it was all foreshadowed and have that "ah ha" moment.
Out of Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio... Gon was the only one who didn't understand the pain of loss until Kite had died.
your name lives up to the legends
Facts but honestly it didn’t need to happen if Kite had told him before had he can come back 😂😭 So Gon lost kinda did all that for nun if u think on it which ig was the lesson Gin was tryna teach him before hand but I still don’t understand why it wasn’t told to them before hand given how bad ass the ability is
Who did killua loose
@iskasaciid5352 The closest thing I can think of is Killua having to live like his little sister didn't exist or living with the inability to free the person he loved the most.
Nice thought, though this would go to show how mentally unprepared gon was to follow his fayhers path
One of the tings I liked about the Chimera Ant Arc is that shows Meruem acts more like a sane and civilized person, while Gon and Netero act inhumane and monster like.
Meruem the monster, learns to be human. Gon the human, becomes a monster
That was the theme of the that arc Netero becomes a monster an embodiment of malice to save the human race and meruem sit down for a civilized chat, gon goes in to total destruction route where pitou give its life to save the king the human show there true innate nature whereas the monster shows there truest side.
@@daiblo.dshadowdon't act like pitou is good at all mereum maybe but pitou was a complete monster
@@SwayKryptic999 hence why he mentioned Meruem.
@@SwayKryptic999I mean, maybe not to the standards that we hold as humans, but she executed her duties as a royal guard to a T, better than Shaiapouf (who wanted to go behind Meruem’s back and kill Komugi) and Youpi who showed a teeny bit of Mercy in one or two instance based on respect for the way the invading humans fought with everything they had when he could have killed some characters. The chimera ant society and morality system is different from human society and moral system. If anything, this arc showed both systems and positives and negatives, times when it’s people acted “good” and “evil,” but sometimes morality and society come down to a matter of perspective. As humans we have been raised in ways for centuries that make us act and think as we do today (with some variations among different groups), but the chimera ants have lived a different way for years and years and probably had to I order to adapt and survive their unique circumstances.
That last part actually hits. "He's not one note, you just can't read the sheet music."
-The Weeb Commander
2023
2024
@NumberTobi ion know
Ahhh the Chimera Ant Arc
Where humans became monsters and monsters became human
I always resonated with Killua more. So I saw Gon as the friend you think you want, but not the one you need. Killua latched onto Gon to have direction and they are happy for a bit. Killua covers for Gon and protects him through Heaven's Arena. Helping Gon in Yorknew gets Killua into trouble even he isn't strong enough to handle. Then in Greed Island, Killua becomes so used to helping Gon do what he wants that it comes at the detriment of his own health. He ruins his hands to help Gon. Gon nearly killing himself to beat the Bomber shows how he could easily die, which would be a massive trauma for Killua. In the Chimera Ant arc, Killua sees he can't protect Gon, cannot get Gon to stop, and then lets go of Gon after ensuring Gon will survive. To me, it is a story of Killua realising that he needs to take care of himself and find things for himself separate from others.
But what do I know? Gon always creeped me out. He would like you even if you were a murderer, so long as you were nice or useful. Going after Hisoka to get revenge for that punch showed how easily he gets obsessed, and nothing would stop him from doing it. After the Hunter Exam, I knew Gon is the last person you ever want to get on the wrong side of.
Wow never seen it like this! Great perspective
Gon would make a dope villain.
He could very well be in the future @@justifano7046
Now is the first time I may have liked Gon lol
I watched HxH 6 or so times and all I saw in him was the kind of person I tend to hate. Always happy, acting like the world is rainbows, unicorns and ice cream, no matter how tough things are 💀
I love HxH cuz of Killua and Kurapika, at least from the "good guys". At least till now Gon was just the character I tolerated... now I guess I'll watch it again and try to look at him with different eyes
I love how you explained Gon as a MC. He isn't your typical MC who gets stronger when a dire situation occurs. He Is what every child has to go through, growing up in the real world
I mean so far I still think he still fits the trope mostly. He does get strong enough for basically all obstacles each time. Now yes there are times when he is cleared out of his league but that happens with every MC in an Shonen show. Every character faces crazy odds at some point and they lose but they come back stronger. Gon mainly took Ls to Hisoka. But it seemed like they were building for more but the story still isn't over.
