I think Gon is not a fundamentally bloodthirsty person. He does understand killing is wrong, he just–makes exceptions for the rules according to his childlike mindset. He didn’t kill Genthru either, for example. His goal in those scenes I think was to survive, not to kill, whereas when facing off with Pitou it was to save Kite and then get revenge.
It’s also the case that Gon has a very egocentric, childlike mindset (and I’m using egocentric in the clinical psychological sense, meaning that all children focus on themselves and that is natural and not a criticism). He is not in this business of being a hunter, or even fighting in the Chimera Ant debacle, for the good of humanity or to save humanity. He’s in it for finding his father, and for saving Kite because he views Kite as a substitute for Ging. And he’s a child, so this isn’t wrong, but throughout the entirety of HxH, Gon is not really motivated by grand “for the good of the world” ideals, so his letting them go seems pretty consistent to me.
As for Pitou, I do think Gon is to an extent projecting his self-hatred onto them, and that is because his entire life he’s felt like he was not enough for Ging to stick around. Abandonment is really abusive and traumatic for a child, and Togashi really portrays its effects accurately. And then Ging goes one step further and essentially sets up a game Gon has to pass in order to find him and “earn” the right to meet him. So when Pitou kills Kite, someone he views as a Ging substitute, Gon is devastated because of two reasons: 1) Kite gave his life to protect Gon, showing Gon that he valued him in a way Ging never has, and he just lost that, and 2) Kite gave his life to protect Gon, meaning Gon was not strong enough to save his father figure and keep him with him, which is reminiscent of the root cause of his trauma: that he’s not enough for Ging to stick around.
For Gon’s specific rage that Pitou showed care for Komugi, I think it comes down to the fact that he wants to see Pitou as a soulless monster. It’s easier when we hate people who hurt us to see them as having no good in them. But seeing that Pitou does care for people brings up the same question Gon didn’t understand when he confronted Chrollo in the Yorknew City Arc: how can you care about your troupe but kill people you don’t even know so indiscriminately? And the irony is, of course, that that’s exactly what Killua’s entire family does. If Gon accepts that Pitou can care for people, then that challenges his assumption that Pitou is a monster, and if Pitou is not a monster, then he has to take a cold hard look at himself and see whether or not his revenge might, in fact, be unhealthy for him. But Gon again can’t give up on things, because if he gives up on something it probably exacerbates his fears of his lack of self-worth (thanks Ging), so it’s really terrifying for him, and tragic because he’s like a child.
I’m not sure how much of the story you know or if you’ve read the manga, so I’m afraid of spoiling it for you, but without getting into specifics: yes! Gon is a deconstruction of the type of character Deku is.
*This isn’t anything against Deku for the record–he and Gon are the same archetype, but whereas BNHA is a straight shonen and plays to all its tropes and Deku to all the traits of typical shonen protagonists, HxH deconstructs those tropes and archtypes. A deconstruction is not necessarily better writing than a straightforward trope either.*
The story is asking Gon just how much he really wants to be like his father, and whether his perky “never give up” attitude is really worth the cost (it’s not, and this starts increasingly becoming the case in each successive arc until it reaches a complete destruction in the Chimera Ant Arc). It also examines what goes in to creating someone who refuses to fail, and basically we see that, as you say, Gon is a child who is desperate to earn his father’s approval and love–and his father’s orchestrated this cat-and-mouse game precisely to have Gon earn the right to see him. (It also asks similar questions of Killua in that it asks him how much he really wants to be separate from his family, and it asks Kurapika what the cost of the legacy of his tribe is.)
The comparison of Ging to Gon through is apt, because Gon’s ultimate journey will probably be not becoming his father or needing his father’s approval, but for now he is on that path.
Well, Emperor Time is something that would surely have had Leorio, Gon, and Killua all try to stop him had they known, so it makes sense to me that Kurapika did not open up about it.
But in truth it’s kind of a metaphor for how Kurapika functions: he opens up and trusts friends, but he holds his darkest self-hatred back. He trusts them with a lot, hence why he told them, but he doesn’t trust anyone with how deeply he actually hates himself and wants to punish himself. He trusts that he matters to them to an extent, but he’s holding a part back, and I do think he’s going to have to tell them/they will find out eventually. (Alluka can you… help please. Or an Ai, any Ai.)
