Since the day he was introduced as the sort of protagonist that would abandon his foster mother for the opportunity to chase after a father he had never met, fans knew keeping up with Gon would be a wild ride.
The young spiky-haired protagonist of the Hunter X Hunter anime originally penned by Yoshihiro Togashi has overcome a number of unique and difficult obstacles. Unlike other shonen MCs, Gon doesn’t have the innate ability to succeed without first learning from his failures. In order for Gon to find success, he often has to fail. Sometimes these failures result in both injury and death.
10 Gon Expended All His Energy Trying To Beat Netero At His Own Game
Gon’s boyish personality is one of the main reasons that the spiky-haired shonen protagonist has held onto the hearts of anime fans for as long as he has. It doesn’t matter what game is set in front of Gon, he throws himself at it with a vigor that is rarely matched by his peers.
When Gon and Killua are offered the chance to play a ball game with Isaac Netero during their Hunters Exam, Killua quickly concedes while Gon commits to playing alongside Netero through the night. Gon does eventually upset Netero, but in doing so he expends a ton of energy and nearly ruins his relationship with Killua.
9 Gon Failed To Control His Emotions When Taunted By Morel
After failing Knuckle’s test and still being offered the chance to join Morel on his expedition into NGL, Gon pulls out his Jajanken to prove that he has what it takes to survive against the Chimera Ants. This display of nen is enough to make Morel quiver in fear, but it also proves that Gon is incapable of controlling his emotions when taunted by the death of Kite.
Morel should have known better than to taunt Gon with Kite’s death, but the young protagonist failed himself and his allies when he gave into his emotions and nearly killed Morel with the full strength of his Jajanken attack. This mistake didn’t cause any real harm, but it did lead to one of Gon’s greatest mistakes of all time.
8 Instead Of Earning His Spot Alongside Knuckle & Shoot, Gon Lost His Access To Nen After Failing To Figure Out APR
To foreshadow Gon’s fight against Neferpitou, Yoshihiro Togashi set up a test for his protagonist that would result in Gon losing his access to nen. In order for Gon and Killua to join Morel, Knuckle, and Shoot in NGL, the two had to overcome Knuckle in combat.
Though Gon showed some progress by further developing his Jajanken technique, he still failed to figure out Knuckles APR and lost both the battle and his nen. The fact that Knuckle and Morel still let Gon join them was both shortsighted and irresponsible of the two experienced hunters.
7 Gon Ignored Wing’s Warning & Nearly Got Himself Killed In the Heaven’s Arena
Dedicated fans of Hunter X Hunter might have a hard time hearing anime fans criticize their MC, but it cannot be denied that Gon has trouble respecting the authority of his superiors. When he was first introduced, Gon chose to leave his foster mother behind to embark on a journey that had no end in sight.
As this adventure continued, Gon would fail to respect the advice of a number of his elders, but it isn’t until he ignores Wing that he nearly gets himself killed. Despite having just learned about the power of nen, Gon ignores the instructions of his sensei and enters heaven’s arena in a battle that was fated for failure.
6 He Ignored Killua’s Plan During His Fight With Genthru
In order to find victory on Greed Island, Gon, Bisky, and Killua first had to defeat Genthru. The bomber that spent his time on Greed Island terrorizing others into giving up their cards was a powerful nen user with the ability to cause explosions by making physical contact with his foes.
Unlike the villains that Gon had faced before the Greed Island Arc, Genthru had no qualms with fighting and even killing a child. Still, Gon threw aside Killua’s plan as if he would be able to respawn if defeated by Genthru and lost both of his arms before finally claiming victory over the bomber.
5 Gon Failed To See Killua As His Equal Throughout The Majority Of The HxH Anime Series
The loyal bond between Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck is one of the most endearing parts of Hunter X Hunter. They are inseparable for the majority of the Hunter X Hunter anime, but that doesn’t mean their friendship is flawless.
One of Gon’s greatest failures throughout Hunter X Hunter is in failing to see Killua as his equal. On a number of different occasions, Gon refuses to allow Killua to act selfishly in order to overcome his weaknesses, despite the fact that Gon regularly throws himself in harm’s way without ever consulting his silver-haired best friend.
4 The Talented Young Fisherman Failed To Steal Hisoka’s Badge During The Hunter Exam
The greatest challenge Gon faced during the Hunters Exam came on Zevil Island when everyone’s favorite shonen protagonist was tasked with stealing a badge from Hisoka Morow. Though fans knew very little about Hisoka at this point in the Hunter X Hunter timeline, they knew that he was not an easy target.
Gon did manage to momentarily grab ahold of Hisoka’s badge, but when the hedonistic clown caught up with him, it was clear that the HxH protagonist still had a long way to go before overcoming the power gap between them.
3 Gon & Killua Were Both Caught By The Phantom Troupe In Yorknew City
Many shonen anime introduce a protagonist that is already at the top of the show’s power scale. Dragon Ball and One-Punch Man are examples of this common shonen trope, but Hunter X Hunter is not.
Gon is powerful. In fact, for a young hunter who just discovered his nen abilities, Gon is extraordinarily powerful. Still, he is nothing when compared to the strongest characters in the HxH mythos. This is made abundantly clear when Gon and Killua both fail to track the Phantom Troupe during the Yorknew City Arc.
2 If Gon Weren’t So Weak, He Wouldn’t Have Failed To Save Kite From Neferpitou
The failure that will continue to haunt Gon through his adolescence and into adulthood comes at the expense of his close friend Kite. Though anime fans might have a hard time believing that Gon and Kite were close friends after their short time shared on-screen, manga readers know that Gon has known Kite for quite some time.
When Kite invites Gon and Killua to join him on his expedition into Chimera Ant territory, he fails to assess the danger of the situation correctly and forces Gon to face his weakness yet again. In the face of Neferpitou, Gon and Killua could do nothing but watch as Kite was overpowered by one of Meruem’s Royal Guards.
1 Gon Failed To Control His Emotions & Expended All Of His Nen In Order To Defeat Neferpitou
After failing to help Kite in his battle with Neferpitou, Gon fails a second time by giving into revenge and sacrificing his own life to defeat Neferpitou on his own. Gon’s display of strength against one of the most powerful characters in all of Hunter X Hunter is incredible, but it was unnecessary.
By the time Gon faced off with Pitou, Meruem was defeated and the Chimera Ants were no longer a threat to humanity. Still, Gon failed to forgive himself for being too weak to save Kite and took out his anger by sacrificing his own life force to dominate Neferpitou in combat.
About The Author