Ironically he was always strong enough to get in involved but never strong enough to help
I cant believe some People odnt get
how Gons Adult-Transformation, his big Power-Up works.
Anybody notice within each Arc, Gon either breaks or loses one of hands?
And kite loses his arm too
And the degree of damage to his arm increases each ark
@katleholenkoane4364 damn that next ark is gonna be crazy
Yeah it's well documented acc. Not something I figured out on my own tho
Gon has the vibes of a villian at the beginning stages of their development, kind of the opposite of killua. I always felt we'd see them full switch up by the time they reuinite, gon will be a cold blooded killer (he kinda already is) and killua will be more in line with the typical shonen protagonist.
exactly, that's what i always say, during chimeras arc, Gon failed as a MC and Kirua became the MC and the next arc really solidify that stance.
Yea, it’s a pretty nice change tbh… btw genuine question, what’s with the them/they’s?
@@dzpakBecause referring to multiple people with pronouns is convenient.
sorry i didn't realise your first "them" referred to both Gon and Killua... i thought it was a new thing ppl are doing, and i'm just getting older and older
@@tristanalain9239
Honestly I just see Gon as a kid who threw a temper tantrum. And there was no one there to stop him. Because once he is healed he doesn't seem to have a bad view point of the world at least as far as I have seen.
Simplicity, negative development (or w/e the proper writing term is) aren’t bad things for a character when done right. Gon is alot more subtle and nuanced in his development as a character than most ppl are willing to give him.
the opening to this video was beautiful, honestly. I think that you did a really good job of explaining how people (whether they realize it or not) can be drawn to characters in media that resonate with them/their own personality!
This is a really good analysis and I love the breakdown. One thing I'd like to add though is I feel Gon himself probably believes himself to be innocent, but right out of the gate his view of the world is a bit twisted. Sure, he hates evil people who hurt and kill others, but in certain circumstances this doesn't bother him. A really interesting thing I realized about Gon: he doesn't care about people's pasts too much and only judges people by his interactions with them and their interactions with his friends.
Gon hates the Phantom Troupe, sure, and the large amounts of killing they do is part of that, but I think the bigger reason is because of their effect on his friend, Kurapika. Gon's best friend is also Killua, who's killed a lot of people as well, but was completely unphased by learning he's an assassin, and thought it was super cool when he ripped the prisoner's heart out in the Hunter Exam. Gon also takes a quick liking to Razor as well, even after hearing he was a death row inmate for murder (though perhaps being friends with Ging had an influence). There's of course Hisoka, who isn't exactly Gon's friend and Gon hasn't really had positive interactions with him, but he views him as a goal to surpass some day. He's wary of Hisoka, but doesn't see him as evil, even despite going after his friends, as he was the most willing to team up with him when they needed extra help for the volleyball match, even though Gon should know Hisoka has definitely killed people before. Gon is also, if I recall correctly, pretty indifferent to people dying during the Hunter Exam, but does his best to protect his friends from meeting a similar fate. He doesn't like killing or people dying, but if you're outside the circle of people he cares about, it's little concern to him.
Chimera Ant is where Gon's morality is the most interesting because during the stripping of his innocence, his moral compass doesn't actually change too much. He joins the mission to stop the Chimera Ants, but he does so to get Kite back, rather than to stop a global threat. During the raid, his sole focus is finding and eventually getting revenge on Pitou. The crack in his moral compass is when he threatens to kill Komugi to get what he wanted from Pitou. At this point he was willing to do anything to get Kite back, no matter what it took, tying into his loss of innocence. I overall agree that the events of Hunter x Hunter steadily chip away at Gon's innocence, resulting in what he becomes at the end of the Chimera Ant arc, I just also think Gon's "innocence", his naïve view of the world and how he ignores people's pasts, good or bad, shows that some part of the way he thinks was warped to begin with.
