Gon Freecss

Gon Freecss (ゴン=フリークス, Gon Furīkusu) is the primary protagonist of Hunter × Hunter. He is the son of the famous Hunter, Ging Freecss; his mother is unknown. He is also the nephew of Mito. He is on a quest to find his father who happens to be a legendary Hunter.

Appearance
Gon is twelve-years-old; he has black hair with green tips and light brown eyes. His usual outfit is composed of a green leather jacket covering a black tank top, green shorts, and green laced boots.

Personality
Gon is a wild, friendly, goofy, and often naive boy. He loves his friends more than anything and would go to the worlds ends to help them. Gon is an Enhancer and they're known for being simple-minded. Gon's determination and talent leads to potential enemies trusting in him and taking his side. He has inhuman senses; Gon has a heightened sense of smell and affinity towards animals. Gon wants to become a Hunter because he wishes to find out the depths of an occupation that would cause a father to choose the profession over being with his own son.

History
At the age of 20, Ging Freecss returned home to Whale Island for the first time in eight years carrying his infant son, Gon. When questioned about the child's mother, Ging simply mentions that the pair had separated. While Ging tries to leave Gon in his grandmother's care for a little while, his cousin Mito is infuriated at Ging's parenting and gets custody over Gon through the courts. Ging leaves Whale Island, never to return.

Since his early youth, due to his father's absence and Mito's dislike of Ging, Gon had been told by Mito that his parents died in an accident when he was a baby. But at the age of nine, Gon is rescued from an angry mother foxbear by a man named Kite — a professional Hunter and a student of Gon's long lost father. Kite is looking for Ging as a final test before his master will consider him to be a true Hunter. Kite's admiration of Ging awakens in Gon a lifetime goal of meeting his father. In order to find and meet Ging, Gon is driven from that moment to obtain a Hunter's License.

Pre-Hunter Exam Arc
Gon is first seen at his home of Whale Island, fishing for The Master Of The Swamp — a fish that five grown fishermen pulling together couldn't land. Gon made a wager with his aunt that if he could catch the fish, she would allow him to take part in the Hunter Examination. After a week of work, Gon finally succeeds and his aunt signs his application. Gon proceeds to go visit his friend, a grown-up foxbear named Kon, who Gon had raised since he was a cub. Gon tells Kon that he's going to become a Hunter and that he will do things the the animals of the forest won't like. Since Kon is the king of the forest, he can't talk to Gon anymore. Kon walks away from Gon to a gathering of other animals.

Gon returns home and speaks to his aunt. She asks if Gon always knew his Father's trade, and also tells him his father left Gon with her when he was still a baby; Gon replies being a Hunter must be an important job that family comes only second and that it's time for him to meet his father.

He is then seen preparing to board a ship heading for the Hunter exam. Everyone in the town comes to say bye and wish him luck. Aunt Mito comes and tells him his father didn't abandon him; she made him give up Gon through the courts. Gon says he knew because she never looks at him when she's lying. He gets on the boat and yells back to her that he will return as a great Hunter.

Preliminary Hunter Exam Arc
The first night on the boat, there is a huge storm that tosses about most of the would-be Hunters. After the storm, the ship's drunkard of a captain walks around to see only three candidates still able to move (one of them being Gon is running back and forth trying to take care of the sea-sick). Later on, Gon is standing on the front of the boat where he predicts they will be hit by another storm, but this time it will be three times the size as the previous night. The captain knows he is correct and not guessing; he sees Ging in Gon. He asks who Gon's father is, and finds he is correct. The captain shows Gon how to steer the boat, he also announces that the next storm was coming and anyone who wanted off should right now. All but Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio leave. The captain asks why they all want to be hunters. Gon answers while the other two don't. Leorio asks why they should tell him when he just steers the ship. The captain replies he screens applicants and it is up to him whether or not they pass. The remaining two tell him. While explaining, Kurapika annoys Leorio to the point they go out into the storm to fight. When a crew member jumps in to stop them he falls overboard and Gon jumps after him, narrowly missing falling into the ocean thanks to Kurapika and Leorio grabbing his ankles in time to pull them both back on board.