But in general Kurapika wants to be close to people. He’s emotional to a fault and he allows those emotions and his love for people to drive him, but he paradoxically represses those emotions under the guise of cool logic and goals. It’s almost like a Chrollo parallel lol XD His telling them may not have been strategic. It may have been actually an example of him letting his emotions break through, but only a bit.
Please let this arc be the arc in which his emotions really start to break out.
No need to apologize for your English! It’s great.
I think the Phantom Troupe will stay out of the war until they have their own numbers whittled down, at which point Kurapika is probably also going to be needing allies to Get Off The Ship. Yes, I really do think there’s a strong chance of Kurapika and Chrollo having to team up, or at least Kurapika teaming up with some PT members (for example, he’s not gonna kill Killua’s brothers).
They’ll all probably have to make a choice: revenge (on the PT for Kurapika, on Hisoka for Chrollo), or survival of you and your loved ones (the PT for Chrollo, and Woble and Oito for Kurapika)? Your greedy goals (the eyes for Kurapika, the treasure for Chrollo, both of which are Tserriednich’s) or the lives of those around you? Kurapika made that choice for Gon and Killua over revenge last time. This time I think he’ll have to give up his quest for Oito and Woble. Chrollo will likely face a similar choice, and I hope he chooses his friends. I actually do think he will.
I think Illumi is likely to go after Alluka again (again why Illumi and Kalluto have no real risk this arc) at some point, and Gon and Hisoka have to meet again as well. I think Gon needs to get his nen abilities back (likely in Meteor City, wherein a foil set up for him who is also a CA–Gyro–is waiting). I think Killua needs to face Kalluto and realize it’s not enough to protect Alluka, but instead he’s also abandoned Kalluto in some sense (it’s complicated and I’m not blaming Killua but we know Kalluto desperately wants him back and Killua does not acknowledge this in the family relationship chart). I also think Silva needs to be confronted and sworn off, and I hope Illumi and Milluki can follow Killua as well and ditch their parents, but we’ll see.
also worth it to note in hunter exam as gon is being brutally beaten by a trained ninja and the threat of death and even permanent mutilation are worth bearing as long as there is no possibility of him being a disappointment to his idea of his father like. that really is ignored i think in so many analyses of gon is that he idolizes his father to the point of tangible harm to him and his body. ging unintentionally is killing gon by not seeing him….
And people say Gon doesn’t have any sort of self-worth issues.
I mean, he doesn’t have them in the popular sense of being like “Oh, I hate myself! I’m such a disappointment etc.”, but he does seem to have “This is more important than myself” mentality, as if figthing against certain people, winning and protecting others by isolating them from the problem is a much greater cause than caring for his own health and well being.
The York New scene when he and Killua are trapped with Nobunaga comes to mind in particular.
What’s even more interesting is that this type of behavior is actually celebrated in Shounen manga.
The protagonist, so selfless and inherently good, always fights with every pour of his being, ‘till his last breath, despite how much pain it brings and how badly it affects him from a physical or mental standpoint.
Being selfeless and protecting those you love is an admirable thing, but at what point does it stop being about that and it becomes a toxic mentality?
HxH, unlike other Shounen, doesn’t glorify Gon’s destrucitve tendencies and it doesn’t paint them as anything other than destructive. It’s always bloody, so painful it makes you cringe uncounsciously and even heartbreaking.
Another tiny thing that makes me appreciate HxH all the more.
Fuck if this isn’t the most accurate post about Gon ever.
Its amazing that, just after this, everyone is so in awe and even laughs at Gon’s stubbornly refusing to give up.
And yet, this type of behavior should be seen as a big fucking red flag about how dangerous Gon’s mentality is, and abandoning his son and setting up all these obstacle courses that could kill or break him that Ging is deliberately doing is exacerbating these traits.
Is it any wonder Gon-San was born during the Chimera ant arc?
WAIT may I… recommend my own fanfic?? It’s called “Circus Act” (it’s kinda part two in a four part series that is Hisoillu and Kurokura in a modern AU) but Hisoka basically mentors Gon (and tells off Ging a few times) but Gon also kind of… helps him grow too. Parts two and four of the series have the most Hisoka and Gon mentor focus, but part 3 and 1 have some as well.
I’m also writing a college AU for them… maybe I will include more of Hisoka mentoring Gon. I too like Hisoka and Gon as a mentor-mentee relationship (anything other than that is a giant hell to the NO from me, but I like them as mentors).