Gon is a kid. Kids don't think deeply. Their view is very egocentric. They dislike anything that stops them for doing what they want, being around what/who they want or hurts who they like. But there is less mercy with kids because they are more black or white with things.
I’ve seen a few people make these same points about Gon’s “warped innocence”. I wonder if this is because Gon is a main character in anime who is a kid and actually acts like it. When we have an important character in anime who is young, they always seem to be very adult like in their decision making and overall character (look at Killua). Gon does have a naive view of the world, because he is a kid who was introduced to the dark parts of the world at 12, and unlike Killua, he just wasn’t able to handle it.
I’m not disagreeing with you or knocking your analysis, I think it’s fantastic. Just wanted to give my thoughts on what I think is the reason for that viewpoint.
@@cake7337 I agree with this. I don't want to say people are wrong about their analysis. But I feel like people are always psychoanalyzing characters and its probably not that deep lol. Gon is a child and really acts like it. Most kids live in a black and white world and that's Gon. He is stubborn and only cares about what he wants and if what you want doesn't align it frustrates him.
I love this breakdown. Gon losing himself at the end was a perfect silhouette to his bright and optimistic counterpart at the start of the anime. I like the fact that hes written so differently from the typical shonen protagonist.
I also agree that the Chimera ant arc is the best arc of the anime. Id like if you could do a killua breakdown as well because his character development I also find interesting as his personality changes the more Gon loses that innocence and he comes to the realization that hes losing his friend slowly.
Quick question what makes him so different though then let's say Naruto? Naruto loses his cool many times and lets the nine talks out. Most of those rampages were solely emotional responses. I view Gons fight with Pitou to be right on brand. He has to end Pitou because of what he did to his friend. Naruto did the same to Pain. Ichigo gave up all his soul reaper powers to try and beat Aizen. To me is isn't that different
@@jacobhayes8324 Gon is different because how the story is written, his downward spiral is fairly obvious whereas Naruto and the others isnt. Naruto was born as an orphan and quickly understood how dark the world was. His story is more of a redemption-and-overcome-story by never giving up and fighting for what he believed in. Thats typical for most shonen MCs.
Gon on the other hand starts off innocent and optimistic and slowly loses himself as he comes to understand his own weakness and inadequacies more and more. In the end, he still defeats his enemy but it cost him everything to the point where i question if it was even worth it to begin with. Its almost sad
"losing his friend slowly" damn. this is so sad. but I have so much love for hxh. honestly I think shinobu and gon have a lot in common. The only difference is that shinobu actually lost those she cared about, meanwhile gon never had them.
u ramble so bad
Gon withstood a 3 hour ass whooping from a Ninja. Respect.
yeah he didnt poop that whole time. dont think theres something wrong with him??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? im serious no one can go without pooping for that long. also stop talking about onions im sick of it
I think the most alluring part of shounen MCs is their ambition. They all tend to have the same trait of an ambitious dream to become the best at what they do, which is something we can all relate to. While my goal may not be to become hokage or wizard king, i can relate to working hard to become good at what i do, and admire their ambition to truly become the best at their craft, a feat that most people will give up on at some point in favor of a more “realistic” goal. They never gave up on that ambitous dream and actually achieved it through blood sweat and tears
I recently rewatched Hunter X Hunter from the start to the end of Greed Island specifically examining Gon as a character. One of the most recurring issues with Gon was that any breach of his concept of "fairness" deeply infuriates him. The earliest example being his quasi-battle with Hisoka during the Hunter Exam, even though Gon failed Hisoka would give him his victory anyways. After his defeat Gon immediately went to help Leorio to clear his - much easier - exam trial because it was the only thing he could do at the moment to dampen some of that frustration he was stewing in.
He was driven to fury by the Zoldycks "testing" Killua's friends before they could see him, more than the whole assassination business thing. He hated not being meaningfully included in Kurapika's war against the Phantom Troupe, despite really not being all that useful objectively and an active hindrance at some points. Then he went to Greed Island, where he was probably most infuriated by the idea that the other players weren't experiencing the game properly.