When they reach land, the captain gives them a hint to head to a lone cedar tree outside of the city to find their navigators. Gon decides to go, and Kurapika decides to tag along. Leorio stays until he finds that there was another trick to weed out the weak. And he runs off to join the other two.

Later they reach a village that seems to be deserted but Gon says he can hear them and so can Kurapika. Then the whole population of the village comes out to start The Mind-Boggling Two Choice Quiz. The leader of the village asks two questions and all they can say is 1 or 2. The man who heard the clue walks in and says he'll go first. She asks him, "Men have taken your mother and your true love captive. Who do you save?" He chooses 1 thinking that's what she wants him to say. She says he may go. Leorio starts yelling because of the preposterous question. Kurapika tells him to be quiet seeing Gon has heard something. She asks another impossible question and Leorio attacks her. Kurapika blocks it stating they passed, since silence is the answer. He adds he heard the other man scream, meaning he was killed, but no one knows how.

After a short walk, the trio reaches a house and find the navigator couple being attacked by a magical beast called a Kiriko. The beast takes off with the lady followed by Gon and Kurapika, with Leorio staying behind to take care of the man. While chasing after the creature Gon pulls ahead of Kurapika, closes in on the Kiriko, and bashes him in the head. The Kiriko drops the wife, who is caught by Kurapika. The creature still manages to get away from Gon, who continues chasing it. Soon he comes to clearing where the creature attacks him. Gon merely greets it and asks where the one he hit went to. It is revealed that both the Kiriko and the couple are a family and the ones who would take the three to the Hunter Exam.

The next day, they arrive at a small restaurant. The disguised magical beast orders a specific meal, then the cook sits them in a room and delivers the meal. The room is actually an elevator that starts to drop. As they make their way down, Kurapika and Leorio try to find out whether Gon is taking the test for the wealth, or for the adventure. He doesn't answer.

Gon's Hunter Exam begins with him getting targeted by Rookie Killer Tonpa. Tonpa first introduces himself as a friend trying to help Gon. Tonpa then introduces some of the other regulars, Such as Bourbon the snake charmer, Todo the wrestler, The Amori Brothers, Cherry, and Gereta the huntsman. While doing the introductions they hear a bloodcurdling scream, and they look to see a man missing his arms courtesy of Hisoka the magician who maimed him only because he bumped into him.

Tonpa then offers Gon and the other two some juice. Gon, being the first to taste it, spits it back out saying it tastes funny, leading to Kurapika and Leorio dumping theirs on the ground. Afterwards Tonpa makes a hasty apology.

1st Phase
Satotz, the first examiner, begins the 287th Hunter Exam with an extremely long run down a tunnel. A kid on a skateboard ends up next to Gon, and he asks how old Gon is. He jumps off his board and introduces himself as Killua. Gon looking back, seeing Leorio back and falling he drops his briefcase, he then gets his second wind and runs past. Gon uses his fishing pole and carries while he's running. After running for 80 km they come to a set of stairs and start climbing, while Satotz starts to pick up the pace.

2nd Phase
The second phase of the exam takes place in the Visca Forest Reserve, where the examinees meet Gourmet Hunters (and proctors) Menchi and Buhara. Buhara's test is to find the world's most dangerous pig and bring it back to him so he can eat it. Gon and his friends complete the task easily along with 70 other applicants. However, Menchi, the second examiner, baffles the examinees when she tells them to make sushi, a traditional Japanese dish, as none of them knows what sushi is. Menchi overeacts because of an examinee making them all fail as a result, no one passes, which requires Netero to intervene. The test is taken to Split Mountain where examinees hunt for Spider Eagle eggs. At the end of this stage, there are 42 applicants left.