In canon, maybe two people actually have the potential to care about Hisoka, and those are Illumi (whose own understanding of love is massively warped) and possibly Gon after his time-out post Ant arc, but Gon is also, you know. Horrified by Hisoka in almost all their interactions thus far. As he should be. The thing is though that Hisoka and Gon are the same kind of character (Netero and Ging are very much like them as well) in that they are looking for the next thrill at the expense of everything else–which can translate into everyone else–and which Hisoka takes to the utmost extreme.
I am wondering if, when they meet again (as providing Togashi’s health allows and the story continues, I think they will) Gon might have developed a capacity to empathize (which he did not practice much before) and might see someone who has fallen just like he had fallen but without the people to pull him out of the pit he dug for himself. But whether or not Hisoka would be receptive to Gon and/or Illumi actually caring about him at some point, I don’t know. He’d probably have to fall further for that to happen. Which since I’m pretty sure he won’t get to kill Chrollo or all the Spiders (just some of them) he just might.
At the same time, Hisoka cared more about Gon being injured than Ging did, so. Good job Hisoka.
Well, Hisoka is basically a stealth mentor! I’m also… Hisoka really is unable to not mix up fighting/killing from any kind of love/affection. See: Illumi. It’s really quite sad because his emotional growth is basically stunted because of his inability to understand attachments and the concept of relationships not being entirely about what they can bring you. Which of course limits how he can mentor Gon. 😦
I’ll state that I actually strongly disagree about canon! I’d be shocked if they didn’t interact again. You can never be sure but they almost certainly will. Hisoka is Gon’s shadow; the goal of having a shadow character is to integrate with them. Just never seeing them again does not quite work for that.
I’m not going to do every character, but simply the characters I think are most important and/or my favorites. 😛 Also, this is just my opinion and definitely open to debate! MBTI isn’t a science; it’s just a fun tool.
Main Characters:
Gon Freecss: ESFP “The Entertainer”
The biggest challenge ESFPs face is that they are often so focused on immediate pleasures that they neglect the duties and responsibilities that make those luxuries possible. Complex analysis, repetitive tasks, and matching statistics to real consequences are not easy activities for ESFPs. They’d rather rely on luck or opportunity, or simply ask for help from their extensive circle of friends.
Killua Zoldyck: INTJ “The Architect”
It’s lonely at the top… People with the INTJ personality type are imaginative yet decisive, ambitious yet private, amazingly curious, but they do not squander their energy.
Kurapika: ISFJ “The Defender”
ISFJ personalities (especially Turbulent ones) are often meticulous to the point of perfectionism… ISFJs take their responsibilities personally, consistently going above and beyond, doing everything they can to exceed expectations and delight others, at work and at home. ISFJ personalities are a wonderful group, rarely sitting idle while a worthy cause remains unfinished
Leorio Paladiknight: ESFJ “The Consul”
Supportive and outgoing, ESFJs can always be spotted at a party – they’re the ones finding time to chat and laugh with everyone! But their devotion goes further than just breezing through because they have to. ESFJs truly enjoy hearing about their friends’ relationships and activities, remembering little details and always standing ready to talk things out with warmth and sensitivity.
Hisoka Morow: ENTP “The Debater”
The ENTP personality type is the ultimate devil’s advocate, thriving on the process of shredding arguments and beliefs and letting the ribbons drift in the wind for all to see. Unlike their more determined Judging (J) counterparts, ENTPs don’t do this because they are trying to achieve some deeper purpose or strategic goal, but for the simple reason that it’s fun.
Illumi Zoldyck: ISTJ “The Logistician”
Their defining characteristics of integrity, practical logic and tireless dedication to duty make ISTJs a vital core to many families, as well as organizations that uphold traditions, rules and standards, such as law offices, regulatory bodies and military. People with the ISTJ personality type enjoy taking responsibility for their actions, and take pride in the work they do – when working towards a goal, ISTJs hold back none of their time and energy completing each relevant task with accuracy and patience..Dependency on others is often seen by ISTJs as a weakness, and their passion for duty, dependability and impeccable personal integrity forbid falling into such a trap… their blunt approach leaves others with the false impression that ISTJs are cold, or even robotic. People with this type may struggle to express emotion or affection outwardly, but the suggestion that they don’t feel, or worse have no personality at all, is deeply hurtful.