The actual breaking point for Gun was the idea of Kite dying due to his weakness. People criticize that Togashi - kinda-sorta- brought Kite back at the end of the arc, but the emotional ramifications of Kite's death wasn't about what he as a character meant to Gon but rather Gon inability to come to terms with his role in his death fundamentally poisoned his mindset thereafter. It was always about Gon fundamentally.
To me one thing people never really factor in is that Gon is a child. Children are not mature and can't handle emotions very well. Their perspective is very short sighted and Gons more than most because all he has done is simply live in practical seclusion and nature. Gon is a good example of what happens when a kid has powers with minimal guidance and gets mad. Yes he went though something terrible but as a child he lacks that maturity for anything else but lashing out.
After Gon had met his dad Ging, his cousin Mito made him do 2 years worth of school work. 😂
Boooooooyyyyy you COOKED with this one! My goodness. This goes up there only to be surpassed by your Meruem post
Gon is so interesting cuz all the other main characters are more dark or realistic but they highlight truths of humanity. Kurapkia with the price of revenge and anger. Killua with his assassin origins and battle for agency. And leorio with his relatively simple goal of being a doctor but the grand idea to help everyone is willing to accept the risk if reaching that goal is a possibility. Gon is an innocent boy, while gift, is still just a boy. He doesn't understand what consequences are and how to deal with them. It's why we see him be selfish and later on lash out cuz all of this is new for him where as everyone else had a head start on the cruelty of their world.
I agree. That's why I just don't view Gon as this super complex character. He to me just seems like every other Shonen character, just able to not have anyone stop their tantrums.
most shone mcs are not realistic at all. they're kids but don't act like kids lmao
Nick, your channel is why I finally got into HxH. Seeing you get so hype every time you mentioned it was infectious.
And now, I can finally understand everything you're saying about it!
Gon's character development could be summarised in 2 sentences.
Gon didn't develop as a character. Until he did.
Did you know that Bungee Gum has the properties of both rubber and gum?
why did you comment 12 times 💀 one is enough
Watched HunterXHunter after Naruto and One Piece. He’s the realist person as shonen mc. He’s starts like Naruto and Luffy, then the mental toll of his trails and tribulations culminates and retrospect is 20/20. It’s like watching Eren in AOT on rewatch knowing the monster he’ll become. On rewatch I had a similar eire feeling watching Gon, Greed Island where he sacrificed his arm was a huge turning point. I was shocked that he did that shit just cause. He’s not a psychopath, he’s a kid who is adapting to his surroundings. Everything post Kite he tosses his morality aside and becomes terrifying because he’s so unpredictable. Love his character.
Gon didn’t get mad at the phantom troupe because they hurt people. He was mad because they hurt his friends (Kurapika). He doesn’t care about people doing bad things. For example, he was kind to the scissors guy in Greed Island even though he was a serial killer because he helped him and Killua.
That's a child for you. They only worry about what is involved in their own world. Anything else is just in the way or doesn't matter.
Hunter hunter has some of the most deep and subtle characterization in anime that I feel is so under appreciated
Definitely like how you broke this down. He one of my favorite MC’s and with plot armor he’s able to gain his nen back. Thank you again for another wonderful video
This Video made me realize that despite knowing HxH was an inspiration for JJK, that Gon and Yuji are written a lot more similarly than I originally thought. Yuji and Gon are both very sunny, just generally speaking good kids, and while their calls to adventure are very different, the way they both represent a loss of innocence is very similar. Gon experiences this loss in a more subtle, gradual method while Yuji has his torn away brutally quickly. I’ve yet to see all of HxH, and the parts I did see were several years ago, this video definitely put it on the list to watch seriously
I'm pretty sure the writer of jjk is a HUGE hxh fan too! I've seen somewhere that someone poked fun at how much hxh manga and merch he had
Take a shot every time nick says “childlike innocence” 😂
Very crisp ending analogy, loved it. That eas a Danny inspired line
Honestly I love how you described gon it’s exactly how I see him as a character his child like mindset was robbed from him by the cruel unbiased reality of the world and in order for him to compete with said reality he had to lose apart of himself the chimera ant arc was by far my favourite I’d tried to watch hxh years ago but couldn’t get into it but when I did it was peak fiction in my eyes
It’s insane! I also find Gon amazing and he is one of my top favorite characters. So I am always surprised that people don’t find him interesting when I tell them he is my favorite!
