Yoshihiro Togashi wasn't satisfied creating one hit series with Yu Yu Hakusho. After finishing that series, the mangaka would go on to create another legendary shonen series in the form of Hunter x Hunter, a story that followed a young boy named Gon Freecss on his journey to find his father. Gon is naturally talented after spending so many years around animals and in nature, but his journey eventually pulls him into a world where he's in over his head.
While there are plenty of anime series that would give out power-ups and transformations like candy to allow their protagonist to catch up to people who are vastly stronger than them, Hunter x Hunter isn't one of them. Indeed, Gon suffers a number of defeats during the anime, some more dangerous than others.
10 Gon And Leorio Managed To Amuse Hisoka But Neither Were In His League
The second round of the Hunter Exams was surviving a dangerous marsh filled with creatures capable of killing anyone who didn’t pay attention. But the most dangerous thing turned out to be Hisoka, one of the people participating in the contest. Hisoka randomly decided to kill a handful of people close to him in the mist. Leorio and Gon teamed up to fight him but were easily defeated, and the only reason either of them survived was because Hisoka decided they’d make interesting Hunters.
9 Gon And Killua Were Unable To Catch Netero Long Enough To Take A Ball From Him
While everyone was waiting for the third part of the Hunter Exam to begin, Gon and Killua ran into Isaac Netero. The three of them got into a game where Gon and Killua would try to grab a ball from the Netero's hand, but though they tried for several hours, both Gon and Killua failed. Killua eventually quit and Gon settled for getting Netero to use his right hand to keep the ball away from him. Killua later talked about how he would’ve tried to kill Netero, which is comedic considering Netero was actually the Chairman of the Hunter Association.
8 Gon Managed To Steal Hisoka's Tag, But Still Got Knocked Out
The second encounter between Gon and Hisoka showed fans that Hunter x Hunter wasn’t going to be like any other shonen anime. Where most series would have had their main character figure out a way to attack their opponent head on, Hunter x Hunter saw Gon quietly shadowing Hisoka for days.
When he finally got the right moment to attack, his brief victory was taken when another person in the Exam attacked him instead. Hisoka killed Gon’s attacker, but when Gon tried to avoid taking Hisoka’s kindness, he was knocked out with a single punch.
7 Gon Survived Against Hanzo Only Because Of His Tenacity
Gon’s attempt to get his Hunter’s License came with one final test...and he managed to both succeed and lose at the same time. His goal was to fight someone and defeat them in combat, and he ended up paired against the ninja Hanzo. Hanzo was vastly more powerful than him in every measurable aspect, and no matter what Gon did he wasn’t able to do anything to his opponent. Hanzo gave him a pummeling that included breaking his arm and threats to cut off his limbs, but in the end Gon’s refusal to give up caused Hanzo to quit instead. But from outside the tournament’s rules, this was definitely a loss.
6 Gon's Inexperience With Nen Lead To Him Being Defeated By Gido
In the Heaven’s Arena, both Gon and Killua had an easy time making their way up the tower, until they got to the 200th floor. There, they were required to learn Nen to go past the gate to register to continue fighting. While they learned enough to defend themselves, they weren’t ready to fight Nen-using opponents. Gon eventually battled against Gido, who used spinning tops to mercilessly beat Gon down. In the end, the most Gon could do was dodge Gido’s spinning tops for an hour before being hit and knocked out of the arena.
5 Hisoka's Nen Proved To Be Too Much Against Gon During The Heaven's Arena Match
Gon’s last match at the Heaven’s Arena was his rematch with Hisoka. A long awaited fight, the two of them put on one of the best hand-to-hand matches in Hunter x Hunter. Though Gon was no match for Hisoka, he was able to finally land a clean hit on him after months of training and working inside of the arena. Eventually though, Hisoka was able to eliminate Gon by introducing his true power, Bungee Gum. But it was a close enough fight that Hisoka decided the next time they fought, he would finally take Gon for real.
4 Gon And Killua Were Helpless Against Nobunaga, Machi, And Pakunoda
During the Yorknew City arc, Kurapika went on a rampage against the Phantom Troupe, and his friends had to pay for it. Eventually, the Phantom Troupe realized Gon and Killua were connected to the so-called Chain User, and they planned to forcefully extract information out of them for the sake of killing Kurapika.
Gon and Killua tried to escape them, but the Phantom Troupe was too plentiful and far more skilled than either of them, resulting in their escape route being shut down even though they had come up with a solid plan.
3 Gon Lost The Game To Bopobo After Saving Another Person
On Greed Island, the group ran into a criminal named Bopobo. He was part of a group of pirates there, and he challenged a bunch of players to a sumo match while inside of a ring of fire. One of the men tried to fight him, but when he failed Bopobo held him inside the fire to make him burn. Gon immediately rushed in to defend the man with a swift kick, but in doing so he broke the rules of the fight. He was disqualified, but Killua had no problem making Bopobo lose seconds later by dousing him with liquor and setting him ablaze.
2 Gon And Killua Couldn't Keep Up With Knuckle Before Their Training
During the Chimera Ant arc, Gon and Killua were asked if to fight and defeat Shoot and Knuckle to prove they were worthy of going to NGL. Gon was given several chances to battle against Knuckle, but one of the ones the anime focused on occurred on the next to last day before their time limit expired to get the tablets they needed to prove they won. Despite Knuckle not using his powers and telling Gon what was wrong with his own powers, Knuckle still managed to exhaust Gon’s energy. Gon passed out before he could land his strongest move on Knuckle and claim the win.
1 After Their Training, Gon Was Outdone By Knuckle's Nen Ability
Gon got a second chance to fight Knuckle, with Knuckle going all-out that time around. Gon’s best efforts were matched with him experiencing Knuckle’s special technique: Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Knuckle’s APR granted Gon more energy, but with each second that ticked by he owed Knuckle more and more energy. After Gon reached the point where the interest was too much and he couldn’t pay the energy back, he was hit with APR’s other ability, which forced him into a state of Zetsu where he couldn’t activate his Nen for thirty days.