Chrollo Lucilfer: INTJ “The Architect”
He’s a confusing one because I kept going back and forth on the F or T function. But I lean T.
While this may be intended as an insult by their peers, they more than likely identify with it and are even proud of it, greatly enjoying their broad and deep body of knowledge. INTJs enjoy sharing what they know as well, confident in their mastery of their chosen subjects, but owing to their Intuitive (N) and Judging (J) traits, they prefer to design and execute a brilliant plan within their field rather than share opinions on “uninteresting” distractions like gossip… A paradox to most observers, INTJs are able to live by glaring contradictions that nonetheless make perfect sense – at least from a purely rational perspective. For example, INTJs are simultaneously the most starry-eyed idealists and the bitterest of cynics, a seemingly impossible conflict.
Dumpster Fire The Zoldyck Family
Alluka: ESFJ “The Consul”
ESFJs love to be of service, enjoying any role that allows them to participate in a meaningful way, so long as they know that they are valued and appreciated.
Milluki Zoldyck: ISTP, “The Virtuoso”
While their mechanical tendencies can make them appear simple at a glance, ISTPs are actually quite enigmatic. Friendly but very private, calm but suddenly spontaneous, extremely curious but unable to stay focused on formal studies, ISTP personalities can be a challenge to predict, even by their friends and loved ones. ISTPs can seem very loyal and steady for a while, but they tend to build up a store of impulsive energy that explodes without warning, taking their interests in bold new directions.
Kalluto Zoldyck: ISFJ “The Defender”
I went back and forth on whether he was an ISTJ or ISFJ but decided on F thanks to that one brief snippet we had into Kalluto’s mind and how he desired to help Feitan whereas the other PT members did not.
ISFJ personalities (especially Turbulent ones) are often meticulous to the point of perfectionism, and though they procrastinate, they can always be relied on to get the job done on time.
The Phantom Troupe (or my faves there)
Machi: INTP “The Logician”
Further, with Thinking (T) as one of their governing traits, INTPs are unlikely to understand emotional complaints at all, and their friends won’t find a bedrock of emotional support in them. People with the INTP personality type would much rather make a series of logical suggestions for how to resolve the underlying issue, a perspective that is not always welcomed by their Feeling (F) companions… INTP personalities are so prone to reassessing their own thoughts and theories, worrying that they’ve missed some critical piece of the puzzle, that they can stagnate, lost in an intangible world where their thoughts are never truly applied.
Feitan: ISTJ “The Logistician”
ISTJ personalities are no-nonsense, and when they’ve made a decision, they will relay the facts necessary to achieve their goal, expecting others to grasp the situation immediately and take action. ISTJs have little tolerance for indecisiveness, but lose patience even more quickly if their chosen course is challenged with impractical theories, especially if they ignore key details – if challenges becomes time-consuming debates, ISTJs can become noticeably angry as deadlines tick nearer.
Phinks: ESTJ “The Executive”
ESTJs are aware of their surroundings and live in a world of clear, verifiable facts – the surety of their knowledge means that even against heavy resistance, they stick to their principles and push an unclouded vision of what is and is not acceptable… However, ESTJs don’t work alone, and they expect their reliability and work ethic to be reciprocated – people with this personality type meet their promises, and if partners or subordinates jeopardize them through incompetence or laziness, or worse still, dishonesty, they do not hesitate to show their wrath.
Pakunoda: ISFJ “The Defender”
ISFJs utilize excellent memories not to retain data and trivia, but to remember people, and details about their lives.
Shizuku: INTP “The Logician”
Usually known as the philosopher, the architect, or the dreamy professor… They may appear to drift about in an unending daydream, but INTPs’ thought process is unceasing, and their minds buzz with ideas from the moment they wake up. This constant thinking can have the effect of making them look pensive and detached,
Uvogin: ESTP “The Entrepreneur”
If ESTPs aren’t careful though, they may get too caught in the moment, take things too far, and run roughshod over more sensitive people, or forget to take care of their own health and safety… ESTPs are full of passion and energy, complemented by a rational, if sometimes distracted, mind. Inspiring, convincing and colorful, they are natural group leaders, pulling everyone along the path less traveled, bringing life and excitement everywhere they go. Putting these qualities to a constructive and rewarding end is ESTPs’ true challenge.