Gon is the result of when the MC didn't have the privileges of he's parents, he inherited nothing and most of he's powers are basically from he's hard work, this mirrors the reality that the world doesn't revolve around him
I'm with you brother, I've wathched HxH 6 times, It just hits different on each watch through.
Lol I love when u use out innuendos 😍😂 We understood what u meant about him being a top tho 🫢🤣
Gon showed signs forever. He doesn’t mind evil actions or people. He held no dislike for a serial killer, for instance.
Took today and followed your channel bro, literally the best TH-camr when it come to breaking down anime 💯
3:12 I will still go back and just randomly put on ep 116. It's such a powerful episode and Gons VA puts on a master class of voice acting!
Nick in 1 day it's my 2 year anniversary watching content on your TH-cam channel
Your bias definitely is most of this video. I don’t think anything you said couldnt be applied to any other Mc. Like legitimately this is what’s happening in my hero.
Yeah I agree, But the differences in most of these animes, they revert back to Is there happy go lucky self, Right after they're Villain arc. With gon, The cracks stay. No matter how much sheer power he obtains it never mends the mental wound. I'm not saying the other characters just Completely get out of it scott free, But I feel like it's much more shown with gon
I have to say you had on of the best transitions for short form to long form content keep the good work up
Never thought about Gon like this... Kinda makes me sad... But once again thank you NChammer23 for helping me with a totally outside the box perspective of one of my favorite animes👍👍
You ate this review just a tad bit more than usual!. I see this is truly something you love. Great break down.
I'd say he's exactly what you said my problem is mostly the fact that he sacrificed everything for pretty much a stranger I was okay for his anger and hatred but to literally forget his most close friend for his father's friend/student is just crazy to me sure he met him as a kid but he has like zer0 Memory of it 😶
Gon is a child. Children aren't mature. He responded as well as most kids will with no life experience or guidance.
@@jacobhayes8324 Yeah but even so he still had Guidance and when Killua was right there helping him through his tuff time he just ran away kids are often more observative so Gon should have known and felt Killua's Fear and Sadness towards him that he was Consoling Gon and Gon should've felt that cuz kids feel the emotions around them more than anything else
@@dragonflyswataswata5135 if you don't mind me asking what guidance did Gon have? I mean he had the guy who exposed him to Nen. But that was just mainly about how to use Nen. Same with Bissy. As far as I can see Gon just had peers that gave consult but he has no supervision at all. Killua had a structured upbringing so he is different anyway. I don't disagree with what you said completely I just feel like Gon is the embodiment of youth, innocence and blissful ignorance.
@@jacobhayes8324 Aunt Mito-
@@zashgekido5616 I will agree she was his mother like figure but I am curious of her overall structure of his life. It seemed like Gon mainly just lived out in nature and did what he wanted. Not that he was a bad kid or anything. I mean he left the house at like 11 lol.
Dude, what a video. I enjoyed every second of it even so i thought i would`nt watch all of it at first :D
Him - "I held onto my child like innocence"
Me - "wasn't he sponsored by a seggs toy company"
When people ask why do you watch anime. I’m going to show them this video. The depth of lore and individual character development is unmatched in regular movies or tv.
i think you perfectly described Gon and how i felt about him, and why i enjoyed his character so much. Killuwa will always be my favourite though, That heart stopping battle in the hunters exam blew my mind 😂
With great timing i watched this as i took a shit. As he said about feeling powerless and trying to overcome I was pushing through a huge shit. His speech and Gon's story helped me overcome my constipation, i am now stronger than before, my assshole bigger but i will recover and i will preserve because i pushed that shit out of me like giving birth. Thanks bro
Solid character analysis for Gon. I notice some things that went above my initial run through such as his will to put others above himself.
