Highlights
- Gon Freecss possesses exceptional physical abilities, including extraordinary stamina, reflexes, and speed, which make him a formidable fighter.
- After learning how to manipulate his life energy through Nen, Gon surpasses all expectations and becomes even more powerful.
- When pushed to a dark place, Gon transforms into a powerful and dangerous monster, demonstrating his ruthless offensive instincts in combat.
Hunter x Hunter is a popular Shonen anime and manga series that revolves around the adventures of a young boy named Gon Freecss who decides to take the Hunter exam so that he can get a formal license and find his father. The popular franchise relies on a complex power system known as Nen, which categorizes characters into distinguishable groups of combatants.
Gon Freecss starts his journey in Hunter x Hunter blissfully ignorant of the concept of Nen but quickly transforms into a prodigious fighter who is rated highly by experienced Hunters. Here's why his fighting style is so unique that it leaves everyone petrified.
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Gon's Skills Were There From an Early Age
Gon May Have Not Known Nen When He Took the Hunter Exam, But He Was Already Exceptional
The Hunter exam attracts candidates from varied backgrounds who wish to make a name for themselves by successfully passing the test. However, it is designed to push people to their limits and make them quit. During the first phase of the exam, the candidates are made to run without ever being informed when they will be stopping. Although the psychological pressure is too much for most candidates, Gon manages to run more than 80 kilometers to easily pass the round without breaking a sweat. But this is not the only instance where he displays extraordinary stamina. On the Greed Island, Gon fights Binolt for 10 days straight without ever showing any signs of fatigue.
Apart from his incredible stamina, Gon also possesses exceptional reflexes that could put even the most trained fighters to shame. Furthermore, his speed during fights even surprises veteran Nen users on several occasions. Interestingly, Gon is an intellectual with profound zoological knowledge and also an innate ability to devise effective strategies during combat. On different occasions, he has formulated simple but useful tactics that have helped him win fights. But what truly makes Gon Freecss stand out in combat is his mind-boggling endurance.
During the Final Phase of the Hunter exam, Gon and Hanzo are picked to fight against each other. The latter possesses specialized knowledge while the former is blissfully ignorant of advanced fighting techniques. Naturally, Hanzo dominates Gon and beats him up continuously for three hours. But despite his wounds, Gon refuses to give up forcing his adversary to forfeit becoming the first person to pass the 287th Hunter Exam. In another instance, he fights against Genthru despite severe injuries on his windpipe and manages to pull off an exceptional victory with the odds heavily stacked against him. While these innate abilities are critical in combat, it is eventually Gon's special Nen powers that make him a dangerous combatant.
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Gon's Incredible Nen Use
After Gon Learned How to Manipulate His Life Energy, He Surpassed Everyone's Wildest Expectations
Gon was exceptional even before he took the Hunter exam, but he truly transformed after getting his Hunter license. In the aftermath of the Zoldyck Family arc, Killua and Gon headed to the Heavens Arena to compete in fighting tournaments to train themselves and earn some money. That's where they acquainted Zushi and his Shingen-ryu kung fu teacher Wing. The latter introduced the duo to Nen, the technique used to manipulate one's Aura or life energy. Each individual is unique and has a special affinity to a Nen type that is categorized into- Emission, Manipulation, Transmutation, Enhancement, Specialization, and Conjuration.
Gon is an Enhancer, a type of Nen user who can use their life energy to significantly enhance physical abilities. Interestingly, the technique offers arguably the best balance of defense and offense. But Gon being Gon often employs Enchacement for his all-out offensive approach in combat which is naturally not ideal for his well-being. However, he is so exceptionally talented that he manages to master even some of the advanced Nen techniques without formal training. It's no surprise then that Wing considered his talent to be on in ten million.
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In the Greed Island arc, Gon undergoes rigorous training under Biscuit Krueger, a Double-Star Stone Hunter who also happens to be Wing's teacher. This led a dramatic progress in his Nen mastery and just shortly afterwards he developed his own Nen technique named Jajanken, which is a play on the Japanese word Janken meaning rock-paper-scissors.
Jajanken has three variations that can be used based on circumstances. Rock is the most dangerous of the three and Gon compromises his defenses for it to go all-out in with the offensive move. He also directs aura to his fist with Ko and unleashes a devastating attack capable of serious damage. He used the same technique to knock out Knuckles despite the Beast Hunter trying his best to take guard using Ko. The punch can also become more impactful if it is used with Ren.
While Rock is a close-ranged attack, Scissors on the other hand is a mid-ranged Jajanken strike. While the former uses Enhancement, the latter relies on Transmutation to focus aura on his outstretched middle and pointer fingers so that they can then be used as a long blade. Finally, the long-ranged attack variation of Jajanken is known as Paper, which utilizes Emission to unleash spherical projectiles from Gon's open palm. Unfortunately, this is the weakest of the three Jajanken attacks as it uses a Nen type that does not have the same affinity to Gon as Enhancement.
The Bewildering Last Resort
When Gon is Pushed Into a Dark Spot, He Can Turn Into a Monster
Gon is generally a very positive and kind person but when Kite is murdered by Neferpitou in the Chimera Ant arc, he slowly slips into a dark place that forces him to take drastic steps. In the Yorknew City arc, Kurapika had told him and Leorio that he is putting a Limitation and has taken a vow to dramatically enhance in powers to take revenge on the Phantom Troupe. It appears that piece of revelation inspired Gon to formulate a Vow of his own that gave him access to all the powers he could ever imagine getting. In the process, he transformed dramatically and increased his Nen abilities, aura output, and physical strength to the point that Neferpitou feared that he could potentially turn out to be a threat to their King, Mereum.
Once Neferpitou came to the haunting realization, they decided to never let Gon get to their King. Interestingly, Gon was so obsessed with revenge at this point that he was not even thinking about Mereum and just wanted to take down Neferpitou by any means necessary. In his transformed state, Gon brutally beats up Neferpitou. Meanwhile, Mereum's Royal Guard accurately guesses that Gon had gotten so powerful by compressing his life and is unlikely to be able to use Nen again.
After Gon has killed Neferpitou, he slips into a coma following which his body starts deteriorating rapidly. Luckily, he is saved by Nanika's timely intervention. However, Gon despite making a full recovery, could not use Nen as it has been predicted by Neferpitou. There is a lack of clarity on the Nen type used in the dramatic transformation, but it's reasonable to assume that it could be an extreme variation of Enhancement or Limitation Transformation. It is unclear whether Gon can use Nen again or not, but one can conclude that he is a remarkably gifted boy with ruthlessly offensive instincts in combat. So even in case he couldn't use Nen anymore, it's reasonable to presume that he will retain his fighting spirit and find other ways to follow his dreams.
Hunter x Hunter is available to stream on Hulu.
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