Shalnark: ENTP, “The Debater”
ENTPs only make up about three percent of the population, which is just right, as it lets them create original ideas, then step back to let more numerous and fastidious personalities handle the logistics of implementation and maintenance.
Nobunaga: ESFP “The Entertainer”
[T]here’s no greater joy for ESFP personalities than to bring everyone else along for the ride. ESFPs can chat for hours, sometimes about anything but the topic they meant to talk about, and share their loved ones’ emotions through good times and bad.
Chimera Ants:
Meruem: ISTJ “The Logistician”
[P]eople with the ISTJ personality type often prefer to work alone, or at least have their authority clearly established by hierarchy, where they can set and achieve their goals without debate or worry over other’s reliability.ISTJs have sharp, fact-based minds, and prefer autonomy and self-sufficiency to reliance on someone or something.
Komugi: ISTP “The Virtuoso”
ISTPs love to explore with their hands and their eyes, touching and examining the world around them with cool rationalism and spirited curiosity… ISTPs explore ideas through creating, troubleshooting, trial and error and first-hand experience. … ISTPs enjoy lending a hand and sharing their experience, especially with the people they care about… ISTP personalities can be a challenge to predict, even by their friends and loved ones.
Pitou: ESFJ “The Consul”
ESFJs are the cheerleaders and the quarterbacks, setting the tone, taking the spotlight and leading their teams forward to victory and fame… ESFJs continue to enjoy supporting their friends and loved ones, organizing social gatherings and doing their best to make sure everyone is happy.
Shaiapouf: ISTJ “The Logistician”
People with the ISTJ personality type enjoy taking responsibility for their actions, and take pride in the work they do – when working towards a goal, ISTJs hold back none of their time and energy completing each relevant task with accuracy and patience… ISTJs tend to keep their opinions to themselves and let the facts do the talking, but it can be a long time before observable evidence tells the whole story.ISTJs need to remember to take care of themselves – their stubborn dedication to stability and efficiency can compromise those goals in the long term as others lean ever-harder on them, creating an emotional strain that can go unexpressed for years, only finally coming out after it’s too late to fix. If they can find coworkers and spouses who genuinely appreciate and complement their qualities, who enjoy the brightness, clarity and dependability that they offer, ISTJs will find that their stabilizing role is a tremendously satisfying one, knowing that they are part of a system that works.
Palm Siberia: ISFJ “The Defender”
ISFJs utilize excellent memories not to retain data and trivia, but to remember people, and details about their lives.
Kurapika’s Side Character Buds
Senritsu/Melody: “The Advocate”
INFJs indeed share a unique combination of traits: though soft-spoken, they have very strong opinions and will fight tirelessly for an idea they believe in. They are decisive and strong-willed, but will rarely use that energy for personal gain – INFJs will act with creativity, imagination, conviction and sensitivity not to create advantage, but to create balance. Egalitarianism and karma are very attractive ideas to INFJs, and they tend to believe that nothing would help the world so much as using love and compassion to soften the hearts of tyrants.
Oito Hui Guo Rou: ESFJ “The Consul”
Moral of this: Why Oito should take over the Kakin Empire and make it a matriarchy.
ESFJs are more concerned with fashion and their appearance, their social status and the standings of other people. Practical matters and gossip are their bread and butter, but ESFJs do their best to use their powers for good. ESFJs are altruists, and they take seriously their responsibility to help and to do the right thing.
Iiiiiiii will say that Gon has never portrayed nor thought of himself as an arbitrator of justice (that’s Kurapika, ‘cept he needs to pull the plank out of his own eye). so I don’t think it was ever about what Binolt deserved or didn’t deserve. Gon’s always been motivated by people close to him, people he genuinely loves and cares about–he wasn’t concerned about protecting humanity from the Chimera Ants, for example, he was concerned about saving Kite. That’s also not wrong. He’s a kid and of course he’s motivated by people close to him. For example, he knows Hisoka is a murderer and had no qualms about teaming up with him to win the dodgeball match and letting him go even though he knew something was up. So I think it’s pretty consistent behavior for Gon.
I do think it’s possible as you suggest that he empathized with Binolt by the end of their weeks together and didn’t hate him, but I do think a lot of that comes from his helping Gon out because that’s consistent with Gon’s character.
hamliet 