"He's not one note, you just can't read the sheet music." That is such a bar!!!
2:56 man, I already respected you but right here is when you legit became one of my top 5 TH-camrs. I’ve watched your content since your TikToks became famous enough to be stolen and put on Facebook 🤣 you made it brother, congrats 🎉
Gon is the best character in hxh and his story arc just reached it's midel point the thing is a don't think we will ever see his arc fully developed because of togashi health
"I live a child like existence" that's why you're the weeb commander & why we love you 😁
Dude, your videos are amazing! I love how you dive into philosophy of this, and explain it so beautifully and passionatley! You gave me new perspective on watching anime and life in general :D
Keep up the good work man!
I cant believe some People odnt get
how Gons Adult-Transformation, his big Power-Up works.
"He's not one note. You just can't read the sheet music." is a hard ass quote
You do such a good job at analyzing these animes, past what I would have realized. Especially in terms of what the arcs meant. I’ve been listening to your HunterxHunter videos while farming for stone in Stardew Valley for the past few days (I have COVID, so, not a lot else to do lol🥲). I recently finished watching HunterxHunter for the first time and the show really really stuck with me, so I’ve been watching videos of HunterxHunter analysis and I gotta say that yours have been my fav to watch/listen to!! I can’t let the series go and I’m sad that it’s gone lol. It’s real nice to see someone appreciate it so much too, and also super interesting to hear your takes and analysis on everything!! Thanks for making these ❤
"He's not one note, you just can't read the sheet music" is one of the most brilliant things this legend has uttered
Mostly all protagonist Evolves however Gon Devolves.
I greatly appreciate this character breakdown. Hunter x Hunter quite instantly became one of my favorite animes after 1 watch. Seeing Gon lose himself and become an adult reminded me of Goku's first Super Saiyan transformation.
Gon is a truly optimistic child facing the brutally of reality and displaying what happens often to innocent hearts not ready for the corruption world.
“Unfortunately religious” why such shade 5:54
I feel like gon is relatable whilst meruem is kinda enviable.
I love Gon above all the Arc types MC. His innocence was tested but it persisted on the Chimera Arc. I'm so sad regarding what happened to Hunter X Hunter. And btw, Nick do a deep dive regarding Sasuke Sarutobi on the other channel, please. Thanks. 😊
2:05 I am a fan of these same characters too but because I'm envious of their positivity and optimism
I absolutely love HxH and this vid was on point, Gon just couldn't deal with loss and give all his power away in a childish rage to get revenge
It honestly felt like Gon is on the path to be the final villain that anger he has is present well before kite died I don’t think the power hisoka sees in him is a good thing anytime some he cares about get injured or he has a strong opponent he’s always willing to sacrifice everything
It's possible I guess. I also think it's lack of maturity. Gon unlike the others wasn't raised with much structure. He was kind able to just go do whatever he liked. Killua was strictly raised to be an assassin. Gon is like an animal. Not harmful until you mess with it or something it cares about. I think many Shonen characters are this way. They usually just have safe guards to reel them back in.
Greed island was my favorite arc. I never read the manga but I may pick it up if I know it will actually move forward and not end in middle of arcs
In the manga kite was the one that Showed Gon his hunter's license and motivated him to become a hunter.
It'd be like in One Piece, if Luffy lost Shanks
Love Hunter x Hunter, but I'm not sure I got why Kite's death affected Gon more than any other until I watched this video. The way you put it made a lot of sense. Also, I know it'll be a while even after the current hiatus, but the longwinded scheming and exposition of everything on the big ship in the manga has made me miss Gon and Killua so much.
The manga is not continuing
@@cngotham4111 Really? Well damn... :(
@@odistabettor yea it sucks
yes!!! always get so excited for hxh videos!
Wait... There is a large group out there who think the Chimera Ant arc is bad?