A Game at Midnight
The 42 remaining applicants board the Selection Committee's airship, where it is revealed that their next phase of the exam will begin at 8:00 A.M the next day. As everyone rests up for tomorrow, Gon and Killua encounter Netero who challenges them to a game; if they win, he'd issue their licenses on the spot. All they have to do is take away a ball from Netero. Killua eagerly goes first but fails. Gon then takes his turn to take the ball but he also fails. Time passes and when it seems Gon and Killua have tried every possible tactic, Netero suggests they attack together. Though they come seemingly close to it at one point, Netero rockets in between them at lightning speed and takes the ball. Killua calls it quits and ends up killing two applicants in his frustration; Gon, however, decides to play until he forces Netero to use his right hand. When he succeeds in doing so, Gon collapses in exhaustion where he is.

3rd Phase
In the morning, the airship arrives at the top of Trick Tower. The 40 applicants are informed that the objective of stage 3 is to get down from the tower alive within 72 hours. The group is forced to team up with Tonpa.

The first serious test is to win 3 out of 5 matches against tower prisoners. Tonpa takes the first match with a hardened-looking criminal, and promptly gives up. Gon faces the next prisoner, a serial bomber by the name of Sedokan, in a match to see who's candle can burn the longest. Kurapika engages in a death match with the next opponent, Majitani, but refuses to kill him after seeing red (literally) and knocking the criminal unconscious. Majitani feigns unconsciousness in an attempt to run out the clock. Leorio and the leader of the prisoners bet on whether he's faking. Leorio holds the man above a long drop, and Majitani wakes up. He concedes the match to Kurapika, but the group loses a large chunk of their time because of the bet. Leorio goes next. His opponent is Leroute, an attractive woman. He loses ten hours in a bet. He then loses the rest of their betting hours to her. Killua then faces Johness the Dissector, a man responsible for the murder of at least 146 people with his bare hands. Killua rips out his heart, explaining afterwards that Johness is an amateur and he is a pro. The last test to get out of the tower has two paths: one is too long and the other will only allow three of the five to enter. Leorio and Tonpa start fighting to see who will stay, when Gon thinks outside the box. They choose the longer path, destroy the wall between the paths with axes provided so they could fight, and all five make it out.

4th Phase
The fourth phase is a manhunt on Zevil Island, wherein the 25 remaining competitors being required to target and acquire their prey's plate. Gon draws Hisoka, and spends much of his time strategizing. He manages to get Hisoka's plate, but is attacked in the process by Gereta and paralyzed with a neurotoxin. Hisoka then kills Gereta, but gives Gon back his plate and then his own. Gon recovers in three days and comes across Leorio and Kurapika; he eventually helps Leorio to acquire his target's badge.

Final Phase
The final phase was a tournament with each of the participants. After being selected by the judges as being the most exceptional applicants, Hanzo and Gon face off first. Gon is outmatched when it comes to combat, but his unwillingness to submit causes Hanzo to forfeit the battle — making Gon the first applicant to pass the 287th Hunter Exam. Hanzo knocks Gon out and the boy doesn't awake until the Exam has ended. Satotz fills in the details and explains to Gon that only two people didn't pass the exam —Bodoro and Killua. It is revealed that Gittarackur is actually an alias for Killua's older brother, Illumi. Killua was manipulated into murdering another contestant and subsequently failed the exam. Gon, enraged, confronts Illumi and gets Killua's address. Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio all then depart to Killua's home on Kukuroo Mountain.

The Zoldyck Estate Arc
Along with Kurapika and Leorio, they set an adventure to retrieve Killua from his home at Kukuroo Mountain. They encounter hardships as they try to enter the Zoldyck estate. Gon also befriended the gatekeeper and Mike's caretaker, Zebro. He lets them stay and trains them by using weighed objects (i.e the slippers weigh 20kg, the mop and broom weigh 25kg each). After a few days, they become strong enough to open the first door of the Gates of Trial. They proceed towards the mountain, and meet Canary, an apprentice. She was ordered never to let anyone pass and if they insist, she'll expel them via force. Gon was heavily beat up by her, but in the end she leads them to the main building. In the building, while waiting for Killua to come, Gotoh plays a simple game with Gon, Kurapika and Leorio to pass the time. When Killua arrived, they immediately left the mountain. At the end of this arc, Leorio decides to study and become a doctor, Kurapika will look for a job as a Blacklist Hunter, and Gon and Killua will go to Heavens Arena to earn money and gain combat experience. They all agreed to meet up at Yorknew City on September 1st.

