Gon Freecss is the protagonist of Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter X Hunter. Gon starts out in the series setting off for the Hunter Exams, following in the footsteps of his father, the legendary Hunter Ging Freecss. From there, the incredible journey of Hunter X Hunter begins.
Gon starts out in Hunter X Hunter like many other shonen protagonists. He is upbeat, constantly optimistic, and resilient against the insurmountable odds thrown at him. Nevertheless, the trials and tribulations test Gon, and he certainly does a lot of growth by the end of the series, turning into someone viewers would never expect to become.
10 Gon Sets Off To Be A Hunter
Hunter X Hunter starts out with a twelve-year-old Gon fishing for a gigantic whale-like fish. This sets the tone for Gon as an innocent, young child, living an ostensibly carefree life, something of a modern-day Tom Sawyer. Shortly after this, however, we learn that Gon is preparing to embark on the path to becoming a Hunter. Becoming a Hunter is no simple feat for anyone, yet Gon sets off on his journey to become one filled with optimism and enthusiasm.
9 Gon Rescues Shipmate
Gon’s enthusiasm and kindness hardly ever let him down throughout the course of Hunter X Hunter. And this fact is made very evident early on in the series. When Gon starts out on his journey, he befriends Kurapika and Leorio very quickly, even though the two start off disliking each other.
It is Gon’s acts of kindness and selflessness that bring them together. Gon risks his life to save one of his shipmates from going overboard, which forces Kurapika and Leorio to help him out, forming a bond between the three.
8 Gon Bests Hisoka, At Least Briefly
Hisoka proved to be one of Gon’s most formidable foes over the course of the series, though, at some points, he was in fact an ally. In one of the early parts of the Hunter exam, participants are tasked to steal badges from one another, and Gon sets off to steal the badge off of the sadistic Hisoka.
Gon trains for hours on end with his trusty fishing rod in order to secure the badge from Hisoka. And, for a brief moment, he succeeds in doing so. Ultimately, however, Hisoka caught Gon. A valiant effort, nonetheless.
7 Gon Refuses Hunter License
In Gon’s match in the final part of the Hunter tournament, he is squared off against Hanzo. Hanzo, however, is a much stronger and much more skilled fighter than Gon at this point in the series, putting Gon at a huge disadvantage. Nevertheless, Gon is relentless.
Hanzo gives Gon quite the beating, but Gon refuses to submit. Even though he loses his battle, Gon is awarded the Hunter license, but he refuses to accept it on the grounds that he did not win the fight.
6 Mito Is Gon’s Mother
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
A lot is known about Gon’s father, the legendary Ging Freecss, who is considered one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, Hunter in the series. Not a lot is known, however, about Gon’s mother. When Ging leaves Gon a tape talking about his mother, Gon instructs Killua to stop playing it.
Gon ultimately accepts Mito, his cousin, as his mother as, after all, she was the one that raised him nearly from birth. It was touching for Gon to act this way and reflects his loyalty to those he loves.
5 Gon Helps His Team Pass The Hunter Exam
Gon’s team reached quite the impasse early on in the Hunter exam. Gon, Killua, Kurapika Leorio and Tonpa had passed the tournament part of the test, and made it through a large part of the maze, but had one obstacle left, and not much time. They could either go forward, but sacrifice one of their teammates, or go the long route with everyone, but ultimately not make it in time.
Gon decided, instead, to create a third path, thus paving the way for his entire team to pass.
4 Gon Waits For Pitou To Save Kumugi
One of the most enjoyable aspects of watching Hunter X Hunter is paying close attention to Gon’s character arc. Gon has gone through a lot, and has certainly lost his innocence throughout the course of the series. Nothing epitomizes this more than when he finds out about the death of Kite at the hands of Pitou.
This enraged Gon, and nearly destroyed him in the process. Nevertheless, in spite his immense rage, Gon shows compassion. He allows Pitou to heal Komugi before ultimately killing her.
3 Gon Defeats Genthru
Genthru, otherwise known as "The Bomber," was perhaps the only main villain, aside from Pitou, that Gon was able to take down on his own. But it was a tough battle that came with a cost, as Gon lost his hand in the process.
Fortunately, Gon was able to heal his wound with the Angel Breath card at the end of the series. He ultimately defeated Genthru with his rock, paper, scissors technique. It was an impressive, and well-fought battle, and it was definitely satisfying for viewers to see Gon win.
2 Gon Fights The Zoldycks
At the end of the Hunter exam, everyone except Killua had passed. This is because Killua was pushed to the breaking point by none other than his brother, Illumi, which lead to Killua killing one of his contestants in the tournament phase. After this, he was locked away by the Zoldycks, his assassin family.
Gon, after passing the Hunter exam, could have set out on his quest to find his father, the legendary Gin Freecss. Instead, Gon decides to help his friend, Killua, proving that he is willing to put the needs of others before his own needs.
1 Gon Climbs The Tree Of Life
By the end of the series, Gon has been through quite a lot. He became a Hunter, gained and lost many friends in the process, and went through many beatings, one so bad that nearly left him dead. In all of this, however, he still never achieved his ultimate goal of finding his father, Ging Freecss.
Ging instructs Gon to climb the tree of life, a massive, towering tree that seems nearly impossible to climb. But Gon does it and is finally reunited with his father.