The arc up there with Mareinford (as an entire saga of arcs) as the greatest story in shonen manga, if not fiction in general? What the hell?
dude the way you've changed my perspective on Kakashi and now gon 🤯🤯
The part of the video where u say Gido is a Top had me on the floor dying😭😭😭
Thank God someone is finally giving credit to the writing behind gon I hate that people think he's just a copy of shonen mcs
“I never seen that” that’s a understatement lol
The smile on my face when i seen the thumbnail 😁 love HXH
Keep up the awesome work and videos Nick
I like your interpretation. I've heard some others say that Gon only saw people as those who benefit him and those who didn't. But that seems ridiculous to me. As you said, he was always shown to be trying to risk his own life to save those around him whether they benefited him or not. Now I know the magic number of how many times I need to watch an anime in order to get it.
That he be my favorite main character to 2:27
9:19
Yo!!! That’s the plot of HxH slightly bigger fish going into larger and larger ponds and consequences of arrogance… HOLY MOLY it’s SO FKN GOOD!!!
You're not alone. Gon is amazing
When I say that was a read…..whew. You opened and closed that library with sheet music.
Thanks for clarifying Gon. I now feel more closely connected just based on my own life.
Hunter x Hunter by far my favorite show/anime just perfect a simple story he told and how if you put yourself the reader as a 10-12 year old kid as Gon, you too would often make the same decisions or mistakes Gon does. We were all just children once in this big world and Hunter X Hunter shows humility at its best and its worst. I believe Togashi made that one character "Gon" to represent humans true nature and everyone else in the show are fiction characters/persuaders that one wants to be or lies in themselves.
Can you do a video on all strenitter from bleach abilities?
This made me take a better look at him....love your work
There seems to me to be a connection between Gon dealing with dangerous realities of the HxH world and the G6 countries dealing with explorers trying to make it to the dark continent. I wonder if Ging will be happy, or horrified by what he finds.
"You just can't read the sheet music" BARS!
Masterful, Take on my favorite anime!
I feel like Naruto and Gon are far more alike that this guys says. Countless times Naruto’s innocence was chipped away piece by piece until he snaps and lets kurama take over.
In all of Naruto (not shippuden) Naruto rarely bets powerful enough to win with overwhelming power. In fact it is this power than wins many of his fights.
Every time I watch Naruto I feel more like on the inside he is a depressed child that puts in this persona of a happy kid. He clings on to any possibility of happiness. Several episodes show him with a depressed look in his face when he is by himself. But when around other people he has that smile and chipper go attitude.
Buuut it could also be me projecting myself into the character…
Gon’s final transformation against Pitou is downright horrifying.
I like gon but he just couldn't compete with my love for killua😂
Remember. Gon threatened a blind girl if Pitou had disobeyed him.
Everytime he say MC, I trip fr 😂
Gon is him!!! certainly not boring and hxh in general is a masterpiece
Ngl bro that last line was a barrrr
Off topic, I know, but you made me realize I'm so neutral about nearly every character in Bleach and yet still love the manga. I like Orihime, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, Mayuri, and then a couple of bad guys. I don't dislike any of the other characters or anything, just not super hyped about them.
On HxH, it's not an original idea for me to say Gon's character is the way it is either because A) it's a deconstruction and the point is to setup breaking Gon in the CA arc or B) Gon isn't the main character because there isn't a main "series" character. Instead, for any given arc(s), there's either no MC or it's Killua/Kurapika at the same time as Gon for the point of contrast. I mean, currently is Kurapika even the MC of the arc?
As far as development goes, I think you're spot on. You see all these changes from arc to arc, though for me I couldn't see it in earlier arcs until I saw it in CA. Then you see it was all foreshadowed and have that "ah ha" moment.
How about a video on Medeka Box.
Can you analyse Chrollo Lucifer, I really genuinely want that, my request thanks.
That final mic drop was epic.
I cant believe some People odnt get
how Gons Adult-Transformation works.
Wonder will gon return or its be gin this time
97th time..
can you talk about Katekyo Hitman Reborn
(when you watch)