Heavens Arena Arc
Gon and Killua train at Heavens Arena and learn Nen from Wing, and befriend fellow student Zushi. After having multiple matches in Heavens Arena, Gon eventually fights Hisoka and returns his badge. Gon loses in the end by TKO and Hisoka says that the next time the two fight, their match will be to the death. Gon and Killua leave Heavens Arena after the match and head home for Whale Island, where Gon is given a recorded message left by his father. A ring and memory card are left alongside the cassette tape, and the pair discovers that Ging had created a game called Greed Island. Gon and Killua decide to head to Yorknew City in late August for the Southernpiece Auction in order to win Greed Island.

Yorknew City Arc
The third story arc reunites the main characters for the world's largest auction in a sprawling metropolis called Yorknew City. Gon, Killua, and Leorio try different methods to make enough money to buy Greed Island, a video game that could help Gon find his father. This story arc introduces the Phantom Troupe, a group of thieves who, among many other crimes, slaughtered all the other members of Kurapika's clan. Kurapika crosses paths with them while working as a bodyguard. After aiding Kurapika with the Troupe members, Gon and Killua finally gain access to Greed Island, the seemingly-magical video game that sucks players within. The goal of the game is to collect a number of set cards, although almost everything in the game, from food to money, can be turned into cards.

Greed Island Arc
{C}{C Inside Greed Island Gon and Killua are joined by Biscuit Krueger, a master and experienced teacher of Nen who trains them. During their training period, Killua also exits the game in order to take part in the Hunter exam {C}{C and obtain a Hunter's License. Gon ended up being the first person to clear the game and, as part of his reward, is allowed to take three cards to be used in the real world. Using the card 'Accompany', Gon and Killua travel to a player under the user name 'Nigg', who they believe to be Ging. However, it ends up bringing them to Kite instead.

Chimera Ant Arc
Alongside Kite, Gon and Killua briefly work as biological researchers in the country of Kakin. As they investigate a giant insect limb found on the country's shores, the group discover it came from a man-sized Chimera Ant Queen — an insect that devours other insects and animals, and then gives birth to progeny that inherit the characteristics of the different species it has eaten. The queen chimera ant washes up onto an autonomous nation called Neo-Green Life inhabited by a neo-luddite culture. The queen quickly develops a taste for humans and builds a colony in order to conceive both an army of offspring and a Chimera Ant King, Meryem. The chimera ants proceed to wipe out most of the population out before Gon, Killua, and Kite reach the nest. They are quickly thwarted by Neferpitou, the one of the King's Royal Guard whom forces Gon and Killua to retreat out of the country.

The queen dies during labor, and the chimera ant king and his Chimera Ants flee the N.G.L., secretly overthrowing the government of the nearby Republic of East Gorteau soon thereafter. Under the guise of the former king of the Republic, the chimera ant king initiates the process of forcibly awakening Nen in the civilians of East Gorteau in order to form his own personal army to conquer the world — resulting in the deaths of millions unable to awaken Nen. As ants formerly under the queen's rule rejoin the king, the Hunter Association mobilizes quickly to stop the oncoming genocide by sending in an extermination team of Hunters to East Gorteau. Distraught over the murder of Kite at the hands of the Royal Guards, Gon and Killua join the extermination team in order to take revenge for their friend. After some encounters with Youpi and Pouf, even seeing the King from the distance who was to be fighting Netero himself, he finally meets Pitou, and at the end, seeing that all Pitou was doing was deceiving him from not being able to save his friend Kite, he unleashes all the anger and sorrow he was keeping within him, turning into an older version of himself. Using all his potential in one instant to kill his enemy. In the aftermath, he was to lose something important (perhaps just all the years he lost) and was unconscious by releasing such tremendous power. Killua then took him to the rest of his friends. Gon currently resides in a Hospital with the rest of the hunters that were part of the Chimera Ant extermination team. The Doctor tells Knov and Knuckle that Gon is in an extremely dangerous state, and requires life support. The Doctor thinks to himself saying he's never seen something this gruesome happen to a 12 year old boy in a single night.

Nen Abilities
Gon is an Enhancer, which typically gives him his great strength and recuperative abilities. His Hatsu is called Jajanken; a play on the Japanese word for Rock-paper-scissors--"Janken." The unusual name of his Hatsu was created when Gon stuttered the word "janken" when informing the Hunter Knuckle Bine the name of his ability.

Jajanken consists of three parts. Gon's main attack is "Rock", a simple Enhanced attack focusing all his aura into his fist. His long-ranged attack is "Paper," an emitted attack that fires a ball of aura from his palm. His mid-ranged attack is "Scissors", a Transmuted blade of aura attached to his index and middle fingers.

These three attacks are all initiated with the traditional pose and shout of a game of janken. This technique has two major weaknesses: Firstly, it takes a long time to charge which gives the opponent a window of opportunity to attack Gon and stop the technique, secondly, by focusing more aura into his fist it reduces the amount of aura covering the rest of his body, thus lowering his defense. To compensate for this, Gon can use his Jajanken as a fake, using its imposing power to make the opponent tense up and try to break it or move out of its path, only to cancel the technique and take advantage of the opponent's confusion. This tactic itself is still imperfect as regardless of whether it's a fake or not, as using Jajanken consumes a lot of Gon's aura.

After the seige on the palace of East Gorteau, through a contract and limitations, Gon sacrifices all of his inborn talent and age in order to gain immense power. It has yet to be confirmed if this mean than Gon will ever be able to use his Nen abilities again.


 * Rock (グー Gū): Gon focuses the aura around his fists using Ko and releases it in a punch. Rock is a close range attack, and has the strongest power among the three.


 * Scissors (チー Chī): Scissors is formed using two fingers in a pistol shape. Gon uses Transmutation abilities to transform his aura into a long blade extending from the two fingers. It's a middle range attack, and not as powerful as Rock, though it can cut through what Rock cannot break. Gon has more trouble with this attack because he is an Enhancer leaning towards Emission.


 * Paper (パー Pā): For this, Gon uses his Emission abilities to project his Nen towards his enemies. Paper uses an open palm to emit the aura. It's a long range attack that fires nen as a projectile; because Gon is an Enhancer and Paper uses emission, a different nen type, it is weaker than Rock. However, he has found this to be useful for pincer type attacks, as demonstrated in his battle with Knuckle.


 * Unknown Transformation: Gon has recently demonstrated another ability with the specifics currently unknown. Activated by his immense rage, Gon transformed into an older version of himself with strength rivaling that of the chimera ant king. In this form, he was strong enough to fatally wound Neferpitou. As Pitou's consciousness fade, the dying ant remarked that such power can only be achieved through great cost. The limitation placed on this ability is so great that the rebound from any attempt to remove it would kill normal Exorcists instantlly.

Trivia

 * Gon ranked 3rd in all of the 3 character popularity polls that have been conducted so far by Weekly Shounen Jump, below both Killua and Kurapika.
 * Gon is always seen ordering orange juice at restaurants.
 * Gon is rarely seen without his fishing pole.
 * Gon was 11 at the beginning of the series and roughly 20 months have passed since then, so at the moment his chronological age is 13. However in chapter 316, a doctor mentions that Gon is 12. There are some possible reasons for this discrepancy: (1) The doctor was not given up-to-date information about Gon's chronological age, (2) Nen slows Gon's aging process and the doctor was referring to his biological age, or (3) this is a mistake made by Togashi.